My Pregnancy: Week 33

Baby's now the size of a pineapple!

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark.  She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening.  The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal.  (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.)  These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as her brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Book Review: Drive

Title: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Author: Daniel H. Pink

Length: 242 pages

Adjectives: Insightful, thought-provoking, motivational

Summary: "When it comes to motivation, there's a gap between what science knows and what most of society does.  Our current societal operating system--which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators--doesn't work and often does harm.  We need an upgrade.  And the science shows the way.  This new approach has three essential elements: (1) Autonomy--the desire to direct our own lives; (2) Mastery--the urge to get better and better at something that matters; and (3) Purpose--the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves."


My thoughts: My educational background is in elementary education and helping motivate kids was always a prime topic of conversation.  Questions such as why some kids are more motivated than others, what types of rewards work and how often rewards should be provided were frequently discussed in team and faculty meetings.  And yet I never felt as though anyone had a solid answer.

The ideas discussed in this book have helped to fill in some of that void.  I am no longer teaching, but I am expecting my first child and wish to incorporate more of "Motivation 3.0" into my life, for the sake of my daughter.  


In Drive, Pink discusses the concept of 20% time--spending 20% of your time working on any project you choose.  Currently, I have little control over what tasks I work on at work.  I have more freedom than some of the employees, but am still highly regulated by processes and procedures.  And, for now, I am okay with this.  I love my job and (usually) don't have any trouble finding ways to motivate myself to get tasks done.

But what about outside of work?  How do I choose to spend my so-called "free" time?  Unfortunately, I am not proud of the honest answer.  I spend far too much of my time vegging in front of the TV or mindlessly surfing the web.  I don't actually do very much.  Sure, every now and then I will get caught up in a project or idea, but these instances are rare and fade quickly.

I'm not saying that relaxation and downtime are evil.  In fact, I believe they are necessities.  But too much can create a sense of unbalance.  And all of the TV shows I watch aren't going to benefit me in any way other than entertainment.

Therefore, my goal is to spend at least 20% of my free time consciously working on and being engaged with a specific project.  The projects may vary in size and scope, and I will most likely be working on multiple projects at once.


Opinion Poll: What drives you?

My Pregnancy: Week 32

Baby's now the size of a jicama!

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus.  You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb.  She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz).  Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Not much to report on this week.  I went to the doctor today and everything still seems to be going right on track.  He did notice that my feet have started to swell a little, but said it wasn't anything to be concerned about.  Just supposed to prop my feet up when I can and lay on my left side when relaxing/sleeping.

The dieting and exercising continues to manage the gestational diabetes and seems to be working great since all of my numbers are within range.  The most frustrating part has been cutting pasta out of my diet.  I love me some fettucini alfredo and have been craving it like no other this week.  I've already made your dad promise that he will get me some from Olive Garden just as soon as possible.   

You continue to hang out in your favorite spot: beneath my right rib cage, making it extremely uncomfortable for me at times.