Less than a month out....

I officially have less than a month until Kairu's due date and at a point where I am starting to think about slowing down. I work around 35 hours per week, most of them between 4-9am, one day a week I go from one job to the other which means I wake up at 3am, work from 4-8:30, ride my bicycle straight to my second job and eat something and sit down for about 10 minutes before I have to start, and I work until 5.
Riding my bicycle is getting harder due to aches and pains in my back and legs. Waking up at 3am 5 days per week is getting harder due to pregnancy insomnia. The stress and anxiety over a bunch of things, like worrying about the housework, also adds to the pain and sleeplessness.
Even at home, I am having increasing back pain and Braxton-Hicks contractions, and I make my best effort to try and keep my home clean, clearing dirty dishes, running and emptying the dishwasher, cooking various meals (with Chinami's help!) keeping the floors clean (my vacuum+steam mop really saves the day!) and doing laundry, but even that takes more and more effort recently.
My original plan was to work up until the very last day I possibly could, but I'm starting to feel that I've reached my limit. However the earlier I take leave from my main job, the earlier I would have to go back, and that would make it more difficult for Yasushi and Kairu. So ultimately I am probably going to do all that I can to work up until the last minute....while still doing everything else at home and making sure to have lots of fun with Chinami as well.
I just hope I can do it.

February again!

It's February 2016, which means......

It will be 11 years since Yasushi and I first met in person and 8 years since we got married. We have had ups and downs (especially due to our personal struggles) but have remained strong through it all, and will only grow stronger with the arrival of our son next month! 

It will be 4 years since I started "no-poo". Other than the occasional Dr. Bronner's peppermint when it's hot and humid, my hair has been washed very infrequently with baking soda and ACV...and it always looks and smells clean! I've noticed generally that using Dr. Bronner's and just keeping things clean and sanitary (showering at night especially, before getting into bed!!) has pretty much eliminated the need for those heavily scented soaps and toiletries.....I don't miss them. 

It will be 3 years since I finally had to send a cease and desist letter to my parents because they threatened the safety of my family by posting our street address on a public Twitter account. My mother in particular had repeatedly harassed and threatened me and my family by claiming to be in talks with a lawyer to sue us, writing a blog about how I am autistic (and refusing any evidence that I am not or an offer from me to get diagnosed) and sent several hostile and aggressive emails to me personally. My parents both rejected any offers from me and Yasushi to work towards a solution after my mother got some therapy and they agreed to respect our lifestyle and boundaries (i.e. not call us assholes, liars, etc.) It's unfortunate that their stubbornness has cost them a life with grandchildren, but protecting my family comes first. Of course, there are many public forums on which to contact me (like this one) that they know about, so if they ever consider acknowledging what they did and my current situation living with a C-PTSD diagnosis, and are able to respect my lifestyle and boundaries, they know what to do.

Also, it will be 1 year since my husband became head chef. His restaurant has appeared on local TV 3 times and has 4.5 stars on Yelp. He always works hard, and Chinami admires him so much. She loves going to the restaurant, and at home, whenever she takes out her Play-Doh, it's for "cooking". She also helps me with cooking a lot, like stirring things, cutting bananas, making salads, and getting ingredients from the fridge. I don't have much expertise when it comes to cooking, but I will enjoy teaching her what I know when the time is right, so she will never know what it's like to be 18 and not know how to properly cook simple dishes.

So for us, February isn't just about the Chinese New Year and Valentines, it's a month to celebrate so many milestones in our lives. And next month, we will have one more milestone...we will become a family of 4 when Kairu is born. The pregnancy has definitely been more intense this time around, and so has our lifestyle, with me working 35 hours/week, 6 days, and riding my bicycle to get to work even as my due date is a little over a month away. I have taken Chinami's cloth diapers, newborn clothes, swaddlers, and co-sleeper out and cleaned them in preparation to be used again, and I got some very thoughtful gifts for Christmas from my grandmother as well. All that's left is to go to my workplace and pick up my homebirth supplies, a baby K'Tan wrap (The wrap I used for Chinami's first few months was in disrepair and unsafe to reuse), some additional cloth diapers and supplies, and we will be ready to welcome our son earthside.