I’ve been to CES pregnant before. And I swore I would never—ever—do it again. But here I am, tickets in hand and about three and a half months along. The last time I did this, I was about 5 months pregnant, but it doesn’t really matter. Either way, you’re tired, you hurt, and you need to sit down. And in my case, there’s some hurling involved, and the vendors are just going to have to get over that. The only thing I have going for me this time is that I know what to expect. Mistakes from last time in 2005 (my second CES) included—but were not limited to—the following:

Carrying too much crap

Expecting the free press bag to have wheels

Not going ballistic on the male booth model who wouldn’t let me sit down at the Samsung booth (but also couldn’t tell me where the PR guy was I was supposed to meet)

Thinking if I missed a meeting the world would end

Not getting enough sleep

Expecting to have fun

Unfortunately, not all of these things can be helped, but I plan to bring my own rolling bag, not over-schedule my evenings, and bring only the lightest notebook, camera, jacket, and other gear I can manage. Beyond that, I plan to also pack my best—meaning most preggo-looking—maternity clothes (although let’s face it, I’m not showing a bit) and will be sticking out my belly as much as possible in hopes for a seat every third or fourth meeting. I don’t think I’ll go so far as to stuff my shirt with a pillow, but don’t put that past me just yet.I also planned ahead and got every single vendor’s cell phone number, so if I have to miss a meeting for whatever reason, I can text them and let them know without too much guilt. This should cut down on the hormonal panic attacks that happen when I’m running late. I really hope to not have a meltdown this time around like I did last time (seriously, it was awful—the ugly cry and everything) and just generally not get too overwhelmed or overtired. The first thing people say to me when I tell them I’m pregnant is, “Wow, just make sure you don’t overdo it at CES.” And that’s exactly my plan. Then again, this is me saying all this very calmly in my safe little office in New York City. Come back during the show to see how I’m really faring. As for the fun, we’ll see about that. I do have some drinks planned with some vendors I like (Drinks! Ha! Nothing like a virgin Piña Colada to take the edge off). So we’ll see about the fun part.