Belly Shot #1

Ok, I finally surrendered to a belly pic. Here I am at about 20 weeks. Not the best shot, but it will do the trick for all your curious minds. My Mom was in town this week and she was also eager to capture the belly on film. It was very fun to have her here. We went on a little maternity spree which was quite the surreal experience. Pulling on those pants with panels for the first time .... well here we go, I guess I'm not getting any smaller! I swear maternity clothes are designed to make you look MORE pregnant. The clothes in photo are maternity and I think they do a good job showing off the baby bump. I still have a decent amount of clothes I can wear that don't make me look pregnant, but I'm getting to the point where I figure I might as well be out and proud :)

It's Blue!

It's a BOY! The doctor said he was 100% sure.... bold statement, but we will take his word for it. We decided to have some fun with sharing the news and had some friends over for a "surprise sex cake". We colored frosting on the inside of the cake according to Baby P's sex. Which let me tell you it is not easy to cover that up from the outside with white frosting. I recommend chocolate frosting to anyone else who wants to make a "sex cake". We had our friends wear pink(or purple) or blue corresponding to their guess of what the baby was. Our friend, David S., had the birthday closest to our due date so we let him cut the cake. Jon took a little video and here it is.

The 3D ultrasound was just as amazing as everybody says it is. It was so cool to be able to watch him scan the little boy from head to toes, inside and out. I had no idea that they could even look inside to the heart and brain. Dr. wants to see me again in one month due to a very minor concern about the separation between two layers of the placenta that should be fused together by now, but I'm not going to go into detail about that. We are just saying our prayers that everything will be ok and that God is watching over Baby P. All of his vitals, etc, looked great so we were very happy to hear that!

Above: Head with arm wrapped around it

Below: Head, umbilical cord and other stuff

Happy Birthdays to Us

Well September has come and gone and I have managed to get 1/2 way through October without posting anything about all our September milestones. It was a busy month as usual- we both have birthdays in September and it is also our wedding anniversary. It also tends to be a busy time of year with work for both of us, so the month flew by!

Our celebrations were small and low key this year. We figured we have enough going on with expecting a baby this coming year. We are also taking a trip to Hawaii in November, so that will be time for us to celebrate lots of things! Plus, Jon had his big thrills last year for his 30th Birthday and mine is awaiting NEXT year, so we did not feel the need to go all out. We enjoyed time out with some of our closest friends and hosted a game night at our place mid-month. For our anniversary we ended up spontaneously playing mini golf ( I ALMOST beat Jon...and I had 3 holes in one!) and going to dinner. This year marked 7 years of marriage for us. Here are a couple of photos from September 2012.

Processing "The big news"

So this baby thing is really happening! We are very excited and grateful everything is going smoothly so far. To be honest, I was fairly shell shocked at first. Jon has been the one who has been glowing since the moment we found out. Good call on his part, he masked his utter enthusiasm and remained calm as I processed the reality of all that was about to happen.

Now, I can't claim it was a 100% surprise, because, well, we all know how these things happen. Many people have inquired if we were "trying". I have to say, this can come across as quite an intrusive question. Depending on who asks it of course. I don't mind if close friends ask, most people who know me well know I'm a pretty open person. However, when mere acquaintances, co-workers, or distant friends want to know the down and dirty of how this happened, I find it a little inappropriate. Also, I have had a few people assume we've been trying for a long time. Anyway, here is my answer to that question. NO, we were not "trying". We HAD begun talking about family planning options, and we had already taken the foster parent orientation class. (Quick side note here if you will allow me: this was VERY interesting in and of itself, because I usually TEACH these classes. I could write an entire post about this, but I won't get to sidetracked and I'll stop now). We were definitely warming up to the idea of becoming parents and thinking about the different avenues of parenthood and building a family. However, the planner side of my personality was winning over, and I did not feel all of our ducks were in a row quite yet. I was also not mentally in a place to take that big leap of faith.

Funny thing is, usually when we need to take big leaps of faith, they are not planned leaps :) So now here I am in the midst of a big leap of faith, and just trusting this will all work out. More than anything, I'm so grateful to have this little peanut inside me. (I guess now it is technically more like an orange inside me). Even though that positive sign initially threw me for a loop, and there were three because I took three tests....I quickly realized I should feel more blessed than any of the other neurotic emotions I was facing.

