So Passover has finally ended and we’re returning to a state of (somewhat) normalcy. That is, if you call a whirlwind of pre-baby activity (cleaning the house, shopping for supplies, cooking/freezing meals) normal. We’ve entered countdown mode: L.B. is due in about 2 weeks, but considering my hyperactive uterus (contraction party!) and the fact that this is my second baby, it is safe to say that the new arrival is pretty much imminent.

Whoa.

In the meantime, life in the 9th month is full of interesting experiences, as most pregnant women will testify. Take, for example, the walk I took with Yonah the other day after my midwife Becca “suggested” that I need more exercise. It was a gorgeous, sunshiny day and I was enjoying a brief window when the baby was high enough to not feel like I was trying to steal a bowling ball. So off we went, Yonah in his stroller and Mommy in her sneaks, to the post office.

As we left the house I felt the need to pee, but it was faint enough that I figured I could make it to the Post Office at least, or the library across the street. Well, I underestimated the power of gravity on an almost-seven-pound baby perched directly on my bladder. I was about a quarter-mile from my house when things shifted from “It can wait” to “Potty Emergency!” in a matter of seconds. I was gridlocked: there was no way I was going to make it to the post office but I was too far from home to make it back. This was happening, now, whether I liked it or not.

There was only one thing to do. I found a picturesque front yard with a wooden fence and a grassy patch in front I decided to consider neutral territory. I rolled Yonah up toward the fence and sat down beside him, arranging myself just-so (I was wearing a dress, conveniently) and took care of business. Anyone who saw me at that moment would have just thought I was a really pregnant woman with a baby taking a breather in the sunshine; a car even passed by and I tossed them a friendly smile (talk about multi-tasking). Crisis was averted, and in less than a minute Yonah and I were on our merry way again.

Don’t you feel like we know each other so much better now?