One of my favorite 'diabetes' friendly snacks that comes out to 15 carbs. Vanilla Yogurt (I mix in nutmeg and cinnamon) , 5 whole wheat crackers, 7 cheese cubes, half cup of unsweetened Soy milk. (sometimes I substitute the crackers for 1/4 to 1/2 of a granny smith apple.)
ds in 3 months by exercising, counting calories, and eating healthy. When I found out I was pregnant I decided not to be as strict with myself and stopped measuring out my food. I have a good idea of how many calories is in what since I was doing that daily.
I am so excited about these last three months. For Erik, I never experienced my last two months of pregnancy because he came that early. I know that I will go full term this time and I believe that with all of my heart. Some people may think that I was somehow lucky to not have to "endure" the last months of pregnancy, but I have never thought of it that way. The pain that Chris and I went through was excruciating and far surpasses being physically uncomfortable. We weren't sure of how Erik would do in the intensive care unit and how he would develop later on. It was unbearable to see other babies around us pass away, some of which were born around the same gestational age. God has had his hand on Erik as we have seen him grow and mature as though he was never born early. He is so eager to learn new things and his quick mind amazes me. I teach him something one time and weeks later he remembers it without fault. I thought that maybe he would end up with hearing and speech problems like a lot of preemies end up having but that has gone out of the window. I have been told by several people on different occasions that he is articulate for his age...and of course, I think that as well! I know I am biased as a mother and every mom thinks their child has brains, but I just can't help doting on him! I am sooo very proud to be his mom!
Today I saw Andy...I mean Dr. Hill...haha (see http://intheyellowskies.blogspot.com/2009/02/im-25-weeks-pregnant-today-some.html for what that means!) and I took a glucose test. Those drinks are sooo nasty. I find out tomorrow how my blood sugar levels are. I've been using a friends blood sugar meter and the numbers are all over the place. (Like one day I just ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast and it was 182...then today I had Chinese food and it was 107!!) Some days are perfect and other days they are high. I told my doctor about my numbers (I take my blood first thing in the morning and then an hour after I eat) and he didn't seem too concerned. He said to watch my sugar intake and keep my calories at 2,000. This shouldn't be a problem because most days I am about 200 to 300 below that intake and I don't have much of a sweet tooth anyway. (Except I do admit that I am addicted to chocolate pretzels...but have only bought one small bag this entire pregnancy..go me!) I have gained 8 pounds so far and am hoping not to pack on much more. Since I'm already on the "more to love" side, I should probably only gain about 15-20 pounds. My doctor hasn't said anything about that but from what I've read it seems recommended. Chris and I are going on a hike this weekend and I'm pretty sure we'll be walking for about 4 hours. Wish us luck!
For starters, this Saturday Chris and I plan on going to see a production at UL called "5 Women Wearing the Same Dress." It is a comedy about 5 bridesmaids, taking place in Knoxville, Tn. He has to attend 2 plays this semester for school so we are going to turn them into date nights instead of homework! 
and around South Louisiana. The current goal of the club is have members participate in at least one outdoor excursion per month. Members are encouraged to help plan these mini-adventures, which could include not only day hikes but also overnight backpacking, biking, and canoeing. A friend from highschool is a member of the club and invited me to go along. This month they (we) are hiking a segment of the Wild Azalea Trail outside of Woodworth, La. This is a link to the brochure: 
Then the week after that I will be going for another 3D ultrasound at Sneak Peak. I am going on Monday March 23rd at 10 a.m. I will be 28 1/2 weeks pregnant, which I've heard is a really good time to go. We went when I was 19 weeks and it was still too early to really see Ivy's facial features yet. I'm so excited to see her again!! 
The weekend after that- Saturday the 28t
h we plan on going to Baton Rouge to see "Sesame Street Live: Elmo's Green Thumb" and then on Sunday our nephew is turning 5 and he's having a party to celebrate! 
I'm 25 weeks pregnant today :) Some websites say that this is the beginning of my 3rd trimester but most of them say I won't be there until 28 weeks. Why is this even debatable? It's so confusing that not only do they add 2 weeks to pregnancy, but also that no one seems to know when the third trimester starts. Oh well!
y pregnant belly and will post them later. I look like I have about 5 eggplants in there! Hahha!
After: Looking fresh! Hibiscus coming back from the winter in the back left and right corners. White Irises under the window. Ginger in the middle, Sweet olive in the front, and a very tiny mexican sage in the middle toward the right side.
In large saucepan cook onion in butter over medium heat until tender (cover pot but stir and check often). 
When onions are soft stir in potatoes, cider, thyme, and seasoning. 
***When taking personality tests, it is important to not trap ourselves in a box and label ourselves as one way. We should always keep in mind that everyone is unique. However, I think that personality tests help us to understand ourselves and others and help us to work on our weaknesses. It's such a cop out to say, "Oh that's just part of my personality." Or "That's just the way I am." We can and should work on curbing our downfalls. As parents we can help our children to find out what their strengths are and nurture them from when they are young. 
Today I ordered "Personality Plus for Parents" on eBay for a few bucks. Erik is still very young, but he won't always be! And while he does have a
My personality
The Sanguine / Phlegmatic
The sanguine-phlegmatic is an extroverted, optimistic, warm individual who readily connects with others and is well-liked by all. His sanguine side makes him creative, enthusiastic, friendly, and inspiring. His phlegmatic side makes him somewhat cautious at times, and also highly sensitive to other people’s moods, emotions, likes and dislikes. He keenly desires harmony in relationships. He tends to overextend himself in order to meet others’ needs and to personalize any negative criticism (If the boss says, “We are not meeting our quotas,” the sanguine-phlegmatic thinks, “Is he angry at me?” If her best friend says, “I really can’t wear red lipstick,” the sanguine-phlegmatic will think, “She’s trying to tell me that my lipstick looks terrible!”). After all, the sanguine-phlegmatic has a double-dose of feeling; twice-blessed by the tendency to prioritize relationships and harmony. If you are a sanguine-phlegmatic, most everyone likes you! You are easy-going, creative, fun-loving, enthusiastic, imaginative, caring, generous, flexible, and spontaneous. You are probably considered “emotional” because of your easily aroused feelings, your attentiveness to relationships, and your tender heart. Your weaknesses are superficiality, indecisiveness, disorganization, and procrastination. Often you find it difficult to know exactly how to state what you mean, or how to express yourself logically; this contributes to a tendency to talk more than is needed or to provide more detail than is necessary. In a relationship, you will likely gravitate toward a logical, organized, strong-willed and decisive partner—someone who makes decisions quickly and provides strong moral certitude and structure to your life. You can be easily influenced (which is exacerbated by your tendency to ask others for advice — without thinking it through) and to do what seems “kind” before considering whether it is objectively right. Many sanguine-phlegmatics are drawn to teaching (and parenting), the helping professions, and volunteer works for the Church or for the welfare of society. You place a high priority on your personal search for meaning and self-identity. The strong need to discover your “true self” will be met by a rich prayer life and a personal relationship with Christ. Your weaknesses probably tend to bother you more than anyone else. For example, you may find yourself blurting out something without thinking, or spending too much time seeking advice only to find yourself more confused than you started, or oversleeping every day this week — despite all the best of intentions. You may find yourself becoming over committed because you simply can’t say “no” and have a strong need to be liked/please people. A typical sanguine-phlegmatic trick is to spend too much money shopping or (better yet) dining out with friends, and then to put off balancing the checkbook (too much work, too many other distractions) until it is hopelessly behind. Now you are overwhelmed with everything that has piled up! You may complain half-heartedly, blame circumstances, or go shopping. . . but you may not really make a concerted effort to change. If your temperament is sanguine-phlegmatic, for a better understanding of your temperament it is recommended that you read the full descriptions of the sanguine and phlegmatic.
Ingredients
(The traditional cheese for this soup is Gruyere, but I have yet to find that in the store. I've used different ones like provolone or white cheddar, or mozzarella. This time I used an Italian blend of shredded cheeses since it is what I already had on hand. It had Parmesan, mozzarella, asiago,provolone, fontina, and Romano.)
Pour the olive oil in the pan, and turn on medium. Cut the onion in quarter to half dollar size pieces. Put the onions in with the pat of butter and the tsp. of sugar. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes covering the pan, but stirring often. DO NOT BURN! You want the onions to get really soft, but you don't want to see any brown on them. Add the garlic and the Tbls. of flour and stir, cooking for about 2 more minutes. Add a splash of white cooking wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all of the onion, garlic and flour mixture off of the bottom. (That's where a lot of the flavor is.) Add a few splashes of Worcestershire. Slowly pour in the beef broth and cook for another 5-10 minutes on medium to medium high heat or until really hot and bubbling.
Pour the soup into an oven safe crock (or bowl) and top with french bread. I break a little of it up and put some at the bottom and then place the other pieces on top. Add cheese.
Turn oven on broil (I use a small conventional oven) and place in oven on the top rack. Keep an eye on it so that it won't burn. You just want the cheese to melt and get a little brown.
to see "Coraline 3D". Pretty weird movie! It was like having o
ne of those dreams that you just can't explain. I guess the moral of the story was to be careful what you wish for and also that things aren't always what they appear to be. Young kids might be scared by this movie or a little creeped out. I know I was!
Since it was Valentine's, we splurged ($15!) and ordered desert. We ordered off of the Valentine's special menu again and got the red velvet cheesecake.
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