..........................................................................................................................................      KATRINA   Pregnant. I'm pregnant! That's what I'd hoped he would say. Wait till I tell my husband - How excited he'll be. I remember skipping home, Childishly - happily. New life - our life - Growing right inside me. But wait! Why wasn't I told the rest?! Who paints the pictures Of radiance and glowing complexions? Surely my complexion isn't glowing, Unless you consider green glows. And morning sickness - I never knew it could last 24 hours - every day - For 6 months.   But then again - it was exciting, That first kick. The reality was finally confirmed. Our baby was there, growing, Living. How I longed to be able to caress, To cuddle, to tickle this child. By 9 months I was accustomed to A wardrobe of "fat dresses"; A stomach with a mind of its own That would bulge alarmingly When little arms and legs Probed and pushed and kicked; The daily ritual of my little acrobat's Chin-ups on my rib cage. Suddenly, I didn't want to lose this Closeness - this permanence of contact. But our baby decided There was no more room, Nothing new to discover In what had been Our secret world. We were now fully educated about What to expect in childbirth. It was as expected - only quicker. Our little girl was born in just 38 minutes - We'll make a good team, My daughter and I. We worked well together. And then I saw her for the first time.   No longer my imaginings, Or eager fantasies - She was real - so beautiful. Those eyes; so big and black; Black to match her hair. Perfect, Just as I'd known she would be. Hospital routine established It's now Time to go home. But what's that?! What do you mean, Dirty nappies, night feeds, colic...? Now wait a minute....   Hey, did you see that? She looked right at me and smiled. Wind?  Of course not - she smiled.               "Come on, Katrina, Let's go home Where we belong."    Barbs