A Life of Its Own

I went to wash inside my belly button in the shower the other day, and realized that this is no longer possible. I no longer have a belly button.

"Yeah, I noticed that earlier today," Paul admitted when I mentioned it.

This would be because of the fact that I can't see my own belly button very easily anymore, but it's all too easy for him to see it as I've taken to walking around the house looking like baby Huey. Note to self: buy maternity pajamas. Wearing regular flannel pants and non-maternity t-shirts around the house is simply not flattering in your current state.

I have noticed that the skin at the top of my navel, which I can both see and feel, is becoming quite tight. Thankfully, I have never pierced my navel, or I would certainly be exceedingly uncomfortable right now. I'm simply not the navel-piercing type, though I admit that I faked it briefly.

Lo these many years ago, when I was trying to attract Paul's attention, I did purchase a fake belly button ring and wear it around him. This was not as easy as it sounds, since it was December in the mid-1990's, when it was still fashionable for women to wear clothing in the winter.

Anyway, in addition to my tightly stretched belly button, I have also been feeling a sharp tug in the skin on the upper right part of my abdomen. I know all too well what this means: a new stretch mark will soon appear. I already look like the victim of a violent crime - I have the worst stretch marks I've ever seen from my first pregnancy - so I acknowledge the appearance of a new one with resignation and a little resentment.

No new stranger belly touches to report today, and the usual whispers of "when is she due?" have been following me around wherever I go, but I did have an interesting experience yesterday when another writer in my writer's group told me that I look very good, then asked if I am still pregnant. Really!

A few days earlier, wearing a non-maternity Walt Disney World t-shirt with a slightly distorted Mickey Mouse stretching across my mid-section, I had to announce my pregnancy to Ellie's Parents As Teachers parent educator, as an explanation for why I wanted to schedule another visit in a few months, when clearly Ellie has aged out of the program. She honestly didn't notice! So perhaps my shape changes on an hourly basis.

I nearly ended the whole thing last night, inadvertently. I have an obnoxious cold (I'm not blaming you, Jessica!) so I made myself a cup of herbal tea before bed. I just grabbed the first tea bag in the basket, without paying too much attention to what it was, and lay down to rest. Suddenly, the baby started doing back flips and trying to force its way out of my belly through the skin rather than a more conventional route. Raspberry leaf tea. Apparently a uterine stimulant. Used homeopathically by some women to calm Braxton-Hicks contractions, but more often used to stimulate labor and/or induce miscarriage. So. Now we know that my uterus reacts strongly to raspberry tea; time to put that box away for another 12 weeks or so.