2022 Wrap Up

Whew... What isn't there to say about 2022. I'll start at the beginning but let me preface that Blogger/Blogspot does not mark when there are grammatical errors so forgive me in advance if some things end up misspelled because I am too lazy to re-read through my post before posting.

Amara and I celebrated the New Year by watching the firework show at Great America. We unfortunately too late to make into the park before the show but we got a good view from the parking lot across the street. I mean they’re in the sky so pretty much any spot was good. We had rung in the New Year by practicing the usual NYE superstitions/traditions. We had black eyed peas, drank ginger-ale, and made sure to kick Jonathan outside the house before midnight and made sure he had cash in this wallet before he stepped back inside the house. Oh and of course we kissed. As a family we shared our resolutions for 2022 and collectively hoped for a prosperous year. On January 8th, we went up to Mare Island for our baby shower that was hosted by our friends Greg and Tina. I originally didn't want a baby shower because after one kid I figured, who cares lol sorry to all the second born and the rest that come after, but I was happy that they went ahead and hosted it anyway. It was lovely. I am forever grateful.

I had a scheduled C-section for the 28th, which happens to be my mom’s birthday. Due to Covid restrictions, my mom wasn't able to come to Jrue's birth, but I kept her updated during the entire process. She should consider herself lucky she missed on the hemorrhoid explosion that I experienced when I tried to push. I didn't poo though!!! Plus, she got the greatest gift ever, a grandchild, you're welcome mom! Jrue Exavier Richard Davidson was born. I chose his name. I like the name Drew, but the spelling is too plain. So, it's pronounced as Drew but spelled Jrue. I wanted him to have the same initials as Jonathan (JED) but he is (JERD) because we wanted to honor Jonathan's late father Richard.

I was well into my maternity leave and could not figure out how to get fmla for the life of me. I had applied in the beginning of January and didn’t receive a payment until the end of March. It wasn't till I wrote to my assembly person that I saw movement on my case. There should really be a way to streamline these services before they discharge from the hospital. Similar to how they have the insurance-based breast pump enrollment; have the same thing for WIC sign ups and FMLA/SDI. Maybe in the future they won't make it so difficult for mamas/birth givers. I wanted to spend as much time at home as I could, so I planned to return to work in June. During my time away from work, we began to develop a new routine that worked for our now family of 4. Amara was running track this year. So, when Jrue turned 4months, we went to almost every track practice and all the meets for the season. Amara ended up making it to the nationals in the 400m, 4x1 and 4x4. Thankfully they were in Sacramento this year, so we were planning our budget friendly trip.

As June drew nearer, I was gearing up to go back to work. I had stopped by to see my supervisor a few times before I officially went back and introduced her to Jrue. She shared that the agency was making some changes and that they wanted everyone in our division to return to the office full-time and that they were ending the hybrid schedule. Jonathan and I had a schedule in place that ultimately meant I would miss my 15min break and add it to my lunch hour so that I would have enough time to go back home and breastfeed Jrue. A lot driving, a lot of time spent away from Jrue. I worked for about a month before I quit because we were moving to the East Coast! I was so excited to be able to move somewhere new. Since we were moving to an inexpensive city, we were able to use my last paycheck as the deposit and 1st month rent for our new place. We got rid of most of our furniture through offerup! We also used a no-junk website, (I can't remember the name right now) to give away our couch, dining table and chairs. We borrowed for the moving costs, shipped my car, and booked a redeye to our new home state.

In the mist of us transitioning, my grandma passed away. Verlean, the supportive grandmother who would attend every graduation I had. The grandma who picked me up from school on many occasions. The Nana who opened her home to any of her grandchildren who needed a place to stay. The grandma who made the best peach cobbler, ya know, the one with the extra crust so you don’t feel like you’re eating peach soup. The grandmother who loved an ice-cold Dr. Pepper. The one when you call her on the phone and she says, " well tell me something good" and you and ain't have nothing new but she still made you feel important. I could go on and on about my time with her, but I won't on this post. I'll save it for anytime.

We left California on August 14th and my grandmother's funeral was on August 18th. Since we've been here, I've had a few part-time jobs but none of them meshed with our schedule, so I spent a lot of time exploring the city. I joined a Black Girls Run group, visited a few museums, and spent time with my good friend Charla, the one from the previous blog entry about visiting NC. So far, it’s been an interesting transition. We've been here a total of 4 months. Can't say I love it, can't say I hate it. I honestly only miss California because our family and friends are there, and Mexican food!! but other than that..NC>CA. But like I said, we've only been here 4 months and I've still got my rose-colored glasses on. Here's to 2023!!