I have a fun secret!

We've kept our chosen baby name quiet (and will up until she's born) for a variety of reasons, but we bought small jingle ornaments with both the first and middle names and had them hanging on our Christmas tree ever since we decorated it! For anyone who took the time to look at our ornaments, the secret would have been revealed. :) But no one did.

However, the tree has been taken down now, and the ornaments are put away until next year, so the window of opportunity is gone. Just something we wanted to do to have a little fun.

(So, I guess you have a bit of a hint, in that it's a name that's at least common enough that you can find personalized ornaments for!)

A rareity

Even before pregnancy, I generally never got more than a couple hours of consecutive sleep during the night (I've always woken up often to pee), and of course it's been worse during pregnancy. After waking up at 4 a.m. on Thursday morning and being unable to get back to sleep before having to get ready for work, I was exhausted come Thursday night. Well, I went to bed around 10:15 p.m. and got to sleep around 10:30 p.m.--and I don't remember waking up for the first time until 5 a.m.! Six and a half hours of uninterrupted sleep? Unheard of! I haven't had that in years--and know I won't for years and years to come, so I'm trying to appreciate the restfulness I feel today as a result. (Side note: How my bladder didn't burst open during that long of a stretch, I have no idea! LOL)

The 34-week appointment by the numbers

50 - number of minutes spent in the waiting room

10 - number of minutes spent in the exam room waiting for the doctor

4 - number of minutes actually meeting with the doctor

64 - number of minutes wasted this afternoon

(Everything looked good at the appointment, by the way. I'm measuring right at 34 weeks, and the heartbeat sounded normal at around 159 bpm. The extra waiting today was 1) because of having a late-afternoon appointment [which I had to do this time because I wasn't able to leave work earlier] and 2) because of the holiday and the doctor's office having to squeeze five days' worth of appointments into three days this week. I return on January 8 for my 36-week appointment.)

(No) tummy time at 34 weeks

I've finally gotten to the point where lying on my stomach is very uncomfortable. It's not quite impossible yet, because I can arrange pillows to help put me at a better angle, but the tummy-lying days are quickly on the way out. I'm just thankful I was able to keep it up for as long as I could.

We had a good time celebrating Christmas with my family here in town, and my parents were very generous; for a combined Christmas/early baby gift, they got us our high chair, stroller, car seat, and pack 'n play. The Husband and I decided to spend less on each other this year and put most of the Christmas budget toward buying baby gear for the both of us, including a small diaper bag and the Baby Bjorn among other smaller items.

Next on the ever-growing list of things to do in the coming six weeks is installing the car seat and taking it for an inspection, as well as washing baby clothes, sheets, etc. I've also got various appointments I need to set up soon (taking The Dog to have his yearly shots and be groomed, getting a haircut for myself, getting my oil changed, etc.) so I can get those out of the way so they don't go undone too close to the due date. I have no reason (other than the fact that my sister was born a month early) to think that I'll go early, but I want to be prepared for the possibility, just in case.

Because of the holiday week, my 34-week appointment won't be until tomorrow afternoon, so I'll update then. I don't expect it to be anything other than a routine appointment, then I believe my internals will start at 36 weeks, at which point I'll be going to my appointments weekly.

Wow, six more weeks. Here's a kind of funny story. I was watching "Bringing Home Baby" one day last week and had to turn it off because the woman had delivered 9 weeks early, and it (minorly and just temporarily) freaked me out, since I'm definitely within the realm of delivery not being too far-fetched a possibility at this point. I had to laugh at myself for turning it off, since I really do feel ready in the overall sense, but it's just funny all the little things that remind you of just how different things will be soon.

