Market Meanderings

THE MARKET

Alfalfa sprouts, vintage shoes & designer bibs shaped like an apple
Lingering embraces and laughs shared under a straw hat
Pick a pew, a restaurant chair, a slab of concrete
And relax
Secret kicks, latent fears, global delicacies & ice cold beers
Meet me at the market

Cool young things in leggings & frills
Cockney hagglers on the cheap
Caribbean colors speak depths from head turbans
While dark glasses shade the sun and court mystery

Whether directly in the social mix or stand alone
We're rich in stories that are our own
Thrust into a common space
Creating the magic of the market

Bump and I took a trip to London's markets today - Petticoat Lane, Spitalfields and the Sunday Up Market behind the old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. As I wandered out of the eerie weekend quiet of the City and into some of London's most diverse and vibrant markets, I felt content, engaged and full of vitality. With bump as a silent companion, I had ample time for browsing and observation. That's when it struck me that being pregnant is like a visit to the market. Stay with me on that line of thought....

Markets are common yet full of the unique; varied; exciting but stressful at times; full of show but bursting with less obvious substance; breeding grounds for life - just like pregnancies. The analogy sat well with me and inspired my poem above.

I'm now 19 weeks and my baby is the size of a large heirloom tomato (whatever an heirloom tomato is) or a mango, get this, covered in greasy cheese. Thank you Heidi Murkoff for that latter tasty image! This greasy cheese is vernix, a waxy coating that protects the baby's young skin from it's 24/7 amniotic fluid bath.

This last week I've started to feel definite movement that I know is not my imagination. Like the bubbling of a pot of water about to boil or those famous butterfly wings, baby's acrobatics are now like secret messages to me. Everyone says quickening is a thrill and ya know what, when you realize for sure that it IS your baby moving inside you, it is a thrill!

I've also learned that baby's sensory development is now on full throttle - our little one is starting to hear Chris and my voices along with other outside the womb noises. Within the next couple of weeks, when he or she swallows my amniotic fluid it will taste like what I've been eating - be that lasagna, ice cream, salad or a chicken quesadilla. Experts suggest that a healthy pregnancy diet will thus impact baby's future tastes and eating habits - hopefully our baby is enjoying a rich mix since I eat pretty much everything, though I do have a penchant for sweet treats!

As you can see my bump is now starting to really take shape. At some point near the end of last week I discovered that some of my work trousers no longer button up - what a difference a week makes! It looks like I'm going to have to bust out my belly bands in the near future - I haven't tried to integrate them into any outfits yet so I need to sort that out - woohoo! Bring it on!