Ladies (and the very rare gentlemen), I finally ended my dry spell and had. . .
wait for it. . .
one of my guiltiest pleasures. . .
a Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuit sandwich [BECB].
It was everything a greasy-bad-for-you-totally-lacking-any-nutritional-value-breakfast sandwich should be. And more.
Oh, and in case you were about to say that Emma needs the protein from the egg, allow me to remind you that I peel the one essense of potential health (the egg) off of the sandwich and replace it with a slab of greasy hashbrown. That's right, I make it even more greasy and less healthy, because I don't like egg but I do like me some fried tater.
[Sighs with pleasure.]
This ends a nearly nine month drought of the BECB. This was not intentional, or as Manapan put it, any way virtuous on my part. First, I really do try to refrain from having these very often as they are not in any way good for me. Then, I got pregnant and first trimester all-day-sickness took away my desire for even a crumb of the biscuit. Just as I was feeling better and was thinking a MickeyD's run might be necessary, M and I gave up fast and convenient foods for Lent. So, that's how we ended up nine months later and no BECB. Like all good things that those that wait, however, it was worth it. I might have even licked the wrapper and my fingers afterward.
Wow, a whole post about a BECB. And it's not the first time, either.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Friday Night Leftovers
It's Friday again and time for yet another edition of FNL. Danifred says this might be the last one for awhile, so if you've never participated, it's a good week to try it out.1. Just typing the word leftovers made me hungry. People, my appetite? Out. of. control.
2. My shoulder has gone from occasionally hurting to always hurting, especially at night, so it is keeping me from sleeping. It is really bad.
3. Will had his first flu bug yesterday. That's probably a post of its own, but I will spare you the gory details. Oh, the laundry! Now fingers crossed that I don't get it next. Fortunately, it seems to have been a relatively short-lived bug and he is back to normal this morning.
4. Ever since I blogged my list of Guilty Pleasures, I have really been wanting a McDonald's breakfast sandwich. The last one I had was the morning of Will's 1st birthday party when my girlfriend and I stopped on the way to "power up" for the day ahead. That was August, so I think it's time I had another, don't you? The scale and my OB might not concur.
5. I watched the movie Julie & Julia yesterday while Will was napping and I was also doing mountains of laundry. It was just so-so, but there were a few scenes that I could definitely appreciate as a blogger. . . the scene where she gets her first comment and gets all excited. . . until she reads it. . . and it's from her mom (although my mom doesn't read my blog - I hope, but still, I remember getting my first comment and thinking - WOW! Someone is reading this!)! And the scene where she and her husband have a big fight about her blogging and then he tells her the fight better not end up on the blog! My husband and I have had that fight! Also, because I am just the kind of person to do so, I had to look up the original blog to see what it was like.
6. While I have written this, Will has been taking one piece of silverware from the drawer at a time and running it over to me. I now have a pile of spoons and forks. I'd better go before he gets to the knives (they are in a different, higher up drawer, so don't worry, I was only kidding).
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Guilty Pleasures
I saw this on another blog (can't remember which one. . . if it's yours, please shout out so I can credit and link to you) and liked it. Consider yourself tagged to do the same on your blog if you want to reveal your own little indulgences.
10. Roy Rogers or Shirley Temples (I actually bought grenadine and cherries to have these at home whenever the mood strikes which is embarassingly often as of late).
9. Taking a nap. And by nap, I mean a real one, getting into comfy clothes, getting under all under the covers and snuggly, and sleeping for more than an hour of sleep. Yeah, that sounds really good right now.
8. Soft blankets. I have five throw blankets. Two upstairs in my bedroom and three downstairs. I like different types of blankets depending on how cold or warm I am (and yes, sometimes I still like a light blanket, even in the summer when I am warm - I'm weird like that). I am especially fond of throw blankets from Costco. The problem is that each year, they get softer and more wonderful and they aren't expensive, so it's difficult to say no to, but I don't want to throw out any of my old ones.
7. Pedicures. Need I say more?
6. Bath and Body Works fragrance oils. I love them, especially to light about fifteen minutes before guests arrive. Having three animals, I am phobic about their fur and smells. I obsessively vacuum (at least once a day) and use Febreeze likes it's my job. But I also like to light these oils when I want the house to smell extra good. They are kind of expensive, but worth every penny to me, and they go on sale fairly often.
5. Cheesy romance novels. They are like mind-candy for me. I like to read more serious literature, but every once in awhile, it's just nice to read something mindless. They are good to enjoy in the bath. . . see #3 below.
