The way we look at food...

I must admit, the way I look at food has changed significantly over the years. I've pretty much always had a love/hate relationship with food. I love good tasting food and the way it makes me feel (at least on a palate satisfied, emotional soothing level), but I hate the way I crave it and how many foods seem to pack the pounds on my body. I've also had this strange feeling that I must eat this (fill in the blank) because this may be the last time I eat it (yes these are hard economic times, but I know I'll eat again). Then there's the constant roller coaster of dieting that I've been on my entire life. What the heck is a diet for any way?! Isn't the point to make a lifestyle change so you don't want to just eat pizza and brownies every day? Because if all I eat is celery, sooner or later when I start adding in more food choices I'll gain weight.

The last 7 months of my life has taught me a great deal. First, I love food and that's okay, as long as I love it for the right reasons. Do I love it because I'm stressed out and it's a comfort? Or do I love it because it gives my body the strength and nourishment it so desperately needs (and hopefully is yummy too)? Every day, I get closer and closer to loving food for the right reasons (although sometimes I do slip back into old habits of comforting myself with food).

For those that don't remember, I was on a “diet” from January until the end of May when I found out I was pregnant. I did extremely well, lost a bunch of weight and cured some health conditions and started to permanently change the way I eat. That's when this baby boy inside of me decided to turn my food world upside down. One day I love a food, the next day it makes me want to puke. One day I can go 4 hours without eating no problem, the next I get horribly sick at about 2 hours. My body was in total havoc! Unhealthy foods sat okay with me while healthy foods made me sick. The thought of some of my favorite meals made me want to lose my lunch. And then a glorious thing happened, I entered week 12 of my pregnancy.

Now my body is behaving much nicer (at least with regards to food, not with regards to my hair falling out, my back hurting all the time, and a lack of sleep). And the way I look at food, pretty much changed. Now I eat only because my body is telling me to (to be more specific, my baby is telling me to. He's very demanding!). And when I no longer have the hunger pain, I stop. So what if I'm not stuffed full and there's food still on my plate, that's okay. Yeah I know there are starving kids in China, but me over-eating is not going to feed those kids in China. It's just going to make me want to eat more at the next meal and the next. So really, I'm helping those starving kids by NOT over-eating (not mention my own because he also gets mad at me when I over eat). Plus, I know I'm going to eat again in 2 hours anyway, so I don't want to eat too much now. If I'm still hungry, I'll just eat later. No big deal.

So what's the point of my ramblings you ask? Well, I've been doing a lot of research lately on food, the way we think about it based on our culture, socio-economic status, etc. and it's very fascinating. And I'm definitely developing myself a “how-to” parent guide with respects to food and my children. I don't want my children to make the same mistakes I did and I definitely want them to be healthier than I've been. Sure, I know I'll slip up here and there, and things I swear I'll never do will probably be done, but education is the first step. And then follow-through is the next. Hear I come follow through!

We're having a boy!

We went to get our ultrasound this morning and were surprised to find out we're having a boy! It was so cute, as soon as the doctor got the thing on my belly the baby starting waving at us. Then he was sucking his thumb. Anyway, we saw multiple angles and there is no doubt that he is a boy!

It's kind of funny because this whole time Adam and I have been thinking he was a girl, but then randomly in the last week or so we both had dreams that we were having a boy. I guess he was sick of us calling him a girl so he let us know in a dream. Anyway, we're excited, but we have no idea whatsoever on a name. All the names we had in mind were girl names. So, we're open to suggestions.

I must also admit, I'm happy that he's a boy because now the pressure is off to carry on the Dalton name. Not that there was any pressure from anyone except myself, but I'm happy we won't have to worry about that. And there are benefits to having a boy first. I just have to hope he has Adam's temperament and not the "Stockdale boy" temperament. He'll be a much easier boy to raise that way. A little less of a rascal.

Busy, Crazy

It's been a busy last couple of weeks! On July 3rd my friend Megan and I went to Park City to visit my old roommate and good friend Elizabeth. Liz was in town from Connecticut for a family reunion, so we were lucky to get to see her for a few hours. Then on the 4th, Adam and I cleaned the house and got ready for our trip to CA for the Stockdale family reunion. That night we also had my sister April's family and my parents over for a little 4th BBQ and fireworks. It was actually the first time Adam and I have been able to celebrate the 4th since we've lived in this house (we had other non-fun things that had to distract us the previous 2 years), so it was pretty nice.

On Sunday the 5th, we left for our trip to CA. Adam flew to Oregon to meet my brother Dave and get the car he so kindly gave to us. Then he was going to hang at Dave's for the day and drive the rest of the way to CA and meet me there on Monday. I was to pick up my niece, then go to my parents house and drive with them the 8 hours to Reno, then on Monday we were going to continue the rest of the way (4 more hours) to CA. It sounded like a good idea, but that's because I forgot that my parents have the worst luck in the world with cars. Lets just say what should have only been an 8 hour day turned into a 17 hour day when the radiator blew on my dad's car. Being pregnant and stuck sitting around for 17 hours with stressed out people was very unpleasant. I'm just way thankful my lovely niece was there to keep a good attitude and make me laugh. Thank you Allie! And sorry mom and dad, but I'm never driving a long distance in your car again! :)

The rest of the week in Shasta Lake were good. It was great to see everyone again and get to know some in-laws and nieces and nephews a little better. Thankfully the trip home was much less eventful than the trip there and Adam and I made it home in 11 hours (better than the 12 and a half our GPS said it should have taken). Then, the next day my old roommate Liz came over for dinner before she headed back to Conneticuit. It almost felt like it added one more day to our vacation, which was nice.

The only problem with going on vacation is that when you come home and have to get back to work, there is a "To-Do" list a mile long. I haven't even made it through half of it yet, and yet I'm sitting here blogging. Can you tell how excited I am to get my work done?

One last note, in a week and a half we're going to find out the gender of our baby! Woo hoo! Guesses anyone?