I have been very preoccupied with my pregnancy today Since I have a terrible time keeping track of how far along I am, I installed a php script which provides weekly descriptions of the stage of my baby’s development. You can read it in the sidebar. I also decided it was way past time for me to take a picture of my belly…so, here it is:

If I can convince Robert to take a picture of me, I might be able to post one with my face in it. I used my tripod for the one seen above. I couldn’t seem to aim the camera so I wasn’t cutting off my head or my belly. :laugh:

The baby’s movements are getting stronger and more noticeable every day. I think he/she really enjoyed my lunch, since he/she went a little bit wild afterwards!

After the 70?s were over, I swore I?d never wear bell bottoms again. Most of my friends agreed that this was a smart thing, because bell bottoms look so stupid. Well, guess what? I?m wearing bell bottoms today?not exactly by choice, but I?m still wearing the damned things. I went shopping this weekend for maternity clothes. I decided it was time to stop wearing slacks with the zipper only up half mast, since I was constantly worried about my pants falling down around my ankles when I was at work?or, the even more likely scenario, that I would reach for something on a high shelf and my baggy sweater would ride up on my torso, exposing the gaping hole in the front of my pants and the ever-so-attractive cotton maternity panties I?m wearing.

So anyway, there I am in the maternity boutique happily picking out blouses and sweaters and dresses, when I realize, I REALLY need to focus on finding some decent pants, rather than all this fun stuff. I pick up one pair of blue corduroy jeans from the rack. They seem really nice until I notice the stupid bell bottoms. I put them back. I pick up a pair of black slacks which I think would do nicely for work, and then notice the stupid bell bottoms. And a pair of khakis. Stupid bell bottoms. And a pair of jeans. Stupid bell bottoms. Every single pair of pants in the store?stupid bell bottoms. It was pretty much the same scenario in every store I went to. Desperate, I just bought a couple pair of stupid bell bottoms and consoled myself with the thought that I would only have to deal with them for the next six months or so.

Saturday night, Robert and I did something really radical: we went out for a night on the town. We went to a comedy club and saw Jake Johansen (http://www.jakethis.com) who had been on Letterman, Leno, Conan and HBO at various times. I haven?t laughed that hard in ages. He?s hilarious!

I heard the baby’s heartbeat today! It galloped along at quite a brisk pace. The doctor measured it at 150 beats per minute, which is perfectly normal. I was so relieved. I didn’t tell anyone, because I knew I was just being paranoid, but I kept having dreams about the baby being totally silent and unmoving. I haven’t felt it kick really good yet, so it’s hard to know what’s going on inside this body of mine

I also want to jump for joy at having the kind of metabolism I do. I’ve been eating cinnamon rolls, entire club sandwiches, bagels slathered with cream cheese, huge taco salads, potato chips, junk food of every variation….I feel like I’ve been eating ten times as much as I normally do…and I’ve only gained five pounds since the beginning of this pregnancy. It’s a miracle. I?ve been dreading finding out that I?m gaining weight too rapidly and that I?ll have to cut down on eating so much. I?m hungry all the time. In fact, Robert?s having trouble keeping up with me!

I had to have some blood drawn so the lab could test it to determine whether my baby may be born with any problems. It was over and done with in a matter of minutes. I HATE having blood drawn!

I also got to schedule my big ultrasound. It will take place on November 13th! I’m already counting the days