Bugs and a Thumbderstorm

So remember at the end of that last entry how I said I loved North Carolina more than ever? Well, I might have to rescind a little piece of that love on account of something that happened a few nights ago. Story time!
I was half asleep, feeding Jude at about 3 a.m., when I felt a tickling sensation on my left arm. Jude often tickles my arm with his fingers, so I didn't think much of it. I automatically let my other hand brush/itch the tickly spot, but I didn't touch a little baby hand. I touched a COCKROACH. I brushed it onto the bed and from there to the floor, shrieking all the while. Naturally, Brooke woke up. I (tearfully) explained what had happened. Brooke hunted down the little bugger and squished him, so at least I have the satisfaction of knowing he got his just deserts. Ah, Brooke. My roach-vanquishing hero.
I don't really have a big problem with insects. They have their right to life and have their place in the ecosystem and blahdy blah. But I have a MAJOR problem with bugs crawling on me. I get the willies just thinking about the aformentioned episode. And now, when Jude does draw his little fingers lovingly across my skin while nursing, instead of being overwhelmed with love for him I am overwhelmed with THERE'S SOMETHING CRAWLING ON ME.
North Carolina has way more bugs than any other place I've lived. Well, Arkansas may have had more, but I don't really remember much about it because I was four when we moved away. Yesterday, as I was cooling down after my run and thinking about writing this very blog post, an enormous black and white hornety-looking thing landed on my elbow and it was all I could do to keep from shrieking again right there in the street. Uuuuuuuuugh. I could share more crawly-related incidents, but I don't think anyone would enjoy that.
Here's something everyone can enjoy! Cuteness!

Jude has been sucking his thumb. Only his left thumb. I think it's pretty cute, and it makes me curious about whether he might be a southpaw. It would be wonderful if he would start soothing himself with that thumb so that the pacifier retriever (me) could have a break once in a while.
Speaking of soothing oneself, we've been eating lots of rice pudding lately. Last week I made a double batch of horchata for play group, and so I've slowly been using up the rice by trying different recipes. Coconut Rice Pudding is especially rich and creamy. Mmmmmmm.
Lastly but not leastly, we had a fantastic thunderstorm yesterday. Isobel loved it.



I'm not gonna lie, I loved it too. It redeemed this place of the hideously humid weather we've been having. A good thunderstorm helps me to maintain a grip on myself so that I can resist running westward. Here are a few other things I like that temper the mugginess and bugginess:
Blue Jays,
Cardinals,
and
Red-Headed Woodpeckers:
three birds I haven't seen much since leaving the Midwest when I was 15. And of course, I love the trees and the green grass and the flowers and lots of other things, too. So... yeah, I do like it here after all.