Pregnant Brain

When you grow up, you've got to read and learn your vocabulary. And always remember to "use your words".

Your daddy tells me to use my words quite often. Sometimes my brain goes a million times faster than my mouth, so I don't finish one sentence before starting a new one. Sometimes, especially when it's an unfamiliar word, I need a moment to perform a search in my lexicon. There have also been times when I didn't feel that it was necessary to say everything in order for me to be understood, so I only said the important ones. Recently, however, I've discovered something different: If my brain were a foggy forest, my thoughts would be a flock of birds flying over my head. ("over my head"... Get it? Get it?) By the time I look up, they've already disappeared into the fog.

(Your daddy says: "Yes but not a nice orderly V of geese flying South for the winter. More like a pack of dodos who have forgotten that dodos don't fly and are also all trying to both fly in every direction at once and avoid crashing down to the ground.")

Aaaaaanyway, what I'm trying to say is that, while you're busy growing in my newly-renovated womb, I feel like an empty vessel going about my daily business with only 5% of brain power. Proper nouns have almost completely vanished from my vocabulary. What is left are fillers such as "thing", "stuff", and "y'know".

"Babe, did you turn off the... um... thing?" (lights in the kitchen)

"Ooo..... you're wearing you new.... Are they comfy?" (pajama pants)

"Could you pass me that... stuff over there?" (blanket)

Unfortunately, or should I say ironically, my job requires the usage of concise vocabulary, and the people I work with are all Crossword fanatics. I don't have any problems when I'm teaching 'cause I've been doing it for 14 years. It all comes naturally as soon as I enter the classroom. However, it's a lot more difficult to hide it when I'm in the Teachers' Room with people who are simply unable to wipe the smirk off of their faces when they come up with a brilliant word for the moment. I used to love getting my hands dirty in the constant word games in the office and enjoy the exhilarating sense of satisfaction and accomplishment (I, too, had a smirk on). These days, though I still feel the urge and the competitiveness inside me, I'm just unable to come up with anything quick enough. More importantly, it's no longer worthwhile to get all worked up over a few words anymore.

Now I sit quietly with my hands on my belly and a big ear-to-ear grin on my face, enjoying an exhilarating sense of satisfaction and accomplishment because I have you.