Turkey Day Prep!

Hello all! Yesterday I had my first OB appointment at 8 weeks for this pregnancy. The doctor did an early ultrasound and all looks well. I got to see the little peanuts heart beating, and it was pretty reassuring. I was so worried that they wouldnt find anything on the ultrasound, that the doctor would tell me that I really had a blighted ovum, or that the baby had stopped growing weeks ago. Fortunately none of that happened. Despite the excellent visit, I'm still worried that something will go wrong. After the loss that we had last year at 11 weeks I find that its very hard to just relax and trust that everything is going to be ok. The truth is that there is only about a 3 percent chance of having two miscarriages in a row, so the odds really are in my favor. When the first 12 weeks are over I think I might finally be able to breathe a sigh of relief; yes, I do know that losses do still happen after that time, but the chances drop dramatically. Only three and a half weeks left to go. 

Thanks for letting me get that off of my chest, since no one really knows about this pregnancy I cant really talk/vent with anyone about this still. I would discuss it with the hubster but I really dont want to worry him.

Anyway, now we can move onto the other stuff.... This year we're hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house! Exciting, and nerve racking all at the same time! We did a test turkey last weekend, and it came out absolutely delicious if I do say so myself. So moist, juicy and delicious! We tried a new brine this year and I'm really pleased with the results. Its a relief to have the turkey out of the way, no we just have to decide on what we're going to have with it. We're dealing with a lot of picky people so its difficult to come up with a dish that every one of our guests will enjoy. Anyone with any ideas is more that welcome to message me with your suggestions!

Stay tuned for over the next day or two because I will be posting a recipe for a healthy snack that a smash hit with my family... even the kiddo eats it! I'll also be sharing my turkey day recipes as we decide on them.

I'm back!! Updates!

Wow, it feels like forever since I last sat down to write a blog post! So much has changed, that I dont even know where to start!

First, let me start by saying that although it has been a rough past couple of years, I feel much better now! Nearly two years ago I was diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder, and while it will continue to have an impact through out the rest of my life, I've found excellent methods of controlling a majority of it, and most days I dont even notice it anymore.

Second, I have developed a severe carb intolerance; I'm not sure if this has to do with my previous surgery or not, but when I say severe I sure mean it! If I eat any processed carbs, flower, white or brown sugars, rice (and anything made out of any of the aforementioned,) I gain 20-40lbs of fluid literally overnight, and have horrible bloating and stomach aches! Its pretty extreme, and it was a harsh wake-up call to face when it came to making adjustments in the meals that I could prepare for myself and my family. I've got it all pretty much sorted out though now, and I'm having a ton of fun just learning new ways of cooking favorite recipes! My latest obsession is using a spiral-izer to shape zucchini into noodles, and then using said zucchini in place of actual noodles.
Third, we've welcomed two little English Bulldog puppies into our family! They are both sweet 4 month old girls, who's personalities are larger than life!

They're a handful, but I love seeing how our family dynamic has changed since adding them! 

Fourth, and the news that I happen to be the most excited about sharing is that I'm pregnant! We're expecting our second child in June 2015! The hubster and I still have yet to tell our families, and I've only told a few (two) friends. We've suffered from a loss at 11 weeks before, so we just want to make sure that we're in the clear before we tell anyone else. I think we're leaning strongly towards waiting until Christmas/when we find out the gender. I'm already brainstorming some creative ideas for the announcement!

Well, now I think we're all caught up! Phew! 

I'm sure that I've lost some readers during my long hiatus, but I'm hoping that some of you have stuck with me through this, and might still be checking back every now and then for updated blog posts. I really, really do promise to stick around, and post on a regular basis now that everything has settled down!

Calling Pitty Party For 1!

First of all, I want to say sorry to you all for neglecting the blog. Blogging is something that I really enjoy doing, and I'm a little bummed that I haven't been doing it.
To say that I have been feeling lousy is putting it lightly. I'm currently in the process of being diagnosed with an illness that I will have for the rest of my life. Yay me! I dont want to get too much into it right now, especially when I dont have all of the details myself, but I once I get something concrete and get started on medication, I will let everyone know.
On another note... HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! I have a TON of great new recipes I'll be sharing with all of you, and they'll even be accompanied with PICTURES. I know I generally wont try out a new recipe unless I see what it looks like first, so I probably shouldn't expect that you guys would either.
I'm going to go take a bit of a nap now though, but keep your eyes peeled in the upcoming week, because I PROMISE you new content.

Ugh.

I'm back again folks....
I have had a LOT of complications come up since my plastic surgery, and I've also had a lot of craziness going on in my personal life. Things have been overwhelming, to say the least, and I'm feeling better not that I've taken a moment to sit down and write here.
I'm feeling a tremendous amount of anxiety about my child's food allergy, especially since she will be starting Kindergarten this time next year. I'm terrified, because if she comes into contact with the allergen its pretty much life threatening. To make a long, drawn out, sob story much, much shorter, it all comes down to this... I just dont trust anyone to keep her safe like I'm able to, and I'm not sure that I'm ready to put my child's life (literally) in someone else's hands for eight hours of the day.
I could go on and on about how I feel about that for hours, but I would likely develop carpel tunnel syndrome from all of the typing it would take to get that out, so lets just say I'm stressed, seriously, overwhelmingly stressed.

