Emma's Hunger Strikes Back

I've had a blissful couple of weeks. No nausea, no cramping and no 4am snacks. I've actually been lucky enough to sleep through the night without running to the toilet to pee.
Second Trimester really is a treat. I've had some uncomfortable symptoms but nothing worth noting.
I've actually started to show a little. I no longer look like an inflated version of myself but rather an inflated version of myself with a round, hard tummy. The water retention is a drag but my feet and hands are generally fine. I can still wear my rings but my 'piggies' get a little swollen after trapsing around in Birkenstocks or sneakers for too long.

As mentioned before, I've been able to sleep the night without needing to eat. I am going to attribute that to the ravenous munching I've been participating in throughout the day. I get it; I'm a pregnant athlete. The funniest part about this is that I don't crave anything, I CRAVE EVERYTHING! If I can eat it, I want it!

This all began Thursday.
Alex and I went grocery shopping and knowing that my diet was lacking, I picked up Vega whole food powder. (If you haven't tried this stuff, I promise you that your like will change forever once you have). It's safe for preggos and comes as a complete breakfast including a much needed serving of greens. It also has the magical fiber ingredients needed for someone who has a monster dancing on their intestinal tract.
Vega is vegan, gluten free and offers vitamins and minerals many of us are lacking. You can make it into a traditional shake or combine it with other raw ingredients for homemade protein bars at a fraction of the cost of the store bought ones. (Just remember to chase the bars with TONS of water).
I've been eating the Vega for about 5 days now and noticing more energy and an all 'round better outlook on everything. (I wasn't kidding about having my life changed by this stuff).
The other thing I've noticed is that it reclaimed my appetite. It may have something to do with having a giant shake for breakfast but two hours after digestion (and a solid hour of exercise every morning), I'm so hungry I could eat my cat. Luckily my cat knows this and makes a hasty retreat whenever he knows I'm home from a workout.
26 grams of protein and heaps of fibre are supposed to fill you, no?
The answer is simply, yes.
For me, nothing is ever simple.

For tropical storm Emma there is a fridge full of healthy snacks which she can Hoover. Today, she did. Pregnancy is supposed to make you hungry. Doctors recommend that you consume an extra 300 calories of healthy snacks each day to sustain a healthy weight gain for you and the baby. I'm doing it! I'm doing it enough for triplets!
There is no recommended intake of calories for pregnant athletes. Doctors just assume that once the baby comes out, the weight will melt off because of your already revved up metabolism. I don't really care about the weight gain. I'm seriously enjoying the apples, cottage cheese (with lactaid), cereal and nuts I've been devouring.

As a lactose intolerant celiac, I am pleased to say that ice cream and croissant are off the menu. This is a huge relief to Dr. Steve and Alex who both have to deal with the repercussions of me going from cute hungry pregnant Emma to unhealthy hippo.
I don't bless my food issues. They are a pain in the ass. For this cause, they are not only saving my baby's life, but they are sustaining my long term health as well. I don't recommend a GF and LF diet for any pregnant woman unless under the supervision of their doctor, but I will say that it really has been the best thing for me (and 'peanut'). Let's see what happens in December after this baby comes out and it's not a 40lb baby.

Trimester #2: Not a Bad Way to Spend a Pregnancy

Like many women, I'm finding my second trimester a lot easier to handle than the first one. Unfortunately this means that I don't have as many amazing stories for you, the reader.
Don't get me wrong; as I get bigger, I get more uncomfortable; but there is really nothing bizarre or unsightly to report (that would be blog- friendly). I suffer the usual symptoms of pregancy so I won't bore you with the nitty gritty details of my uncomfortable digestive habits or the strange colour of my skin.

The best part about the second trimester is the increased energy. At least, that's what everyone keeps saying. Before my pregnancy, I was pretty energetic. I would train and teach and still have the energy to clean the house, cook, do laundry and organize the finances of a Fortune 500 company (just kidding about the last one but I had the juice to do it!) I do have increased energy but the afternoon nap is always welcome in Emma-land.

