The ever expanding belly. This pic is from 25 weeks- I'm now at 31 weeks and will load a 31/32 week pic next week. It is so big that tying my shoes requires furniture to prop the foot up. I sneezed so hard, I think I sprained my gut. And my edema now requires this super-sexy flesh-toned compression hose that takes 20 minutes to put on in the morning. It goes over the belly and is so scratchy that I gave myself hoseburn on one of my knuckles while wrangling them over my knees. My hand was bleeding. Seriously.

Babymoon

We got to swim with the dolphinos at the Kahala on our babymoon. The coolest, biggest water mammals I have ever had the privilege to pet. And hug. And feed. They have sharp teeth.

We also got to spend a lot of time with our Little Friend (and her parents), who will be turning 1 year old right around the time Sparkle Primavera is due. Since we will miss her 1st luau, it was fantastic to see her on this visit. And! We got to visit my sister for the first time since she moved to Oahu. She has a staff of 80 and testifies at the capital. All around a very fun, relaxing and ohana-filled visit.

The Furry Gang

Since I posted a picture of the two minpins (black is my parents', red is my sister's), I thought I should include a few of our hefty friends, Murray (tortishell) and Fred (tabby). Together, they represent over 26 pounds of cat. A diet may be in order.

Waving at your fanclub, like a rock star

My buddy is waving to us from the ultrasound a few weeks ago. It's like take your child to work day every day for me, now. Can I just say that I am counting down the days to my maternity leave? 62 business days. My company has a pretty generous timeframe for leave, which Jose does not believe I will have the patience for. It is very likely he is right, though the idea of not being at work for 8 months is pretty liberating.

Belly Blog

By popular demand, a belly shot. This was taken at 20 weeks. Although I'm only at 22.5 weeks today, I can tell you that the belly is noticably bigger. The person in there is not a morning dog. There's a lot more activity at night, especially when it's being read to. Stories are very exciting, apparently.

Year of the Golden Boar

Happy New Year! I ate a lot this weekend, even after my incredible weight-gain this past month. I'm now officially Large and In Charge enough to need a preggo massage (already scheduled for this Saturday). The fetus has been growing fast and has been very busy this last week and a half, roaming around during the day, at night and whenever else that suits it. I'm looking forward to our Hawaiian Babymoon in a few weeks, and getting out of the artic temps Michigan has been rocking these last few weeks.

The saloon is full of taxidermy from all over the world. Of course there are deer and moose, but polar bears, cougars, sharks and lions as well. And a Texas saloon would never be complete without its armadillo races.

My friend, Armund Armadillo, was a champ. And photogenic.

After a 10 hour day on my feet in an enormous convention hall manning the corporate booth, I get to the saloon and get handed an armadillo. And I'm totally not on drugs. And it is truly the most surreal experience I've had in a while. Trade shows are really exhausting and strange, even if you aren't pregnant.