Miss Jackson is in South Carolina

I drove from D.C. to S.C. yesterday, a ten hour trip with two dogs that was surprisingly relaxing.  (It could have been extra relaxing because I used my pregnancy as an excuse to get a snack every time I had to stop to go to the bathroom -- I had a strawberry milkshake from Chick-Fil-A that was particularly delicious.)  Jake is flying down to meet us here on Friday, but in the meantime the dogs and I are at my parents' house and very much enjoying being home. There are several perks to coming home in addition to the obvious, which is just getting to visit with my family.  

To start, my mom is as delighted with my pregnancy and my baby belly as I am (and when it comes to the belly, she offers more positive reinforcement than Jake, because she does not think it looks weird, she actually does think it looks beautiful).  My dad reacts more like Jake does -- very proud and definitely interested, but maybe a tiny bit intimidated and a LOT protective.  My parents' miniature poodle Betsy was very excited to see me and climbed all over me as soon as I sat down last night, and as soon as she stepped onto my lap, my dad cried out, "Don't let her climb on the baby!"  He looked horrified, even though she is a small cuddly poodle and there is no chance of her, I don't know, crushing the baby or whatever he was worried about.  This is the same reaction Jake has whenever I poke my stomach or suck in for even a moment -- "Stop!  You'll smush her!"  It's very sweet, if slightly paranoid and not really biologically sound.  (It's especially sweet because in almost all other situations, my dad treats Betsy like a sacred and infallible human princess.)

So, I'm getting lots of attention and also lots of food.  All I had to do was mention that I was a little bit hungry today and my father was out the door to go fetch me my favorite Abbeville lunch (two Rough House hot dogs, all the way and a bag of chips).  This is not really any different from before I was pregnant, but at least now I do not need to feel the slightest bit guilty about the two hot dogs.  (MJ kicked appreciatively so I think she likes them too.)  

And, finally, I just talked to my cousin and I think I can look forward to borrowing some really pretty hand-me-downs from her daughter for our MJ.  This will go a long way in rectifying the woeful D.C. smocking drought.  Thank goodness.