Weight loss/gain:
3w5d starting weight
5w (-1.2 pounds)
6w (-3 pounds, -4.2 pounds total)
7w (-2.4 pounds, -6.6 pounds total)
8w (-1 pound, -7.6 pounds total)
9w (-2 pounds, -9.6 pounds total)
10w (-2.6 pounds, -12.2 pounds total)
11w (+1 pound, -11.2 pounds total)
12w (+3.6 pounds, -7.6 pounds total)
13w (+1.0 pound, -6.6 pounds total)
14w (+1.2 pounds, -5.4 pounds total)
15w (+3.4 pounds, -2 pounds total)
16w (+2.0 pounds, no change total)
17w (+2.0 pounds, +2.0 pounds total)
18w1d (+2.0 pounds, +4.0 pounds total)
19w (-1.0 pound, +3.0 pounds total)
20w (-0.4 pounds, +2.6 pounds total)
21w (+1.4 pounds, +4.0 pounds total)
22w (-0.4 pounds, +3.6 pounds total)
23w (+3.4 pounds, +7.0 pounds total)
24w (+0.8 pounds, +7.8 pounds total)
25w (+0.0 pounds, +7.8 pounds total)
26w (+4.2 pounds, +12.0 pounds total)
27w (-1.0 pounds, +11.0 pounds total)
28w (+3.6 pounds, +14.6 pounds total)
29w (-0.6 pounds, +14 pounds total)
30w (+1.8 pounds, +15.8 pounds total)
31w (+2.0 pounds, +17.8 pounds total)
32w1d (+0.6 pounds, +18.4 pounds total)
33w (-0.2 pounds, +18.2 pounds total)
34w (+2.4 pounds, +20.6 pounds total)

Merry Christmas!

I'm not sure if I'll have much chance over the next couple days to post, but I just wanted to wish a Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate. May the new year bring much joy and happiness to your lives.

New pics

Taken mere minutes ago, at 33w4d.

95% liquid

For a while now, I've noticed a significant reduction in my filling capacity when I eat. And it's funny...I'll be eating and feeling just fine, then in an instant, I become miserably, groan-out-loud full. And sometimes it's just the opposite, to where I won't feel hungry at all, then all of a sudden, BAM!, I'm starving.

But what seems to affect me even more is the fact that I'm very thirsty a lot of the time, and so I drink a lot of liquids...which fills up my already squished stomach and doesn't leave much room for food. I'm pretty sure that most days, especially in the evenings (when I get the most thirsty), my stomach is 95% liquid. It's hard to finish a meal when I've already had four glasses of whatever I'm drinking by the time my food is ready!

Don't watch

I've always been the kind of person who has to have my wristwatch on at all times (well, when I'm outside the house) or else I feel lost. So it's kind of funny that in the past few months, it drives me CRAZY to wear my watch at work, especially with short-sleeved shirts (but it's not limited to that). I'm still okay with my watch on when I go out to run errands, but something about having it on at work makes me very cranky. For a few weeks now, I've worn the watch to work, then just kept it on my desk nearby in case I wanted to wear it later (though I never have). For the past few days, I haven't even bothered to wear it to work--and I haven't missed it so far.

I wonder what that would taste like with cinnamon on it?

I wouldn't call it a craving exactly, since I've never had the unexplained urge to have it, but I've definitely had a hankering for all things cinnamon lately. And the funny part is that it took me a while to realize I was doing it. Once I realized my food theme, however, I just had to laugh at myself for doing it without realizing it. Some recent (over the past couple months--not the past few days!) indulgences have included: homemade cinnamon toast, pumpkin pie, dutch apple caramel streusel cheesecake (from The Cheesecake Factory!), cinnamon apple crisp frozen custard, brown sugar cinnamon bagels, cinnamon rolls, adding cinnamon to my hot chocolate, cinnamon-sugar on top of my homemade sugar cookies. Hey, there are worse things to be drawn toward!

No holiday spirit at 33 weeks

I've always been one of those people who loves Christmas, which is now less than a week away. Not so much that I start decorating in September, but I've always gotten into gift-giving, Christmas cards, and the like. This year seems to be quite different, though. I can only imagine it's because my focus is more toward February, yet I've heard many (non-pregnant) people say that this year feels different and they're not as into it, either. Maybe as an adult, you just have one year every so often that's unlike the others, for whatever reason. For me, I know a lot of it is that I've focused so much on what we need to get for this baby that I haven't let myself think about what I want for myself, and I know this is going to be the prevailing sentiment--someone else's needs and wants over my own--for years to come, which I'm completely fine with. I'm just hoping the fun of the holiday returns next year and that this is just a rare off year.

