Less than three weeks...

Now that we have an induction date, I'm starting to really get excited about having our little baby here with us! I would prefer not to be induced, but at least I know that Baby H should be here by at least February 2nd. Even though I've had a due date for the past 8 months, there is a different feeling knowing that if my body doesn't start things on its own, chemicals will start the labor process on a certain date.

We had a sweet shower given by members of our church on Saturday night, and then a small shower at work on Monday. I think I look terrible, so I intentionally have not taken any pictures (sorry for those who like documentation). Despite not having pictures, the showers were wonderful and I am so overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends. I honestly feel like we have everything we need to get started with the baby. We also have a stack of gift cards for anything we have forgotten or realize we need along the way.

My mom is here in town this week while Jonathan is at a conference in San Francisco, and I think we are going to prep some more meals to stock the freezer. I feel bad leaving her at home all day while I am at work, but she just called a little while ago to let me know she is doing laundry - what a blessing!! Our laundry room is in the basement of our apartment building, and I can no longer physically walk down and up the steps while carrying a laundry basket. Jonathan does the laundry usually, and I wasn't sure what I was going to do this week while he was gone.

We would definitely appreciate prayer for Jonathan's job search. I don't need to tell you that this is possibly one of the worst times to try to find a job. Academia is not immune to the troubles of the economy. Marketplace, a radio news program, recently had a story about the decline in hiring for liberal arts faculty, and it made so much sense. The liberal arts degree has taken a hit in the past year, so colleges and universities are either shrinking or maintaining their current programs as opposed to expanding them. This affects Jonathan's job prospects especially since he works with theoretical math instead of applied math. He has one interview this week at the AMS conference, although he is hoping to possibly be able to jump into a few open interview slots if there are any available.

Okay, rambling blog post over!