Sweet Relief

*P-word mentioned mildly*

My apologies for not posting in a whole week. Things have been a bit crazy as you might imagine, as we're getting down to the wire.

27 weeks yesterday. Officially in the third trimester. Whoa. If you would've told me 6 months ago that I'd be here, I would've surely been a skeptic. Hell, I probably would've had a good laugh at your expense. And yet here we are. Sunshine grows stronger by the day and I'm sure I sound like a broken record at this point, but I'm in awe of his progress and mine. Things are slowly coming together and taking shape.

I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I had my maternity leave discussion with my supervisor yesterday and it went better than I expected. I was incredibly nervous, but in the end, I got everything I hoped for. My last day of work will tentatively be Friday, August 1st, although I've told them I will work from home until I go into labor (I just didn't want my water breaking at my desk!). This is assuming I have no issues that will require bedrest beforehand. I will have an 8-week leave of absence after the birth. Unpaid, which sucks, but is what I anticipated working for a small company. I have banked a few weeks of vacation time, which will help financially until I return full-time. My new work schedule come October will be working in the office 2 days per week and at home 3 days per week. DH and my mom will be filling in on the in-office days. After 90 days, they will review my performance and let me know if this schedule can become permanent or if we need to negotiate a new plan. In other words, I will need to bust my ass to prove I can be a mom and still maintain a career. It won't be easy by any stretch of the imagination but I know I can do this. It's all about balance but my family will always come first.

I feel at peace with my plan. We won't have to put Sunshine in daycare, which is such a relief to me. I'd much rather he stay with family that I know and trust. Just browsing daycares on Craig's List brought on the waterworks so I can't imagine how it would be after he is here in the flesh. And this way, I can still contribute financially to our family and continue the career that I love and that I've worked so hard to attain. I can help us continue to save for a house in this crappy economy. And I can help us to afford things for our little boy that we would not be able to afford if I did not work.

I'm very happy and thankful that they are willing to be so flexible so that I can give my son the attention he so rightly deserves.
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My mom has kindly offered to pay for our crib and MIL has kindly offered to pay for our changing table. They actually offered months ago but I didn't take them up on it until now. I just didn't feel comfortable with taking that huge, giant step. Until today, that is. I forwarded them both the links to our furniture picks so it is now out of my hands. No taking it back now. Someday soon, we'll get the call for pickup. And we'll have the bare bones basics of the nursery. Part of me feels refreshed to cross yet another thing off of the to-do list but another part of me feels as though I've just gone and jinxed myself.

My boss has also started to pass on hand-me-downs from her two boys. A bouncer. A diaper bag. Random toys. Some great stuff in excellent condition. I'm no snob - not everything has to be brand spankin' new - so I happily agreed to accept. Sunshine is going to have quite the collection even before the shower. What a lucky guy.
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Strangers may have noticed (aka ogled) my belly for the past 2 months now but are just recently starting to get brave enough to comment. Someone actually asked me, "how many weeks do you have left?". They looked a bit shocked that I still had 3 months to go. I know I'm large and in charge right now for how far along I am. I feel proud of my belly but at the same time it feels awkward to take responsibility for it. It's like I am caught off-guard whenever anyone mentions my condition. I'm a bit underprepared to answer the most obvious of questions, but yet delighted that other people get joy from my responses. No weird belly-grabbers yet though and hopefully it will stay that way. __________________________________________________________

There's some family drama going on. I'm not going to mention the who, what, when, where, why & how since I can't PWP specific posts - in the rare instance they may find this blog. But I really, really want to express my thoughts. Any ideas on how to get around this without going private or switching to Wordpress?