Frenemy

So who knew that pregnancy was going to bring a new enemy/best friend into my life? And that frenemy is...food.

Let me preface by saying that food was never really something that I gave much thought to in my life before that second line appeared. I'm not trying to say that I didn't have my body image issues like any All-American Girl, but "food" was just not really something that I dwelled on throughout the day. Kind of like "House" on Fox. It's not really a T.V. series that I give much thought to, but if I'm in the mood to watch a show and I'm flipping through the channels when it's on, I'll stop and watch it.

I've gone through periods of my life where I feel guilt about not eating healthy foods, and I try to remedy the situation. But again, when it's not something that you particularly think about all that much, such intent focus tends to fall by the wayside rather rapidly.

Well, enter Lil' Pea stage left (a.k.a. the world's most beloved, adorable and efficient parasite). All of a sudden, food is an obsession. Am I eating the right amounts of protein? Too much fat? Too little fat? The right vitamins? Did I remember my prenatal vitamin? Am I gaining too much? Too little? When was the last time I ate? Do I need to have a little snack?

But here's what has contributed to the "frenemy" label: at any given moment, I feel simultaneously (to quote my mother) "stuffed to the gills" and "starved off the pockets". Like right now, my tummy is saying, "Oooh...I could go for some Sun Chips", but there's this other part of my tummy (the part that is pushing acid into my throat 24/7) that is saying "Hmmmm...if you eat one more bite, you will either explode or dissolve into a pool of stomach acid."

Adventures in Budgeting

I remember my mom and dad telling me stories growing up of when Dad was in med school and they were newlyweds and so poor that they had to take a clicker counter with them to the grocery store. Once they had clicked their quota of dollars, either stuff had to start going back on the shelves or they had to just stop shopping. It made an impression on me, and even though Bill and I have a more substantial budget than they did back in 1970, I felt the call of the clicker. I just felt like every time I went to Wal-Mart, I was playing Russian roulette at the checkout line...how much would it be? Would I hear the "click" of $57 or the "bang" of $190. And I've gotta tell you, when you get to choose between 2 clicks for Green Giant corn and 1 click for Great Value, it makes you really stop and think, "Hmmm...how many places can corn come from? Iowa or Iowa?"

Bill and I have read several personal finance books lately, and (a) it makes me want to write my own personal finance book and (b) it truly makes you stop and think about that can of corn. That 1 click in the IRA could be worth 100's in 30 years.

On a completely separate note, I give you...

Top 5 Reasons Why Rachel Ray Annoys the Snot out of Me:
5. That laugh...that laugh

4. The fact that her show is called "30 Minute Meals" and I have yet to see one recipe that I could prepare in less than an hour

3. The way that she squeezes lemons and tells you how to squeeze them. every. single. time.

2. The fact that she assumes that people have things like roasted red peppers, porcini mushrooms, and capers sitting around in their pantry

1. The number of times in any given episode that she refers to extra virgin olive oil as "EVOO" and the sheer number of recipes that she puts it in (i.e. everything)

And yet for some masochistic reason, I still watch her show occasionally. Well, I know the reason--her recipes aren't all horrible. Some are quite delish.


OH, and Lil' Pea update: It's a boy! And he's kicking up a storm. I felt it on the outside the other day. It was a like a scene from Star Trek.

There and Back Again

Well, I was in Arizona last week visiting my parents, and it was the most beautiful weather I've experienced in a long time. Cool in the mornings, warm in the afternoons (okay, some days, it was HOT), 0 humidity, wispy white clouds in the sky. Very nice. I approve of the desert. My parents are having a great time there. They got a Harley, claim that they are acclimated to the heat, and a new Target opened up in their town. What more can you want?

But seriously, it is hard having them on the other side of the country. And it's hard having Bill's family on the other other side of the country. I know that we both experience that feeling at the end of trips to visit our families (when we travel without each other) where it's like hitting a brick wall...I miss my spouse, I miss my dog, I miss my friends, but I also know that in just a few days, I'll be missing my parents, my sister (although my little sister is on the other other other side of the country so her visits will be taking place here for awhile especially with Lil' Pea in me).

So that's just lots of rambling to say that I miss my side of the family and Bill's side of the family, yet the air travel to get to said families has put a big X on any trips for the next year or so. It's hard enough taking a baby on a plane when it's inside you. Forget about it when the other passengers can hear the cries, smell the poops, and germs don't get filtered through my immune system first.