4. Chili cheese fries. They are soooo good. But I am picky. The chili cannot have beans in it (though I do like beans in my chili if I am eating it plain) and I do not like "fake" cheese on them. It has to be shredded cheddar.
3. Hot baths. I really like baths to be almost too hot, which is something I can't do in pregnancy. I still like a nice warm bath, however, complete with bubbles, candles, and a good book.
2. McDonald's Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit with hashbrowns. I limit these to a very rare indulgence, but manoman.
1. American Idol. I know. I know. But I am addicted and I get a little sad each year when it's over. I can't imagine that I will watch next year (what kind of show will it be without Simon - and I already miss Paula!) so this is it for me.
MY TOP TEN GUILTY PLEASURES
10. Roy Rogers or Shirley Temples (I actually bought grenadine and cherries to have these at home whenever the mood strikes which is embarassingly often as of late).
9. Taking a nap. And by nap, I mean a real one, getting into comfy clothes, getting under all under the covers and snuggly, and sleeping for more than an hour of sleep. Yeah, that sounds really good right now.
8. Soft blankets. I have five throw blankets. Two upstairs in my bedroom and three downstairs. I like different types of blankets depending on how cold or warm I am (and yes, sometimes I still like a light blanket, even in the summer when I am warm - I'm weird like that). I am especially fond of throw blankets from Costco. The problem is that each year, they get softer and more wonderful and they aren't expensive, so it's difficult to say no to, but I don't want to throw out any of my old ones.
7. Pedicures. Need I say more?
6. Bath and Body Works fragrance oils. I love them, especially to light about fifteen minutes before guests arrive. Having three animals, I am phobic about their fur and smells. I obsessively vacuum (at least once a day) and use Febreeze likes it's my job. But I also like to light these oils when I want the house to smell extra good. They are kind of expensive, but worth every penny to me, and they go on sale fairly often.
5. Cheesy romance novels. They are like mind-candy for me. I like to read more serious literature, but every once in awhile, it's just nice to read something mindless. They are good to enjoy in the bath. . . see #3 below.
4. Chili cheese fries. They are soooo good. But I am picky. The chili cannot have beans in it (though I do like beans in my chili if I am eating it plain) and I do not like "fake" cheese on them. It has to be shredded cheddar.
3. Hot baths. I really like baths to be almost too hot, which is something I can't do in pregnancy. I still like a nice warm bath, however, complete with bubbles, candles, and a good book.
2. McDonald's Bacon Egg and Cheese Biscuit with hashbrowns. I limit these to a very rare indulgence, but manoman.
1. American Idol. I know. I know. But I am addicted and I get a little sad each year when it's over. I can't imagine that I will watch next year (what kind of show will it be without Simon - and I already miss Paula!) so this is it for me.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Facebook Strikes Again
Okay, first off, those brownies I posted about yesterday? Yeah, they are amazing. And not difficult to make. I highly recommend them.
Secondly, almost a week later, I got April Fooled. I was on my guard the day of, but wasn't expecting the sneak-five-days-later-attack. It was well-orchestrated, I'll give 'em that. And old friend of mine (actually, a guy I dated for 2.2 seconds and then stayed in contact with as friends) is one of my FB friends. Now, we didn't date long, and one of the reasons for this (among many, many reasons) is that he had no interest in marriage or any of what he referred to as the "White Picket Fence Trap."
Now, the day of April 1st, I had several friends who thought it was funny to announce a pregnancy. None of them were actually pregnant and I didn't fall for any of it. I was especially suspicious of any status updates that day.
Yesterday on my Live Feed, I noticed that he had changed his relationship status from "in a relationship" to "married." Of course, I was curious. I clicked over and saw that not only had he changed that, but he had also posted a small album of Wedding Pictures to his profile. The pictures showed him in a suit with a girl in a short white dress. The pictures were titled things like "Making It Official" and "Can't Wait For the Honeymoon" and were the usual garter-grabbing, cake-smashing, ring-exchanging wedding type pictures. I didn't even think twice before chiming into the other wall posts starting to call out their congratulations on the happy news.
Yeah, so it turns out that the entire thing was a hoax. They didn't get married, but they were at a friend's wedding and posed for the pictures after the ceremony. Today's status from him was: April Fools goes all month long! Gotcha!
You know what? I was actually a little disappointed for him. I kind of do think he'll stay a life-long bachelor and part of me thinks that it's kind of sad. I know that he came from a bad home situation (divorced parents, abusive, alcoholic dad) and doesn't have a good image of what a positive marriage can be like. I hoope that some day, he changes his status for real and gets to know the good side of the "White Picket Fence."
