It's easy to be optimistic...

It's a whole lot easier to be optimistic on payday. And today is payday. In addition to being the glorious, once monthly payday, this is potentially the last payday where my check from Psych Support (my full time agency) is the only one we can depend on for the whole month. That truth makes it even easier to be optimistic than usual.

Yesterday, Nathaniel was offered a position teaching guitar at a music school in a more affluent Raleigh suburb, Cary. His hourly intake should be enough that he does not have to work more than 1 full day a week and will be able to alleviate our current financial tensions. Additionally, I went to the ribbon cutting for the new building for the school where I teach elementary music part time. I have a BEAUTIFUL classroom, with intense technological resources, plenty of keyboards, and all the space I was missing in the old building. This year, I will be teaching 2 classes of general music, 1 choral class, various small group piano lessons, and 3 classes of Spanish. I will be spending 2 afternoons a week there, further relieving the pressure on our wallet. Once we have a few things taken care of (car inspection/new tires/new license plate/new bed frame/etc), we should be able to bank a large amount of our income. We've proven over the summer we can live off of my full time check (and the generosity of my father's trips to BJ's wholesale club)... now, we can build savings and alleviate at least one of our major worries: financing our little surprise.

Another reason for optimism today: my mom and dad got me a baby carrier. I tried it on and didn't go into a pre-natal-suburban-mom-jean-wearing-coma. I actually like it a lot. I feel like I'm going to be the coolest, most accessorized mother in recent past. Thank you, mom and dad, for the "Infantino" for Piccolino (the nickname given by Tia Kate).

Nathaniel just came out of his office, exclaiming that he figured out what was wrong with his piece and that we are officially past the 4 minutes, 30 second mark. That means he needs about 1 minute and 30 seconds more of music before he can feel good about turning in the piece for review and will, potentially, have half of his PhD requirements met - another reason for optimism.

I've told most of my "inner circle" now. There is a reason these people are my inner circle. I've been so encouraged by them. I've been told that having a baby does not necessarily mean I can't go back to school, that one child is easily manageable, that this child is already loved and part of our "friend-family." I have one friend who is grabbing as many maternity shirts for me as she can find. Another friend is excited to use his Sam's Club membership to buy us diapers. Another friend told me the story about how she calls herself "the accident" but her mother calls her the "pleasant surprise," as she was conceived about 3 months after their wedding. I am so fortunate to know these people and to be the recipient of their generous love and support. It's easy to be optimistic today.

We are planning our trip to Utah. We are so excited to see family. Nathaniel in particular is ready to be "home" for a bit... the humidity is wearing on us both, but it makes him long for the desert more than usual. This upcoming trip is another reason it's easier to be optimistic today.

I know there are still freak outs on the way - labor is still not high on my list of things to do... that can cause me heart palpitations by itself! But, it's easier to be optimistic today.