So I'm officially on "maternity leave" -- which, lets not be fooled, is simply vacation time used in combination with short term disability benefits. Sending in the leave of absence forms was slightly amusing, as they make pregnancy sound more like a disability rather than a naturally occurring life event. Part of the leave of absence forms are filled out by the nurse at the clinic and included phrases like "patient is currently not incapacitated" or part of the treatment plan for return to work "continue with prenatal vitamins and appointments." Describe the medical facts which support your qualification for the Family and Medical Leave Act: "enlarged uterus and fetal heart tones."
Anyway, my last day at work was Saturday and I feel good about working as long as I did. It was certainly challenging, but working up until two days prior to the due date is quite an accomplishment, I think. Apparently my co-workers agree, as the surprise on their faces when I showed up for work was clear, as well. I did finally come to the realization that it might be a good idea to have a little downtime before the baby arrives, in addition to not dealing with the stress from work. So they just took me off the schedule for this week. With the added appointments, it was probably a good idea, scheduling-wise.
Now I'm just (patiently) waiting for maternity leave to be just that -- more about mothering.
George and I spent Sunday basically curled up in our cozy apartment avoiding the freezing rain and gray day. We rented a couple movies the night before (but fell asleep part way through), so we finished them in the afternoon, had a nap, and basically just hung out in the evening. It was quite nice, and who knows, could be our last weekend as "just the two of us" for a while.
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