As time ticks by, my belly gets bigger. Weird stuff happens when your entire center of gravity is relocated. For example, people you don’t know start staring at your midriff ALL THE TIME… then look up at you as if to say “uh HUH, we know what YOU’VE been up to!”. Also, seat selection becomes very important: i.e., sitting straight up is not an enjoyable prospect. As I have quickly learned, that pretty much rules out public transportation and airplanes.

I haven’t been grounded since I was but a naughty teenager, but Soenke grounded me - literally (like, no more airplanes until after baby has externalized) after a somewhat harrowing experience on the flight from Frankfurt to Hamburg that involved me almost fainting twice while dripping in an anxious sweat. *I* fully attribute that to his shamefully putting me in ECONOMY CLASS (a.k.a. Misery Class) in full violation of the “Pregnant Girls Fly First/Business” clause he invoked back when we saw 2 stripes on the pregnancy test (my doctor weirdly attributes it to the pressure of the baby on my spine or something - whatever!). There I was, sitting in a tiny, vertical, middle seat, nowhere for my belly to rest, no reclining potential of more than 2 cm, no business class meal. You’d faint too, I can assure you. Duly chastised, Soenke STILL grounded me with crossed arms and a firm glare. Hmph.

Thankfully we have a spiffy new car with excellent reclining seats to make full use of road trip destinations in reach of Hamburg. Next stop: Berlin !

In the meantime, here is the latest proof that we will soon be three: