The Potatoes Have Eyes

I did some serious kitchen reorganization recently. (If this sounds like the beginning of the most boring blog post ever, just bear with me.) After having lived in our house for six months, I finally had a handle on what I liked and didn't like with how the kitchen was organized. So I spent a chunk of time switching, changing and rearranging pots and pans and blenders and spices until I felt like the cabinets made sense.

You know how sometimes you go on a cleaning extravaganza and you're cleaning out the refrigerator and you come across a carton of sour cream that is growing a fuzzy green life form inside? Well, when I was reorganizing my cabinets, I came across some potatoes. That, honest to God, were no more than a month old. And I realized that potatoes could actually turn into alien beings.

If that image isn't frightening enough, I've got another. I told Alan about the alien potatoes, and needing proof, he dug them out of the trash.

I mean, really. I feel like the tentacles may reach out and attack Alan at any moment. That thing could set records at state fairs.

So what else have I been up to besides neglecting my potato disposal duties? A brief update!

1) Because I can grow crazy potatoes through sheer neglect, I thought I'd try my hand at gardening. Amazingly, minus a couple of watermelon seedlings getting snagged by birds or squirrels, everything is growing well. I've got blooming cucumbers, a few green tomatoes getting bigger, green onions on their way to success, and spinach almost ready for munching. Plus, my backup watermelon seeds have sprouted, so we'll see if anything happens there.

Gardening is seriously backbreaking work. But luckily, I have a friendly little helper.

Besides having fun with clumps of soil and mulch, Marti found a headless Pooh Bear in the yard to keep her occupied as I work.


2) We've been super busy this last month. It was like we were making up for months of not having visitors by having everyone we knew come visit in a span of weeks. Kyle came out in early May (huge props to him for rocking the San Diego marathon and coming in 49th overall and 3rd in his age group, by the way). Then we had Alan's parents earlier this month and just days later spent the weekend hanging out with some of our California friends. Very fun, very busy.

3) Besides picking weeds, which is a never-ending chore, the baby and I have also been growing like them.


Pregnancy is still treating me well, with only a few minor complaints. Heartburn is now my constant companion, and I hate him. I've resorted to eating Tums Smoothies like it's my job and sleeping in a nearly upright position until at least my 4 a.m. bathroom break, lest I wake up with acid in my throat half an hour after falling asleep, which has happened several times and shoots me out of bed like a rocket. I've also started waking up every morning with near-Charley horses in my calves, but if these are my major complaints, I'll take it.

The best side effect of the growing baby by far has been feeling the twitches and bumps of the baby turn into full-body stretches, hiccups and acrobatics. The movement can now be both seen and felt from the outside, so Alan has fun poking the baby and having him/her kick back.

27 weeks and growing!


Some days I feel so large and in charge that I'm not sure how it's possible that there are still almost three months until the due date. Then the next day, I'm so glad that there are still three months to go because there is so much to do, like figuring out how to get in and out of Babies R Us without having a total hormonal meltdown.