7 Quick Takes 68: Chicken, Cars, and Cabin Fever
Hey there! It’s been a while since I’ve written a quick takes - I’m prepping you all for when the baby comes and this sleep-deprived mom struggles to have seven coherent thoughts, nonetheless string them together on a blog post.
This weekend, Joseph and I have a blessedly calm few days. We need them after a stressful week (details below!), and I’m looking forward to some good, holy leisure. But before I pour myself a cup of tea and settle into our couch for a while, here’s a look at what’s been up with the Langrs lately.
1. Oh, vehicles
Jesus decided my Lenten sacrifices were not enough, so my car broke down on Monday night. Actually, it was more like a Prius battery malfunction.
Thankfully, it is fixed and running now, but I was at home for most of this week. Even though I spend most of my time working from home, I enjoy a casual drive down to the library to pick up the 3,405 books that came available at the same time, or a drive down to Dunkin’ Donuts where I realize that pregnant Chloe still doesn’t like coffee as much as not-pregnant Chloe.
Anyway.
This week was humbling to say the least. Cars are wonderful inventions.
2. I’m on a whole-hearted Brene Brown kick
One of my favorite non-fiction writers of our time is Brene Brown. A friend first introduced her to me via her Ted talk, and I’ve been hooked ever sense.
I recently spent time listening to her latest book, Dare to Lead. I made it halfway through before having to return it, since everyone and their dog in Kansas City wants to borrow it from the library. It’s okay, it’s a great excuse to read it again once the other 529 people who have a hold on the book get through it.
So if you run into me in the next few weeks, there’s a chance I’ll mention vulnerability and authenticity in conversation. And if you haven’t read Brene Brown, go pick up a copy of any of her books and thank me later.
3. Give this pregnant woman some chicken
Pregnancy cravings with this baby have been pretty low. I mean, I crave doughnuts, but I craved doughnuts before I was pregnant, too.
However, there’s a restaurant in KC called Parlor that Joseph and I tried out a few months ago with some friends. They have the best Nashville spicy chicken sandwiches and I’ve been itching to get another one. I don’t know how much of that craving is me or the baby, but let’s just say that both of us were very satisfied after finally eating one of those sandwiches at dinner Thursday night with friends.
4. Speaking of the baby . . .
I know that this kid is training me for when they make their appearance, but this baby has been struggling to find a comfy spot to sleep. Whether jammed under my rib cage or pushed so far over on my right side that I can’t find a comfy spot to sleep, we’ve had some restless nights here lately.
Maybe I need one of these pregnancy pillows. But I don’t think that the bed will hold Joseph, myself, and a pregnancy pillow. So I’m just excitedly looking forward to when this baby gets their own bed and I get a comfy spot to sleep for 1.5 hours before the baby wakes up again.
5. What do I have on my face?
I woke up on Thursday and spent an embarrassing amount of time looking in the mirror, trying to figure out how the heck I ended up with dirt smudges on my face. I took a shower on Wednesday! It took me a few minutes to remember the day before was Ash Wednesday. This is what Catholic pregnancy brain looks like.
6. Working it out
Joseph and I resolved this Lent to be more intentional with self care and working out. Especially with a baby on the way, we wanted to use few weeks left of this pregnancy to spend time together and take care of ourselves. So we’re scheduling regular workouts into our calendar together.
We decided to start off with some stretching on Wednesday night. I pulled up a video specifically for pregnant women, and Joseph joined me. I still think he got a better stretch out of the workout, since I spent most of the time exclaiming that I couldn’t physically stretch that far, or that the baby was in the way. I think I got a better workout changing into the clothes I wore for exercise than I did from the actual workout itself.
7. We’ve got Wilson trained
Joseph and I feed Wilson at night, right before we head upstairs to go to bed. Recently, we’ve discovered that we actually trained this rabbit pretty well. When we walk towards the closet where his food is stored, he starts gnawing incessantly at his cage door. I swear we feed him.
Then, when we open the cage door to feed him, he hops over to his food dish and waits expectantly for the food to magically appear. He’s figured out his feeding schedule, that’s for sure.