Drumroll please...

As you might have noticed, my attention to BBB has been less than consistent as of late. The general busyness of life is always a factor in that, naturally, but the biggest problem is what is always has been: I've had something going on that I wasn't able to talk about here, and I find it nearly impossible to blather on about other stuff when my mind is intensely focused on something else.

But now all that's over and I'm happy to be able to share that Team Hoffmanderson has recruited a new member: we're expecting a little boy, due in late October.

Everything has been going swimmingly (or has been since the morning sickness subsided - a girl, especially a T1 girl, should not have to mainline Ritz crackers 24 hours a day), and all our tests and reports have come back with great results so far. But the biggest news, and strangest thing, for me is that I feel a lot less fear this time around. There's a lot less of that whole "impending doom" feeling going on. It's a huge relief, and I can only imagine it's that way because I've done this already and I've done it with a happy ending - the unknown is a far scarier thing than the known. Before, I didn't trust that a happy ending was a possibility for me...and now I've lived it. That's a huge leap forward.

So here's to a far more enjoyable pregnancy, folks. I'll be the round-bellied lady joyfully responding to any and all questions about Steel Magnolias with a pointed glance at my gorgeous little girl and a rather forceful, "This is my second pregnancy, thank you very much, and this one is gonna end the same way as the first."

STILL not Shelby