Weekend

August is such a golden month. Brassy flowers everywhere. My favorites are Black-Eyed-Susans. They are so country, so simple, and so cheerful.

Yesterday was a holiday here in Austria, and my sister-in-law celebrated her birthday. I am something like the 'designated cake baker' of the family. I made a chocolate layer cake with fluffy vanilla filling and chocolate cream cheese frosting. I call it 'Marshmallow Fudge Cake.' Despite the name, it is not too sweet or heavy. Definitely a cake you can have more than one slice of.

The party was full of parents, babies, toddlers, and children. Ramon and I sat back and watched everything, wide-eyed, picturing our future. I talked with mothers about the local kindergartens, diapers, breastfeeding. It's a relief how different mothers have different tastes, rules, preferences, and advice, because I know I want to do things my way, and I like knowing that that's OK.

Last night I was plagued with a series of intense and disturbing nightmares, the kind that exhaust you the next morning and have you thinking of them all day. The walk in the forest with the dogs helped to clear my mind a little. Sometimes dreams stay with you, like a fog you can't seem to brush away.

Now I'm going to take a bath (maybe that will help forget my nightmares), and then I'm off to my first session of acupuncture, which takes place in an old castle here in the town square which has been divided into offices and apartments. It's a group session, which means I'll be there with a bunch of other pregnant women looking to speed up their impending births. I am really looking forward to sitting in a room with women who are in the same position as me. I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about, while having needles pushed into our limbs!