I eat shiny happy people and then I get sick

I have to point out that living with commonwealth spelling has messed up my instincts to the point that I second guess myself when it comes to spelling a simple word like ’shiny’. Ugh. Have you ever had the experience of looking too closely at a word so that suddenly it makes no sense to you? Shiny has just morphed into a very strange looking collection of letters. Methinks Alegra has a brain swamped by hormones. Actually, I don’t need hormones as an excuse, I would probably be doing the same thing on any normal day.

Starting last week, the nausea manifested a new symptom. It has turned me into a curmudgeon. A Grinch Who Wants to Steal Christmas. A Rain On Your Parade Girl.

Example: Last night Dan and I were cuddling on the couch. Actually, cuddling might not be the right word because I am not cuddly or Care-bearish in any way right now. My feet were in his lap and my head turned towards a pocket of clean air uncontaminated by any scent that might send me to the toilet. That is my version of ‘cuddle’ right now. Dan starts to talk about how excited he is to workout in the morning, how pumped he is, how strong he is feeling, the plans he has for the circuit class he runs. I turn to him, trying not to breathe, and say, “I don’t like shiny, happy, healthy, fit, toned, pumped, can’t wait to work-out people right now. I thought I made this clear a week ago. Perky people are the bane of my existence. Go be perky elsewhere! I only welcome flabby, nauseated, exhausted, bloated people.”

Dan responded by flexing his chest muscles and doing a few bicep poses. This is why we get along so well. It is also why being named after the biblical Daniel character suits his personality perfectly. The man loves to tame lions. He better, he married a lioness.

I say this next bit in a whisper, in a just between you and me voice, “The nausea may be starting to back off.”

Don’t tell anyone. I am afraid the powers that be will decide to use me for more amusement. I had a few hours in the morning yesterday that were almost normal. By next week (week ten of the pregnancy) the placenta is supposed to be attached which means it will take over some of the work that the nausea creating hormones are currently responsible for. I am almost certain that by week eleven with my previous two pregnancies I was almost back to normal. Hey, at the least, it is a flicker of hope to get me through this next week, if relief fails to manifest, at least I got through another week.

So goals! I do have them still. Last night I was able to work on a short story that I might enter in Maria Schneider’s flash fiction competition. I have been searching through journal articles for my thesis. This week I plan to read through at least 10 articles, take notes and come up with a rough plan to present to my professor on Wednesday. Also, shampoo the carpets, keep exercising, do a little catch-up cleaning and try to figure out a way to make my dog smell like lavender and lemon balm.

How was your week?