On Being Pregnant, part II

I make no qualms about how I don't think pregnancy is full of lollipops and cotton candy, and other sweet cherubic type things. I don't like being pregnant, but I LOVE the end result. So I'll take the good with the bad...and try to find the humor in the latter. Is there something humorous about barfing with such intensity that urine leaks out? Let me know.

Yesterday Jake asked me what I liked about being pregnant. After the initial "ugh" in my head, I came up with some generic answer like "I like knowing I have a healthy little person growing inside, and how I can feel her kicking away." To those of you who aren't/haven't been pregnant. I think it feels something like a muscle spasm, not a painful charlie horse, but when a muscle in your arm or leg twitches. Totally involuntary and completely surprising...and in the case of a kicking baby - wonderful.

Today I discovered my real answer to Jake's question. I've been carrying Magnolia differently than I carried Cora. Maybe it has something to do with her being head down. Anyway, are you ready for this? I like the way I laugh when I'm pregnant. Perhaps it's the different position of my diaphragm or the building pressure against my lungs, but the result is a huge blustery laugh that I will be a little sad to lose.

And might I add...why of course I may...it's much more difficult to control. Uncontrollable, tear streaming laughter. I'll take it.

PS: "They've" been painting the trim around the windows of our building and the two on either side of us for the past few days. Today they are on our roof. As I was writing this, I looked over to see the silhouette of one man through our drawn shades. I have a minor inclination to go open up the window and start a conversation.

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A Date With Jake

The Johnson Family is currently in the great state of Oklahoma for Spring Break. Yesterday, Jake and I spent the day in Oklahoma City, and Cora spent the day with Meemaw and Katy on Smith Farm in Yeager - with a stint in Wetumka at Dairy Queen. While I wasn't present for these festivities, I know she had a lot of fun, and is afraid of chickens.

Jake and I met with our realtor and friend, Sherrie Furber, at 10:00AM to look at houses in our old neighborhood. Have I mentioned that we're moving back to Oklahoma City? We are - and don't feel bad because I know I haven't really mentioned it yet. Yes, we are moving back to Oklahoma City this summer after Magnolia is born, but that is beside the point.

We looked at two houses. One of which we are madly in love with. After seeing it and having a few heart flutters, we went to lunch at our favorite restaurant, Iron Starr. What do vegetarians eat at a BBQ place? (We're actually pescetarians, mind you.) Jake had the Salmon Salad and I had the Vegetarian Combo. I love their house dressing. I always get 2 sides, and a double house salad with house dressing.

Afterward we went to Old Navy and Ross at Belle Isle. I love Ross and Chicago does not have them. Not a single one. Then it was off to Braum's where Jake got his usual chocolate shake, and I consumed a Brownie Fudge Sundae. We headed back to the SE part of the state. On our way, we stopped by Shawnee Mall, home to another Ross, where I found a cute pair of plaid Sperrys. For the last little while, I've had a little inkling for some new perfume, so we made our way through the mall to Dillard's. The lovely woman behind the counter pointed me in the direction of Elizabeth Arden's Pretty after I told her what I liked. It was perfect, even though I didn't stop looking directly upon discovering it. I also loved Ed Hardy Hearts & Daggers. I also decided it was time for Jake to have a new scent. It was L'Homme by YSL. On our way out of the store, I saw the same Sperry shoes I'd just purchased at Ross for over twice as much. YES!

I loved our day out together. It's so much fun to get to hang out with my best friend.

And the festivities spilled over into today. Can you tell what happened?



And here's Magnolia.

After grapes and swinging on the porch, we're off to the park on this lovely, in-the-seventies Spring Day.

PS: I will never forget where I was on this very day when President Obama signed the Healthcare Bill. I almost cried. Twice. And not because I am in mourning.

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Monday Morning

Cora is still snoozing away. Daylight Savings and a trip to Labor & Delivery around her bedtime on Saturday night threw her off a little. Have I ever mentioned that I'm not a fan of Daylight Savings? I grew up in Arizona. Our time never changes. One should not be able to change time.

The trip to L&D was brought on by contractions every three minutes for over an hour. And then it was over two hours, and then three, and then they started to space out. A miracle, I tell you. I hung out in a hospital for two weeks with Cora while doctors tried several different treatments to get contractions to stop. No luck. The fantastic part this time is that my cervix is still closed. Yay for a closed cervix when I'm 24 weeks along (closer to 25, and that's important).

Jake left for work approximately three minutes before I sat down to write this. He's playing for the Music Theatre of Wichita (MTW) auditions here in Chicago. He used to play for them in OKC, and once, we went to Wichita for him to play there. Wichita has great food. And the people who run MTW are awesome. I'm glad he gets to hang out with them for two days. This week is also his finals week, and then guess what?

"What?"

We'll be in Oklahoma on Friday night. And we will be there for one week. Yay Spring Break. And we're scheming. More on that later.

Did I mention that Cora is still snoozing? In her newly converted toddler bed? We converted it yesterday afternoon after we heard a crash. We've been lucky that she has never tried to get out of her crib before. First time is the charm. She was okay, a little scuff on her ear. After she calmed down, she told us the story of how it happened. It involved pointing to her crib and lots of arm motions. I think that, despite the initial fear, she was proud of herself. It took me a long time to fall asleep last night, knowing that my little baby was in a "big girl" bed. As much as I think it's obnoxious that we change time in order to control that which is really beyond control, there are moments when I wish it wasn't always marching steadily forward.

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Okay

While putting the dishes away, I dropped the lid to our stock pot on the counter. It hit hard and loud. Cora was busy with some books on the floor when it happened. She stopped everything and said started saying "k" over and over again. It wasn't until she ran up and patted me on the back that I realized she'd been asking if I was okay. I can hardly get over the sweet things she does sometimes.

Today I broke the third of four orange bowls that I bought from an antique store in Holdenville several years ago. The remaining bowl is perched in its spot on a shelf, a little lonely, I'm sure. And probably certain of the fate it will meet after watching his other three friends go the way of dustpan and trash.

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23 weeks. And Counting...

On this, the official mark of the 23rd week of pregnancy, there was sunshine.

And it's a good thing because I was long overdue for some pictures of my growing self. Here are a few that my loving husband took.

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