sloth

I've been feeling really unhealthy lately. I've been eating kind of badly. Not so much during the day at work, but when I get home. I have no time to grocery shop, therefore we have no food, therefore we order in. No matter how often you order in, it feels like a treat for some reason. Maybe that's left over from childhood, when 98% of my meals were at the kitchen table with my family. I need to feel better. I am thinking about doing a 3 day juice cleanse to get started, but I need to check to make sure it's ok with breastfeeding. I'm sure it is...oh, and it's really crazily expensive. But as a friend who is also considering the same cleanse said, "maybe the high cost incentivises" you to do it! Still, I have better things to spend my money on, like groceries! Haha.

I am going to take some steps to feel better. I'm going to grocery shop more. When I shop, I'm also going to buy ingredients to make at least 2 meals at home. That doesn't count easy things like spaghetti. These would be a few more detailed meals with say 5 ingredients or so. Maybe something I can put in the freezer. Oh, and salads. Johnny and I used to eat salads all the time and we stopped. Honestly I think we stopped because I don't like washing lettuce. I also don't like the chemical taste from cut up salad in a bag. I think I will buy romaine leaves and then just wash and cut enough for 2 days worth of salads. Another thing I will do is walk a little further for my lunch. I go about a block, 2 at the most. I'm going to go further. It's good exercise mainly, but it's good to clear your head and get fresh air. Angus is SO mobile and before I know it he's going to be running into traffic, so I need to get in shape and feel good so I cam keep up with him!

food

Angus is eating 3 non-breast milk meals a day. Jarred food - I use Earth's Best. I feel mildly guilty about the fact that I fully intended to cook some of his food - but have yet to do so. I bought the damn baby cubes and everything. I think I will make it a goal this week to at least cook SOMETHING for him. The jarred stuff is just so eeeeeeeeeeeasy, and the Earth's Best has no added junk. I do have some slight mistrust of them though. They falsified some info with their formula a while back, and I wonder about their jarred food. I do like the flavors though, and so does Angus - as long as those flavors aren't green. Ha! I am a little stressed out about 10 days from now when he's going to start getting finger food. Actually I'm more stressed out about after that, and for the next 18 or so years when I am the one responsible for feeding him balanced meals. I can barely feed myself a balanced meal. It's going to kind of suck to think about food groups and iron and protein and all that stuff. That seems like a full-time job to me! I think I'm going to have to spend some quality time reading up and learning more about this so I can not worry about it and have some meals in place. I guess that's still a ways away> in the meantime, I look forward to giving him tiny tiny pieces of food! Kiwi, Watermelon, cantalopue, cheese, fun times!

stuffing

I am quite excited for Thanksgiving. 1) I get a few days off and 2) I like Thanksgiving dinner. This year however, people have warned me about eating the nice soft and juicy stuffing that is cooked in the bird. Apparently the inside never quite gets to the temperature it needs to in order to kill any weird stuff that might be lurking and it's not recommended for pregnant people to eat it. Thankfully my mother in law cooks some outside of the bird, but it's never as juicy! I look forward to eating everything else though. I am going to try hard to not eat fast and not be a pig, as the last thing I want is for someone to comment on how much I might eat! I don't get to go see my family for Christmas this year as I normally do, which will be upsetting - but I am trying not to think about it. I will really miss being with my folks and my brother and eating our traditional meal, but one can't fly 3 weeks before their due date! Thankfully I'll see them in late January.

cold and hot

Sorry for the lack of posting this week. I've been dragging a bit. My little brother is in town and I spent some time hanging out with him, and now I seem to have a cold. I am on day 2 of stuffiness, a mild sore throat, a little cought and extra tiredness. Yuck. I'm drinking an Odwalla "C Monster" and hopefully between all the fruit I plan on eating, and my continual water drinking, I can flush it out or something. TGIF too. I can sleep in this weekend and get some R&R! Oh, and the "hot" in the title? I think I am starting to be a lot hotter than everyone around me, but it's hard to tell as here in NYC it's been warmer than it should be. It's been in the mid-60's which I think is a little high for this time of year, so last night despite having all the windows in our room open I still only slept with a sheet. It was breezy too! And when I walk around outside, I am always the least bundled up person. I guess time will tell  - when it's super snowy and freezing outside and I am boiling, I will know that this is the pregnancy hots!

PS> tomorrow I will be 30 weeks = 7.5 months pregnant!

I passed the 2nd glucose test! yay me!

