Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 32

There are only 8 weeks left until our new baby boy is born.

Everything is progressing as it should be, as we had confirmed today with an ultrasound scan. It was a growth scan to check that baby was growing as he should be, after a “soft marker” showed up at an earlier scan.

The scan showed that he showed no sign of the hypoechogenic bowel that was previously present, and also that he was on target for the size that he should be at this stage of the pregnancy.

Gemma is getting really uncomfortable with each passing day, having to carry all the extra weight around. It does make things a little difficult, especially sleeping at night. Not long to go now babe. It will all be worth it in the end.

If the extra weight wasn’t enough to stop Gemma sleeping properly, then the leg cramps certainly are. They strike at all hours of the night, which disturbs Gemma’s sleep even more than usual.

Each passing day makes me more and more nervous. It makes me nervous because within the next few weeks labour could start at any time. It’s in the back of my mind that I hope that the labour is not too quick, especially as I work about an hour from home.

You wouldn’t think that we’d done this before.

Till next time …

Previous Pregnancy Posts:

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 27

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 25

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 22

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 21

Baby Kicked Last Night

It’s a…

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 18

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 16

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 15

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 12

Gemma’s Pregnant - The Official Announcement

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 10

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 9

Baby Number 2 is on the Way

My First Day as a Contractor

Monday saw me start my new career as a Contract Design Engineer.

As first days go it was a pretty quiet affair. I arrived nice and early and met up with my new boss. After a few formalities, I then had the obligatory Health and Safety induction which is pretty much the same wherever you go. This lasted about an hour and then it was back to the office to get accustomed to the workstations.

Once I had about an hour getting settled in and getting access to the correct CAD systems it was time to break for lunch. For my first day I decided that I’d try out the canteen. Its the first place that I’ve worked that has had a full canteen. There was a few choices of meals, and I decided that I’d have Toad in the Hole, with Potatoes and Veg. All things considering it wasn’t too bad. I’m not planning to eat there everyday, but it gives me another option.

Anyway, after lunch it was back to my desk to get some familiarity with the new products that I’ll be designing. The new company are in the business of designing exhaust systems, so a bit of familiarity would be beneficial as I don’t have a great deal of experience of these systems. I soon realised that there is a lot more to an exhaust system than meets to eye. It’s going to be a good challenge, really looking forward to it.

The afternoon passed pretty quickly, and soon it was time to head home. It felt good to get home, feeling revitalised and looking forward to going back the next day.

PS: My second day was spent with a 2.5 hour training session on the company’s product data management system before being let loose on re-designing some parts. Looking good so far.

My New Job Starts Next Week

It’s now only one week until I begin my new job as a Contract Design Engineer. I’m really looking forward to it, as it is going to be the start of an exciting new chapter in my life.

When the opportunity came along, trying to decide whether to make the jump seemed to be a scary proposition. A few decisions had to be made.

One of the most important of these was whether to form my own Limited Company, or to join an Umbrella Company.

After a bit of research and weighing up on the pros and cons of both options, (a good source of information can be found at Umbrella Supermarket) I decided that the best option for me was to go for the Umbrella option.

The company that I have gone with is Brookson. They were recommended by another contractor at the company that I’m going to be working for.

I am new to contracting, and I think going for the Umbrella route is the safer option at this stage. Nearly all of the paperwork is taken care of by the umbrella company, and so therefore there should be less chance of me falling foul of too much government red-tape. You don’t have to worry about paying your tax bills on time like you would with forming your own Limited Company, so there is less pressure for the first time contractor. It would also allow me the freedom to get out should I not like the lifestyle of a contractor and go back to a permanent job.

Who knows what the future holds?

Maybe in 6 months time I’ll find that I like the way that it is all working out, and want to have the greater flexibility that the Ltd Company option gives to the contractor. But with greater flexibility comes greater responsibility. Once I have made up my mind that this is how I want to work then I will make the next step and form my Ltd company.

So I’m going to take it one step at a time, and see how things go. The next update will be after a few days of the new job.

