A Haunted Week

Yesterday, after a full day of work, I decided to give E a super dose of American culture. We headed out to the Haunted Forest with my sister, her future family, and our teenage niece. Basically, we walked around a dark forest while bloody men (and women) jumped out and tried to scare the foo out of us. My niece and nephew-to-be screamed a lot, and my body ached from all the walking. Halloween and its accoutrements are definitely a unique part of American culture, and I think E enjoyed it. It was much too crowded (which reduces the fear factor), but I was happy we both had the experience.

Afterwards, E and I met up with a friend at Denny's (since it was the only restaurant still open). Dustin was also an ELF in Turkey, and now he's here in film school. I was happy to see him, but it was a little strange to meet so out of context. Dustin is definitely struggling with the homogeny of Salt Lake. I reminded him that Turkey is much more homogenous, but he didn't notice so much because in Turkey he wasn't part of the norm. I think he also misses his superstar stature as a foreigner.

I, on the otherhand, remembered clearly this week how much I do NOT miss standing out in the crowd. I ended up helping a rather aggressive patron at the library. He was wearing a tank top and went out of his way to flex his muscles. He asked me about a million questions and told me repeatedly that he is very romantic and likes to write love poetry. At one point he asked me if I was going to tell my husband about the handsome man I met (meaning him). I just wanted to puke. What could be more perverse than hitting on an enormously pregnant woman?

Anywho, after work, the Haunted Forest, and late-night pancakes, E and I both woke up this morning with sore throats and runny noses: exactly what we need. E has midterms this week, and I'm taking an exam early Tuesday morning. Yippee skippy.

I shouldn't complain about my health (although I will) because I really am fortunate. We visited the doctor for a quick check up on Tuesday, and everything still looks good. I’m gaining weight appropriately (although I feel like the biggest fattie in the land), my blood pressure is good, and Baby B’s heartbeat is fine. He’s growing on schedule and is still headdown. Let’s hope he stays that way.

Despite this good news, I’ve been a bit emotional lately. I feel absolutely huge—like maybe I’m having twins or triplets—and my body is a mess. I can’t sleep at night because I have terrible heartburn and have to pee every 10 seconds. I can stop eating at noon and still spend the night regretting my lunch. When I do sleep, I dream about repetitive actions from work (like entering barcodes) and end up being just plain tired in the morning. I know it could be a lot worse, but I think lack of sleep makes me a crying mess half the time.

And I’m not the only one having mood swings. E stopped smoking this week, and he’s definitely feeling the affects. Sometimes he’s super hyper, and I wonder if I married a 12-year-old boy. Other times, he’s a big grump. Overall, though, he’s doing really well. I think of how moody I get when I’m on a diet, and I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be to quit the most addictive substance in the world cold turkey. I’m very proud of him, and I hope he’ll stay strong.

I imagine if he does quit for good, he’ll become one of those unbearable former smokers. For example, he’s only been practicing his religion for about 4 months now, but he’s constantly lecturing his family and trying to get them active. I’m sure it kills them to have the prodigal son telling them to be more religious. I imagine he’ll start doing the same about smoking. He already told me this week how much his friend from school stinks when he smokes. “Why didn’t you ever tell me how bad I smell?” he asked. “Because I love you,” was my answer.