Sleepy? Nay, rather exhausted, honestly.

I have taken the last 3 days off work due to the added physical stresses that Elizabeth, not to mention a rather nasty sinus infection, has decided to provide me. I've had mild but constant contractions for most of the last week, after Monday and Tuesday having some really GREAT ones for about 5 hours apiece - only to have them die down to nothing within 20 minutes or so. *sigh*

I've pretty well been sleeping the whole time, and I can only think that apparently I'm bank-rolling up time for the future, where I won't be able to sleep much at all. Those times I haven't been sleeping, I've been puttering around the house, sort of cleaning. Avoided the computer like the plague, and the phone, and haven't been horribly sociable, either.

Another thing that has been a thorn in my side is listening to the comments from those at work (yet another reason why I wouldn't want to go back at this point), about what's going on with the pregnancy... In one day, I heard from no less than 7 people in my department (and on that day, there were only 12 of us on the floor) "Gee, you STILL haven't had that baby yet?"

No, fuq'ers, I still haven't had the @$#%$#%$#@ baby yet. Does it LOOK like I've had the #$%$#%$##@ baby yet?! Honestly. My belly is so far out there that I am wearing the same size now that I had been at my heaviest prior to weight loss surgery, my back has decided that it's going to permanently bend itself into a compound bow shape, and my abdomen feels as though I have the world's worst hernia happening... What do YOU think I'm doing?

Makes one tempted to say "Yes, I had the baby, but I liked the shape so much I had an implant put in - it wiggles on command! Here's your sign..."

Tomorrow I spend all day up on pill hill in 3 separate appointments. First we get to stare at the baby for about an hour or so via ultrasound, to see whether she passes all 8 of her reflex tests. Then I go back in about 2 hours later and they do a "non-stress-test" fetal monitor, where they will hook up a heart-rate monitor to my belly and get a 25 minute strip of good, solid heartbeat - at least, that's the plan. Then finally, I have my OB appointment, where, hopefully, the results will be favorable to simply start things going via the wonders of modern medicine, and my OB will take pity on my poor self.

Now, mind you, I believe I have mentioned before that Elizabeth **HATES** to be monitored at all. She will scratch, kick, bump, wiggle away, and generally be a pain in the ass to all monitoring devices. I already explained to her several times if she didn't want to be monitored, she'd best get out now, so she doesn't have to deal with it. She gets agitated enough and she gets the hiccups, which then repeatedly (and rapidly) expands and contracts my belly while she bumps her little bottom into me and wiggles in outrage. The only way I have found to stop the hiccups is to pat her gently but firmly on her little bottom for about 2-3 minutes to calm her down. I'm pretty sure that she's ready to come out, and I *know* that I'm ready to have her come out - if only to stop the hiccup ride from happening yet again.

Tomorrow is also Fred's birthday... I was born on my father's birthday, so I will say it would be kind of cool to have Elizabeth born on HER daddy's birthday as well... She's already got his temper and sense of humor (obviously), so why not just go for the whole shebang? *chuckle* I think I'm more than wishful in this.

I did get to a point this weekend where I simply didn't care all that much about any of it at all. I was tired, having mild (but solid) contractions, and had a sinus headache. It was the most relaxed I've felt in a while, which is saying something... I'm not sure what, but it definitely said something. LOL.

So, keep your fingers crossed for me, and hope that soon, I will have a wiggly thing in my arms rather than still stuffed inside.

~M

All out of virtues...

They say that patience is a virtue... Unfortunately, I apparently do not have much, and what little I have normally is pretty well exhausted at this point.

Baby Elizabeth is still not out, and I am totally over the novelty of being pregnant and big as a house. Baby, however, is perfectly happy to stay inside until it's time for her college interviews, apparently. I feel like she's sitting so low she's between my knees, and I can't even get out to walk faster than a slow stroll.

Friday found me falling completely apart, and Fred had to go out to get me Excedrin PM, as suggested by both my OB and my PT. Turns out, I hadn't gotten more than about 4-5 hours of actual sleep in about 4-5days, which meant that I was totally exhausted and unable to function. I couldn't make any decisions whatsoever, and the only thing I was capable of doing was leaking (crying) everywhere and being incoherent.

After a few hours of E-pm induced sleep, I was feeling better, and could actually be social again with Fred and the cat. That night, I took another dose, and was able to sleep for a good 8 hours - 4 in bed and 4 on the couch (I've had to change venues in sleeping half-way through so I can get comfy). Saturday found me with no pain for the first time in months. Incredible.

So, at this point, we're just waiting. I'm now 50% effaced, possibly a bit more, but am still only dialated 1.5 cm (unless THAT'S changed, too). I don't have any further OB appointments, which everyone says is odd, so I need to call the clinic tomorrow and find out if I was supposed to make further appointments, or whether they were just going to have me go in when they called... I hit the 40 week mark on this upcoming Friday... Should make for an interesting weekend...

~M

On the way...

As of today, actually... I went to physical therapy thinking nothing more about the pregnancy other than "Gee, I wonder when this whole contraction thing is going to start in..." Little did I know.

I got massaged by my therapist, then went over to say hello to an old co-worker of mine who works in a different department now. I was only there a few minutes, and when I went to get up, I turned apparently ashen and almost fell down. I also had this weird tighening sensation that would not let up, and couldn't breathe.

Linda took one look at me and had me go back to the clinic and ask to see the nurse there. I did so, and after looking at me for a few minutes, they sent me up to Labor and Delivery.

Now, I knew that Elizabeth was NOT going to be arriving today. Not by a long shot. But, I was worried that something could be wrong, since this was not a "normal" reaction to simply getting up - at least, not for me.