During the first trimester, I felt okay. Apparently, I had it easier than many women with my minimal puking and enough energy to still teach high impact aerobics. I did puke and I was exhausted but overall, the worst of it was the craving for the Subway veggie sub. Seriously, not too shabby.
My second trimester is okay. I'm starting to show a little. Alex says that I don't show but rather I look like I've let myself go. Nothing could be farther from the truth! I've started training my clients and myslelf harder and now that I like food again, I've been able to eat better. I have more energy but not the same amount I once had. Still okay.

My cravings aren't like the ones we see pregnant women have on TV. I want to eat crunchy-salty things. Pickles, chips, crackers, apples (without salt) and crunchy peanut butter. Sounds normal, eh? Well, I also crave any and all mediterranean food. I want Greek salad, falafel, pickled veggies, and colorful diced veggie salads with cottage cheese. Luckily, all of the above can be done Gluten Free (and meat free).
I would also like to add that my food cravings (up until this point) have not made Alex get up in the night to find the closest 24 hour Falafelria. I can generally hold out. I'm hoping this craving-resistance holds out for Alex's sake.

As for the baby (the real reason I'm doing this), its doing fine (as far as I can tell). This morning I could have sworn I felt it either have hiccups or move around. My sister insists that it's just gas. She's probably right. At 17 weeks some women feel movement while others just have gas. I know gas and this very well could be gas.
Next week I have a doctor's appointment with Dr. Steve and the tell-all ultrasound. We are going to find out the sex of the baby. People are always asking me what I'm hoping for: boy or girl. Honestly, I hope I have a human baby! Not that I've delved into bestiality; but I figure that Rosemary was also hoping for a human baby but ended up with the spawn of Satan. Just sayin, it could happen. And yes, I do believe in everything I see in the movies (especially if it stars Mia Farrow).

To my devout readers, I apologize for the creative detour through my crazy mind but again, nothing exciting to report about Second Trimester. I'll keep you postwith henthe ultrasound reveals that I am indeed bearing the spawn of Satan. (That'll freak Alex out good!)

The best thing in life is a free Bugaboo Stroller! (Oh, and a Baby I guess)

I love shopping!

I love looking for new things and seeing displays of colourful merchandise lined up,  waiting for me to hold it and say, "I need this!"

Since I married Alex, my shopping hobby has been curbed by the idea that I really don't need anything except food that won't make me sick, and maybe some workout clothes.
He has also transformed me into a recovering shopaholic by instilling a deep value of buyers remorse. It works. I can't buy anything (except things for him) without worrying about whether I got the best deal or whether or not I needed it. Although I miss the thrill of bringing home new things, my bank account is very appreciative.

This being said, we are expecting a little person to join our happy (and now cheap) family in December.

When we got our cat, Marley, we bought everything we needed for him. He got a brand new litter box, food dishes, fancy cat food, toys, and a super big scratching post (care of his grandparents).
Marley, now almost 7, never needed clothing, a car seat, his own room, books, a breast pump and a Diaper Genie (whatever that is).
Overall Marley is a bargain.  We still buy him expensive cat food and obviously fresh litter, but we NEVER have to take him to the vet; so the cost benefit analysis of expensive food justifies itself (at least to Alex).

Babies are different and super expensive if you live in the Northern Hemisphere.
When we realized the amount of stuff we were going to need for the baby, we both freaked out a little. Alex told me immediately to find more personal training clients (which I would love if anyone is interested?). I began to look online and budget Baby equipment for the first couple of months. I found a few things that would be nice and decided to have a closer look at the items selected.

For convenience sake, I'll get to my point and tell you about the stroller.

We need a stroller that can go through snow. We don't need a $1200 Bugaboo Cameleon stroller, but I did pick out an $800 one by Uppababy.  I took both for a test drive with my Mom. Both were lovely but the $800 looked like a down-right bargain compared to the other one.
I took Alex to test drive the $800 stroller, the answer I got was an unenthused "Meh...". He didn't care. It was still expensive for a stroller. He would be happy as long as he could adjust the handlebar and not kick the rear chassis.
The $1200 stroller is fancy but I had dismissed it as frivolous considering all the other baby stuff we need to buy.

