New Baby, New Job

Earlier this week I ran into a classmate in Boston. He totally did a double take because it was so unexpected that I should be there, since I live and work in New Hampshire... Right?! Well, I guess I need to update more frequently. :)

JJ meeting his sister for the first time on the day she was born

New Baby

First off, the BIGGEST news: Virginia Grace Monroe was born October 25, 2018 after two pushes. It was a fairly typical second baby birth! She is a total sweetheart. I had some complications around and after her birth (gestational hypertension and then a hemorrhage after she was born) but God is in control and had us in the right place for that kind of thing. Ginny was born at Dartmouth and they took great care of me. 

Monroe: Party of Four!

Praise God, she is one healthy and happy kiddo! Now at 5.5 months she is rolling over, trying to sit up, and consistently getting toys or her thumb into her mouth. 

JJ is a great big brother. He started out disinterested in this new wiggly sister of his, then he started pointing out to us every time she cried (like, "Fix it Mom! Help her, Dad!"). Now he will help get her diapers or socks, and pat her back when she cries. It is not all perfect... like a typical big brother he'll take her toys away just to see her reaction. But both kiddos are sweet at heart and I am looking forward to seeing their relationship develop.

New Job

In the beginning of March I left my position as a manufacturing process engineer at Ruger to pursue a lead engineer role at a startup with my college bestie, Amrita. We did basically every mechanical engineering problem set and lab together for four years, she was a bridesmaid in my wedding, and now she's the boss lady! We are on a mission to create a plant-based baby diaper. Hopefully from there we can expand into other baby products and potentially also adult diapers. 

The work is really exciting so far, not to mention relevant to where we are in life with "two under two." This is a great opportunity for me to learn about product development and brand building from a different perspective than I've had so far in my career. 

The new job involves a commute into Boston every day. But thankfully I can hop on a bus from the "park and ride" that is less than five minutes from my house. Once on the bus I can work or read for a couple hours in silence, which has turned out to be a pretty nice way to start my days! I don't love the commute home, fighting 4pm Boston traffic in the bus, but I will take the bad with the very, very good. The work is exciting and the food in Boston is a bit of an upgrade from rural New Hampshire. 

Ideal Lifestyle

When we Marie Kondo-ed our house and lives after Christmas 2017, Josh and I started a discussion about what our "ideal lifestyle" would look like. I'm not sure that we are there yet but I do think we are moving toward what we would like life to look like. Josh is beginning to figure out a rhythm of getting out with the kids, engaging with folks in our neighborhood and at church. We've been able to do meal prep on Sunday nights for the last few weeks, which makes dinnertime much simpler during the week (when I don't get home until 5:45pm). 

We've also gotten to travel to see family more since taking this new job. In mid-March we had a mini-Houston family reunion in Maryland for my Grandpa Houston's birthday. Ginny is named after my grandma, his wife, so it was wonderful to be able to introduce them. :)

Grampa Houston and Virginia Grace in March 2019

And coming up this week I will travel with the two kids to Kentucky/Indiana for a Schroeder sister mini-reunion then off to Cincinnati to work out of Josh's parents' house for a couple weeks. We will also get to see Auntie Heidi and Uncle Phil, so it's like a mini Monroe reunion too (minus Josh...). I am excited to get to see more family. This is definitely closer to my "ideal," but please pray for me on those flights alone with both kids! By the grace of God we go. 

The one hiccup with two kids and my new work schedule is that Josh gets no time to work on the house. We are looking into asking a sitter to come over for a couple hours each afternoon to break up the day and give Josh a chance to make progress on projects. Please pray for a good fit and guidance in the process of bringing someone in to our childcare plans.

Staying in Touch
Is this blog a good way to stay in touch? Would you prefer a different form of communication? I realize it was more than half a year since my last update, so I will try to do better on my end!