A Week In Chicago, IL, On Medical Leave

Occupation: Flight Attendant
Industry: Transportation
Age: 28
Location: Chicago, IL
Salary: $0 (Note about my salary: I'm on medical leave due to pregnancy. I made it to *almost* my third trimester before making the decision with my doctor that I couldn't continue. It's been a weird and tough transition to not be working, but I only have five weeks to go! After birth, I will be paid my base salary for 10 weeks, which will be ~$8,500 total gross pay. Significantly less than I used to making because I always flew high above my base salary, but flying less is probably our new reality due to childcare issues.)
Husband's Salary: $100,000
Husband's Occupation: Operating Engineer
Husband's Paycheck (1x/week): $1,200 net, plus overtime (usually about an extra $600/paycheck)
Husband's Gender Identity: Man
My Gender Identity: Woman

Monthly Expenses
Mortgage: $2,422 (includes insurance and property taxes for our condo and deeded parking space)
Student Loans: $155 (I have less than $9,000 left. I'll go back to overpaying them when I start working again.)
HOA: $368 (includes water, trash, gym, snow removal)
401(k): 10% of my paycheck with 5% company contribution and 3.5% match. (Right now I'm not contributing anything, but I will start again once I start working.)
Gas: $81
Electricity: $150
Health Insurance: $167.33/month (I only have two more of these payments before I will join my husband's insurance that is paid for out of his union dues)
Cell Phone: $241.51 (includes some ill-advised purchases my husband made in the past, Apple TV+ and Hulu)
Internet/Cable: $118
Netflix: $17.13 (basically everyone I know uses it..)
HBO/Showtime: $0 (thanks mom and dad!)

4 a.m. — The alarm goes off and I want to die a little I'm so tired. My husband, O., gets up and I hear my friend, E., already moving around. She was in town this past weekend for my baby shower, and I'm sad to see the weekend end. O. offered last night to drive her to the airport, which is so nice and unexpected! I had already coordinated with E. that she would take an Uber since I don't have a car, but my heart melted when O. just offered out of the blue to take her before he goes to work.

5:45 a.m. — I did not go back to sleep after O. and E. left. I'm so tired, but pregnancy insomnia is real. I want to take a bath so badly, but I also just want to be able to go back to sleep. UGH! I scroll through some Money Diaries and HerMoney articles. I try to lay as still as possible in bed so as not to wake my pup. She's snoring soundly and she'll be a raging maniac tonight if I feed her too early this morning. The vet politely called her “food motivated,” and... yup, she sure is!

6 a.m. — I quietly turn on The Office and go grab a yogurt from the fridge. I'm still hoping I can fall back asleep. The pup is still snoring, and the baby is kicking and rolling around from the yogurt.

9 a.m. — THANK GOD I fall asleep at some point. I wake up a little disoriented from some crazy dreams — thanks pregnancy hormones! I check my phone and see a voicemail from my short-term disability claims manager. She tells me my claim has been APPROVED! This is amazing news!! I've been out of work for two months now, and the claims process was moving slowly. O. and I adjusted our spending to live on his paycheck alone, but we've had to dip into our savings account a couple of times for unexpected expenses. This approval means we'll be able to put all that into savings and feel like we can breathe a little again!

9:30 a.m. — The pup, T., finally wakes up, stretches, and begins licking my face. I feed her and take her outside to do her business. When we get back, she insists on her “after walk snack” which is an insane thing we accidentally taught her. I give her a baby carrot. I make myself a cup of decaf with a splash of coconut milk creamer that my mom left in the fridge from this past weekend. I didn't drink any coffee my first trimester, which wasn't a huge sacrifice because I felt so nauseous, but once my second trimester started and I felt a lot better, I switched to decaf in the morning as a little treat for myself. I slice some of the cranberry walnut loaf I bought for our guests this weekend. I sit down on the couch and put on Friends on TBS.

11 a.m. — At some point, I eat a lot more of the cranberry walnut loaf and start some laundry. I get easily distracted by sorting and folding baby clothes and work on other organizing in the nursery. Babies have so much stuff!

2 p.m. — I stop organizing to have a bowl of cereal and I decide it's time for my long-coveted bath. I light a candle and use a bath bomb I got for Christmas. Let's be honest: all that's missing is a big glass of red wine.

