Surprise Surprise

On Saturday, Michael and I were about running our usual weekend errands. On that list was to pick up one of those elevated dog bowls for Garnet and the new Janet Evanovich Plum novel for me. Fortunately, PETCO and Barnes and Noble are in the same shopping center. In the car on the way there, I was engrossed in listening to A Prairie Home Companion. Some other time, I must blog about my love of public radio. From Car Talk to thistle & Shamrock to Garrison Keillor, I love them all. But that isn't the point of this entry. So we pulled into the shopping center parking lot and Michael asked me, "Where to first?"
"PETCO," I said, probably because it was shorter than saying Barnes and Noble and because he had interrupted Garrison. So we waited in the car for Garrison's story to finish, then we got out, laughing and commenting on what we'd just listened to on the radio. We walked into PETCO, except by this time, I had forgotten that I had told him to go there first, and I had it in my head that we were going into Barnes and Noble. At Barnes and Noble, the smell of freshly brewed coffee greets you at the door. I have cut out coffee in deference to the growing-a-baby thing, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it. Walking through the doors, I inhaled deeply, ready to savor the rich smell of my old friend, Java. What greeted my nose instead was the smell of dog food and ferret poop. I sputtered and gagged a little, and was forced to tell Michael why. He is accustomed to such blind-induced gaffs, but he still doubled over laughing. I'm really glad somebody enjoyed it.
For the blind, life is just full of surprises.
Completely unrelatedly, I had the best ice cream of my entire life Friday night. I am past the pregnancy sickness for the most part (I won't call it morning sickness because mine always hit in the evening) and my appetite has returned. Michael brought home some Haagen-Dazs Mayan Chocolate ice cream. If bliss had a flavor, this is what it would taste like. It's chocolate ice cream with fudge swirls and a hint of cinnamon. I generally think of ice cream as simply a delivery system for hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry, but the Mayan Chocolate had my attention all on its own. I strongly encourage you to try it, even if it is 30 degrees and snowing outside.
Still more unrelatedly, I think I felt the baby move on Friday. It was hard to tell for sure. It felt like a little goldfish was swimming around below my belly button. I am sixteen weeks pregnant, which is when I've read you can first feel the baby, but they say it's usually a few weeks later if it's your first child. Maybe the semi-regular meditation I do, along with my lack of visual stimulus and years of listening to my body have made me more likely to notice it earlier.
The baby moving, the incredible ice cream, and the ferret poop combined for a weekend full of surprises, some better than others.