random musings

I love and hate making bread. I like the feeling of mixing and kneading bread because it seems so productive and motherly and homey, and I like the yeasty doughy smell. But at the same time I really hate mixing and kneading because if you don't have the right amount of flour it's really annoying. If I don't have enough flour I add some and knead some more, of course, and just as I start feeling like maybe this time I have just the right amount and it's mixed pretty homogenously, the dough starts feeling incredibly sticky again and it gets all over my hands and the counter and I have to start all over again. But if I have dough that has just the right amount of flour, where it's smooth and sticking to the counter slightly but not so much that I can't even work with it, I just love the feeling of kneading it.

I still haven't figured out why my bread seems to always taste sour and fermented. I was reading some things online and it sounds like rising too fast or too long can cause this. So maybe I need to experiment with adding less yeast than the recipe calls for or not letting it rise as long. Ryan doesn't notice it and doesn't even know what I'm talking about when I complain about it. Ever since I was pregnant with Kevin, my taste buds have been a lot more sensitive. I wonder if food will ever taste normal again.

When you buy something new and you are going to write a review for it, in general it is a good practice to wait until after you have used the item for a while before writing the review. In other words, don't buy a new crib and set it up, and then write a review saying how cute the crib is and you can't wait to see how your baby likes it when he arrives in two months (although this might work for reviewing decorations). What people want to know is how the products works over a period of time, not how it looks out of the box. Also, a review of a product is not the place to talk about how fast the item was shipped to you; it's the place to talk about the actual product. Just a little pet peeve of mine.

I really like the ruched maternity tops. They have elastic sewn into the side seams, and for some reason that makes a really flattering fit. I also mostly like the secret fit belly jeans by Motherhood Maternity. Before I had ever been pregnant, I had this strange misconception that low elastic panels were cool and high ones were nerdy and old-fashioned. Then I actually tried both while pregnant and I realized that it's a matter of functionality, not style. I realized that low panels hurt my tummy. The secret fit belly would be about as nerdy and old-fashioned as it gets according to my old standards because they go really high. But I like them because my pants actually stay up pretty well, unlike the cheap JC Penny jeans I bought when I was pregnant with Kevin. The only thing I don't like is that since the panel covers my entire tummy it can get pretty hot, but then I can fold the panel down and I don't have to experience major abdominal pain because the panel material is light and doesn't squeeze so hard. Now, the sales people always play up the secret fit belly pants. Every single time I've gone to Destination Maternity they've told me that I've got to try a pair on even if I'm not planning to buy jeans because the secret fit belly is so amazingly comfortable. The way they talked, I thought I was supposed to try these things on and instantly feel my tummy settling into a world of bliss and rainbows and weightless joy or something. Yes, they are comfortable, but I still feel the weight of pregnancy pretty keenly down there.

I am pleased to report that Baby Girl does, in fact, have bones. Elbows, even. I felt them with my hand. Which is good, of course, because humans kind of need that sort of thing.

I keep bumping into things with my growing tummy. I keep forgetting it's there. I think I've had a lot of growth in the last couple of weeks.

In March we get the lovely experience of drinking pool water. Actually, our city uses something other than bleach for most of the year to disinfect the water, but every March they have to flush out all the pipes with bleach, so our water tastes and even smells like a pool. I guess I appreciate them keeping the pipes clean, but it sure tastes yucky. I grew up drinking well water, and it was really good, so I guess I'm pretty picky about my water now.