The "pregnancy congestion" that I'd been suffering at night for the past week traitorously mutated into a full-blown cold during our first night on the road, leaving me sans air, taste, sleep, or any patience for my poor, long-suffering husband, who had finally begun to be able to see the light at the end of the first-trimester tunnel. Oh, ugh.

But, as I say, I wasn't able to fully concentrate on my misery due to such happy distractions as the young offspring of my cousins. These precious little girls woke us up with happy giggles every morning, teasingly played "Footsie" with Eric, and generally turned the whole visit into a lark. The one in the middle of the picture is the oldest of the bunch; she was one of the biggest reasons for my husband's Thanksgiving smile, for she made a prediction that gave him great satisfaction.

"It's going to be a girl," she said, shaking her head as if it should have been obvious to anyone with half a brain. "Her name should be something with a 'Z,' but not 'Zebra.' Maybe 'Zia.'" When her mom asked what we should name the baby if it were a boy, she rolled her eyes and sighed, "She's not going to have a boy." Good news in Eric's book; he's really getting his heart set on a daughter more every day.

So whiled we yet another lovely Thanksgiving at my grandmother's farm, and then we drove to my parents' house back in Maryland, where we stayed for another couple of days. After a few quiet days of that, Eric and I drove back to West Virginia and the university, where we got to see my baby brother play in a Keynotes concert.

(The Keynotes concerts are a series of shows that the WVU marching band presents at the end of the season. In full marching uniform, they travel about the state for these "indoor, sit-down halftime shows," playing music from the season's shows, as well as the traditional pre-game music. The primary characteristic of these shows is that they are LOUD.)

Anyway, I don't know if it was pregnancy hormones, exhaustion from illness, or good old-fashioned homesickness, but when the band played the version of Simple Gifts that's always been a traditional part of the pre-game show, I nearly burst into tears, sobbing. Eric thought I was going insane, though he did admit to a bit of a lump in his throat when we stood and sang the alma mater. Oh, if I could find a way to get us back to West Virginia!

The agony doubled the next morning, when the weeklong cold decided to go on its own little vacation trip and set up residence in my sinuses. There was no possible way I could even think about going to work; I collapsed into the bed and didn't move until I could summon the energy to call Barbara. Enough was enough, and I was tired of suffering; I wanted relief, and I wanted it now.

Vitamin C. Garlic. Chicken soup with fresh vegetables. I groaned, got my rear out of bed and dressed, and headed off for the grocery store. After only a few minutes, I felt near collapse; I wandered about, grabbing random items that looked interesting, and finally managed to make it home with my bundles. Cook them? If I must.

I don't know whether it was the smell of the soup or the warmth of the broth bubbling behind me that ended up making me feel so much better. I'm rather inclined to say that the cure was actually the time spent chopping the onion and the massive quantities of garlic. In the end, though, I felt much clearer, much less foggy, and much, much more able to deal with life.

Which is why I'm back at work today. I'm still nowhere near full capacity, but I'm not near to death, either. I'd say that the illness is on its way out, at last.

I did have a bit of a scare this afternoon. One of the mothers with whom I've become friendly and who knows about the pregnancy came up to my desk and said, "How are you feeling?" I quickly hustled her away and informed her that my coworkers were still unaware of my condition, and her jaw dropped.

"How can they not know?" she whispered. "I can tell that you're pregnant from across the room! You're really showing now!"

Gulp. I talked with her for a while longer, and then ran to the bathroom for another "belly check." There had been no major changes as far as I could detect, but I wondered if my stomach didn't feel a bit firmer. It won't be long now. I'll have to tell the boss soon, or it won't be news to anybody with eyes in their head. Later in the afternoon, I asked Tech-Lady, in whom I've confided about all of this, whether or not she'd heard any rumors, and to her knowledge, nobody is whispering yet. I'll have to be sure to keep my ears open from now on.