Goodbye 2011!

It's been a decent year but I've never looked more forward to the next year ever in my life.

Cheers to an amazing 2012!

A Little Surprise

This morning as I opened the door to leave the house, I stumbled upon this:

Hmm, what could it be?

WHOOPIE PIES!!!

And they are some perfectly baked whoopie pies at that. Our tenants RULE.  They really know how to warm the heart (and tummy) of a pregnant lady.

The bubs seems to really like them.  I just ate one and now he's punching and kicking my belly from all different directions.  An earthquake in utero!

On a side note, is this becoming a food blog? 

Verdict is in

My glucose is fine.  Woohoo!  Cinnamon rolls, here I come!

But...I am mildly anemic.  So....porterhouse steak, here I come!

It's a win/win either way you look at it.  Gosh, I love being pregnant.

Hungry? 28 week update

I've heard so many women complain that the Glucose Tolerance Test is the worst because you have to chug this nasty sugary drink.  But let me tell you:  it's really not that bad!  In fact, I kind of enjoyed it.  It's like orange Fanta - without the fizz.  What's so bad about that?  I chugged it in 2 seconds in the car while filling up my tank, had my blood drawn exactly an hour later.  Done and done.

Now I'm just waiting for test results.

I'm not worried, but I wonder if I should be...?  No one in my family has had a gestational diabetes issue, so I think I'm in the clear.  BUT, I have been eating a lot of sweets lately.

It's so weird.  First trimester I couldn't even LOOK at a dessert without feeling ill.  Then around week 20, I developed a Mrs. Fields white chocolate macadamia nut/sugar cookie addiction.  Had to have one a day for a couple weeks.

Then around week 24, I suddenly had the taste memory of eating belgian waffles with whipped cream and strawberry compote at Big Boy with my mom, which we'd do often when I was little, and that craving kicked in hard core.  That night after a film networking event, around 11pm, V and I went to our local diner and I had strawberry pancakes.  A few days later in Miami, I had a strawberry belgian waffle at brunch, and since then I've had strawberry belgian waffles a handful more times.  This one is sticking!

In fact, if I could, I would have a strawberry belgian waffle right now!   Side note: I have a feeling my baby is going to LOVE strawberries.

But I just ate a piece of homemade banana bread (baked last night for the first time), so...um...I probably shouldn't. 

A few days ago, I was walking by a bagel shop and the smell of cinnamon bagels wafted through the air.  I immediately thought of cinnamon rolls.  And that day after lunch I just had to have one.  Warmed up in the microwave with the icing all melted and gooey, it totally hit.the.spot.

The thing about cravings when you're pregnant, or at least for me during this pregnancy, is that I have been soooo susceptible to the power of suggestion.  During first trimester, I would crave little kid '80s food, and it would almost always be because I'd read it somewhere or someone would mention it on a blog or forum.  But then I'd have a few bites and be done and it'd be gross again.  Some examples:  Kraft Mac n' Cheese - from the box, with ham chunks added, Jiff peanut butter (had to be Jiff creamy), Doritos, Fruity Pebbles, Pizza flavored Combos, Munchos, Chicken Pot Pie from the freezer aisle.

A thought, how do people survive on packaged food like this?  At least our bouts of bad food were interspersed with really healthy, home-cooked Korean food when I was young.  It's scary to think this is the quality of shitfood a lot of people subsist on on a daily basis.

So anyway, as of Saturday's midwife appointment, I've gained 18 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight.  That's pretty much textbook on the weight charts, but all of mine happened from around 16 weeks onward.  It went something like this:

0-12 weeks:  -3 lbs
13-15 weeks: +3 lbs
________________
16-19 weeks: +5 lbs
20-24 weeks: +6 lbs
25-28 weeks: +7 lbs

OMG, I just realized, if I continue this exponential growth, I'm going to be SO HUGE by the time I'm done!  I have 12 weeks left.  Holy cannoli.

Is it time to put down the pastries?  Damn, I hope not.  I was having so much fun!

Steel Tree Trimming Party, 12/17/11

Lullaby

Wonder if this will work as well on the kid?

I don't really know any lullabies.  Please send recommendations!

Chasing sleep

I'm a zombie today.

V got home yesterday at 4 am after a 16-hour gig, and although he wasn't terribly loud, I ended up waking up and pretty much staying up.

I used to be a champion sleeper.  I've slept through natural disasters - tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms - you name it!  When I was little, my mom wasn't one of those moms that kept me on a real schedule so when I got tired, I'd just take random naps wherever I was.  Sometimes, she'd find me under the dining room table.

But I think last night might be a foreshadowing of how my nights are going to be for the rest of this pregnancy.  (And I'm sure after the baby's born I'll be pining for nights like that!)  Anyway, I'm getting a little bit achy, and yesterday I think I had my first Braxton Hicks contraction, so that kind of freaked me out.  But most of all, the bubs would NOT stop tumbling around in there! It's like he's rehearsing for his "So You Think You Can Dance" audition.

Which brings me to two of my favorite routines from that show.

Do our pets know...

That they're about to be displaced?

That sounds awful.  And I feel awful about it, but the reality is that when the baby comes, he's gonna take Monty's place on my lap.  Priority #1.

Truth be told, right now, Monty is our baby.  Part tyrant, part munchkin.  And my lap is his little throne.  He loves to curl up and doze or sit there with his tiny paws on my belly, and if I'm not touching him, he smooshes his little face under my hand to make sure I've got a hand on him -- with no regard to what I'm busy doing.  I could be playing Words With Friends on my phone, typing on the laptop, eating...doesn't matter.  If he wants my hand on his head, he'll get it there.  He insists!  And he usually gets what he wants.

Taking a little snooze

 I'm not the only one at fault here.  Exhibit A:

So I have to wonder, does Monty know he has a little brother on the way?  I think big dogs know, and when the baby comes, they are usually very protective of them.  They don't get jealous the way small dogs do from what I hear.

Monty's kind of a peabrain though.  It's not his fault.  His head is literally tiny, so his brain was never able to grow very large! 

With covered ears, he looks like a meerkat!

How have your pets handled the addition of baby?