Diet

The first 2 trimesters of pregnancy this time did not lead to aversions to any kind of foods, unfortunately. Well, no, that's a good thing. It meant that I could cook dinner without making myself sick, and I could even open the fridge or walk through a grocery store without getting nauseous.

On the other hand, though, I craved things like gooey cinnamon rolls, coca cola, chocolate...the only thing I tried to avoid this time around was sembei (Japanese rice crackers).

This time, once the 3rd trimester hit, I started getting sick a lot. First a sore throat and cold. Then, some kind of 24-hour flu that landed me in the hospital on an IV drip for an afternoon. The following week, a regular cold which culminated in the loss of my voice.

Well, after that 2nd one with the IV drip, I was thinking, "Man, I have got to change something!" Meanwhile, I kept forgetting to weigh myself and write it down in my boshi techo (a record-keeping book that we use from 10 weeks after conception through out childhood).

The results are in. After 3 weeks of making these "subtle" dietary changes, I have not gained any weight, and I am feeling much better (aside from the John Mellencamp-esque gravely voice).

Here is what I changed in my diet:
Reduction of British-style tea consumption (that means that I am down to one cup of Brit tea a day, so sugar has also been reduced.) No coffee at work - I had stopped drinking coffee at work months ago though.

Consumption of more water. I am drinking at least 3 tall glasses of ice water per evening from between 6pm and 10pm.

After 10pm, I switch to a more relaxing herbal tea.

Breakfast includes a healthy dose of a yogurt concoction. (Includes 2 cups of plain yogurt, almonds, dried fruit, frozen fruit, real fruit I have any, granola, and a few chocolate chips.)

Snacks are limited to things like popcorn, almonds & cheese.

"Saving Dinner" is back. I had been winging the dinners recently, but since 3 weeks ago, I got out my Saving Dinner cookbook and have been following their menu plans. Dinners are always healthy, tasty & include veggies, plus they are very family-friendly, so Ailin can eat almost anything from this book.

Because I am cooking enough food for dinners, I am able to bring the healthy leftovers for lunch the next day.

So, things are going much better on that front, and Ailin is following suit. She actually drinks water now because she sees her Mama drinking it. She also wants some of my yogurt in the mornings, but I realized that she is just fishing out the chocolate chips and leaving the rest. That little stinker.