Forgot to mention, Tom has a business trip (just for the day) in New York on Thursday. Just thought some of you might want to figure that into your baby pool bets. ;) Don't worry, he said he'd cancel it if there is actually any progress when I go to the doctor on Wednesday. But it would figure, I'll probably go into labor the day he is a three hour train ride away and he'll miss the birth of his...(almost typed a censored pronoun there) child.

A couple weeks ago, my husband had to go meet with a client who owns an assisted living facility here in town. It's one of those places where there are different levels of care from independent living all the way through nursing home care.

Apparently, the independent living folks have to push a button every morning by 11a.m. so the staff knows they haven't fallen or died overnight. (I know it's sort of sad, yet amusing at the same time, isn't it?) When he told me the story, I called it the "I'm not dead button".

In a similar vein, I realized I probably need to post something every day so you all know I haven't gone into labor yet. We'll call it the "I'm still pregnant" post.

So there you have it. I'm still pregnant. Going to go about my day now. ;)

This crampy thing is annoying because I know it's most likely not getting me anywhere, at least not anytime soon. Were any of you just "period" crampy anywhere near the time you actually went into labor? With Ben it started at 36 weeks and teased me until I was induced (a month later). Anyone want to give me hope?

**update** I had five (painful, not just tightning) contractions during church... they were about ten minutes apart. I couldn't tell you what the sermon was about because I was too busy watching my belly and waiting for the next one to come. So, just when I was thinking maybe getting checked at L&D (which is conveniently right next door to the church) would be a good idea, they completely stopped. D'oh. Tom just laughed at me. Though we never went to the hospital only to get sent home last time around, I did cry wolf a few times with plenty of regular contractions before my due date. Argh.

I am full-term today!!! If I didn't have a 7-pound basketball hanging off my abdomen, I might jump up and down to celebrate!



Now comes the annoying waiting patiently for something to happen... or the green light from the doctor to go get hooked up to the baby eviction drip. ;)

No, not me, my husband.

He is practically having anxiety attacks over the sleepless nights that are bearing down on us. It's a HUNDRED times worse this time because he knows what to expect. I keep telling him it's going to better this time because we know a few tricks... also, Too could be a completely different baby. (Ben was pretty hard on us in the sleep department for quite some time.)

The man needs his sleep, I know this. But I really do think we're going to have an easier time of the whole thing this time around...he's not buying it. Poor guy. :( He was pretty ecstatic when I told him he didn't have to stay in the hospital...so at least he'll be nice and refreshed for when we bring Too home.

I'm starting to feel like he's missing out on some of the excitement of having a new baby already because he's so worried and full of dread about what's coming! It's kind of sad. I kind of liked it better when we were both oblivious to how it was going to be the first few weeks/months. :(

I remember just as well as he does how hard it was... but for some reason, I'm not really thinking about it yet. Maybe it's because at the moment, trading some sleep for no more heartburn and puking sounds like a fair deal. I may be singing a different tune in a couple of weeks.

Why is it so hard to find one of those little cheapie "It's a ____" yard signs anywhere?!

I went to three stores, a baby/wedding/party store, a flower shop and the dollar store and NADA. The lady at the flower shop gave me a card for one of the services that puts a giant stork on your front lawn, but I'm thinking I'm not digging the idea of a giant stork on my postage stamp of a lawn.

Have any of you run into these in your travels?

1) How would you feel if a niece or nephew (whom you will see often) were to be born on your birthday? Would you think it was kinda cool? Or would you be annoyed to share your day?

2) How would you feel if a niece or nephew were born on the day BEFORE your birthday? If you were annoyed by #1, would bumping it back ONE day make it any better? (seeing as, they way our family birthdays go, they'd still wind up sharing celebrations most years)

3) Those of you who are pregnant, are your husbands planning on staying overnight with you in the hospital this time? I cut Tom loose this time around because a) he's basically worthless and really grumpy without decent sleep and b) I felt so sorry for him last time having to sleep on that "guest bed" thing that is essentially a glorified window seat. So I've just been polling around to see what everyone else did/is doing.

