What Dreams May Come

I've heard that pregnancy can cause weird dreams, but some of the ones I've had lately have been downright bizarre. Early this morning, I dreamed that Afghanistan nuked Washington, D.C., instantly vaporizing the President, the cabinet members, and all the members of Congress (a pretty amazing feat considering that Afghanistan doesn't possess nuclear technology in real life). For some reason, I felt compelled to assemble a new team of leaders for the U.S., who looked like Hollywood actors and quickly decided we should nuke the Afghanis in return. They also ordered the Navy into the Arabian Sea to supervise the bombing. Again for reasons unknown, I accompanied the Navy.

However, a surprise awaited us in the Arabian Sea. The Afghanis had already bombed themselves and completely destroyed their country in anticipation of U.S. vengeance. All that remained of the country was several large life rafts full of Afghani refugees, who begged for rescue and shelter within the U.S.

Soon after came an argument between me and a Navy sailor who was being a major jerk. He made this speech about how he had survived so many wars because he looks out for himself first and so on. I'm sure I called him a coward and spewed some other equally harsh insults.

At least this dream was better than the one I had about a week before I found out I was pregnant. I dreamed I gave birth to a baby boy so hideous, I couldn't stand to look at him. In fact, looking at his monstrous face made me angry, and I tried to kill him. My husband had to snatch him away to stop me from bashing the baby's head in. That dream left me in a cold sweat.

The rest of the pregnancy seems to be going well. I spent a few days nauseous beyond belief, but that seems to have subsided. Now I get sharp hunger pains around meal times; they come on suddenly and seem to drain all my energy. I've definitely had to step up my calorie intake over the past week. I've added applesauce, cottage cheese, and salads to most of my meals as fillers (I tend to be a "one-dish wonder" cook). I'm also starting to put on weight. In a couple of weeks, I'm going to have to buy new clothes. What's growing in there?

The best thing about pregnancy, however, is how I feel. Although I've had two small episodes of panic since the news, I haven't experienced that all-consuming darkness that I was fighting before. I think the pregnancy hormones have somehow evened me out. Life, despite the crazy dreams, is surprisingly brighter these days.