It's true. I seem to be suffering from an uncontrollable need for Eggs Benedict. I've never had eggs benedict. I saw a picture of them on Pinterest, and my taste buds immediately went to tingling. Upon further research, I opted out of trying the recipe, because it sincerely seems like something I wouldn't be interested in. For one, I can't stand the texture of hard-boiled eggs, and the process seems similar. I don't know. I'm conflicted. Maybe if Cody and I sneak away for a weekend on a baby moon before Ella arrives, I'll try it at some snooty brunch place. Otherwise, I will continue to walk around craving something I've never tried.
If you follow me on Pinterest, you'll also notice that I've been craving cucumber tomato salad. I've only been successful in making this particular concoction once, but I've tried multiple recipes. The general function of the recipe is to allow cucumbers and tomatoes to marinate in vinegar with some form of onion (I prefer purple onion). Most recipes call for Red Wine or Apple Cider Vinegar, which isn't my favorite, but I've learned that plain old vinegar causes some weird reaction in my mouth that causes an over abundance of mucus to overtake my sinus cavities. So I've been super pumped to find all of these variations and changes to the basic recipes on Pinterest.
I would also like to say that I'm not really much of a sweet tooth. When I go snack searching, I'll almost always choose tomatoes or some form of trail mix over chocolate or sweets. Cody has all but given up on surprising me with sweet treats in my stocking at Christmas. They completely go to waste. That being said, this baby is obsessed with Rice Krispie Treats. It can't be me that wants them. I'm ashamed to admit that I ate seven in one day. SEVEN Rice Krispie Treats. I didn't even realize the extent of my snacking until I moved the empty box from my desk. I don't know how to curb this habit either, because I've only had one this morning (yes, this morning,) and right now, eating another one is all I can think about. It's true.I will obviously be thankful for craving Rice Krispies over brownies any day of the week, but it's still a little awkward to buy a box a day from the Dollar General, or the "D.G." as we call it in Odeezy.
Now that I've spent entirely too long talking about food, I guess my biggest "symptom" this week has been heartburn. Sons of Sausage Biscuits, I've never been more attached to Tums in my life. EVER. I carry a bottle in my purse, keep a bottle by my bed, keep a baggie of them in the sofa table, and even have a bottle handy in the kitchen. I sincerely believe that SMELLS give me heartburn.To add to the chaos, I don't even like Tums, because I hate the texture they leave on my tongue. I hate the chalky residue. So, So gross... but I can't live without them. I ate toast (no butter, no jam) a few days ago, and it was like somebody opened the fury of every acid in my body. It doesn't matter what kind of food it is. If Kaylea chows down, she'll feel the burn later. It is absolutely horrible. A few people have attempted to be nice and say "Heartburn means the baby has hair!" Well, thanks so much for your optimism, but I've seen this theory shot down in my own family. All of the pessimists say "It gets worse in the Third Trimester!" Well, thanks for the super encouraging words, but I really don't think it can get much worse.
Other than that, we're in a bit of a lull. After hitting Twenty Weeks, the next big milestone is delivery. Sure, I could look at 30 weeks as another step toward Ella, but that kind of just means that I'm 30 weeks and still have to be pregnant for at least seven more weeks before she's in my arms. Which makes things seem so much longer. I avoid those situations. I do tolerate this side of pregnancy MUCH better than any other stage so far, with the exception of rolling over in bed, getting off of the couch, and picking objects up off of the floor. "Just wait until you're 8 months pregnant and trying to do those things!" Yeah, Yeah. It sucks right now too. I'm just being honest. How about we just agree that pregnancy doesn't get easier when it comes to physical strain on your body? Sound fair? Okay, sounds so great.
I have been battling the concept of "Am I really a 'girl' mom?" All of my fellow pregnant friends are also having girls (which is a little weird, because you would think that out of six of us, there would be at least ONE boy,) but I kind of feel like the odd man out sometimes. They're all killing themselves learning how to make bows and dresses, and I'm just kind of off to the side, like "Ella will look TOO CUTE in this Rangers Onesie... with converse!" And while I know that she won't wear a bow every day of her life, I do hope that I get a little bit more excited about the frills and lace that come with raising a girl. That's not to say that I don't see sweet baby dresses and say "Awwww." I'm really good at that part. It's looking at price tags and thinking "For that?!" that I need to work on. I guess I could learn how to make bows... but I'm really not interested. I'm terrible at all things crafty (you should see the number of unfinished projects in my garage.) I already know that I would finish a bow and it would look like Ella made it herself. So I don't know. I WANT to be the mom that is super crafty, super thoughtful, and super creative... but if Ella doesn't have green inspired food on St. Patrick's Day, or Specially made Valentines for her classmates, or even if she doesn't have an outfit to go with each holiday, I think she still has potential to grow up and be a great person. It's more important to me that she knows good books, like the Boxcar kids, Nancy Drew, or The Chronicles of Narnia. It's important to me that she chooses to eat tomatoes because they're tomatoes, and not because I've hidden them underneath a clever food art. There are times (like her birthday) that I'll really go crazy with changing our daily routine, but for the most part, Ella will have a mom that's always excited to read, cuddle, or take afternoon walks with her. Ella will have a mom that delights her accomplishments, like learning her ABC's, coloring in the lines, and the words to her first Disney Princess song. But in the grand scheme of things, we'll probably buy play-doh and let her learn the hard way about why we don't eat it, instead of making "edible" play-doh at home. Sincerely, it seems to me that making it ourselves would only ENCOURAGE her to eat other weird items, and I don't know that I have the energy to make our entire life "edible." There are things that we don't eat in life, and she needs to know that. Ella probably won't have the mom that cuts her sandwiches with cookie cutters. That is a WASTE of energy and bread. I promise to make every effort to make her childhood unique, but I also refuse to be burdened by the "Pinterest" Moms. I want to live our lives, and if that means that we play "Memory" in the living room floor over spending a day finger painting with edible paints, then that will be the life we live. I'm really okay with it.
That being said, my mom DID find a few adorable flowers for my sweet baby's head, and I'm so in love with them. Maybe I could figure out how to make them, because they're hardly as complicated looking:
We also found a blanket that I hope becomes her "security blanket." I never really had one, but Cody's mom tells me stories about the blanket from his childhood (named "Mine") and it sounds so sweet. It's in the top of my closet now, but he still seems a little uneasy about Ella carrying "Mine," so we just bought her her own. I'm so excited to get her picture on it. I married a man who grew up country, and though he's not a "cowboy," he still traces back to some fairly redneck roots. He's obsessed with shooting Deer, riding tractors, watching other people shoot deer, shooting targets (or a bird in the way), and cotton farming. I love how happy being back on the farm makes him, so I want to be sure I never make fun of him in front of Ella. I'm looking forward to the Daddy/Daughter photo ops we'll have there, and I would be okay if she learned how to shoot a gun herself. I would be okay if she wants to wear cowboy boots. I would even be okay if she embraces her country roots. I want her to be able to connect with her Daddy about that sort of thing, even if most of it makes me fall asleep. That being said, here is Ella's "Mine":
Okay, that was a super long blog. I think we're at a good stopping point. Here's the Bump! See ya next week! And also, because it's my blog, I just want to say how thankful I am for Redemption thanks to my Jesus. I hope it's a hippity hoppity Easter for you and your family.
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