8 months down, 1 to go

Well, it seems like June 30th is just around the corner. It's so hard to believe Baby Claire will be here so soon. All in all, it has been a pretty uneventful pregnancy. Aside from the miserable morning sickness, any complications have been from simply not knowing how much pregnancy takes out of you or changes your body. It's been a shock to have to slow down and pay attention to the limits of my body.

I was planning on starting maternity leave June 12, but it looks like I may start a bit sooner. Joel's mom will be coming in to help us the week she is born (thank goodness!) and my parents will be in for a visit shortly thereafter.

One question I have is "When does the perpetual brain fart go away?" I always thought 'pregnancy-brain' was an excuse made up by a woman for typical absent-mindedness. But I can hardly follow complex sentences and can never remember where I parked my car. I lose track of my thoughts mid-conversation and ridiculous, off-topic phrases come out of my mouth with no control. Gone are the days of reading and understanding a National Book Award piece or Pulitzer Prize winning literature-- no, we're down to the Confessions of a Shopaholic series and its sisters in the chick-lit drama.

Also the weight gain-- 40lbs and counting! Here's hoping this last month will go a bit more smoothly.

Wrapping Up 2008!

So, 2008 was really quite the year for our family. We settled in Houston, announced our engagement, bought a house, Joel took and passed the TX bar exam, we made new friends, got married, went to Mexico, got the best dog in the world (Shelby) and embarked on the joys of pregnancy, two months after entering wedded bliss.
It makes me tired just thinking about it, but it was a year to savor for us. The economy tanked and work got stressful at times, but all in all-- life was grand.