A first

As promised, here's my first state-line photo. I have a feeling a new tradition has been born!



Enough of that. I have a prenatal massage to get to. ;o)

I'm not a buddha

I had my very first inappropriate belly pat yesterday, after a company meeting.

The offender was a coworker, and as I saw his unwelcome hand drift toward my stomach, I retracted. He patted it twice, anyway. Just then, I reached out to touch his belly, and he did the same thing...pulled back. He gave me this sheepish grin and said, "For good luck."

When did my baby make me a lucky buddha?

Now, I've had lots of people (and all women) ask if they can touch. That is fine. If I'm not up to it, I'll say so. But I haven't said no yet. It's just amazing how some people's manners go right out the window when it comes to pregnant women.

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P.S. During said meeting and for about five minutes, I heard (and I wasn't the only one) the distinct sound of someone clipping their fingernails. I know sometimes our newsroom meetings are boring, but I didn't think it was time to give oneself a manicure! All I could picture afterward were little sprinklings of someone's fingernails all over the carpet at work. Ew. It still doesn't compare to the skin left behind after a since-retired coworker was picking at her bedsores throughout a different meeting, unknowingly leaving a pile of her dead, scaly skin on the floor. Double ew.

Now he's sick

Yup. I passed on my cooties to the ol' hubby.

We sat this morning, drinking Celestial Seasonings' Throat Soothers tea and generally feeling sorry for ourselves. I thought I was all better, but I feel like I've hit the wall again. Guess it's time to buy stock in Kleenex (thank goodness we have about a dozen boxes in the garage, thanks to Sam's Club's bulk packaging)!

In the meantime, enjoy this 27-week photo of my growing waistline. It's no wonder I have heartburn. The baby has settled in where my stomach used to be. I think my stomach now is somewhere near my lungs (which are also being compressed), at least that is what it sounds like when it starts growling at me.

Pictures

Here are the latest, but in the meantime, enjoy this sleepyhead goof I made.

I went to bed sometime after 2 last night, and I forgot to take off my earrings, remembering this fact after I jumped in bed. I took one off, put it on the night stand, and then ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ...

This morning, I saw that one earring was on my night stand, so I started searching frantically on the floor, in the sheets, under the bed. The cat knocked it off. I knocked it off. It's lost. (Mind you, it's not like they were my diamond earrings, but they were still purple and adorable.) After searching for a good couple of minutes, I had an itch on my left ear lobe. My second earring was just where I had left it yesterday. Still attached!

This one is from last week: 24 weeks.



This one is from this morning, 25 weeks, with sleep marks on my tummy and all. And how its possible I look paler is anyone's guess. Has to be the lighting. But the good thing is I got complimented yesterday three times on how I looked like I had gotten some sun. (These people don't know I've been sequestered in air-conditioned environments every chance I get, far away from the hot sun.) Light eggplant, yesterday's sun dress shade, must be my color.

Weekend update

Another weekend at a wedding, another weekend of belly rubs and pats.

Good news, though: I have yet to have a belly-rubber offend me. The word out there is if that comes to pass, I should reach right out and rub the belly of the offender. See if they like it (sadly, they probably would)!

In other news, I wasn't feeling well to end the week. I had lots of cramping, more contractions and decided to take a day off sick Thursday. I couldn't stand up for longer than 20 minutes at a time without feeling the pain, so I stayed home on the couch, knitting another blanket for Junior (this one is a log-cabin throw made of cotton) and watching TV, mostly tennis.

I had to strategically plan my 20-minute bursts with meaningful tasks: bathroom breaks, beverage refills, snack preparation, a little e-mail and sometimes a chore or two (but nothing too serious). I had C. do all the heavy lifting (laundry baskets, ironing board, even watering the flowers and running an errand to REI for los novios), and all without protest (as it should be!).

Luckily, I made it through, rested and ready for my busy weekend.

I can't believe I'm doing this

Since I got pg., I've been trying to "document" my size by taking weekly (but sometimes I forget) self portraits. Here I was at 14 weeks (two months ago):



Mind you, I thought I was getting "big" back then. Now look at me. Here I am at 22 weeks (just a few days back, as confirmed by my ticker):



It's not easy to get all this flesh into the viewfinder any more.

Anyway, stay tuned. I'm sure more humiliating belly shots will be available as the weeks roll on. (And I roll on...)