It's weird to suddenly have weather that everyone is talking about. I live in the Bay Area so I don't have that kind of weather (among other reasons), but this rain is extraordinary. We had thunder and lightening today, and I actually got a little scared. I've lived here a decade, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, but I was a little disgusted at myself for jumping at what used to be one of my favorite natural phenomenon.

I put up a new set of photos on Flickr. Actually, two. River, week 8 and, because I feel bad for them lately, my cat photos from 2007.

River has been growth spurting for what feels like weeks. I'm not sure I'm keeping up with him, milk-production-wise; he often seems hungry after nursing. He's getting huge, though, with big chubby cheeks. He's also talking more and more, seeming to try and say what we're saying to him (so I'm saying "Mama" to him over and over now, watching him put his lips together while he watches my mouth). He sometimes will squeal with delight, and he does the "social smile" where he'll return your smile back to you.

That's all assuming, of course, that he's in a good mood. Days, lately, have been hard, with lots of crying unconsolably. I dunno if this is related to his growth spurts or not, or if this is just the price we pay for him sleeping through the nights (7 hours again last night, and even on the nights he wakes up halfway through, he's easy to get down again after feeding and a diaper change). Makes the days with him hard, and with this rain, I haven't wanted to try taking him in the car or stroller (which often help him sleep). Even my trick of taking him onto the back porch gets us both sopping wet.

Add to this that our other car was stolen just as I'm about to get to go out during the days more regularly (a week after River gets his shots), and I'm a bit bummed about the quality of the rest of my maternity leave. I guess I can drive Tim up to work so I can have the car, but that messes with my new habit of co-sleeping in once Tim gets up to go to work in the mornings. Sigh. And I was really going to start going to the Y, where they have cheap childcare while you workout. Really!

Speaking of the Y, I went on Wednesday for the first time since October. I did the Precor elliptical machine for 20 minutes -- and after 5 I thought I was going to have to quit. I hadn't realized how much those machines work your abs (picking up your feet kinda high), and it really brought home just how much major abdominal surgery messes with your muscle tone. Gah! I'm really really out of shape, and I need to get doing something about it stat. I got back to my pre-pregnancy weight about 4 weeks after River was born (not that I was that thin right before I got pregnant or anything, but that was 39 pounds I lost in 4 weeks, which was kind of fun to lose so fast), but I'm a long way from the level of fitness I was even at the end of my pregnancy.

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Went shopping today to buy lots of button-up shirts, which are better for nursing. Yes, one can also pull up the bottom of the shirt, but when your abs are like mine, you'd rather not do that in public. Very fun retail therapy, and of course there are tons of good sales right now, too. I even found comfy pants with pockets, which is nearly unheard of in women's clothing. I bought four pairs.

I'm also in the process of buying new shoes, since my feet went up a size thanks to my pregnancy (and show no signs of going back -- they're *longer*, thanks to my nice high arches falling some). This is sort of fun -- shoe shopping! Yay! -- and also depressing, as I've gone from the highest size that you can easily find in women's shoes (10) to the borderlands where you no longer shop by which shoes you like, but by which shoes come in your size (11). At least my feet are no longer considered "wide" for their size. Thank gods for Zappos. If you wear a size 10 and are interested in buying some gently used Dansko clogs, drop me a line. I'm not entirely ready to put them up on eBay yet -- it took me a long time to collect these very expensive shoes! -- but I should probably start coming to terms with parting with them. It's the discontinued blue mary jane clogs that break my heart, though; maybe I can get those stretched...

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My baby has been asleep since I got back from shopping, so it's been 4 hours since I've interacted with him, and I miss him! Gah, how am I ever going to make it through a work day when maternity leave is over? Talk about breaking your heart...

He is the cutest thing ever and I love him more than I ever thought it was possible to love anything. I both can't wait to see how he grows up and am not wanting to ever give up my tiny, cute, cuddly baby.