Also, I'm very grateful to report that it seems I've been very lucky as far as symptoms go. I only had one bad day of nausea, but otherwise I've been OK in that department. I have been VERY tired and also not sleeping well, but that SEEMs to be getting a wee bit better. Some head aches, some cravings, definitely some absent mindedness, and some other little things, but nothing major. We did have one little scare thrown in there a couple weeks ago which lead to an unexpected trip to the doctor, but everything checked out just fine. My belly is growing and to me it looks very obvious. I've only had one person admit that they can tell I'm showing. I think that is because most people are trying to be polite during this awkward stage. So far, I can still fit into all of my clothes. Although within the past few days "fit" has become a little more questionable. Some pants are getting too tight and there are several shirts that do not flaunt things I want flaunted.

The news is for the most part out there. I haven't started telling the clients that I work with yet. There are a variety of reasons for this- my plans for leave are still up in the air, it can be a sensitive subject in the field I work in (this could also be a whole other post), and it can also put un-needed focus on me when the focus needs to be them.

Otherwise, it has been very fun to share the news and receive the support from friends and family who share our excitement. I thought I would post some cute photos from when we told my parents. This will be their 1st Grandchild, so they are very excited. Coincidentally, they had already planned a trip out here since my Dad had to be in California for work. I'm SO glad we got to tell them in person- that would have been really hard for me to not be able to share with them face to face. We told Jon's parents via Skype, which was also fun and quite amusing, but unfortunately we don't have any photos to show for it.

At first, my Mom was confused by her gift.... she quickly caught on.

It took my Dad a minute. His priceless process captured...promise this is completely candid!

A champagne/lemonade for me/ toast and the proud Grandparents to be:

Oh, one more thing you may be wondering. Yes, we are going to find out if it is a boy or a girl and we can't wait!! Should have some news on October 19th if all goes according to plan.

Parents to Be

We are officially announcing it to the world. Baby Peterson coming at you March 2012. Here is the first photo of Baby P. ( Sorry peanut you are already on the web!) We just cleared the first Trimester. All is well so far!

I will write more to elaborate on this special news soon, but it's on Facebook, and I felt my blog deserved to have the news posted too :) Always thought my first personal post about parenting would probably involve foster care or adoption, but instead we have a bun in the oven.

Fun with Vino

Santa Barbara County is home to over 100 vineyards and a few hundred tasting rooms. Needless to say, it is a fabulous place to wine taste! Fun fact: You may already know that the 2004 hit film, Sideways, was filmed in Santa Barbara county. This brought a lot of attention to the region making it more well known. I'd venture to say it is a mini Napa Valley. Wine country is BEAUTIFUL and we are so lucky to be able to enjoy it and share it with visitors. We're also lucky to have such amazing wine at our fingertips (which has also unfortunately increased our wine budget and maybe made us a tiny bit snobby about our wine). We've become members at a couple of wineries, this way we can bring friends to taste for free, and we also get discounts on the wine.

Hopefully, this little photo montage will give you a "taste" of Santa Barbara Wine Country. It also will give you a taste of how many visitors we've had. Not everyone that has come out has made it into these photos, but many out of town visitors have gotten to experience wine country! The photos also showcase what happens after you've visited a few vineyards... people start to get a little goofy! (Captions above photos)

Me & Kristel @ Gainey

(visiting from Chicago)

Us w/ Tim & Sandra @ Firestone & Fess Parker

(visiting from Oregon)

Jon w/ Ali & Terry @ Kalyra

(visiting from Vegas)

My Dad @ Fess Parker

(visiting from Chicago)

Us @ Fess Parker

Rachel @ Gainey

(visiting from Michigan)

Us w/ Brian, Megan, Ryan & Brigit @ Sunstone

(Visiting from Wisconsin/L.A.)

DBG Girls @ Roblar & Kalyra

Bethanie, Annie, Greta, Britta, Me, Lori, Annie

(visiting from Northern Cali, Chicago, Seattle, Colorado, & Florida)

Us with David, Steph, Jeffrey@ Bridlewood & Kalyra

(Local Friends)

So... if you haven't made it out to see us yet, maybe this post will entice you! Cheers!

LCSW

"How do you not get emotional about your work?" ... "Do you have to take kids away?" ....."Are there really foster kids where we live?" ..... "Do you like your job?".... and my favorite, "Are you analyzing me right now?"