They strapped me into a monitoring device, set another device to hear baby's heartbeat, and proceeded to have me sit there for a good 15 minutes. The nurse came back and looked up on the screen, then said...

"Oh! Well, you're having contractions about every 3-5 minutes."
"I am?" I said... I'd had no idea - they didn't feel painful, just pressure, building up and then releasing.
"Yup. Here comes another one..."
I concentrated for once on what my body was actually doing, rather than spacing off like I normally do, and this time felt a mild, though annoying, burning/shooting pain coming up my groin and into my abdomen, as well as across my back toward my sides and up my spine.

"Oh..." I said, "So THAT'S what they feel like... Good to know."

We proceeded to go back and forth monitoring the baby and changing my position slightly to try and alleviate pressure on my tailbone for about 4 hours. Watching paint dry would have been more interesting, if only because paint at least changes color as it dries.

Elizabeth showed her immediate distaste of the entire monitoring situation by first trying to kick the monitor off her. Then, when that didn't work, she tried scratching it and/or rolling away from it. When that didn't work, either, she realized I was on my back, so she snuck into my belly cavity and hid away from it like a little submarine. I had warned them that she didn't like to be monitored, and she had an attitude, but they didn't believe me until they actually SAW what she was doing.

At one point she got so agitated that she got the hiccups again. That got a round of giggles from the nurse and the doctors. Of course, by the end of the 3rd hour, my contractions had pretty well stopped, since I hadn't been moving for 3 hours... Dammit.

The exam conclusion was yes, I'm in labor, no nothing is serious at this point, and yes I'm dialated, but only about 1-2 cm's - certainly too small to do anything with at this point. So, I'm walking lots, drinking lots of raspberry tea, and following up with more walking. Tomorrow I'm walking the pool again, if she hasn't decided to take matters into her own hands and have me go further into labor than I already am...

I went shopping this evening for all the groceries I think we'll need for a little bit - wanted to make sure that Fred had food, and that I would have food as well if she went ahead of schedule and I was too pooped to go to the store afterwards. We also picked up a few weeks worth of disposables just in case, as well as baby wipes, bath stuff, and some nursing pads and the OTHER pads... So, we should be mostly ok at this point... We'll see.

~M

On to the ricockulous...

Because it's beyond ridiculous...

Got a text message from my mother yesterday informing me that she hoped the baby would be late, as she wouldn't be able to get away and come down until at least the 8th of Feb, and would only be able to stay until the 15th...

I'm inclined to tell her not to even bother.

Honestly, I'm not sure she understands that I'm even *in* the family at this point... She's so wrapped up with taking care of my sister and her kids - that's why she can't get away. Mel can't seem to keep her 15-year-old under a modicum of control and personally responsible for herself and her actions, and "can't" find a daycare program that she likes for the 3-year-old. Thus, my mother chooses to drive back and forth between Pt Townsend and Seattle each week and takes care of the kids while Mel goes either to work (dump truck driver, union, makes $28-$32/hr) or to physical therapy for her foot - which she's been nursing for a year or more.

Whenever I point out that Mel is a grown woman, and should be capable of taking care of her kids herself, Mom plays the guilt card, stating that Mel is a single parent, can't do everything by herself, blah blah blah... She's done this for the past 10 years, and probably will not stop until she dies of an overdose from travel.

Since Mel had such a "terrible" childhood (parents divorced when she was 9, was beaten regularly by father, chose to live on streets by 13 to avoid her "horrible" step-father [my dad] and her horrible father), and mum couldn't fix it, she feels it necessary to do everything she possibly can to "fix" things now... And Mel, since she had such a terrible childhood, and mum didn't fix it, feels she is entitled to everything she possibly can get from the world - and is training her children to be the same way.

Never mind that Mel had a choice when she decided to live on the streets - she could have lived with either our grandmother, or live with my father and our mother. However, she would have had to live with rules she didn't want to live by... like going to school, getting decent grades, getting a job if she wanted extra money, etc... All those horrible things that a responsible young adult does as they grow up and learn to live on their own in the world...

Rather than do that, Mel chose to live on the streets by her own rules, and ended up on drugs and alcohol by the time she was 16, and didn't get clean until she was 26. Our mother blames herself for Mel's past choices and Mel's father being a child- and wife-beater, so as I mentioned before, she is attoning for her past "sins".

Since I had 2 parents my whole life, neither of whom beat or abused me, apparently I don't need to have the support that my sister does... And while my mother feels guilty about it, she consoles herself with the fact that my upbringing was so much better than Mel's, and I didn't have the issues that Mel had growing up.

I got so angry (and am STILL so angry about it), I felt like screaming. Last night, however, had an odd dream with Dad in it. He showed up and we spoke for about two hours about it - the upshot was that he told me even if Mom wasn't there, he would be. Before you think this is a "normal" thing, Dad passed away in '94... So, it was rather bizarre.

There's something not quite right with a family where you can rely more on your dead relatives than you can on your live ones...

~M

OK...

So, yeah, it's been a bit since my last update. I would have written this weekend, but I was a bit busy...

See, with the baby coming, I got a wild hair up my ass and decided that we really needed to do a cleaning party on the house. Not just a bit of dusting and putting stuff away, but really, down-and-dirty, in the cracks and crevaces clean.

So, at 9:45 Saturday morning, Raistlin arrived with TSP and a determined attitude. We woke up the two girls who had slept over the night before after visiting, and roped them into it as well. I brewed coffee, and started general fussing with snack items, as I had been told repeatedly that I was not to do *ANYTHING* more strenuous than putting out cheese and crackers.

