Mopey and Dopey

The Fam is gone and I'm sad. It's inevitable and you'd think I could get accustomed to it given that Hubs routinely heads back to Calgary/school and I'm left with an empty house. But this time, I had a housefull of Family that made the house feel like Home; all cozy and well, crowded. Now, I'm left with just me and the two dogs to keep me company ... and they're moping too. I like to call them Mopey and Dopey when they're like this. Since I can't sit around and mope with the dogs cuz I have a conference to teach (YIKES) on Thursday and I have to go to work, I'll drown my sorrows in some leftover wild rice/turkey soup and sweet potatoes (that quite honestly were the best thing on our Thanksgiving table - Thanks Dave!). I do love me some Thanksgiving leftovers.(I know Hubs, it doesn't make sense, but this is me!)

I'm counting down the sleeps until Hubs gets to come home (22 sleeps to go) - I'm even making a string of paper rings so that I can tear one off each day until he gets back. That will give me and the dogs something to look forward to and maybe it'll help us all mope a little less.

The Belly

In the past three weeks, I've had significant development in The Belly. I think I've finally, as they say, popped... The Belly now has an identity of its own as it needs new clothes, moves on its own and generally demands more attention than the rest of me combined. I've had to start taking anti-heartburn meds because The Belly is squishing all my innards to the point where there's no room for normal food processing to occur. I went into work yesterday with one of my coats zipped up and had a good laugh with a co-worker when I walked in looking like the kid on A Christmas Story where he was so bundled up that he couldn't really move. I've also gotten comments from co-workers while looking at The Belly like: "Well, looks like I haven't seen you in awhile," when, in reality, its only been a week.

Last night, I was sitting quietly in bed reading my book and saw The Belly bounce under my t-shirt. I can't deny that it freaked me out. It's like watching your own body's development from an outside perspective and having no control or choice in how that happens. It's also a little like when your arm is still attached to your body but you've slept on it long enough to totally deaden the nerves and your arm flaps around like it's not connected to your body. I felt as though The Belly was taking over my body and was going to do what it wanted when it wanted ... and I guess it really is.

Maybe this is how pregnancy prepares a woman for parenthood.

Crack, errr I mean Crave

The first time I'd ever been to Calgary to visit Hubs was when we drove here (I'm visiting here now) with Amy and Rory for the weekend. We had tickets to the Neil Young concert and thought we'd make a trip of it together. For the afternoon on Saturday, we went to a hip little area of town called Kensington and discovered the most delictable, delicious little place in all of the city simply by putting our nose to the breeze and sniffing it out. Literally. We rounded a corner and VOILA, there it was; a line out the door and around the corner for just one little cupcake. Some were there for more than one cupcake but we didn't yet know the delight that was the cupcake and how much more the delight could give us if we had more than one cupcake. We were about to find out. We were, however, smart enough to figure out that it had to be good if man, woman and child would stand in line for that long just to experience Crave, the home of the famous cupcake.

Tomorrow, we plan to go to Crave again and my biggest dilemma is what to get. I no longer just go there for one cupcake. Oh no, that won't do it. I've promised these little delights to friends and family back home and I cannot disappoint. I can't imagine what it is about these delicious things that makes me come back time and again. But my suspicion is that, if labeled with the ingredients on the side of the package, the cupcake would read something like this:

Ingredients: Butter, Sugar, Chocolate, CRACK.

And then I'd know why I am destined to come back time and time again.

Cupcakes Make Everything Better

The Little Guy in my belly has been kicking regularly now. I've even detected a pattern: He kicks in the mornings to wake me up and say hello. And then he's active shortly after lunch until around 4:30. I like to feel the kicking because I know he's still in there and hasn't taken a leave of absence.

A few days ago, he didn't kick in the morning, or in the afternoon. And the next morning, on my way to Calgary to visit Hubs, I started to worry a bit because he hadn't been active for over 24 hours at that point. When I spoke with Hubs while I drove to see him, he seemed a little worried but we made the plan that if we still didn't feel anything by the next day, I would get in touch with someone about it.

A few hours later I arrived in Calgary to Hubs with open arms, and cupcakes in one hand. He had the idea that maybe a little sugar might make the Little Guy move. And he was right. I ate half the cupcake (but NOT the Crave cupcake that it really should have been... another story) and he nearly flipped right out of my belly. I've had sugar in those quantities before, but I hadn't had any for a couple days to that point and VOILA, it worked! It was a relief to feel him kick again and I've felt his little movements regularly ever since.

Lullaby for Little Man

Dragon tales and the "water is wide"
Pirate's sail and lost boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
GodspeedSweet dreams

The rocket racer's all tuckered out
Superman's in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight moon, we'll find the mouse
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
GodspeedSweet dreams

God bless mommy and match box cars
God bless dad and thanks for the stars
God hears "Amen," wherever we are
And I love you

Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed Godspeed Sweet dreams

by Dixie Chicks

Temporary Loss

On Tuesday morning, I took out a plastic container for my breakfast just like I do every single morning. And just like every other morning during, I cut my strawberries and then pour my yogurt over the top so that I have breakfast of yogurt, strawberries and almonds at work to enjoy while responding to emails every morning. As I poured the yogurt over the strawberries, I realized that I was pouring the yogurt over the strawberries that I'd cut into our wicker fruit basket instead of the plastic container. Luckily I didn't pour too much yogurt so I only had to clean the wicker of strawberry juice. I was shocked at how long into the process I'd gone before I realized my mistake.

Wednesday morning I put my contacts into my eyes and then decided that it was time for me to switch the once-per-month contacts that I'd worn for three months because they were blurry and cleaning overnight wasn't helping. Much to my chagrin though, my new contacts were even more blurry than the old ones even after I'd gone through the process twice of taking them out, examining them, cleaning them with saline, putting them back in to no avail. When I took them out a third time, I examined my eye and discovered the source of blurriness: I had placed the new contact ON TOP OF the old contact and was wearing two contacst in one eye.

Yesterday, I left my usual strawberry, yogurt, almond concoction (successfully constructed) and the bag of workout clothes I regularly carry with me to work sitting atop my countertop. I didn't realize any of this, of course, until I'd gotten to work and had to find some other breakfast. Returning to my office with a delicious breakfast sandwich and juice I'd purchased from the nearby local bakery, I walked in the door and dumped the entire cup of juice down myself and onto the floor in front of my office. I had to go home to change clothes and alas; my breakfast, sure enough, was sitting on the counter where I left it that morning.

I don't usually do these things. But I think this is karma for disbelieving all the pregnant ladies, friends, strangers, and experts, that I didn't believe when they insisted that a tempororay loss of brain activity was inevitable.