WhatAWeek

Is it possible that it's really Friday?? The 14th??
Somehow the whole week has gone by, and I can't even think of what happened to it.
Monday - Grocery shopping in AM, Chiropractor in PM - Chiropractor visits take half a day, as they are 45 minutes from my house. Sometimes I wonder if all that driving is worse on my back than just staying at home and not seeing the chiro guy. I should post about the whole chiro thing one day.
Tuesday - Cleaning the house all day, and library in the pm, company after supper. It was our first trip to the library, and they just happened to be starting a kids story and craft time which we joined in on. Then we read 37 books and I had to tear A. away. They only take cash or cheque so we couldn't even get a library card this time, but the sympathetic librarian gave us a Clifford book to take home anyway. I hate it when places refuse to get debit or credit machines. There's no excuse for it. There's one ice cream shop and a great coffee shop in town that I almost never make it to because they only take cash, and I almost never have any. It's a Canadian thing.
Wednesday - Midwife in the morning, Dance class in the afternoon. All is well with baby. Head down and growing well. Heartbeat strong at 160. I am so thankful. We start 2 week visits now. Wow, 34 weeks already, I could have a baby in as little as 3 weeks!!! Ya, that's me freaking out!!
Dance class was the most hilarious thing I've seen in a long time. It was parent's day so we all got to watch for the first time. My kid was the one in the back staring at the parents or her own reflection in the mirror, always a step behind the others. She fit in, actually, as you don't really expect too much coordination from 3 and 4 year olds. I wasn't the only parent trying to hide the hysterical laughing fit the whole thing brought on. Especially with the "Big Bum Walking". Use your imagination.
Thursday - Chiro in the morning, work Christmas party in the pm. It was fun to go and see everyone again. The company released a new logo this week and everyone hates it. Acquisition rumors are back again, but there are always those rumors. Two projects I was working on had snags this week. I feel bad for the person who took them over but it sounds like they got it worked out. She is enjoying the new work, as I thought she would. Everyone needs a change sometimes. I thinks she likes about it all the things that I didn't.
Friday - "What a heck" Where did the week go? Shopping with Auntie J. for Christmas stuff. I hate shopping, but I like Auntie J. This should be good. Maybe there's a coffee purveyor near the stores. Preggy lady needs reinforcement.

The novely has worn right off.

Well, it's the end of week one and the novelty of being home all the time has worn right off.
What did I accomplish today? I cleaned the kitchen. Again. Ate a couple of meals and helped with a "hard puzzle". Much of the afternoon was spent driving to and from the chiropractor's office.
I spent a lot of time yesterday cleaning the kitchen and living/dining rooms. They have been neglected for a while and really needed a good cleaning. Then I made a big supper for guests (we always have the in-laws over on Wednesdays), cleaned up the leftovers and got A. to bed.
A. was up twice during the night and I was tired and grumpy when I got up. Only to be greeted by a kitchen full of dishes. So much for plans of getting things done. I remember this feeling from last time I was on mat leave. Working and getting nothing for it.
To add insult to injury I decided to redeem the day by getting one of the planned cooking projects done - making calzones for supper and the freezer. They were a big flop, even though I followed the recipe almost exactly (gasp, I know). A very big disappointment.
The entire day was a very big disappointment. But it's worse, because I have a feeling that every week is going to be like this. I'm falling into a pit.

Next on the list: Clean out the fish tank.

Do you think it is a bad sign if one of your fish dies just as you are about to start maternity leave??

I always take it hard when one of the fish starts to float. This time is just so much more poignant.
I couldn't even look at the tank for days. Pregnant people shouldn't have to deal with this.
It represents everything that has been wrong with my lifestyle in the last little while. My life was just too busy to properly take care of the poor buggers. I was up at 5am everyday, Getting A. up at 5:30, and out the door by 6. commute, work, work, work, commute. Make supper, clean up from supper. Get A. in the bath, to bed, and then fall into bed myself. Weekends weren't much better. We were always running around getting "stuff" done - all the stuff that accumulates during the week - groceries, laundry, cleaning the fish tank, etc.. It was survivalist, at best. And the fish suffered, until one poor guy finally couldn't take it anymore.
I say this all in past tense because I'm hoping that being on maternity leave will give us a chance to have a calmer, healthier, more balanced lifestyle.

So, this is day 1, and I'm a little scared, a lot excited, and ready to go. Of course, I couldn't sleep past 6:30am.....I'm sure that will come. It's 8am, and I've already showered, eaten, made tea, surfed the internet and posted to my blog (almost). Next on the list: Clean out the fish tank.

Last day of work musings...

Is it really the end of November?? This day seems like a dream. My last day of work. Is it really possible that I'm doing this?? It seems like someone else's life - will I really have a baby in my arms in a month?

There are two things I will really miss about working. Not the things I would have expected.

1. Yoga at lunch. Man I love that class. I just feel like everything is in perspective again when I come out of the class. I've never felt that way about other yoga classes, which is probably why I keep dropping out of them. I am hoping to join the local Ashtanga class that a friend of mine teaches near where we live once baby is born and I am back on my feet again. That hard part there is finding someone to take the kids for a couple of hours to do it.

2. The dayhome. Yes, I hate dropping A. off in the mornings, and miss her all day, but that place has been so good for her. It's like a second family that we're loosing. How am I ever going to replace the care she's gotten there? I'm afraid my craft ideas will run out after 4 days, and I won't have the energy and enthusiasm to take her to the park everyday. Will she be bored and lonely?? I hope not. Will I be bored and lonely?

But life goes on. This is the start of a new chapter. I suck at turning pages, though. Be gentle, world.

FLU

Well, I guess it is possible that getting the flu will make you grumpy. I suppose.
A. had it starting on friday and lasting the weekend. She's amazing when sick. Not a word of complaint. No whining, no grumbling, and certainly no scowling. She just throws up and keeps on smiling.
So here I am today, on my third last day of work, at home sick. Funny timing.

Something else funny: When you're gestating and sick, the baby kicks your stomach and that really hurts.

I'm laying down for another nap.

Aaaaaaahhhh, almost done.

I have only 2 1/2 weeks left of work, and can't wait. I've got big plans for the month of December. Making Christmas presents, getting the house ready for baby, cooking food for the freezer, hanging out with my daughter, but most important of all, getting used to being at home full-time. It's a different kind of life all together, and it'll definitely be a transition.

I'm not good at transitions. And I hated being at home last time. I never did get the hang of it.

It'll be so nice to not have to get up at 5am and force my body to wake up and get ready for work. But I think it's the unstructuredness (yes, the spell checker is having trouble with that one, too) of it all that gets to me. The day looms before you, and where the heck do you start. We'll have to get a routine going early on. And I guess that's why starting a month before you have to is a good thing.

When little A. was born it was the very first day of my maternity leave. I was at work the day before. There was no down time. No time to get organized. It's one of the many things that I hope will be different this time.


I found out today that my midwife has been practicing since 1974. That's before I was born. She could have been at my birth. That's another thing we're doing differently this time. Gathering the best people possible around us. Last time all the people we counted on for support (I'm not talking about family, I mean birth support) let us down in one way or another. From bad advice, to no advice at all. I feel like when decisions have to be made this time we have information. We have the best possible chance at a decent birth. And that's something to be happy about.