Love, Chels

Musings from a Monday...

Lean Cuisine Pizza: is not a meal. It's barely a snack... and now I'm hungry again.

Pandora Radio: I LOVE Pandora. Have you, dear reader, been introduced to it's greatness? I've been listening to the Norah Jones station this morning and have discovered two new songs that I will be adding to my "chill" playlist. "Dream" by Priscilla Ahn and "Heal Over" by KT Tunstall. You should have a listen. You'll be glad you did. And, while I'm on the subject of music, let me just give some love to my Music Guru and Best Pal, Jennifer Powell, who always finds the most wonderful and creative music and then, in her generosity, shares it with me. You should read her blog. See the list to the right. No, not the "About Me" section... that's about me... down a little... right. There you are. Notes from G Street. She's adorable. Here's a picture of us at my wedding...



The Phenomenon of Belly Touching: Now, I was warned, well and often, by good friends who've gone before me, that I would find myself being unapologetically touched by people once I was blatantly and unmistakeably pregnant. This was not something that concerned me. I'm a touchy kind of person. I hug people I first meet. I welcome kisses from friends visiting from France. I value the human connection. My bubble tends to be rather small... So far, I've actually experienced less belly touching than I expected. Oh you know, the occasional older lady at the grocery store, friends and family, of course, and children especially seem fascinated by my protruding middle, however, The Line was crossed last week when a male student at SMU just couldn't resist reaching out for a little rub. WHAT?! I mean, we're talking a complete stranger, a MAN and a college student at that! After congratulating me like we were old friends, he went on to explain that he has "about a million" neices and nephews and that he LOVES children. "Now I don't have any myself, of course" he says, "Ya gotta find the right girl first, you know!! Ha ha ha... You must have found the right one, though! I mean, the right guy in your case... Cause you're clearly the right girl! Ha ha ha" and, all the while, I'm still totally amazed and, frankly, rather speechless, feeling confused because, while I'm a bit charmed by his enthusiasm, I'm also resisting the urge to slap his face for feeling so free to just TOUCH me. I mean, yes, the belly has the baby in it but it's still MY belly, after all. Still very much A Part. Of. Me. I walked away totally in awe, smiling a bit, I'll admit, but, still, totally in awe. Here was Laila's reaction:



How would you have reacted?