Week 37 Update: The Final Countdown

And by that I mean that week 37 is full term, according to most docs.  So, if yet to be named little man makes his debut before 40 weeks, he'd be a-ok.  But he better not have any such plans.  I'm super lucky to have a job, I know.  And I'm lucky to have a job that affords paid leave, I know (that said - I do have to use all of my accrued vacation and sick leave that I've earned over the past three and a half years to fund this maternity leave endeavor and I'm not psyched about this and I'll tell you why - faculty are paid for their maternity leave for up to eight weeks, staff must use leave if they wish to remain compensated during maternity leave HELLO UNFAIR!!!!!).  Where was I?  Right, so glad to have a job and six weeks paid leave to take (although I earned it and it's part of my compensation and I'd like to take eight since I don't know what to expect nor do I know if I'll ever have another kid and kinda want to savor what I can), but the preparing to take leave part is like having a second job, which sucks when I don't have time or energy to do my first job.  Blergh.  Again, lucky to be gainfully employed, especially in the rocky world of higher education, I know, but stressful nevertheless.  If I had a counterpart or back up, I'd feel a lot better, but our organization is structured in a way that each position is essentially one person deep, e.g. I am the one and only point person for 95% of my area of responsibility.  Spreading that around to other staff and training them to take some of the heat while I'm out is proving to be quite difficult.  I almost wonder if I just want to work a few days from home each week while I'm off to maintain some amount of continuity for employees and myself.  I've got to prepare to be gone, manage while I'm gone, then recover from being gone when I get back.  Is it worth it all?  So, that's today's complaint.

Other than that, baby and I are doing ok.  I'm definitely getting to the stage where I feel a faint waddle coming on, and I don't like it.  But no one asked me.  I feel like I weigh 200,000 pounds, but I actually dropped a couple lbs over the last week or so, not sure what's happening there, but the belly keeps on keepin' on, so I figure all is well.

I can't believe we're almost there!  I suppose I should do smart things now like learn the car seat sitch, pack the hospital bag, come up with at least a short list of names, but what do you bet I don't do any of that and watch Charlie Sheen rant and rave instead?