Life, Work, Birth, etc

The countdown is more or less on. We've got a little over 6 weeks to go before the baby arrives. Predictably life is chaotic and perhaps just a bit more so than usual.

• We're undertaking a major remodeling project. Jeremy has worked his butt off for the last couple of weeks and now we've got contractors on site putting up sheetrock, and doing the mudding and painting. As a result, toilets are often not where they are supposed to be and everything is covered in a thin layer of drywall dust. It's a big old mess, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
  
• There are several big projects at work that are going strong that I need to get wrapped up before the baby arrives which leads to long days and sometimes long evenings.
• I've started turning down meeting requests and apologizing for not being able to attend events that are scheduled around my due date which feels so weird. Also, when I'm grocery shopping I can't help but think, wow - this product won't expire until after the baby arrives.
  

Fun stuff is happening too:

• We just finished our childbirth classes with Stacey O'Connell from Birthing Roots and she rocks so much. It was great to meet other folks who are also in the state of just about to have a baby. I'm hoping (and going to make sure that I maintain the effort) to keep in touch. It's nice to meet some folks in Oly and also some parents to be.
• I've been doing prenatal yoga since about week 18 and it might be my favorite two hours in the week. Although the joke is that it's the one physical activity where the longer you do it the worse you get. Those poses that get us to attempt to touch our toes get harder week by week. Anyway, this weekend Jeremy and I are doing a partner prenatal class taught by my instructor. J is just a good sport and has jumped into all the natural childbirth stuff with me. I think he's going to be an amazing coach when the big event comes.
  
• We have not one but two fun baby showers coming up soon. My friends and family are so generous and awesome to throw us these parties. I can't wait to see everyone and it'll be our last big social event(s) before the baby arrives. My mom and sister are coming in for the showers which will be back to back. I'm so excited!
  

So overall, feeling a bit overwhelmed but super excited for the next 6 weeks.

Things you don't want to hear when you are 32 weeks pregnant...

When riding an elevator to a client meeting yesterday, a women gets in and looks me up and down and says:

Good lord, looks like you are going to pop pretty much any day now.

My cheerful response was...."Nope....two more months to go!" but I kind of wish I would have said..."Nope, just fat!"

What it'll do to you

So I haven't posted in forever and most of my thousands (ha) of readers know already but I'm, as they say, in the family way. They also say knocked up. Either is fine. So now we have that out of the way. One of the interesting things that has happened in terms of being pregnant is the new found ability to ask for whatever you like. Sure this applies to wonderful things like declaring that you'll be eating cupcakes for dinner, but also like somewhat awkward things too.

Today I was standing in line in the parking lot at a client's office. I was waiting to plunk money in the machine in exchange for a parking permit. It being 8am in Olympia meant that it was state worker rush hour and the line was ten people deep. A guy behind me lit up a cigarette which in this state makes me nauseous of course but I usually can easily avoid smoke. Before the neurons could even finish firing, I turned around and demanded he put it out. When he protested, I did it: I played the pregnancy card. It's so weird, it felt kind of liberating to just demand the outcome I wanted but at the same time uncomfortable placing this rather mundane activity (that of bearing another human) at the forefront of my abilities of persuasion.

Well, at least it worked. Besides this demand and the cupcake obsession, being pregnant actually feels pretty great most of the time. They tell me its the hormones, but damn if it isn't the best high in the world.