I don't want to bombard the blog with baby stuff, but since I am pregnant, I figure an occasional update is called for/appropriate. At 16 weeks (and 3 days) I'm moving on through my second trimester, and can now reflect back on what it was like for me to bake during the first trimester.
Baking in the first trimester really wasn't all that different for me than my normal baking. I lucked out in terms of morning sickness and only had mild nausea and then had to deal with hot flashes. One thing I did/do have....tiredness! I've never been much of a napper...I have a really hard time falling asleep in the middle of the day unless I'm sick or something. Probably because I'm too worried about what other things I could be getting done...darn you Type A personality!
Well that quickly went away because I literally felt like I couldn't keep my eyes open. This is a real struggle when you get up in the wee hours to bake. If I got the luxury to get home early or if it was the weekend I would easily fall asleep on the couch or chair if it was between noon and 3 pm. And then by 8 pm I was ready to go back to sleep!
I go to bed early as it is since 3 am rolls around in a hurry...and even though I'm no longer in my first trimester I still find myself wanting more sleep. Not so much in the middle of the day anymore, but in the evening I just want to go to bed. I will not feel bad about going to bed early! No sleep and late nights are on the way so I will soak up the sleep while I can!
The only other real change I made was to make a conscious effort to take breaks. I barely ever stop what I'm doing or take a real break when I have a day full of orders.....so the first trimester left me doing "the potty dance" a whole lot! I now make sure I have my snacks and meals at times I normally would....and I sit down to eat! Crazy I know!! I use my stool to actually take breaks, and I use it when I'm done baking and move on to decorating. Using a stool isn't super convenient....I have to get up a lot so there's not really much sitting, but the resting/leaning still helps.
Well that quickly went away because I literally felt like I couldn't keep my eyes open. This is a real struggle when you get up in the wee hours to bake. If I got the luxury to get home early or if it was the weekend I would easily fall asleep on the couch or chair if it was between noon and 3 pm. And then by 8 pm I was ready to go back to sleep!
I go to bed early as it is since 3 am rolls around in a hurry...and even though I'm no longer in my first trimester I still find myself wanting more sleep. Not so much in the middle of the day anymore, but in the evening I just want to go to bed. I will not feel bad about going to bed early! No sleep and late nights are on the way so I will soak up the sleep while I can!
The only other real change I made was to make a conscious effort to take breaks. I barely ever stop what I'm doing or take a real break when I have a day full of orders.....so the first trimester left me doing "the potty dance" a whole lot! I now make sure I have my snacks and meals at times I normally would....and I sit down to eat! Crazy I know!! I use my stool to actually take breaks, and I use it when I'm done baking and move on to decorating. Using a stool isn't super convenient....I have to get up a lot so there's not really much sitting, but the resting/leaning still helps.
The above pictures are pretty blurry and I didn't take a whole lot of time editing them....but I've been trying to document week by week by just snapping a quick picture on my phone and putting some tidbits with the pictures. So here are the pictures from weeks 8, 12, and 16! The next update will be at the end of March....when we find out the gender! I have no preference, just health, but man oh man I can't wait to find out! I was fine...until the ultrasound got scheduled...now I just want to know right this second!
Before I end this post I thought I'd throw in the post I put up on my Facebook page..in case you missed it:
As I pay my yearly business taxes I must say thank you to all of my customers. You may think this is an odd thing, since businesses have to fork over large amounts of money to the government, but it reminds me that I am fighting a fair and moral business fight.
Steph's Sweet Treats got started because people beyond my friends and family started wanting my baked goods. Which is good, this is how most businesses start..word of mouth. However, as soon as I saw this happening, I made the transition to no longer baking from my home; I went through the process of opening a legally licensed kitchen. (I even rented a licensed kitchen for an order that was non family related before my bakery was ready and I paid taxes on the order).
What does this mean? I follow copyright laws, I follow the codes of the health department, I pay licensing fees and inspections, and I send a very large portion of each and every order to the government. Combine all of these things, and it makes if very hard to watch illegal bakers in the area who are not licensed, do not follow copyright, code, OR pay such a large sum to the government, grow and get away with it.
Worst of all, their customers don't realize they are only encouraging them to continue business illegally. You don't need a legal business to put up a facebook page or website, so many many people get away with it and customers are none the wiser to the persons operations.
This is why I am saying thank you for those of you who choose Steph's Sweet Treats. I urge you to continue support small LEGAL businesses. Thank you everyone who supports me; I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it!
Sorry had to get that off my chest and out of my brain.
As always, thanks for another week of orders!
Before I end this post I thought I'd throw in the post I put up on my Facebook page..in case you missed it:
As I pay my yearly business taxes I must say thank you to all of my customers. You may think this is an odd thing, since businesses have to fork over large amounts of money to the government, but it reminds me that I am fighting a fair and moral business fight.
Steph's Sweet Treats got started because people beyond my friends and family started wanting my baked goods. Which is good, this is how most businesses start..word of mouth. However, as soon as I saw this happening, I made the transition to no longer baking from my home; I went through the process of opening a legally licensed kitchen. (I even rented a licensed kitchen for an order that was non family related before my bakery was ready and I paid taxes on the order).
What does this mean? I follow copyright laws, I follow the codes of the health department, I pay licensing fees and inspections, and I send a very large portion of each and every order to the government. Combine all of these things, and it makes if very hard to watch illegal bakers in the area who are not licensed, do not follow copyright, code, OR pay such a large sum to the government, grow and get away with it.
Worst of all, their customers don't realize they are only encouraging them to continue business illegally. You don't need a legal business to put up a facebook page or website, so many many people get away with it and customers are none the wiser to the persons operations.
This is why I am saying thank you for those of you who choose Steph's Sweet Treats. I urge you to continue support small LEGAL businesses. Thank you everyone who supports me; I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate it!
Sorry had to get that off my chest and out of my brain.
As always, thanks for another week of orders!
RSS Feed