Let's Talk About Heat

So. How many of you live where it's warm these days? Hmm. I'm guessing all of you for the sake of this post. Especially since it's the middle of July, and July's generally pretty warm.

I live someplace it's hot. (Not as hot as I've heard places like Las Vegas or Phoenix are, but it's hot here. 100+ several days already, with two more forecast this week.) We also have really high humidity, since it's the southeast. The most obnoxious comment I've heard (for SEVEN months now) is some version of this: "Wow, you're going to be REALLY uncomfortable in the summer. You know it gets really hot here, right?"

Now, before we lived in North Carolina, we lived in Atlanta. It's been close to seven years since I moved from the west coast to the southeast. I realize it gets hot here. I realize it gets muggy here. And frankly, the weather is one reason I moved here. I love that it's 60 degrees in January from time to time. I love that I can wear skirts in February most years without pantyhose. I love that our pool opens before Memorial Day every year (and that our pool stays open until at least October). I love that if it snows more than once, it's a "heavy snowfall" year. And honestly, I LOVE the heat of summer.

When we were in Chicago two weekends ago for my shower, it was hot, but it wasn't as humid as it is down here, and I just felt off. I was dehydrated all weekend, no matter how much I drank. I had a horrible time dealing with the heat, and I was grouchy about it. As soon as we stepped off the plane into the Raleigh heat and humidity on our way home, I caught myself inhaling the warm air and thinking how good it was to be home. Since then, I've tried to notice my reaction to the heat on an ongoing basis, and every day when I leave my chilly, air-conditioned office, I have the same reaction--a huge inhale of the humid air that feels so good.

Now, this doesn't mean my body's tolerating the heat as well this summer as in the past. My ankles are usually swollen by lunch. I've started keeping them propped up on a little box under my desk all day, and I've switched to walking and jogging in the pool instead of walking on land for exercise. The exercise change has been a godsend--my ankles haven't been so slim since I got pregnant! Plus it's an excuse to get to the pool most days. I love it!

But despite the discomforts that go along with being pregnant in the summer, I really wish I could turn around and give the people lamenting my discomfort a real piece of my mind about how I feel about summer. I wouldn't change a thing about this pregnancy, including the time of year that I'm at my biggest.

How are you tolerating the heat? Any tips or tricks for staying cool?

Hope you're all finding ways to enjoy the summer...even those of you who are my climate-opposites, you winter-lovers :)
-Magnolia Bud