The Downers Are Really Getting to Me....

I haven't posted in a few days because I found out we are expecting baby #2.  Don't get me wrong, I am THRILLED!  DBF is thrilled and so is my daughter.  Even my mom seemed genuinely happy for us.  However, my sister and my grandma were both not supportive.  My grandmother seems to have come around (I understand her worries about finances and my job, etc.) but my sister has cut herself from our lives completely and taken my nephew with her.  It makes me really sad and angry that she can be so petty just because she doesn't like my boyfriend and now I can't drink with her on her 21st birthday.  I think it's just jealousy and I hope she'll get over it but I can't help but be hurt that she'd be jealous.  I'm the older sister!  I had Gemma and she had Damien two years later.  Now two years after that I'm pregnant.  She could very well be ready to have another in two years and I wouldn't judge or be angry.  Even when it looked like she would have another before me (diagnosed with secondary infertility) I felt happy for her.  I just wish she could respect me enough to be happy for my miracle baby!

Then there is a whole nother group of people that are downers.  I belong to a discussion board for women who are waiting to try to conceive.  They are all very supportive and lovely women.  Some of us have been together on that board for over 3 years!  I had my moments of pain and jealousy when women graduated to trying to conceive and then pregnancy.  All in all though, I never let it show.  I always posted a nice comment and supported them when they worried about their pregnancy.  I waited almost 2.5 years to get my baby!  I had an IUD after my daughter and I got it removed in September of 2007.  I never went back on birthcontrol after that and I didn't get pregnant until Nov./Dec. 2009!  Now one of these women has expressed her disappointment with my miracle because she has been trying over a year and has had a loss while waiting.  I understand the pain of a loss.  I had one myself before my daughter.  However, I don't understand how she can be upset with me when I was praying to get pregnant for most of the last four years!  It's just so hurtful and it sucks.  I know she might actually need medicine to get pregnant but I thought I would too!  I just hope she comes around and sees that her miracle may just be waiting in the wings too!

On a good note my doctor sent me for bloodwork and the results came back great!  The amount of hCG in your blood in early pregnancy should double every 48-72 hours.  My numbers came back as 2,231 and 5,319!!!  So my numbers are doubling every 34 hours!  This is either one REALLY sticky bean or TWO sticky beans!!!  I can't wait until my ultrasound on December 29!!

I also went for my first run since finding out we are expecting!  It was only 2 miles but I'm glad to say I think I will be able to continue running, at least for now!  If we find out it is twins I most likely will not be allowed to continue.  So until then I'll be making happy trails (as long as I keep escaping the morning sickness!)!!!

Christmas came early in my house!

I guess DBF will just have to get over my recent weight gain.  It looks like it can be attritubted to Santa dropping off a brand new baby!  Baby B. is due 8/14/2010!  Merry Christmas to us!

I'm in shape! Round is a shape!

My ever-blundering boyfriend pointed out to me that I'm definitely gaining some weight.  I wasn't so sure but a quick trip to the scale showed that I now weigh more than he does (although that's not hard!).  To avoid any more ribbing and to gain back a little smidgen of my self-esteem, I put our entire household on a healthy eating plan.  I'm taking my notes from the Body for Life program and low-carb diets.  As a runner I know I can't really do low-carb but I can eat healthier carbs!  A quick trip to the grocery store produced a bill that was actually cheaper than normal!  Well, well... Healthy for the body and for the wallet! 

My first adventure into healthy cooking is simmering as I type... Turkey Chili.  After Thanksgiving most people have had enough turkey to last until the next one comes around but not my family!  Oh no!  We raise 50lb mammoth turkeys that fill our freezers for months!  So I've been searching for ways to use up some of the massive supply of ground turkey I have frozen and this seemed like the answer!

First I put 2 cups of water, 1 can of crushed tomatoes, 1 can of kidney beans, 2 cloves of minced garlic, diced green bell pepper and seasonings in the pot.  Meanwhile, I browned 1 lb of ground turkey in a skillet.  Once the turkey was totally brown I added diced onion and kept it over low-medium heat for another 3-4 minutes.

Before adding the turkey and onions:

After adding the turkey and onions:

While that was simmering, I prepped food for meals and snacks for the remainder of the week.  Below is the rest of the diced green bell pepper, diced onion, tuna salad (made with fat free Miracle Whip), and hard boiled eggs (I am only going to put the whites in the tuna salad).  I also cleaned and cut-up celery stalks and sorted them into ziplock baggies for healthy snacks (great with low fat cream cheese or peanut butter).

Finally, all the cooking and prepping made me hungry so I made a quick and healthy lunch!  A Flatout Whole Grain Flatbread tortilla with leftover turkey.  Topped with a slice of fat free American cheese and 2 Tbsp of medium salsa! Yum!

I can't wait to try out tomorrow's recipe, hamburger soup!  But I'm substituting ground turkey (of, course!) for the ground meat.  Plus I will be adding whole wheat pasta instead of the refined white kind.  Check back tomorrow for a follow up to the turkey chili and the entire recipe for the turkey burger soup!

To Run or Not to Run... That is the question!

My right calf is still tender after my way-to-fast run with Patch on Sunday.  I planned on starting marathon training this week with yesterday as a rest day and today as my first training day.  I'm not sure exactly what the problem is right now but I hope some ibuprofen will kill the pain enough for me to run!  I might be losing my mind but I even think I will take Patch along again today!  Be back in a few hours with the results.