Lil and Anxiety showed up around 10:30 or so and commenced to helping out. Lil got into the kitchen and Anxiety helped move everything out of the front room.

I apparently was a lot more optimistic about the house than I should have been... There was 8 years worth of bachelor-hood to be removed from both the walls and floor, not to mention the at-least 6-7 years worth of dust wending its way through the rooms as well...

Bobby came by around noon with the shampooer, which was perfect timing, as most of the room had been emptied, less the large furniture items. The room had its walls completely washed down and all the nicotine plaque from years of smoking in the house was removed. Then the baseboard heater was washed down, the floor was swept, then vacuumed, and then Bobby commenced to shampooing the carpet.

To say that it was a bit needed was something of an understatement. I honestly am surprised that it's still together at this point, since what we got up looked like we could have planted several redwoods and they would have thrived. It went from dark black dirt-water, to gamer-strength coffee (equal to the opacity of Turkish coffee), to sort of a dirt-grey after two rinses. We decided to stop there, since obviously we weren't going to get much more out of the carpet, besides the carpet itself - and we would like to keep it...

Bobby also steam-cleaned the persian rug, which apparently also needed it. Years of general abuse, and nothing other than the occasional vacuum left it needing a good washing.

Next, everything had to be put *back* - a more physically demanding part of the job. While everyone else was heading into and out of the baby room (where we had stored pretty much everything while the front room was being cleaned), I snuck into the bathroom with impliments of destruction and proceeded to re-caulk the bathtub, and wash down the walls. Yes, I'm evil. But I really needed to do something, and that type of nit-picky job was just perfect for me, since it was out of the way and was needing to be done, anyway.

Lil and Anxiety had to leave around one-ish, to finish some errands. The kitchen, while not completely clean (tops of the cupboards and fridge, and inside of fridge still needed to be done), was much better than it had been, and the extra hands were definitely appreciated.

I ordered out for pizza about 4pm - the time when Raistlin and Emma both found me in the bathroom wiping down walls and gave me dirty looks for doing anything... Just as an aside note: The Pizza Hut Pizza Mia pizzas are good, but you won't get nearly the amount of toppings they advertize on tv. Then again, for $5 per shot, I wasn't expecting huge amounts of anything.

We stopped, finally, around 6:30-ish... And I realized that we hadn't even touched the dining room, or our room, and there were lots of things still stacked up in piles to go through in the Baby's room, too... I decided not to worry about it at that point, but did realize that 10 years worth of dirt and grime is going to take more than 1 day to wipe out - unless you have about 5 people per room working on it...

We gamed afterwards, which was a nice way to relax for the evening, and then went to bed where I had a pretty good night's sleep for once.

Sunday found me in a chair in front of the fridge, unpacking and cleaning the inside of it. I got only to the fridge part of it - not the seal, the freezer or the outside, much to my dismay. My back gave out on me after a few hours, and I ended up paying for it Monday morning when it wouldn't let me out of bed for literally 2.5 hours, causing me to think that perhaps I was going to have to get the mattress steam-cleaned as well...

I also did a quick photo shoot with Fred to show off how big Elizabeth has gotten in comparison to me... They came out pretty darned good, if I do say so myself. I will have to post up a few of my faves once they're done editing.

I called in yesterday and proceeded to hot-pack my back and hips all day, and did physical therapy exersises in a vain attempt to relax my back enough to sleep last night. Had a few braxton-hicks which felt fairly strong and regular, but then went away after about two hours. The pool at the gym helped my back and hips, though I did find that there were times when it was almost impossible to move myself through the water simply because of the shape that I am currently. Rounded prow of ship, plus opposing force of water, equals stuck for a few seconds...

Went home last night and collapsed. Woke up at 3, just in time to realize not only could I not breathe, my back and hips were both killing me. So, took some tylenol and sucked on a throat losenge to try and clear out my sinuses. It worked - sort of. I got more sleep, at least.

I have decided that the next really big project is going to be our room. I have no allergy problem at all in the front room now - it's all in our room. Can't breathe, can't sleep very well, and my throat always feels sore. SO - I will be bugging Bobby to bring back the steam-cleaner and we will do the same thing in our room we did to the front room, then put everything back, tidily. Hopefully we can do this prior to the baby being born - though I have to say this right now:

If I head off to have the baby prior to having the room done, I want the room done before I come home. *chuckle*

This weekend's major project will most likely be cleaning up, sorting and putting away everything in the baby's room. Raistlin is thinking that Elizabeth will come on Saturday. I just know that things seem to feel like they're gearing up a little faster than they had been even two weeks ago when baby dropped. I'm wanting to sleep pretty much full-time, but when I'm awake it's all I can do to not get down on hands and knees and start tooth-brush scrubbing floors (I stop myself because there's no one to pick me up when my legs go to sleep...).

So, I will keep people updated on the continuing story of getting the house in order, as well as the Elizabeth project. *chuckle*

~M

"Not everyone is perfect..."

So, I'm waiting at the bus stop today, and watch as the bus comes up and almost passes by me. It comes to a halt, then the driver has another 45 seconds trying to open the door so I could get in.

The issue was not that the bus was old (it was, but still in good working order), or that the driver didn't *know* what she was doing (she did). No - the issue that caused her to both almost miss my stop completely, pull in late, and then not be able to open the door properly was because her bright red, Motorolla flip-phone was firmly glued to her ear, being held up by one of her hands...

Now, while Oregon does not yet have a law enacted to prohibit the use of cell phones while driving, the public transit company DOES have a regulation prohibiting drivers from the use of cell phones while driving. The possibility of serious injury to either the driver, the passengers, or to other motorists increases 10-fold when dealing with a 1-ton vehicle...

