8 Weeks and a Walmart adventure

Edit 10/20/02--After visiting the Dr. today I suspect that this picture may be a little beyond my eight weeks. But, its a neat picture so I'm going to leave it up
Two months! Doesn't seem like much of a milestone when I look at how far there is to go, but it sure seems like a milestone when I consider that two months ago, we weren't planning to be parents for four or five more years. According to babycenter.com, this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.


Nathan came home Friday morning and scared the living daylights out of me when he came in our room. We slept late and decided to go to the mall in the afternoon. I really wanted to get a pair of maternity pants; I'm only just a little bit bigger but it seems like anything pressing on my stomach makes me sicker. After talking to my mom I decided to just go and get a pair that I can grow into. The stretchy belly part feels so nice. I did make Nathan promise not to tell anybody that I'd already bought a pair of maternity jeans though--oh the vanity! We also found a really pretty sweater that is too big for me right now, but has lots of room to grow into and will be perfect for work. It's long and soft and warm! I'm looking forward to wearing it as it starts to get colder. At the store they had a fake belly to strap on that the saleswoman said adds 3 to 4 months. I put it on under the jeans I was trying on and we cracked up. It looked so funny, all lumpy and crooked! I wish I'd taken a picture. It was good entertainment, and we were being so silly giggling in the dressing room and whispering about what I'll "really" look like when I get bigger. However I look, I hope it's better than that!


This afternoon we went to Walmart (that pit of all that is unholy) and saw Elvis. I guess he was one of the store managers, all dressed up and singing and dancing in the middle of the aisle. He shook my hand and Nathan's, and said "Thank ya vera much" in that Elvis way. I cracked up and could NOT stop laughing. We were making horrible Elvis jokes all the way to the other end of the store. It was really nice though to see how many people smiled and laughed and looked so much happier after he talked to them. When we left Walmart we stopped outside for a few minutes. I was leaning against the wall, thinking that I was going to get sick and wondering where the nearest trash can was, and then the next thing I knew I was laying on the concrete and Nathan was calling my name in a really scared voice and a whole bunch of people were talking and the cart boy was running for a manager and some other guy was calling 911. Nathan said that I took a couple of steps and as he turned to ask me where I was going, I was already out and falling. He caught me a little bit but I was already on my way down and I still face planted on the concrete. He said he was more scared than he's ever been in his entire life, because he tried to put my head on his lap and it was just limp and I was gushing blood. When I woke up I heard the guy calling 911 and I tried to tell him not to, that I was ok, but I couldn't make the words come out. I sat up and there was blood everywhere, it had clogged up my left eye and I couldn't see. A bystander or someone brought Nathan paper towels to push against my forehead to stop the bleeding. I told him I was ok, head wounds just bleed a lot. Everyone was asking me questions and the store manager asked me if I'd had anything to eat. I wanted to tell him not to worry, that I wouldn't sue. See, I can still be a smart mouth even if I pass out. I didn't say that to him though. The fire truck came and the firemen took my blood pressure and did a blood sugar test on me, and tried to talk me into going to the ER, and then the ambulance came and did the same thing. At least they sat me in the ambulance while they did their tests and asked me all their questions. It was really embarrassing sitting on the ground in front of Walmart pouring blood! I had to sign a paper that I was refusing to go to the hospital, but they still have to charge me 200 bucks, just because they answered the call. When they let me go Nathan took me to the car and sat me down while he went back in to get me some butterfly bandages. I washed the blood off and here is what everything looked like under all of it!

The lady EMT told me that my forehead looked like a snake bit me and then ripped down. I told Nathan that he can call me the sexy snake lady now. I'm sure that I will probably have scars from those ones, since I am doctoring myself instead of going to the doctor for stitches. I would, but we can't afford it. I have just a little scrape on my nose, and a deep one on my lip. The inside of my lip is also cut from my teeth. It's really swollen. I told me mom, hey! free botox! I want to take a nap, but Nathan won't let me since he's worried I have a concussion. I am humoring him, since I scared him so badly.