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Zusatztext Praise for Sophie Kinsella and Shopaholic & Baby “From sonograms to the hottest baby strollers to tricked-out birthing rooms . . . Kinsella’s ode to baby blues is both sly and slapstick.” — Publishers Weekly “Faster than a swiping Visa! more powerful than a two-for-one coupon! able to buy complete wardrobes in a single sprint through the mall—it’s Shopaholic!” —The Washington Post “Kinsella’s heroine is blessed with the resilience of ten women! and her damage-limitation brain waves are always good for a giggle.” — Glamour (U.K.) “As fun as a shopping spree.” — Entertainment Weekly Informationen zum Autor Sophie Kinsella is the author of the bestselling Shopaholic series! as well as the novels Can You Keep A Secret?! The Undomestic Goddess! Remember Me?! Twenties Girl! I’ve Got Your Number! and Wedding Night . She lives in England. Chapter One Ok. Don't panic. Everything's going to be fine. Of course it is. Of course it is. "If you could lift up your top, Mrs. Brandon?" The sonographer has a pleasant, professional air as she looks down at me. "I need to apply some jelly to your abdomen before we start the scan." "Absolutely!" I say without moving a muscle. "The thing is, I'm just a teeny bit . . . nervous." I'm lying on a bed at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital, tense with anticipation. Any minute now, Luke and I will see our baby on the screen for the first time since it was just a teeny blob. I still can't quite believe it. In fact, I still haven't quite got over the fact that I'm pregnant. In nineteen weeks' time I, Becky Brandon, née Bloomwood . . . am going to be a mother. A mother ! Luke's my husband, by the way. We've been married for just over a year and this is a one hundred percent genuine honeymoon baby! We traveled loads on our honeymoon, but I've pretty much worked out that we conceived it when we were staying in this gorgeous resort in Sri Lanka, called Unawatuna, all orchids and bamboo trees and beautiful views. Unawatuna Brandon. Miss Unawatuna Orchid Bamboo-tree Brandon. Hmm. I'm not sure what Mum would say. "My wife had a slight accident in the early stages of pregnancy," Luke explains from his seat beside the bed. "So she's a little anxious." He squeezes my hand supportively, and I squeeze back. In my pregnancy book, Nine Months of Your Life , it says you should include your partner in all aspects of your pregnancy, otherwise he can feel hurt and alienated. So I'm including Luke as much as I possibly can. Like, last night I included him in watching my new DVD, Toned Arms in Pregnancy . He suddenly remembered in the middle that he had to make a business call, and missed quite a lot--but the point is, he doesn't feel shut out. "You had an accident?" The sonographer pauses in her tapping at the computer. "I fell off this mountain when I was looking for my long-lost sister in a storm," I explain. "I didn't know I was pregnant at the time. And I think maybe I bashed the baby." "I see." The sonographer looks at me kindly. She has graying brown hair tied back in a knot, with a pencil stuck into it. "Well, babies are resilient little things. Let's just have a look, shall we?" Here it is. The moment I've been obsessing over for weeks. Gingerly I lift up my top and look down at my swelling stomach. "If you could just push all your necklaces aside?" she adds. "That's quite a collection you have there!" "They're special pendants." I loop them together with a jangle. "This one is an Aztec maternity symbol, and this is a gestation crystal . . . and this is a chiming ball to soothe the baby . . . and this is a birthing stone." "A birthing stone?" "You press it on a special...
