Sleepy. I didn't even go to bed all that late last night, but when I looked at the clock this morning, turning off the alarm, I had apparently hit the snooze button twice without even realizing it. Oops.

There isn't much happening at work, though, so I refuse to feel rushed. "Rush" isn't really in my vocabulary right now, anyway. I'm too off-balance. I haven't gained more than a couple of pounds since getting pregnant, but it's shifting up and forward. I had the fat-lady waddle before; now I've got the pregnant-lady waddle, and that's even more pronounced.

It's happening to my mindset, too. I'm taking everything more slowly. In some cases, it's because I've gotten a little absentminded and have to re-process frequently. In others... Lots of things have paled in importance. Whatever it is, it'll get done. No need to rush.

I don't miss the Mutant Worrybrain at all, though. I'm sure it will come back with a vengeance - and bring friends - when the baby actually is born, but for the last six months I've only had one or two instances of worrying about something absurd - and I think those were hormone-related exaggerations. For the most part, I haven't been worried about anything. Concern, yes. It's not like I've thrown every care to the wind. But I no longer have vivid and irrational daydreams that leave me hysterical. It feels so good.

There are things I'm going to miss about being pregnant, after the baby is born. I know that right now. I'll miss being Worrybrain-free. I'll miss this fantastic metabolism. I'll miss feeling the baby move inside me like she's doing now. ("Mom! Hungry!")

But there are things I definitely won't miss. Maternity clothes that fit awkwardly. Not being able to sleep on my stomach. The pain in my hip. (I've finally reconciled myself to actually sleeping on my left side without moving for most of the night, because my hip doesn't hurt so much when I first wake up, then. It leaves me with a slightly stiff neck in the morning, but given the choice between a little stiffness and searing pain... Well, that seems obvious.)

Speaking of the baby moving. Matt's developed this little ritual lately, when I go to bed. He comes upstairs to kiss me good night, and then he talks to the baby for a bit. I think it's cute, and studies have shown that infants in the womb can and do hear sounds outside. Newborn babies generally show preferences for sounds they heard frequently before birth - Mommy's voice, first, and then Daddy's, usually. So I'm not about to discourage Matt from talking to her.

Just in the last couple of days, I could swear she's responded to his voice, though. She's usually relatively quiet at night (oh, please let this be a sign of things to come... Yes, I can hear all you parents laughing at me.) but as soon as Matt's started in with his cheerful, "Hello, baby!" she starts kicking. And she stops shortly after he goes back downstairs.

A little early father-daughter bonding. I couldn't be more touched.

--Liz