I had my first day working full time yesterday. It was a day of meetings.
I discovered that I have a window in the door to my office, so I had to quickly cover it with paper so that I'd have somewhere to pump privately. I managed to pump twice, but actually had to skip out of one meeting to do it. Orientation days are not designed with the breastfeeding mother in mind.
I'm excited to be back to work. I love teaching and I think working full-time is going to have a lot of benefits. I did miss my tiny squee by the end of the day, though.
Yesterday was also Mike's first day working full-time as stay-at-home dad. He was quite successful. Two good naps and no one died.
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label work. Show all posts
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Sickness
So I caught a cold. I really don't recommend getting a cold during the last two weeks of pregnancy.
I took off of work Tuesday and Wednesday. I hate taking off work; it's inconvenient for everyone involved. It just means that I have to do more work later on. I ended up taking ginormous naps during the middle of both days. They helped a lot. I felt much better by the beginning of Thursday, which was good because my class Thursday morning was doing presentations and I really couldn't take off. I got through today as well, which finishes my last real teaching day for the term!
Being finished with the term makes this whole "baby" thing a lot more real. I've been counting down to B-day based on the number of weeks left in the term and now there's only finals left. My finals are Monday and Tuesday, then I'm done teaching. That means that we're down to the wire on baby production. Tiny Squee could be here any time. I had a moment of sudden clarity that boiled down to "Oh my god, we're actually going to have a BABY." It's seemed pretty abstract up until now. I guess it's really time to start getting ready.
I haven't gotten anything ready this past week, what with the being sick. That also means that I'm behind with grading, which then gets pushed back, so I'm not going to get any baby prep stuff done this weekend either. Hopefully Tiny Squee stays internal until at least the due date so that I have a few days to clean and get stuff a bit more organized.
I also need to write a post about my Blessingway, but I haven't done that either due to sickness, business, etc.
I took off of work Tuesday and Wednesday. I hate taking off work; it's inconvenient for everyone involved. It just means that I have to do more work later on. I ended up taking ginormous naps during the middle of both days. They helped a lot. I felt much better by the beginning of Thursday, which was good because my class Thursday morning was doing presentations and I really couldn't take off. I got through today as well, which finishes my last real teaching day for the term!
Being finished with the term makes this whole "baby" thing a lot more real. I've been counting down to B-day based on the number of weeks left in the term and now there's only finals left. My finals are Monday and Tuesday, then I'm done teaching. That means that we're down to the wire on baby production. Tiny Squee could be here any time. I had a moment of sudden clarity that boiled down to "Oh my god, we're actually going to have a BABY." It's seemed pretty abstract up until now. I guess it's really time to start getting ready.
I haven't gotten anything ready this past week, what with the being sick. That also means that I'm behind with grading, which then gets pushed back, so I'm not going to get any baby prep stuff done this weekend either. Hopefully Tiny Squee stays internal until at least the due date so that I have a few days to clean and get stuff a bit more organized.
I also need to write a post about my Blessingway, but I haven't done that either due to sickness, business, etc.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Busy week.
This week felt really busy. I seem to have very much underestimated the amount of time that work was going to take this term. My plan was to sort of take it easy so I'd have some free time to get baby stuff done. The reality is that I don't feel like I've had much free time, except on the weekends. Grading has been a chore this past week, but I did finally get caught up so I don't feel quite so far behind. Of course, Friday's classes turned in a bunch of stuff that I have to grade this weekend. Also, there's the job application to finish writing essays for (7 essays? isn't that a little much for one job application?). The house is currently a disaster area because I haven't had the time or energy to get it organized. Baby stuff that I was organizing last weekend is still exploded all over the living room. And there are two activities for today that I wanted to attend, but sitting here this morning I just feel too tired. Maybe I'll just schedule a nap for today.
That last paragraph sounds like I'm complaining, which I'm really not. Pregnancy isn't entirely comfortable right now, but it could definitely be worse. Getting up off the couch or out of my rocking chair is definitely getting more challenging, but I feel pretty good most of the time. Too much activity (walking too fast, walking up stairs) makes me out of breath and my heart starts beating fast, but apparently that's completely normal. By the last trimester, blood volume has increased by 40-50%, but the number of red blood cells has only increased by 20%. That means that the heart has to pump harder to get the same amount of oxygen around the body. So my body is treating a flight of stairs as aerobic exercise.
The Tiny Squee is definitely getting larger. I can feel it move around a lot more now. I went to visit B last night and we were watching my belly bump around as tiny squee did flips. It spends most of its time with its back towards my right-hand side. Sometimes, it moves waaaay over in that direction so that side gets really hard (tiny squee back / butt / head). The other side gets squishy because it's just full of feet. It's not really too comfortable when it does that, so I usually poke it until it moves back more towards the center. Sometimes, it moves waaaay up and squishes my stomach. I can go from starving to over-full in a matter of seconds because of baby positioning. Other times, it moves waaay down and walking becomes challenging. I totally understand why pregnant ladies start walking with that weird waddle. It's uncomfortable to walk when there's something hard all smoshed down in your pelvis. It makes me walk with my legs out wider than I would normally. I feel sort of like a penguin.
I finally broke down and bought maternity underwear. I'm not sure why I didn't do this sooner. They weren't any more expensive than regular underwear, but they're extremely comfortable. I'm not sure why manufacturers seem to believe that women want narrow, tight elastic bands around their legs and middles. Lots of women's underwear are cheaply manufactured and uncomfortable for various reasons. I've always thought that men's underwear were a lot better made and better designed. Anyhow, these maternity underwear are pretty low-cut in front to accomodate my belly full of tiny squee. Instead of an elastic band around the top, they have a knit band that stretches. They're awesome. I'm going to get more of them and probably wear them after I'm done being pregnant, too.
