The Sweet Smell of Spring

This is the first morning I’ve woken up and felt halfway decent in nearly a month. The movement of rolling over to see what time it was didn’t make me feel seasick. Hallelujah. I took a deep breath, turned back toward the spring sun streaming through the window, savored the moment, and immediately began worrying that the reason I feel better even though I have a few weeks left in the notoriously nauseating first trimester is that something bad happened to the baby-in-progress.

But then I came downstairs and the chemical-sweet stench of Febreze emanating from the leather chair I stupidly bought off Craigslist last year without giving it the sniff test was so sickening I nearly tossed the chair in the garbage (again). Ditto the kitchen sponge. And the soap. And the overly browned bits on the edge of my English muffin. Yep—still pregnant.