"The clock tour"

... another Bethism, my Mommy Mentor.

So the last 3 nights I have been taking the clock tour. I see the clock at 11, 12, 1, 2, .... and so forth. This has been highly inefficient at charging my batteries, but I have been getting a lot of reading done! So far in the new year, I have read 2 1/2 books... and not just Good Night Moon even though that is one of Owen and Pito's favorites.

I am finding, as predicted, that my 3rd trimester is leaving me hugely wanting on the sleep thing. The weekends are great as I get to take a nap during the day, but work is getting increasingly difficult. I (still!!!) haven't figured out my final maternity leave, And it's not for lack of trying -- its just that the whole daisy chaining of various leave types (FMLA, CAPDL, CAPFLB...), all of which have various rules and regs, is incredibly complicated.

I keep asking HR and I guess the party line is "this is the base case, but everyone is different". My question keeps being - different how? How best to maximize this opportunity with me and Monday?!?!

Apparently the state of CA offers some paid leave before the due date. Every working mother I know in CA recommends I take the full 4 weeks... I am getting tempted.

Baby Registry

I have been asked a couple of times where we are registered, and at the risk on being smarmy, I figured I would post it here and the right hand navigation for ease of use. Our primary registry is through Babies R Us. Please don't hesitate to holler if you have any questions!

32 Week Update from Baby Center

How your baby's growing: By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

"Don't put that there!"

...seems to be my battle cry these days. I am not sure if it is prepping the house for my mother's first visit, taking pride in home ownership, or nesting, but man, I am turning into a cleaning fool! I think I spent the better part of yesterday on my feet and frantically cleaning.

• - We did more loads of laundry than I think the whole of last year combined (small washer/dryer and lots of new towels!).
• - I swept and mopped most of the downstairs floors (more to do tonight!).
• - We raked and swept the front yard, our portion of the sidewalk and street, and the back yard. I went so far as to start to weed... at least I think that was a weed...
• - We measured Monday's room for window dressings that I liked (windows are too big)
• - We scrubbed the kitchen.
• - I cooked a batch of "Lentil and Quinoa Tabbouleh" (my recipe) so I don't have to cook much this week.
• - I had to redo the kitchen floors after a Quinoa incident.

And for all that... the house is looking great. Though I am still nagged by the list of things to do at all hours of the night.

Officially T-minus 2 months... more or less anyway

It is reasonable to expect that Monday won't be born on his due date. But if he were... that would be exactly 2 months from today. Wow, reality check. That seems both interminably far away (see yesterday's post) and frighteningly close. Here is just a list of a few things we need to do before then:

• Choose a name for our little man
  
• Plan my maternity leave / finish work
• Set up the nursery
  
• Get all the gear
• Baby classes - 3 kinds
• Hospital tour
• Countless more doctor appointments (actually closer to 6 or 7 planned)
• ...and that's just the begging...

Life is really great - aside from the hysterics. We took a couple of photos this morning. While it's not my favorite thing to do, it will be nice to have a record of it. Here's one for good measure, there are a couple more on Flickr.

Last night was hysterical!

... but not in the "wow, that was the funniest thing I have seen in ages" way, more like the "one flew over the cookoos nest" kind of way.

I have been sleeping really poorly lately, and it caught up to me last night. Tim had to work late so I was on my own for dinner. When I got home, faced with some dishes to do and few leftovers, I just opted for a dinner that consisted of wheat thins, better cheddar crackers, and cheese. I was about to dig into my "dessert", a dry bowl of coco-krispies, when Tim called me on his way home from the office. Over the course of the phone call, I admitted to my nutritionally lacking meal and he tried to coach me to eat better.

When he got home at 8, I did change from dry sugar cereal and had 2 clementines. I thought the conversation was over.

After he got off some more work related phone calls with the far east (near west for us?), he decided to make himself dinner and push some more food on me with a higher nutritional value. I pushed, and I pushed, and I pushed back -- freakishly hysterically laughing the whole time. He asked me why I was laughing, and the truth is, who knows? The only explanation I could come up with is that it was either laugh or cry.

I ultimately backed down and had some re-heated pork that probably helped me get through the night without waking up starving (yes, Tim was right). But I still didn't have the most restful night of sleep ever. Monday performed the first act of Swan Lake starting at about 6:30 this morning - which I challenge anyone to try to sleep through. Today, I am feeling just as on-edge as my fit last night. I am cranky and tired. It actually bothers me that I am feeling this way, which doesn't really help the whole thing either.

That said, the only thing I am taking solace in right now is that work will be over soon, and Tim doesn't have to work too late tonight. I am truly looking forward to some time on the couch with just the three of us hanging out. Maybe we'll rent a movie or watch some Deadwood reruns. Doesn't that just sound like heaven? (or is that just cranky-Lina's daydream....)

What would Clint Eastwood do?

This weekend we had some friends over to the house for some good eats and games. Beth and Dave showed up with little Brennan (their 9mo old?? boy) and Fran and Dirk brought Gabby - their Boston Terrier. Conversation over dinner was great; outdone only by Lina's cooking - Pull Pork, roasted root vegetables and mashed potatoes; so tasty they could make a cactus cry (how's that for imagery).

Beth, Dave and Brennan had to leave early (not so early - 11PM) but not before Dave, Dirk and I had a conversation which has imprinted itself in the rough and tumble part of my psyche. While the ladies were conversing over....we'll I don't know what, because the men were in our corner in a deep discussion about "the delivery". See...both Dirk and Dave have "been there, done that". I was the only one without that merit badge. I just sat with my head perched on my fists - bobbing left to right and back again; somewhere between a head shake of "No" and one of "I want to answer yes, but the answer is still no". "You have to Tim!"; both insisting that I cut the umbilical cord. "Its like a piece of really tough calamari." Dave explains (now how's THAT for imagery). As if I would be swayed to yes by that description.

Still not convinced that its something I HAVE to or even want to do, my rough and tumble side asks itself..."What would Clint Eastwood do?" Can't I just wrestle a calf to the ground?