How are you feeling?

I meant to write about the holidays, but they came and went and now it is too late to accurately commit to words in a blog. So moving on.

Including this weekend, we have four weekends left to our anticipated due date. Although we have some nice dinner plans in the upcoming weeks, this probably the longest string of consecutive weekends that we do not have major plans since I became pregnant back in May. Ahhh it is nice. Don't get me wrong, it has been awesome seeing friends and family and having a very active social life. But at this point I feel big and slow, and just ready to veg before life changes in a pretty drastic way.

-------
Commonly Asked Questions:

"How are you feeling?"
This is the most common question asked. Physically, as I said above, I feel big and slow, and if I push myself too hard during the day, my back kills and literally puts the brakes on me. What do I mean by that? Well if I have overdone it, it becomes hard to get up! This is usually by the end of the night anyhow, so I just go to bed and recharge. Other than that, nothing different than what you typically hear from pregnant women (frequent urination, swollen fingers, a dozen chins). Insomnia has not kicked in and I am truly grateful for that. Emotionally is different and is far too complex to answer during water cooler chat or casual Facebook threads. So I just smile and chat about the physical aliments and keep the rest to myself.

"Are you worried about the dog?"
Am I worried that the dog is going to eat the baby.....No. I worry that the dog is going to feel rejected and ignored and act out destructively. I am worried that I am going to lash out at the dog because I am stressed and overwhelmed and will get annoyed by his needs. I worry that the dog will eat a baby sock and need surgery.
We have made a effort to try and get the dog ready for baby and trust me folks, he already knows something is up. He is always curious about the new stuff being brought into the house so we have tried to keep then baby's space open to him to sniff and explore so it is not a TREAT or challenge for him to sneak in. We have assembled the pack and play and baby swing to allow him to get used to their presence. I am trying to re-enforce that he is not to touch baby toys or the boopie by throwing it in front of him and using the "leave it" command. And lastly, I might enroll him in doggie daycare one day per week so he can get rid of some of his play energy. We'll see how things go but Oakley is part of our family, and aside from any aggression (which he has never shown), we'll work it out.

"What are your work plans?"
My employer offers 12 weeks of maternity leave combined with 12 weeks of short term disability that is on a sliding scale. I am planning on being out 10 weeks FT and returning for the last two weeks part-time to transition and to supplement my pay since by then I will only receive 25% of my salary. I will return to work full-time after that and complete my MBA in the summer.

"What about daycare?"
We started looking for daycare back in October and it was extremely stressful. Centers had waiting lists and home care did not even want to speak with us until after the baby was born. We did find a place in our town that is a large center but privately owned. We both liked it and felt like we could leave our baby there. The infant room offered 12 spaces with their next opening in JULY so we registered in October and were bumped up to a June opening. We figured that in the interim we would find a solution until we could enroll our baby. BUT we received a call, and a opening came up for April, so we are all set! Such a relief. For infants, full time enrollment is a must. Hubby will be staying home with the baby one day a week (flexibility I am not given with my current employer) but it is nice to know that if something comes up, or if he is sick, the baby has the option to go in on that day.