So, here we are 17 passengers, two of which haven't even reached age 6 yet, are all being driven around by this woman who cannot seem to put down her phone. She finally clicks it off about half-way through my ride. I already noted down the bus information and time into my phone so I can call it in, but can't resist seeing whether she actually thought what she was doing was really *wrong*.

The verbal exchange went as follows:

Me: Honestly, I don't think I'd ever be as brave as you...
Driver: Brave? Brave how?
M: Driving a bus with the lives of 15 people in my hands, all while talking constantly on my cell phone.
D: Well, not all of us are perfect, you know... Are you?
M: No - but at least I know when to put my cell phone down and not use it.
D: Well, as I said - Not everyone is perfect in this world...
M: Hmmm. Be that as it may, I know that Tri-Met really frowns on the usage of cell phones while you guys are driving.
D: Yeah, that's true - but again, not everyone is perfect - I know I'm not, what about you? (getting a defensive tone in her voice)
M:(as I'm getting out of the bus at my stop) Not everyone is perfect, but everyone has the possibility of following their company regulations and being responsible.

This exchange really got me thinking, especially since the driver readily acknowledged that she knew the policy against driving while talking on her cell, but excused it so easily by saying that "not everyone is perfect". When (because with her attitude, it's not a question of if) she ends up in an accident due to driving while talking on her cell phone, and she injures her passengers and whomever she hits, what will she say to the review board? "Well, yeah, I know that there was a risk factor involved, but, you know - not everyone is perfect..." Does she really believe that this is going to get her out of trouble?

I am of the honest opinion that you should be able to do whatever you wish - as long as you are not going to take others along with you if you're going to be reckless. Once you start putting other people into possible physical danger, you forfeit the right to being so cavalier an attitude about what it is that you're doing. If you have the possibility of injuring or killing another human being by your actions, you don't get to do that anymore. Period. End of story.

I don't think that any judge in any part of the country would accept the "Well, ya know your honor, yes, I knew the policy, and yes I knew there was a risk, but - not everyone is perfect" as a valid excuse for any reckless action. If you willingly took the risk there's no excuse, and you deserve to be punished.

I'm so calling the transit center tomorrow.

~M

Reflections, changes, and a big drop...

So, it's now 2008. Strangely (or not), I feel no different than I did yesterday. Then again, it's hard to feel different when you're busy doing other things that takes your brain off what calendar day it is.

Over the past year, there have been some major changes in my life, most all of them good:

*I got a new job with a company that, so far, I like working for. Not only that, but the work is not horribly difficult and there are plenty of opportunities to expand out of the call center and into other areas. It's also closer to home, which is nice.

*I found out I was pregnant, something I've been wanting for a while, and both Fred and I were completely ecstatic about it.

*I got married to my best friend - the surprise wedding of the century in our circle of friends, really, since both of us had been swearing that we were NEVER going to do that whole matrimony thing ever again...

*We got a new kitty baby, who is both odd and shy, yet loving and snuggly.

There were less than stellar moments in the last year, too...

*Speedboy decided to try and turn over a new leaf, so moved down with his mom. While this is wonderful for him, and a great chance, we still do miss him.

*My dearest of feline companions passed away after an 8 month battle with renal failure.

*My back failed after several weeks, and I am now in physical therapy.

So, all in all, there were an equal amount of ups and downs, all sort of balancing themselves out.

For me, the new year came while I was sleeping. I lead such the exciting life, what with having an extra-large medicine ball stuffed into the front of my pants (it's not really a baby - I'm smuggling wiggly chocolates - they're heavy!)... I decided not to go to the New Year's party at Mandarin Palace, and instead stayed home to fix the belly band so it gave me more support, and then went to sleep around 9:45 or so.

Fred went to the party, though, and apparently had a good time, from all accounts. I'm glad he went, since it's so rare that either of us gets to go out and really party down. I'll probably have a moment after the baby is born, and Fred can stay home with Elizabeth. :-)

Speaking of Elizabeth - she dropped over the weekend, which would be why I had to fix the belly band. I now have a "belly bowl", as Fred calls it,which gives just enough extra support when I'm going through the motions of getting up or sitting down so that I'm not feeling like I'm getting a hernia.

Elizabeth herself is slowly moving and stretching for the most part now, rather than heavy kicking and fluttering. I think she's biding her time until we least expect it, and then when we least expect it, she will start her entrance. Not even out of the womb, and she's already asserting her independence. Definitely Fred's kid. LOL.

One of my co-workers is talking about starting a betting pool and giving the proceeds to Elizabeth. I told her I wouldn't mind - it would be a nice way to start a college fund, eh?

Meanwhile, the party plans are proceeding, and I am hopeful that I will be more relaxed once the house is clean.

~M

It's the Final Countdown...

And here I am with no Europe CD in sight for mood music. *chuckle* That's ok... I'd be forced to dance around, as I always liked them, and then Elizabeth would get all upset that I was moving.

We have found 2 possibilities for babysitting. A gal from our SCA group has agreed to try it out. I don't forsee too many issues, but then, I haven't spent more than a few hours at a time with her. Another possible is Raistlin's friend, who just lost her job. It would be a temporary stop-gap, but something we could at least work with until Fred's child payments were reduced and we had more money coming in.

Elizabeth has taken to being very active most of the day. I think she's getting ready to head out and see the world, and I have the feeling she's impatient to get things started. There are times when it looks like she's polishing the insides of my stomach, either with butt or head, and she's figured out how to tickle me where my thigh meets my pelvis. It's very distracting when she does it.

