• Aria’s latest adorable thing is to carefully place both of her purses on her arm, tell us “Bye!” with a wave, and head for the door. She even goes so far as to pull herself up and try to open the door (it never works, since the doors are locked, but thank goodness for deadbolts because she’s caught on to the lock in the handle itself). This gather-my-purse-and-leave thing has just started happening this week, and has already expanded to include going for her purses (almost always both) as soon as she sees one of us putting on our coat. I find it particularly interesting because she has never seen me carry a normal purse, and I don’t think anyone has taught her to put her purse on her arm. Baby brains are the most fun.
• This has been an exceptionally tiring week. It’s been fulfilling – I’ve accomplished quite a bit and had some really fun days. I may have pushed it a bit too hard, though, because I started falling asleep yesterday at around 5:30pm. I still have a list of things to accomplish before the weekend is over, and I’m trying to push through as many of them as possible early today so I can rest this evening and tomorrow. I used to find that rest might include doing some sedentary work I enjoyed, but that is less and less the case. Occasionally, yes. But I find that, for the most part, I need to create opportunities to rest both my body and my mind these days. I think it has something to do with the fact moms are usually thinking about at least two things at once, while they’re doing a third thing. 😉
• One week after taking my one-hour glucose test I had not heard anything from Stephanie’s office. I knew that most likely meant there were no problems, but given my history I didn’t want to make that assumption and then find out the lab didn’t send the report or something. So I called, and the midwife’s assistant, Megan, confirmed that, indeed, my iron and sugars are great. No three-hour test for this mama! I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. I am thrilled that I don’t have to take the three-hour test, and even more that it means there is no danger that I’m on the edge of having gestational diabetes this time. This pregnancy continues to be a wholly different experience from my first. I am taking each positive sign as yet another indicator that this time my delivery experience is going to be fantastic! (DO NOT disagree with me.)

 Don’t ask me why The Bump thinks the baby stays papya-sized for three straight weeks, as I have no idea.

• This week I have started seeing some of the signs that we are moving toward the third trimester. If I push myself hard physically, I get Braxton Hicks contractions. At the end of a long day, my feet and hands are swollen. When I was pregnant with Aria, I was permanently swollen at this point. Not so this time around – rest and fluids eventually ease the swelling, and I’m still comfortably wearing my wedding ring. My back is also starting to feel some pressure, if I hold Aria on my hip for extended times, am on my feet too long, etc. These are all normal things, and they aren’t nearly as extreme as what I felt with Aria (see how much this is a theme?). All in all, I’m still quite comfortable and we’re all doing great.
• I have become a list-making machine. One night early this week I woke up from what felt like a dead sleep with the thought that I have a LOT to do before July. At work we have a major event, for which I am primarily responsible, that will take place toward the end of my maternity leave. Thankfully, in my office work is shared however it needs to be to get things done, so I am not nervous about it. I just need to have as much as possible prepared before July, and everything else handed off to someone else so I can go on leave without stress (and without leaving anyone else in a panic). There is also quite a lot to accomplish at home before Noah arrives. In particular, I need to clean and organize the massive amount of stuff we are currently storing in the unused upstairs portion of the house. Construction workers have been here for the past three months adding an addition to the back of the house, installing several new windows throughout the upstairs, and putting new roofing and siding on the entire house. They are on the last phase (siding), and once they clear out we (that means Andy and his dad) will begin working on the inside. Before they can work on the inside, I need to get all our stored items out of the way and into the attic. It’s rather a large undertaking, because none of it is organized, and the construction guys just cut into the walls in those rooms, covering everything up there in a layer of dust. (I rather wish they had mentioned to me that I might want to cover my stuff. But, since by and large they’ve been great, I’ll let this one go.)
• I am kicking butt at my reading goal for the year. Don’t ask me how this is happening, because I’m honestly not certain. Nevertheless, I have completed 21 books toward my goal of 60. Right now I have 10 books in the offing – I think that’s a new record for me – and I’m enjoying each of them. Left to my own devices I would typically read 2-3 books of varying genres at any given time. Right now I am reading books for devotional studies, church, work, pleasure, and childbirth prep. I’ve pretty much got things covered.

What are you reading?