I'd been afraid of that. Even though my midwives had recommended that all their ladies drink four glasses of milk a day, I had been really, really hoping that I could get the calcium from other sources. Once upon a time, I was a huge milk drinker, but about a year ago, somebody managed to completely turn me off it by sharing with me what "substances" manage to remain in the milk after pasteurization. (You really don't want to know.) Since then, I've had only one small glass (our church's Shrove Tuesday pancake supper served only coffee and milk, and my reservations about caffeine carried more weight at the time), and it turned my stomach horridly after only two sips.

If I'd been doing the "good mommy" thing and eating lots of dark, leafy greens, I probably could have made it without any calcium problems at all. If I'd even remembered to up my yogurt and cheese consumption, I'd have been okay. Unfortunately, this week has been a bad week for sticking to my dietary rules...actually, I'd managed to make myself completely sick of yogurt and had gone off it "temporarily." My head is paying the price.

I mentioned my new discovery to Tech Lady, and her eyes almost bugged out of her head. "You mean you're not on a calcium supplement?"

"Well, I'm taking my prenatal vitamins. Don't they have calcium?"

"You need extra calcium," she said. "Go get yourself some Tums, and take one at night and one in the morning. They come in berry flavors now."

I did what she said. Eric was a little surprised at my willingness to pop a couple of antacids every day for the next thirty-four weeks, but the instructions on the jar seem to indicate that this is, indeed, a proper use for the tablets. And I won't have to worry about heartburn!

The children who've been here today have been more whiny than usual, for reasons that escape me. As I'm sitting, here, I'm looking at one particular child, clinging to his mother's knees as she sits on a small stool selecting books. He's emitting a high-pitched cross between a whine and a moan, pulling at his lips...

Well! Things just became a bit more exciting for a moment! As I watched, the boy suddenly grabbed his mouth with both hands and began to retch. I stood up quickly as the mother grabbed him, a panicked look on her face. "There's a bathroom in the corner!" I called, and she ran for it, half-carrying him in her arms. I was sure she wouldn't make it, and I started to head for the office door to search for a mop. By the time his Mom had him to the toilet, though, he had stopped retching and had begun to scream and cry.

His older sister stood back, rolling her eyes in embarrassment. Whispering, "I have a little brother too," I reached for the jar of candy corn sitting on the reference desk ledge. I gave her a handful and said, "Give him a couple of these, and take some for yourself." She smiled and ran off. Eventually, the little boy recovered enough that his mom was able to quickly shepherd him out of the library and back home, where I hope he's feeling a bit better.

Okay, so that child had a good reason to whine. (Goodness knows, I'll probably do more than my share when morning sickness kicks in with full force.) What's up with the rest of them? What makes one toddler after another yank book after book off the shelf, throwing them on the floor and yelling? What's making the bigger kids, happily playing with each other one minute, suddenly begin to hit each other and shriek? I've not heard of a stomach flu epidemic sweeping the town, so they can't all be nauseated. Maybe I need to go buy a whole lot more candy corn, just to have it on hand. Maybe I need to go get that mop ready.

We wandered around for a while, I in utter bliss, and Eric in barely concealed impatience. "Look!" I kept sighing. "Isn't this adorable?" I felt so happy to finally have the right to pore over racks of baby clothes, and to do so without bursting into tears, that I wanted to take my time and select the perfect item. Eric wanted to go home and watch the second presidential debate. We compromised on a whirlwind tour around the store and two little yellow outfits (a bodysuit and a sleeper) that I can't stop touching and at which I can't keep from grinning.

If I sound a little upset with Eric, then please understand that I'm probably exaggerating events a tad. He did take the time to examine a few diaper pails and play with a couple of wind-up toys last night, so it wasn't as if he was off sulking in a corner for the whole time. I suppose that I just would like him to show a little more enthusiasm. He's probably wishing that I could show more restraint. We'll need to have another of those compromises again before too much longer.

And now it looks as though the in-laws won't be coming this weekend after all; Bryan is going through some personal problems and needs family support. I got myself all uptight for nothing. Not that I'm complaining! It seems they'll be trying to come next weekend instead, which will coincide with my birthday. Hurrah...