I had my 24-week appointment on Tuesday and things look good. When I got there all three doctors were out delivering babies, so I had to wait a bit. But when I finally got in the doctor said I was spot-on, measurement-wise, for 24 weeks. She had a hard time finding the baby’s heartbeat “in the Jacuzzi,” as she put it, but she finally got it to register and it was 137 bpm or something normal like that. I’m gaining more weight, too. I think I’ve gained at least ten pounds by now. I get heartburn all the time, which isn’t really fun. But it’s not at all bad like it was during the first few weeks of pregnancy, and at least I’m supporting all those fine employees at the Tums factory.

The baby is kicking a bit. Or, as we say in the Robinson household, is practicing his hockey windups. People have been asking us what we’ll name him, but we probably won’t decide until we greet the little guy in October. Wayne Gretzky Robinson?

In case any valued friends or family members read this, we thought you’d like a little update on our little guy.

I’m nearly 24 weeks pregnant, which, amazingly, means less than four months to go. Baby Robinson weighs about a pound and is about eight inches long. He moves quite regularly. I feel him best when I’m sitting at my desk at work or when I lie down for bed at night–basically, when I’m not moving a whole lot. I like to feel him thumping. John can feel him kick, too, when he (Little Guy) is really going at it. We haven’t done much in the way of baby preparations yet, except sort out the things other people have donated to us.

According to Babycenter.com, I should be gaining about a pound a week from this point on. When I read that I panicked slightly. But then I remembered that I’ve only gained about ten pounds so far, and a pound a week for the next 16 weeks sounds about right. Still. A pound a week is a lot. My tummy seems to be growing very rapidly. But sometimes I can’t tell if that’s just in my head or for real. Except that today John looked at me after work and said, “You’re really getting a tummy there!” Just what every girl wants to hear. But what can you say when it’s because you’re pregnant? Probably what I said: “Um, I know.”

I mentioned recently my new-found appreciation for craigslist.com. Well, tonight I was browsing the “wanted” section, where people post things they’re looking for. Usually very sensible things like a used sofa in good condition or possibly an area rug.

Here’s what I came across tonight. Does this freak out/crack up anyone else?

Massage Wanted-

I just want a massage. Mostly back, neck, and shoulder- the usual. I’m a professional male (mid-20’s). If you have a salon that is great- or your house is fine too. Don’t worry, I’m not some sicko/crazy/nasty hairy guy. I’ll pay between 25.00-100.00 depending on your experience, and the quality and length. Please email if you are interested. A short bio/pictures/etc. are good. If I like you this may be a weekly or semi-monthly job. Thanks.

I was worried when he asked for pictures of his potential masseuse, but he must be perfectly safe since he says he’s not some sicko/crazy/nasty hairy guy. I totally trust him.

So I was just thinking tonight about how things have changed since last year. Today we’re a year older. Today we’re expecting a baby.

Yet, some things never change.

Want to know what John and I did tonight? To find out, check out last year’s post.

I guess consistency can be refreshing.

Sunday night I was browsing Craigslist.com and saw someone looking for a stationary bike. We have one that we hardly use (in fact, its dust is quite thick). I asked John if he’d care if I responded to the person’s post, and he gave me the go-ahead. I replied and offered our bike for $55. Then, on a whim, I decided to also post the bike for sale under sporting goods for $60.

The next afternoon I got an email about the bike. At first I thought it was the person I had offered the bike to for $55–but it wasn’t. It was someone responding to the ad for $60. He asked if the bike was still for sale (a whopping 12 hours after the ad had posted) and wondered if he could come look at it that evening. I said OK.

Last night John and I carried the bike downstairs for the guy to see and we discussed how much we’d be willing to haggle in price if he thought $60 was too much. We bought the bike used for $50 last year, and we decided that breaking even would be okay if that was the best we could do.

The guy turned up with his wife and had a quick look at the bike. And I mean quick. His wife had broken her back and needed some way to exercise that didn’t make her back worse. She got on the bike, pedalled a few times, said she thought it felt okay. We showed her how to adjust the seat and tried to point out all the features on the LCD display. But we probably didn’t need to. The husband was already pulling out his wallet and handing over $60. No questions asked. No haggling attempted. They carried off the bike and we made $10.

(In case you were wondering, I never heard from the person who actually had been looking for a bike in the first place.)

Not bad for my first time on Craigslist.