butterflylike network

I have given up alcohol.

And sushi.

And soft cheeses.

And Beefsteak Tartar, one of my favorite dishes in the world.

I only drink half a cup of coffee in the morning instead of my usual two.

I’ve been more tired than ever before in my life, and I can’t seem to button any of my pants anymore.

Can you guess why?

I’ll tell you - I am pregnant: first trimester done.

But nothing is ever so easy.

I went for the recommended first-trimester screening, which did not go well. I swear it felt like I’d already failed my child, and s/he isn’t even born yet. The time since then, a week and a half ago, was filled with more anxiety than I remember feeling in a very, very long time. I had to have a CVS procedure - in hindsight I should have done that immediately, without bothering with the screening, given how anxious I can get about, oh, the littlest indication of a problem. I think I’m the kind of person who needs definite answers, not statistics. I went to this doctor for the CVS, and he is awesome: anyone who can make you laugh while he’s fishing around inside your uterus with a small sample-collector would have to be. His whole team was great, in fact.

But, to get to the point here. I got the good news today - everything looks normal, and we’re having a little girl!

I became a citizen of the United States yesterday. It was the usual thing - a quick interview with questions testing my knowledge of American government and history (easy ones, but one feels like it’s very important to get them all right, so one studies for the test, of course), three other questions that had to do with whether I was really the person who had applied for citizenship or perhaps my knowledge of spoken English, one sentence I had to write to test my written English. It took, I think, about seven minutes. The rest of the time I waited. And then all of us interviewed that morning took an oath, in which, among other things, we pledged to serve in the U.S. military if required by law. Yes, the oath is sentimental and a bit archaic.

But that’s probably as it should be: there is something momentous about becoming the citizen of a country as an adult. And sentimental too: everyone being sworn in was looking at their hands or even sniffling.

The one thing I wish they hadn’t done at the oath-taking ceremony is show this video.

On the other hand, it just reminded me of my favorite part of being an American citizen: I will be voting in the next election!

Yum: amazing fettucine with ham, peas, cream, and parmesan

Fun: Erotic car seat

Design: wallpaper surrealism