June 30, 2009- 22, 11, and 6

What a week for numbers! First, for those of you who are itching for a baby update, I had my 22 week appointment yesterday. It was one of the "quickie" ones with nothing too exciting, but everything looked great nonetheless. Here are the stats.
Bitty Brother:
Heartbeat- 145
Measuring- 21 weeks (that's fine)
Mom:
BP- 120/70
Weight- +13 pounds (Doctor was happy; I'm thinking I need to lay off the cheeseburgers and french fries for a few weeks.)
Babycenter:
How your baby's growing: At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

Now, for the 11 and 6 part of the blog post....
I can honestly say that I never thought that today, June 30, 2009, would come. It's been on our calendars at work on and off for three years now and always just seemed "so far away." Many of you know that my company, the Girl Scouts Tarheel Triad Council, is going through a realignment this summer/fall. On October 1, we will become Girl Scouts Peaks to Piedmont and merge 4 councils in western NC. Because of this huge merger and the "over abundance" of staff, the national company offered an "voluntary early retirement incentive package" (VERIP) to staff members serving 10+ years. About 15-18 staff members qualified for the VERIP- 11 are choosing to take the option and are leaving the council. They must sign that they will never work for Girl Scouts again- anywhere- to eliminate anyone trying to "double dip" later on. These 11 staff members are pretty much the heart and soul of the council. They have literally hundreds of years of experience and committment among them. [EDIT: We counted...its 225 years of employment with the Girl Scouts, not counting volunteer years they may have had prior.] Not to mention, they hold very vital positions in the current council. The CEO, the COO, the Director of HR, the Director of Membership, the Director of Adult Development, the Director of Admin....just to name a few. As you can see, lots of DIRECTORS and important people. They have a huge dedication to the council but were offered an opportunity that many of them just couldn't (and shouldn't) pass up. It's bittersweet for many of them (some taking retirement probably several years earlier than they ever imagined that they would) and unbelievably sad for those of us left behind. I have several dear friends taking the option and leaving. They have been such a huge part of my life- and my family's life- for years (definitely the 6 years I have worked for the Girl Scouts, but some for a while longer). Unfortunately, we are saying goodbye to 6 staff members today. (June 30 is the last day of the VERIP "window" so this is officially their last day of work.) FORTUNATELY, we have 5 staff members staying on in their positions through September 30th (or until they find other employment) so we can transition to a new council without a "skeleton" crew. So, I am fortunate that today's goodbyes will be not to EVERYone, but in some ways, this just prolongs the inevitable, and I have a feeling I will be wearing waterproof mascara for the rest of the summer. So, to the 6 who are leaving today- Mike, Sherrill, Gayle, Kim, Kathy, and Elaine- God Bless, good luck, and you will be missed! To the rest of you, SEE YOU TOMORROW AT WORK!