A Short Three-Part Post

Part 1 - 101.9
101.9. That's the fever I was sporting Friday morning and didn't figure out until later that day when I called the pediatrician for an emergency appointment for my baby because not one inch of my daughter was warm and she felt cold and clammy to me.

Did it occur to me at all before that point the sick party could be me? NO! Forget the fact I started complaining about my skin feeling like I had a sun burn minus the burny part the night before. Forget the fact I made a statement about my dog's tongue feeling like sandpaper when she licked me. Forget the fact that I was FREEZING when it was 77 degrees in our house and I was under two blankets.

No, I just went right on ahead holding my little girl, freaking out because she was cold and clammy all over her entire body. I made the appointment and then took her upstairs to tell Hubs where I was going. He felt her and said, "She isn't cold at all. In fact, she's quite warm." No she isn't! Hubs felt my forehead and said, "Babe, its you. You're burning up."

That was the beginning of the end of breast feeding for me. I am sporting a nice case of mastitis. I should have known something was up when I got a clogged duct that cut my supply in half. Once I get over this, I'm done with the nursing gig. :(

Part 2 - Welcome Back to Work!
I had gone into work a couple of weeks ago and asked about the possibility of being able to work from home part time my first two weeks back. My PM, who is seriously the best guy I have ever worked for, said he didn't have a problem with it but needed to check with HR first to make sure it was kosher. I didn't hear anything back until Friday when I sent him a text message asking if he had checked into it, or if I needed to brace myself for jumping back into work both feet first on Monday.

That night at about 6:30 he called me to let me know that there was a company meeting that day where they announced they had to start letting people go to keep the company afloat during these tough times.

In my head: Oh shit! Am I being let go?!

My PM: For now our department is safe. There is no current indication that anyone on our team will be let go.... So, we'll see you on Monday! We're all excited to have you back. We've got a lot of projects that need your attention.

P.S. You can't work from home. Sorry.

I can't work from home, but at least I still have a job! Okay, so I'm fine for now. My head isn't on the chopping block yet. But do I feel safe? Not at all! My head was spinning. It would not be cool if I lost my job. Do I pay off my credit cards, or do I start banking my pay checks? How do I ensure we are okay if I lose my job?

Part 3 - Surprise!
While I was freaking out about the whole money situation, I remembered I had received a statement from a previous employer about some stock I had earned while working there. I never thought anything about it while I was there or since I left a few years ago because I didn't really think there was a lot of value in them. I had told Hubs about it a couple of weeks ago when my statement first arrived and it turns out, we grossly miscalculated the dollar amount attached to them.

I called my dad that night because I was upset that I was sick and about the news I had just gotten from my PM. I mentioned the stocks and my dad told me the dollar amount I was looking at.

Me: That can't be right. Can it? It can't be worth that much. They are really going to give me that much money if I sell them back? Really? But I didn't buy them. They gave them to me for working there.

My dad: Yes honey, they are worth that much. Some employers give stock as an incentive for working there. Let me figure out how much you would owe in taxes if you cashed out. Not much!

My head was spinning for the third time that day. I had a freaking nest egg I never knew about! I will be calling and cashing out on Monday. Good bye debt! Hello savings!

Summary
My maternity leave has come to an end with a bang. I head back to work Monday morning sporting the remains of an infection with a breast pump at my side, being okay with the fact that I don't get to work from home that afternoon because at least I still have a job, and anticipating selling off my stock from a previous employer. Such horribly mixed emotions!

P.S. I am seriously struggling with going back to work off maternity leave. I am dreading tomorrow. Do I even bother wearing makeup? It will all just end up smudged in a tissue within the first couple hours.