Starting to Look Preggie and COOKIES Revisited

I've mentioned the walking I'm doing. Well, it is visibly paying off, it seems! The numbers on the scale took a turn down this morning. YEAY! Prior to this, of course, they were just very steady at the same reading. Which, really, means that I was gaining baby weight and losing my own. Also, YEAY, but even though I've felt the difference, I also thought that perhaps it was wishful thinking because no one else noticed.

Well, yesterday and today I've received the lovely comment we all yearn to hear when working on improving our appearance from FAT to FIT. Both ladies basically said, "It looks like you're losing weight!" I almost think that the scale didn't move downward because I was doing just enough overeating before because I was afraid my midwife would not approve whole-heartedly (as both of my previous midwives seemed slightly worried that I didn't gain any weight until the last month) in me losing weight during pregnancy. But Karen truly understands the dynamic of fat pregnant girls. She is fabulous and COMPLETELY encourages me to work out and eat right and since I'm really heavy she understands that it's TOTALLY safe for the scale to move down as long as the uterus keeps expanding. Since I AM eating regularly and sometimes still overeating by a lot, I really don't have anything to worry about regarding the baby getting enough nutrients. So, I'm super excited.

Also, combined with the comment that it looked like I was losing weight, Sage mentioned that before I just looked like myself, but now it looks like I'm me and preggie. Which, interpreted, means to me that the preggie belly is differentiated from the general fatness of me. ^_^ heehee

I've been craving and eating homemade chocolate chip cookies (I've mentioned this, I know). I almost bought some Chips A'hoy at the grocery store, but standing there next to them I just felt this overwhelming "NO!" it just had to be homemade. So, believing that cravings really DO have an important role in nutrition (contrary to a lot of research, doctors, and scientists), I set out to make them myself. I also already went into this whole experience in THE COOKIE FIASCO entry.

Well, I have to revisit this issue because I think these cookies, recipe compliments of my best friend Heidi Monteith (whose blog you can skippy to and get the recipe should you want it) get better with time! They were better cool than they were warm (to me!) and they are better today than they were the day I made them (once again: my opinion). So, I think I've found a tie for my favorite homemade chocolate chip cookies!!!

I must admit that I've been sort of annoyed that my cravings went from citrus, to olives (both pretty healthy), to COOKIES!!! But... there may be hope because I've been feeling hankerins for spinach made by Jessie with this awesome seasoning (he brought home a LOAD of the seasoning for me!) and grapes. YEAY!!! Return of the healthy munchies. The cookies are actually starting to taste too sweet to me. Once again, YEAY!!! ^_^

So, the challenge is to continue my walking into the third tri-mester and beyond. This is definitely a challenge for me because I'm only now (32 freakin years old!) learning how important the whole concept of "Enduring to the End" is for and to me personally. I've been pretty good at being consistent with my students (as a teacher), my husband, and my children... but not myself. :( I'm working to change myself in MANY ways. Like I told my friend Heather, "I'm 32, man! I'm gunna OWN this year!!! I'm gunna ROCK it and love it and love myself!" And, so far, I really feel like I'm moving in the right direction. Another "YEAY!!"

Yesterday I walked the bridge again and it was great except for this horrible patch on my side of the bridge. Which, of course, means I went through it TWICE! I walked through a cloud of NOSEEUMS. Have you encountered these horrible little bugs??? Well, if you come visit me during the summer (or now) I can introduce you and you will be amazed and feel exceeding respect for my determination to improve my fitness. You see, if you haven't encountered these horrible bugs, you have NO CLUE! The ones I have here are tiny little spots of light brown and BITE THE HECK OUT OF YOU!!!!!!!! Oh, MY!

I almost forgot about them, actually. I remembered that lovebug mating season is fast approaching and thought I might take a break from the bridge to avoid those harmless buggers. (I didn't want to breath them or swallow them and didn't want the girls to do either likely outcome of walking amid them, either!) The lovebugs get SO thick out on A1A that you literally cannot walk, run, ride, bike, or drive without getting them ALL over!!! Seriously gross if you don't like bugs so much. (And, if you weren't sure, I DO NOT!!!)

Well, the NOSEEUMS are MUCH MUCH much MUCH worse!! As I mentioned they are tiny and they bite. Well, as if that's not bad enough, (for a bug-almost-aphobe) the bites hurt/itch immediately. The hurt/itch does fadepretty quickly. Not so bad. After initially thinking maybe I should turn around, I decided I could deal with the immediate pain and annoyance because I COMPLETELY FORGOT the after-effect. You see, I woke up around 5:30-6am because I itched so baddly and CONSTANTLY that I could not rest at all! That is REALLY annoying AND the regular effect of those bits on me. Of course, I totally remember all this NOW!

You may not have known me or perhaps didn't know about my experience with itchiness just before I got preggie with Ria. I was cleaning up in the yard and pulled down some vines from the shed behind our trailer. The result of which was a truly horrible case of Poison Ivy. I mean, so bad that many people wanted me to go-to-the-Doc-and-get-steriods kind of BAD! I was also miserable because I ABSOLUTELY hate pointless things, especially pain. (I really don't love buying garbage bags, toilet paper, and even often wish we didn't need to eat cause it just turns into POOP!) All of that leads logically to why the pain of labor is TOTALLY do-able for me. For ONE: I understand some reasons that drugs are bad during labor AND for another: I get to have a result for the pain (a GORGEOUS little baby!!). Anyway... I've been majorly going offtrack a lot. Hopefully not troubling to you!

Jessie thought it would be fun/funny to take pictures of me

when I was suffering with Poison Ivy.

He thought I looked so funny... at least one of us had a good time with it!

By the way,

the big face is because of swelling

not because I was this fat at the time these pictures were taken!

Basically, I think I'm going to give the bridge a couple day's rest unless I can get up early to walk it. (I walked to the park over the bridge this morning at around 9:30am and was not troubled by the NOSEEUMS. So maybe we will attempt our long walk in the early part of the day?) Sage brought me home to avoid the boiling heat of the middle of the day SUN. She's SO sweet!! Regardless, though, I'll still be walking and there are a few good little hills down the street, so I'll definitely be climbing it and every other East/West street with some upanddown to it. :)

Until next time:
HAVE AN AWESOME LIFE!