My neighbours all have kids. We are the last people on our street to become parents. This is fantastic for advice and ideas. It is also super for hand me downs!
Today as I was on my way to teach a Body Attack class when I noticed that one of my neighbours was throwing away their Bugaboo Cameleon stroller. It was in rough shape. All the wheels need to be replaced as does the fabric. Other than that, it still works. All the straps are in good shape, the frame is still looking good and it was just sitting by the trash bin.
I asked my neighbours if they were tossing it and they said yes. I asked if it would be okay if I took it. Some people are not okay with things like that. I don't know why people feel so possessive about their garbage but I thought it would be safe to ask. Without any hesitation, my neighbour picked up the stroller with a super wide smile and handed it to me. I could not believe my good fortune. He was pleased to recycle it and absolutely ecstatic that it would be put to good use rather than thrown out. I couldn't thank him enough. He just saved us a mint! There will be a super nice 'thank you' card headed to my neighbour as well as some delicious cupcakes (with strollers iced onto the tops).

Glitch!

When it comes to raising babies, there are a lot of superstitions my family adheres to. I believe they are rooted in our Jewish faith and for the most part, every single 'rule' is justified.
I'm not supposed to have baby things in the house until this baby arrives. Problem solved, move it to my parents' house.
Not so easy.
This stroller is a project that Alex and I have to take on. I figure that once its cleaned up and fixed, it can go to my parents'. My biggest issue is the money I need to invest in this in order to replace broken parts.
If anyone has some ideas or advice on this scenario, please don't be shy. I would LOVE to hear it. Is it okay for ME to buy things for the baby (like some spinning rims for the free stroller?) Kidding about the rims. I would still love to know if it is okay for ME to spend money fixing this stroller?

So, once again, picking through other people's garbage saved my bank account I estimate about $800. I still have to buy some parts and I don't think this project will exceed $300 unless I go for the gusto and buy a whole whack-load of accessories (like spinning rims). I could use a coffee cup holder but is it really a NEED? No. I will proudly hold my coffee while pushing "Peanut" knowing that I have saved enough money to by Gluten Free bread for the week.

Pregnancy: Like Puberty without the paranoia!

The good news is that, I know I'm not alone.
Funny enough, Alex and I recently found out that our next-door neighbours are also expecting. They are due 7 days after us! Neat!

I don't feel alone in my journey, however I often feel like I'm the only one with excessive puberty-like symptoms. Most of the preggos I've seen are looking great. I seem to be the only one that defines the word frumpy.

First of all, I started out hairy. Someone pissed in my genetic gene pool and lucky me, I got light olive toned skin with tons of dark dark brown hair EVERYWHERE. I don't mind the hair usually; I've become really good at waxing. During the last few months, I've noticed that my hair has been rapidly growing and becoming super strong. So, this means that I'm waxing more frequently and with much more rigor. Those pesky hairs on my chin are holding there for dear life. Regardless, waxing still hurts and leaves me with irritated skin prone to: ACNE!

ACNE. Boo!
As a teenager, my skin had the occasional zit. Now, with all the waxing and plucking, I've become a zitzo-pizza face. The acne is uncomfortable but again, not the end of the world. It doesn't draw any more attention to me than normal and people are very kind to you when you tell them you're pregnant. They tell you that you have a "glow". Of course I have a "glow"; there is a bright red beacon at the end of my nose large enough to guide Santa Claus!
For the record, I am glowing. My skin has an interesting sheen to it that it never had before.
That's a plus.

Lastly, during puberty we all gain a little weight. Same happens in pregnancy. It doesn't matter that I've kept up my same lifestyle and actually started eating less, I've still got that pre-pubescent chubb. I think it adds to my glow (or just my ass).

The good news is that there are tons of women going through the same thing. I highly doubt that they are waxing as fearcely as I am but they probably have other concerns like unstoppable morning sickness. Ick!

I do remember puberty being way more of a drag than pregnancy is. I think the worst part about puberty is that although everyone is technically going through the same symptoms of weird hair growth, zits and weight gain, it was somehow mortifying. The fear that everyone was watching you was more than just paranoia, it was reality. The horror of the person sitting next to you in you grade 7 math class was passing notes to the girl behind her about your "beard" or giant pimple on your cheek was awful and mean. It also happened more often than we would like to remember.
I'm pleased to note that at 26, I have found that most people don't care about the small stuff on your face (or your ever expanding rear end); people are simply pleased that you and your partner have decided to welcome another life into your hearts. There will be plenty of time to talk about my weird body after the baby is born. Hopefully by then, my ass will have shrunk and I will have found an acne remedy that actually works. As for the hair, I'm in it for the LONG haul.

