Work was slow for me as rumors of lay offs and our project getting cut were going around. Then in early February I found out that these rumors proved to be valid as I found out I was one of the "lucky" ones to get laid off. I had less than a month to find another job at IBM or else, I'm gone. So, I did a job search which was fruitless since no one was allowed to hire. Through something called "Project Match" at IBM, I thought I'd take the opportunity to find a job overseas since that had been a goal of mine. To my surprise, I was offered a job in Sao Paulo, Brasil, which was super exciting, but after much thought, decided it wasn't right for us at this time.
So, on February 26, 2009, I ended my 7.5 year career at IBM. Though I was a bit put off by the decision, I was relieved and excited that I could finally move on and do something else. It was no secret that I wasn't really happy with my career, but just stuck with it, since I was afraid to quit and loose a paycheck. Now, at least I'd be forced to follow another path.
I decided to take it easy for a while, but continued to do a light job search. Then on April 7th, our lives changed. Sheldon and I found out that we were going to be parents! What? We weren't even trying, but God had other plans for us. We were nervous and scared, but totally excited.
The next 4-5 weeks was hell for me. I had morning sickness all day and all night. I lost about 10 pounds because I couldn't keep any food down. Even a simple apple or banana was too much at times. Still, fruit, juice, saltines and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were my best friends. I had like zero energy on most days, which meant that I mostly just slept and watched TV for the better part of the day. I tried to go on walks regularly (2 miles), since they energized me a bit, but often times I'd get back home and feel nauseated and tired.
I thought those days would never end for me...I have never felt so crappy for so long in my life. Shel was so great though... he was sweet and understanding and always tried to cheer me up when he got back home from work.
I was just hoping that by the time we took our trip to London and Italy, I'd be feeling better. Oh yea, so, since we were planning a D'Mello family trip to India in November, which we would obviously not be able to take, we decided to go to Europe instead. I just had to get a trip in before I go on house arrest for a year or more. Ok, well, not exactly house arrest, but I won't be able to make any international trips for sure.
Unfortunately, we had little time to plan the trip and even though I was home all day long, I just wasn't feeling up for the planning since I felt sick all the time. But, somehow we got it done, and we were off to London on May 21. El would come a few days later, and my mom would come a few days before we departed to Italy.
The first week in London, we mostly just spent time with Shel's family. We took a trip to the Kew Gardens one day, and then to the British Museum on another day. Both of these we hadn't ever done before. Shel and I then went to Greenwich on our own one day, which was fun. The borough is small and cute and we found tons of ethnic restaurants all over the place. Strangely, we ended up eating at a Mexican place for lunch...of all places, we chose Mexican, when we can get that here any time! Oh well, it was good and hit the spot.
On June 2, we were off to Italy. The group consisted of Shel's parents, El, my mom, and of course, Shel and I. Our itinerary included 4 nights in Rome, 3 nights in Vernazza (Cinque Terre) and 2 nights in Venice. We also took a day trip from Rome to Assisi the day before we left for Cinque Terre. We had a great time in all the places, but Vernazza, or Cinque Terre in general, was my favorite spot, and I think as a group, it was the most relaxing area for us. There was a great laid back vibe to the place. We were blown away by the towns built into the cliffs, and the amazing views from the hiking trails that connected each town. The hike from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare, was our first one, and just happened to be the most challenging one as well. What should have taken us 90 minutes took us almost twice that time. We took lots of breaks to not only rest, but take in the views and snap a few pictures. Just gorgeous!
All in all, we had a great trip, and thankfully, no one lost their wallets or purses or anything for that matter. We had some small hiccups, like being stranded at the Pisa train station for almost 5 hours due to a train delay, and almost getting robbed by gypsies on the train from Rome to Pisa, but hey, we got through it :)
We flew back to London from Venice on June 11, and then just a couple of days later, we were heading back to the States on June 13. We flew into Houston (El, mom, Shel and I), and I had decided to stay with mom in Houston for a week or so since my dad was out of town and so was Hetal/Priya. I was excited to get some home cooked meals from mom, and she delivered. We spent some relaxing days at home before dad's trip was cut short and decided to come back early. Hetal and Priya were also back on the same day, June 17, so we went from peace and quiet to family chaos. Just kidding, wasn't that bad, but it was fun. Pri was so cute...but she's also becoming a bit of a bratty diva. Nothing we can't handle though.
After a month away, I finally made it back home to Austin on June 19th. Felt so good to finally be home with Shel and sleep in my own bed!
Since then, we've told most of our friends about the baby news, and everyone has been so happy for us and excited about the news. Glad I don't have to keep things under wraps anymore...was getting kinda hard. Also, now I can solicit advice from friends who've just had babies, which I desperately need.
Luckily my morning sickness had been drastically reduced while I was on vacation, and though it still flares up at times, it's much improved right now. I can actually eat real meals now, and cook, which used to repulse me. Hopefully now I can do a bit more around the house and tackle some of the things on our "to do" list.
At times, I still can't believe we're going to have a baby. Shel is going to make an awesome "pop", but I have doubts about my mothering capabilities. Only time will tell, but I'm super excited to give it a go!
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