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It feels like just yesterday when I was writing my first blog post here. And now I'm in my eighth month of pregnancy! But at the same time, it really does feel like I've been pregnant all year ... so time is both going slowly and flying by!

We've had a good September. The fair was the highlight, of course. We went three times! Once to see The Bangles, once to see all the exhibits and some motorcycle racing, and once to see Joan Jett. The total tally of foods eaten is this:

Corn dogs (2), pink lemonade, hot link, deep-fried s'more, soft serve vanilla ice cream cone, corn on the cob, onion rings, cinnamon roll with icing and nuts, pulled pork barbecue sandwich, cole slaw, funnel cake with strawberries and whipped cream, one sip of beer.

And guess what? I only gained four pounds in September! That's a pound a week, and that is right on track. I guess I have a built-in calorie burner!

Unfortunately, I experienced about a week of morning sickness again. It started with me puking in the middle of getting a facial last Saturday. (How embarrassing!) Then the next day, James had to pull over so I could puke on the side of the freeway on our way out of town to visit his family. A couple of days of Zofran put me back on track, though, and I'm feeling a lot better now.

At our OB appointment last week, the doctor heard the heartbeat below my belly button, which means the baby is head-down (the correct position for birth). We have our third childbirth class tonight, where we get to tour the birth center and see the rooms and accomodations. I also just got a prenatal yoga video, which is helping me to stretch my ligaments and strengthen my muscles for the birth.

All the invitations for the baby shower are in the mail. We finally finished registering at Babies R Us. We bought a family vehicle last night (2005 GMC Envoy) — with financing, despite the single-day worst drop in the stock market ever.

Everything seems to be coming together! I don't feel overwhelmed anymore, just excited and anxious to meet our baby boy. James is going to be a wonderful birth partner, I just know it. He is already practicing pain management with me. We held ice cubes in our hands the other night to practice breathing and meditation to handle the pain. I know contractions will be far worse than a little old ice cube, but at least we are preparing!

Just seven weeks to go ... (or five if he's early or nine if he's late ...)

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I could blame the corn dog, hot link and 1/2 of a deep-fried s'more I ate at the Kern County Fair last night ...

The last time I was weighed was at my doc appointment two weeks ago. 186. Not bad. On track. Good work.

Now, according to "The book" I should be gaining a pound a week. So I decided to go down to the gym at work and weigh myself today. I was expecting about 188.

As I approached the scale, I noticed it was set to 192. "Oh Lord, please don't let me weigh 192," I said out loud. (I was alone in the room.) I stepped onto the scale and it clanged downward. Oh good. So I slide the measurer back to 190, expecting it to stay down. Nope, it raised up. "Oh my," I said. "More than 190?" I moved it to 191. It stayed up.

OK, but at 192, it clanged down. So which is it? I slowly slid the measurer up — 191 1/4. 191 1/2. 191 3/4. It slowly rose and rested at a balance.

"Lord, you are funny! You have quite the sense of humor!" So I don't weigh 192 YET - but I bet I will by tomorrow. Aye aye aye. Whatever -- it's not going to stop me from eating more corn dogs and a deep fried Snickers when I go back to the fair next week!

In other news, we are still working on our Babies R Us registry. Here are some pics of us trying out the products.

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As we research baby sleeping arrangements, we are having a hard time deciding what to do. Maybe some of you parents out there have advice.

Of course, we would like a crib for the baby's room. But for the first couple of months, we'd like the baby to sleep in the bedroom with us. So what do we put in the bedroom? Cradles seem unstable, bassinets are way cheesy and frilly, and "play yards" don't seem very durable. But we like the idea of a portable sleeper of some kind that we can have in the bedroom, and take with us when traveling.

We are against co-sleepers (which attach to the bed) because our research has found this is unsafe for the baby, who can fall between the sleeper and the bed and suffocate. For the same reason, some of the "play yards" with the attachable bassinet don't seem safe either.

I'm attaching some photos of products under consideration. But there seem to be pros and cons with them all. Help!

Well folks, the impending birth of this baby is starting to hit me. We've got nine weeks to go, if the baby adheres to the due date of Nov. 21. Less if he comes early. James and I made a timeline of stuff we need to do before he's born, and let me tell you, I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed right now.

We haven't bought a single thing that we'll need, except UC Santa Cruz and UC Berkeley outfits (hey, gotta indoctrinate the tyke to love our alma maters at an early age). We need to register for gifts for the baby shower. But before we do all that, we need to research products and safety and consumer ratings. We also need to buy a "family" vehicle (the three of us won't be able to travel together in the truck). We need to paint and fix up the spare room for the nursery. And then there's all the stuff I need to finish at work so I feel good about taking maternity leave.

Things we have done so far: Chosen the finalists for baby names, which we are keeping a secret until we meet the baby face-to-face and see what fits. UM, that's about it.

Tuesday we have our first childbirth class. Those will go for five weeks, then we have a two-week breastfeeding class. Hopefully these classes will help calm some of my anxiety.

In other news, my ligaments are still sore and tender, but feeling a lot more stable than before. I still get up slowly from a chair. But I went to water aerobics last night and felt great! I wish I had a pool so I could swim every day. The hardest part is getting out of the water. I feel soooo heavy when I emerge from the pool. In the water, I bob. On land, I bobble.

We are super excited to meet our baby boy, though. He moves around so much, I can't wait to see what he's like "on the outside." He sure seems to have a good time in my belly, though. I call it "Romper Womb." I feel like a human bounce house. But I love feeling him move around. It doesn't hurt at all (yet).

This weekend's assignment: Research cribs, strollers, cloth vs. disposable diapers, etc. Start registering for gifts!

Last time I saw my mom (about two weeks ago on our birthday) she told me about how when she was pregnant with my "little" brother, she'd pick something up and "Oh! The pain!" Then a couple days later, after healing, she'd pick something else up and "Oh! The pain!" She kept tearing ligaments along either side of her abdomen.

Well, two nights ago I learned exactly what she was talking about. I went to roll over in bed and "Oh! The pain!" My entire mid-section was seized in this awful pain. I arched my back and took several deep breaths, but still let out a moan. What was that all about?? Then all day yesterday it hurt to walk, get out of my chair, bend over, basically do anything. I skipped water aerobics. I hobbled into my OB appointment this morning.

The nurse practitioner said I probably pulled the ligaments lining my abdomen. "Those ligaments are what hold everything up. You might need to get one of those belly straps. At least hold on to your belly as you roll over in bed to give it support." I hope I heal fast. This is not fun.

The rest of the appointment was really good, though. The baby's heart beat is as strong as ever. And while the np had the doppler wand on my belly, the baby kicked hard against it. "Whoa! Did you see that?" she said to James. "Oh yeah," he answered. "Did that hurt?" she asked me. "Nah, he does it all the time," I replied. It was funny to see her reaction — I would think she'd get that all the time. Maybe our boy is just especially strong. I certainly feel like a boxing ring a lot of the time. It gets uncomfortable sometimes, but hasn't hurt yet. He's not high up enough yet to kick ribs. I'm sure that will come in time.

I'm 28 weeks along. She measured my belly with a measuring tape and said I'm measuring at about 29 weeks. I've gained 3 pounds since my last visit; now I'm up to 186. I wonder how much this baby weighs! He feels heavy and low and loose and wobbly as I walk. I hope these ligaments heal fast! I don't need him falling out :)