34 Weeks

This is the week that I started wearing my husband’s clothes. This actually had less to do with my size and more to do with our suddenly fall-ish weather. We had some chilly mornings, and some rainy mornings, and well, my outerwear just does not cover the belly anymore. And I am certainly not going to buy something new now that we’re in the home-stretchy time. So, I wear Jasper’s fleece vest, and sometimes one of his many rain jackets with his name embroidered on the chest along with one of the ridiculous running achievements he has accumulated due to his blazing cheetah-like speed. It’s sort of like wearing your boyfriend’s letter jacket, which is pretty hot, if I’m being honest. I have decided that this negates the frumpy-pregnant-lady-in-her-husband’s clothes effect. Because it’s like he’s my star athlete boyfriend! Hot!

And how’s Baby H? Well, he is as heavy as a cantaloupe, but much larger than that. About five pounds and 18 inches long.

And he is still quite assertive about the fact that my uterus? It is not big enough for his giant personality along with all his baby parts, and so maybe we could expand it a bit? Being a baby, of course he gets what he wants:

That picture was taken by my dear friend Lauren, whom I met for coffee this morning along with her husband. And she is so sweet that she knew it was Sunday, and Jasper’s away, and so she had to take my belly picture. How thoughtful is she? So thoughtful. She and her hubs made our wedding cake, and people still talk about that deliciousness, with a sort of eyes-rolled-back, dreamy groan. It was that good.

Which brings me to this week’s theme. I didn’t know this week would have a theme, but as it turned out, it did! And it was the best theme! It was the week of people being really nice to me!

At work this week, we had lots of meetings, of which I was not a part. But these meetings, they had catered breakfasts and lunch, and they always had leftovers. Which meant free food for me for several days, and that is super nice!

Then the HR lady told me that I am allowed to take up to four weeks off before my due date, because according to the state of California, I am officially disabled at that time. And it doesn’t subtract from my post-baby leave, because it is a whole separate pot of leave for a whole separate issue (being gigantically pregnant, as opposed to recovering from a birth). I don’t plan to take that much (I’m going to take two weeks), but thanks, HR lady! And thanks, California! So nice!

Then on Friday night, I was preparing for our baby shower on Saturday and I realized that I had forgotten to buy cupcake liners and the Rite Aid didn’t have any and I was so very overwhelmed by the prospect of running another errand -- into the car, drive, park, out of car, wait in line, back in car, exit parking lot, drive, out of car... it was clearly too much, and I was going to cry if I had to do it. And then my baby’s daddy told me he would get my cupcake liners and I was so grateful I cried anyway. Then he made the cutest chart for our baby shower game, and I cried again.

Then on Saturday, Baby H’s Auntie V threw him a lovely, nerdy baby shower, and our family and bestest friends spent the whole day paying attention to us and giving us presents. We had asked them to help us stock our baby’s library, so that he turns out rather bookish and clever. And they stocked it good!

Some people didn’t follow instructions, because, you know, there are always those people. But we love them anyway. Baby H’s Uncle Flapjack gave him not only a very classy volume of Lewis Carroll, but also an envelope of cold hard cash, as though we are a mob family. Which we so aren’t! We have red hair! And our super-talented friend Katy made Baby H an amazing map blanket:

Would that I had such craftiness!

It was such a lovely day, with nerdily named food, and kids running around, and Reese learning about cleaning cupcake off of toddlers (he’s pretty ready to have a baby). I didn’t take nearly enough pictures, but see what fun we had?

So, yes, it was the week of being nice to me. If you missed it, I will not begrudge belated niceness this week, or even next week. After a while, though, it becomes a bit awkward and it’s better to just pretend you forgot and not bring it up.

Number of people who have touched the belly: 20 (Yes! A new one! One of my attorneys! And he rubbed my belly with great vigor to elicit kicks. I don’t know whether HR lady would have liked it, but it was cool with me. I’m tight with my attorneys.)

Number of weeks left before I go on maternity leave: 4, which is just completely blowing my mind. The whole idea of leave is completely blowing my mind.
Number of contractions I think I might have felt, but I’m still not totally sure: 1

Number of books in Baby H’s library: 16
Number of duplicates he received, when everyone was asked just to “bring your favorite”: zero!

Number of Christmas gifts I have already picked out for Baby H: 1

Cantaloupe picture: Baby Center

Belly picture: Lauren