Good news! I "passed" the 3-hour glucose test! YAY! I thought that would be the case. The day before the first test, I had a LOT of sugar. Someone sent us delicious cupcakes and word got out that I was an icing fiend, so I had my cupcake + the icing from 2 other cupcakes. It wasn't until after I ingested all this sugar that I said to myself "whoops - I have the glucose test tomorrow"! So I am not surprised with the results of the first one. I am happy, but I still need to watch my sugar intake, and this is a HORRIBLE week to do that with Halloween and all. Plus, we're having people over for a baby shower/open house this weekend and there will be plenty of tasty treats to eat! Anyway - I must remember to eat healthy. Also, I am at 2 week doctor's appointments now. Whoa....getting closer! I'm 28 weeks and officially in my 3rd trimester. Time flies!

on a lighter note.....finally a craving!

I have wanted hot chocolate every day! I guess it started a couple of weeks ago when it actually was fall in NYC for a minute, and sadly I work about 1 block away from Jacques Torres - which is noted for some of the BEST hot chocolate in the city. It is literally a cup of melted chocolate, very thick and very delicious. I don't know how I'm not going to have it today! Although, it's probably not TOO bad for me, considering I'm not that much of a milk drinker...maybe it's some of the only dairy I get! How's that for justification? I made it last night for my husband with cocoa powder, sugar and milk...I had some caramel salted hot chocolate from starbucks, which I hesitated getting because of the high calories....dare I even try to find out how many calories are in the Jacques Torres version? I know I am not supposed to be on a diet, but I think it's smart to at least be aware of HOW much of a pig I am being! Anyway - this seems like something weird that I always want, so I am officially calling it a pregnancy craving!

health and eating

I find that on weekends, I sort of take a holiday from eating 100% healthy. Not everything is thrown out the window, and maybe this weekend was particularly sugary, but if I don't go out, I eat at home, and I don't have any fish here and I haven't been in a salady mood. In fact, I've been just wanting sugar. I made cookies tonight to surprise my husband and maybe to satiate my love for raw cookie dough a bit too. I am POSITIVE that I haven't gotten enough protein this weekend, so I know that tomorrow I am going to get a salad with salmon on top....and later in the week I'll get my salmon teriyaki. I just feel like weekends are lazy time! I also meant to do my prenatal yoga each day, and guess what - I didn't. Ugh. I don't think exercising at home is meant for me. I think I will research a class that I can go to - maybe even pay in advance! ha! I will do that this week. Actually, I know there is a weekend class near my house, so I will aim to try that on Saturday! Maybe if I set this goal now, it will be more likely to become reality. I just keep hearing that giving birth is like running a marathon - the amount of energy it takes and god knows I can't run a marathon now - or ever!

protein

I'm on a protein kick...well, I should have been all along. Truthfully, since I got pregnant I have been trying harder to eat more healthily and be more conscious of what I ingest, BUT I haven't been eating enough protein. My mother has been concerned about that for a while and mentioned it a couple of times, but I assured her I was fine. The other day however, I looked up exactly HOW much protein a pregnant woman is supposed to be eating, and it's 75g per day. That's sort of a lot, and I realized that I probably rarely hit that. So...I'm keeping track, and upping my protein. I just finished a protein shake, which has 30g of protein in it, and yesterday for lunch I had some salmon, which has 45g of protein in it (that's what the photo is...not of my lunch, but of salmon) - Oh, and I found a yogurt with a whopping 17g of protein in it! I hope this manages to make me feel healthier and maybe even less tired! On another note, my ligaments are hurting a bit, which in my mind is good, since it probably means that my belly is getting bigger and soon I will look officially pregnant and not just fat! I have been feeling ok, still need to go to bed earlier, and getting used to sleeping on my side, but I really miss sleeping on my back. Oh, and I'm 19 weeks now!

"cravings"

I don't think I've had "cravings" yet per se, like what IS a craving? In my mind, a pregnancy craving isn't really limited to being pregnant. I think it's just wanting something and having no reason to deny it for yourself. When people ask me if I've had any cravings, I sort of think of some medical deep need for something that is a switch in my brain, not just some random food I feel like eating. The dictionary says craving is "an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing". So, I don't think I've had any of those. I have WANTED (to have or feel need) some foods, but that's no different than prior to me being pregnant! Those things have included the following: bacon, milkshakes, fruit, nutella, spaghetti, tacos, salted chocolate. It's not like I need any of those things immediately, it's just that I've been on a diet for at least 5 years, and now suddenly I am not supposed to be on a diet? What's a girl gonna do? I'm gonna eat what I want! If any actual cravings come up, I'll let you know!

