Just Wait Until...

This parenting article really struck a chord with me this week.  Maybe it's because I'm more than halfway through my second pregnancy and people are full of advice and warnings along with the compliments and criticisms.  And sometimes the compliments and criticisms are one and the same; one person says "It's so great that you're still running!", while the next person says "I can't believe you're still running - isn't that dangerous for your baby??"  (Side note: that makes me want to scream.  Of course I wouldn't run if it were in any way uncomfortable or unsafe for me or my baby.  I have the blessing of my OB team.  I ran through all 40 weeks last time and, once again, I'll take it one day at a time. Every woman and every pregnancy is different.  I'm not exactly eating blowfish and drinking hard alcohol at my daily happy hour.)  

Sometimes it makes me crazy to hear people say, "if you think this is bad, just wait until..." because I just want to be in the moment and feel whatever happiness or despair that particular moment might bring me.  I don't want to compete with your happier or sadder moments!  When Sophie was born and we relished how much we enjoyed being parents, we heard "just wait, when she starts to smile, it will be even better!" and when she started to crawl and we talked about how much it changed life in our house, people said "if you think this is bad, just wait til she walks!"  We didn't want to just wait and see, we wanted to experience what was at our fingertips in that moment.

As the author of the article says, this is a total first-world problem.  However, it will make me stop and think about what I'm about to say the next time I talk to a parent-to-be or new mom or dad.  Just because I've been through it doesn't mean they're not entitled to experience it for the very first time themselves, in their own way.

Rant complete!  Happy Wednesday, and a link to the commercial that makes me laugh over and over.  

And this, just because she makes me smile!

Hello, Weekend

This picture kind of sums up how I feel about beginning the weekend with my family!  We've had a busy week and not much time together, so I can't wait to pick up some dinner that somebody else made and head home to this little curly headed child and Jason.  

We have a big day Monday, "the" ultrasound, the one that will determine whether we spend the next 20 weeks or so explaining to Sophie that a baby brother won't be so bad or listening to her excitement over a baby sister!  I know she'll come around to the idea of a brother if she has to, but she is really determined to have a girl.  

I forgot how often people ask you, when you're pregnant, how you feel.  I feel great.  I'm in that happy place in the 2nd trimester with energy and no more food aversions.  I will say, however, that riding on the spinning rides at local fairs was not a good idea.  Why do they all spin?  Torture.  

I have a love-hate relationship with my CSA share.  I love having all the fruits and vegetables, but I stress out (why?!) about using it and meal planning.  I've found a few recipe gems out there that offer something a little unique, including this Warm Corn Salad from the Skinnytaste blog, which is a Weight Watcher-friendly site and includes points for every recipe.  Jason is a longtime member of WW and is on a mission now to lose 53 pounds by January.  He's already lost 18.2 lbs in the first month, and we're really proud of him.  Meanwhile, I'm gaining weight!

Photo courtesy of www.skinnytaste.com

Ingredients:

• 4 large fresh cobs of corn
• 2 tbsp light mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp fat-free Greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp chili powder (more or less to taste)
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice (from half a lime)
• 1 tbsp minced cilantro
• 2 tbsp scallions, minced
• 1/2 cup (40 g) cotija cheese, grated
• 5 lime wedges for serving

Directions:
Boil corn in boiling water for 5 minutes, remove from heat. When cool enough to handle, cut corn off the cobb. (makes 4 cups) In a large bowl combine mayonnaise, yogurt, chili powder, and lime juice; mix well. Add corn, cilantro, scallions and cheese and toss. Serve with lime wedges.  

I won't lie and say Sophie was a fan of this dish, but Jason and I really enjoyed it.  Hope you will, too!