Is Mr. LIW talented or what? Welcome to my 26-week Belly Shot

Seriously, Mr. LIW could be a professional. He's not entirely satisfied with this picture but I think it is great. We were inspired by work that our wedding photographer did in which once of his former clients asked him to take pictures of her pregnant belly. He was super uncomfortable doing it but the pictures came out amazing. We can't exactly afford to pay the photographer right now so we decided to do it ourselves. What amazes me is how difficult it was to get the lighting right and to obscure the incredibly dark and voluminous veins currently running through my belly. I have never seen so many! At least I can have no doubt that LL is getting the blood he needs to grow. :-)

BTW, every day I have committed to reading and commenting on one or two of your blogs so that I can catch up...... Please don't think that I have forgotten any of you. And I can't be any more grateful that you still read my blog given my recent absence.

As for the job, I do still like it very much. And I continue to feel SO lucky to be here. A couple of the VPs have pulled me aside and told me that they realize that I have an "untraditional PR background" and they are committed to helping me to succeed here. It's been quite a learning experience from every angle. I have never worked for so many people who actually want me to succeed AND offer to help.

At the same time, even "slow" time here is not slow. And a new biz pitch that I was a part of will become an active account as of Aug 1st - making it the 4th that I manage and the 5th overall (I shadow someone who is essentially leaving in August.) It's a long story but I actually froze at one point during the new biz meeting - the CEO was being an asshole about my PR experience and, knowing he had hit my weak spot, I froze under pressure - but the other exec of that company told the head of my company that I was one of the reasons that they chose our firm. He believes we are on the same page with our ideas about pitching the green/environmentally-friendly angle (which I absolutely LOVE to do!) and appreciates both the fact that I have a PhD and the rapport we have. I had assumed the worst (of course!) and even sought out help from the new (and awesome!) EVP (who gave me some great ideas re: how to better pitch my background) and it turned out that the new client mentioned MY name to the absolute top dog here - a guy that, if you know the world of PR and the most prestigious names in the business (he started and then sold the largest PR agency in the world), you can figure him out. Of course, there's no way the top guy is going to remember my name and I have only met him once but it's still quite a perk. From a situation that left me in tears for about 12 hours after I left work that day. Yet another lesson for me and my cataclysmic mind. Difficult situations in which I screw up do not necessarily end in tragedy.

Anyway, the challenge is that...well...there's little time for me to catch my breath. And the 3rd trimester fatigue is starting to set in. Add to that the hour I spend in the middle of almost every night processing my work day. If LL is moving during that hour, I spend time focusing on that, too. I won't lie - I am incredibly nervous about how I will balance this job and being a new mom. Luckily, there's no doubt in my mind that Mr. LIW will be as hands-on as I am with parenting. And I can be flexible with my work schedule if necessary. The problem is that there's always work and it has to be done - and fast. This firm works with fast-moving companies, particularly VC-backed startups, so there is little time for inaction. It's one of the things that I love about working here but it does wear on me sometimes. I am taking one of the two free summer days off that we are given on Monday, which I hope will help. I need a long weekend to try to really unwind.

I have been creating a mental list of pregnancy experiences that I never want to forget and hope to post soon. I know that, if I don't, I will forget nearly all of it. Overall, I have to admit that I truly enjoy pregnancy. I have spent so many years paying careful attention to my body - esp due to IBS - and it is GREAT to pay attention to it for a positive reason for a change. I LOVE feeling LL shift and move and wonder what he is doing in there. The fear is more manageable these days, though I continue to have DBTs. And it is great to gain weight for a good reason and to be able to feel good about it. Having said that, I don't want to minimize the discomfort that I am starting to feel and the thought of growing and becoming increasingly uncomfortable over the next 10 weeks is daunting but I know I can manage it. And, when I really allow myself to dream a bit (which I am doing more and more often), I get SO excited about meeting my son. My Son. It's all so incredible!!