Anouchka Talks

Summer is drawing to a close and, along with it, so is my second trimester.  I am delighted to say that during the past three months, I have enjoyed (relative) comfort and a renewal of energy.  Granted, I still have some common pregnancy complaints, but the symptoms of this trimester pale in comparison to the violent mayhem of its predecessor. Ever since Habibi and I went public in late June, people began offering unsolicited advice.  Some of this advice is valuable and appreciated, but most of the time, I'm just tired of talking about being pregnant because I'm tired of being pregnant .  With just over three months left in this game, the days can't pass by quickly enough.  Fall is my favorite season of the year but, at this point, I am ready for a frost... ...because a frost means that Baby Hulk/Annyong will be here soon.  (Due date:  December 27!!!) It seems that I am one of the few women on earth who doesn't "just love" this "magical" state...

A frozen lake in Switzerland, near the French border

As the weeks go by and the skin on my belly feels more like that of a drum than a means to contain my organs, I rejoice that I have passed the halfway point of pregnancy... ...said no one ever. On the bright side, Betty and Alice seem to be getting along a little bit better, thanks to the feline pheromone diffuser we installed to reduce anxiety and discourage Alice from pooping on the floor. UPDATE:   Between the time I wrote this entry and posted it, Betty and Alice have once again regressed in their usual pattern.  One step forward, two steps back...  Such is the life of a gangster. BESTIES! (This was right before Alice growled at Betty and jumped off the perch.) Cat life is stressful.  To prove my point: They make it look so easy. Recently, Habibi and I had our first ultrasound appointment.  It was there that we discovered that we would be welcoming yet another girl into the family!  It seems that Habibi's lot in life it to be sur...

Street Lamps and Firsts... This photo was taken when I was collecting images of street lamps from around the world. On our first major trip together, Habibi and I went to Chicago, IL , where this lamp is located.

Lunch devoured  by 10:50 am.  Impressed?  You should be.  I was hungry at 9:30. After many years of working hard to achieve and maintain my non-pregnant physique, I have decided now to readdress my goals towards something that I know  I can attain.  So now, instead of aiming for Madonna's arms or Tina Turner's legs, I am striving for this: Venus of Willendorf ca. 28,000-23,000 B.C. Allow me to introduce you to the Venus of Willendorf .  This chubby broad hails from the town of Willendorf, Austria (hence her name) during the Paleolithic era.  An iconic image of the period, she is frequently studied in art history classes around the world; you'd be hard-pressed to take an introductory course and not spend a few moments discussing this portly, stone-carved ass  lass. Much like her Upper Paleolithic Italian cousin, the Venus of Balzi Rossi  (or the thousands of other "Venus" figurines discovered throughout history worldwide), t...

NEWS FLASH!!!  Weird things happen during pregnancy!!! Since learning that I was growing another human being, Habibi and I have been tracking Hulk's progress on babycenter.com .  Each week, we check on the status of his/her growth and development, in addition to reading up on any pregnancy tips on the website.  In recent weeks, I have been warned of an increase in appetite (check!) and an upcoming growth spurt (uh oh...).  Warnings heeded, I have continued to educate myself on birthing classes, a necessary increase in protein for my diet and the importance of nutrients like calcium and folic acid.  All good advice.   However, as my waist continues to disappear and I start to notice an increase of cellulite on my thighs, I can't help but hate how my image is changing.   (Yes, I understand that this is all necessary to give life, but I can still be pissed so back off, Judge Reinhold .)  So, I once again turned to Baby Center for some uplifting...

The arrival of my second trimester has brought with it a renewed sense of energy.  While I still find plenty of things to complain about (a talent I've always had), I am delighted to no longer be "tossing my cookies."  Speaking of cookies, how about this for a natural segue? Today I made two kinds of cookies:  peanut butter chocolate chunk and maple oatmeal raisin. Peanut butter chocolate chunk (left) and maple oatmeal raisin (right) Tell me, what better activity is there than cranking your oven up to 350 degrees on a humid, Midwestern summer evening? Both of these are adaptations of recipes I found on Pinterest.  The peanut butter chocolate chunk/chip may very well be my new favorite in the whole wide world.  (One suggestion that I believe to be an improvement on the original recipe is to cut the sugar in half, especially if you're using the Splenda brown sugar blend as I did.)  However, the maple oatmeal raisin "cookie nuggets" aren't too b...