Bite me

People--we've got more teeth! Yes, two months after the first tooth made its appearance, J sprouted two more in the past week. Add to this the fact that she appears to be sprouting one heck of a cold sore on her bottom lip (A gets them every so often, me--never had one, knock wood) and she's been in a right state. But so . damn . cute and growing up so quickly. Sniff, sniff.

In dos-related news, today's peri visit found everything status quo. I've gained a whopping 16 lbs. to date...I'm sporting quite the "food baby" above the real deal. Even with J, I never had one of those cute pg bellies; I had the odd looking two belly phenomenon--one above my belly button, one below it. Nary the two did meet until my last week pregnant when, apparently, they merged into one happy entity given that each had outgrown the confines of their geographical areas. It appears that I'm on track to duplicate this attractive look this go'round as well. At this rate, I'm gaining a pound a week, so total should be 40 or so lbs. by my EDD...right on track with what I gained with J.

In other news, is anyone else getting tired of this hurricane crap? Nah, probably not since not too many (if any) of y'all are located near me. Here the newcasts have already gone all doom-and-gloom all the time. Panic is spreading, gas lines are currently hours long and growing, non-perishables are already in short supply in local grocery stores.

Once again, we find ourselves in the potential line of fire and once again, I can't work myself up into a frenzy of worry over this. We've made it through other storms in recent years, we'll make it through this one too if it comes this way. Perhaps we'll have some inconveniences--loss of electricity, loss of 'normal' routine, long lines for food, ice, gas, etc., but really, it's nothing compared to what others have dealt with in recent years.

Which brings me to the anniversary of Katrina and the hardship so many in New Orleans, the Mississippi gulf coast, and those scattered to points farther (Houston, Atlanta, Florida, etc.) suffered. I'm not one to push any agendas whatsoever, but if you haven't yet seen Spike 1ee's Katrina documentary on HB0, check it out. It's eye-opening, IMHO, and it truly shows you just how badly FEMA, local and federal governments and insurance companies failed our fellow countrymen. I can't wrap my mind around how FEMA could so badly botch things for them when our experiences with them here in 2004 after Frances and Jeanne were smooth. I know we're talking about different governments (Florida's has been lauded for its emergency preparedness planning), different storms, damages on a grander scale with Katrina...but where was the organization, where was the assistance, and how do we know it won't happen again in the wake of another grand-scale natural disaster?

In the meantime, just in case Ernesto is coming our way, we'll prepare our emergency supply kit and batten down the hatches, probably tomorrow, and if you don't hear from me for a few days, know that we're probably okay--maybe hot and sweaty, eating off the grill/out of cans, and smelling of insect repellent and gasoline from our generator, but we'll get through it.

Just like I'll get through that amnio...a week from this Thursday.