Go ahead, touch the tummy...

One strange thing about pregnancy is that for the first 5 months or so, the only people who know you're pregnant are the ones you've told. People in the general public can't tell, or it wouldn't be polite to say anything if they suspected. Now that there's no denying it, people in lines at grocery stores and other shops have been asking me when I'm due, and starting random conversations with me about things like diapers. Surprisingly, no stranger has asked to touch my tummy. I think my belly's pretty neat and don't mind people I know touching it - but it's probably not all that exciting unless she's moving around or in an interesting position.

This morning after prenatal yoga, we headed over to St. David's South Austin Hospital for our own personal maternity tour. It's a pretty small hospital, much less crowded than the downtown hospitals. Parking is free and easy, and once we stepped inside, the nurses and volunteers were all so nice - we'd turn a corner and somebody would ask us where we were going and point us in the right direction. A male nurse who's been with the hospital for like 20 years showed us the labor & delivery rooms, the recovery rooms, and the nursery. They encourage women to room in with their babies, so of the 19 babies currently in the hospital, only 4 were in the nursery (and they were so little!). One of the nursery attendants asked me who my OB is, and said they're excited to have Dr. Belt and her practice deliverying at their hospital now. In fact, everybody was welcoming and seemed happy that we'd be delivering there!