sara without an h

my last day.

i walked in to the store for my last day of work and was greeted with a surprise baby shower in the break room. i told you the people i worked with are great! i didn't have my camera on me so these pictures are courtesy of my iphone and my favorite photo app, hipstamatic. the cake was absolutely delicious and we received some beautiful gifts. i feel truly honored to have worked with all of these people. i got so many hugs, tummy pats, and well wishes tonight. my hormones got the best of me, and i ended up getting teary once or twice. i will really miss seeing these people everyday, but i am unbelievably excited to have this time to prepare for sylvie's arrival. travis and i are going to call it an early night. we have our one-day hospital childbirth class tomorrow from 9AM-6PM. yikes! i'm exhausted just thinking about it. goodnight and happy friday!

i ' ve got it BAD.

by it i mean the nesting instinct. it kicked in, out of nowhere, at work last night. it was a slow night so i picked up a dust rag. i must have dusted every stinkin' shelf in the store. well, every shelf waist level or higher. my days of bending over are long gone. but was i done? NO. when i got home i just had to clean the kitchen floor. not just any kind of clean, but a diamond-sparklin'-you-could-eat-nacho-cheese-off-of-it kind of clean. this was a process with many steps. STEP 1: using the hose attachment, vacuum the baseboards, perimeter, and underneath the cabinets and fridge. STEP 2: swiffer the floor. STEP 3: swiffer wet-jet the floor. STEP 4: swiffer wet-jet the floor AGAIN. STEP 5: one linoleum square at a time, use seventh generation disinfectant wipes and thoroughly wipe down the floor by hand. buff each square dry with a cloth as you go. STEP 6: again, one square at a time, spray with clorox greenworks kitchen cleaner (with bleach), wipe down, and buff dry. STEP 7: swiffer wet-jet the floor AGAIN. STEP 8: put on clean socks to walk through the kitchen to the freezer to retrieve an ice pack. STEP 9: place ice on ribs and fall asleep watching lost. WHO THE HECK AM I? i'm sure my mom is reading this and thinking that i'm a pod person or that someone with a sick sense of humor highjacked my wordpress account. oh yeah, i almost forgot the best part of the story. auggie the doggie, that lovable little scamp, took a massive poop on the kitchen floor today. thanks a lot, jerk dog. to ease my frustrations i went out a got myself a haircut and a pedicure. sometimes a girl just needs to be pampered! normally i'm not much of a pay for a pedicure person, but it's sandal season and i can't reach my feet. i also can't complain about the complimentary calf and foot massage! in other news, tomorrow is my last day of work. it's a bit bittersweet. i'm incredibly excited to have the opportunity to stay at home with my daughter, but i love the people i work with. i've never worked a job where i genuinely like every other employee. i'm really looking forward to taking sylvie in there every wednesday morning for story time! that chapter in my life is over and the next is just beginning. it's exciting and scary and a bit overwhelming, but i have never looked more forward to anything.

33 weeks and 3 days.

i'm about to leave for my last shift of (paid) work. before i do i wanted to share some bump pictures travis took today. and now for my mind-blowing moment of the week. this is our new carton of milk: it expires the day after sylvie's due date. i know i've said it before, but WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?! speaking of time, i have to head out for my final shift as a bookstore employee. if my hormones let me make it through the night without tearing up i'll be very surprised.

seriously exhausted.

tomorrow marks 27 weeks and the start of my third trimester (some sources say it starts at week 28, though).  we're in the home stretch now!  it's getting difficult to be on my feet all day at work now.  i'm always sore and extra tired by the time my shifts end, and tonight is no exception. this may be my shortest post ever.  honestly, i'm so tired that i can barely keep my eyes open, let alone think of anything witty or profound to write about.  i'm going to finish up my (almost) midnight snack (pickles), take a warm bath, and get in bed.  goodnight and happy memorial day!

chocolate milk is the best thing ever.

