02.22.05

No one ever tells you that the last few weeks of pregnancy will hit you like a brick wall. All I know is that I am TIRED. So very, very tired. And sleep? Forget it. My hips ache so badly at night that I have to shift positions about every half hour. To top it off, I�ve been fighting off a cold for the past week and it looks like the cold finally won. I haven�t been sick my entire pregnancy, so I guess I should be grateful. But it sucks trying to breathe through a cold when I can hardly breathe in the first place! And I guess as long as I�m complaining, I might as well say that the heartburn is still alive and raging.

As J has been so quick to tell everyone he meets, the only thing worse than sleeping in the same bed as a pregnant woman, is sleeping with a pregnant woman with a cold. I guess this is just nature�s way of getting us used to not getting a good nights sleep. Nice how my body is preparing me like that.

On the less bitchy front, I have been having dreams about the baby. One was about going into labor, and then a few nights later, I dreamed that the baby was born and I was trying to breastfeed. I guess it doesn�t take a Freudian genius to guess what areas I�m most anxious about.

Five weeks, people. FIVE WEEKS.

Deep breath. Deep breath. Okay.

Done.

(One last complaint: I burned the holy hell out of my middle finger last night making flan. (Yeah, just go with it.) I think it was God�s way of punishing me for flipping that guy off last week. Anyway, we were having international culture night for our church youth group, and I have a great flan recipe from my grandmother. Only I must have added a half-a-cup of stupidity because when I was making the syrup for the flan, I neglected to remove all appendages from oncoming pouring of boiling hot caramelized sugar. You know what boiling hot sugar does when it drips on your finger? It crystallizes and adheres like a sonofabitch. Instant white blister. So today I�m having trouble with my �i's�, �o�s� and �k�s.� Ouch.)

:::

In other news, I have been spending less and less time on the internet at work. This is for a couple of reasons; one, because everyone in my department seemed to suddenly realize that I�m going to be on maternity leave shortly and they only have 4 more weeks to suck the remaining life out of me, i.e. assign me to every project that we could possibly be working on right now; and two, the other day I came into work, logged on, and got the following message before entering in my password:

This computer system is the property of XXX, Co. and is intended for authorized users only. The computer system must be used in accordance with XXX�s company policies, including its Internet and E-mail Policies. Unauthorized access and improper use is prohibited. All users of this system are subject to having their activities on the system monitored and recorded by XXX in accordance with its policies. Except where stated in those policies and in accordance with applicable law, users of the system should have no expectation of privacy. Anyone using this system is advised that if such monitoring reveals use of the system contrary to XXX�s policies or applicable law, such activities may give rise to disciplinary action up to and including possible termination of employment.

Nice. Subtle.

I had to check with a couple of coworkers to make sure this was a company-wide notice and not one sent directly to my computer as a gentle �Ahem.� I�m going to miss you, Big Brother.

Anyway, combine that with an average of two hours when I get home from work until the time I go to bed and it makes for journal entries that are few and far between. I did have my shower this past weekend (yay!) and will have some pictures and such for that. We got a lot of stuff. My best friend Rachael threw it at her place and it was great. The best part? There was a buttload of cake left over and I got to take it home. Aw, yeah. Nothing better than cold chocolate cake for breakfast.

In the meantime, those of you who live in California--try to stay dry. The rest of you, have a great week!

before ~ after