4 p.m. — O. gets home from work earlier than expected and I'm cooking some bacon that's about to go bad in our fridge. We'll eat it later in the week. He showers and gets dressed and we head off to the grocery store. We decide to celebrate my short term disability win by treating ourselves to Thai food for dinner. When we had two incomes, we ate out SO much, but we've been very strict with ourselves now and it feels nice to have this to celebrate. At the grocery store, we get WAY more than usual get as we're out of a lot of pantry staples (cereal, spices, granola bars). We still get our weekly roundup (lunch meat, bread, milk, yogurt, fruit) and things for dinner this week (salad mix, sweet potato breakfast bowl ingredients, hangar steak, and chicken wings) ($137.56). While at the grocery store, O. calls in our Thai order ($55.58) so we can pick it up on the way home. The irony of ordering take out at the grocery store is not lost on me. $193.14

6:30 p.m. — We get home, unload the groceries, feed T., and settle on the couch with take out. We turn on an episode of Lost. I convinced O. to rewatch the series with me when I saw it was on Hulu! Both of us watched it when it was on ABC, but we apparently both grew bored with it and didn't finish it. It definitely has flaws, but binging it makes it so much better since you can follow the storyline easier.

8 p.m. — Time for bed! Kitchen is clean, O.'s lunch is made for tomorrow, and T. has been walked. I brush my teeth and then brush T.'s teeth with her disgusting beef-flavored mint scented toothpaste that she loves. O. and I talk for a bit about our days and have sex before we both fall deeply asleep.

6 a.m. — I had THE CRAZIEST dreams again last night and I wake up feeling very confused. I toss and turn in bed while O. is getting dressed and ready, but I eventually get up, make myself a cup of decaf with a splash of coconut milk creamer, and feed T. I get back into bed with my cup of coffee and I scroll theSkimm and Apple News on my phone until it's time to take T. outside. I eat a yogurt for breakfast and then get ready for my doctor appointment.

8:30 a.m. — I don't have a car, so I take the bus to the doctor's office. It takes about 40 minutes, but I don't mind. It's $2.25 for a bus ride and $0.25 for the ride back, but I have an autoload of $20 so I don't have to pay right now. I listen to the Office Ladies podcast on the way. My sister recommended it to me this past weekend and I'm loving it so far! I almost throw up on the bus (pregnancy motion sickness is my life) but somehow I hold it together.

10 a.m. — I talk to O. on the bus ride back and fill him in on things the doctor told me. I make a bowl of oatmeal with honey, almonds, and blackberries. I turn on The Morning Show on Apple TV+.

12 p.m. — All the gifts from my baby shower are finally out of the living room and I feel so accomplished! I'm exhausted now and hungry. I lay down on the couch and talk on the phone with my mom for a bit. There was some ~DRAMA~ at the shower with my mother-in-law and it's nice to laugh about it with my mom because it didn't involve us at all. She's leaving tomorrow to go visit her dad, who has moved to hospice care. It's an emotionally complicated situation and I'm a little sad I wasn't invited to go with her (my sister is going) but I'll be 35 weeks pregnant this week and I know logically I shouldn't be traveling. We hang up and I play another episode of The Morning Show. I contemplate what I want for lunch. Being pregnant is being hungry for everything and wanting to eat nothing. I settle for some leftover Trader Joe's fried rice from last week. I eat lunch and cuddle with T. on the couch.

1 p.m. — I'm involved in a class action lawsuit and I have a phone call with my lawyer tomorrow. I print out the form they've emailed me (it's a lot of pages!!) and fill out everything I can without the lawyers help so the phone call will go quickly tomorrow.

3 p.m. — I really don't feel good, which is something I talked to my doctor about this morning. I quickly fold the laundry that I poured on the bed earlier and try not to throw up. I turn on The Office and climb into bed with a large bottle of water. Why does it seem like every pregnancy symptom can be lessened by just drinking more water?

4:30 p.m. — O. gets home from work and I still don't feel good. I suck on a Preggie Pop and hope it will do its magic. Eventually, I drag myself out of bed and get ready to go to a newborn class at our pediatricians.

5:30 p.m. — We get on the bus. It's $5 total for the round trip for both of us, but again it's on a autoloaded prepaid card. The doctor's office is only 12 blocks away and honestly, we'd normally walk but both of us are so pathetic tonight.

