(In which I take my own individual experience and apply it as broadly as possible. Because what's the point of a blog that no one reads if not ad hoc argumentation?)

I'd like to call bullshit on some pregnancy myths.

1. Cravings. This has to be the most common question. People seem to want to hear all about the bizarre relationship to food I'm supposedly suddenly having. Except I'm not. Which seems very disappointing for them. As far as I can tell, humans are always in the mood for something or other -- burrito? apple? chocolate? coffee? -- but when they're pregnant they a) start paying a lot more attention, and b) become much more likely to follow that mood whither it leads. In other words, of course I want ice cream, and I'm pregnant so what the hell?

2. Nesting. The kid has closet space, a bassinet, and a changing area. Why? Because it's another person joining our household and she needs to have certain basic needs met; not because I'm riding some kind of hormonal interior decorating wave. I made closet space for R too, when he moved in. I made space for our cat. Now I make space for a baby. And because I enjoy reading design blogs on occasion, and didn't fancy staring at a scuffed white door whilst fussing with diapers, and we had some leftover paint that wasn't being used for anything, I painted the door the changing table sits in front of. Consider us nested.

RECIPE: Roasted Za'atar Chickpeas, because za'atar is delicious and roasting chickpeas is a whole new world of snack food.