Here is what a good day at daycare looks like:

Her daycare posted another video of her that you can watch here or below. 

We had a leaky faucet in the bathroom and bought a replacement for it over a month ago.  Finally got around to installation and could not get the old drain out of the sink.  We called a plumber and the estimate I got today was $380.56.  Three hundred and eighty dollars???  That's absurd! Is there anyone out there who is handy with plumbing and good at working in tight spaces with no visibility?

The hip pain is as bad as ever.  Tylenol, massage, heat/cold packs, swimming, narcotics, and physical therapy have done nothing to help me work through the pain.  I haven't been to work in 7 days, the longest break I think I've had except for Christmas.  My doctor and PT said they supported me in stopping work altogether.  My manager accepted my offer to continue working but with drastically reduced hours.  I told them I could do 4-6 hour shifts, 3 times a week, with a day off in between each to rest.  I haven't gotten the new schedule yet but I hope they send it to me today.  I also hope that I can work at least that much.  Walking is very painful and so the hardest part is getting into the hospital and up to our unit to start the shift.  Once there I think I'll be ok.  This lovely back brace helps me a little bit.  It's not an SI-specific brace, but a basic maternity support belt.  I wish I had bought a month earlier for when I was in New York. 

So basically I sit at home and rest.  This means lots of TV and movies while I craft.  I'm almost done with the sweater vest.  I became obsessed with these dahlias and made four.  I'd make more but I'm out of hot glue :-( 

I also very slowly attempt to clean the house.  Today I have managed to wipe down the kitchen and dining room counters, sweep the kitchen, and started laundry.  Oaf.  It took several minutes for me to drag the laundry basket into the basement, but I made it! 

This weekend was fun because it was Amanda's school play!  My parents came to visit to see the show.  We had an awesome dinner at Virgilios, my favorite pizzeria.  Saturday morning Ben and I attended an "express" childbirth class from my OB's office.  Overall it was worthwhile, but we could have done fine with an extra-express course.  Also I think it might have just scared Ben more than helped him.  But it prompted some good discussion and we feel more prepared to tackle labor together as a team now. 

After class we went to the mountains to see the show.  The kids did such a good job!  I'm very impressed with how they pulled it all together in the last couple weeks.  Amanda is an amazing director and I can't wait to see what else she can get these naive mountain kids to do!  (The photo is from dress rehearsal last week)  I think it's funny how proud they were to have a "choreographer from Denver!"  I'm the big-time ;-)

After the show we all went back to our condo in Bailey for the night.  Mom cooked a delicious dinner and Jem went crazy smelling the strange house.  We woke up Sunday to beautiful views of endless evergreens.  This deer was in our driveway!  Mom made another great breakfast including nitrite-free bacon!  Oh heaven, I have missed bacon!  Late morning they started their drive back to GJ and Ben and I made the short drive home.  It was fun to have a little sleepover out of town. (credit Ben for the photo, more on his flickr account). 

So now you're all caught up with my life!  I'm 37 weeks now and technically "term."  Kickpuncher has given no indication that he wants to come out (no braxton-hicks contractions, no lightening), but I'm hoping it's sooner rather than later.

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We went to Belmar Ponds to take some huge belly pictures. They turned out pretty nice, although I look really tired in them. Ben is a great photographer and I love that he’s enthusiastic about going on photo shoots with me. There’s more pictures in his flickr photo set, follow the link above.

Here are two things I've made for kickpuncher. 

This vest has been a slow work in progress since January.  It's hard to stop and start the pattern because I had to make many adjustments to the gauge.  Also the instructions are British, which are surprisingly different than American instructions and take a bit of time to decipher.  It's a cotton yarn I bought at Fancy Tiger. 

This little hat came together in just a few hours.  I bought three skeins of this sweet green cotton yarn in SoHo and it has been calling to me since I got home.  Yes, I have three other knitting works in progress, but WIPs be damned!  I wanted to make a soft, tiny hat for kickpuncher's spring debut.  It only took half a skein!  Babies are so tiny . . .

This week brought on a new pregnancy woe - SI joint pain.  It started Tuesday with a little pain.  By Wednesday I was limping, unable to lift anything at work, and struggling to get up out of chairs.  Thursday I missed work (after much ado, argh-I hate our management) because the pain was so bad.  I went to my midwife who diagnosed SI pain.  I got a prescription for Vicodin and a referral for PT, who can't see me until next week.  The outlook is bad, that this pain will come and go until the end of pregnancy, and return for all subsequent pregnancies.  I found an article here that describes what I have perfectly.  Basically the relaxin hormone is doing its thing to get ready for delivery, but it over-loosened the ligaments surrounding the sacral-iliac joint.

I tried a Vicodin and it didn't work any better than Tylenol, which is to say not at all.  I've had heat and ice on my back round the clock.  I had Jenni give me a massage and Ben bought me a supportive brace.  This morning my pain is still here but only 60-75% of what it was yesterday, so I'll go to work tonight.  I hope it's an easy night.  And I hope the weekend is relaxing and makes the pain go away.  And I hope I find time to try swimming at the rec center - I bought a swimsuit two weeks ago and haven't had time yet.

Last week I put my foot down and said I wasn't taking call anymore.  It was too difficult for me to have interrupted sleep and to respond to patient needs alone.  I'm so glad I ended it.  They worked out a schedule where I cover evening shifts during the week.  The hours are unpredictable but I get to sleep in every day and that makes a huge difference in my well-being.  I get up slowly and eat a decent breakfast, and even have time for a little leisure and errands.  Well, if this blasted SI pain wasn't holding me back.

Instead of counting up I'm counting down.  5 weeks until my due date.  The last few days I have felt very pregnant.  Achy in my back and joints, tight in my belly, moody, tired, everything you expect.  I think kickpuncher is going through another growth spurt.  I'm to the point where I'd be happy if he came.  Yes, it's early.  But I'm ready for him and done being pregnant.  I'm feeling very wistful for the olden days. 

I miss:

• feeling chilly
• my flat stomach
• sleeping on my stomach
• sleeping through the night
• waking up feeling refreshed
• eating bacon
• eating hot dogs
• eating cold deli sandwiches
• eating undercooked eggs
• eating a meal without causing shortness of breath
• drinking caffeine guilt-free
• standing up without groaning
• bending down without groaning
• tying my shoes from a standing position
• clothes that fit
• changing the cat litter (HA!  That one's for you Ben)

Sadly I realize that most of these will not be resolved immediately upon delivery, or even the next couple years.  Here's hoping I have a marvelous, fun, exciting, joyful summer.

One of the great outcomes of being pregnant is that it brings out the craftiness in women. I have been slowly working on a knitted sweater vest and already finished two flannel blankets. But I have also received some wonderful handmade items by other women I love.

This is a cuddly soft teal and blue blanket knit by Betty. The amazing thing is she learned to knit just to make this! It's her first project and I'm super impressed. The model doll is named "Squints" and came from a friend at my shower.


Yesterday I opened a surprise package in the mail and found this beautiful quilt. Grandma Lois made this for the baby to play on. I think it will be perfect for spreading out with some toys. The fabrics have different fun textures too. The model is, of course, Link from Wind Waker Zelda. I couldn't resist getting him in NY.


Finally, check out this amazing amigurumi set of animals my mom crocheted. They are incredibly darling, but I think the Octopus is my favorite. I don't know how she finds time to do such things, but these will be treasured for sure.

(Photography by Ben, styled by Rachel and Ben. We used our cool photo studio set-up that Dad got us for Christmas to take these.)