7 p.m. — On our way home from class! It was interesting and it makes me happy to see O. enjoyed it. He's going to have to be 100% in charge when I'm working and gone overnight, so it's really important to me that he takes this stuff seriously — and he does! We get home and feed T., who is less than thrilled to have had to wait so long for dinner. I make O.'s lunch for tomorrow, while he takes T. out. When he gets back, he heats up yesterday's Thai leftovers for dinner and turns on an episode of Lost. I feel funky and don't know if I have an appetite for anything, but I also know I could feel funky because I need to eat. I have a bowl of rice Chex and the blandness of it really hits the spot. I also make a glass of chocolate milk. Once we finish eating, we move to the bed to finish the episode because I am so sleepy. Lights out before 9 because we're old and pathetic. I toss and turn for a while and fall asleep at 11.

6 a.m. — O.'s alarm goes off and he gets ready for work. I usually get up with him, especially since he's getting up later than usual this week. But today I really don't want to and I can tell I need the sleep because I fall right back asleep.

9 a.m. — I'm up! I can't believe T. let me sleep that long. I really think dogs can sense pregnancy because she would have *never* let me sleep this late a year ago. As I wake up, she comes to lick my face. I get up and feed her breakfast. I see a text from my dad asking me to read over a cover letter for him. He lost his job about four months ago and it's been so hard for everyone. I hate seeing him struggle. I make a cup of decaf with a splash of the coconut milk creamer and a bowl of oatmeal with cinnamon, honey, almonds, and blackberries. I eat a couple of peppermint cookies while waiting for my coffee. I turn on Live with Kelly and Ryan.

10 a.m. — I take T. on a walk. When we get back, I go through my filing cabinet and find the info I was missing for the lawyer. I'm nervous about this call and I'm not sure why. I get everything together and start up my laptop just in case I need it. Both O. and I have jobs that require zero computer usage, so it's comical how little we use it compared to everyone else we know. While getting my laptop out, I come across these “belly buds” my aunt got me. You stick them to your stomach and can play music for the baby. I haven't used them yet because it seems silly, but why not? I plug them into my phone and debate what is appropriate to play. I put on the "Strange Desires" album by The Bleachers. The song from our first dance at our wedding is on this album and it's really one of my favorites. The baby starts kicking and rolling around and I'm taking that as a good sign?

1 p.m. — I get off the call with the lawyer and I feel DRAINED. It's so hard to relive everything answering all these questions. I heat up my Thai leftovers from the other day and turn on You on Netflix.

2 p.m. — I'm trying to avoid the inevitable nausea and heartburn so I clean the kitchen and vacuum. Being active definitely helps digestion. I take the trash out and go on a walk with T. The call with the lawyer really made me feel more emotional than I thought it would. When we get back from our walk, I take a shower and try to wash off my funk.

4:30 p.m. — O. gets home from work and he looks and sounds horrible. He takes a steaming hot shower and a nap. I‘m working on enrolling myself and the new baby in his healthcare plan. The baby is due at the end of February and his plan starts on the first of March. I will deliver under my insurance and a week later be on his. I feel like this is a huge waste of the deductible, but at least we won't keep having to pay out of pocket for my insurance. While I'm on a deep dive into his work website, I list myself as his beneficiary for life insurance, pension, bonuses, etc. It should've been done a long time ago, but I'm not great at staying on top of things like this. While I'm at it, I add O. as my beneficiary for my work stuff.

5:30 p.m. — O. wakes up from his nap and starts dinner. We catch up on our days and talk through the health insurance options. We eat hangar steak, garlic bread, and peas and carrots for dinner. It's delicious. We turn on an episode of Lost and when it's over O. takes T. for a walk while I make O.'s lunch for tomorrow and clean up the dinner dishes.

8 p.m. — We get into bed after I've brushed my and T.'s teeth. We turn on an episode of Lost and halfway through I get a bowl of chocolate peanut butter cheerios. After-dinner cereal is my favorite treat. After the episode, we attempt to go to sleep, but the baby is kicking so much. We realize neither of us are ready to go to sleep, so we have sex. O. falls asleep afterward and I try to sleep, but I end up turning on The Office. I fall asleep around 11.

5:30 a.m. — O. gets up for work and leaves shortly after. I have every intention of waking up with him to start my day, but to be honest I barely remember him leaving.

7 a.m. — I wake up to T. licking my face and I'm happy to get a few minutes of cuddles with her. Why is she so dang cute?! I feed her breakfast and I lay back down in bed to read my regular sweep of news. I start feeling overwhelmed by everything. My life looked so insanely different before I got pregnant. I was very active (I ran my first half marathon about two weeks before I got pregnant) and I was rarely home more than three nights a week. It's been a huge adjustment and some days I'm really hard on myself that I'm not doing enough or being enough. It's hard not to feel lost every now and then. I try to focus on how truly lucky I am to have this time at home to get ready for the baby, but it's hard not to mourn my “old” life.

