Insomnia is getting old.

I guess my body figures that it is preparing me for when the baby is born and I will be up for hours in the middle of the night.

Tuesday night I was up from 3:30am and on. Ironically enough, I felt way better than I did on Tuesday.

Last night, I was up between 12:30am and 3:30am. Oh joy. I guess the good thing is that I am getting a lot of reading done in the wee hours of the night. I read a Michael Connelly book called the Concrete Blond, from the Harry Bosch series. I think I had just about read all of his books. *SIGH*. It always kind of sad when you look at the booklist on the inside cover and realize that you at the point where they need to write more so you can read more of their books... as per the rest, it was a good book.

I think in the last month I have nearly read 10 books... and most of them in the wee hours of the night. Not that I can keep my house clean to save my life right now, but it seems I can read at 3am when I wish I was sleeping.

J is coming down from up north, so I sense a shopping spree at that swedish place tonight... woo woo!

And then you get to the end...

For book club this month we read the Story of Edgar Sawtelle. It was one of those weekends, we have the stomach flu making it's rounds around our house, and for some reason, I keep getting insomnia in the middle of the night. I really didn't think that I would finish this book before heading to book club on Monday night. Well, nothing like being awake between midnight and 4am and when you have to go to work the next day...

For the most part, this was a lovely read. I enjoyed the story, there were some tragic elements to it, I loved the story about a boy and his dog, and then the trials of being born a mute. Don't read the rest if you have a desire to read this book....

Then it got a bit ugly, and the story was still interesting, but for me the threads started to fray a bit. Without completely giving everything away, Egdar's father dies, and months later, after his disenfranchised uncle moves in with his mother, and another tragedy happens, Edgar and three of his dogs go on the lamb. This was a really neat part of the book, how this 14 year old boy survived in the wilderness and the new friend that he makes. There are elements of the supernatural to this tale - Edgar is forewarned that if he leaves home, to never come back unless he can find a bottle - it looks like his uncle may have poisoned his father and will obviously have it in for him too - in the uncle's pursuit of the mom and the dogs.

Well, all this made for a fascinating read until the last 20 pages or so of the book. For me, the enjoyment I felt for this book was completely unravelled in one fell swoop. The beauty of the tale was undermined - I went from enjoying this book to being slightly disturbed by this book. There was no poetic justice in the end. A gruesome blinding, a murder, an almost suicide, and the mom is left shattered and unhinged. Half the dogs escape a barn fire to take off in to the wilds, and the other half stay. Perhaps the big part of this tale is that the original Sawtelle relative captured a "quality" in at least one of their dogs where the dog had an almost super-intelligence... needless to say, this was the dog that led the pack away from the burning barn and shattered family. But at what cost? The hero, dead. The archrival, dead. The mother, may as well be dead. The local cop - shattered. The Sawtelle history and legacy, done.

So, I finished this book in the wee hours of the night and thought, WTF? It was well written, but I wouldn't recommend it. I didn't feel there was any poetic justice, I felt that the beauty of the tale was undermined, and well, I will either trade this book in, or wash my hands of it. It really bothered me. I think I will unravel this story to a friend at work just to get it off my chest because I so enjoyed so much of the beginning and then the end - blech. It could have ended even slightly differently, and I would have been so much happier.

Much like how I hated how Bryce Courtney followed up the Power of One with Tandia - Peekay deserved so much better than what he got in Tandia... and hence as far as I am concerned, that book doesn't exist. Power of One is one of my favorite books, but not the follow up. I was so put off by this book although I like Courtney's writing, I still haven't cracked another one of his books.

Of course, all this is in my humble opinion, for better or for worse.

Had my maternity appointment today - 36 weeks! Am doing well, baby is moving in to position, and all is good. Last two weeks of work.. O M G !!!!

Brandon - not so much. He is in the grips of this stomach flu, and after being confirmed how contagious it is, decided it was best for us both to stay home today. Which was reinforced when we went down for a nap at 1 o'clock... and then woke up at 5!!!! It was awesome... but man, I feel like I am getting kicked. Too many weird sleep habits this weekend, and my system isn't at peak perfomance. Needless to say, after finishing this book and really needing to VENT about the experience, I didn't make it to book club after all. I was done. I was tired. Brandon was off, and well, it seemed like a better idea to just stay home. Which we did.

I survived!

We had a great long weekend away... and I even survived camping at 35 weeks pregnant. It helped more than I can say being in a campsite right beside a nice, well serviced women's bathroom because there is one thing I do a lot, and that is urinate. It is amazing how many times I can go in a day. It is impressive Ken doesn't roll his eyes or make comments, it is just a reality at this point. When I gotta go, I gotta go. And then maybe 6 minutes later! It is silly in so many ways, but it is what it is.

Our campside was lovely - fairly private and nice and dry. We got lucky with the weather this weekend. We also lucked out with border line ups (both ways). We camped at Birch Bay state park (a favorite because of it's proximity to both home and the outlets) and it was lovely. Campfires each night, a fair bit of shopping at the outlets, and then making a castle on the beach. It was nice to be away, and it was really nice that it was just the three of us.

I am feeling a bit of nesting - experiences that the three of us can share now, before number 2 is born and then everything changes again. It isn't quite the unknown that Brandon was, but I know it will be a huge adjustment period again, getting used to another person, and their personality, and how things are going to evolve.

Aging.

Hello 36!

Shit. I think that means I am in my mid-30's. When did that happen?

I actually decided to not be a princess and I am working on my birthday. It has been a decent day so far, but can't say that I felt all that motivated to bust my ass all over the place today. I am getting stuff done, just not at a rocket pace.

My folks are going to come up and join me for lunch on the hill. This is somewhat miraculous, considering my dad didn't even make it for my graduation. We are going to grab take out, and then pull up some grass I think. It will be a novel experience.

