Actually, I was pretty miserable for most of the weekend, as well. On Friday, things were miserably hot in my office, as nobody here has yet managed to master the art of our air conditioner, and by the time I left the building my feet and ankles were enormously swollen. Though I tried to combat the swelling with elevation and water, things were only slightly improved by the next morning. Of course, the weather had turned overnight from chilly to warm and muggy, so I wasn't surprised.

At birth class the next morning, I had my feet across Eric's lap while he rubbed them. He leaned over and murmured about how swollen they were, and I whispered back, "They aren't pitting are they?" Pitting, where the pressure of a finger leaves behind an indentation, can be a sign of more serious pregnancy complications. Eric tested my ankles and, sure enough, I was pitting. At our next break, he got out his cell phone and called Mary Ann.

"No, she's feeling fine. Uh-huh. Seeing any spots?" he hissed to me. I shook my head. "No. No headaches. Just the swelling. Blood pressure's been fine. Well, all right then. Thanks." He hung up the phone. "She says to keep elevating them, keep pounding the water, do your ankle circles, and give her a call if you start feeling worse. Otherwise, she says that some women just retain ungodly amounts of water."

So that's what I did. For the rest of the day I drank myself sick, put up my feet, soaked in a bath, and otherwise lazed about. By evening, I could see definite improvement. Sunday was slightly better, though I maintained my intense fluid intake. We made some shopping ventures out to the hardware store (dryer connections and some shelves and brackets), and by the time I got home I was beginning to see a little more swelling. Still, though, the pitting had just about disappeared, so I was in high spirits.

I must say, if I had known that the arrival of spring's warmth would bring such immediate discomfort, I would have prayed for a never-ending winter. Thank God I don't have to be pregnant through the worst of summer.

We had a blast at the shower. There were indeed games, most of which were quite fun. I'd never heard of the one where everybody coats their hands with Vaseline and tries to see how many cotton balls stick to them, though; I was happy that everyone was amenable to my skipping that one on the grounds of "I'm already getting enough 'prizes,' I think."

As far as those "prizes"...let's see, I got tons of clothing, some hand-knitted booties, some nice bath and stuffed toys, an array of baby toiletry supplies, a closet organizer, a lovely Rainbow Fish mobile (Boss Lady's gift), some bookends, and an infant bathtub. I'm sure I'm forgetting many nice things, and I'll kick myself for it later. Largely, though, most of the women seemed concerned with having this baby dressed to the nines. We have now begun to seriously hope that the child inherits my complexion, as Eric looks hideous in yellow - today's fashion choice for gender-neutral infants.

Our most urgent need is now a dresser to contain all the lovely outfits we are amassing. Hopefully, we can find one suitable to double as a changing table, and with a little more luck we'll find one at a consignment store or garage sale. Keep fingers crossed.

I'm looking forward to the wedding itself, though. As the bride will be about four months pregnant, I'm morbidly curious to see whether or not she's showing and see what sort of dress she's chosen if she is. I can't wait to give Protho a great send-off, of course, as he did for Eric and me. Laurie should be there as well; we haven't seen or spoken to each other in way too long, so I'll be happy to see her.

I'll miss seeing my family for Easter, but then again, Grandma has the shingles and I've heard that pregnant women really shouldn't be around people with that particular ailment. Mom's not sure if she'll be at Grandma's either, since some of her books indicate that people who've had cancer should avoid exposure to shingles. What a mess.

Well, I need to get myself another jug of water. Night, all.