Strike Two

So before I even elaborate slightly on the title, let me write a post-Shrove Tuesday report. I still haven't come up with anything to 'do' for Lent, but I'm considering giving up gluttony....ohh....the heartburn. Here' s a little lesson in Shrove Tuesday/German Pancake overindulgence: Just try to avoid it! The pancakes and sauce were both SO tasty, but since my stomach is 'shrinking' due to You-Know-Who and since heartburn is a regular issue now anyway, it sure didn't make my night any better. It was 2am and I still felt awful. Plus, Husband was on call last night and had to go in just after two. He wasn't even gone long enough for my heartburn to go away. Ugh.

I thought about giving up complaining about the house for Lent but realized that would just be silly - if not impossible. That's the thing about Lent though, isn't it? You make these resolutions or promises or whatever you want to call them, but whose to enforce them? If you don't follow through, what are the consequences? A stern look from Husband who saw you sneak that cookie? The only real consequence that I can see is a prick from your own conscience; that nagging guilt you 'might' feel for breaking that promise.

The way I see it, Lent would've been much easier in a bygone society when EVERYBODY participated. Like say in medieval England. It was a given that you abstained from various things during Lent (meat other than fish, weddings, sex - which by the way was already considered reprehensible on at least three out of seven days in a week). It wasn't just YOU adhering to a fish diet and it wasn't considered a fad either. Everybody suffered the same fishy fate. [I'm picking on fish because it's the Lenten tradition that I've read about the most. Good Catholics already had to abide by the Fish on Fridays rule, but for FORTY days during Lent? Nothing but fish? I mean, this was when people ate (perhaps they still do?) eels, from the Thames, in PIE. <- as an interesting tidbit, two medieval English kings (names escape me at the moment) died whilst eating an eel dish.] So, if you ate mutton for dinner instead of fish, everybody around you knew it was forbidden. There was a collective conscience to come down on you and little doubt somebody would report you to the nearest priest.

Nowadays, Sally might give up chocolate, Sue might give up pop. Larry might give up red meat (not the Larry we know, but maybe another Larry somewhere) and his next door neighbour might give up his morning bacon ration. People are encouraged to choose things which hold some personal significance. Come to think of it, environmentalists should get on the Lenten boat.

Truly! Imagine if a national observation of Lent was instigated and you had to give up driving your car! It would be just like Russian secret police, only it would be environmentalists rapping on your door demanding justice because "Er, Ma'am, your neighbour, Bob, saw you downtown yesterday...in your CAR...."

I'm rambling. Needlessly. Let's get to the title. I had another ultrasound today. This was the 'fun' one that Husband's coworkers did. They didn't spend as much time as the Midwife because obviously, they're not looking for all the same things when it's only for fun. Believe it or not, though, we had zero cooperation yet again! This child must be camera shy. It was moving all around when I was in the hospital parking lot, but from there to Husband's staff room, it must've fallen asleep. P and W couldn't even get a decent shot of the face nevermind seeing through curled up little legs. Harumph! The nerve of some people's children! (And for those of you who know me, you will know that I HATE SURPRISES! HATE! HATE! I can hardly think of a worse 'joke' than a HUMAN BEING coming out of me and something as life-affecting as its GENDER being a surprise! The horror!)

So we will have to continue on our little sojourn here based on the assumptions gleaned from the ultrasound in January. Maybe by the next one in March, Little Being will be getting used to it and will give us a little peek. We did get to see an ear though. That was kind of neat. We also got a CD with about a billion pictures on it - labeled, I hope.