Weight loss/gain:
3w5d starting weight
5w (-1.2 pounds)
6w (-3 pounds, -4.2 pounds total)
7w (-2.4 pounds, -6.6 pounds total)
8w (-1 pound, -7.6 pounds total)
9w (-2 pounds, -9.6 pounds total)
10w (-2.6 pounds, -12.2 pounds total)
11w (+1 pound, -11.2 pounds total)
12w (+3.6 pounds, -7.6 pounds total)
13w (+1.0 pound, -6.6 pounds total)
14w (+1.2 pounds, -5.4 pounds total)
15w (+3.4 pounds, -2 pounds total)
16w (+2.0 pounds, no change total)
17w (+2.0 pounds, +2.0 pounds total)
18w1d (+2.0 pounds, +4.0 pounds total)
19w (-1.0 pound, +3.0 pounds total)
20w (-0.4 pounds, +2.6 pounds total)
21w (+1.4 pounds, +4.0 pounds total)
22w (-0.4 pounds, +3.6 pounds total)
23w (+3.4 pounds, +7.0 pounds total)
24w (+0.8 pounds, +7.8 pounds total)
25w (+0.0 pounds, +7.8 pounds total)
26w (+4.2 pounds, +12.0 pounds total)
27w (-1.0 pounds, +11.0 pounds total)
28w (+3.6 pounds, +14.6 pounds total)
29w (-0.6 pounds, +14 pounds total)
30w (+1.8 pounds, +15.8 pounds total)
31w (+2.0 pounds, +17.8 pounds total)
32w1d (+0.6 pounds, +18.4 pounds total)
33w (-0.2 pounds, +18.2 pounds total)

All's quiet on this front

Nothing really new to report, but I wanted to pop in real quick anyway, just so you know there's nothing wrong. I'm just trying to get Christmas shopping finished and find the motivation to do my Christmas cards. I have GOT to get those things finished (okay, and started) and put in the mail!

Foreign words

The Husband and I went to visit a friend and her newborn baby last night, and a couple other people were there visiting, as well. My friend's husband was being polite and offered us something to drink--"Pepsi, water, beer, anything?" My friend laughed and said, "She can't drink beer!" He said he forgot and we all got a nice chuckle over that, but one of the other visitors didn't get why that was funny and asked about it. I said, "Because I'm pregnant," and this girl looked shocked. She asked how far along I was, and when I said 32 weeks and due in early February, she was even more floored. I stood up and showed what belly I have, and she still couldn't believe I was due so soon. She actually called me tiny! LOL I've NEVER been called tiny in my life (and probably never will again!)--what a foreign concept! She said, "Well, girl, keep up whatever you've been doing because you look fantastic." It's nice when I hear that from people I know, but there's something even better about hearing it from someone that I just met. Definitely helps during those grumpy guts days.

Grumpy guts

I'm tired and grumpy and really don't feel like making a post today. Though, I have to say that I'm proud of myself. Proofreader #1 was complaining today about working with Proofreader #3 when she filled in for me this past Sunday, and she made the comment of, "That's why I think I'm going to move to your desk when you're gone." Immediately I spoke up, interrupting her, and told her that I wasn't comfortable with her doing that. She kind of whined about it for a bit, but I stood my ground and didn't give in. She left the conversation pretty unhappy, and I definitely came across as looking like a bitch, but I honestly don't care, and I don't think I'm being unreasonable in this matter.

I've been feeling a lot of kicks up near my ribs (especially when I lean forward, which I have to do for work most of the time) during the past two days, so maybe she really has turned. Let's hope it's for good.

Still forgetful at 32 weeks

Want further proof of how forgetful I've been lately? I completely spaced out on weighing myself this morning. I've only done this every Tuesday since the end of May--you'd think it'd be a habit by now. I remembered to take my weekly belly pics this morning, so you'd think that would have been enough to remind me. 'Fraid not, my friends.

