With the thermostat officially dropping below 50 degrees last night and my breath swirling in cold clouds around my head this morning, it feels even more certainly like autumn has arrived.
For once, I think I've held off to celebrate until an appropriate time. The leaf garlands on my mantles only went up one week before the highly anticipated arrival of the October Pottery Barn catalog, and I have yet to make a batch of steamy, dreamy French onion soup. Today marks just the second time I've donned knee high boots, a tunic sweater, and leggings. Yes, I think I've displayed an impressive amount of self-control where Fall 2012 is concerned.
But I cannot tell you how shamefully excited I am to be pregnant during these next few months, my favorites of the year. For several reasons.
For one thing, food tastes good again. So good. Oh my gosh, those five or six weeks of nausea were pure purgatory, and it's like I've emerged into a blissful, flavorful heaven. I know a lot of people get "morning sickness" much, much worse than the bout I had, but it was so incredibly depressing to feel sick all the time, to look at food and be disgusted, to hate the smell of something cooking. It was a dark, dark place.
Now, in the latter part of September and with the triumphant return of my appetite, I want to eat all the things. Cheeses of every persuasion. Delicious, hearty, grainy, slightly-toasted and generously-buttered breads. Apples every single day, especially Granny Smiths and Honeycrisps. Spicy chicken noodle soup from PF Changs with lemony and gingery brussel sprouts on the side. Spicy anything, really. Spinach salads with chickpeas and peppers and crumbled blue cheese and red wine vinegar and olive oil. Black bean corn salads. Hummus and pretzel thins. Panzanella. Popcorn with grated Parmesan cheese. Cheese and bread aside, many of the things I'm craving are actually much healthier than my usual fare, and the flavors are just incredibly delicious. Why does this all taste so much better than I remember?
Also, the clothes. I've only picked up two maternity pieces -- a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved tee. They're insanely comfy. But I'm pretty set on wearing what I've worn for the past several cold seasons for as long as I can swing it -- tunic sweaters with black leggings and boots. Dresses with tights and boots. Kyle's big flannel shirts with leggings and boots (and braids! So LL Bean... my mom would be proud). You get the idea. Those are all perfect for a baby bump. I bought a few thin, braided leather belts to complete the outfits, and I'm really excited.
Oh, AND -- a wedding! My friend Joanna is getting married in November, and I cannot wait to celebrate with her and see lots of our old high-school crew. It will be a bummer not to partake in the toasts that come standard with a wedding, but I get to dress up what she calls the "little Stevenson bump" and see an awesome couple start their own family together. Since tying the knot, I am much more weepy at weddings than I ever was before -- watching the bride walk down the aisle, and having some idea of how she is feeling and how momentous the day is for both of them, I just turn into a sentimental mess. Please add in pregnancy hormones on top of that, and the fact that this is my first long-time friend to get hitched. I should probably just bring a towel for my blubbering. Can't wait!!!
(Side note: a dress for the occasion is one purchase that I'm slightly anxious about. I want something cute, maybe a little sparkly, possibly holiday-ish... but I don't know what style will work best -- one shoulder? Slightly clingy? It'll have to wait until shortly before the big day, when I have a better idea just how "little" the bump will be. I do not want to look matronly, and the LL Bean style will have to take a night off, because I'd like to be fancy... this is important stuff, yinz.)
So... food, clothes, and nuptials! Also, football and cooler temperatures and being safely into the second trimester, thus making caffeine and maybe even a glass of wine on my birthday an indulgence I feel okay about.
I heard the heartbeat again at my appointment yesterday. I think I might be feeling some tiny kicks too. (I've also started getting serious fatigue and some headaches, but hey, who cares, at least I can eat!!!)
The second trimester is awesome. I feel like a new person. A coffee-sipping, equestrian boots-wearing, celebratory person, in fact. Happy Wednesday!!!