Pregnancy Then and Now

Ahhhhhh being pregnant.  I have forgotten what it was like...even though I was pregnant only 17 short months ago.  I really enjoyed my first pregnancy...well after the first 4-5 months of nausea and lethargy of course.  Then I felt pretty awesome...but I was a real rock star back then.  At the time we were living in Kitsalano Vancouver, where we could walk out of the condo to any number of shops and markets and grab some fresh, local Kale or broccoli.  I was also seeing a naturopath (god love a job with benefits) and she was keeping me on track with a diet of no wheat/gluten or dairy....and a few other things.  I stuck to it pretty darn ridgedly for the whole pregnancy...save for the few random cravings for dim sum that I indulged in.  I mean come on people, there is nothing like a good dim sum!  I also attended pre-natal yoga twice a week and walked every day....I was the "perfect" pregnant gal.  Is my child perfect...well Yes of course...but he has sensitivities to lots of different foods and is allergic to nuts.......SOOOOOOOO this pregnancy is going quite a bit differently.

First of all...we moved to Calgary.  Why you ask...why leave the beauty of the coast...the blooming flowers...lush greenery and ocean mist, to live in a freezer you ask.  Well for a few reasons.  First of all, my mom and dad live here and they are AMAZING with their only grandson. My mom looks after Dutch twice a week and they often babysit one evening during the week too...which lets Ivan and I have some much needed romantic time.  HAHAHAHAHAAH .....romance????? Does that exist when you are dead tired all the time from being pregnant and raising two toddlers (hubby being the other).  Anyway, it is a true blessing to have my folks close by...not to mention all of the home cooking and baking that my mommy sends home for us!  The other main reason is because you have to be a billionaire to own a house near the ocean in Vancouver....I mean in walking distance.  Of course we could have moved out to creepy East Van (which Ivan thinks has so much "character" and I think has so much "psycho murderers, muggers and heroin addicts") no offence to the four people who live there who are not  murderers, muggers or addicts.  I regress....we could have also moved out to the burbs where homes are more affordable....but no beach.  Or we could have moved to a beach side community that is just as boring as...well the burbs in any city. So the real thing is here...standard of living. We can afford to buy a beautiful, big home in Calgary for the price of our little condo in Kits...'nuff said.

 Okay so that was a major, major off topic side note about why we moved here.  But what I was trying to say is how this pregnancy differs so much from my first.  We no longer live across the street from a market...in fact, markets don't exist in the burbs...so we have to drive and "stock up" as they say.  And with all of this cold weather, I have been craving major comfort foods...like today for example, I had french toast stuffed with cinnamon cream cheese topped with fruit and syrup...OMG was it flippen great (try it out at the Bluestar Diner)  Last week we went out for dinner with friends and I wanted to order the biggest steak on the menu, if I enjoy some of my home made soup...well it goes without saying...needs a buttermilk biscuit to go alongside.  I can't get enough pizza and I will not turn you down if you invite me for Chinese.  But the oddest thing about this pregnancy are my cravings for ice cream.  I don't even like ice cream....I really would only eat it on an extremely hot day and it would have to be the good old fashion home churned kind...none of this fancy gelatto, sorbetto shit.  But right now...I have no standards.  In fact, my husband had to ask my dad to pick me up a box of Dairy Queen dilly bars...which he did, and they were awesome...in the dead middle of winter.  The entire box of 12 lasted only a few days.   We are slightly concerned this baby is going to be a blob....and/or I am. 

Ivan called it a science experiment....I generally don't mess around with my health like this...but its almost like its uncontrollable...just like when I piss my pants every time I sneeze, laugh or cough.....run, slight jog.  Well I pretty much pee my pants all the time at this point.  Ahhhhh being pregnant, it certainly is a unique experience.

Enjoy!