9 a.m. — I turn on This is Us and eat a yogurt. I make a decaf coffee and give in to eating a peppermint cookie. I cuddle with T. on the couch before taking her outside.

10 a.m. — The baby has definitely turned and is kicking me in my ribs and lungs, which makes sitting very painful. I go to the gym in my building and turn on an episode of Armchair Expert podcast. I commit to myself that I'll walk five miles. I definitely power walk a little too hard and after one mile, I've peed my pants a little and my lower abdomen hurts and I just don't want to be here anymore. I feel so defeated.

11 a.m. — I decide to take a bath. I have annoying cramping in my lower abdomen, so I drink more water and hope a good soak will help. I start reading Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur, but ultimately only read a chapter before getting distracted by my phone.

12:30 p.m. — I'm in such a funk and I don't know why. Maybe because I peed my pants at the gym? O. calls to tell me that he just realized I'll be able to use the breastfeeding room at the baseball games this summer. We go to a lot of games, but this is so random and it makes me laugh. He tells me he's really bored at work and we talk for only a few minutes, but I laugh a lot, which helps get me out of my funk. I get out of my bath and make myself a quesadilla and a bowl of oatmeal for lunch.

2 p.m. — I take T. to the park a couple of blocks away from my house and she's in heaven.

3 p.m. — I curl up in bed to keep reading Wild Game, but my eyes are getting heavier and heavier. I give in and turn on The Office to take a nap, but before I can fall asleep, O. comes home. He takes a shower while I talk to him from our bed. After, he gets into bed with me and we turn on an episode of Lost, because why not! We're adults and we can watch TV in bed at 4pm if we want to! After the episode, we have sex. Because also, why not!

5:30 p.m. — O. is pulling together dinner — a salad mix with the steak leftovers from last night and some bacon from earlier this week. I call my sister back who called me while we were watching Lost. She's crying at the hospital with my mom and my grandpa. My grandpa isn't easy to get along with and she is an extreme empath as well, so his mood really effects her. I think I cheer her up on the phone and she's laughing by the end of the phone call so I feel accomplished. She offhandedly mentions that my dad went to the doctor today too and was diagnosed with a constrictive lung disease. Uhm what? Definitely going to call him tomorrow.

6:30 p.m. — I feed T., and O. and I sit down to eat dinner and watch Lost. The episode ends and O. takes T. for a walk while I make his lunch for tomorrow.

8 p.m. — We watch one more episode in bed because it ended on a cliffhanger and we can't wait. I eat a bowl of after-dinner cereal in bed because of course I do. Lights out around 9.

5:30 a.m. — O.'s alarm goes off and WOW! I was having some crazy dreams. I talk to him while he gets ready for work and once he leaves, I feed T. and make a cup of decaf for myself. I check my email and see a notification from Netflix that my account was signed in on a new device last night. The location doesn't match anybody I know. I log in to Netflix and it seems like it might be my sister? But would they really get her location that wrong? I text her about it, but it's 4 a.m. where she is so I don't expect to hear back soon. I get back into bed and read some Wild Game.

8 a.m. — I literally drag myself out of bed. I'm feeling super, super nauseous so I make a whole grain English muffin with butter and cherry jam. I need to go get my driver's license with my new last name, so I need to get it together. I wash my face and put on enough makeup to take a decent picture. I still want to throw up and I don't want to get on the bus like this. I make a small bowl of cereal and drink lots of water. I get dressed and take T. on a walk. I really wanted to get to the DMV office by 9, but that's not going to happen clearly. Oh well! I'm not worried about it because they AMAZINGLY have a special line for pregnant ladies and senior citizens. After our walk, I take the bus there ($2.25 prepaid).

10 a.m. — THAT WAS SO QUICK! I'm really thankful they have a line for pregnant ladies! $5 for the license. I take the bus home ($0.25 on prepaid card) and check in with my dad. After asking lots of questions, it seems like everything is ok. $5

11 a.m. — I get home and cuddle with T. who hasn't moved from the bed since I left. I make a smoothie with mango, strawberry, and some plain yogurt.

