Eric resurrected the thing finally, but not without losing almost everything that we had on it. He did take the opportunity to install six new hard drives, so I suppose life could be worse. Still, moments like those tend to make one a bit paranoid around technology, so I've been keeping my pregnancy-addled brain away from machinery as much as possible for the past week. Believe me, it wasn't just the crash; I've been unable to concentrate on anything tech-oriented for several weeks now, and things have been showing little sign of improvement.

(Taken from a note to the notify list from last week)

Well, there's no baby yet. I'm having a difficult time concentrating on anything, and yet the universe seems to be conspiring to force me into situations requiring heavy thinking. Quite the lark, I assure you...

Last night we finally, after much waiting, hemming, and hawing, purchased my Christmas present: my digital camera, an Olympus C3000Z. To say that I am thrilled would be to give a massive understatement; I am now deeply in love with this small, black box. The problem? Well, I've never before used an Olympus digital camera, and I'm feeling pretty slow to start. Eric read through the thick instruction booklet, walking me through each feature and set-up procedure, and I *still* feel intimidated and confused by the thing. Not only that, but I seem to have suddenly lost most of my ability to take a focused photograph. If I knew what I was doing wrong, I could certainly remedy it, but it seems that the very same steps, repeated without altering any settings, produce two extremely different products. Methinks this will take more than a bit of experimentation. I won't even touch the fact that this camera, compared to the library's Mavica, needs a bit more assistance in transferring output to my Macintosh. A cable will have to be ordered online, Eric says. Until then, I'll have to download to our PC (ah, the joys of living with a computer collector), then transfer the pictures over the network to the Mac. Considering my currently befuddled state, this complication should produce massive levels of frustration.

I'm not feeling very capable at the moment. I miss that feeling.

Well, I finally did manage to get the thing up and running. Oh, it's a lovely little machine. I'm still growing accustomed to it, but I can seriously see this as being the start of a long and beautiful relationship. Expect many more pictures soon!

Flash forward about eighteen years. Late last week, I found myself standing in a physical therapist's office undergoing an evaluation so that I could continue having Watsu sessions until I give birth. When she gave me the same instructions to bend and touch my toes, the reaction was much different than the one from my youth. "Well, there's the problem."

Yes, Mr. Pediatrician, it turns out that a back that doesn't bend is indeed a problem. I may not have been in pain as a child, but the strain of the pregnancy has finally beaten me. Backs are supposed to bend! The time to fix this would have been when I was a child, still growing and pliant, not as an adult, when things are mostly fixed in position.

The therapist quickly scheduled me for Watsu three times a week, hoping to give me some relief from the pain. She also highly recommended that I continue to come back after birth for several treatments and to learn an exercise program I can do at home, hopefully in a successful attempt to teach my back to behave as a normal back should. I'm rather doubtful. If my back hasn't bent for twenty-five years, will it bend now? It seems to me that it might be a little too late for me on this go-around, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

On the other hand, the Watsu is doing wonders for relieving the pain. I'm still a teensy bit stiff, but the pain is almost completely gone for most of the day. I can actually walk up steps now without wincing at each footfall. I don't sway from side to side nearly as alarmingly as I was doing several weeks ago. I feel relaxed, my blood pressure is lower, and life has definitely seen an upturn in overall quality. I love my Watsu! If anybody out there is having any sort of arthritic or back pain, you absolutely must check into treatments; I can't imagine going into labor feeling like I did before I started. Now I feel like my old self again!

(End infomercial. You may now return to your regularly scheduled labor watch.)

Must have been something I ate. I'm still here.

I've also been enjoying an increase in Braxton-Hicks contractions. When I noticed that several of them were starting to take on quite painful edges, I prayed that this, then was a sign that things were starting to happen.

Nope. At least, not yet.

Well, then, what about the fact that the baby has dropped down into my pelvis? Barbara said that the head was definitely no longer ballatable (able to be pushed back upwards). The pelvic pressure, too, is getting quite intense. We're not having any internal exams to prove my hopes, but I still was feeling confident.

The baby seems to simply like a firm place to rest and has no inclination to move any further.

You know, I don't really blame the Bit. After all, if I had to choose between life out here on Earth and an existence of floating in a bag of warm water with my every need met without even asking, I believe the choice would be quite easy. I've tried talking to the baby, trying to convince it that I could be a much better mommy with my arms, face, and breasts than with simply my uterus, but I don't think we're buying any of it.

I'm not quite thirty-nine weeks, though. This child has plenty of time to decide to make an appearance, and I don't really want to rush it just yet. Now that my back is feeling so much better, I have no reason to wish away these final days. I'm trying my best to slow down and appreciate the not-so-gentle thumps under my ribs...the ones that are becoming increasingly violent with each passing day...

Um, you sure that you're not done cooking yet, Bit?