A clothed belly pic this week (from yesterday at 31w6d):



Weight loss/gain:
3w5d starting weight
5w (-1.2 pounds)
6w (-3 pounds, -4.2 pounds total)
7w (-2.4 pounds, -6.6 pounds total)
8w (-1 pound, -7.6 pounds total)
9w (-2 pounds, -9.6 pounds total)
10w (-2.6 pounds, -12.2 pounds total)
11w (+1 pound, -11.2 pounds total)
12w (+3.6 pounds, -7.6 pounds total)
13w (+1.0 pound, -6.6 pounds total)
14w (+1.2 pounds, -5.4 pounds total)
15w (+3.4 pounds, -2 pounds total)
16w (+2.0 pounds, no change total)
17w (+2.0 pounds, +2.0 pounds total)
18w1d (+2.0 pounds, +4.0 pounds total)
19w (-1.0 pound, +3.0 pounds total)
20w (-0.4 pounds, +2.6 pounds total)
21w (+1.4 pounds, +4.0 pounds total)
22w (-0.4 pounds, +3.6 pounds total)
23w (+3.4 pounds, +7.0 pounds total)
24w (+0.8 pounds, +7.8 pounds total)
25w (+0.0 pounds, +7.8 pounds total)
26w (+4.2 pounds, +12.0 pounds total)
27w (-1.0 pounds, +11.0 pounds total)
28w (+3.6 pounds, +14.6 pounds total)
29w (-0.6 pounds, +14 pounds total)
30w (+1.8 pounds, +15.8 pounds total)
31w (+2.0 pounds, +17.8 pounds total)
32w1d (+0.6 pounds, +18.4 pounds total)

Lightning fast

I had a record-fast 32-week appointment today. From the time I sat down on the table until I checked out and set up my next appointment was approximately five minutes. In and out--I'm making it too easy on the doc! I need to make sure he earns his salary next time. So, nothing of interest to note, really. Did the urine test, blood pressure, was measured, had a doppler check--the usual. He asked if we'd chosen a pediatrician, and I told him who we picked. He said he liked that group and he thinks I'll be very happy with them. I set up my next appointment, which will be on the 27th since they're closed on the 25th when it should be.

I did notice something funny in the exam room I was in (I think it was my first time in this particular room). Someone had put some cartoons on the ceiling, so that when you laid back on the table, you had something to read! I was pretty amused by that.

What I wasn't amused by, however, was shopping for jeans this afternoon. I'm going to outgrow my favorite non-panel under-belly jeans soon (though they're going to have to pry them out of my hands!), so I probably need to move to pants with some kind of panel. Unfortunately, I've hated pretty much every pair of panel jeans I've put on, no matter what kind of panel they have. Hate them. And, if they're fine for when I'm standing up, then they feel AWFUL when I sit down (the part where the jeans meets the panel between my belly button and the crotch just digs into me and isn't comfortable at all, or the waistband in the back gaps too much, or the pants ride down too much in the back and my butt crack is exposed). And it doesn't help that I'm already at XL pants (I've got birthin' hips, remember), and I've tried on some 1X pants, but then they swallow me because they're cut so much different (and a lot bigger than the equivalent of just one size up). I finally found one pair of jeans at Motherhood Maternity that I didn't absolutely hate (and, they were under $20, so even better), so I got those, and I'm hoping they last me the next couple of months (they do have room to grow, so that's realistic). Thankfully my non-panel khaki pants are still plenty roomy and should last me a while. Just eight more weeks to put up with that (whoa, just eight more weeks?!).

Ta-ta grub class

We attended "The Art of Breastfeeding" class at our hospital earlier this afternoon, and I found the class to be pretty informative and useful--definitely worth our time. The lactation consultant leading the class was obviously very pro-breastfeeding (which was to be expected), but she didn't say outright (and didn't even imply) that formula feeding made you a bad parent, so I thought her approach was good.

