as expected

Technically Christmas lasts until Epiphany on January 8. From what I gather via Facebook, Twitter, and other areas of the internet, however, many people are using this week to dismantle the festive season, and it's true that after two months of DECK THE HALLS!!!! it feels like it might be time to move on. I'm not taking our tree down quite yet though - probably it will be a family affair on Monday. No matter what the liturgical year tells me, however, once the wrapping paper is in the trash and I've put all the toys in their new homes, it feels like Christmas is over.

I have a tempestuous relationship with the post-Christmas season. Last year my January funk lasted pretty much until the Summer of Awesome started in May, and that is completely not acceptable this year. I'd prefer not to go through a month of feeling blah, but if I have to, it had better be limited to a month. Of course, this ennui is now wrapped up in my third trimester, which started on Tuesday.

The dreaded third trimester. It has arrived precisely on schedule. Starting on Tuesday, baby2 has gone from gentle flutters a few times a day to regular thrashing, flailing, and dance-partying. In my favourite pregnancy calendar ever, the author refers to this as a mongoose in a sack. Yep. It's kind of distracting, even while it's cute and fun and a nice reminder. Until now it's actually been pretty easy to forget sometimes, when baby2 is sleeping and I've been doing yoga so my hips don't hurt and I'm distracted by Lucy and festive projects. But no longer! Also on Tuesday, the baby discovered that heshe can manipulate my sciatic nerves somehow, so occasionally I go to stand up and one or both legs don't work. That's really fun. And the scourge of pregnancy, worse than feeling nauseous, worse than shooting pain, worse than LABOUR (if you're me, a doula, who gets all fired up by birth and yes I know I'm really weird) is heartburn. HAAAAAAAAAATE. I am deeply saddened that it appears I'll have to deal with flaming chest of death for three whole months (or more!).

Luckily I have some distractions to help me deal with all this nonsense - Lucy, of course, is a great distraction (although not this week, as we left her at the farm between family festivities - the house is so quiet and empty without her!), all the projects that I put on hold to get my handmade Christmas done, the inevitable "nesting," and a couple of events. Sam is going back to his technology conference in Florida (IN JANUARY the lucky bum) and my mama is coming to stay with me again. That's only two weeks away! Then I have my second doula birth lined up for this winter as well. Then it's my birthday! Yay my birthday. Plus I can wash and sort and obsess over baby gear now that Christmas is over - I wouldn't let myself get started until now because the crazy, I has it. I think you know that by now.

This is already long and rambly and probably not very interesting, and I'm not even going to make it up to you with a bump picture. I know, there are NONE so far and I'm two-thirds through pregnancy. Maybe soonish? If I can get one I find acceptable? I wouldn't hold your breath though.

Since my blog posting record is so poor lately, I'll use this post to wish you a happy new year. Goodbye 2011, hello year of baby2!