Tonight we are heading stateside to go camping. I can't wait. Yes, there is a part of me that is thinking, I am nuts, I am 35 weeks pregnant, and then the other voice says, ya, you are only pregnant and you get to have a campfire tonight and roast marshmallows! How cool is that? Plus, since we are stateside... SHOPPING. Outlets. And cheap cheese. I need new shoes. I have coupons. I am pleased.

It was a nice morning with my guys, I got a volcano for my fish tank! I can't wait to set it up!! Should be really cool (somewhat like the volcano from Finding Nem0). Something I have always somewhat coveted but never bought myself - perfect.

Well, here is to the weather holding for the next few days and a few really good stories to tell about camping.

Me thinks it will be an interesting day.

Get out there and exercise your civic responsibility and vote already.

We already did - there were so many advance polls, they were hard to resist.

Today hasn't had a stellar start. I am at the satellite office, and traffic was okay. Barely. Then I made it to the top level of the parkade where transient folks like me get to park. And then I got (**&^)#@ for $14 to park for the day.

You have got to be shitting me. I hate paying to park on a good day, but I stood there sputtering for a few minutes. Those are Vancouver rates, or parking on the beach at White Rock rates, not in a suburban community at their mall/office tower.

To make matters worse, I brought it up to my boss through our chat feature, making a comment about parking, and I got the, you mean you didn't know you could have gone to security and gotten a pass for $1???

Thanks. Thanks a lot for telling me. Didn't you used to run part of the area over here?? "Didn't one of the folks over there tell you about that?" hmmm lemme see, what after I have already been gouged and parked, maybe someone will bring it up? How would I even have known to ask??

So when I come back from my maternity leave I get to do this twice a week?? OH JOY. I wonder how long that will last...

/vent over (for now)

I won't even start in about the golfing season coming up for our hockey team... it was an exciting game.. but man.. so much for our goalie being just this side of godlike in the net. Bah.

34 weeks and counting..

Well, for what it is worth, my Doc figures I am pretty good at this pregnancy thing. Too funny, I guess I am pretty relaxed about it all this go around.

Baby is looking good, nice strong heartbeat, bum is hanging out to the left, feet to the right. I feel like all belly this time around. It's amazing how you just gain weight when you are pregnant. I can't say that I am eating all that different, but the scale is still reading higher and higher every time I head in there!

I bought a pair of yoga pants last week (on sale, of course) where I wouldn't have expected to find a pair, and all skepticism aside, they rock. So damn comfortable. They will be a staple around the house in the next few months. Hell, I have no jeans that fit at the moment, so they worked for Friday casual pants. I dressed'em up with a pair of white flats (ha ha). Looks like I will officially get away with no maternity clothes this time around. A few new t-shirts and yoga pants don't count. The old, nice tops I had from the first go around are too big, and well, I just can't be bothered beyond switching up the order that I wear my stretchy skirts in.

People ask if I am ready - nope. Crib is still outside in the shed, we have that box of diapers, and Brandon's baby clothes are in the attic. I do have a list. A very modest list. I guess I am counting on having at least a little time after I am done work before baby comes... man, the days already seem to filling up fast.

We are paying for the month of June for daycare, and yet, I wonder how many days beyond the 5th I will use it. I am sure there will be a few, and I plan on some selfish time, and some resting (god knows when that will happen next), and some lazing around, but I am looking forward to a few adventures with my little guy before number 2 makes their grand arrival. And I have the urge to paint. If things come together, it will be painting a small, 3 drawer chest and the bookcase in Brandon's room. Maybe a few small projects. Who knows, maybe even printing out some Wedding Pictures... seeing has it has only been 3 years... but who is counting?

I am having a novel few minutes to myself, the boys are sleeping, and I am fighting off being tired myself. I am going to spend time with my book, and then off to the land of nod myself.

The Bump is definitely there.

I definitely feel pregnant at this stage of the game. I feel like I look more pregnant this time around, and less like I have put on weight, if that makes sense. It has helped starting out lighter - it feels like a round baby belly and not like I just look chubby. I feel obviously pregnant.

I have had less aches (overall), I feel like my complexion has been worse, and it seems like random nights I can't sleep to save my life. Like Tuesday night. Woke up about midnight. And that was it. Didn't fall asleep again until 9am, I knew that Wednesday would be a terrible day between fighting a cold and no sleep, that it was just easier to stay home. Then when I woke up, it was hot, I felt like hell because I was still tired, hot, and yes, I am bitching right now.

Folks ask if this pregnancy feels different... Not really - I still have a fair amount of energy, although I tend to go to bed earlier (up earlier), and it seems to be going faster. I still count off the weeks - breathing a sigh of relief with every next milestone, for example, hitting 32 weeks, next when we hit 36 weeks and most of the big baby-work is done and baby is just putting on weight for life outside of the womb... I am chasing around Brandon, I am more conscious of needing to figure out easy to prepare dinners for when I go back to work again the second time around...

I am pretty relaxed about the whole "setting up for baby". Time is flying, and well, I figure towards the end of the month we will get out Brandon's baby clothes, I have a box of diapers... we'll need some bits and pieces, and then to put together a hospital bag... it just feels like we have lots of time. Or that there is still a lot to do before I am off work!

Speaking of which, 24 more days of work, give or take. Wow. It is really starting to fly. Needless to say, in the wee hours of the night, I have read a few books. Nothing that I would jump up and down about, but some good reads.

I am really glad it's Friday. I have been the big kahuna (more or less) at work, and there have been lots of fires to put out, and lots of t's to cross... the next week, semester start up. Will be interesting to see how things go. I have stuff to wrap up, and it doesn't feel like I got even close to working on that stuff this week. Fits and starts.