June...came and went too soon

Tomorrow I'll be 22 Weeks.  You probably know that we had our 20 weeks ultrasound and discovered we're having a girl.  :) For the record, I had strong feelings that it was a girl.  Ask Mike - I wouldn't even consider boy names.  The ultrasound was an amazing experience--it was crazy to see a BABY and to see our baby moving around (she was very active - we saw mouth moving, arms and legs stretching, and even a partial somersault).  Mike couldn't take his eyes from the screen and would frequently laugh or exclaim.  The technician basically said she is 100% certain it's a girl, by telling us she can't officially tell us it's 100% certain.  I feel great, other than having an insatiable sweet tooth, and I feel her moving around A LOT, especially before bed.  I am keeping active - our community pool opened Memorial Day and I enjoy sitting by the pool and going for a swim on the weekends (although I'm growing increasingly self-conscious about my body...I want to wear a sign that says "I'm not chubby, I'm pregnant").

We made the announcement to family by texting this picture

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I accepted a full-time engineering position at John F. Scanlan, an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) company.  My title is Mechanical Sales Engineer and, as far as I can determine, my role is to help engineers from consulting firms (who are installing HVAC systems in a project). This involves helping them understand the products we sell, answering questions about pricing and logistics, visiting the firms when needed to consult on a project, and contacting the parts manufacturers.

My first week I spent mostly with a salesman who has worked with the company for close to 40 years and knows the products inside and out.  He walked me through the manufacturers catalogs and the computer programs used to select parts.  Thursday and Friday that week I trained at his home office at his beautiful lake house (see below).  This week he was on vacation, so I continued giving myself a crash course in the products and HVAC systems.  I also visited some firms with a salesman and my boss and did some big-girl stuff--like getting over the terror of making and taking phone calls.

This window offers a gorgeous view of the lake

I am SO happy to be working!  I am not really tired at all (would've been a different story in the 1st trimester).  It's actually less exhausting than my part-time job where I walked around for five hours.  I do get very hungry between meals, so I have to sneak snacks in throughout the day.  The commute takes me a full hour and the route is pretty brutal (NE extension and the Schuylkill), but I just accept that it is a slow commute and I listen to NPR.

The shipping/employee entrance in back

The office is above the warehouse were some parts are stored and shipped from.  It looks a little rough on the outside...but then it IS West Philly.

The inside gets lots of natural light and is very open (as you can see).

My desk

There is a full kitchen that the company keeps stocked with sodas and other drinks, snacks, cookies and some lunch staples for the employees.

Most likely my pumping room

 

This is a storage room attached to the ladies room.

Earlier in the month we were able to hang out with Kelly and Sean at Mom and Dad's house while they were housesitting/vacationing (Mom and Dad were visiting the Dardens).  Meghan, my good friend from college, and her boyfriend came and had dinner with us one night.  Dan (another friend from college) stayed with us for one weekend and the next weekend Mike visited some friends in Queens, NY (where he was struck with food poisoning).  I stayed home and visited Kelly, Sean and their new baby Mark in the hospital.

We are heading to Pittsburgh this weekend through the fourth of July.  The last time we visited was Thanksgiving, although Mike's parents and sister have come out to see us since then, so it will be really good to see everyone.  Mike's parents are throwing us a baby shower--we're really excited for that!