Today was Tim's day off, so it was more fun than usual, what with going out to a fancy lunch at Tropix (mmm, spicy foods might start labor! Or not.) and browsing on Piedmont Ave. Tim has little interest in browsing in quaint, overpriced shops full of knick-knacks, so I handed him my cell phone (his had a dead battery and we figured if my water broke/ I went into labor suddenly most shopkeeps would let me use the house phone to contact him) and started my slow waddle down the street.

I very much enjoyed my shopping, especially since I found things I'd been looking for (pee pee tee-pees to keep baby boys from peeing in your face, more thank-you cards, a very cool nano case, a stuffed giraffe, etc.) and could justify actual spending. I took my time, chatting with shopkeeps (and really enjoying the looks on people's faces when they asked, "When is the baby due?" and I said, "Sunday!"), browsing to my heart's content.

But, as I neared where Tim waited for me (on a bench with a book), I was feeling woozy. Then I saw a sign for a baby store I hadn't seen before, so I pushed it. I went the extra half-block out of my way and quickly perused the small, hip, VERY over-priced Oaklandish onesies (my favorite were the t-shirts that had the big shipping cranes dreaming of Star Wars at-ats) in the VERY hot store. Then I gathered up Tim, did a quick coffee/ grocery store run (oooh, I do love me a frozen food aisle on hot days like today), and we walked back to the car at the other end of the street.

As we approached the car, I told Tim my hands were throbbing. I showed him my palms, and was glad it wasn't just me -- he said they looked like I was wearing clown gloves. We were only two blocks from the hospital, but I sat down and checked for other signs of pre-eclampsia -- no spots in my vision, no headache... and by the time I started digging in my bag for the phone to call L&D, my hands were back to their normal amount of swollen, and much less clown-like. So, partially because neither one of us really felt like going to the hospital and partially because I was better so quickly, (and partially because I didn't want the ice cream we just bought to melt), we went home.

I've rested on my left side until I did get a headache (I hate that my body does that), and though I feel much better, it wasn't good enough to make it all the way up to Berkeley for what possibly may be my last prenatal yoga class. Sad! I'm still trying to decide if I should call about this thing that happened over three hours ago... the baby's moving, and my symptoms went away, so I'm probably fine, but it's also scary.

Anyway, it's so, so easy to overdo it these days. Man. I should've taken a camera phone picture of my hands to show you all -- they were freakish, like I was was wearing latex gloves filled with water. ::shudder::