The Curse of the Chocolate Bunny

Perhaps there is a factoid somewhere which validates the idea that pregnant women endure not only physical challenges while gestating, but that somehow their brains are affected as well. If not, I can publicly acknowledge that my brain and capacity for intelligent processing have definitely diminished. There are many evidences for this in my life but the most obvious one occurred this afternoon: I ate a whole chocolate bunny.

Those of you with children who have enjoyed Rack, Shack and Benny would probably be willing now to join in a sympathetic round of the Bunny Song with me. Just recalling the lyrics makes me feel stupid. Here is what happened:

It was innocent enough. I finished a not-too-big lunch. And was still hungry. There is little dessert in the house. But it just so happens that there is a certain dark chocolate bunny which I gave my husband for Easter (that was back in March for anyone keeping track) that he has never eaten. And it has stared at me, day after day. Night after night. Taunting me. I have warned him many times over the past weeks and months: “If you don’t eat that bunny soon, I may have to eat it myself!” Tell me this: if you were married to a hungry pregnant woman threatening to eat your dark chocolate bunny, would you be as cavalier about the poor confection animal as Jay has been? I hardly think so.

So folks, it was bound to happen: this afternoon, after my lunch (which was quite tasty!) I devoured the chocolate bunny. Every last morsel. It was very good. And everything was fine, till about an hour or more later, when I began feeling quite dizzy. And ill. After half an hour of this it occurred to me that perhaps my body was dealing with a significant sugar high, then low, brought on by my bunny consumption. Another half hour later there was no doubt. I was miserable. Shaky, nauseous, awful feeling. In due time Jay came home from work, and I confessed my gluttonous sin, and the fact that I was quite literally feeling rather ill over the whole thing.

“What? My bunny? I was going to take that to work with me!” he exclaimed, stricken, it would seem, over this bunny for whom he’d shown no real concern till now. Whatever. I could hardly take his disappointment seriously. But, he enjoyed poking a bit of fun at me until he realized that I was truly in a bad way over this bunny. And spent the rest of the evening being quite helpful while I tried to cope with a few chores, but mainly felt so sick I wanted to die.

It is now 9:30pm. And I feel terrible. I may never look at another chocolate bunny let alone eat one. Next Easter, please feel no need to present me with any chocolate treats of any variety. A basket of fresh fruit will be just fine, thank you. And now before I creep off to lie miserably in my bed continuing to battle the results of my gluttony, I leave you with this parting thought, dear readers:

Taken From Veggie Tales’ Rack, Shack, and Benny:

“The bunny,
the bunny –
whoa, i ate the bunny.
I didn’t eat my soup or my bread
just the bunny.
The bunny,
the bunny –
oh i love the bunny!
But now i feel real sick in the head from the bunny.”

Tales of my Tummy

I haven’t posted a ton about the pregnancy. This is the first pregnancy during which I’ve had a blog (I started writing shortly after the birth of our third, Nicolas) so I suppose I should spend more time chronicling my experiences, but truthfully, there are many days I am so exhausted that it is enough to take care of my family and survive!!

One of the things I still manage to do despite my fatigue is eat. Eat, eat, and eat some more. I seem to be quite hungry these days. Almost constantly. And yet, in a couple months, when I am ready to give birth, and my scales are tipping at 55 pounds greater than what i regularly weigh in at, I will be shocked. Just as I am always shocked at the end of every nine months (nine months and two weeks with Nicolas!). I am not tall (5’4″, and that’s giving me a 1/2″ of grace!) and that amount of weight on my small frame is um, noticeable, to say the least. I look very prosperous while pregnant. Healthy, well-fed, you get the picture!!

So: what does a hungry pregnant woman eat? Almost everything, it seems. Just about every food known to man tastes so delicious these days. I truly think the pleasure of eating is enhanced while pregnant. Just as smells seem to “sniff” stronger, I believe food tastes more flavorful as well. Fresh fruit tastes like nectar come directly from the door of heaven to me. I consume tons of it every day. Peaches, grapes, watermelon, and cherries are my current favorites. Perhaps in the heat, they are some of the most satisfying and delightful things I have found to eat. But then, meat is high on my list of preferred food lately as well. Steak and grilled chicken, and pork ribs….YUM!!

What does a snack look like these days? Keep in mind that my non-pregnant self doesn’t really snack much, or even feel the need for it. But for me, while gestating, snacks are a must. Pregnant women’s insides start doing strange things when the tummy is empty. So, this afternoon it was (for you, Rita!) a toasted piece of wheat bread spread thickly with gooey, melty peanut butter and a tall glass of icey cold milk. Oooh, delicious. That used to be an entire breakfast for me, now it’s just a midday snack!!

And I actually ate two bowlfuls of ice cream the other night while we watched a movie (Hotel Rwanda, if you’re wondering. Very heart-wrenching, but a good movie and one worth seeing). Jay’s jaw dropped when I came back with the second bowl (it was Bluebell’s Tin Roof, a flavor some friends introduced us to the other night, and I am lovin’ it!). And we wonder why I gain 50+ pounds with each child!! :-O For those who might be curious, Tin Roof is vanilla ice cream with a rich chocolate fudge swirl and roasted peanuts dipped in semi-bittersweet chocolate. Quite delectable. And good for you too: besides the obvious dairy component, did you notice there are peanuts in it??

Other favorite snack items include apple slices with peanut butter on them, wheat thins by the handful, grilled chicken with avocado slices on tortillas, tall glasses of orange juice, and lots of cold, cold milk. I do not often crave “junk” foods, or even sweets, per se, though I do have myself a sweet thing each evening (brownies are a favorite!). But I do not spend time each day stuffing myself with potato chips and cookies. In fact, most of what i eat is actually very nutritious, good food. But eat a lot of anything, and it starts to add up on one’s scale.

Ah well, it is a season of life. One I am really thankful to be able to experience again. And during this time, I am truly grateful for good fresh food and a healthy baby to feed. And for the ability to eat when I am hungry. These are certainly things never to be taken for granted. So, here’s to food!!

Kitchen Helpers

They say you can’t get good help these days. Well, I have found some! Ordinarily, the children all love to help me in the kitchen. One of their favorite jobs is snapping green beans in two after I cut the little ends off. But since all three can snap, the chore usually goes way too fast for their liking. So, today I decided I’d give them more of the job to do themselves.

I gave the 6 and 4 year old a quick lesson in proper bean cutting (didn’t think I should let the 3 year old try cutting yet, although many of you may gasp when you see the other two wielding knives!). While they cut, the 3 year old snapped fast enough to keep up with both of them. In preparation for supper for company tonight, the children cut and snapped all 2 1/2 pounds of beans entirely on their own. And they did a wonderful job. And were finished way before I would have expected. Not only are they great help, they’re cute too!

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Irish Ditty

Does anyone remember the lyrics to that Bennigan’s radio commercial that played a few years ago? It was an Irish sounding guy singing something like: “I found 10 bucks in the pocket of my jeans…”. Very catchy tune, but I can’t recall how it goes.

Well, yesterday I put on a pair of jeans shorts that I haven’t worn since my last pregnancy (3 years ago) and I put my hand into one of the pockets only to pull out…..you guessed it: $10!!! As these jeans were washed before being put away, but likely hung to dry (you don’t want any more shrinkage than is absolutely necessary with maternity wear!), the ten dollar bill was crisp and clean, but a little wrinkled. Still perfectly good, though. Now, what shall I do with my newfound treasure??