I ALWAYS get a lot of questions about my job. I'm currently a Social Worker for a private foster care agency, and in the past I've worked for private adoption agencies. I genuinely appreciate that people are interested in my work and I hope this post doesn't bore you to pieces as I attempt to explain where I'm at in my career. I'm not going to get into answering many of the above questions... not in this post at least, that may be more interesting, but it will be for another day. However, I would like to explain an important milestone that has arrived. :)

So, I'm sure you all know that I completed graduate school in 2008 and obtained my Masters Degree in Social Work. I was then able to call myself an "MSW". In the world of social services, the letters after your name become a big deal as far as professional identity. Not just because you get letters after your name (although that part is fun!), but because it legitimately impacts the kind of work you are able to practice. Although I was very excited to have completed graduate school, I knew I wouldn't feel finished until I made it through the next professional hurdles. For social workers, I think it is safe to say that becoming an LCSW is considered a high accomplishment and sort of the ultimate credential. (Unless you want to get all fancy and go for a PhD). LCSW stands for Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

The requirements for becoming a LCSW vary from state to state. Enter in... the complications of moving from one very strict state to another... to make it an even more extensive process.

Reminder:

Generally speaking, there are several steps across the board to make one eligible to become an LCSW.

1) Once you have your MSW, you have to work for approximately two years under the direct clinical supervision of a LCSW. Clinical Supervision is kind of like "counseling for the counselor". Through supervision, you work with your supervisor to help you process emotions that come up when working with your clients and make sure that these emotions are not interfering with your ability to make proper judgements about treatment and intervention. It also provides a place for direct feedback and guidance in how you are practicing with your clients.

Here is the catch, just because you are employed as an MSW, doesn't mean you will automatically have an LCSW to clinically supervise you so you can obtain supervised hours that count. I've had some great supervisors who were very experienced MSW's and were an awesome source of support, but I wasn't able to count this time of employment towards my hours. It isn't necessarily a shoe in, so when you are able to land employment and be supervised by an LCSW..... many people advise that it is worth it to stay at that particular job merely for the hours alone! I've been SUPER lucky in this regard. In Illinois, I was able to obtain one year of direct supervision. Upon moving here, I was able to start right back up with supervision with another LCSW at my current agency. I feel VERY lucky that this all worked out.

I also feel very lucky that my hours from Illinois transferred to California and I didn't lose any time. (Except the time I spent over the masses of required paperwork, but that is a given I suppose).

Supervision hours- complete..... CHECK!

2) You have to make sure you meet State Educational Guidelines. In Illinois... check, done! In California.... oh no, there are MORE classes you have to take after your masters degree that are specific to the state of California policy, etc. Ugh. Thankfully, they can all be done online. However, they were not free and they took a lot of time.

Finished those... CHECK!

3) In the mean time you have to obtain an interim license known as an ACSW (Associate Clinical Social Worker) and pass exams showing you have completed the online classes. (More fees, more paperwork)

CHECK!

4) Finally, once all of these things are complete. You complete an extensive application that requires verification from various professional parties, state boards, and also verifies that you have not committed any crimes or gone off your rocker yourself. Once this application is complete, you pay again, and send it off for approval. Approval to TAKE the LCSW test.

CHECK!

Then, you wait 60 days for a letter saying you are eligible to take the LCSW exams... CHECK! I got it this week!!

5) You study your butt off to take a standardized exam that has a 47% pass rate in California. If you pass the first exam, they tell you CONGRATS, now pay more money and sign up to take the next test! So then you study your butt off again to text the next exam which is diagnoses based. This one has a pass rate of about 60% (slightly better).

SO..... that is where I am at in my professional journey. If you've made it this far in this post, I'm impressed. Thank you.

Once you pass both tests, you then apply to get your license to become a practicing LCSW. That is my goal. I have one year to complete it before I have to go through the application process again. I'm really not excited to study, and it is going to require a lot of discipline. I'm definitely not in study mode anymore. But, this has been my "professional goal" if you will for a long time, so I've gotta go for it. Being an LCSW would open up many more opportunities for me such as private practice, supervisory roles, teaching, research, etc.

Wish me luck as I attempt to turn myself into a book worm for the next several months!! I'm motivated, but I also am not looking forward to spending hours studying and I'm not a naturally good test taker so it is all nerve racking!

In order to add a bit of fun to this post, here is a photo of me on the eve of graduating with my MSW. Pictured with a few of my favorite graduation gifts, a travel size DSM-IV and a Freud action figure. Just call me nerd now :)