+ Neat +
My navel is stretching and getting really weird-feeling. In fact, it feels like everything between my hips and my shoulders is stretching. All the time. I get these weird cramps that feel like growing pains. They go away in 10-15 seconds usually, but they hurt when they come. Sleeping is getting a little more challenging, though I'm making less bathroom breaks.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to take your daddy to Babies R Us and buy your crib (and some other stuff), then to Home Depot to buy all the paint for your bedroom with the bonus money I got today. We got surprise bonuses at work, and I quickly vetoed Daddy's idea to pay off the credit cards. We have a plan in place for that, and we didn't have a plan in place for buying all the stuff we need for you. So I think we should spend the money we don't have a plan for on the expenses we didn't plan! That's what we're going to do (though I think he's still taking $400 of it to get rid of one credit card too). I can't wait to start making "The Red Room" more like "The Baby's Room." Yippee!

+ 17 weeks +
Wow. Seventeen weeks. It's weird to look at the calendar and see me in my 5th week of the second trimester. I remember practically holding my breath to just GET to the second trimester! Now here it is, zooming by. Less than 23 weeks left, which means we're actually almost halfway there. In six days we will get to see you again, thankfully. I feel much more at peace this week, it's interesting. You rumble around so gently in there (amazing since you're about 5 inches long!). Plus I'm definitely showing, and it feels so comforting just to feel my tummy and know you're growing snug and warm in there. With the AFP test behind us and the weather finally cooling off, well,... It's just delightful. I still get stretching cramps once in a while, and the occasional food aversion (though for the most part I'm constantly snack-hungry), but in general? Comfortable bliss.

Now we're going to go to a baseball game! This will probably be the last one you'll go to for a while; Daddy and I have a debate on whether or not you'll go with us to games next year. You'll be pretty little, but I think you'll be able to handle it. If not, you won't get to see our Diamondbacks until spring/summer 2004! But you'll still have cute D-Backs clothing. There's just no escaping that, sorry.

+ Interesting +
Excuse me, but if anyone finds my waist, will you please give it back to me? I woke up this morning and my waistline is gone. Now, I know the little pregnancy sites all warned me weeks ago my waist would get "thicker," but overnight? C'mon! I'm definitely getting bigger, and you're definitely getting bigger too. Tomorrow is 17 weeks. Are we having fun yet?

+ AFP Testing +
You're okay, Baby O.! I am so glad I didn't stress about that AFP test, but I'm also glad I decided to get it. It was a message from the nurse, but she just said, "I just wanted to let you know. Your AFP screen? Normal." That was it. Phew. Even though I knew the odds of something being wrong were really low, it's still a relief to know that you're coming along fine in there and we have nothing along those lines to worry about!

+ More dreams +
I dreamt about you a lot last night. You were a boy, we named you Alex, and you came very early. In fact, you were born at about 6 months (I'm guessing I'm not very patient), but you were fully "cooked" and weighed about 7 pounds. I wasn't ready for you, of course, but I had two cribs, one of which was huge and one of which was teeny tiny. You were such a good baby, never crying, just watching us. I didn't know what to do to take care of you though. I kept forgetting to nurse you, and change your diapers. Your daddy forgot too, but not as much as I did. You were born on a Friday night. Monday morning, it dawned on me that I had to call in to work because obviously I couldn't go back now. That worried me because I was afraid my desk would suddenly get really busy (it's been so slow lately!), and be a huge burden on my colleagues. I thought for a while about going in, but decided I really shouldn't. So I called my boss and left a voice mail.

I promise to take better care of you than that. I have no idea what it means, but you were so beautiful, that's the image that's sticking in my mind!

+ Rollin' rollin' rollin' +
Time's just rollin' along, little one. Last time I saw the Dr., he told me I was entering the part of the pregnancy where I'm basically "on cruise control." That's really what it's starting to feel like at this point. I'm happy that we have so much time to get ready for you, but it's too easy to put off doing things for you. Meanwhile, I don't quite have all of my energy back, and I'm starting to have little physical complaints that make me much more receptive to sitting on the couch than decorating your room. Walking's okay, though, so I'm hoping to start walking more in the evenings now that it's cooling down. Your daddy is working a lot this week, so you'll just hear me hanging out with you. Not that I have a choice. :-) You wriggle around a lot now; it's pretty funny. I keep thinking I'll be able to feel you if I put my hand on my belly, but not yet! I'm sure that time will come soon. I'd really like to be able to start calling you by your name, since we're pretty sure we have them picked out now, but we won't know until 10/9. So please, in 9 days, will you make sure you show us what flavor of baby you are? We're so anxious to know!