Random Ramblings

-When Dear Little Fellow was in the womb, he was very active, and kicked, and kicked, and kicked; this baby seems to be more mellow, making mainly gentle movements. I wonder... is behavior in the womb is at all a predictor of future personality?

-I have had a lot of colds this pregnancy. It seems that as soon as I get over one, I'm getting a new one. I have a feeling I only have myself to blame. Although I generally eat pretty healthy (lots of protein, lots of fruits and veggies, almost no processed foods), I have been craving chocolate and eating a lot of it. At least it's been good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, which has less sugar than milk chocolate, but still, it's chocolate, and I think the sugar it does contain has been weakening my immune system. Also, when I got blood work done a few weeks ago, everything was fine, except I was low in B vitamins. I did a little research and found out that caffeine (which is present in small amounts in chocolate) can deplete B vitamins. I'm not ready to swear off chocolate completely, but I am trying to cut back. By the way, Dear Little Fellow and I both currently have colds. I usually read and sing to him a lot throughout the day, but my throat is scratchy and my voice keeps cracking, so I can't do much of that at present. I'm trying to find things to keep him occupied that don't require much talking on my part!

-I don't read a ton of fiction (not that I don't love it--I do--but I try to use my reading time wisely, and that often means reading "practical" non-fiction books instead), but lately I have been enjoying the works of a Christian author named Jamie Langston Turner. I've finished her books Suncatchers , No Dark Valley, Some Wildflower in My Heart, and I'm almost done with By the Light of a Thousand Stars. I have a couple of her other books on my shelf, waiting to be read (yay for my public library system that lets me renew books indefinitely unless someone places a hold on them!). Her quality of writing is a couple notches above most Christian fiction...it's obvious that Turner is intelligent and well-read. Her characters are quirky, which to me, makes them enjoyable. Quite a few of her protagonists are bitter middle-aged women, which is a change from the typical naive 17-year-old female main characters readily found in the "Christian fiction" genre. All of Turner's books I've read so far have been challenging and thought-provoking. Her most hardened, worldly characters come to know the Lord as a result of the kindness and perseverance of everyday people...usually their neighbors or co-workers. Although the books are all stand-alone novels as far as I know, a lot of the characters live in the same town and end up interacting with each other. Turner does deal (not explicitly) with some mature subject matter, so I'd recommend her books for those over eighteen.