While we were shopping for maternity underwear, I also bought a pair of maternity leggings, a grey pair of
yoga pants, and a fancy shiny top that I think I'll wear to my baby shower. I'm thinking that all of these will also work for after-baby. I'm not sure what I'm going to wear with the leggings, since I don't normally wear skirts, but I do own some leggings that I never wear because they're not comfortable (mostly because they have really tight elastic waistbands). I think I'll just wear maternity clothes forever.
I feel like we've gotten a lot of the stuff organized and are more-or-less prepared for a newborn as far as stuff goes. Things we do not need any more of:
-Newborn clothing
-Flannel receiving blankets
-Other blankets, unless they're really cool
-Diapers
Things I would still like to get:
-A ring sling (like this) and maybe a wrap carrier (like this)
-A crib
-Bottles so Mike and relatives can feed the baby
I should go update my amazon wishlist.
That last paragraph sounds like I'm complaining, which I'm really not. Pregnancy isn't entirely comfortable right now, but it could definitely be worse. Getting up off the couch or out of my rocking chair is definitely getting more challenging, but I feel pretty good most of the time. Too much activity (walking too fast, walking up stairs) makes me out of breath and my heart starts beating fast, but apparently that's completely normal. By the last trimester, blood volume has increased by 40-50%, but the number of red blood cells has only increased by 20%. That means that the heart has to pump harder to get the same amount of oxygen around the body. So my body is treating a flight of stairs as aerobic exercise.
The Tiny Squee is definitely getting larger. I can feel it move around a lot more now. I went to visit B last night and we were watching my belly bump around as tiny squee did flips. It spends most of its time with its back towards my right-hand side. Sometimes, it moves waaaay over in that direction so that side gets really hard (tiny squee back / butt / head). The other side gets squishy because it's just full of feet. It's not really too comfortable when it does that, so I usually poke it until it moves back more towards the center. Sometimes, it moves waaaay up and squishes my stomach. I can go from starving to over-full in a matter of seconds because of baby positioning. Other times, it moves waaay down and walking becomes challenging. I totally understand why pregnant ladies start walking with that weird waddle. It's uncomfortable to walk when there's something hard all smoshed down in your pelvis. It makes me walk with my legs out wider than I would normally. I feel sort of like a penguin.
I finally broke down and bought maternity underwear. I'm not sure why I didn't do this sooner. They weren't any more expensive than regular underwear, but they're extremely comfortable. I'm not sure why manufacturers seem to believe that women want narrow, tight elastic bands around their legs and middles. Lots of women's underwear are cheaply manufactured and uncomfortable for various reasons. I've always thought that men's underwear were a lot better made and better designed. Anyhow, these maternity underwear are pretty low-cut in front to accomodate my belly full of tiny squee. Instead of an elastic band around the top, they have a knit band that stretches. They're awesome. I'm going to get more of them and probably wear them after I'm done being pregnant, too.
While we were shopping for maternity underwear, I also bought a pair of maternity leggings, a grey pair of
yoga pants, and a fancy shiny top that I think I'll wear to my baby shower. I'm thinking that all of these will also work for after-baby. I'm not sure what I'm going to wear with the leggings, since I don't normally wear skirts, but I do own some leggings that I never wear because they're not comfortable (mostly because they have really tight elastic waistbands). I think I'll just wear maternity clothes forever.
I feel like we've gotten a lot of the stuff organized and are more-or-less prepared for a newborn as far as stuff goes. Things we do not need any more of:
-Newborn clothing
-Flannel receiving blankets
-Other blankets, unless they're really cool
-Diapers
Things I would still like to get:
-A ring sling (like this) and maybe a wrap carrier (like this)
-A crib
-Bottles so Mike and relatives can feed the baby
I should go update my amazon wishlist.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Showing
Weeks ago, I had to tell two of my department chairs that I was pregnant because they asked me about working winter term. Today, I told the last one. I was unexpectedly offered another class for winter term (after being told there were none) because someone suddenly couldn't teach it.
We sat down to discuss the matter and I told her that the only consideration was that I was pregnant. She said "I know, you've started showing." This pleased me quite a bit. I hadn't thought it was that noticeable because no one has said anything... but apparently it's not the sort of thing you mention to someone unless they've told you that they're pregnant. This makes sense and I know it to be true: I wouldn't want to accidentally ask someone about their pregnancy and find out that they just had gained 10 pounds.
As I was teaching lab, I kept thinking about her saying that I was showing and getting happy feelings.
She is, like my other department chairs, totally supportive and willing to find a sub if I have to leave early. She also suggested that I look at the labs for the class and see if there's anything I'm uncomfortable with (chemical-wise) and that we could find a sub for those particular labs as well.
We sat down to discuss the matter and I told her that the only consideration was that I was pregnant. She said "I know, you've started showing." This pleased me quite a bit. I hadn't thought it was that noticeable because no one has said anything... but apparently it's not the sort of thing you mention to someone unless they've told you that they're pregnant. This makes sense and I know it to be true: I wouldn't want to accidentally ask someone about their pregnancy and find out that they just had gained 10 pounds.
As I was teaching lab, I kept thinking about her saying that I was showing and getting happy feelings.
She is, like my other department chairs, totally supportive and willing to find a sub if I have to leave early. She also suggested that I look at the labs for the class and see if there's anything I'm uncomfortable with (chemical-wise) and that we could find a sub for those particular labs as well.
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