Belly Pride and other thoughts

So, I really do care a lot about health care reform, but I can't sleep again, so I decided to write some more of my musings on life.

I was staring at my belly today and realized that I'm quite proud of it and I'm proud of myself for having it! This is a picture from last Sunday (29 weeks).

Hopefully from the picture, you can tell that I'm pregnant and not just had a sudden increase in abdominal fat. If it wasn't such a boring fact that I think no one cares about, I'd go look up the reference for how much more at risk you are for cardiovascular disease as the amount of belly fat you have increases. Suffice it to say, the health risks of being overweight are numerous and devastating and they are even worse for people who carry a lot of fat around their vital organs. Even a modest weight loss (5%) can dramatically reduce your risk of developing diabetes. Just think how the costs of healthcare might go down if we could just PREVENT the onset of disease... I'm a dreamer, I know.

But, I digress, this blog is supposed to be about belly pride. I usually don't stare at my belly, but I'm glad that I did tonight. Even though I know that my belly is big for reasons other than gluttony, I've found it mentally challenging to watch myself expand. A few months ago, I had a different kind of belly pride. For the first time in my life, I was getting a visible line in my abs (a 2 pack, if you will). I worked really hard to get that and I was so proud of it. When I got pregnant, I was so happy, but at the same time, I was really scared about what would happen to my body over the next 40 weeks and sad to know that I'd lose the acceptance of my body as it was that I'd finally achieved. I've learned that what happens to your body can be scary, frustrating, and annoying, but it is also wonderful and amazing. As I stared at my belly today, I realized that I've come a long way and I'm proud of my belly for being such a trooper. My body has a tough job, it's growing and supporting a whole new person. I must say that I think that my body is doing a darn good job so far.

The process of growing has forced me to examine my beliefs on beauty, size, and confidence and I'm glad. Everytime, I look at myself and think about how much I hate looking so different, I try to think about how it feels when I stare at my belly and it moves by itself. That always reminds me that the precious baby girl temporarily housed in there is worth it a million times over. Maybe one day, I'll feel compelled to get on my soap box about the pressure to be thin in a country where most people are fat, but not today. I'll just say that I'm learning a lot about myself and how ingrained the ideas of superficial beauty really become in the subconscience mind. I'm glad to have the chance to consider these things right now, because I'm going to have a daughter very soon.

It's really important to me to raise a daughter who is confident and proud of herself (including her body). I don't want her to feel inadequate or not valuable if she's not a supermodel. This process of physically growing made me realize that I still have some "mental growing" to do in this area. I need to really pay attention to how I act around my little girl. I don't her ever want her to hear me say, "I look fat in this" or "This looks hideous on me" or any number of other things that come out my mouth. I want a healthy and strong body and I want to strive for that because it makes me feel good, not because I think that I'll look better or people will think that I'm prettier that way. I am going to work toward that goal for me and for my daughter.

Health Care Reform

I've invited my friend Aaron Bonham to be a guest author on my blog to discuss health care reform. Aaron is a Canadian living in the United States and I think that we all deserve to hear a perspective of health care in Canada that isn't from the TV news or some crazy person who barely knows where Canada is on a map. We've have heard horror stories about the Canadian health care system over and over, but I honestly don't really believe that is the norm. So, I've invited him to discuss his experiences with the Canadian health care system and other thoughts on reform in this country. I really respect his opinion and he's done a lot of research on this topic. I hope you enjoy reading his blogs!

By the way, here are a few more links to NPR stories that I've heard and think that others should hear!

This is an interview with a former insurance executive who discusses the insurance industry's PR efforts to derail reforms efforts (both in the early nineties and now).
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyID=111786686

Here's some humor from Brian Unger, a satirist. He's funny.
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111736487&ps=cprs

Oh, I knew I liked Teddy Roosevelt and not just because he cared about the environment. Here is a story about the history of the universal health insurance debate in this country.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111089777

How much do insurance companies make? Compare the way insurance companies calculate and report versus how economists calculate and report.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111494182

Apparently hormones associated with pregnancy are like uppers

I'll tell you, I need a good downer right now, like a giant glass of wine. Oh, alcohol, I really miss you right now. If I could fall asleep, I guarantee I would dream about sleeping, that is how much I want to be asleep. It's been about 2 weeks since I've slept for more than two hours at a time. And, it is starting to catch up with me. My body is exhausted, I have huge bags under my eyes, and sometimes I'm not even sure what time of day it is. Yet, it's 1:45 am and I'm not asleep, I am writing.

My new goal: health care reform

My new personal goal is to learn as much about health care reform as possible. I've found a lot of interesting perspectives on NPR. Here is a series from Talk of the Nation and I think that everyone who gets a chance should listen to the podcasts.

Are Health Insurance Companies The Problem?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106853465

Are Patients The Problem?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106550388

Are Doctors The Problem with Health Care?
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=105481744

Here is a link to many stories that have been on NPR about Health Care Reform:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106180134

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Reform page:
http://www.rwjf.org/healthreform/

Here is something that you should know-insurance companies can cancel your insurance at any time-if you have an individual policy (this doesn't affect people who have insurance through their employer or in group policies). It's called recision. Even though this might not affect you, it could affect someone you care about and it will happen when they need their coverage the most. At least 19,000 people's policies were rescinded between 2005 and 2007. This is not the only reason that I think that private insurance isn't the best system for our country, but it's one of them.

I really encourage everyone to find out more about the situation of health care in our country before making rash judgements based on what you hear on TV news soundbytes. It's everyone's responsibility to weigh in on the debate. It's clear that we need change in our system. If you're unwilling to learn about the current situation and the options for moving forward, you shouldn't complain about the system that gets put in place!