Wonton Soup

I dont think I have honestly met one person, who can look me in the face and tell me that there hasnt been a time in their life where they just wanted some delicious, filling soup. I personally LOVE wonton soup, and once you get the hang of stuffing the little wonton wrappers, there is nothing quite as yummy, as home made wonton soup!
I'm going to go ahead and share my favorite wonton soup recipe here, with you all, so that you can give it a try as well. Its a recipe by Emeril at the Food Network, and I absolutely think its worth the time it takes to make it!
Here is the link to the recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/wonton-soup-recipe/index.html
Please feel free to email me, or message me to share your favorite soup recipes, or to let me know what you think of this one!

Details

Some times its the smallest things that can make you feel soooo much better about yourself. Far too often though, its the smallest things that we tend to neglect in our daily routines. We get ourselves stuck in this routine/rut, and dont even notice all of the little things that we could be doing to make ourselves go from feeling just "ok" about our image to thinking that we look "hot."
I got a new haircut/hairstyle today, and it made a world of difference for me. This is something that I have been wanting to do for a while, but have been putting off, because I was afraid to goof it up and end up looking worse than I started out as.
I walked into the salon today with no concept of what I wanted my new hair to look like, and I figured I would just trust the expert. I had my hair done by a master stylist, and I would absolutely recommend that you do the same thing. Now, before you think "I dont want to do that, thats ridiculous, and probably costs a lot more!" It didnt! I only paid a few dollars more than I would have to have a regular hairdresser do my hair, and it was ABSOLUTELY worth every dime! My stylist gave me the best haircut that I have EVER had, and my self esteem is through the roof right now. My hair went from being a horrible-frizzy-flat-cousin-it looking mess, to a sleek, elegant, just below shoulder length look, that not only has good volume to it, but honestly looks as if I just came from being on a movie set!! I could not be any more thrilled with it!
Treat yourself to something that you have been wanting to do for a while. Even if its just something simple! Go get a haircut, have your nails done, or buy a new article of clothing. Do something for yourself, and only for yourself, you deserve to every once in a while!
Remember.... no matter what stage of this journey you are in.... you are BEAUTIFUL!

Water! Water!

I'm really beginning to notice just how important it is to drink a ton of water each day. I noticed that the past couple of days I have been retaining water, and it was directly correlating with my lack of water intake. I have been SUPER busy, and made the mistake of only drinking like three bottles of water a day for the past couple of days, and I have never felt so bloated in my life! It was horrible!
Today, I have made an extra effort to step up my water intake, and my water retention has gone down noticeably. In fact, it even reflected on the scale.... I managed to lose two extra pounds of retained water, and my body feels so much better without it!
On an exciting front, I am planning a vacation out of state some time in early June with my daughter. I'm sooo looking forward to it. I'm not sure why, but lately I have just been feeling overwhelmed at home, with EVERYTHING. I just need a chance to get away for a little bit and clear my head. Surely, you know what I mean, and at some point in your life, you have felt the same way.
This will be my first vacation without my husband, and I honestly have mixed feelings about it. I think its healthy, every once in a while, to take a little break from your spouse. It gives you a chance to miss each other, and realize that you might be taking each other for granted. I'm hoping that it makes us appreciate each other a little more, and the role that we play in each others lives.
I did a little vacation shopping today, and I was blown away that I now wear a size medium top, and in some cases, even a size small. Its crazy to think back to two years ago, when I was wearing a tight 3x! As for pants, I am now a size 10, whereas two years ago I was wearing a tight 28. Even with all of the ups and downs, and the emotional roller coaster ride that I have been on, this really has been an amazing journey.
Even with my body image issues, I have been starting to feel better about myself. Its still hard to accept the fact that I am no longer overweight, and that I am an average size though, but I think I will get there, slowly, but surely. After being overweight for so long, its hard to look at myself in the mirror and believe that I truly am an attractive, good looking woman, no matter how much I am told that by others. I still have no trouble finding areas of my body to nit-pick, but then again, I think all women are like that. I have to work harder on accepting myself, and not worrying so much about how other people might see me.... in reality, no one is staring at the trouble spots on my body, and scrutinizing them the way that I do, and I'm starting to realize that as well.
I should be proud of how far I have come, and I am. Dont get me wrong though, I am still my harshest critic, and I think I always will be. I doubt that will ever change.
Do yourself a favor.... if you've lost a large amount of weight, or any weight for that matter, take a look at yourself in the mirror, and tell yourself, out loud, that you DO look good. If you know someone else who has lost weight, remind them that they look good!