11:30 a.m. — I put on The Good Place and am excited I have two episodes to watch. I start writing my thank you cards for baby shower gifts. I try really hard to write personal cards with a blurb about each gift because I'm so grateful for everyone's generosity and thoughtfulness.

1:30 p.m. — I take a break because my sister calls me to vent about everything going on with my mom, uncles, and my grandpa. To be honest, I'm just sad/jealous I'm not there and I almost start crying. I wish I could pinpoint why it's making me so emotional, but it's probably a combo of pregnancy hormones, feeling trapped here because I can't go there to help, and just wanting to give my mom and my sister a hug for having to deal with all this.

2 p.m. — I put on a new episode of Catfish (guilty pleasure!) and get back to thank you cards.

3:15 p.m. — O. gets home super early from work right as it starts to snow. He stopped at the gas station on the way home ($23.88). We talk for a bit and then I get back to my thank you cards and he takes a shower and then a nap. I take a break from writing and start dinner. We're having sweet potato breakfast bowls, so I start cubing and boiling the sweet potatoes before I put them in the oven to roast. I realize I never took the ground sausage out of the freezer UGH but it's okay we'll just use the bacon from earlier this week instead. $23.88

4:30 p.m. — Holy cow I'm finally done with the thank you cards! O. is still sleeping and it's really snowing now. So happy I don't have anywhere to be tonight! I don't have enough stamps for all the cards right now. I'll try to remember to buy some tomorrow, but most likely I'll send them out early next week.

5 p.m. — Dinner is finishing up as O. wakes up. He takes T. for a walk and then he takes over cooking (again, he likes cooking — I do not) We turn on the Aaron Hernandez documentary on Netflix and watch two episodes — woah!

8:30 p.m. — O. takes T. for another walk and I clean the kitchen and load the dishwasher. I get ready for bed and brush my teeth and then T.'s when she gets back. I make some hot chocolate and get in bed. We watch a couple of episodes of Lost and have sex at some point between episodes. EXHAUSTED and asleep by 11.

6:30 a.m. — Literally all I wanted was to sleep in today, but T. is already licking O.'s face and I guess we're getting up. O. makes himself breakfast but eggs sound horrible to me right now, so I just have some yogurt and a Luna bar. We move to the couch and watch another episode of Lost.

10 a.m. — My grandma calls me and ugh! I just love talking to her! She asks a bunch of questions about the baby and tells me about her sister's granddaughter who is also pregnant. I could talk to her forever, but I can tell she's having a hard time hearing me so we say goodbye. My grandma is 86 and literally the best person I know. She even does yoga three days a week!

12:30 p.m. — O. heads to the grocery store to pick up the snacks he didn't get on the way home from work yesterday. He gets chips, things to make pizza, and stuff for French toast in the morning ($63.24). O. is the worst at grocery shopping by himself, so I'm not surprised the total is so high, but it's also cute how fun and special he wants to make the night with his cousin! I shower while he's at the store. $63.24

1:30 p.m. — We take T. to the park by our house. She is so happy because it snowed and she runs in crazy circles. Why is she so cute?! By the time we get home, O.'s cousins should be here any minute. O. takes a shower and I read Wild Game until they get here.

2:30 p.m. — They're here! My throat is killing me so I make a cup of tea. O.'s cousins hang out and talk for a bit before heading out and leaving their son, L., here for the night. O. and L. start playing video games and I read Wild Game. O. takes T. out for a walk at some point. My mom calls to fill me on her visit with my grandpa. It is such a mess. My mom mentions offhandedly that I won't be able to come to his services since he's expected to die very soon, and I know she's right since I can't travel until I give birth, but I still get emotional about it. I'm not used to feeling “stuck” somewhere. I've hopped on a plane at the drop of a hat for a whole lot less!

5:30 p.m. — L. is still playing video games and now talking with his friends online. I'm 100% eavesdropping and his conversations are making me laugh. O. starts making pizzas. They turn out so tasty! I buy tickets for us to go see a movie tonight. I haven't been to a movie in FOREVER and definitely not on a Saturday night so I'm blown away by how much the tickets are. I feed T. and take her out for a very short walk because it's very cold. $47.37

7:30 p.m. — We're on our way to the movie. We decided to drive because of the weather and because L. is not used to taking public transportation. Parking will probably be as much as the bus there and back for all three of us, so it's a wash even though it feels more extravagant to me. We get to the theater right when the movie is starting and the theater is so packed! O. and L. want to get snacks but the line is so long so they decide against it. I packed some candy for them in my purse and I have my bottle of water so I don't mind bypassing the concessions. We have to sit in the second row and wow! It's close! We all get a good laugh about it.