Got my teeth cleaned yesterday, and saw my doula, Tia. The visit with Tia was great. Got more information on stuff they never tell you about before you get pregnant, and never mention as you go along your pregnancy - apparently you're just supposed to inherently know certain things... The dentist was not so great, but that's a combination of fear and loathing for that place, and the level of pain associated each time I go there. I'm trying to get over my fear, if only so that Elizabeth will not be afraid of going.

Up-shot to the dentist is that my teeth are better looking than they'd expect considering the last time I had them cleaned was when I was 18. Down-shot was that I have a severe infection in my gums, so I have to deal with that. If I take care of them and clean everything really well for the next 2 weeks, I should see a really good improvement on them, and not lose the front lower teeth. yay.

Last night found us gaming. New campaign, and new characters. I almost died twice, but managed to be pulled out by the skin of my teeth. On the other hand, one more game and I'll go up in level. I like the concept of the game, and my character. It's set in a country that is rife with corruption and greed, and the have-nots are being trod upon (fiercely) by the haves. My party is a group of "outlaws", including the paladin and the ranger... We're outlaws only in the sense that we are not going to follow the laws - we're all for justice, but since there isn't any, we are going to make our own. Bwa ha ha. It's been a lot of fun with both equal amounts of combat and cerebral figuring.

Took down the christmas tree today - or at least, removed all the ornaments and the lights. Turns out, Jazzy has a thing for peeing on cloth laying on the floor, so my tree skirt needs laundering. Sigh. Will have to work on that with her, and hopefully break her of it soon. It's not as though she doesn't have a clean box. I think it's just a bad habit she brought with her from her last home.

The cleaning party is still on as well (the reason we took down the christmas tree today). So far, we have 4-5 people who are going to be over to help out, which means if each person takes a room, we should be finished in a matter of hours, rather than in a huge, day-long ordeal. I picked up lil' smokies, 3 types of cheese, small bread slices, ritz crackers, and soda for the event, as well as some more cleaning supplies to make sure we don't run out. One of the volunteers mentioned something about bringing a steam cleaner and a 2nd vacuum, which would be great. I'm not going to steam-clean the whole thing - it could totally destroy a carpet that, I believe, is mostly held together by grime. LOL. But, spot-cleaning, definitely.

Fred cleaned the kitchen today, which was nice. If I can keep it that clean for the rest of the week, then whomever gets it Saturday will have an easy time of it - mostly just doing some cleaning on the tops of the shelves, the top and inside of the fridge, and the hood. Perhaps the inside of the oven, but that's it... Everything else should be good.

I am really looking forward to having everything cleaned, and having the help come in. I could normally tackle most of this myself, but with the back/hip/pelvic pain, and the fact that I simply can't move the way I used to with the extra weight of the baby (carrying extremely out front and waddling... not good for equalibrium), it makes it difficult just to get things out of a lower shelf.

Part of the deal of cleaning on Saturday will be Fred and I looking at stuff and deciding whether we really need it or not. If we haven't seen it in 6 months (discounting camp gear), or don't even remember having HAD it - we probably don't need it, and can get rid of it. So, there should be a lot of de-pack-ratting that weekend, too. Goodwill and Salvation Army will be overwhelmed, but happy, I'm sure.

I work New Years, which shouldn't be that big a deal. I am signed up for an earlier swing shift thing. The schedule didn't have any time between 7am and noon to pick from, so I chose the noon shift. It means an ok shift that I don't have to worry too much about getting to and from work, and time and a half plus holiday pay. Not a bad thing. I'll also be getting the pay for Christmas on this next paycheck, so it should be a nice one to look forward to.

Funny aside: At the gym the other day, Raistlin looked at me and asked what my plan for having the baby was... I looked her straight in the eye and said "To stay as calm as possible". *chuckle* What she was ACTUALLY asking was whether I was going to need a ride or not. I told her that honestly, I wasn't sure - really, I don't know how long things might take, and when Elizabeth is going to decide to head out, so it's difficult to know what's going to happen until it does. So, she offered her services as a taxi-driver, which I truly, truly appreciate.

I'm heading to bed at this point, I think. While I took a 2 hour nap today, I'm still tired, and need to get some sleep for work tomorrow.

~M

Loot for 2007!!!

It was a pretty darned awesome Yuletide at our house this year. Fred's haul was pretty impressive, as was mine.

Fred got:
New sneakers
2 new books (Garrett PI series)
a pair of sparring gloves
Creative Labs mp3 player
Movie "300"

From others -
gift certificate to Oregon Leather

I got:
New pots and pans (Farberware)
COBY mp3 player
Quilting block and mat
rotary blade
t-square (x 2)
Box of Ferrero Rochet chocolates

From others -
magnetic wrist pin holder
fan of basic quilt block patterns
book "The Complete Crochet Answer Book"
Stuffed Hedgehog for the baby
Candles with rustic candle holders
Check from mummy ("for Figgy Pudding")

I just realized this morning that I still need to get a diaper pail and compare whether diapers or a diaper service is going to be more cost efficient... I finally got 1 bottle, 3 extra nipples, some lanolin for breastfeeding, and some storage containers and cheap bottles to store breast milk in.

We still haven't figured out the whole child-care thing, so if there's anyone with ideas, please shoot them over to me...

~M

"God, That's Good!"

So, the aftermath of Sweeney Todd… Definitely, a movie worth paying the full amount of money for in the theatre. The cinematography is amazing, the songs are well done, and the story sticks to the original play like glue. I was happily amazed by how well it turned out, even with Sondheim’s endorsement.