Didn't gain any weight - Yay!
Had a Strep-B culture - Boo!
No high blood pressure - Yay!
No dilation - Boo!
BUT... "low and very soft!" - Yay!
Baby head down still - Yay!


My B.O.B. (Big Ol' Belly) measured 35-1/2 weeks, so a week behind. No clue what that means, if anything at all.

And, I saved the most exciting part for last... she would be HAPPY to induce me if I want to do that. So, that's something to think about. I won't share the potential induction dates (that is, if I even choose to go that route or don't go into labor before then) though because that really wouldn't be fair to the baby pools out there. :) Tom is very much against it for some reason. But frankly, I am not really even considering his opinion in the matter since he is not the one throwing up every day or waking up to all-night heartburn. :P (Nor is he the one who has to make all the plans for the Original Baby Human.)

The girls in the neighborhood have this wonderful little tradition of having diaper showers for whoever is on deck to have a baby. Last night, they treated me to dinner at a place near our houses and everyone brought a different size pack of diapers. They also all chipped in money to put in the card. How sweet is that? It was so nice to get out for an evening too. They are such a great group of people and I'm still wondering how I managed to go five years without really talking to any of them. My bad! ;)

Anyway, one of the topics of conversation last night was about how your firstborn "baby" reacts to visiting the hospital... I left feeling a little concerned about how that is going to go. But we'll see. We also talked about how you worry more about them and how they are feeling than the actual "having a baby" part. So far, so true. Does anyone else have stories to tell me on this topic? The two I heard last night made me cry, so any stories about how your firstborn bounded into the room laughing and smiling and left in the same condition, not at all affected by seeing mommy in a hospital bed would be VERY much welcomed. ;)

I'm so bad at knowing these things. People told me I dropped with Benjamin at 34 weeks and I never noticed it. Then I look at that 36-week pic in the other post and wonder if he ever dropped at all!

I do know that the heartburn has been a *little* better for the last couple of days and I'm not throwing up as much, which has been a nice change!

Here's the pic. Sorry it came out blurry. That happens a lot. It's hard to hold the camera completely still when I also have to be the one to push the shutter and "pose" at the same time. ;) I can never tell they are blurry until I go to upload them. :(

Hey look! You can see my hospital bag in the background. And the cat. Hi cat.


Also, for what it's worth, I had cramping ALL night last night. Not regular contrations, just cramps. What does THAT mean? Anyone? I don't really remember having cramping with Ben until my doctor did that horrible, awful, no good, very bad, painful membrane stripping move when I was 39 weeks.

Three people today have looked at me with complete shock when they saw my belly, including two neighbors who saw me just YESTERDAY. The other one was my Target cashier who said something delightful like, "Oh WOW... that baby has GROWN a LOT since the last time I saw you!!" (three days ago) Oh, and my mom said I look like a Weeble. The neighbors think I dropped... I really don't know what the deal is, but I do feel huge. I'll have to take a picture so you can register your opinions...

My mom is going away for a week. What week you ask? Why, the first week of May of course! (a.k.a. Week 37-38). Yes, I know, brilliant plan, isn't it? Is she not just daring my water to break while she's gone? She'll only be a 2-1/2 hour drive away, but still. Needless to say, I will NOT be eating eggplant parm that week.

Thankfully, Ben's godmother, who is on official baby watch and ready to come swoop in to get Ben, is not leaving the zipcode, nor are my inlaws. And Tom has managed to avert a business trip tossed at him othis past week. (seriously, he almost had to go to Bermuda... it was between him, with the wife who is about to pop and his boss, who would have had to miss his son's college graduation for the trip... in the end, thankfully, the client just told them they didn't need to be there)

Yes, if you'd like to badger/taunt/say "what the heck are you doing?!?!?" to my mom, please feel free. She reads. ;)

* I had to break out the maternity shorts. I'm not liking them, though at least the pair I am currently wearing don't come down to my knees like most others I've found. Shorts that come down to my knees make me look like a midget little person. And when I'm pregnant, they make me look like a fat little person with swollen ankles.

* Speaking of swollen ankles, they have arrived. I discovered last night that they now have that fun playdough-like quality where I can push on them and make dents. Joy.

* I just printed out a May calendar. It has my due date on it. That's weird. Also, I just put something back in the fridge that expires BEYOND my due date. Equally weird.

