So much for my conviction to stick with public transportation through June! I woke up and told Joel, "I can't be heroic any more." The heat index in Philly is supposed to be 105 today, and I could barely walk down the stairs in our house this a.m., my sciatica was so bad. So we will be doing my commute together until I begin maternity leave. Thank God Joel has an academic's flexible schedule!

For the first time in weeks, I actually felt energetic when I arrived at work. The 9-block walk from the train station to my office was more wearing than I'd realized.

I guess this latest loss of autonomy is what Vicki Iovine means in The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy when she talks about "surrendering" to the process of growing a baby.