If you are squeamish about blood shooting everywhere, it’s not the movie for you. As Peter O’Toole said (not in this movie) “those who have nervous dispositions would do well to protect yourselves!” (and if you can name that movie, I’ll give you a cookie!). There’s blood, gore, guts and veins in the teeth in this movie, and the chosen path that Tim Burton went down was reminiscent of Sleepy Hollow with its dark streets, darker characters and horribly dark deeds.

Johnny Depp delivered a stunning Sweeney character. His voice, while not the deep baritone of the stage, was rich with pent-up frustrations, dashed dreams and violence – just the right combination for Todd. I loved how dangerous he could make a pair of razor blades and a cravat look…

Helena Bonham Carter played an extremely convincing Mrs. Lovett as well. The pair of them had a great on-screen chemistry, and her voice was perfect for the ever-delectable, opportunistic pie-maker.

Judge Turpin, played by Alan Rickman, was executed with the style and panache that could only be delivered by him. His voice was amazing (I’d never heard him sing before, and I was quite pleasantly surprised by it), and Rickman’s powerful on-stage presence was perfect for Turpin’s character.

The other characters I haven’t seen in anything else at this point, but I do know they did a great job in this movie.

The only disappointment at all was the lack of the chorus. No "God, That's Good" response to Mrs. Lovett's pies, and no introduction to Sweeney Todd at all ("Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd")...

Even so, all in all, a definite win all around for everyone – the audience included.

~M

Things they never warn you about...

when considering becoming pregnant...

1. You may be sick, you may not - either way, though, the first 3 months, you probably won't be interested in having sex.

2. Relaxin may be the *name* of the hormone your body releases, but it's anything but.

3. Sleep becomes a fond memory as you get further along, partially due to stress, and partially because of pain.

4. Speaking of pain - The last three months is an increasing FONT of it.

5. Pools and deep bathtubs become your friend around month 5, and only become increasingly tantalizing as you get further along.

6. Heating pads and massages are also great, but are only effective for the time they're directly in touch with wherever you're in pain.

7. The more independant you were before, the less independant you become as you get further along.

8. Brackston-Hickes are not comfortable, and do not even *remotely* give you a sense of what is to come when you go into labor.

9. The number of horror stories regarding 38 hour hard labors and emergency c-sections will increase exponentially based on the number of issues experienced throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

10. When someone asks you afterward whether you'd do it again, your brain may indeed override common sense and say "yes" - even after knowing all of the above...

I'd be more amused, but it's just so dumb.

Even after telling me that I need to send her a "Special" email to "remind" her of my upcoming appointments, my boss has yet to even bother to open it. Nice.

So, I will go to my appointment tomorrow, regardless of the fact that it's not on the schedule, since she can't seem to do her job. I am doing everything *I* am supposed to do. If she can't do her job, it's not my problem. And I'm just too tired to hound her about it constantly any further.

~M

Stress, sir - it's a killer...

This whole physical therapy / OMLA thing has been driving me batty. OK - specifically, not the physical therapy (which has been helping - sort of), and actually not the OMLA, which has been assisting in *getting* me the the physical therapy. No, it's my BOSS that's driving me batty, in regards to it.

She had to sit down with me today and tell me that, because she can't keep up on her job, she wants me to now send her a personal email along *with* the request for time off, so she can keep a head's up on everything and make sure that OT is posted correctly. Yeah... Lady, if you can't do your job, and you admit as much, don't you think it's time you decided to do something ELSE?!

Her exact words were "Well, you know, it's no picnic setting up schedules for 33 people in a 24/7 call center, so it's been difficult making sure that I get everyone scheduled properly. I can't always have the time to go into [the folder showing what days everyone is requesting off], so I need you to send me a personal email to give me a head's up, so I can go in and specifically look for your requested days off."

I see. Never mind that, as the supervisor, that's your JOB! Never mind that you're supposed to do that at least twice a day (once when you get to work and once when you leave)... Never mind that it's yet one more way for you to admit that you're incompetent. OMG.

I smiled and nodded. It was clarified that I wasn't going to be able to give her 3 weeks notice - sometimes I would only be able to give her a few days notice, but I would try and keep that to a minimum - and that I would agree to send her said "special" email. I wonder if I should gift-wrap it and put a pink bow on it as well.

She also tried to jolly me along with anecdotes about her friends being pregnant - she's never been pregnant, but assumes that as she has friends who were, she knows everything there is to know about being pregnant. Whatever.

Of course, this whole discussion simply underlined what was already apparent - she can't do her job, and she's going to end up losing it within the next few months because of her repeated incompetence. And she won't see it coming because she can't see how idiotic she is:

Instead of asking for help on union-related issues regarding seniority, she simply makes an arbitrary decision - and ends up almost having a call center-wide riot on her hands.

Instead of paying attention and making sure that EVERYONE got a copy of updated schedules for Thanksgiving graveyard, she only sent out updated schedules to those who had theirs changed - and then didn't even bother to actually FILL the position for that night at all, causing the graveyard person on call to be dragged in - much to their annoyance and surprise.

Now there's this. First, she decides to ignore OMLA law and tell me that I *have* to give her 3 weeks notice for all my PT appointments. Now, she's still trying to set terms, all the while backpedalling and trying to save her ass from being raked over the coals by HR, since she put the original request in writing.

She is not long for this call center - and it looks like there will be a huge sigh of relief from a number of people when she leaves.

Needless to say, I've spent the last 3 days feeling nauseous and dizzy from the stress, and my back is killing me. I didn't go to the pool on Monday, as I was still recovering some from the cold that's been kicking my butt (and has now moved onto poor Fred). I *am* going tonight, dammit, even if all I do is sit on the steps and just let the water pull the weight off my back for a bit... I need it desperately.