But you don't look pregnant!

This week marks 15 weeks into my pregnancy.

For the first time in 15 weeks, I actually feel strong. I'm sleeping well; I have an appetite for meat and I have less frequent trips to the loo.
That's the good news. The bad news (or disappointing news) is that I don't look pregnant.

Last Friday, I received my new music and DVD for my Les Mills Body Attack classes. This past February I was fortunate enough to be at the filming of this DVD in New Zealand. It was tons of fun and I had lots of camera shots of me doing a master class of Body Attack. In the video, I look almost exactly the same as I do now (except now my breasts are bigger).
I don't mind not looking pregnant however I realized that I do mind that I can't keep up with my former self.
In the video, I was doing plyometric lunges and full jumping jacks: today I would be lucky to get through a high knee run.
My issue is that I feel like I can't be taken seriously because I'm not yet showing.

I struggled with this issue with my celiac disease. My Honours thesis is actually about the perceptions of "invisible illness". This is what I've learned with pregnancy:
Pregnancy is a little different from celiac disease.
First of all, for many women at 15 weeks, it is visible. I am confident that I will pop out eventually. In the meantime, I will enjoy the sight of my toes.
Secondly, everyone's pregnancy is different as is everyone's body. I'm not the first woman to ever be pregnant nor am I the first woman to not be showing at 15 weeks.
Finally, if people don't believe me about my pregnancy, all they have to do is wait. I will be a hippo in no time.

More than anything, I believe that my pregnancy is a personal experiment in stretching social boundaries. The best part of personal social experiments is that I can completely disregard other people's perceptions of my condition and until my tummy pops out, that's exactly what I plan to do. I'm taking my pregnancy seriously and that's all that's important.

Guilty pleasures: trash TV

My friend Andrea and I love finding the trashiest television programs. We would watch crazy reality shows like Operation Repo, Intervention, and Jersey Shore. We aren't alone in our love for the crap on TV; those shows wouldn't exist unless there were more viewers than just us.

Recently, I've been restraining myself from these shows because I'm pretty sure they are going to give me some incurable brain disease.
Last week, I was watching TVtropolis and I found a new reality show that is totally up my alley. It's called "Pregnant in Heels". It features Rosie Pope, Pregnancy Concierge. She works to fulfill all the requests of pregnant women on the upper east side of New York City.

What kind of requests?

Well, she will do anything from helping to organize an entire wedding (while the bride is in her final month of pregnancy), to helping fascilitate a panel of NYC's best and brightest to name a baby. The scenarios do not seem bizarre but the hormonal women and their flamboyant husbands make the the show fantastic trash.

Even in my most hormonal moments, I'm by no means close to the level of crazy these women are.
If you are looking for some brain atrophy, tune in on Tuesdays at 8.
If you are looking for some reality, stay tuned to my blog. :)

Monthly visit to see Dr. Steve: 14 Weeks

Before I was pregnant, I suffered from a variety of bizarre hormonal symptoms. I had hot flashes, inexplicable cramping, mood swings and a very scarce period. These symptoms led me to see my family doctor, Dr. Steve, on a few occasions. Most of those occasions resulted in some blood work confirming that I was crazy and not pregnant. Also I was the proud owner (and grower) of ovarian cysts. Luckily I haven't had a cyst since my last one ruptured on my honeymoon. Because of these pregnancy-like symptoms, I became the queen of pregnancy tests.

When I finally had a positive test, not only did I freak out from excitement, but I went running to see Dr. Steve for confirmation. I was right! YES!!!!
For me, this positive result was more than just excitement from being pregnant; it was finally confirmation that all my uncomfortable symptoms were not in my head and that I was not growing a monster cyst.

When I figured out that I had celiac disease, I went through multiple negative tests and numerous doctor's appointments. The results were all the same; "your stomach discomfort is in your head and there is nothing we can do". Other than letting this infuriate me, I used trial and error methods to determine that I was celiac.
Months later, it was pseudo confirmed with a positive diagnosis for lactose intolerance.
*Please note: Celiac disease ruins the digestive system to the point where most celiacs cannot produce enough Lactaze enzyme in their gut to digest milk sugar.*

To this day, I resent the idea of medical symptoms being a result of craziness. People who suffer from multiple symptoms without cause are still suffering and they are not crazy.

