Baking hiatus

So, I just found out I have gestational diabetes. Ugh...

I am surprised and trying not to spiral into thoughts of what did I do wrong to make this happen or how it might hurt the baby. I thought that I ate healthy (except for all those gingerbread cookies on Sunday) and although I haven't exercised as much as I did pre-pregnancy, I do exercise frequently.

I am trying to remember that it really is not the worst thing in the world. And I have been thinking a lot about pregnant women around the world who don't have access to prenatal care, or don't have enough food to eat, or have all sorts of other complications and challenges that threaten their health and the health of their children. I am truly blessed that while this stinks, everything should be fine. So, instead I turn my thoughts to those women and ways that I might be able to extend kindness and support to them.

In the meantime, there will be no baking. I hope everyone else enjoys their holiday treats!!

Christmas fun

It hasn't felt quite like Christmas yet this year, despite my playing Christmas music all of the time and the cold weather here in Memphis. Part of it is because we had to have Kintner Christmas at Thanksgiving because of family schedules and pregnancy travel restrictions, and part of it is because Will and I decided not to put up a tree this year because of travel, space, and time/money going to baby stuff.

So, I was very excited to have some friends over for Christmas fun yesterday to get the season started! What ensued was an afternoon of cookie baking (and eating), Grinch watching, hot chocolate drinking, and general silliness. I loved it and think that we have started a new Christmas tradition with our friends and their young kids (who will be 3 years and 1 year older than our little one).

It also made me excited for when I can start to bake and cook with our daughter... I don't know if it will be something she is interested in, but I hope she will love it like I do. I think there are so many things that you learn from working with food...how to be messy and how to clean up your mess, how to have a healthy relationship with food and understand where food comes from, math, science, language/literacy, creativity, culture, patience, not to mention having a good time together. I can't wait!

Here are some pictures of our Christmas adventure...complete with a John Deere tool belt! (Yes, we did use the tools while baking....a screwdriver to stir the dry ingredients together and a hammer to pound out the dough. We never did figure out how to use the pliers though!) We also made some very fun shapes...Grinches that looked like skeletons, bears that looked more like buffalo, and snakes that in Will's opinion looked like the Christmas poo from South Park.



(Also, I used the same gingerbread cookie recipe from two years ago, but this year I made them extra special by putting crushed peppermint on top - well, at least whatever pepppermint did not end up in my young friend's mouth.)

http://www.food.com/recipe/the-most-wonderful-gingerbread-cookies-80156

And for those of you who need a belly picture....here I am at 29 weeks and 2 days.