Six Months Down, 55 Pounds To Go...

Dear Blog,
I am now 6 months into my third pregnancy and growing rapidly. The first few months of nausea and vomiting --which kept my weight gain minimal-- are now being generously off-set by a recent accelerated, but not unfamiliar, craving. The craving now threatening to take over every moment of my free time and cause a 75 pound total pregnancy weight gain is for....
sugar.

Now, sugar and I have always had a bit of a love/hate relationship. (Cue song: "I Love to Hate You" by Erasure.) As a hypoglycemic, any sugar over-dose I may indulge in generally ends in pain and suffering. Or more specifically, extreme lethargy and crankiness which is mostly painful to those around me. Of course, if my sugar indulgence happens to coincide with an empty stomach, vomiting and coma are the likely and usual results.

So imagine my glee when during my first four months of this pregnancy, the very thought of ice cream made me sick and all I wanted (if I wanted anything at all) were large chunks of red meat followed by any artery-clogging, heart attack-inducing side dish. (Read: French Fries)

Lucky me! This meant my baby was getting plenty of protein (and sodium and fat, but whatever...) and I didn't have to feel guilty for eating more servings of dessert than of vegetables on a daily basis!

Alas, all that has changed and my longing for the sweet stuff has taken over both mind and body. Currently, sugar in almost any form will do. If my body tells me to eat a spoonful (or three) of brown sugar, I just do it. Obviously, if I'm craving it, it's because the baby needs it! (Why else would I have ever craved tuna fish or egg salad?)

Unfortunately, more and more often lately, Baby and body have become more demanding. Although a handful of chocolate chips or large chunk of frozen cookie dough can partially satisfy, often I find a desperate need for something more. Something, in fact, homemade and baked.

It seems in the last week or two, not a day goes by when I don't have the desire to bake some divine dessert. Usually, the only thing that can stop me is still having left-overs from the last bake fest or lack of a key ingredient. This is why in the last few days I've consumed approximately 10 sugar cookies (all yesterday morning at a birthday party) half of a Chocolate Mousse Cake and at least 38 Lemon Bars. It's also why, now that I've polished off the last of the Lemon Bars, I'll be making Tollhouse Cookie Bars this afternoon. (I'm only writing to you, Dear Blog, because the butter needs to soften.)

Don't pity me. Although I'm sacrificing my health and sweet temper, it's all for the greater good: I'm keeping Baby #3 happy and satisfied. If you'd like to show your support, please join me as I gorge myself into yet another coma. Here's a little help to get you started:

Best Lemon Bars Ever

Crust:
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour

Filling:
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
5 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Crust: Beat butter, powdered sugar, and 2 cups flour together until smooth. Spread into a greased 9x13 pan; bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Filling: Beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon juice, 5 Tbsp. flour, and baking powder until well blended; the mixture will be thin. Pour over the top of the baked crust, and continue baking at 350 for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, cool, and cut into bars.

I'll let you know how the Tollhouse Cookie Bars turn out! Happy eating!