Onion Bras

This morning emerged with the gray glum that only can truly only effect a Floridian. It's been a rough weather year for us and the gray just drags us into the depths of despair. I arrived to school on this Monday morning, already dragging my feet thought with 8 deep sleep hours under my belt, and reported to my study hall post which is located in the school cafeteria. The overwhelming smell of onions circled me for the entire hour to the point that it felt as if I was being personally assaulted by this normally delicious vegetable. They had me from all angles. They must have had onions on the salad bar, the sandwich station, the soup de jour, the fried food, the hot food...the overwhelming stench trapped my nasal follicles for hours after. I stuck lotion on my hands and rubbed the outside of my nose, hoping, wishing, and praying that the onions would just go away.

In the meantime, I am suffering from maternity bra woes. My chest, already a generous size from the Big Guy up above, are clearly in preparation for providing nutrients to my future offspring. For the record, it was just a couple of days ago that I could not fit in my regular bras well any more. In preparation for this event, I had been shopping, searching, and ultimately dreaming about the right type of pregnancy undergarment. First, Motherhood has a monopoly on this industry. They own Pea in a Pod, Destination Maternity, and even brand domination of "Oh Baby," and "Loved." They are also the main distributors for Kohls, Macy's, and Sears. As the search begins, this kernel of wisdom is apparent. There is nowhere to run. Second, once I have realized my limits. I am quickly disappointed by the selection. I do not normally wear bras with padding because I have no need. Almost 80% of the bras have padding. I normally wear bras with an underwire because I need to. Almost 17% of the bras do not have underwire. There is only one! One bra that they carry that fits the description and it only comes in a weird cream color, which I purchased because I have no other choice. In the hopes of being open minded, I also picked up a padded black bra, choosing underwire over no underwire. It will work. But the thing is that my chest looks bigger than it already feels and as many of you moms out there know, this is one time that you really don't want to feel any bigger.

Your body is changing and though there is a rational understanding of why and every ounce of thrill and excitement only serves to help this understanding there still is a societal standard that is so deeply embedded in the female psyche that does not simply fade away during this amazing time of life. It just doesn't. It's sad really that body image woes even cross our minds in these 9 months knowing that the most fantastic thing is going to be the result, but the truth is that it does. The awkward stages where you don't quite look pregnant and those that do not know you well or not at all will glance over at you and probably think you are just getting fat. It hurts the ego just a little.

You compound this with the inability to find a bra that feels right and the overwhelming smell of onions on a glum gray day, and well you just want to roll back into bed for another 8 hours of deep sleep. Luckily, the clouds have faded away and sun has begun to shine.