Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Hale's Printed Word

We moved to a completely new place surrounded by unfamiliar things. Hours away from family and friends. So it has been refreshing to discover something so familiar: To my delight, I found that the library is a 10 minute walk from our apartment. And to even further my happiness, I discovered that my favorite book of all time, The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, has a sequel! I read it in two days and it was perfect. The Palace of Stone was everything I hoped for and better. And that made me realize that perhaps it is time I read all of Shannon Hale's books. Now that I'm in my third trimester, I can do little else but take it easy. So reading is the perfect hobby for me! 

I'm halfway through reading this gem, Book of a Thousand Days. I love it because it is the same familiar style of writing that I fell in love with in the Princess Academy books -- but it has a completely different feel concerning the characters and situations. I have a hunch about how it will turn out in the end, but we'll see. It might be shocking. This one is for a more mature audience than the princess ones. Once I finish this one in a day or two I will move on to The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. She's my new favorite author! 

Monday, May 6, 2013

My Take on Pregnancy

I've been pregnant for 7 months now. I always wondered what it would feel like. To be honest, it is many things. It is beautiful, painful, and annoying. And sometimes, if I lay just right, I feel completely normal -- like the way I did before I ever had a tiny human growing inside me. But then I feel the twitching, dancing, and kicking from inside my abdomen, and I know for certain that I am carrying a second soul.

A second, very hungry soul.

I just want to snack and sleep all day sometimes. And hey, I'm pregnant. No one would judge me. And then there are days that I want to clean and bake and organize everything. People say that I'm nesting. I get compliments from complete strangers, and people I normally wouldn't talk to are suddenly very interested in asking me questions and telling me their personal experiences with pregnancy and parenting.

My husband, Marshal, offers to give me massages every single night. My last semester of college I could skip class without penalty due to morning sickness and need for sleep. It is all glorious and exhausting and wonderful.
You ever wonder why pregnant women are always holding their tummy? You would hold yours too, if there was a human inside of you squirming around all day. It's a feeling that has no words to describe it properly. I love it. But I will love it even more when the baby is out of me and my body can shrink back to its original size. I have no idea what is in store for me. A child is a huge responsibility and blessing. I'm just going to say, come what may, I will love this little person so so so so much.