Things that bedrest has been good for:

• all of my apps on my iPhone are neatly organized;
• my blood sugar is crazy wonderful right now
• I’m getting caught up (again) in yet another wonderfully awful season of 24

Otherwise, productivity-wise, I have been a slacker, which is just shameful given that my commute to work these days is about 0 minutes, give or take. Shame, shame. I realized that I let a lot of stuff go on bedrest. Let’s look back on how life was.

First, I work from a paper planner. I have tried to get a hang of a digital planner, or using my iPhone’s calendaring tools or any number of free and for-pay software available in the App Store to no avail. I need to write it down or it isn’t real in my brain. My favorite planner thus far, and trust me, I have been through the gamut, is the life planner from ErinCondren.com. It’s wonderful. I’ll have to do a separate post on it, but I love the hell out of it.

I used to write down where I needed to be or where the kids needed to be on any given day. This is what my planner looked like then.

My main problem was that NOTHING tangible was getting done. I’d answer email, I’d take care of a few things here or there, but I had no record or plan of action on how I was going to spend my time. So I decided to follow the wise advice of two people in my life: the first, my outside committee member, who recommended that I do my research and all ME-related items during the day, and my grading and email and the like at night. This was brilliant. I saw a change nearly immediately in terms of what I was able to accomplish.

The second was from a former photography client-turned friend (I love how that happens!), whose daughter Molly happened to be in the same daycare class as Lindsey, and who herself was in the same PhD program (albeit further along) as Josh. This is what Catherine wrote. And knowing that I had a hard time with external apps and programs, I decided to use the voluminous space to write down which specific items I needed to do in these time blocks I allotted myself.

Not sure how well you can see my very high-tech cameraphone images, but for instance, I’ve written down that on Mondays until 11, I do class prep. This includes finalizing slides, answering emails, etc. On Tuesday morning, I’ve allotted 3 hours to do research for a paper I need to write. In the afternoon I’ve allotted some time to write an initial draft of said paper. This is mostly in pencil, so I can change things up as I get along. That was the week I went to Vancouver for a conference, so I wrote down session times so I could get a feel for how my day was going to shape up.

Having my to-do list, even if it’s just for big ticket items, embedded in my daily planner was a lifesaver. I had focus and direction, two things I desperately needed. As a result, I managed to bang out all three of my prelim statement drafts well before spring break, plus this journal article, plus manage a 39 student class with assignments due pretty much every other week, plus manage the random activities and such going along with being a mom to two active kiddos.

Then I got sidelined with bed rest. Here’s what my planner looked like afterward:

All those empty blocks of space. I did a few things of note, but nothing impressive enough to write home about. So today, I said “fuck it” (yes, I did, and yes, I use colorful metaphors often!) and got a LOT more specific for this upcoming week. This, I’m hoping, snaps me out of my funk I’ve had since being on bedrest about being so stranded at home and trapped. Mind over matter, right? Something like that. Might as well make the most of my time and be productive, since with the way the baby is growing (LIKE GANGBUSTERS, HOORAY!), I am likely here for the long haul. I hope at least until I’m 30 weeks along. So I went nuts this week and wrote down everything I need to do.

Things I need to knock out on Monday: large swathes of grading. Tuesday I need to review and provide feedback on three papers for the class I’m taking, Wednesday I need to get blood work done; Thursday, start working on revisions for my prelim statements as well as research 5 journal articles that will help me in my prelim exam preparation. There’s a t-ball game Thursday night, my weekly BPP check with DR. Hume, and more t-ball on Saturday, plus gymnastics for the kiddos.

I feel better now just going into next week with a game plan instead of the “feel sorry for myself and mope around” game plan, which is unproductive and just a pain in the ass, really.

One other thing I ganked from Catherine’s blog is the weekly pregnancy update she adds into her blog posts, so here is mine!

Also, a gratuitous belly shot from 27 weeks. For a baby who is abnormally small, he sure is taking up a lot of space and is quite comfortable in there, especially judging by the way he’s kicking the bejeezus out of my bladder.

How far along? 28 weeks, 2 days. Third trimester.
Total weight gain/loss? Down about five pounds. Bedrest must be agreeing with me.
Stretch marks? My stretch marks have stretch marks.
Sleep? Ha. Maybe my body is preparing me for the joys of sleepless nights with newborns, but mostly allergy season has hit the YuBurs. It’s noisy in bed.
Best moment this week? An absolutely uneventful biophysical profile check with the maternal fetal medicine obstetrician. I love boring visits.
Movement? Baby Paper is dancing on my bladder. OY!
Food cravings? Strawberries and grapes. I need to ask Josh to pick up some grapes tomorrow. DYING FOR SOME GRAPES.
Sex? Still a boy. Despite his first shyness in displaying his body parts, every visit afterward Baby Paper has been proudly displaying his goods for all to see.
Belly button in or out? In!
What I miss: FREEDOM. Sigh.
What I am looking forward to: The end of the semester is nigh!
Weekly wisdom: Bedrest to keep your blood pressure down is ineffective when the Internet pisses you off.
Milestones: I’ve made it to the third trimester! And now, the next milestone is 30 weeks. Hoping I make it to full-term.

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