On a completely unrelated note, have you been to my sister Ellen's Etsy shop? So far, she is selling these adorable portraits for parents adopting from China, but there's a rumor (okay, I'm starting it, but I've already discussed this with her) that she'll be selling other children's portraits soon as well as little ornaments, her cartoons, and other fun stuff. And, yes, I still have plans to start up my own Etsy shop (I even have username set up). However, I'm just now getting over the nausea phase of pregnancy, so I'm just now feeling back to my self and creative. I'll keep you updated and even add "Etsy" as a blog post label. :)

Welcome to the Shire

Yes, pregnancy has turned me into a Hobbit, at least for the first trimester (which I recently said au revoir to and, to be honest, will not miss).

So, yeah, pretty much, right after breakfast, I'm like, "But what about 2nd breakfast? Elevensies? Lunch? Snack? Supper? Dinner?"

I don't know if I've ever blogged about this before, but Bill and I have decided that during pregnancy, the Puppy Rule is more important than ever. Basically, we both realized after about a year of marriage, that the way to keep me happiest was to think of my needs as a puppy's.

Karen is happiest when:
1. Fed
2. Well-Rested
3. Feeling safe
4. Being snuggled
5. Dry
6. Feeling loved
7. Warm

Typically, all or almost all of these conditions are being met. Occasionally, several of them aren't. I can only think of one time that every single condition was being broken at once. That was in New York around this time last year, when Bill and I were there over St. Patrick's Day. I shall not speak of that trip anymore other than to say that, at one point, it felt like someone had come and stepped on my tail.

Fast forward to now, I just have to say that I have the best husband in the world. He doesn't complain about the pillow fortress of solitude that I have set up in the bed, leaving him about 6 inches to sleep on. He, at one point, stopped at 2 separate fast-food restaurants on the way to church for me to get breakfast biscuits. He scooped all of Sunny's poo out of the yard for the past 2 months. He went to stay at my parents' when he came down with a cold recently to try to keep me from getting sick. He's just wonderful.

And this Hobbit/Puppy is very thankful for him.

It's been awhile...

Sorry for the blog silence. I've been in one of those periods of my life where I didn't really want to get on my blog and say, "Not much is up" (a blatant lie), but I wasn't quite ready to get on my blog and say,

"I AM PREGNANT!!!!" (a beautiful truth)

Yep. I've got a plum-sized little person in me. It's been a long, long road, but somehow, I have this gut-feeling that when we meet Lil' Pea in person, I'm going to say, "OH! That's what the wait was for. Thank you, God." I'm already convinced that he or she is the smartest, most fabulous, best embryo (almost a fetus!) ever. I wish I could just hook up an ultrasound machine in my living room and take a peek at him/her whenever I felt like it. :)


This picture is of the first pregnancy test that I took. It's uber-darker now.

And the World's Ugliest Turkey Award goes to...

me.

So I had some dear friends over on Monday: Jason and Jaime, Shelli and Justin, Meg and Chris, Dave and Sarah. And I was in charge of the turkey. One thing.

I roasted it upside down.

It tasted okay, but imagine this scenario:

Justin (kindly carving the turkey)--Hey, heh heh, this turkey doesn't seem to have too much meat on it.

Bill--Hmm, maybe that spot, or that spot.

Justin (beginning to sound really worried looking at the 2 cups total of turkey meat on the platter)--Umm, no, it really doesn't seem to have much meat on it.

Bill--What on earth? Karen?

Me--I bought a 20 pound Butterball! Oh, no, I bought a dud turkey!

Justin--No, wait. It's just upside down.

That's right. My mom forgot to mention that very key step...Make sure that the turkey is right side up. (But she and my friend Sara did a shout-out job of teaching me how to season and prepare it!)

At Sara's Request

I have been formally asked, on this blog and in person, to update my blog.

Here's the problem...not much to talk about. Things are going pretty well here. I visited my new nephew in Atlanta. He's stinkin' adorable, but he's developed some bad acid reflux, and my sister-in-law is at the end of her rope. Thankfully, my mom-in-law and Nana (well, Bill's Nana, but I claim her with full Nana status) are headed over to watch baby Myles tonight so Julie can head over to a friend's house to get some sleep overnight. I'm hope-hope-hoping that she gets a good, full night's sleep and every thing is a little bit better in the morning.

I am instigating a new meal-planning system for Bill and myself, complete with charts and recipes set out in advance and paying attention to (but not obsessing over) nutrition. It's a brave new world, but (a) both of our eating habits are not great and need to improve, (b) our grocery budget is ridiculously high and then I end up not making half the meals I had planned out so that needs to change, and finally (c) I've gotta get a handle on this before we start a family and things go really haywire. I'll never have more spare time and energy than I do right now. [Sorry for the world's longest run-on sentence, my grammar police friends].

Let's see...what else? Oh, I'm going to start selling these little wall plaques and door hangers that I've been making on etsy.com. It may not happen until after Christmas, but I'm very excited about it nonetheless. I'll keep my readership posted on that!