Cravings!

When I was pregnant with the girls I craved apples and tuna melts.  With this little guy I absolutely can not get enough Grahams ice cream and chocolate donuts (not just any donut.  I crave the small donettes commonly found in gas stations).  And chocolate salted carmels, and frozen milky way ice cream bars.  And nutty bars (remember those?!) And.... any other junk food I can get my hands on.

The funny thing is that even while gorging myself on what I'm pretty sure is a 2,000 calorie (and amazingly delicious) homemade raspberry chip Grahams milkshake, (hell yes I'd like the whipped cream and chocolate shavings (also homemade)), I have gained less weight with this pregnancy than with either of the girls.  My reasoning: give the body what it wants.  And when pregnant, give it now.

I usually try to eat pretty healthy and I'm almost an all out freak about the things my kids eat.  I try not to have them eat anything too processed, and when we can't help it (if you have a 4 year old and you avoid fruit snacks you are some kind of crazy angel) I read the labels and avoid all food dyes and processed sugar.  But when mamma is craving some cheep, nasty chocolate donettes, the rules change a little bit.  What am I supposed to say, "Gross, fake processed food is only for mommies"?  So my kids have gotten used to donettes.  When they're gone Emilie sweetly reminds me, "Buy more donettes, mama!"  Great.

I did try telling them a few times that some of the crazy things in our cart were not good for us, but were for pregnant ladies.  This was a real trip.  Marin bought it hook line and sinker.  Now whenever she wants to buy oreos, or cinnamon apple sauce and I tell her that they're not good for us, she says, "Not even for pregnant ladies?!"  I kid you not.  I literally laughed out loud in the candy aisle (this, of course, is where the donettes are located).

Grahams is a slam dunk.  It's summer.  It's 104 outside.  Kids will gladly hop on their bikes and go to Grahams at the drop of the hat.  And I walk there and back, so I figure that kills at least 12 accumulated calories.  Seriously though all this Grahams talk is making me hungry.

We went to the grocery yesterday, and since anything I buy now could remain in my house after the baby is here, I am proud to say I resisted all temptations of the nutty bars and donettes and frozen milky way ice cream bars.  The kids haven't even noticed.  Bummer.  I was hoping I could blame them for a few new grocery list staples. 

17 1/2 Weeks!

Baby is growing and so am I! Here is a recent picture from 17 1/2 weeks. I'm looking more and more pregnant now, and it is pretty strange, but fun. As I get bigger it becomes more and more "real" that the baby is coming, and my bond with the little guy (or girl) becomes deeper.

I am feeling so much better! Don't ever underestimate your energy. :) I think Jason secretly misses lazy Johanna, but she's for the birds! She was so terribly boring! I get sick very infrequently now, and when I do, I'm so used to it that I just do it and move on. Bizarre, yes. Uncommon, probably not.

I've been swimming a lot and riding my bike. I guess I'm not really supposed to ride my bike, but I feel totally comfortable on it still, and my doctor didn't tell me I couldn't, so I'm going with it. Soon, I probably won't be able to ride at all since I'm only going to get bigger! Swimming I can do until literally the day I deliver, since it is low impact (although I better get a bigger suit!). I am going to sign up for Prenatal yoga soon. Deep cleansing breath in.....

I'm still craving fruits and vegetables by the fist full. And hot wings, of all strange things. I have never been a wing girl, so this must be Jason's influence on the baby. ;) I had a tuna melt the other day and it tasted so good you would have thought I was eating a lobster that I caught with my own hands 2 hours ago. It seemed like the best sandwich I ever had! I know what you're saying; A tuna melt? Yep. That's all it was. And I probably can count on half of a hand the number of times I've ordered that before in my whole life.

What can I say? Pregnancy is definitely a strange thing, but with (hopefully) a wonderful outcome! I'm just taking it all in.