I have returned to the States after 10 days in Europe. 

I am exhausted and jet lagged, but wee-beastie thoroughly enjoyed him/herself.  Apparently air travel, sugar, caffeine, and stress hormones (like the kind you produce when your purse — including your passport, credit cards, and migaine medicine — is stolen the first day into your travels) make my kid perform an Irish jig.  Me: HOLY ^%$, my purse was just stolen!  Wee-beastie: Weeeeee!!!! 

It turns out the phantom UTI was not a UTI (hence the negative cultures) but an allergic reaction in my lady parts to my new shower gel.  I used it a second time, the symptoms all came back for a few days, so now it is banished forever.  In other pee related news, I peed my pants yesterday when I sneezed.   On my way to class, mind you.  Me: HOLY @*&^, I just peed my pants!  Wee-beastie: Weeeeee!!!!

I am 24 weeks tomorrow.  HOLY ^$#%, I am almost 6 months pregnant!  I also managed, in between the pain au chocolate and the creme brulee, to lose weight in Europe.  My tummy is larger, so I assume it was just the copious amounts of walking we did.  Walking, it seems, it the only thing that lulls wee-beastie to sleep.  The second I sit down, it is back to business.  Be careful what you wish for: I told wee-beastie, since I didn’t want to bring the doppler, that s/he could move as much as s/he wanted because mommy found it very reassuring.