As for what I’ve been up to the past couple of days, I’ve been busy:

Taking waayyy too many pictures of Tex

Helping the husband put together the changing table

Doesn’t it match perfectly with the dresser we bought at auction? (And don’t worry…we aren’t keeping these right next to each other…just did it for the photo.) 

And getting ready to tackle this monster (a.k.a. the CRIB!)

On the food front, pregnancy cravings have been coming in droves. These include, but are not limited to:

• Fritos and bean dip
• Avocados sprinkled with salt
• My mom’s mashed potatoes and gravy
• Fried bologna sandwiches
• Garlic bread
• Any and all types of fruit
• Chocolate cake
• Fried chicken

The list could seriously go on, but I will stop there. I’ve only given in to the fruit (yay!), and the Fritos and bean dip (boo!), which I’m pretty proud of considering I feel like a starving beast 24 hours a day. I’ve been trying to make good choices, and keep healthy snacks in the house when I feel like munching (ok, so when do I NOT feel like munching these days? LOL)

As for exercise, last week was not good. I only worked out twice, and I have no excuses for it. But, I have a whole new week ahead of me, and will be jumping on the elliptical as soon as I finish this post. When you fall off your bike, you get back on, right? And, I have a new motivation to keep up the exercise too after last night.

JD and I were putting groceries in the car, and the man that was in line behind us came up to JD while he was putting the cart away. He asked, “so, when’s the baby due?” I was shocked that a perfect stranger would be brave enough to ask that question…thank goodness I am expecting, or that would have been an even more awkward conversation. I guess I was taken aback a bit that I’m big enough for people that don’t know me to notice. I just hope that doesn’t mean I’m gaining too much. I only weigh myself when I go to the doctor, so I really don’t know how much I’ve put on since last month. I have another appointment on Wednesday (can’t wait!), so I guess I’ll find out then. I figure if I keep up the healthy eating and exercise, I’ll be A-ok. (And note to self: don’t let stranger’s comments bother you.)

So this post is verging on way too long, so I guess I better go eat and exercise. Hope you all have a wonderful, healthy week!!

So, I was having a Chinese food attack tonight, and I thought I’d look online for a healthy recipe that would curb my craving and make my raging appetite believe it was the greasy takeout it begged for. I came across this recipe on Delish.com (love the name!) for sesame-orange shrimp, and headed to the store about 15 minutes later for the few ingredients I didn’t already have in the fridge or pantry. It was really simple to make and didn’t that long to get on the table. Here’s a little recap in photos of the preparation:

The recipe didn’t call for vegetables, but JD and I added them for a little color and extra nutrients. The verdict? I’d give this dish a 3 out of 5. I really liked the citrus flavor of the sauce, and the slight crunch of the sesame seeds on the shrimp. JD and I agreed the corn starch batter was a bit much, but that could have been an error on my part. I followed the instructions verbatim, but the batter didn’t really coat the shrimp and mainly fell off in the pan. My end product didn’t look a thing like the picture, but I guess as the saying goes, you can’t hit a home run every time. LOL

This would have been even better over rice or noodles, but since we were having a late dinner, we skipped the extra carbs. I made a double batch, so I may just have to have some for lunch tomorrow and see how it tastes with some brown rice. Yum!

As always, if you have a recipe you’d like me to feature for “Meg Makes It On Monday,” e-mail me at twopounds2@yahoo.com.

I hope you all had a fantastic Monday, and have a wonderful, healthy week!

I‘m Pregnant!!

Yes, JD and I are going to have a sweet little baby in August of next year, and we couldn’t be more excited! Life is full of surprises, and this little bun definitely was one of them.

I was feeling a bit off all week, so on Friday, I took a pregnancy test. Nothing. On Saturday, while JD and I were getting ready to head to my parent’s house to celebrate my dad’s 59th birthday, something was nagging me to look at that test again that I discarded in the trash. So I did…and a bright, pink line was staring back at me. I must have not waited long enough to check the results the night before or something. I yelled for JD, showed him the stick, and left him standing there in shock while I hauled it to Walgreens for more tests.

Five, yes five, positive tests later, it started to sink in that I was going to be a mom. And surprisingly to me, I didn’t have a single reservation about it. I always hemmed and hawed over the possibly of having a brood, but the minute I saw that first plus sign, I knew I wanted to be a parent, and hoped the second test had the same results. We wanted to share the news with my family at my dad’s party, so we put a baby doll in a birthday bag with a little note on the front of the shirt that said, “Coming Soon!” My dad was so shocked when he pulled back the tissue…and when my sister and mom figured out what was going on, they needed a few tissues, too! It was a happy, joyous moment! (And Dad said it was the best birthday gift ever. ♥) Oh, and the shocked husband? He’s already planning our unborn’s college fund! Ha! What a dad.

We went for our first doctor’s appointment today, and sure enough, another positive test! The doctor did an ultrasound as well, but since I’m barely 5 weeks along, our little bean isn’t showing yet. We go back in two weeks, and should be able to see the baby and hear the heartbeat. Counting down the days!!

I’m already sleeping like Rip Van Winkle, getting cravings for chocolate like nobody’s business and sweating like a man, but I’m enjoying every second of it! Several doctors told me that this wasn’t in the cards for me, so I really consider this baby a wonderful blessing and look forward to meeting him or her!

So, what does that mean for the blog? Well, I want to keep going, and I hope you stick with me through the next 8 months. I may not be focused on weight loss for now, but it’s more important to me than ever to eat right and exercise for the benefit of our little one. Luckily, Sparkpeople.com has a great sister Web site for pregs like me….Babyfit.com! (And no, I was not paid to say this. Me loves the Spark! Ha!) I’ve already signed up, and started tracking my food. (Including the bowl of caramel corn with pudding mixed in…weirdo craving numero uno) I haven’t been exercising as much as I should — I wanted to get the ok from the doctor first, and sleeping 24/7 kinda puts a damper on that idea as well — but I’m hoping to get back into my fitness routine beginning tomorrow. And I’ll be tracking and snapping photos of it all, per usual here at TPAW! And I may even have a few changes to my page design in store. I love mixing things up!

I am literally falling asleep writing this post, but I’ve missed my dear blog, and wanted to update you on all our bebe news!

And to our precious baby…we already love you more than words can say! XOXO