* My brother-in-law is startlingly sure he knows what I am having. He claims he knows for sure because of something Ben said and a couple other context clues. I can't confirm nor deny if he is right, but I can't wait to have this baby and then ask him specifically why he was so sure! I have wracked my brain and can't figure out what it was!! However, I did realize earlier that I slipped up BIGTIME last night with our dinner company when I said something (after he told me he knew for sure) that most definitely would have given away Too's gender if put together with some other information they already had... now I am left to wonder if any of them noticed? (if anyone did, it was my SIL) MY GOSH I can not WAIT for this to be over. I'm so desperate to tell someone, ANYONE, that I actually offered Too's gender in exchange for Sprout's gender last night. Gah.

* I am tired. And hot. Hot and tired. I would not do well with being pregnant in the summertime. Those of you who will be? I wish you luck. But me? I would be a whiny baby about it. I also don't think I would leave the house.

Current weight: 144 (32 pounds gained, and I can feel every single one of them)
Days until my due date (5/19): 27
Days until my wishful thinking due date (Mother's Day) (5/13): 21
Days until Too can officially be evicted safely (4/30): 8! -- but yeah, not exactly pinning my hopes on that!
Days I have been pregnant: 239
Comfort level (on a scale of 1(comfy)- 10(uncomfy): 6
Also, a new category--
The longest amount of time this could possibly continue: 41 days (NOT HAPPENING!!!)

And I actually have a comparison! WOW... I had NO idea my belly looked so much different this time!! This picture really shows it. I even put on the same outfit just so it would be a fair fight!



Edited to add: I still can't get over the difference. I keep popping back in and looking and it surprises me every time. SO weird. Next to the super low belly this time (which, incidentally, explains why every once in awhile I can't stand up straight or walk when I have to pee), the biggest thing is definitely the puffy, swollen face with Ben that I don't seem to have as much of now. Sheesh. I guess maybe I really did have some blood pressure/fluid retention issues with Ben that I don't have this time... I always thought my doctor kinda fudged that for induction purposes...

This baby flipped again. This is the second time in four days that Too has done this! I woke up this morning (after some crazy movement late last night) to hiccups in the top right corner. What the HECK?! I feel pretty good about him/her flipping back because that's what happened the other day. But SHEESH. Way to make me paranoid.

So those of you guessing on the small side in the pool? I'm betting you have an advantage... that's the only way I can see it being possible that this baby still has THAT much room.

When I lean backwards so that the skin on my belly is stretched as tight as it will go, I swear I can see outlines of Too's limbs. Freaky.

I'm enjoying watching the baby pool shape up. I'm surprised by some of your choices! ;) (not saying whose!)

I wanted to play, but it won't let me enter guesses and not choose a sex. Lame.

Also, Mandy, I noted how you voted for your bday as Too's bday. ;)

And lastly, not pool-related, but I can't wait for the baby secrets to be out because I've about reached my limit of being able to keep them! I wish good luck to my brother and sister-in-law in keeping THEIRS under wraps for the next four months. Glad it won't be me anymore! It's much harder than I thought it would be when I came up with this idea and I think next time, we'll either just tell all or not find out in the first place!

This DOESN'T mean anything... I just stumbled upon it in my online travels.

It has FROG FEET!!!

I moved up to the last picture on my ticker!!!!



That is all...

Well I officially freaked out a lot of people with my announcement of having had contractions all night. I went back and read my old TOBH posts about having them with Ben. They started at 34 weeks with him! I was put on a contraction monitor at several appointments following nights full of contractions and they revealed nothing spectacular. When I was finally induced at 39 weeks SIX DAYS, I was only dilated to "almost 2" and I was in labor for 16 hours, TWO of which I spent pushing. So yeah, I am not so much willing to jump in the car at the first cramp.

No action yesterday at all. Lots of Braxton Hicks, but that's totally normal. TONS of pressure down low when I'm walking around, also totally normal. I officially waddle if I wasn't doing so before.

