Week 16

You are growing like...an avocado. Okay, so maybe you aren't growing like one but you are at least the size of one. Your muscles are stronger, including your back muscles which means you can straighten out more. You have eyebrows and eyelashes and your eyes are exactly where they are supposed to be, and they are even making small side-to-side movements. Your eyelids are sealed but you can still perceive some light. Your little ears can hear my voice some with those tiny bones that have developed in your ears. You are much more sensitive to the touch now too. Apparently if I poke you, then you will squirm. I still might not feel it though, with the movements too small. It would all be flutters at this point, but it's exciting to know that in the coming weeks I will be feeling you soon.

How am I feeling? How am I feeling? Well, at the moment, I'm feeling a little bitter at each and every one of you who has ever told me that "I'll feel better in the second trimester. The morning sickness will go away." Lies! It's all lies! And no I don't think I'm being over-dramatic. I'm only being over-dramatic if you think getting sick pretty much every morning this week is something that you enjoy especially after you were promised otherwise. Okay, so I know, I know. I wasn't exactly promised that it would get better instantly, but can I just say that I'm really getting tired of getting sick all the time still. And you wanna know the weird part about it? It's still the mornings. But I sneeze and at the same time I cough and then there she blows! Weird, right? That combination must just set off my gag reflex and then it just sucks to be me.

I'm definitely showing more. You see it above. You can definitely see a difference if you go to the 'Poppy' tab at the top (don't worry, name is coming soon, just as soon as we know) and you can see the pictures from the get-go and how my body is slowly changing. Okay, so maybe you still can't see it, but I can, and Rob even admitted that he can tell a difference. Other than the showing more and the morning sickness, my back's been aching. My cravings are weird. I'm tired. I'm excited. I'm terrified. I'm hungry often. Basically, I'm definitely pregnant.

I would be the biggest liar if I told you had this whole eating thing under-control. I know I did a post about eating while pregnant (which you can see here). And I know I have talked numerous times about cooking (the most recent of those here). I used to do a 'How to Boil Water' almost daily, but when was the last time I did one of those? Heck, when was the last time I really cooked? I wish I could tell you. I wish I could tell you my attempts at cooking regularly and eating healthy was successful. But regrettably I have not been cooking and definitely have not been eating healthy.

So what am I telling you? Basically, I have been fighting those cravings and I have been losing. And this is where I tell you that Rob is just as guilty because he is an enabler. He gets pretty exciting about my random pizza cravings, especially since just recently I have chosen to go with Little Caesars, who have those $5 Hot 'n Ready pizzas. But as I have started watching the scale to make sure those pounds are increasing, I can't help but to think that those pounds have to increase in a good way. And that pizza craving addiction I have going on is not good for me nor the baby. Plus, I'm going to end up with a baby who wants and will eat nothing but pizza. Bad bad bad.

So recently I have decided to really make the effort to go back to cooking. But instead of going to my usual fall back for Julie & Julia and falling in love with a whole bunch of French food that is much too difficult and time-consuming, I have chosen to start research other recipes and inspiration. Which of course made me miss the Food Network, which I did use to watch regularly. But since watching the Food Network is not gonna happen anymore, I have not thrown in the towel just yet. Instead, I went to that handy thing called the internet. And it was there that I found - or rather re-found Rachael Ray.

I know a lot of people don't really care of her and find her annoying. I don't. I think her food looks good. I think she's kinda funny. And if I'm the one watching her, then really only my opinion counts (or at least in this case). So where does this all have to do with pregnancy? Cravings. I have given in WAY too often and have found myself eating things not so good for me (or Poppy - who will have a real name soon after my June 6 ultrasound - I'm so excited!). Giving into cravings sometimes is okay and is just going to happen. You can't pretend that it's not going to, but the key to still eat those things that are good for you. The things that are good for the baby. Every mother-to-be wants a healthy baby, so you have to fight those cravings and eat those good things so you and baby are getting the right nutrients and enough of the good thing.

So my goal, get back into cooking. Maybe not get too crazy and ambitions to start. That's the quickest way to burn myself out from cooking again. But what I like about Rachael Ray is that so many of her recipes are designed to be about 30 minutes. I don't want to feel like I have spent all afternoon/evening cooking. I'm much to tired - or just plain lazy - for that. So I'm hoping with the help of Rachael I can get the right nutrients and those healthier meals and fight those cravings I have been having. Sorry, Rob but when we have four different pizza boxes in the fridge, we have a problem.

(Monday, May 21 - Sunday, May 27)