Next up: "Great Expectations" class on Tuesday night, which will focus on the specifics of having a baby at this hospital in particular.

Is that mush, or just my brain?

I never really understood "pregnancy brain" before it hit me firsthand, but I've suddenly come to understand it in the past few weeks. I've always had a good memory, and I pride myself on not being a ditz, but all that seems to be out the window these days. Just some of the many examples that stand out:

*I'd recently checked the flavor of the day menu at Culver's, and I thought tonight was when cinnamon apple crisp was going to be available. So, we made a special trip to Culver's so I could indulge in this tasty treat, but when we got there, the marquee listed the flavor as black forest. I was confused at first, not sure why my apple pie-like custard wasn't available as it should have been, but then I started dying laughing at myself. Cinnamon apple crisp will be next Friday--the 15th--not today. I mixed up my Fridays. I laughed about that one for a good ten minutes.

*A few months ago, I'd bought a pack of safety pins so I could pin the gaps between buttons on my button-up shirts as my boobs grow bigger. Well, for the past month or so, I'd been looking for the box of safety pins, which I thought was in my top bathroom drawer. There wasn't really any other place I would have put it, but I still looked everywhere. I didn't look every day, but probably two or three times a week. I finally found them on Thursday. Know where they were? The top drawer in my bathroom, just where they should've been. This drawer is NOT full, so I have no idea how I missed them all those times I looked in there.

*Several times at work I've made a notation in a story (I'm a copy editor) to add something into a sentence, but I've forgotten to add it in.

*Last week, I was putting on my tennis shoes to take the dog for a walk. I grabbed the shoes and the pair of socks and sat down at my computer desk to put them on. I had the first sock and shoe on, and I looked everywhere for my second sock. I knew I'd brought it in with me, and I hadn't gotten up, so it had to be there. Know where it was? I'd already put it on my other foot. All I had to do was put on my remaining shoe.

*At work, we have doors that lock magnetically, so there's a pushpad to the right of the door that you have to touch in order to disengage the magnets and open the door. We've been in this building for almost 3 1/2 years, and these doors have always been like this. Yet, a couple days ago, I looked at the pushpad and apparently didn't feel the need to actually touch it, but instead I put most of my body weight into pushing the door open, but without any luck because of course I hadn't released the magnetic lock.

*Remember my toe incident earlier this week? Yeah, add that to the list. (Though, in fairness to myself, that happened when I was barely awake, so it could have feasibly happened anytime, not just from having pregnant brain.)

My brain is disintegrating before my very eyes! Eeek! No wonder kids think their parents are dumb...pregnancy brain is to blame!

The wittle-bittle baby (and WHACK)

Last night I went to visit one of my close friends from college who just had a baby on November 27. I'll be honest: until last night, I'd never held a newborn baby before, and I was a little afraid I was going to hurt him (especially because of how clumsy I've been lately). I was also a little afraid of not being able to comfort him if he started crying, then everyone else there (a few other visiting college friends) would wonder about my ability to soothe my own child. Thankfully he was just ten days old, so still in the stage that crying means he either needs food or a diaper change, so I could just hand him off to Momma when he started crying. I did pretty well with holding him; I didn't break his floppy neck or anything! He was really sweet and so good for almost the entire three hours we were over there. Again, the only times he cried were for a diaper change and when he wanted to be fed. Otherwise, he was such a doll to be around. The Husband and I are going back to visit next Thursday to give him a chance to meet the little one.

Visiting this friend was a good chance to get the scoop on a lot of labor/birth related things (especially as it relates specifically to that hospital's policies, which you can't really learn much about unless you know someone who delivered there). And, for better or worse, I had confirmed my possibly irrational fear that the IV is going to be worse than the epidural.

Got a little surprise when I was over there, though thankfully it didn't happen when I was holding the baby. I was in the middle of talking when--WHACK--I got my first thump in the ribs, which took my breath away, mostly because I wasn't expecting it there. This is significant because so far I've only felt movement below my belly button, which means she's probably still breech. But a kick up high like that is a good sign that maybe she's turned (either that, or she's going to be an all-star boxer with hand punches like that). At this point, it's okay if she's still breech, but the sooner she turns for good, the better.

