Lots of Information, Not Much Coherence

We finished our final of three birthing classes last night. A lot of the night consisted of showing the husband how to give the wife back/neck/head massages while she's in labor. I was okay with being on the receiving end of that. I have not done much research on this labor thing, but I do know a few things. First, the baby will come out of me one way or another, no matter how much or how little I know about labor. (But I am a sponge for information, so I know pretty well how it goes by hearing the stories of others and also from this class.) Second, it will be very painful, and it will probably last a long time. Third, I can't stand the idea of someone putting a needle in my back for an epidural, but if I'm in enough pain, I have a feeling that I might suddenly be okay with that happening. Also, I'm not scared of childbirth. I'm sure it will be very intense and some of the most severe pain I've ever known, but it's just nature. Bad things can happen, I know, but bad things can happen driving home every day from work, too. I'm more scared of how I'll feel dropping off my tiny baby at daycare when I have to go back to work after 12 weeks.

I'm rapidly losing my right ankle to the puff. Two long, hot days and all that sitting in that class last night did me in, I think. Also, I've developed carpal tunnel issues in my right wrist, which has made sleeping more tricky than it already was. My feet hurt at night in the same kind of way they hurt after standing for 12 hours for a shift at the Target pharmacy. Also, I am getting shooting pains down my groin and inner thigh, which they say is due to a stretching ligament. Other than that, things are great, and I'm ready to take on this final month of sharing a body with another person head-on!

I'm excited for a Mexican fiesta themed dinner party with a bunch of girls over at Jess's house tomorrow night. It will be my second trip into the Tempe/Chandler area this weekend.

My first trip into the Tempe/Chandler area this weekend was to visit the TOMS warehouse sale, the details on which were given to me by a co-worker with fabulous taste. (Thanks, AH!) I came home with two pairs of sunglasses, two pairs of shoes for me, and one pair for the little person who currently resides in the area between my boobs and hips. All for less than what one pair of shades costs normally. Booyah.

At the TOMS warehouse sale, I encountered some good samaritans. It was in an un-air conditioned warehouse, and I was wearing jeans. Not comfortable. Cold bottles of water were kept in trash cans, but I didn't know that because usually trash is kept in trash cans. But this nice lady handed me a cold bottle out of nowhere, and I'm pretty sure it saved my life. As I was walking out, the security guard asked where I parked because he did not want me walking around in the heat. How thoughtful. I am soaking this up now because I hear that when you're hauling around a baby, when you need the help the most, is when people just glare at you and offer you nothing because they're annoyed that your baby is crying. Being pregnant is cool sometimes. Except for the things I told you about in #2.

I have one more reason why I think pregnancy is sometimes not that cool, which is because I am so incredibly tired of my maternity clothes. I won't be buying any more because I find it wasteful at this point and because I'm buying so many other things right now. But in other ways, pregnancy is so, so cool. So I'm okay with it.

Today at work I was told I had a visitor up front, and I found Dylan up there with a yummy treat from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for me. In the words of some of the (not so) sweet (but more so brother-like) gentlemen at work, Dylan is WAY too good to me. Given the way that I've acted like an energy-less old stick in the mud lately, I'd have to say that I agree. Thanks for keeping things upbeat, D. You kick ass.

These rainy, stormy mornings have been great. Like any true Arizonan, I really appreciate the recent moisture...even the humidity. It's not nearly as bad as the humidity of the South in the summer, and it's so much better for your skin than the dry heat.

Actual mail was received with these stamps from an apparently very old lady. Maybe not so PC? We just couldn't bring ourselves to throw away the envelope.

John Krasinski and I have a lot in common.

From The Chive

It was a very good, very productive week. I did some think-ahead cooking and now have a freezer stocked with a few meals for those days when there's hardly enough time to even think about eating. People tell me that that will happen, and the thought of being short on good food had me feeling very nervous because you know how I am with food. But problem solved...at least for a few meals!

With that, I'll leave you with an article on why soda is so awful for you. I love, love, love a Diet Coke, but I won't drink it anymore. I still crave it, but I just won't do it, and if you still drink soda, I am jealous of you. But I am just so scared of artificial sweeteners rotting my insides and all the other awful things. Here, take a look at this article, which is mostly about the kinds of soda with actual sugar and not the diet kind. Just make sure to enjoy your soda before you read it!