Back to the story.

Today was my second official visit to see Dr. Steve and he had lots of good follow up news for me today.
My previous ultrasound confirmed that "peanut" (the fetus), is healthy and has little chance of having a spinal disorder. Also, we found out that I am Rh negative. This is good news. My blood antibodies shouldn't attack "peanut".
*Note on "peanut": We are calling fetus "peanut" until birth. We are going to find out the sex of "peanut" but I am not going to disclose it in the blog. We chose the name "peanut" because its androgenous and honestly all the pictures show that a fetus looks like a peanut.*

I had two big questions for Dr. Steve today. The first one was whether or not he was going to deliver "peanut". The answer: yes.
Dr. Steve is also my Mother's doctor. He has been doing this for a while and the benefit of this is that he knows my ENTIRE health history and genetic health history. He was my Mother's doctor throught both her pregnancies with me and my sister. He actually delivered my sister. (Technically my Mom delivered Wendy but Dr. Steve was dealing with the doctor stuff at the time).
He didn't deliver me because I was born in July and he was off being the camp doctor. He apparently missed a good show. I came out at a whopping 9 lbs 1oz. My mother is pretty small so one can imagine that this is an impressive feat; especially because she didn't have a C-section!
I love you Mom!

But I digress.

My second question was: if I eat gluten, will "peanut" still exist? The answer was yes. I presume that I will suffer but "peanut" will not.
Here's a sigh of relief: aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh.........

I haven't had any gluten during the pregnancy and I don't plan to, but just in case I accidentally get poisoned, I no longer have to worry about "peanut" suffering.

Overall it was a great visit. I took home some paper requisitions for further tests at 16 and 18 weeks. Luckily I didn't have to get poked by a blood thirsty lab vampire today.
All in all, a super visit.

Working on my night cheese...

Pregnant women may be drowsy most of the time; but to believe that all we do is sleep is a complete fabrication of the truth.

Before I knew I was pregnant, I found myself sleepy during the day and waking up at all hours of the night for various reasons: I have to pee, I'm hungry, Alex smelled bad, etc...

Until recently, repeat bathroom trips were my most common reason for getting up in the night (or cleaning up Marley's barf).
Last night, and the night prior, were a little different.
Toronto has been gradually warming up to its temperatures mounting on "blazing inferno", so the last few weeks have been hard to keep comfortable. Alex and I have air conditioning but it doesn't seem to chill our room down to a nice comfy 10 degrees I've grown accustomed to over the winter and spring months.
Last night, after two bathroom trips and hours of tossing and turning, I discovered my real problem; I was starving.
Pregnancy articles warn the expecting mother against starving herself with horrifying statistics and terrible stories of how your baby could come out with only one leg because you waited too long to eat. Being a natural cynic, and assuming the majority of pregnancy articles are written by hypochondriacs, I figured that ignoring the problem would make it go away.
Twenty minutes later, I felt my stomach do a backflip and I began to drool uncontrollably.
Luckily Alex was not awake to witness the bizarre transformation of his beautiful wife into what I can only describe as a ravenous pregzilla. Roar!
I got out of bed and stumbled downstairs. I grabbed some cereal and almond milk and downed that snack in 30 seconds flat.
After my snack I went upstairs and crawled back into bed. It was about 4:30am by this time and I desperately needed my beauty sleep.

During the day today, I tried to get some quality food into me and a decent nap. I also exercised. Everything helped a little but I've learned my lesson; rice cakes in my undie drawer for convenient snacking is the way to go.

Hormones? *Censor note: this post contains barf*

As many of you know, with the first three months of pregnancy comes a whole world of unpleasantness. For me, I was most uncomfortble physically. As a fitness instructor and personal trainer, I found that it was hard to accept that I would have to take my workouts down a notch so that I wouldn't overheat or faint.
As a pregnant celiac, I found that these first few months were going to be a challenge navigating cravings and hormones. Luckily, I'm passed all that now. If anyone thinks that I went three months without at least one bizarre hormonal experience, they must be mistaken.