I keep trying to quelch the hope of going just a LITTLE early this time, because I'm so sure it's not going to happen. But it creeps up every once in awhile. It would be SUCH a welcome surprise... at least, once I finish my massive to do list(s). ;)

Oo!! Which reminds me! I need to set up the online baby pool soon! :)

Too finally moved back to where he/she is supposed to be. (I think) There was another round of hiccups in the middle of the night that were back over on the left side at the bottom. I am also much more comfortable now... SHEESH. I swear I think the child was sideways or standing up and doing a split.

However... in other news, I had contractions the ENTIRE NIGHT. Yes, the painful (very), crampy kind. They ranged from 7 to 5 to 2 minutes apart. No, I didn't wake Tom up because this happened several times last time when I was was pregnant with Ben at this point and never resulted in anything. The contractions weren't due to any lack of water either because I drink SO much water at night, it's ridiculous. (nighttime is the only time I can keep full glasses of water down for some reason)

Anyway, around 4:30 a.m. , when they were still going strong and kept waking me up, I came very close to at least making Tom aware of the situation. I fell back to sleep though finally and they seem to have stopped now. Whew! While I do want Too evicted soon, I'd like to give him or her at least three more weeks of baking time!

All of a sudden (like within the last two hours or so) I have SO much pressure in my belly. My sides actually HURT (like pulled muscles) and I can't figure out why. The baby feels lower... I just hope that's what's causing this and not that he/she has flipped sideways again. (because it really feels like my sides are being stretched to the max)

I've been poking around and I can't figure out which body parts are where... so now I'm just waiting for a round of hiccups so I can get my bearings.

Seriously. There is so much pressure it's actually hard to walk upright. What IS this? (no, it's not labor... I know that)

**Update** hiccups! At least I know I'm not crazy and imagining that things feel different. The hiccups are now on the opposite side of my belly AND are up higher... hoping this doesn't mean what I think it does. I'm going to bed and hoping things go back to the way they were by the time I wake up.

I have heard that after your first baby, the subsequent ones don't necessarily drop... but I think this one may have. (?) Things just look and feel lower to me. Also, I kept my dinner down last night, which was a welcome change!

My belly button is almost completely flat (I'm normally a SUPER-inny, so it doesn't pop all the way out), the belly is hard and tight and unwieldly... I swear the baby has five arms and six legs and I can feel every one of them. Oh, and my face is starting to get more puffy and round... ack. Almost done!



In 2-3 weeks, I will absolutely be trying the Eggplant Parmesan eviction technique once again. (not that it worked last time!) Here's the recipe for those interested.

My to-do list is four pages long and includes such insanity as cleaning all the windows in the house inside and out and completely cleaning out stocking the freezer. Nesting, much?

Just plain tired. Counting down the days.

In other news, I found baby announcements I like. (and at a reasonable price. Sheesh, have you SEEN some of the prices on that stuff?!) Anyway, I was going to make them myself this time, seeing as how I am more than capable of doing so. But then I thought... truly, when will I have the time to design, assemble and send out birth announcements while recovering from birth and with a newborn and a 3-year-old in the house? I'm even going to have the envelopes sent here early so I can stamp and address them in advance. No, I'm not crazy and over-prepared, I'm just realistic.

Did I mention I'm tired? (yawn) Benjamin is not very forgiving of "mommy is tired".

Nothing nada zip zilch to report. Gained two pounds. Blood pressure normal. Pee in a cup normal. Measuring 34 weeks exactly. Head down. My doctor ended my appointment with: "Next time we'll do another ultrasound just to double check position and a Strep-B culture!" (like this was all something exciting to look forward too) Hooray. A pants-off appointment, and I won't even get any dilation news. Blehhhh...

She also pretty much burst my bubble on a delivery-room surprise I wanted to spring on someone. Stupid hospital rules. :(

My hospital has yet to get wifi. SHOOT! Get with the times, people!!

It's okay though... I have a plan B AND a plan C.

