marmalade

too much relaxin. when i first read about it i thought it was a joke. "relaxin." it sounds corny. like god's way of telling pregnant women to chill out.

relaxin is a hormone to help my joints loosen so that the baby can push past the pelvic and hip bones.

unfortunately, it doesn't just target the hip/pelvic area; it affects my entire body, including my hands. consequently, i've been dropping things as if i never learned how to pick things up and hold on.

not just keys, either.

i've dropped a half gallon of milk, papers, water bottles...

we were in william sonoma picking out a mother's day present for n. and j. said jokingly "now be careful, because your bones are made of marmalade... i don't want you to drop anything." which i really appreciated, of course. but then two minutes later i suddenly found i'd caused a huge crash of measuring cups on the wooden floors.

that same day j.'s dad suggested we all go outside for a family photo. i grabbed his brand new digital camera only to find it too somehow slipped from my hands onto the hard wood floors. i practically burst into tears.

i've never been clumsy before. and it's okay now if it's just keys and water bottles...

but it's not okay to drop my father-in-law's expensive, new digital camera.

jeez.

on the up-side of things, j. got a great job offer and the baby girl has been kicking away. sometimes when she's kicking i'll put my headphones around her and play some Tchaikovsky violin concerto. it makes her move like crazy.

she either loves it or hates it i suppose.

but i love to feel her.

moving on.

j. graduated today with a masters in counseling. i'm so proud of him and all he's accomplished. now we can put M.A. after his name on everything. christmas letters, return addresses, birthday cards, etc.

just kidding.

we've found a place to live. the first thing that has come easy to us in a long time. i've been picking out paint colors and planning out the living space. it's in a quiet neighborhood where you can smell the ocean breeze.

tomorrow is my first mother's day. my belly is growing daily. two people have given me mother's day presents already. k. gave me the most precious pink trio of frames and a former trainee from work gave me two pink onesies and a "mama" charm.

picking a name for your daughter is not an easy task.