gross

The second I walked in the door tonight I was plagued with horrible cramps....but I know these cramps. These cramps are my body telling me it wants to poop (sorry...) I have suffered from some serious constipation the last few days for which I can only blame myself. I know I haven't been drinking enough water at work, and I need to smarten up. Anyway - tonight I had the pleasure of these cramps, then vomiting, followed finally by well, let's just say "the other end". I don't know if I ate something, or if this is some form of pregnancy illness, but I'm going to self-diagnose myself with 1) constipation and 2)food poisoning....for which I also blame myself for. I went to an outdoor event, and ate potato salad that was in the VIP area. It looked fresh, it tasted fresh, but I think maybe it was a bad idea. Anyway - I'm sure I'll have more sunshine and rainbows to talk about soon!

PS> I discovered some cool websites which I have added as new links.Ohdeeoh, Modern Seed, Babywit and Babble

Pillow talk

Well friends, not too much to report! I still feel great, and I have been trying to eat healthier. I've made my daily lunch a hearty salad with spinach or romaine, and lots of beans, beets, an egg, cranberries, walnuts etc. I'm all about it. Now, just to add more exercise! I have been walking a lot, and yesterday I ordered 2 pregnancy dvd workouts, since I was honest with myself - I am not going to go to a gym. I'm just not. I truly look forward to getting them and doing them!

I've suffered from some insomnia, which has actually gotten better the last couple of nights. I got a new pillow, which I love (tempurpedic) and switched to a summer blanket. I've also been trying to go to bed earlier and read for a little while before trying to sleep.

In short - things are good! I think I've decided on the CVS test, and on Monday afternoon I go for a counseling session. I don't know what will happen there, but I suppose they will tell me about the test, it's risks and collect my family history. I will have some questions for them too, based on my research. I will ask the name of the doctor performing the test, how many he/she performs a year, and what he/she's rate of miscarriage is. I have been reading that it's the people in small towns getting CVS tests from doctors that only perform say 30-40/year that have problems. The more tests a doctor performs, the better. I hope to then get the actual test later that week or early the next week. I will have to take a sick day as apparently you feel crappy after.

OK....more soon!

Oh, and baby got to attend a Dr.John concert last night...which was the music that my mom played for me starting at age 4

A Grape

I am 8 weeks pregnant now! Wow. This feels like some sort of a landmark for some reason. I'm 2/3 through my first trimester, and just 4 weeks away from telling people, and maybe showing! That's also 4 more weeks of keeping secrets, and trying to explain my hunger, my non-diet, and lying about why I'm not drinking. This weekend we're going to a wedding, and the good thing, is that I don't know too many people there, so it's unlikely that anyone will ask why I'm not drinking, but there won't be any dancing for me - since that only happens after one too many! I have a pretty social job that requires me to see bands, and eat dinners, and be social. The season for lots of shows is coming soon, and next Tuesday I am invited to a boozy dinner with a coworker and some associates. At this time, I have accepted the invitation, but I don't know how I'm going to explain to these folks why I'm not drinking. A good excuse might be that I'm on medication and can't drink with it - or I'm SO hungover that I couldn't possibly! Oh well. I will come up with something good. I'm never one to turn down a free dinner! Speaking of food ,I hope I am getting proper nutrients. Since my last post, I am more aware of what I need to be eating and I'm trying to up my dairy and my vegetable intake. I had a salad last night which felt great. My husband and I used to have salads almost every night, but traditionally those salads would include some sort of soft cheese - feta, blue cheese or gorgonzola, so the thought of making one without made me not want to make one at all. But I did - and added chopped nuts and dried cranberries insead. So....I'm on the right track! Oh, and the baby is now the size of a grape.

Black Olives

Black olives have always been one my favorite food items ever. There are many photos of me at childhood family gatherings with black olives on each of my little fingers. I would wave them around and then eat them one by one. I would be happy to eat just olives for dinner. They are little delicious balls of salt. However> a couple of weeks ago, I ordered a salad for lunch at work, and asked for black olives in it.....along with another obsession, bacon - but I'll save that tale for another time. Anyway, the olives were horrible. I chalked it up to a bad batch of olives at the salad place and didn't think anything of it until yesterday, when I got a subway sandwich for lunch which I requested olives on. I ate the sandwich, and thought that something in it tasted funny. Was it the bread? nope. The pickles? nope. It was the damn olives. They tasted like little rubber pellets. Argh. I think the love I have for one of my favorite foods has been changed by this alien inside of me. Next thing you know, I'll be eating a tomato! PS> i HATE tomatoes.