Plan B - I'll blog the same way I blogged and posted pics last time. With s-l-o-w dialup. This means I'll have to sign up for the dreaded AOL trial period, use dialup at the hospital and spend two days on the phone with them 30 days later canceling it. But it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for you people... ;)

Plan C - If, for some reason, the AOL thing backfires, I'll be giving Jen my blog password so she can give updates. :) I hope she doesn't mind. ;) I actually will probably do this anyway, just in case I don't feel up to messing with my laptop the first day. (me?!? I doubt it... but you never know)

39 days!! Do you see my ticker!! 39 days!!! That's as long as the castaways are on the island on Survivor! I can handle that! ;)

As far as how things are going? The following are observations and notes more so than complaints... for when I might be feeling inclined to do this one more time....not that it'll disuade me, I'm sure.

I'm not sleeping very well these days. I thought I had a handle on the acid reflux thing, but the last couple days have been pretty bad. Is it possible to become Zantac-tolerant? Because I think I have. The morning puking has also come back, I'm sure a result of the nighttime acid issues. Adding to the not sleeping well problem is the sheer weight of the baby. Staying in any one position for too long just hurts. Understandable, considering Too probably weighs about five pounds these days. I alternate at night between the 90-degree acid-friendly position, a more comfortable 45-degreeish elevated position and my left and right sides. All these positions are painful to get into. Between all the shifting around and the trips to the bathroom, I probably sleep about two hours or so at a time. That's okay though. It's good practice. ;) And surprisingly, most days, I don't feel particuarly sleep deprived. Tired, yes, but not in a state of complete zombie-dom.

I've been having a lot Braxton Hicks contractions... some actually a little uncomfortable. There is also some cramping on one side. (the side the baby ISN'T situated in) I'm not sure why one side or what that's about. It was pretty uncomfortable when I was walking around the mall yesterday. I was actually hunching over Ben's stroller for support. It's still too early to be talking real contractions and labor and whatnot, but I plan on mentioning it to my doctor tomorrow anyway. It'll probably earn me a trip to the fetal monitor, I'm sure, during which time the baby will be sleeping and my uterus will be doing absolutely nothing extraordinary.

There was a thread on my expecting club message board about how to check your own cervix for dilation. I think I'll pass on that, thanks. I'd probably end up breaking my own water and then we'd really have a mess now, wouldn't we?

The doctor starts checking that in two weeks, I think. I'll be curious to see where I am, if anywhere. I've heard when it's not your first baby, you often start out a centimeter or two ahead of the game.That'd be nice!

Do you think it would be silly to call the hospital and find out if there is wireless internet for use during my stay? ;)

(last time, I used the phone line and AOL but since my parents' switched to high-speed AOL and I leech off of their account when I use it, it can no longer be used with dialup. I'm having a mini panic attack that I won't be able to blog or post pictures while I'm in the hospital!!)

35 seconds or so of Too with the hiccups.

As a sidenote, Baby Too gets hiccups 2 or 3 times EVERY DAY. So did Benjamin. Benjamin also had some colic and reflux issues. I sincerely hope the two are not related. That was NO FUN. Also interesting to note, the hiccups are in the bottom left side of my pelvis, just like Ben's always were. Apparently, the right side of my uterus is uninhabitable or something.

This weekend featured another trip up to the attic... we got out the infant seat, the bouncy seat and the baby bathtub. The infant seat is in the car (but not installed yet). Ben thinks it's pretty cool and keeps telling us it's where the baby will ride. For awhile it was sitting in the living room and his Cabbage Patch Doll, Molly, was buckled into it. It was actually quite helpful that he did that since Molly is about the size (lengthwise) of a newborn. I was able to adjust the straps and the head thingy accordingly. ;)


Molly also tried out the bouncy seat and the baby tub. So did Benjamin. (ack!) He thought it was all very funny until he got stuck in the tub. ;)

What else...I boiled the new binkies and the size 1 bottle nipples, which I now realize I need a few more of.

What's left? Well, I still have to pack ye olde hospital bag and Ben's overnight bag. And there are a few more things that have to come down from the attic. (floor mat thingy, swing, etc) Some of it could wait until the baby is born and home, but at that point, I'm thinking I won't feel like treking up the attic ladder and I'm really the only one who knows where everything is up there. I should probably give some thought to putting away some of the too-small maternity clothes and maybe hanging up a few normal-sized summer shirts (you know, in case they miraculously fit soon after Too is born)

Yeah, don't mind me... just thinking outloud.... Ugh. Now i'm overwhelmed again!