that glass of chocolate milk (organic, low-fat and fortified with DHA omega-3!) i just drank was the best thing i have ever tasted. EVER. seriously. i never knew anything could taste that good. am i pregnant or what?! work was very long and tiring today. i have two more equally long and tiring shifts tomorrow and tuesday before i finally get a day off (my first in almost a week)! i just have to get through this week and part of the next before my trip to pennsylvania. i can't tell you how excited i am to see my family and friends! we're all getting together to celebrate our baby shower and my parents' 40th wedding anniversary. it should be a wonderful week and just the kind of trip i need! ******** on a completely unrelated note, can we talk about groin pain here for a second? the last two days it has felt like i'm wearing underwear made of PAIN. have i been doing the splits? moonlighting as an olympic gymnast? doing the hustle with a little too much gusto? NO. i am growing a human, and i'm pretty sure that's more tiring than all of those things combined. still, with only 10-13 more weeks left to go in this pregnancy, i find myself wanting to savor every kick, nudge, and flutter. searing groin pain or not, this has been the most magical 6+ months of my life. you stay in there, baby girl, and keep on cooking! we'll finally meet when the time is right. and now for your viewing pleasure, i present THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING BELLYBUTTON! i give it 4 weeks max before it's a full-fledged outie.  also note my sweet (if very faint) linea nigra! well, it's about time for me to take a bath, drink another glass of chocolate milk and watch some lost.  i hope everyone has a safe and happy memorial day!

the good, the bad, and the mullet.

today at work i had three very different interactions with three different customers. two of these left a bad taste in my mouth. the third, however, made up for the other bozos. #1: customer: i'm looking for a book, but i can't remember the author. me: that's alright. we can easily look it up by title or keyword. customer: okay. the title is (insert some title, which i don't remember here). the author's last name is something like schreiber, goldberg or something equally jew-y. me: oh. okay. seriously, lady? i have a star of david hanging off of my necklace. know your audience before you open your dumb mouth. #2: me: is there something i can help you with today, sir? customer: yeah. what's the meaning of life? me: i can't help you with that, but i can help you find a book if there's a specific one you're looking for. customer: okay. let me think of something challenging. me: do you need to find an actual book? with all due respect, sir, i'm pregnant and my feet hurt and i'd rather not go on a wild goose chase around the store unless you actually need my assistance. customer: did you say you're pregnant? me: yes. customer: is that a good thing or a bad thing? me: a good thing. okay. first off, there are people waiting behind you who actually need my help. second, if i was at a stage in my life where this pregnancy was less than ideal, do you think i would talk to some stranger about it? probably not. third, billy ray cyrus circa 1988 called. he wants his mullet and sleeveless t-shirt back. and now for the silver lining. the last customer approached me as i waving to and playing peek-a-boo with a little boy. #3: customer: i know that look. my wife got that look for the first time 32 years ago. you want one of those, don't you? (he motions to the little boy.) me: yes. actually, i'll have one of those come august. customer: that's great! may your baby be a happy baby. me: thank you, sir. we then proceeded to chat about all sorts of things (in english and german) for 20 minutes or so. do you have any bizarre work-related stories? if so, i'd love to hear them! i know i'm not alone in this.

workin ' for the weekend.

in just a little over 36 hours, we will know if our child is a boy or a girl.  the antici...............pation is killing me. i don't think i've spoken too much about my work on here.  i believe i've mentioned a few times that i work at a bookstore.  we'll call it darns and global booksellers.  i love my job.  everyday i walk into the store and, unless i'm tired or especially cranky, i feel genuinely happy to be there.  there were a few things that made tonight's shift especially great. 1.  the two customers who complimented me on my hair.  one of them even went so far as to ask where i get it cut and who the stylist is. 2.  the customer with chronic OCD who spent over an hour straightening all the tables.  thanks, dude!  you just made my job a heck of a lot easier!  the closing staff here at darns and global thanks you. 3.  my co-workers.  i genuinely like just about everyone i work with, managers and superiors included. 4.  using my breaks to read all the trashy gossip magazines i want for free! i think that about covers it.  my feet and back are sore and i'm tired, but i had a good night.  tomorrow my parents and in-laws get into town for a fun family weekend!  i can't wait!  i have some last minute things to do before bed (fold laundry, mop the kitchen floor, etc.), so i'd better get started.  goodnight and happy wednesday.

books.

i work in the children's department of a large corporate bookstore.  all day i'm surrounded by thousands of different books that i want to buy for our baby.  so far i've ordered one: e.e. cummings has long been one of my favorite poets.  when i found out he wrote a book of fairy tales for children, i just couldn't resist it! i got this for travis to read to our blueberry: his dad used to sing this song to him when he was a kid.  it's his early valentine's day present. in other news, today was a great day.  I was barely nauseous at all, and i got a bit of my appetite back.  i told my manager about the pregnancy, and she was more supportive than i could have hoped.  she assured me i could take all the time off i needed and could come back as part-time without a problem.  to top everything off, as i was walking to clock-out, i found $20 on the ground!  booyah. t-minus 4 days until our ultrasound.