Pop goes the belly

Compare this belly pic, taken on Monday at 30w6d, to the one taken two weeks ago at 28w6d (below), and it looks like I may have finally "popped" (though I suspect another big burst is to come). Maybe there's a baby in there, after all. ;) Either that, or I'd eaten too many mint M&Ms before the more recent pic!

Did you see that door frame attack my toe?

Second post of the day, but I think it needs to be its own post instead of tacked on to the previous one.

So, I went to bed at 10:30 p.m. last night and got to sleep fairly quickly. Around 11:30 p.m., I woke up for the first time to go to the bathroom (I swear I'm on an hourly schedule for that). I peed and was leaving the bathroom in an obviously sleepy state and misjudged, well, everything and ran my left foot--specifically my left pinky toe--into the door frame. Immediately the pain was intense and awful, and I had trouble getting back to sleep right after it happened because no matter how I laid, it was uncomfortable for my poor toe (it either hit the covers or the bed itself).

I figured I'd wake up this morning and the pain would have subsided, but it hurt just as much. Walking on it was very difficult, and putting shoes and socks on was torture. By the time I got to work, I hardly hesitate to call my doctor about it...which, if you know anything about me, says a lot about how much pain I was in, because I don't just call the doctor for any little pain or sniffle. I HATE going to the doctor, so I only go when I feel like I don't have much choice. I figured they wouldn't be able to do anything for it even if it were broken, but I felt like I needed to go to make sure, especially with the knowledge of adding even more weight to my frame in the coming two months (eeek...my due date is two months from today!).

I went to the doctor and he looked at my swollen, red toe that had some bits of purple to it. He did the obligatory "Does this hurt?" stuff ("Heck yeah it hurts! That's why I'm here, dude!") and said there's a good chance there's a slight fracture there, but he didn't want to do an X-ray for two reasons: 1) because I'm pregnant (though there are precautions that could be taken) and 2) because it'd be the same "treatment" whether it were a sprain or a minor break. He said if I insisted, he'd request the X-ray, but I declined since it really didn't matter as far as treatment was concerned.

"Treatment" consisted of telling me to take Tylenol (I couldn't even get the good pain medicine because of Le Baby), tape the little toe to the neighbhoring toe, and wear shoes (even if just slippers) at all times around the house. I figured that's how the appointment would turn out, but I knew I needed to get it checked, so it wasn't really too big a waste of time. I knew I'd regret it if I hadn't gone and later suffered problems with the toe and they said, "We could have fixed this if you'd come in when you first injured it." He said if it's a sprain, it should heal within three weeks, and if it's a fracture, it should heal within six weeks.

*********

Here's a related story about how much my co-workers suck (as if you needed further proof). I was walking to my morning meeting (before going to the doctor) and tripped over a box that's beside my desk, falling all the way to the floor. I braced myself pretty well, catching myself on my knees and hands, and fell away from the already-injured toe. One co-worker was walking with me, so she was able to help catch me a little bit. It made quite a noise when this happened, but not ONE OTHER PERSON even peeked their head out to make sure I was okay. Nice, huh? Good thing everything turned out okay or who knows how long they would have let me lie there!

Some days it feels like if it's not one thing, it's another.

Hee hee hoo (also known as childbirth class)

So last night we had our first childbirth class, Comfort Measures, which focused on breathing and relaxation for labor. I'm not sure it'll be all that useful to me throughout all of labor since I still intend to go the epidural route, but I know it's stuff that'll be helpful in the early stages (especially when I'm still laboring at home) and just in case something happens that stuff progresses so fast that I miss my epidural window (for whatever reason). I don't think the class was a waste of time, but I also don't feel like I gained all that much from it, either, since I'm pretty well-read on so many of these subjects already. Still, I'm glad we attended. Something interesting from the class...of about 25 couples there, one was having a surprise, two were having boys, and everyone else was expecting a girl! How funny is that?