Soon-to-be-cousins in utero... Sprout at 18 weeks and Too at 34 weeks. (they will be just a tad over three months apart)

Came across this over on my other blog... Ben was one month old when it was written. I'm glad I have it because I had forgotten things about that newborn routine, like how many naps they take at first and when and for how long. But yikes. I can't believe I'm about to venture back to this territory...

-------------------------------
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Routine...
I hear that babies really dig a daily routine. That works out well because Tom and I are two of the most routine-dependent individuals I know. Sooo.... it really hasn't been difficult to adapt to having another little routine-oriented person being around. Granted, the new routine is a tad Ben-centric. I'm thinking I got the raw end of this deal. The baby, however, is living the good life. ;)

Here's how our days USUALLY go... I've excluded the annoying details like diaper changes. We do change our kid's diaper though, I promise.

5 or 5:30a.m. The little poop machine wakes up hungry. Tom takes him downstairs and feeds him. Then he entertains him while he gets ready for work. This typically involves Ben sitting in his bouncy seat while Tom carries him from room to room.

7a.m. I get up and take Ben so Tom can go to work... we play for a little while. At some point I might manage to get a shower.

8a.m. Ben takes his first nap. (hooray!) He sleeps in his carseat in the basement next to me while I check my email and update my blog. ;)

9 or 9:30a.m. Time to eat again!

9:30 or 10a.m. Ben and I play. If I got a shower earlier, now is when I usually manage to work in drying my hair, if it hasn't already dried on its own, in which case, I'm not leaving the house that day. Every other day, I work in a bath for Ben sometime in here...

10:30 or 11:00a.m. Ben goes down for his REALLLLLLLLY long nap... time for me to actually get out of my pajamas, brush my teeth and get done whatever I need to do before it's time for him to eat again. Notice *I* haven't actually eaten yet. That comes later.

1p.m. Shove some sort food in my face while Ben watches Baby Mozart. He gets bored with it at the same part every time though, so I only have about 10 minutes to work with.

2p.m. Time to eat again!

2 - 4p.m. Any running around that needs to be done gets done now. Gotta get home before 5 though because...

5p.m. It's time to eat again!

6p.m. The second shift arrives ...er... Tom gets home! He takes the little poop machine while I do something.. ANYthing non-baby related.

6:30 Tom and I try to eat some semblance of dinner while Ben entertains himself in his bouncy seat. Thank you Fisher Price!

7p.m. Tom and I stare at the little poop machine and talk about how cute he is.... unless it's a colicky night, in which case, we take turns passing him back and forth and plugging our ears.

8p.m. Time to eat again!

9p.m. We all go to bed ... for awhile anyway.

11p.m. Time to eat again! This one's usually Tom's shift.

2p.m. Time to eat again! This one's all mine.

5a.m. Start ALL over...
// posted by Erin @ 8:12 AM

What exactly does one DO about an Easter outfit when one is 34 weeks pregnant? This is a problem I did not face last time. (instead, it was "What exactly does one do when one just finished being pregnant three weeks ago and has no clothes that fit yet?)

I'll keep you posted with what I come up with. It probably won't be pretty. And it will more than likely involve khakis.

In my defense, I did try on one "Easter dress" type thing at the maternity store a couple months back. What is WRONG with maternity designers?!?!?!?!? Seriously... I looked like a giant, bloated Peep.

Yeah, I totally used that title at this exact point LAST time. I swear though, if it is 8 weeks? I will be doing jumping jacks trying to get this baby out!

Here's the "bump" which I really think is more than a bit of an understatement at this point.


Despite the large frontal protrusion, and the pound-a-week first and second trimester weight gain, I've only gained 30.5 pounds so far... six weeks to go! Looks like it's going to be another 35-pound pregnancy. Maybe a pound or two less! Woot! :) I'm looking foward to being reunited with my regular clothes!

