"It is honorable to be accused by those who deserve to be accused." ~ Latin Proverb

So I've been recently accused of being "a big time slacker" in the blog department lately. Nevermind the fact that my accuser has no blog of their own, I just don't really know why it matters that I put up blog posts in a timely manner. At least I put some up. So I say unto you, dear accusatory being, in the famous words of Louis Nizer: “When a man points a finger at someone else, he should remember that four of his fingers are pointing at himself.”

Now, onto the post I've been guilted into...

I'm officially in my 13th week, as of yesterday, and I learned that my little one is about the size of a peach! Wow...that's all I can say when I think of it. I mean, I've gained weight, but there's yet to be an officially "baby bump," so basically I just look like I've been gaining weight. I'm not too thrilled about that because it makes me feel like I'm out of control of eating or something. Seriously, I think it would be different if I felt the baby move or felt pregnant (though, to be honest, I don't know what that really means). I just feel like me most of the time, except a version of me who has totally let herself go. I'm hoping that my appointment on Monday will help me feel differently, since that's when I get to hear the baby's heart beat for the first time.

That sound won't necessarily be embedded in my brain forever though, so I'm also (or still, rather) anxiously awaiting cravings. According to many a pregnancy site that I visit each week, cravings generally being in the 2nd trimester, which I'll be in in less than a week. :) I figure, if I start feeling more pregnant, then I won't feel like I somehow managed to let go of myself. I know it sounds strange, but there's definitely something to be said for feeling pregnant, rather than just knowing it...you know, that whole "seeing is believing" line of thinking?

Well, anyway, as I mentioned before, I generally check all sorts of pregnancy sites weekly - if not several times a week - to learn whatever I can about being pregnant. One thing that has become increasingly clear to me is just how hard it is to eat EVERY single recommended amount of vitamins and nutrients every day. Holy cow! On the one hand, I feel like somewhat of a failure since I realized that my iron and protein intake has definitely been lower than the recommended amounts. I should step up the veggies as well. On the other hand, though, I've been generally eating as healthy as I can think of and have been really great on the carbs, fruits, and water intakes...which probably has a lot to do with my most recent weight gain. Still, it's overwhelming to think about what it would take to come close to right amounts. Now would be a great time to be wealthy. I'd just hire a nutritionist to plan my meals for me. *sigh*

On top of that, I'm starting to really miss some of the gray area foods such as sushi and tea. Therefore, I found some information that made me feel a lot better about what teas I'll be okay to drink and which sushi rolls I can probably have when I finally let myself eat some. Here's what the American Pregnancy Association has to say regarding drinking tea during pregnancy. That made me SO HAPPY that I went out and bought some Tazo Chai Latte mix today. YUM! (Yes, it's non-caffeinated...as my good friend, Nisi pointed out a couple of weeks ago when she offered me some). I've missed drinking my morning tea SO MUCH and, although I may not be able to have my Green Tea, (as the jury is still out on whether or not it affects absorbtion of folic acid and iron) I can have my second favorite, Chai Tea. I think I'm gonna make myself a Chai Latte just as soon as I get home. Mmmmm...

As far as sushi goes, I've found varying opinions and experiences on the subject. THE main consensus, however, is that a pregnant woman should be okay eating sushi rolls with cooked fish in them, just as long as the seafood in the rolls contain low levels of mercury and (of course) the rolls are made by a reputable restaurant. That really goes for eating out anywhere though. So, I made a list of rolls I can have from my favorite sushi restaurant, Happy Sumo, and I'm hoping to have a get-together within the next few months to celebrate making it into my 2nd trimester. Anyone up for it? :)

<----(This is not the exact sushi roll I plan to eat as it clearly has sashimi laying on top. However, I searched and searched the internet and it just happens to be the most appetizing sushi roll I was able to find.)