During the first trimester, many many women experience morning sickness. I was no exception. Around my 8th week, I began to notice that everything made me queasy but not nescessarily sick to my stomach. I was trying to be comfortable on a diet of ginger ale and sushi rice but I knew my diet was lacking. I tried peanut butter and crackers, bananas, chips, and finally iceberg lettuce. Everything worked fine and stayed down. Apparently, being properly nourished during the first trimester is tricky and you are recommended to try your best but not worry. I was taking my prenatal vitamins. Weren't those supposed to supplement all necessary vitamins and minerals? Only if they don't take your already amped up hormones and turn against you!

At the beginning of my 13th week, I thought I was in the clear. I had survived 12 weeks of nausea and made it through to the precieved bliss that is the second trimester. I was wrong again.
I woke up on Monday morning feeling okay. I went downstairs and shared a delicious breakfast of cereal and banana with Alex before he went off to work. I took my vitamin (as I did every morning), and began to organize myself for my day.
At about 9:30, my skin began to crawl and I got really woozy. I was more nauseous than I had been the entire first trimester. Thinking I was going to faint, I stumbled to the bathroom and lay down on the cool tile floor. As I lay there, still sweating and breathing heavily, I noticed that my bathroom floor was kinda yucky. I reached up and grabbed a wad of toilet paper to wipe the floor. Although dizzy and feeling awful, I have to admit that the floor did look better. Just as I reached up to put the toilet paper in the trash can, I felt my stomach twist and I was gagging. Nothing was coming out but I knew it was only moments before the real show was about to start. I lifted the toilet seat and looked into the bowl.
*I would like to make a note here that I clean my bathroom once a week, every week. It was tidy but not spic and span at this point.*
My toilet bowl was not looking so nice that day and I soon realized that if I was going to puke, that toilet was not clean enough for me to puke in.
I got up and grabbed the Lysol cleaner and the brush and went to work scrubbing my toilet bowl; all the while gagging my face off.
Once the bowl was clean, I put the cleaner and the brush back and began the big show.

I know you are wondering what has possessed me to become someone who cleans their crapper before they puke in it? Well, I'm blaming it on the "Mommy instincts" created by everyone's favourite adrenal secretion, hormones.
I can't possibly be the first pregnant woman to do something biarre like this. I'm sure if my own mother had morning sickness, she would have done the same (or not bothered and puked in the sink). Either way, anything I puked in that day was going to have to be cleaned; I figured that I was proactive in my endeavour. Rather than looking at this scenario as being hyper-neurotic, I'm optimistic thht this can only prepare me for what's to come.

As for the prenatal vitamins, I've since held off taking them until I see my doctor for my monthly checkup. The following Wednesday, after the big show, I took the vitamins and fainted. Lucky for me, I was in the comfort of my own bed by the time I went down but I suspect that there is something in those pills making me ill.
They are gluten free, diary free, etc. I'll keep everyone posted. :)

How to survive a Gluten-Free pregancy: Lesson #1 'Bread'

As many of you know, I am pretty crafty in the kitchen. I've made creations ranging from elaborate cakes to gourmet turkey dinners. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my Dad for his recipes and lessons comprising of reckless abandon in the kitchen. Without his inspiration and creativity, Alex and I would be pretty hungry.

When I was diagnosed in 2005, I was so uncomfortable that I didn't care what I was eating. As my tummy aches subsided, I realized that Gluten Free food was a royal drag. It never came out the way I wanted it to and it never looked particularly appetizing. A prime example of this would be the bread we had at my wedding in August of 2009. My mother and I found a bread from a local bakery (Haymishe) in Toronto, that we thought would pass as a good GF bread at my wedding. *I would just like to interject that my Mother (probably the most brilliant person I know), facilitated my entire wedding to be Gluten Free.
We ordered this bread in a size large enough to serve 100 of our guests. I was really excited. Up until that point, the Gluten Free breads they made at Haymishe were outstanding. They still make the best GF pie in Toronto. I couldn't believe that I was going to have this super bread at my wedding.
The day before the wedding, my sister picked me up so we could spend the night before my big day at the hotel I was to be married at. I opened the trunk of her car to put my bags in and was face to face with a GIANT poo-shaped blob. It was the bread. After a good laugh, we went down to the hotel and delivered it to the kitchen.
The next day, my cousins were called up to make a blessing over the "blob" before we ate lunch. My cousin unveiled the "blob". We could immediately tell from her expression that this poo-shaped brown "bread" was not what she was expecting. In fact, as the bread was cut up and served, no one was expecting that. It tasted okay but I suspect that some pieces were better cooked than others. Oops!

