I haven't left the house since last Thursday. Well, that's not entirely accurate. I scurried outside in a heavy mist on Friday afternoon to fetch two boxes of tea from our detached garage. Then, on Saturday morning, I ventured down to our basement to point out to Nathan the boxes of Christmas decorations that needed to come upstairs. But other than those two "excursions," I have been under house arrest.
Why am I under house arrest? Because I have a cold. I woke up Friday morning feeling under the weather with a sore throat and a touch of congestion. It was the sort of cold that would just be a nuisance to Pre-Pregnant Courtney. But now that I'm pregnant, this cold is sucking up about 78% of my energy. I decided to hibernate all weekend so I could kick the cold's butt quickly and efficiently.
My plan failed. After three days of rest and more rest, my sore throat is better but my congestion is much worse. I can tell this cold is going to stick around for at least a few more days. Ah, well. That's the way it usually goes with a cold, isn't it? Silly me for thinking I could trick the cold into leaving early just by taking it easy.
On the bright side, I have enjoyed the first three days of my cold as much as possible:
- Nathan and I watched a ton of Parks and Recreation. Many thanks to my sister for insisting that we watch this amazing sitcom. Ron Swanson is my hero.
- We played lots of Mario Kart Wii. I don't think we'll ever tire of that game. Mario Kart alone justifies the money I spent on the Wii. I should probably buy us a back-up Wii, wheel controllers and game disc in case any of the components ever break.
- I started reading Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott. I loved Lamott's Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, so I knew I'd enjoy Operating Instructions. But damn, it's even better than I thought. I'll probably finish today. Lamott's writing inspires me to be a better writer.
- Sunday afternoon, we decorated our Christmas tree! We have a fake Christmas tree, and according to my ob/gyn, this means we are "old." I don't care. Having a fake Christmas tree is sooooo easy and it looks real enough to me. Plus, do I really need to be crawling on the floor this year with my pregnant belly to check on a tree's water level? I think not.
- I started knitting a rainbow striped blanket for Baby Girl (just like this one.) If this cold lingers much longer, I anticipate finishing this project in record time.
I could easily spend the next few days in the house, trying to defeat this cold, except I am determined to secure provisions today from the grocery store. We are out of mango juice, and that is simply unacceptable. I am going to summon all my energy just so I can replenish our mango juice supplies.
