Read, read

Ever since mamas have been telling me I won't be able to read after the baby is born, I have been reading up a storm. I'm trying to get through a (very) long must-read list that I've compiled over the years. It's interesting, because some of the books I wrote down years ago are ones I'm reading and realizing how much I have changed since. For the most part, I would have enjoyed the book years ago but not so much anymore.

One book recommendation I have is The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. I've wanted to read this ever since I finished her collection Interpreter of Maladies, and I'm glad I did. She writes with such a gentle confidence about a first- and second-generation family of Indian immigrants to the U.S. and the subsequent challenge of meshing and blending cultures.

Momma Val sent me a huge box of secondhand baby items, and I just got tears in my eyes when I opened it. Blankets, a baby carrier, nursing tank tops, outlet plugs, baby lotions ... she was (and is) so generous, and it was extra special to me that it was secondhand. Thanks, Val!

In work news, I discovered someone who was very friendly is actually a power-hungry worker with more than enough belief in the status quo of hierarchy. Of course, this wasn't an overnight realization (her constant praising of the Big Boss was the first hint), but a disappointing one nonetheless.

Week 22, and I can feel Fetus moving more frequently now. S/he is getting stronger ... and, if my belly is any indication, bigger. It's getting hard to bend forward now. I'm looking forward to sandals!