Once you form an opinion, you need to contact your legislators and let them know what you think. Here's a link that will help you find out who your representative is: http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
You just need to click on your state to find Reps for your state. Click on their names to go to their websites, then contact them and tell them your opinion. It's a small responsibility people and it's a part of living in a democracy! I also urge you to think compassionately about this issue. Good health and insurance coverage shouldn't be just for the rich and middle class.

I hope that you take my challenge and learn more about health care reform and voice your opinion now while it really matters!

Remember, your health won't last forever. I hope you have insurance or a huge savings account when that happens.

Trying new things

While in Maine, I did something that I haven’t done in a long time, I tried a new food! I ate a lobster roll! My previous experience with lobster has always been limited to a nibble and then the thought of, “Eww, I don’t like it.”

Since I was in Maine, I couldn’t have forgiven myself if I didn’t try lobster. I decided to just go for it,-and I LIKED IT! This was totally life-altering for me, I realized that most of the reason that I didn't like lobster before was that I thought that I didn't like it. I made a resolution to try things that I've previously written off as gross.


In addition, it got me to think about how important trying new foods is in the quest to eat healthy (especially in the vegetable department). There are many foods I hated as a kid that are now some of my favorites. If I wouldn’t have given asparagus or green beans another chance, I would have never discovered how delicious they are! Eating the lobster roll inspired me to try raw kale at the farmer’s market. It’s not something that I would normally have purchased at the grocery store, but I started talking to the farmer and he told me how to prepare it. Then, he asked, “Would you like to try it?” I thought, “Why not?” and took a bite and it wasn’t bad.


Here are a few other foods that I've tried this summer (with more or less taste success). Korean BBQ-see the picture, the bowl on the right was my dish and the meat on the grill was Sean's dish. I wish that I could remember their names.

However, I will share one thing that I learned from our Korean BBQ experiment. It might be a good idea when trying new ethnic foods to google it beforehand or bring along someone who knows about it. If you happen to go to a restaurant that has few pictures and even fewer English descriptions, you're in trouble. This can be even more complicated if your waiter doesn't speak much English and can't explain what's in the dish or how to eat it. Then, if you go home and google your food, you won't feel stupid when you find out that you ate it in the way that everyone makes fun of on the internet.

Frog legs-I've had plenty of opportunities to eat frog legs, but never partook. Here's a picture of my cousin, Eric, eating the frogs that he caught the night before with my brother and my dad.
Not that I condone killing poor little frogs, but it wasn't nearly as disturbing to eat as I'd previously imagined. I mean I guess they were deep-fried, so how bad could they taste, right? But, honestly, I'd steal some meat from Sean the next time my family has them. Maybe, I'll even get my own frog (doubtful, but maybe).

The lesson I've learned is that I really have to give things a chance. I have to make a commitment to trying new foods, the first bite isn't usually spectacular, but it's worth it to take a second and a third. I really want my kids to grow up healthy and strong and being a good example of how and what to eat is a really important piece of that. So, cheers to all the new foods that I'm going to try!

More Travels with Angie

I recently went to Portland, ME (by recently, I mean about a month ago, but that's all relative, right?). Unfortunately, it was rainy and chilly when I got to Portland, so I didn’t explore the Old Port area as much as I would have liked! But, I did get the to see the a beautiful light house, th Portland Head Lamp. I was told it is one of the most photographed light houses in the United States. I had never been to Maine before and it was a much different coastline than the beaches that I am used to visiting. It was really quite beautiful. It's too bad that it was so foggy, because on the shoreline in the background of this picture were houses that backed up to the ocean. Wouldn't it be amazing if that were the view from your back porch! Wow! You couldn't help but recognize the wonder and beauty of the world every single day. In the Kansas City suburbs, it's easy for me to forget how amazing our planet is and that I need to do more to protect it.

I really like to travel and see new things. I am totally the type of person who bought 1000 Things to See Before You Die and looks up what things I can see out of the book before I go somewhere. Considering the book covers the entire world, I know for certain that I won't hit them all, but I like trying. Unfortunately, I have not travelled internationally very often, so I have about 995 things more to see. I should have gotten 1000 Things to See in the U.S., oh well, at least now I have a better shot of crossing the U.S. sites off my list.

I'm also the type of person who bought a map of the U.S. about 7 years ago just so that I could mark where I had been. I still have a significant number of states to visit, so I really need to get cracking. I think that a good road trip would help out here, but not right now, it would entail too many bathroom breaks:)

Road trips probably aren't as glamourous as they are in my mind, but I think that travelling across the country would be one amazing experience. I really wish I would have done it when I had no responsibilities. In high school, I read a book called, The Majic Bus, about a college course that took a 6 week bus trip across the U.S. and became enamored with the idea. I've been seriously thinking about taking the baby (once she's older) on an educational road trip and stopping at important sites across the country, just like in the book, but I haven't talked to Sean about this yet. I figure I have about 10 years to get him to say yes. In the meantime, I should start doing my research about what places my kids NEED to see. I'll probably start with the ones I need to see before I die.

Gosh, I'm tired

Hello again blog and faithful readers,
It's been almost a month since I posted anything and I am going to blame my classes again! I'm halfway done with this session, so I only have 3 more weeks to go! Thank goodness. Cramming a semester's worth of work into 6 weeks is pretty daunting. It's hard to keep up, but I try my best to keep my eye on the prize!

Needless to say, I am pretty exhausted. I fell asleep on the couch today and missed my first evening water aerobics class. I was pretty disappointed but I guess I needed the sleep. As soon as I have a little more time, I have an excellent blog topic to discuss! It's been brewing in my brain for a couple weeks. Stay tuned...I'm off to bed.