*Shredded Parmesan. Somehow, it seems much fancier and more flavorful than the pulverized stuff even though it comes out of an identical can.
*My suede-like, sage green body pillow from Costco. I think it was ten dollars. My mom bought a violet one at the same time. Josh and I normally use it as a sort of headboard/backrest, but I've been using it at night to help me navigate the newly weird world of sleep with my newly lumpy body.
*Hearing my smallest cat, Corvette, snoring under the bed. Apparently, cats only snore when they are perfectly comfortable and secure.
*My two new nightgowns from Wal-mart. Since pajama pants are getting impractical if not painful and I didn't want to actually buy maternity sleepwear, I needed something loose, sleeveless, and long enough to be decent if case we have or are company. At $9, these are just right, very soft, and somehow not Wal-marty.
*Thinking about cupcakes. I don't so much want to eat them, but I love looking at them and thinking about them. Aren't they adorable? I really need some of those cupcake books just to sit out in different places and absorb. For my birthday, I asked Josh for some cupcake wall stickers to brighten up our upcoming and somewhat depressing kitchen. Forget a bun in the oven--I'm baking a cupcake. (Image: http://www.tumblr.com/reblog/6254986884/dBhoG0yJ)
*My snack. Some would frown on me, but after cutting out caffeine completely for basically the first half of my pregnancy, I said, "Love, all your organs are formed. Mama needs a Dr. Pepper." Now, he and I have an afternoon ritual of a Dr. Pepper and a Nutty Bar. The peanut butter keeps me full until dinner, and I love imagining Oliver fish-mouthing to get all that chocolate-flavored amniotic fluid. Isn't it amazing that babies-in-the-making can taste? The caffeine actually seems to soothe rather than hype him. Maybe that's because the snack makes me so blissful, and he benefits from that.
*Lemon drops. These have been a staple lately. They seem to settle my stomach, and they have no heavy candy feeling. I've gotten through planning, grading, and meetings with them. A lot of people probably think I have some kind of abscess or jaw issue on the right side, but I'm okay with that.
*The art deco Seattle postcard on the wall above Josh's nightstand. My aunt sent this. Josh adores art deco. I'm more of an art nouveau girl (this really probably says a lot about our personalities--What Art Movement Are You? With Pictures!), but this postcard with its deep blues and gold glow is enchanting.
*Our green bead candle chandelier. This is what we call it; it probably has a real name. We've hung it in every Love Palace (MLP and WLP: over the couch. CLP1: over the bistro table. BLP and CLP: in a corner of the bedroom). Our dear poet and teacher friend gave it to us as a wedding present. It seems to symbolize her hope for us.
*Snooping on the baby registry. 4 items are now checked off. Not knowing who bought what is fun. And I'm so excited because now, we'll be able to legally take Oliver home from the hospital in our car.
*Finding a bookmark in a used book. I seem to have no bookmarks--where did they all go? But I found a panda one in a very unpolitical book I bought at a political bookstore in Chapel Hill. This has happened a few times. It's like finding money in an old purse. (Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinksugardesserts/4304886048/)
*Finding inscriptions in used books. Two of the used books I've read lately have had touching inscriptions. It's a little sad--how could someone get rid of a book with an inscription? But I also feel privileged and kind of pretend the inscription is for me by extension. Of course, it's even more amazing if it's an antique book.
*This sort of living vibration I often feel even when Oliver isn't kicking or squirming. Maybe he's practicing breathing. Or maybe I'm feeling his dreams or just his awareness somehow.
*My cat Davis or my mom's bunnies (yes, she has two little ones) staring at or carefully touching my belly. Animals totally know what's going on.
*My Tinkerbell necklace. It's big and covered with rhinestones. Josh bought it for me at a sad time, and it was as if he gave me a sparkly little anchor to hold me to who I am.
*Bees. Not real bees but cute, chubby, completely unrealistic bees. During my first pregnancy, I started singing to Josh "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee." Since then, bees have sometimes been a little sad but have always symbolized our hope for a baby. (Image: http://fudgeyeahprettythings.tumblr.com/page/3)
*Anything that smells good in the shower. Somehow, I always forget the smell of my shampoo and shaving cream, so it's a wonderful surprise every time.
*Anne Shirley. Just knowing this character exists in literature is a great comfort to me. Actually, when she experienced a loss similar to mine in Anne's House of Dreams, I cried for her and then gained more peace from the way she handled her grief (and later, her joy) than from anything anyone could have said to me. I've wanted to be like her since I was a very little girl. She's brilliant, imaginative, ambitious, and kind...but also fierce, sullen, bitter, and brutally honest sometimes. As I read through her series, I feel like I'm reading through the phrases of my own life. I didn't begin to read about her teaching and family experiences until recently.
*A pair of deep violet-dyed toe shoes I saw at an antiques shop in Waxhaw. I didn't buy them, but I like thinking about them.
What are your little joys? Pay attention to them.
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