Friday I have another PT appointment. I will also be meeting Tom, the guy from our brace shop, and will hopefully be getting a pregnancy belly band. Apparently he has *ONE* - and luckily, it fits my current measurements. So, I'll be calling him to have him meet me at the appointment, and we will fill out paperwork, etc.

~M

Calling all cleaners!

Cleaning party!

Date: January 5th, 2008
Time: 10am to whenever we poop out
Why? Because I need some extra help before the baby gets here
Where: Our House – you can contact us for an exact address if you need it…

I know - you're all thrilled to be offered a part in this. BUT – I promise to feed you! Such a deal!!

Honestly, I am asking this as a final step to get ready for Elizabeth's arrival. I know we can't do it without help, and we only have a few weeks left before she makes her appearance, and the house is in desperate need of assistance…

So – if you can make it over to help us, please let me know by New Years so I know how much to have ready… There will be snack-food items all day, and I'll be baking a few Papa Murphy's pizzas as well.

4-6 weeks...

That's how little time I have left with Elizabeth on the inside. How scary is that? VERY, that's how... It means I really need to buckle down and get the rest of the room ready, clean up our room, clean up the front room, and get started with filing like I had originally planned.

I finally got all but 1 of my plants trans-potted, though that was before I re-wrenched my back this weekend. Still haven't gotten the window coverings up. Seems like whenever I get to a point where I can, Fred can't. Whenever I can't, Fred can... I know that it technically only takes 1 person to do it, but it's easier and goes faster with two.

Speaking of a wrenched back, yes, indeedy, that's what I did this last weekend. I was coughing and sneezing so much that I was out for 3 days this week trying to get it to calm down and move without pain. This morning is the first time I've woken up after a pretty decent (though typically intermittant) night's sleep with NO MAJOR PAIN! I was very excited.

I'm sure that I'll get an attempt at a lecture from the bosses today or tomorrow. If they say anything, I am going to request that the union rep be there with me, and there will be no discussion prior to that - and I won't sign anything without him present and advising me, thank you very much.

Currently, I'm just trying to get everything together to get out the door to work. So, ta! and I will write more later.

~M

What, again?!

Yes, indeed... I have, yet again, gotten the nasty sinus infection that I've had at least 3 times prior during this fall and winter season. I know it's the same, because it starts off exactly the same. It comes on so fast that I can't even get a bit of Zycam out before I'm toppled.

This time it hit me Thursday. I went to work feeling slightly tired, but otherwise ok. By 3pm, my throat had ended up having a wire brush taken to it by several nasty elves, all of whom were sadistic enough to not stop until 7am Friday morning. I went to work because I had to, since I didn't (at that point) have any real back pain.

I ended up on a Theraflu diet again, which, as before, didn't do much of anything other than make me sleepy and sort of cranky. Saturday I spent cleaning the kitchen and taking a 3 hour nap, then heading out to meet Lil for a two hour shopping trip to Fabric Depot (a.k.a. Mecca). Yes, I was sick - however, this was also the 40% off monthly sale they have, and I needed patterns that were running at $2.50 per packet - you can't skip that... You just can't.

I made it home in time to have steak, a baked potato and green beans that Fred had whipped up, and then sit and chat with friends while trying to ignore the fact that I was exhausted, sick, and had to be up by 5 this morning for the dreaded mandatory meeting at work.

This morning greeted me with patches of ice on the parking lot floor - so, I decided to take the cab all the way into work. Turns out, it was only $20, which was a small price to pay to make sure that I got there safely, and didn't freeze my butt off, either.

The meeting was useless, as always. The only interesting highlight was having the ornament exchange. I got a few pretty ones, and gave out 7 hand-crocheted snowflakes (Yes, I'm nuts...). Then, got a ride home from one of my co-workers.

Fred decided to head out to do some Christmas shopping, since yesterday our kicker checks came in from the State. Yay, us. Raistlin decided to kidnap me to watch "Into The Woods" at her place and do laundry (saved me quarters and running back and forth up and down stairs, etc).

I got all the laundry done for me, and enjoyed watching the Sondheim classic (which I'd seen prior, but only once or twice, about 15 years ago or so). Then we headed back to my place, picking up dinner for Fred and I on the way.

Currently, my throat, which had calmed down for a bit, is back to being on fire. My sinuses have completely betrayed me and are providing no end to the green goo which is apparently so chic in nasal cavity decoration these days, and I'm in a lot of back and hip pain. We'll see how we are in the morning, but if it's still this bad, I'm not going to be able to do anything tomorrow. If I can get up, I'll go to work. If not, I'll be bugging my physical therapist for the date of my next visit.

~M

Update...

Yeah, I know. It's been a while. I haven't had time - or energy - to write until this morning. So, what's happened...

Well, the ergonomic assessment for the main work-site was a no-go. Ended up having to call in because I couldn't get up from bed for a good 2-3 hours due to my back. Have to reschedule that, but in the meantime, I'm setting everything up as best as possible.

I got the OMLA approved as of Thursday afternoon, which was good since, as I mentioned, I had to call in the next day. Whilst this was going on, I still hadn't been approved for time off for PT for Monday and Wednesday - I'd submitted them 3 weeks earlier, and had ended up getting them denied with no explaination. So, after talking with my union steward and filing OMLA, and after the steward talked with the new supervisor, I still hadn't gotten them approved. So, I submitted the request under "2nd request", and finally got them approved within a few hours...

Unfortunately, the new supervisor decided to write me an email about the whole thing... It was titled simply "PT Appointments", and said (and I quote):

I want you to know that I have accepted your requests this week for PT appointments. They are noted in Call Center Time.