Secondly, almost a week later, I got April Fooled. I was on my guard the day of, but wasn't expecting the sneak-five-days-later-attack. It was well-orchestrated, I'll give 'em that. And old friend of mine (actually, a guy I dated for 2.2 seconds and then stayed in contact with as friends) is one of my FB friends. Now, we didn't date long, and one of the reasons for this (among many, many reasons) is that he had no interest in marriage or any of what he referred to as the "White Picket Fence Trap."
Now, the day of April 1st, I had several friends who thought it was funny to announce a pregnancy. None of them were actually pregnant and I didn't fall for any of it. I was especially suspicious of any status updates that day.
Yesterday on my Live Feed, I noticed that he had changed his relationship status from "in a relationship" to "married." Of course, I was curious. I clicked over and saw that not only had he changed that, but he had also posted a small album of Wedding Pictures to his profile. The pictures showed him in a suit with a girl in a short white dress. The pictures were titled things like "Making It Official" and "Can't Wait For the Honeymoon" and were the usual garter-grabbing, cake-smashing, ring-exchanging wedding type pictures. I didn't even think twice before chiming into the other wall posts starting to call out their congratulations on the happy news.
Yeah, so it turns out that the entire thing was a hoax. They didn't get married, but they were at a friend's wedding and posed for the pictures after the ceremony. Today's status from him was: April Fools goes all month long! Gotcha!
You know what? I was actually a little disappointed for him. I kind of do think he'll stay a life-long bachelor and part of me thinks that it's kind of sad. I know that he came from a bad home situation (divorced parents, abusive, alcoholic dad) and doesn't have a good image of what a positive marriage can be like. I hoope that some day, he changes his status for real and gets to know the good side of the "White Picket Fence."
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Random Monday
Whew. What a busy few days. My parents came to visit, my mother-in-law then arrived to stay the night and watch Will for us while we went to the Michael Buble concert, and then Easter! It was a whirlwind of five days.
It was a lot of fun, but I am definitely feeling the effects of it today. Will is still having random wake ups some nights and sleeping through others, but his schedule has been off kilter with all of the excitement, so naps have been shorter, bedtime later, wakeups earlier, you get the idea! I am feeling very tired today and hoping that he decides to take a decent nap today so I can also rest.
I am also. . . drum roll, please. . .
24 weeks pregnant today. That's viability, folks. Yes, I realize that there would still be many hurdles to overcome and a lot of prayers needed if Emma was to arrive today or any time soon. I have a firm talk with her every morning, reminding her that Mommy's tummy is the best place to be for now and that she can come out in just a few months. She seems pretty content pummeling away at my bladder in there, so I think she'll be hanging out for awhile to come.
When you have a miscarriage(s), you feel so very helpless, because there is nothing that can be done. The body has to do its job and there is little to nothing that even the most modern of science can do to help. My body failed me so many times that getting to 24 weeks, where finally, medical professionals could take over if needed, is a very comforting thing.
I hope you have all been doing well. . . I am off to check on you and see what I have missed in your lives these past few days!
It was a lot of fun, but I am definitely feeling the effects of it today. Will is still having random wake ups some nights and sleeping through others, but his schedule has been off kilter with all of the excitement, so naps have been shorter, bedtime later, wakeups earlier, you get the idea! I am feeling very tired today and hoping that he decides to take a decent nap today so I can also rest.
I am also. . . drum roll, please. . .
24 weeks pregnant today. That's viability, folks. Yes, I realize that there would still be many hurdles to overcome and a lot of prayers needed if Emma was to arrive today or any time soon. I have a firm talk with her every morning, reminding her that Mommy's tummy is the best place to be for now and that she can come out in just a few months. She seems pretty content pummeling away at my bladder in there, so I think she'll be hanging out for awhile to come.
When you have a miscarriage(s), you feel so very helpless, because there is nothing that can be done. The body has to do its job and there is little to nothing that even the most modern of science can do to help. My body failed me so many times that getting to 24 weeks, where finally, medical professionals could take over if needed, is a very comforting thing.
I hope you have all been doing well. . . I am off to check on you and see what I have missed in your lives these past few days!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Setting the Bar
Wow, first off, isn't food/feeding our child(ren) an interesting topic? I was surprised by how many (and how diverse!) the responses were. I really appreciate everyones' input, though it still has me feeling about the same - confuse! I would read one comment and nod in agreement, only to find that I agreed with the next comment, too!
One comment that completely struck a chord for me was from one of my favorite bloggers, Tracy. She mentioned setting high standards for her toddlers and how surprising it is that they rise to the occasion.
