Hey, the picture I took of sea turtles at the Maui Ocean Center is in the iPhone version of the Schmap Maui and Molokai Guide. No, I'm not sure why my last name is (the only one) in all caps. I don't think I submitted it like that.

A very busy week for me, filling in for my coworker while still trying to keep up with my usual day job. At home, in my tiny bit of spare time, I've been keeping up with the WiiFit every day. I'm not sure how much progress I'm making, though it must be some. I cannot believe how out of shape I am! Of course, a lot of it comes from the C-section, and the fact that I still don't have good core strength. It's hard, not being able to do exercises that I have, no matter how out of shape I've been in the past, been able to do (some of them well). Or have them just wreck me like this. My lower back hurts sometimes so badly I worry, but at the same time I need to do *something* to start getting that strength back there. And then there's my hip, which I'm in physical therapy for but has not felt right (always out of sorts, sometimes very painful) since the baby was born. I don't think I've quite grokked this whole major abdominal surgery, at least not the vastness of what that means to me as a person. It's hard to accept that your fan kicks will never be able to soar over people's heads again...

What a bummer that is! The truth is, even if my hip is never the same, River is completely worth it and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat to have him. So there.

River's been quite the little milestone baby, and he can crawl pretty well (he doesn't pick up his legs much, but drags them now with his knees bent, which is progress) and is, I think, working on standing while not holding onto anything. He'll pull himself up and stand for awhile, just hanging out, getting used to standing. And other times he pulls himself up an lets go, clearly trying to balance himself without having to hold on (he usually does this in the big bed, where it's soft landing for his little butt as he falls on it over and over again). If you put him down in the living room or office he will crawl over to the music center, get it going, then pull himself up to standing at it. It's very cool that he can go after things he wants now. And terrifying.

Anyway, his week 34 pictures are up at Flickr. Behold his adorableness!