Pioggia!

Is there any sound more beautiful than rainwater dripping from a terrace onto paving stones below? It has finally rained, and even though it lasted only ten minutes at the most, it was truly heavenly.

Wet landscape towards Monte Massico

What's not to like?

I should like August. N has his vacation and we can spend more time together than we do during any other month. This alone should make it my favorite month, but there are some things about August in Italy that I just can't get past:

• The heat. By the beginning of August, I'm already tired of it. This time, I'm pregnant and that makes it just a little more insufferable than usual.
  
• The lack of rain. It's so dry here that the wind whips around dust and soil from the nearby fields, meaning that open windows can result in a layer of dirt on everything.
• The beaches are overcrowded. The sand becomes a patchwork of towels and lounge chairs, music blares, teenagers kick around soccer balls that narrowly miss small children, and the umbrellas are so close together that, like it or not, you are privy to everyone else's business as they argue, fail to discipline their children, engage in heavy petting, and/or chat on their cellphones.
• Traffic is unbearable. We don't live very near the sea, so it's not bad in town, but if we want to go anywhere else, the roads we need to take are backed up with beachgoers.
  
• August figs are not as good as July figs.
• Everything shuts down. This seems quaint until you actually need to live your life during the month of August. Two years ago, we were left without a cooktop when the one the shop delivered toward the end of July was defective. "Call us in September to arrange having another sent," they told us. There was nothing to be done any sooner because it was "already almost August." Last year I lost my glasses and waited three weeks for another pair. I never thought I'd miss Lenscrafters. This year we have to wait an entire month for the amniocentesis results; they usually take only two weeks. Good thing it's nothing important this time, right?
  

Now that I'm cranky, and now that it's nearing the middle of August, I'll be posting only sporadically for the next few weeks. N and I will be spending our time having lots of fun so that we can forget all of this month's annoyances. Happy August to all!

Some revelations about the baby

A few weeks ago, I had an ultrasound that suggested that the baby is a girl. It was a surprise for N and me because the doctor had only a couple of weeks before pointed out "something projecting between the legs," and it didn't seem to be the cord. We had been referring to the baby as a boy simply because in avoiding the silly-sounding bebe, we had to choose between bimbo and bimba, and in Italian, masculine is the default gender in speech. N and I are happy either way, and most of his relatives are ecstatic about the likelihood of a girl because there are so few of them in the family. One of N's aunts, however, is not so pleased: when I told her, she asked me "What happened!?!" Shocked by the absurdity of the question, all I could say was, "It's a girl, that's what happened." She must have calmed down by the time she talked to my mother-in-law about our misfortune; all she could say then was a resigned "Che amarezza!" (What bitterness!) Now I hope the baby really is a girl.

Yesterday I finished four days of bed rest ordered by my doctor after an amniocentesis that was rather difficult because somebody didn't want to cooperate. At the start, the baby's position in my uterus didn't leave enough space anywhere for the doctor to insert the needle. She did move after a couple of minutes, the doctor inserted the needle into my belly, but he had to stop short of the amniotic sac, because in the meantime, she had moved back into her original position. Having a very long needle in your belly for more than a few minutes isn't pleasant, and all the pressing the doctor did on my abdomen, trying to force her move, didn't help. The first five minutes were bothersome, the next ten painful, the last five excruciating. I didn't realize it was over until the doctor's assistant was wiping the ultrasound jelly off my belly. I swear I could still feel the needle. During the ordeal, I slowly came to realize that the baby I'm carrying is either lazy or stubborn.

While reading some pregnancy forums I learned that 2007 is the year of the fire pig in the Chinese calendar and that being born in such a year is good fortune. I was curious, so I googled "year of the fire pig" and found this website that offers horoscopes determined by your birthdate. I went no further than reading about the fire pig's personality, and what I've found, together with what I can gather of the baby's character from her performance at the amniocentesis, has me a bit worried about what a handful she might turn out to be:

The Fire Pig is a very different kind of Pig, not laid back in the least. You tend to charge into situations wearing your heart on your sleeve, all emotions in full gear. This tendency to rashness and emotionalism occasionally irritates your friends and family. Still, everyone knows you are good-hearted and will forgive you these excesses. Often cherished for your can-do spirit and sincerity, you tend to be a big winner---or loser.

I'm a metal pig, how will I be able to handle all of that? Perhaps N, being a fire horse, will be better equipped to deal with her caprices. Or not.

A little blue ribbon

Last week I received my very first blogging award!

The ever-thoughtful sognatrice of bleeding espresso named me as one of her choices for the "Schmooze award," which pays tribute bloggers who:

effortlessly weave their way in and out of the blogosphere, leaving friendly trails and smiles, happily making new friends along the way. They don’t limit their visits to only the rich and successful, but spend some time to say hello to new blogs as well. They are the ones who engage others in meaningful conversations, refusing to let it end at a mere hello - all the while fostering a sense of closeness and friendship.

Thank you, sognatrice, I feel honored! And in the spirit of the friendliness that the award recognizes, I'd like to pass it along to five more bloggers* who I feel have the power of schmooze:

Delina of delinissima
MB of flavors of abruzzo
Giulia of from head to boot
Robin of mymelange
Judith of think on it

To these bloggers I say, congratulations and thank you for doing your part to make the web a friendly place!

*I'm pretty sure a few of these women have already been given this award, as it's already taken me a few days to actually write this post. Blame my sloth on the searing July heat. (It's a bit cooler today, hence the post.)