{7 QT 13} - Diet Updates, a "Small" Announcement, and Insomnia

--- 1 ---

So... you don't have to have been reading my blog very long to know about my "condition". Nothing serious, just a couple of major diet modification.

There are a few things I've discovered in the process of looking for eligible substitutes, but the most important thing on the list is this:

Original Image from Pixabay. Text added by me.

Friends don't let friends buy vegan cheese. It's disgusting. And it's probably the only thing about which I agree with the Huffington Post. They say that it's a crime no one should commit.

So, I guess that's a pretty sad update - Cheese is one thing I might not be able to enjoy any more frequently than "seldomly" in the new regime.

There's still hope for cream sauces, though. Maybe vegan cheese isn't so repulsive when it's made into a sauce.

--- 2 ---

Gluten Free Ramen:

It isn't Ramen per se, for those of you for whom Ramen is a huge comfort food and nothing else will do. It has been a comfort food for me when I'm sick, so I knew I'd need an able substitute.

When I'm sick, I usually make a whole package of Ramen, and eat the whole thing in once sitting. (Not good for anybody, I know.)

I didn't expect to find a gluten free instant noodle soup, but I found one. Thai Kitchen makes instant rice noodles.
Now, they are definitely NOT Ramen noodles. Go to the link and look at the picture. I mean, look at the package, right? Doesn't look anything like Ramen!

And I think that's why I was able to enjoy them for what they were - they weren't pretending to be a straight substitute.

The best part is that in every way possible, these are better for you than Ramen noodles: half as many calories, half as much salt, and gluten free. Woot woot!

--- 3 ---

Gluten Free Soy Sauce:

Soy sauce was a curve ball for me. It surprised the daylights out of me to discover that it contains gluten.

It was one of those things for which I knew I'd need a solid substitute, as stir fry is a regular in this house!

I'm pleased to report that Kikkoman Gluten Free Soy Sauce (it was the first brand I found) tastes like the genuine article! (And Walmart carries it! Glorious!)

--- 4 ---

Rice Pasta:

I didn't think my house would last very long without a likely pasta substitute. I found one of those, too!

This brand of Rice Pasta is okay, but I'm pretty sure it would be better if the package didn't lie to me about how to cook it. It said to cook for 13-14 minutes. Now, I usually like my pasta firmer than package directions, so I started tasting the pasta to check doneness at around 10 minutes. It was already done beyond my liking.

By taste, it was tasty (but made much better by the introduction of some "butter" and salt - not good for anyone, I know), and by texture, I think it would probably be okay if it were not cooked beyond my doneness preference. This rice pasta will get another  taste test - I don't think it got a fair shake. Now that I know to start checking it at like 8 minutes, I can cook it the way I like it.

--- 5 ---

So... my OBGYN was the one who diagnosed me with Hashimoto's Disease (the reason I have #'s 1-4 in this post), and she never would have had the opportunity if I hadn't gone in specifically to get my Thyroid Stimulating Hormone checked as soon as we had

...a Positive Pregnancy Test!

I talked about the Hashimoto's Disease, but I've been waiting until all of the people on the "before Facebook" list had been told about the pregnancy before posting it here.

Truth told, I knew the very day after we conceived that something was different - I was really moody all day (and that's not normal for that point in my cycle), and I didn't want to be touched (which is expressly abnormal!).

We have had an ultrasound, but the baby is so small that none of the pictures we got were very good. (And no, we have no idea, as yet, whether it is a boy or a girl.)

--- 5 ½ ---

For the first few weeks, I had just about convinced myself that it's a girl - we don't have another girl's name picked out, and with a last name like "Ball", there's a lot of names you want to avoid: Crystal (ball), Charity (ball), any season or month (April, May, June, Summer, Autumn... ball).

...and my husband has this illogical dislike for the names Anne, Marie, Mary, and Elizabeth. Something about not being able to chuck bricks in Louisiana without hitting someone that has one of those names as either a first or middle name. So... choosing another girl's name will be a bit of an ordeal. We'd had Pitter Patter's name picked out since well before we were married.

Now... I've just about convinced myself that it's a boy, because I've realized that I've never actually changed a little boy's diaper successfully, from start to finish. (Did you know that little boys are REALLY different from little girls?)

I'm totally scared of hurting a little boy in the process of changing his diapers. This is a fear I didn't have for little girls because... well... I'm a girl, too! I know people change baby boys' diapers every day and it really isn't a big deal, but... I figure if other people are allowed to be scared of dumb stuff, I'm allowed to have an illogical fear of changing little boy diapers.

--- 6 ---

And speaking of fears: You know how the "twins" gene skips a generation. I have it on both generations in my mom's family... I don't have it exactly straight in my head how the twins have been related to me (other than the ones that are in my generation - all second cousins' kids, so far), but the part I do have straight is that it is on both generations.

The idea that we could suddenly go from outnumbering to outnumbered is a little scary. So... that's my big fear is that I really could be carrying two. (Like I said, on the ultrasound, the baby was teeny-tiny - I don't find it at all difficult to believe that there was another one that they missed!)

Due late in January! :-)

Hopefully, I'll be able to make it to the Louisiana Life March!

--- 7 ---

This is how I want to be sleeping!!

(This is Pitter Patter on Day 1, BTW.

Doesn't she look peaceful? Don't be fooled!)

One of my most-despised pregnancy symptoms that has made an early recurrence is insomnia. Now, I almost never have trouble falling asleep to start the night... it's getting back to sleep once I've woken up. I've been up in the middle of the night for over an hour - usually almost two hours - about once a week ever since I ovulated.

I hate insomnia, but it leaves me much better-equipped to assume a forced-march approach to whatever needs to happen on any particular day.

Most of the time, when I've had a round of insomnia, I'm SUPER productive that day - because I just grit my teeth and handle things, whether I enjoy them or not.

Last time I had a round of insomnia, I did four loads of laundry that next day.

Yesterday, I had another one, and I significantly wrote or polished... 4-ish blog posts, including this one.

For more Quick Takes, visit This Ain't the Lyceum!