Next up is "The Art of Breastfeeding" on Sunday afternoon. I've been well-warned that many of the lactation consultants that teach this kind of class can be of the "if you don't breastfeed your baby, you're abusing it!" mentality, so I'm going into it with that in mind. Hopefully there will be something helpful to come out of it, though. And, if not, at least it was a free class and a day off work!

What's up, doc at 31 weeks

I think we've chosen the pediatrician practice that we're going to use. I know a lot of parents prefer to have a prenatal visit with the pediatrician, but I don't feel that's necessary, especially since I think we're going with an office that has five or six doctors on staff (which is a feature I like). I requested some informational packets from this office, and after reading them have learned that I agree with their general philosophies and policies, plus I've gotten a recommendation for this office from a co-worker (and his three kids are sick a LOT, so he certainly knows this office well! LOL), so I feel pretty confident about this decision. And, if it turns out we don't like them, it's not like we're locked into using them for the next 18 years.

In other news/notes:

*We bought the swing last week and The Husband assembled it this weekend. I hope it turns out to be the miracle soother that everyone makes it out to be.

*Our first hospital class, Comfort Measures for Childbirth, will be held tonight. I'm a little nervous, but more about finding the actual classroom as opposed to the class itself.

*We're going to go lighter on Christmas presents for each other this year (we often go way overboard...my big presents for the past four years have been: a golden retriever puppy [2005], an engagement ring ['04], a digital camera ['03], and a new computer ['02] on top of a lot of smaller presents each of those years). So, I think we're going to set a more reasonable limit on gifts this year, then buy one of our bigger baby items as a gift to each other.

*I don't have a linea negra yet.

*I'm starting to have trouble bending over in general and reaching/tying my shoes in particular. Most of the time I wear slip-on shoes to work, but I wear tennis shoes to walk the dog, so that's become a little more difficult. My solution of tying my shoes first before putting them on (which I do most of the time anyway) has worked so far.

Weight loss/gain:
3w5d starting weight
5w (-1.2 pounds)
6w (-3 pounds, -4.2 pounds total)
7w (-2.4 pounds, -6.6 pounds total)
8w (-1 pound, -7.6 pounds total)
9w (-2 pounds, -9.6 pounds total)
10w (-2.6 pounds, -12.2 pounds total)
11w (+1 pound, -11.2 pounds total)
12w (+3.6 pounds, -7.6 pounds total)
13w (+1.0 pound, -6.6 pounds total)
14w (+1.2 pounds, -5.4 pounds total)
15w (+3.4 pounds, -2 pounds total)
16w (+2.0 pounds, no change total)
17w (+2.0 pounds, +2.0 pounds total)
18w1d (+2.0 pounds, +4.0 pounds total)
19w (-1.0 pound, +3.0 pounds total)
20w (-0.4 pounds, +2.6 pounds total)
21w (+1.4 pounds, +4.0 pounds total)
22w (-0.4 pounds, +3.6 pounds total)
23w (+3.4 pounds, +7.0 pounds total)
24w (+0.8 pounds, +7.8 pounds total)
25w (+0.0 pounds, +7.8 pounds total)
26w (+4.2 pounds, +12.0 pounds total)
27w (-1.0 pounds, +11.0 pounds total)
28w (+3.6 pounds, +14.6 pounds total)
29w (-0.6 pounds, +14 pounds total)
30w (+1.8 pounds, +15.8 pounds total)
31w (+2.0 pounds, +17.8 pounds total)

A bicycle built for two

YOWZA! You know that feeling like your pubic bone is bruised from sitting on a bicycle seat for too long? Yeah, that's what it feels like most of the time for me now, at least for the past few weeks. It feels like someone took their foot (with a steel-toed boot, no less!) and just kicked me right in the crotch, though thankfully I don't know firsthand what that feels like. I know that it's just my joints and ligaments that are getting ready to accommodate a small human's passage, but boy does it make me sore, especially when using stairs or standing up. It's starting to give me the pregnant waddle at times, just because that's what it takes to make walking a little more comfortable. I used to think it was cute when pregnant women waddled, but now I know it's necessary.

