They say becoming a parent changes your life. It does and it doesn't. In some ways, you are the same person, but everything else has reoriented around you. It's like the night sky. You are sitting on solid earth, but the stars have shifted around you as you watch. Perhaps the most surprising thing is how quickly it becomes second nature even as it is constantly brand new.

Miss Julia Sunyoung Strom Moon is here! Our little Belly arrived on April 19 at 5:28 p.m., weighing 7 lb. 3 oz. and measuring 21 1/2 inches. Mama and Papa are home, happy and tired ...

Still pregnant. This is a very recalcitrant Belly. If this show doesn't get on the road soon, I will have to start talking to the OB about induction.

40 weeks and 34 years old. My birthday, but not the Belly's after all. Tick tick tick ...

Last day at work before beginning maternity leave. After working full time for over a decade, this will be the longest I've ever gone without punching a clock daily. It's almost as big an adjustment as becoming a parent. Put together, this will be a summer of transforming identity.

Fetal growth measurements ultrasound this morning. 8 lb., 3 oz.! Come on Belly, let's go!

39 weeks. One week from my due date and my birthday.

I just want to go back to bed. No matter how much sleep I get, being this pregnant is physically tiring. If you think about it, though, I am providing life support for a fully grown infant. That'll sap your strength a little bit.

It's amazing what people will pay to not have to do.