10:30 p.m. — The movie gets out and L. can't stop talking about how much he liked it. It was pretty good, but mostly I'm so happy he enjoyed it! He still wants an Icee so we get him one on the way out ($7). Parking turns out to be $11. It's an expensive night, but I'm glad L. had fun! $18

10:45 p.m. — We get home and T. is so confused she gets in her “spot” to be fed dinner. I convince her that she already ate and I put on some sweatpants. L. immediately gets on his Xbox and starts talking to his friends about the movie. At one point, I hear him say, “my cousin is so cool!” It makes me really happy he's enjoying himself! T. curls up in bed with me and I read Wild Game, while O. plays more video games with L.

12 a.m. — O. and I go to bed and L. stays up playing video games for another hour or so.

6 a.m. — I wake up after a horrific dream and I have to pee. I just want to get back into bed and have O. cuddle me, but when I look down in the toilet there's bright red blood. Naturally, I freak out. I tend to want to ignore things, but I know I can't ignore blood. I call the doctor on call and she says it's pretty normal, unless I'm in pain or are bleeding steadily. I feel better after talking with her, but I wake up O. to tell him all this because I'm still obviously freaked out. He definitely does not want to be awake, but he does a good job of calming me down and cuddling with me. Eventually, I manage to fall back asleep.

7:30 a.m. — I wake up because I hear L. turn his Xbox on. I laugh. Oh, to be 13 again! I wake O. up to tell him L. is awake and I go make myself a cup of decaf. O. gets up and makes French toast for us. I text my sister and my mom about my bleeding this morning. Both make me feel better. L. keeps playing video games with his friends after breakfast and O. takes T. for a walk.

9 a.m. — I decide to pack my hospital bag after the scare this morning. I go through my work suitcase and pull all my makeup, face wash, and lotions from there. In packing cubes, I separate my clothes, O.'s clothes, and an outfit for baby. I make a list of things I'll need to put in at the last minute — iPad, book (as If I'll have time for read!), toothbrushes, etc. While packing, I start doing the laundry too since our dirty clothes basket is overflowing.

12 p.m. — L.'s parents show up and we all hang out for a bit. They offer to babysit the baby as a thank you and I won't say no that! After they leave, O. and I watch an episode of Lost and take a 20-minute power nap. During Lost, I eat a bowl of cereal for lunch. I'm still nervous about my morning start and I keep googling all of my symptoms. My sister advises against Dr. Google but I can't help myself!

2 p.m. — O. and I do our weekly grocery shopping. I planned on keeping the shopping to a minimum, but at the grocery store, I completely lose all sense of purpose! I get things we don't need (ice cream) and get twice as much meat as I need for the week since it's on sale. We get salad mix, cheese, French baguette, tomato sauce. And our regular haul of lunch meat, yogurt, milk, and bread. On the way home, we hear on the radio the song that O. sang at his cousin's funeral a couple of months ago. We've NEVER heard it on the radio so it feels like a sign of something. We're naming the baby after him, so maybe it's a sign the baby is coming soon???? O. and I laugh about how superstitious I can be. $90.48

3:30 p.m. — UGH I'm so uncomfortable! The baby is moving around A TON and I feel so much pressure in my lower abdomen. I'm not cramping like I was earlier, though, and that's definitely a blessing. My mom said she needs to talk to me about her travel plans to go back to my grandpa's so I watch the NFL playoff game and wait for her to call me back. I eat some leftover pizza from last night.

5 p.m. — Haven't heard back from my mom, but I'm starting to feel better after relaxing on the couch. My cold has really hit hard, though, and my nose is so stuffy now. O. takes T. to go meet up with friends for a bit and I take a bath.

6:30 p.m. — O. makes the dinner that I picked out at the grocery store. It's so pathetic, but it's what I was craving: Caprese salad, French baguette slices, and some cheese slices. I'm very happy! Of course we turn on Lost while we munch on this spread.

8 p.m. — I clean the kitchen while O. takes T. for a walk. I also make O.'s lunch for tomorrow. I brush my teeth and then brush T.'s when she gets back. We get into bed and watch another episode of Lost. The doctor advised against having sex until my next appointment in a couple of days, so O. and I commiserate together before falling asleep. I'm hoping for no scary surprises tomorrow morning!