Until then……

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 27

It’s been a couple of weeks since the last update on Gemma’s pregnancy.

There has been some excitement this week, as we went for a private scan. This was mainly as a reassurance aid for Gemma, but it was also a chance to have another look at our baby.

We’d made an appointment at a place called Innervision in Warrington.

Once we were in the scanning room, we were put at ease by the sonographer. He was very chatty, reassuring Gemma, and myself.

First thing that we did was to confirm the sex of the baby that we were having. At one of our previous scans we were told that it was a boy, but the sonographer at the time would not say that she was 100% certain.

This time, there was no uncertainty. The baby is definitely a boy. I would post a photo here, but Gemma has banned me from putting the picture here. She wants to keep it for his 18th birthday party, to show all his friends and possibly a girlfriend.

There was also no sign of the soft marker that had shown itself at the earlier scan, which was a huge relief.

We did get a few other picture, two of which I have posted here.

Until the next update…

Another Year Older

Its my birthday today, reaching the grand old age of 33.

I spent the day as usual in work, a really thrilling experience. But I was cheered up by going out for dinner with Gemma and Ellie.

I met them at the pub after work, and we had a lovely meal. As it was my birthday, I even treated myself to a pint .

Thank you to everyone who sent me cards, and especially to Gemma and Ellie for my present. I really love it.

Here’s to another year.

Gemma’s Pregnancy - Week 25

The week’s are counting down quickly now.

Its been a few weeks since the last instalment on the pregnancy, so I guess it’s time for an update. To be perfectly honest with you, there is not a huge amount to update you all on.

Gemma’s bump is growing at a rate of knots, which she gets told many times during the day by people. She is a bit conscious of it now, but I think she looks fantastic.

The baby is continuing to give Gemma a good kicking, making life all the more uncomfortable for her. It is certainly giving Gemma a few sleepless periods during the night.

At least Gemma can look forward to starting her Maternity Leave soon. We’ve decided to take it earlier than initially planned as I will be starting my new job in a few weeks. I will be travelling a greater distance to and from work, so it will be a struggle to get back in time for Gemma to go to work. It works out that Gemma can start her Leave on the same day that I start the new job. I’m sure that Gemma won’t be complaining.

It won’t be too long before the little guy appears, and we are both counting down the weeks until that day. It’s very exciting!

Another Little Milestone

Another little milestone was passed yesterday on my blog.

My blog passed through the 5000 views barrier. As I said when I passed the 1000 view mark in September I didn’t think that many people would take much interest in what I had to say, but I’ve been surprised.

It took me nearly 6 months to get that first 1000. The next 4000 have come in about the same time. I guess I must be doing something right.

Here’s to the next 5000….

A New Job, A New Start

Yesterday I handed in my notice at my current employer because I’ve got a new job.

The new job has come out of the blue, I didn’t even go looking for it, it came looking for me. It’s great because in effect, I’ve been head-hunted. That is a really great feeling.

So, I’ve got 5 weeks left here before I start my new job as a Contract Designer. I will still be involved in the automotive industry, but now I will be designing exhaust systems.

It is a little scary as I will be employed as a contractor, rather than a permanent member of staff. It is going to be an exciting time.

There are plenty of things to sort out before I start. There is the contract to sort out, how I’m going to set myself up - whether that is as a Limited Company, or as part of an umbrella company. My initial thoughts are to go with the umbrella company, as it will remove a lot of the initial hassle and paperwork that would come with setting up my Limited Company. If I enjoy the life contracting then it will be something to look at in the future.

The new company is near Preston and so I’ll be commuting. Hopefully this will not be too bad. When I went for the interview it took me about an hour, and this was when the roads are at their busiest. I hope to leave earlier than that when I start so that I can beat the traffic. It should be possible to do in 45 mins.

In the meantime I’ve got a few loose ends to tie up. I need to get the CAD system upgraded before I leave and make sure that everything is in place for the next CAD Engineer coming in. I’ll also need to give a helping hand to finding a replacement.

So a busy few weeks ahead, but it will all be worth it in the end.