Friday was my last day of work, I am now officially on maternity leave! Wahoo! I am SO happy! Yesterday I unpacked the baby stuff we have sitting around in boxes and bags and stuffed in corners, and started to organize it. I need to go to Ikea and get some kind of dresser/changing table to put Julian's clothes in, they have some nice ones. I'll wait for Monday though, so it's not so crowded and I won't have to stand in line forever.

I worked so hard last week to get everything finished in time at work. I was at the office every night until 8:00-9:00 pm. Dan would call me all mad..."You HAVE to come home now! You can't work like a crazy woman anymore! You need dinner and rest!" But I had a ton of stuff to finish up in order to leave things in good order for my boss and for the contractor who will be doing my job while I am out for the next 5.5 months. If I don't leave careful instructions and everything well-organized, it will be me who pays the price when I come back and everything is done screwed up or poorly done. Personally I would rather bust my butt and know that everything has been left in good order, then be able to kick back and *really* relax afterwards knowing that all is well. I always function better like that. Work hard, then play hard.

My coworkers surprised me with a shower party on Thursday, it was really sweet. Julian got some more cute outfits, and a Target gift certificate. I'll save it for after he is born, since I'm sure I'll suddenly realize that there are a bunch of things that I forgot about, or didn't realize that we would need.

We've been pretty good at staying minimalist with baby stuff. I put everything out on the dining room table yesterday. It all fits there except for the big stuff like the tub, car seat/stroller and co-sleeper. Now I just need to clean out some closets so I have somewhere to put it all. Time to get into serious nesting mode. I want to have everything ready by January 21st. That way if he comes two weeks early I'll still be somewhat prepared.

Since I was sitting in front of a computer for 8-10 hours a day every day last week, my pelvis had a chance to heal up a bit from the traumatic events of last week. It felt much better, so I took Bugs out for a very mellow hour-long stroll in the sunshine along the creek yesterday. The weather was incredible. I was creaky and sore when I got home, but hopefully I'll be able to keep up my walks. I would hate to be all crippled up during this last month.

Sitting for one week without walking or swimming was good for my pelvis to heal up, but my legs, feet and hands got very puffy from the reduced circulation, which is not a good feeling. The skin feels all tight when that happens, like it is going to split in my fingers and ankles. Not pleasant. The puffiness has gone down this morning as a result of my getting out and walking and drinking lots of water all day yesterday. I'll take Bugs for another walk today and hopefully I can get over to the pool and take a little swim as well while the sun is out. I can't believe that I used to be so fit, and now it's a major achievement if I can walk slowly for 1.25 miles on soft flat ground. I used to walk TWICE that every day, fast, and *then* go for a two-hour swim or run or some kind of real exercise. Oh well. There are lots more adjustments in store for us, this is just one more, I'm sure. I look at photos of myself pre-pregnancy where I used to think I looked large and now I'm like, "Look at that tiny waist! What was I thinking!".
I'm just looking forward to not carrying around this enormous belly anymore, being able to walk and run and bend over and do regular stuff again.

Oh, and normal clothes! To wear normal clothes again! I ordered some fairly chic caftans from Victoria's Secret, so I'm lounging around in those feeling comfy and not too shabby. I was joking that I couldn't wait for maternity leave so that I can just wear a muumuu and slippers all day, every day and not have to put on anything with a waistband anymore. I was only sort of joking about that. I even ate some bonbons this morning in my rocking chair with my feet up, just to complete the scene. Heh! Ah, maternity leave...

The caftans are great, because waistbands of any sort *kill* me these days. High, low, loose, whatever. They all itch and drive me insane. Julian hates them too. He kicks nonstop at where the waistband is. And I can't keep my pants on anyway, I always have to pull them up all the time. Hard to wear pants when your torso is egg-shaped instead of hourglass-shaped. My belly skin is so sensitive right now, it is tight as a drum. I can't believe that I still don't have any stretch marks. I keep it all oiled up with jojoba oil every chance I get. That makes no difference for stretch marks, because those take place deep in the dermis, but it helps keep the tight/itchy feeling at bay. I tried coconut oil and some other oils, but they were all too greasy. The jojoba is just right. I use it on my hair and face, too.

OK, it's noon. Time for lunch and a swim. I went to Trader Joe's yesterday, so we are all stocked up with lots of food in the house, which always makes me happy. Tonight I'm making duck and mashed potatoes and roasted artichokes for dinner. Yes! It's the little things in life, really.