My take away message for all pregnant celiacs out there is that: we may want to buy our GF products in bulk because we think we will eat it all in one sitting. Although time consuming and a pain, please, when buying pre made GF bread products, buy it fresh and in small quantities. This will save on waste (who knows if next week it will make you gag), and it will save your slowly disappearing waistline from over indulgance (even if it looks like poo; it can still taste good- chocolate does!)

"So Emma, what do you do?"
I thought you'd never ask.

As mentioned before, I'm pretty creative in the kitchen. One of the things that I have become since discovering my pregnancy is LAZY!
I can't be bothered mixing up 40 different flours to make an organic blend of the perfect bread. Nuts to that!
I'm also cheap. GF bread is pricey and I like to keep my options under $5. I buy Bob's Red Mill GF Pizza Dough Mix and whip up a batch for any of my bread desires. It comes out of the oven fresh; I can be smug and add milled flax seed to it for extra fiber; and best of all, it doesn't have chickpea flour in it (which I hate).
Anyone can buy the dough at Loblaws in the health food section and I can usually get two breads or a bread and pizza out of it. Whatever I don't use up, I stick back in the fridge to make later in the week. .
If its too hot to fathom making anything in my oven, I buy bread (but that is only for special occasions like going to the cottage* see upcoming cottage post about that). I never NEVER buy or eat freezer bread. They are never right. In my experience I have found that they are loaded with preservatives. I'm talking about the Glutino breads. They taste like chemicals. If you buy a fresh bread and freeze it, that's totally cool in my books.
The best breads I can find in Tornto are:
Haymishe (Bathurst and Lawrence)
Queen St. Bakery/aka Yoshi's Sweets (Queen St. East/near Vic Park)
Organic Works (products found at Noah's and The Carrot)

My real advice would be to try them all and figure out what you like best. Bread is not really a staple in my diet but once in a while it feels good to sink your teeth into something fluffy and delicious (especially if you are feeling lousy).

Thank you all so much! (And how Emma got her sandwich).

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who responded to my post. Alex and I really appreciate all the love and support.
I don't want to make this blog mushy so we will leave it at that.

I have a super story about how hormones have the potential to exacerbate an already lousy situation, and how a simple sandwich can make everything feel right again.

How Emma got her Sandwich- by: Yours Truly

After about eleven weeks of pregnancy and four of those weeks feeling malnourished due to food aversions, Alex and I found ourselves in surprisingly good spirits. I really wanted a Subway sandwich and nothing else would suffice. It was getting to the point of obsession. I would count Subways on my way to and from my house on all my outings. I know where almost all of them are in the GTA. I tried not to let it get the best of me but a specific series of unfortunate events brought out the "crazy" in a whole new dimension.

