Too Many Sweets

M arranged for some friends to come over this past Saturday to celebrate my birthday (belated), so on Friday night, he went into a baking frenzy, resulting in an extremely tall birthday cake and many many cupcakes. There were some cancellations at the last minute, so we didn't have as many people show up as originally expected. I'm not a big dessert person (except for cheesecake or creme brulee), but since there was so much of it (and M slaved over the kitchen making everything), I had more cake over the weekend than I normally would. We still ended up taking half the cake and a bunch of cupcakes to church on Sunday. Here are some pictures of M's masterpieces:

(The M&Ms on top of the cake are suppose to spell "H, B, E" for "Happy Birthday Eva.")

(The white on top of the strawberry-flavored cupcakes is really icing, not mayonnaise, despite much teasing from our friends.)

Yesterday, I went for my weekly checkup at the doctor's, and much to my dismay, I had gained four pounds from the week before! FOUR LBS!! In just ONE WEEK! I couldn't believe it! I didn't know that was even possible! I am absolutely convinced it was from the excess of sugar intake over the weekend, since my eating habit didn't change much during the week. I'm really bummed about it, considering I was doing so well up until this point (aside from the first trimester), but it's not like I can start dieting now. But at a minimum, I've told myself no more desserts or candy until after the baby's born. Unfortunately, I like my fruits too much to give that up, even though they are loaded with sugar.

Some other disappointments this week (and it's only Tuesday)...

• I mentioned to M this past weekend that I was interested in donating our baby's cord blood to a public cord blood bank (we had decided months ago that we would not invest in saving it for our own private use). He agreed, so yesterday I started doing some research on it. I called up the New Jersey Cord Blood Bank to find out what the process is, but was told it was too late b/c they require at least a month to process all the paperwork and get the approvals needed. Bummer...
• I just called up my company's short-term disability line to confirm that my claim has been approved and I can start my leave next week. I was told that the claim is still pending and that I am not automatically guaranteed two weeks off prior to my due date. Instead, I need a doctor to sign me out of work (which is contrary to what I was told over a month ago when I first filed the claim). Dealing with HR and the like has been so frustrating, to say the least. I find it ridiculous how I am told something different every time I call them up. I asked the supervisor on the phone what would have happened if I didn't call, since no one ever informed me I needed a doctor's note. She said that they would have contacted my doctor directly, and if the doctor doesn't sign me out, my claim would have been denied. I left a message for my doctor's office... hopefully they will be kind enough to write me the note.

I am not a happy camper right now, but M is right, it's not the end of the world. I need to take a step back and not let things affect me as much as they do. And prayer... lots and lots of prayer!