I realize that with the recent schedule change these appointment were hard to change, however I will not be able to do anymore last minute requests of this nature in the future. There is a big impact on the Call Center when we are not properly staffed, Mondays being a very busy day, we need every agent scheduled. The callers, our customers, are the ones that suffer when we are not properly staffed, which is why I need to be very cautious when making these types of exceptions.

I hope that you feel better, if you have any appointments in the future three weeks is necessary.

My response was not amused...

As these are now covered under OMLA, I am given to understand that I am able to present them to you as my physical therapist feels them to be necessary. In regards to the two appointments that were submitted, they had been originally submitted 3 weeks in advance, but were initially denied - no reason was given.

It was at that point that I discussed options with the union representative. I do have future PT appointments, and at this time, they are not going to be 3 weeks out - mostly due to the fact that, per my physical therapist, I need them as soon as possible. This is why I applied for OMLA.

I will be submitting for time off for them under OMLA as soon as I have new appointment dates scheduled.

If you have any questions, you may contact me, or my Physical Therapist - or you may speak with our union representative.

Thank you.

So far, I haven't heard anything back from her. It's been a week, and she's only just *now* said "Good night" to me when I've headed out the door. I think she suddenly realized that she made a MAJOR goof-up.

In any case, I have had my two PT appointments this week, and they have me on the wait-list for next week for appointments. I think I overdid it at the gym last night, though... I've been heading out 3 times a week and walking the pool there for about 15-20 mins. It's mostly been helping, though with excessive walking outside of the pool, which I sort of did, ends up hurting my hip and lower back/butt muscles by the next morning... So - will have to be careful of that.

In other news, baby has officially eaten the last of my brain. Last night, I was leaving the office and inventoried my bag, which I always do, then walked out... leaving my purse behind. I didn't realize it until I was completely across town and about a 5 minute walk away from the gym. Brilliant. I panicked, and called a co-worker, who apparently can't tell what a purse looks like - he said that it wasn't there... Which led me to work out for about an hour, rather than 20 minutes, trying to relax. Which didn't work.

I then called the lead on duty, who *did* find the purse there, and he put it in the back of my desk drawer for safe keeping. I swear to the heavens - if I am this forgetful once Elizabeth is here, they're going to arrest me for child neglect because I'm going to be leaving her everywhere... *sigh*

Meanwhile - on to more pleasant things... Saturday, Lil and I will be headed over to Fabric Depot and brave the 40% off sale. I need patterns, which they'll have for $2.50 a pop, and perhaps some baby fabric - though I'm not sure... Sunday, I'll probably pop over to Raistlin's house for the day to watch "Tinman", the latest of the SciFi channel's groupings of mini-series. I got to see all but the last 2 hours of it, and while they're running it again on Sunday night, I'm not staying up until 11pm to see it. I need my sleep, dammit.

The less pleasant thing is, I put on my pants this morning and found that the baby has grown again - I haven't gained any weight to speak of, but the baby has grown... I now officially have 2 pairs of pants that I fit into. Period. The ones with zippers just don't fit. So, it'll be off to goodwill or someplace and try and find sweats and stretch pants to fit me - otherwise I'll be in mu-mu's, which just doesn't work for winter here.

Other than that, nothing much is going on. Elizabeth is apparently practicing to be the world's next kickboxing and somersaulting champion... She's very active of late...

~M

Assessing...

I had a back assessment on Tuesday up at the hot site, where the ergonomics assessor was trying very hard NOT to look unimpressed with the "standard" chair there. We agreed that a small lift for the laptop I will be using, and a wrist rest for the keyboard there.

Tomorrow I get another assessment at my desk down here at my "normal" work station, so they can look at the chair I'm in, see what I need in the way of assistance ergonomics-wise, and send in yet another report. Should be interesting.

Neither of my bosses are pleased with me at all, and I'm pretty sure they're looking at any way possible to make my life miserable until I end up getting out of here to another position outside the call center. I'd go sooner, but I'm wanting to wait until after Elizabeth is born to attempt to move around job-wise.

Meanwhile, I have been throwing myself in the pool every other day during the week. This seems to be helping, at least short-term, and allows me the ability to be back-pain free for at least a few hours. I think Elizabeth also likes it, because unlike when I walk normally, she doesn't kick at all when I'm walking in the pool. Afterwards, she's more active, but it's more of a bumping, moving, squirming active, not a violent kicking active. This makes *me* happy, at least. *chuckle*

I got curious and weighed myself last night after walking in the pool. I've lost a pound... So, the total weight loss/gain for this pregnancy is: -15 lbs so far. I have two more months to go, and I'm pretty much eating whatever I want. I'm *so* glad I haven't gained a crapload of weight like my sister did... It was one of my biggest fears. Apparently even 3 times a week for 20 minutes in the pool is enough for me to balance out what I need to for now. Helps that I think Elizabeth got daddy's metabolism.

Anyway, it's almost time for me to log into day 9 of 10. One more day after today, and I'll get to have 2 days off. Yippee me!

~M

Oy...

My back is semi-ok... At least, for about 12 hours after I get out of the pool. Then it goes back to it's now-normal pain issues.

Had my ergonomic assessment today. My boss is *none* too pleased with me for insisting on a different chair and making a "big deal" out of the situation "just because the chairs are uncomfortable".

They denied my time off for physical therapy appointments that I put in 3 weeks in advance - just like they requested that I do. So, went to my union rep. Going to be filing for OMLA, and once that's approved, there will be no more issues with it whatsoever. Another thing my boss is *none* too pleased with. Waah, I say - wah!

~M