Three weeks ago Sunday, after a long day of multiple loads of laundry, we noticed that our dryer was no longer drying our clothes. No biggie. The weather here in Toronto had just started to turn around in our favour, and this meant that line-drying could be fashionable and energy-conscious. Alex agreed to find the necessary part for the dryer and fix it himself. As a handy engineer who helped design an underwater ROV in University, I had (and still have) full confidence that he can fix anything (except the washing machine).
We left the dryer for a couple of days feeling that there was no real urgency in having dry clothes.
Last Wednesday morning at about 4:45am, I was jolted out of bed by a horrible noise. It sounded like the pipes were backing up onto my bedroom floor. Sure enough, they were. The pipes of our cat, Marley, had backed up all over the green mat we have at the end of our bed. All of a sudden, my "Mommy" instincts kicked into high gear and I had to deal with this problem immediately. Marley was fine; just coughing up some post-winter hairballs, but the mat was not. I quickly rolled up the mat and ran downstairs to pop it into the washing machine.
When I got there, I noticed that the washing load from the previous night had not completed its cycle. Strange!
So I threw the mat into the load and reset the washer. I added more soap and turned it on. Water went in; water went out; spinning didn't happen. Hmmm. I went upstairs to find Alex sitting on the couch in the living room staring at the cat and another puddle of Marley's "Liquid Meow". I said, "the washing machine doesn't work". He said, "Marley barfed again". Only one of those things were dealt with that night and I can tell you that it wasn't the washing machine.
By 5:15am, we both crawled back into bed and pondered over our new issues. I worried that the cat was really sick, while Alex lay awake for two hours trying to figure out how to fix the washing machine.
Alex left for work around 8, and I got up and moving around 9. After cleaning up cat vomit, I was feeling a little woozy myself so I took my time starting my day.
After some breakfast, I checked my email and found that Alex had infact taken a look at the washing machine and decided that he couldn't fix it. He also mentioned that Marley had made another liquid meow in front of the basement TV. Ugh!
That night, I exploded. I just wanted the things in my house to work. All of these emotions were exacerbated by hormones. Yes, I cried; but only after Alex proceeded to clog the upstairs toilet. Nothing in my house functioned the way it was supposed to; myself included. I couldn't think straight for the life of me. All thoughts were jaded by the inexplicable urge to hoover a footlong veggie sub. I would visualize myself doing something productive an then all of a sudden images of crunchy lettuce, juicy tomato and a fluffy bun were in my head. I was loosing my mind and there was no way I was going to be able to get it back.
This story does have a remotely happy ending. I never got the REAL sub but my "sub"-stitute worked perfectly.

To this day, our washing machine still doesn't work but the dryer is working great! We cleaned out all the lint and crap from the previous owners and we replaced the heating assembly. I've been hand washing most of my exercise clothes and we have been fortunate enough to have our parents' washing machines at our disposal.
Marley is feeling much better. We determined that he ate all his winter fur and that we've seen the last of it.
As for the hormones, they are still making me feel "Banana-Town Crazy-Pants" but last Friday, I baked gluten free buns for submarine sandwiches. They were awesome. Please don't hesitate to ask me how I did it. It was really easy and didn't take much skill or time.
My sub craving was satisfied and funny enough, the world seemed right again. It is amazing what satisfying a craving can do for your mood.
Now, if we had only known that a sandwich was going to calm me down, I would have made one for myself last Wednesday morning at 4:45am. :)

A Semi-Formal Announcement

Hello Friends and Family!

I guess you have already put two and two together: I'm pregnant.

I didn't originally want to broadcast this news via the interwebs, but after a long list of pros and cons, I decided that this would be therapeutic and probably entertaining.

As a someone who suffers from Celiac Disease, I found that there were little places on web that discussed the nitty-gritty of having Celiac Disease and being pregnant. There are many websites designed to frighten pregnant women but I wanted a space for me to explore this experience rather than be terrified of it.
As my loyal readers, I hope you find this blog about more than just me complaining about not being able to have a Subway sandwich. If you know anyone at all who has Celiac Disease and is/has been pregnant and remained on a Gluten Free diet, I hope that you would share this with them. It should be a good time and although I can't offer any sage advice. The least I can do is commiserate and offer some super alternatives to being hungry and sad.

My experiences so far have been entertaining to say the least.
As I write this, I'm 13 weeks in and for the past 8 of those weeks, all I've wanted to eat is a footlong veggie sub from Subway. As anyone who has ever had a food craving fueled by hormones knows, often times the outcome of not getting what you want can be a bit messy. I haven't successfully run anyone holding a sandwich over with my car yet, but I hate to admit that it did cross my mind. (Pregnancy didn't make me this crazy; I've always been like this).
My amazingly supportive (and adorable) husband Alex, is probably suffering from this more than he could have imagined. Lucky for him, he doesn't have to do midnight runs to pick of a bucket of breaded fried chicken. He just has to live with the consequences of me not being able to eat it. For all of you who know him, please give him hug. The poor guy has dealt with a lot already and we aren't even halfway there.

As we go along, you will learn more and more about me. I hope that my stories inspire you and make you laugh. I will try to keep it lighthearted; I can cry at anything and its not fair to make you have to.