Things seem to be okay in there. As far as I know, the head is still facing the right direction. There is still TONS of movement too. If you could see my bare belly, you would see that you can actually make out individual bumps that are legs and knees and things. Wacky! ;)

Tom asked me yesterday what it feels like physically after being pregnant for nine months to suddenly NOT be pregnant anymore. Words that come to mind? Light? Relief? Strange? Squishy? Empty? A little help, girls? It IS strange... I do remember that much. I mostly just remember IMMEDIATE relief of the heartburn, pressure and puking as soon as the baby shot out last time... can't wait! :) :) :)

That I eat TONS of Easter candy KNOWING full well it's going to be "returned" shortly after I eat it? (anything sweet pretty much is a puke guarantee these days) There are times when I manage some self control only because I REALLY don't feel like puking for the 40th time that day... but mostly? I eat now and pay later.

When I bought this shirt, I wasn't even pregnant yet. I was at Old Navy and it was on sale... I was just foreseeing that I'd PROBABLY be pregnant during warm months at some point. I wanted to make sure I had some short sleeve shirts on hand since it seemed like everyone was out of them when I realized I'd need warm weather clothes during my pregnancy with Ben.

What I DIDN'T think about about was

a) how unattractive horizontal stripes might look over a VERY pregnant belly or

b) how I might bear a rememblence to an Easter egg DURING the Easter season...

I've had a love affair with Cap'n Crunch cereal for the last few days. It doesn't seem to matter that everytime I eat it, I throw it up within ten minutes. What is wrong with me? And also, why do they not put prizes inside junk cereal anymore?

I can get used to the puking, the heartburn, the back pain, the no sleep and hiccups coming from my belly...

But no matter how many times I am pregnant, I will NEVER get used to the phenomenon wherein my entire abdomen picks itself up, wiggles around and then lurches to one side as the baby changes position.

Never... it's freaky, man. ;)

A trip to BRU today with COUPONS (woohoo!!) yielded a can of formula ($21.99!! Great price!!), a box of the diaper bag formula packet thingies and a box of newborn size diapers ($5 off!!) I also stocked up on baby lotion, baby bath and shampoo.

As I was unloading all the stuff into Too's room, I noticed the count on the side of the diaper box... 96. It's very depressing to my wallet to know that that is only about the equiavalent of 10-12 days in Too's newborn life.

I wish I could remember how long Ben was in the newborn size before we moved up to the size 1's. Once Too is in those, I can switch to the Luv's, which are mucho cheaper! Some people are lucky that their kids start right in with the 1's... us, not so much. I suppose I could be wrong about Too, but I doubt it, especially after hearing the doctor's size estimate last week. If I am wrong, and Too is bigger than we think, there are plenty of my currently pregnant friends who are due after me who would be happy to benefit from any unused newborn diapers I have! :)

**Update** For what it's worth, I just found the Newborn Pampers on Amazon for $6 less than I paid with a coupon at Babies R Us!! Grrr!!! AND, if I subscribed to their delivery service (which you can cancel whenever and costs nothing), I'd have gotten them for $10 less!!!

A post over on Val's blog the other day reminded me I forgot to tell you what my vindictive cat did two nights ago!

The previous day, I had JUST washed, dried and put the new sheets and mattress pad into Too's crib. I tied the bumpers on (pain in the butt in case you've never done it)... carefully placed the loveys in there and folded the blanket over the railing.

Saturday night, I heard Tom yelling at the cat from downstairs. He called me up and hey, guess what? STUPID CAT POOPED IN THE CRIB. Not once, but twice. With the poop, there is always pee, you just can't always see it. So yay! Not only that, he had gotten the sheet AND the brand new cuddly loveys. STUPID STUPID STUPID CAT.

Luckily, seeing as it is a crib and all, the mattress pad is waterproof (as is the mattress, come to think of it)... but what a pain. Everything has since been rewashed and put back. (took me a half hour to tie those bumpers back on!!!) Now the door is shut for good until I get home from the hospital. (and possibly longer depending on the cat's reaction to a second tiny human in our house)

It's fortunate for the cat that he has a very sweet demeanor and other than this very occasional (though VERY annoying) vindictive pooping/peeing thing, he is a nice pet. But GRRRR!!!! I'm very much more concerned about the cat acting out when we bring Too home than I am about Benjamin acting out! The pediatrician kept telling me the other day I needed to give Ben some "big brother" resposibilities when the baby comes home, so maybe I'll kill two birds with one stone and put him on pee watch!