Some Odd or Amusing Things (a List)

1. My belly is now fuzzy. I think I’ve forgotten to mention that my former barely perceptible peach fuzz is now longer, darker, and visible to the naked eye. Hormones, I guess?

2. In a related note, the line that stretches from my navel to my pubic area (called the linea negra, I believe) suddenly got darker one day. Now it’s lighter again. Very odd. I assume it will get darker again with time.

3. I did an experiment last night. I couldn’t sleep so I tried to find the baby. I would find an area on my stomach where it felt harder. When I pressed on it, I would feel a strong sense of pressure (this sensitive spot moved and the rest of my stomach felt “normal”). So I would find the baby, press, the baby would move away, I would find the hard spot again, press, move again, press. For some reason this seemed hilarious to me at the time and I laughed loud enough to wake up the dogs (did I mention it was about 1 a.m.?).

4. Roscoe our cat sleeps with us only during the winter. During the summer he likes to do his own thing. Nate has woken up on the very edge of his side of the bed, looked behind me, and found Roscoe sprawled out with his four legs pressing against my back so he can maintain his territory. I lie in the middle, resented on both sides.

5. I am making soap as stocking stuffers this year. Last night Nate helped me. He came us with some crazy combinations and his “pinches” of color powder (what you add to make the soaps different shades) were like half the container. Pretty funny, but he got me to try some things I probably wouldn’t have otherwise.

6. I went to a poetry reading last night that I very much enjoyed and met some nice people. The emcee of the event said he’d been living in Dallas for 23 years and only six or seven years ago began to feel at home. That gave me some hope because I still feel like a tourist after living here two and half years.

7. I drank my first glass of wine on Friday night. I’ve heard conflicting things about alcohol. Don’t drink any; an occasional glass is fine; you never know, so why take a chance; etc. It took me at least an hour to finish my glass. It was lovely. Then the next day I felt horribly guilty and worried I was doing long-lasting damage. I have pregnant friends who largely disregard the list of things you’re supposed to avoid (sushi, soft, non-pasteurized cheese, deli meat, sausage, etc.) and others who are very careful to follow all the rules. I’m in between. I follow the suggestions about 95% of the time, indulge in that goat-cheese and spinach omelet or that one glass of wine because it sounds so good at the time, and then feel guilty afterward. I may need to rethink my strategy.