Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate

I realize I've done lots of preggo whining lately. So thought I'd celebrate one of the perks.

A medically necessary, heartburn reducing bowl of Breyer's chocolate ice cream, covered with Hershey's new dark chocolate syrup.

And a brownie.

The Very Definition of Trouble

...Me plus on site cafeteria (which very much resembles a "buffet") plus a traveling, lonely, semi-stressed, 110% pregant state of mind.

Do you think my doctor meant, don't gain more than 25 lbs in one TRIP? Because even that may be trouble...o' pizza bar, o' dessert bar, o' hot grilled sandwich maker guy...

If I look bigger when I come back, you are right. Just keep it to yourself.

***UPDATE: I was dreaming of egg salad the other night. And what am I munching right now after visiting the on site caf for lunch today? EGG SALAD SAMMY, BABY. Ask, and ye shall receive...

Grrr

Rememer when I posted recently that my docs laughably want me to stick to 25 lb weight gain?

I've been doing my best, and Mike has too in terms of trying to be supportive. But also, thankfully, he's not riding me. And is the first one to encourage me to enjoy being pregnant, and have treats when I need treats.

So this morning, when complete lack of dog food in the house sent him scurrying to Schnuck's at 6 a.m. ... he was smart enough to come back, treats in hand: creme-filled doughnuts for him. Croissant, AND giant cherry turnover for me.

WW Points be damned, I attacked that croissant in about 20 seconds flat. Intending to save the turnover for tomorrow ... but when croissant was so surprisingly gone, well, so fast ... I indulged and started nibbling away at my second treat.

Then the Boy or the Dogs or Something else distracted me, so I walked about and left it on the counter For maybe, I don't know, one minute.

Can you dog owners see where I'm going with this? Huh, huh, can you?

I came back to find an empty plate and our dog Bogey fervently licking his chops, and the remaining glazed cherry crumbs off the floor.

I guess this is the Cosmos' way of telling me to take care of me and baby, and not to pig out?

I wish the cosmos would shove it.

P.S.

What I "forgot" to post from Tuesday's joyous doctor appointment is that we'll be watching this pregnancy verrrryyyy closely for signs of pre-eclampsia. My labs never showed it, but my doctor's marked my file as though I was with Matthew. Between the swelling, the pressure, the low fluid and his small size (6 lb 5 oz) they feel something wasn't working right with my placenta.

So this time the Rx will be:
Take my b.p. daily at home and log it
Monthly ultrasounds to check baby's growth and my fluid
Keep my weight down - aiming for 25 lb weight gaiHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No really (wiping eyes) I think they were serious.

Wish they would have mentioned that BEFORE I bought the Mrs. Smith's Deep Dish Cherry Crumb Topping pie last Sunday. (Cara, I think you have an affinity for the cherry crumb desserts? Girl, I'm gonna have to put one in your mailbox.)

Nothing to worry about - our baby girl looked perfect. And pre-eclampsia while common in first time moms (1 in 10) is far less so in second timers. And I've lost weight, AND they're gonna monitor me closely. "Put me in a safety net" was the comforting term actually. But it was still a little sobering to hear phrases like "hopefully we can avoid bedrest" or "if we'd have to put you on bedrest..."

AH! You cannot use these words to (a) someone who barely got away from work for today's appointments and between now and birth has multiple website phases to launch and project plans to accomplish, or (b) TO ANY MOM OF ANY KID because funny, toddlers just don't seem to have that healthy respect for mommies who can't get up to get them milkies on demand.

We're fine, it's fine. I am just remotivated to watch diet, try to get outside once it's nice and exerBWAHAHAHAHAHA! sorry, WHEW!

The point is, I am motivated to take maybe a bit better care of myself than maybe I was earlier in this pregnancy. When maybe I was being a bit of a lax, second-timer mom. (I KNOW this must be normal.) When maybe I was sneaking in the second and even third cup of coffee (now it's one). And was seeing most meals as an opportunity to defy the logic of calories in, baby needs 300, where do the other 1500 from my Red Robin burger and milkshake GO? game. And I had noticed my water had dropped from my superstar 8 glasses a day on WW, to maybe 3-4.

So now I'm committed to manage my weight gain really closely, and that way if genetics foils me again and I DO get pre-eclamptic or something like it, I don't have to feel guilty. Or not too guilty (let's not talk about that cherry pie).

You Know You've Gained More Than Just Baby Weight When...

You ask your husband if your butt's getting bigger and he looks terrified. So you ask again and he says, well, maybe a little.

And when you can still fit your pants - but not without a wedgie - which you wore to work before you really realized the full extent of the problem (the problem, again, being your butt).

And when you've consumed about 5,400 calories a day for the last three months out of the cheese and bread and pizza and Special Dark Chocolate Sauce food categories alone. Culminating in a meal Saturday night involving salami, mini-tacos, Cheetos, cheese fondue, chocolate covered Twizzlers and - yes - Twinkies AND Zingers. In my defense, it was a junk food party for my preggo friend Cara, who'd had a rough week and needed fun girl time. In my butt's defense, did I need to bring home the salami in a bag and make a sandwich to take to BED?

Update: Experiment a Massive Failure

Well, 8-10 glasses of water, and here is an approximation of what I consumed Friday. I don't know exactly because I stopped religiously tracking what I was eating way back in early January. That was when my appetite doubled, ala some type of north woods lumberjack. What was the point of tracking "yep, I ate 60 points again today!"

Raisin Bran crunch - Good!

Morning snack of some sort, let's say apple - Good!

First lunch - Lean Cuisine including chicken breast and GREEN BEANS - Good!

Second lunch - Hot dog - Very Bad*
*Note that I was walking to microwave to pick up L.C. when I overheard a coworker was "going to visit the hot dog guy." With no pride, I asked him to please bring me one, and oh could he buy because I had no cash?

Reese's mini-cup(s) - Since don't know number - we'll say Borderline Bad

Pre-dinner snack of something in my car on way home, let's say crackers - Fine?

Dinner at Mexicon restaurant - ok here goes:
Chips, salsa - Fi... but wait, CHEESE DIP - which I consumed 80% of vs. Mike's 20% - Very Bad
Dos Enchiladas -What do you think?
Fried ice cream - What do you think?
Fake beer -Blech - and Borderline Bad

Second dessert at home, let's say Light Hostess Cupcake - Would be Good! but see above

I'm not saying, as far as pregnant eating goes, this is the end of the world. I am saying, I thought that resuming healthy water drinking - which I've totally not done lately - might restrain me a bit.

And it just had no impact, at all, other than sending me the potty about 15 times that day. Because duh, babies don't like water. They like whole milk, cookies, cheese, bread products, and dawgs.

Experiment

I am trying something today. It's called not eating all day long. I am going to drink my damn 8 glasses of water, and see if that helps. Maybe baby has just been thirsty this whole time after all...

One Question

Why oh why does this baby have to like refined carbs soooooooooo much?

Why couldn't baby like, say, steamed carrots, ice water, and distance running?