I 100% agree with her in that setting high standards tends to result in better performance. Will surprises me on a daily basis with things that he understands/does/knows how to do. It actually shocks me sometimes how much this kid has retained. For example, we pulled up outside of Fred Meyer on Sunday, a store I usually don't go to. The last time we were there (three weeks ago), was for him to get his hair cut at the place next door. So, as we pulled into the parking lot, he started saying, "Hair cut! Hair cut!" Both M and I couldn't believe that he remembered that.
When I posted on family meal times, many people commented that making a toddler sit at the table was expecting too much, I started thinking about it and thought, "Yeah, that is a lot to expect a toddler to do." Strangely enough, 98% of the time, Will sits through an entire meal without incident, simply because those were my expectations of him. We started sitting him at the table with us before he could even sit up (in his bouncer) and moved him to the high chair when he was able to sit up on his own (even before he started solids). Meal times were something that were very important to me prior to even having a baby, so I guess my expectations were high. . . and, most of the times, he does just fine.
Conversely, I also realized that I need to recognize my standards might sometimes be too high and when that happens, I need to be flexible. I have now started giving him his color crayons and paper when he is "all done" with meals and it has made a world of difference on those times when he doesn't want to sit happily while M and I eat.
You see, my mom was a perfectionist mom, the type that always set the highest expectations. I clearly remember when I was in second grade, running home to tell her that I had scored the highest in the class on a spelling exam - 98%! Her response? "Why did you miss any? You knew all of those words?" Instantly, my excitement and pride were deflated. I no longer celebrated my victory in having an A grade, but rather started beating myself over missing the word (though I will never forget how to spell the word among again). While it did cause me to strive to excel, it also caused me to be over-anxious and very concerned about being perfect.
I know my mom meant well and just wanted me to do my best, but I just want to be very clear it the messages that I send to Will. I have very high expectations of him (and that will never change), but I want to make sure that they are reasonable and in tune with what he needs. I never want to deflate his ego or make him feel badly for doing his best.
Parenthood is such a fine line to walk. There are minefields and pitfalls at every step. One of the reasons that I am so thankful for my blog is that you and your wonderful advice are
all just a comment away. Thank you for taking the time to walk this journey with me.
One comment that completely struck a chord for me was from one of my favorite bloggers, Tracy. She mentioned setting high standards for her toddlers and how surprising it is that they rise to the occasion.
I 100% agree with her in that setting high standards tends to result in better performance. Will surprises me on a daily basis with things that he understands/does/knows how to do. It actually shocks me sometimes how much this kid has retained. For example, we pulled up outside of Fred Meyer on Sunday, a store I usually don't go to. The last time we were there (three weeks ago), was for him to get his hair cut at the place next door. So, as we pulled into the parking lot, he started saying, "Hair cut! Hair cut!" Both M and I couldn't believe that he remembered that.
When I posted on family meal times, many people commented that making a toddler sit at the table was expecting too much, I started thinking about it and thought, "Yeah, that is a lot to expect a toddler to do." Strangely enough, 98% of the time, Will sits through an entire meal without incident, simply because those were my expectations of him. We started sitting him at the table with us before he could even sit up (in his bouncer) and moved him to the high chair when he was able to sit up on his own (even before he started solids). Meal times were something that were very important to me prior to even having a baby, so I guess my expectations were high. . . and, most of the times, he does just fine.
Conversely, I also realized that I need to recognize my standards might sometimes be too high and when that happens, I need to be flexible. I have now started giving him his color crayons and paper when he is "all done" with meals and it has made a world of difference on those times when he doesn't want to sit happily while M and I eat.
You see, my mom was a perfectionist mom, the type that always set the highest expectations. I clearly remember when I was in second grade, running home to tell her that I had scored the highest in the class on a spelling exam - 98%! Her response? "Why did you miss any? You knew all of those words?" Instantly, my excitement and pride were deflated. I no longer celebrated my victory in having an A grade, but rather started beating myself over missing the word (though I will never forget how to spell the word among again). While it did cause me to strive to excel, it also caused me to be over-anxious and very concerned about being perfect.
I know my mom meant well and just wanted me to do my best, but I just want to be very clear it the messages that I send to Will. I have very high expectations of him (and that will never change), but I want to make sure that they are reasonable and in tune with what he needs. I never want to deflate his ego or make him feel badly for doing his best.
Parenthood is such a fine line to walk. There are minefields and pitfalls at every step. One of the reasons that I am so thankful for my blog is that you and your wonderful advice are
all just a comment away. Thank you for taking the time to walk this journey with me.
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