TheMommyBlog

Friday, May 07, 2004 Me, Me, Me

Just a friendly warning: this topic is a bit strange, and it took most of the day for my scientific curiosity to win out over my wigginess at what it might mean about my current home life.

So. Pheromones. Specifically, releaser hormones. How do I begin? I’ll start by noting that to no one’s surprise, my cycle and those of my office mates have aligned. We’ve known each other for years and work in close proximity, so no mystery there. Same thing happened with my college roommates (and that is ALL that happened, Genuine). So, when one of the girls complained about ovarian cysts while ovulating (yes, we talk about this stuff), it hit me that it could explain why I am so crampy and grumpy this week.

TMI? Yes, but there is a point coming.

I have noticed that for some reason, my two sons are madly in love with me this week. I mean madly. They cannot stop touching me. They want to be in my lap or carried in my arms at all times. They want me to give them their baths. They want to sleep with me. They want to come sit in the bathroom and keep me company while I shower. They play pattycake on my rear end while I am hopping around, trying to get dressed. It’s unreal.

Just last night, the second I walked in the door, Dylan shouted, “I’m so glad you’re home! I love you very much!” And jumped into my arms. He insisted on sleeping with me and was glued to my side all night long. In the morning, he wanted to look into my eyes from two inches away and smile and tell me he loves me over and over. And his pupils? Huge.

And I was creeped right the fuck out, because I knew I was ovulating. Weird, huh?

It shouldn’t be. Pheromones are part of species propogation. The vomeronasal organ or Jacobson’s organ, is specifically designed to pick up chemical signals. There is a lot of debate over whether it is still functional in mammals, but the thing is still right up your nose, adjascent to the septum (specifically, ”it is located in the midsagittal line, and touches the sphenoid, the ethmoid, the left and right palatine bones, and the left and right maxillary bones.").

None of which makes it any less unsettling to know that your 4 and 6 year-olds are hot for you on some unconscious level. I ran it past my husband this morning, who laughed and agreed that it was entirely possible.

While we were talking, I suddenly remembered the last time I thought about the subject. It was while I was going through fertility treatment, and most of our friends were hyper-aware of the fact that we were trying have a baby.

One of my very best friends, a guy I’ve know for years and whom I love as a big brother, asked me to walk with him for a coffee. While we were sitting and chatting, he started looking very uncomfortable. “What? What? Do I have poppyseeds in my teeth?” “Um, no.” “Then why are you staring at me like that?” “Uh, is there any chance you could be ovulating? Not-that-I-could-ever-think-of-you-that-way-I’m-just-wondering.” “Oh, boy. Well, I suppose I could be… wait. Don’t tell me you noticed.” “I didn’t! I mean I didn’t mean to! Oh crap, can we just start walking back now? I’m creeping myself out.”

So what have we learned?

1. My guy friend is a very good friend.
2. My boys are perfectly healthy.
3. I am still hot, even if it’s only once in a blue moon. *wink*