Sucky co-workers, part two

Oh, you're gonna love this one.

So, Proofreader #1 is the one that I hadn't had as much trouble with, but that's not the case anymore.

The background on this story is that Proofreader #1 sits next to Proofreader #3, and #1 is bothered by many of the things that #3 does...she clips her nails at her desk, eats loudly, takes her shoes off, pops her gum, etc. Granted, it is annoying.

So, Proofreader #1 and I were chatting on Friday, and she made some kind of comment about planning to sit at my desk while I'm gone on maternity leave. I have a problem with that--not because I have anything to hide, but I have things where I want them, and I don't want people to mess them up--but then I realized there are a few programs that I have on my computer that might be useful for her to have access to in my absence, so I thought that maybe that might work out okay. So, I didn't really say much when she mentioned it then.

But then later on, she made a comment about having our computer guy MOVE HER COMPUTER TO MY SPOT AND MOVE MY COMPUTER ELSEWHERE when I'm gone. All so she can sit 15 feet farther away from Proofreader #3. I was truly stunned and didn't really say anything to her then (because then I look like a huge bitch if I say no, even though I WILL find a way to make sure this does NOT happen, but I have to do my best to keep the peace here, so I couldn't just explode like I wanted to).

Even later in the day, I made a comment about not being able to hear over the personal fan that I have in my cubicle (that I have to run because it's so freaking hot in here), and she actually said, "Yeah, I can't wait until I get to use that." *blink, blink*

I think what stuns me the most is that she NEVER ASKED ME if any of this is okay. I'm likely to return on what is one of our busiest days of the year, and I can't waste time trying to find my crap on my desk--or worse, returning to my computer that they forgot to hook back up (I'll be returning on a Sunday, so our computer guy won't be here to help if that's the case).

I really have no official authority over these part-time proofreaders I work with, so I have to go above me in order to take care of this. My first plan of attack is with my supervisor, who is definitely going to understand me not wanting anyone at my desk, as he's very much the everything-has-to-be-at-a-right-angle-on-his-desk type of person. A second plan of attack is to brief our computer guy on the situation so he'll be unlikely to move the computers (twice, and unnecessarily!) in case she goes directly to him to ask about it.

I swear, I can't wait to be at home to take care of the baby there so I can escape the babies I have to deal with at work. You'd think I worked with middle-schoolers, not women who are significantly older than I am and should know better.

Register this

We'd started a registry online at Babies R Us a few weeks ago for the big stuff, then went to the store yesterday to add a lot of the smaller stuff that isn't available online. When we took our scanner back and they were uploading it, something happened that it uploaded someone else's registry items into our registry--but not OUR items. So, we had to sit there for 30+ minutes while they talked on the phone with tech support to try and straighten this out. I had visions of storming out in a frustrated rage if our items were lost and we had to start over from scratch, but thankfully they were able to retrieve our items, so no worries there. When I got home last night, I checked our registry online and everything looked good.

Well, I went to check it today (actually, I was going to add stuff, I wasn't really checking it since I thought it was fine) and discovered that that other person's registry items were on our registry (in addition to all of our stuff, thankfully, even the stuff we added last night). I swear these people had a HUGE registry, and I 25 minutes going through and deleting all of their stuff out of ours (according to what BRU said, their registry should be fine...it just duplicated into ours). For the pictured online items, that wasn't too hard, but that was HARD for the in-store-only stuff that's not pictured and has vague descriptions. Thankfully it seems like the other couple is having a boy, so if the description said "boy," "blue," or "sports," chances were pretty good it wasn't ours. Still, pretty frustrating and quite a time-waster overall between last night and today.

Oooof

Not feeling so great this morning...feeling pretty nauseated. I know morning sickness can come back late, and I'm hoping that's not what this is. I haven't vomited yet, but I've gagged a few times. And I know it's not from just being hungry because I make sure I eat something pretty often in order to take care of that. Hopefully this will pass quickly.