‘‘I'm so bored,” Julietta said now. ‘‘I feel like a beached whale or a pregnant hippo.’’ She rubbed her distended abdomen and sighed.

"Maybe it would be good for you to go in the pool. The water could help you support the baby.”

‘‘Maybe,” Julietta agreed. "But I can’t as long as it’s just me here with Alex. He tries to be careful, but he forgets he can’t leap on me these days.”

“I'll go in with you.”

Julietta’s eyes lit up with gratitude. ‘‘Oh, would you mind? That would be wonderful.”

She eased her ungainly body to a sitting position and, with Lucia's help, hauled herself to her feet....