baby brought good luck again

32 weeks today!!!  in 8 weeks (hopefully a little less), our little bundle of joy will arrive.  we're getting excited.  mik read to the baby the last couple of nights so the baby will recognize his voice more... the baby hears me all the time - he has no choice. ;)  he's kicking a LOT these days and very strong.  i always feel tightening in one area (right of my belly button) and i get worried that it's a contraction.  i asked my coworker if i would know if i was having a contraction - she said yes.  my entire tummy should tighten up, not just one area.  so i think what i'm feeling is an elbow jab... perhaps?

yesterday, i was having one of the worst days.  i was very stressed about some things and depressed that i can't workout (froze my equinox gym membership today).  i had very little sleep the night before and still have a cold.  i was also in pain - this pelvic bone separation is the worst.  when i stand up and start walking, it hurts so much.  it usually goes away after walking ~100 ft.  i was talking to our SVP about it - she had it 4 weeks before giving birth.  she tried to explain the pain to a male coworker: "imagine you're going really fast on a bike.  you hit a bump, fly off and hit your crotch on the handle bars.  that's how it feels."  i totally agree.

fortunately, my horrific day got better at around 5:30pm when my SVP called me into her office.  i was thinking "i'm about to leave the office early for once...  what does she want now?"  she first asked me about my maternity leave plans.  she was trying to see if i had plans to be a stay at home mom after the baby is born.  i made it clear it was not an option for me.  told her i'm working on my maternity leave plan and would like to take 14 weeks off.  she was kind of hinting that she wanted me back part-time after 2 months and that any hours spent on emails/calls during my leave will be added to my vacation.  she's also willing to help find a nanny!  after the maternity chit chat, she praised me for my work and said the company compared everyone's salary to industry standards and made compensation adjustments as needed (my interpretation: two awesome VPs quit recently and they're scared to lose more high-performing employees!).  as a result, she gave me a raise retroactive jan 1st.  i was so shocked but didn't show it.  our reviews are not until july so i was really not expecting that.  it greatly improved my sucky day!  i felt really lucky and blessed.  this raise will help us buy diapers and with nanny costs.  i praise the lord for blessing us at such a perfect time.  after work, mik and i went to our favorite filipino restaurant in queens to celebrate!  :)  thanks, dragon, for bringing us good luck again!