I keep meaning to take the time to sit down and write out a truly meaningful post on such lofty topics as the J.Crew summer 2016 collection (bad) or the lovely DC shower some friends threw a couple weeks back (good), but I keep getting distracted by life, spring, friends, and all things non-internet. So instead, here are some quick and piddly ramblings from life lately, otherwise known as repeats of recent Instagram posts.

As I was awkwardly taking this on a sidewalk not my own, the owner of the house came out and gleefully yelled, “It’s like the city is getting married and we are all invited!” Moral of the story: trespass, and ye shall find kindred spirits.

SPRING Y’ALL. DC spring is glorious, with a rainbow of flowers and foliage that starts with Japanese magnolias, flows through cherry blossoms, and then explodes in a burst of wisteria and those pink trees that look like the world’s largest bouquet of carnations. We’ve been spending as much time outside as possible, reveling in the perfect weather and bright green fresh grass, trying to ignore the plague of seasonal allergies as best we can.

Obviously the most important thing about this photo is that ducks mate for life, so there is nothing sadder than a solo duck, doomed to a life of celibacy and gloom. Luckily, that is not the case here.

This past weekend James’ mom and brother were in town for a bit and we enjoyed our first Tidal Basin picnic of the year! One of the perks of an early summer baby is that we won’t really be doing much travel this summer. While I usually love summer adventures near and far, I am not at all upset about spending lots of summer nights in this city, carting our kid around to all our favorite picnic places.

Pretty soon that belly won’t fit in our one full length mirror. And obviously, grainy bump selfies can only be taken on days where outfits and hair are on point and MUST be taken in the morning, as the bump is at least 20 times bigger and less attractive by the end of the day.

34 weeks this week! But this picture is actually from last week, and reflects my intense love for the Belly Band. How have I been going so long without it? One day I just couldn’t handle my wardrobe, and I grabbed it in desperation from the pile of clothes that a friend loaned me, ignoring my dubious feelings about its tubular self and shimmying in (or at least, as much as a 33 weeks pregnant woman can shimmy). And BOOM. Hello non-maternity pants, welcome back to my life. In my zeal I might have even snapchatted a tutorial video to a non-pregnant friend, trying to convince her that she needed one for those days where pants just don’t fit like they should. Because friends don’t let friends be belittled by their pants.

Yes indeed, French graduate students know how to party. WITH CHEESE. ALWAYS PARTY WITH CHEESE.

Last week my co-workers threw an amazing surprise baby shower at work, a truly impressive feat since I spend my life anticipating surprises and am thus very rarely surprised. They also showed their excellent taste, as the spread included a giant pot of Costco mac-n-cheese, which might just be my love language.

I don’t always read Madame Bovary, but when I do, I make sure to do it in a well-lit window nook, and key color coordination. Oh wait- except I do read Madame Bovary all the time (what, you don’t?), and usually it is in pjs in bed. Oh well.

In non baby news, I finished chapter 1 of my dissertation and am wading through chapter 2, determined to get it mostly done before a certain interruption comes into our lives in June. Sometimes dissertation research turns into assimilating a series of fascinating, but useless, factoids, like the time I read for half an afternoon on the danger posed by wolves in nineteenth century France. But, in a truly magical moment, I did actually think of a way to tie in my impressive wolf knowledge over the weekend, so I am just giving myself one long pat on the back.

Gimme all that bright green foliage!

Loving right now: Belly bands, scrambled eggs, An Idiot Abroad being back on Netflix, sleeping with the windows open, new sheets from Target, Barre.

Hating: Restrictive clothing, the fact that mosquitoes will soon be back, certain probable outcomes of presidential primaries, bending over, stairs, running (I think I have maybe 2 more weeks of running in me than I am calling it quits).

Ok, enough ramblings for now. Happy Monday all!