I swear, everyone on the internet seems to be having babies. Deb over at Smitten Kitchen, Dooce, everyone on my college band alumni newsgroup, the pregnancy forum... Wait, that last one is probably self-selecting for babies.
Anyway, it turns out that hearing from all these other people in similar situations is a good way to reduce The Crazy. This morning, I made the mistake of trying to wear some of my pre-pregnancy pants. I couldn't even button the jeans that I accidentally purchased a size too big off of EBay.
Luckily for my self esteem, Dooce wrote today that she is now, four months along, fitting into her pre-pregnancy pants. Sort of. After a familial tragedy and lots of stress, resulting in weight loss.
So, yeah, I feel better that I can't wear my fat jeans a week and a half after giving birth.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
All the news that is the news
Had I actually posted the posts I'd been composing in my head these last few weeks, you would have heard all about the glorious return of my feet to (almost) normal size two weeks ago. It was awesome, though I will probably never know if it was due to the change to cooler weather or some hormonal shift.
I also would have mentioned something about the awesome baby shower my work threw for me. I knew they were getting me a diaper bag and second car seat base, but when I sat down for lunch they brought out this whole pile of gifts. Apparently they felt the need to remedy the fact that the majority of the baby's clothes for the first few months are hand-me-downs from her male cousins. Or perhaps it was just the inescapable lure of tiny pink clothes.
On October 1st, I would have told you that I wound up going home from work about midday with regular, but not overly strong contractions. In the days following, you would have heard me become increasingly impatient for labor to really set in. I'd been resigned to a late baby up until that point in time, but apparently going past my due date instantly destroyed my patience. I'm still not sure how my mom survived the three extra weeks she had to wait for me to arrive.
Instead of all that, I'll simply tell you that I've got a daughter. She's been curled up on my chest while I've been writing this post.
Since she's arrived, it's been interesting to see how much interest we devote to the basics of existence. At this point in time, my dad would probably break out Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and point out that, with this new addition, we've been dropped down to the lowest level while we regain our feet. So, until everything is settled and routine, we'll be devoting extra mental resources to eating, excreting, and sleeping. On the upside, completing such tasks seems to come with a much greater reward than previously, so I don't mind at all.
I also would have mentioned something about the awesome baby shower my work threw for me. I knew they were getting me a diaper bag and second car seat base, but when I sat down for lunch they brought out this whole pile of gifts. Apparently they felt the need to remedy the fact that the majority of the baby's clothes for the first few months are hand-me-downs from her male cousins. Or perhaps it was just the inescapable lure of tiny pink clothes.
On October 1st, I would have told you that I wound up going home from work about midday with regular, but not overly strong contractions. In the days following, you would have heard me become increasingly impatient for labor to really set in. I'd been resigned to a late baby up until that point in time, but apparently going past my due date instantly destroyed my patience. I'm still not sure how my mom survived the three extra weeks she had to wait for me to arrive.
Instead of all that, I'll simply tell you that I've got a daughter. She's been curled up on my chest while I've been writing this post.
Since she's arrived, it's been interesting to see how much interest we devote to the basics of existence. At this point in time, my dad would probably break out Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and point out that, with this new addition, we've been dropped down to the lowest level while we regain our feet. So, until everything is settled and routine, we'll be devoting extra mental resources to eating, excreting, and sleeping. On the upside, completing such tasks seems to come with a much greater reward than previously, so I don't mind at all.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Thank you, online library holds
The library is my new best friend. They've got cookbooks.
My mom laughed at me when I mentioned my new found love, but she lives in a small town which only has one library branch. If she wants a book, and they have it, it will be there. San Diego, however, has many tiny branches. They've got a pretty decent selection, but if you're looking for a specific book, it might be an hour away. Or one of the storage libraries, not actually on the shelves. Since I'm pretty much always looking for particular books, you can see my problem.
With a little patience, however, I can have any book in the collection delivered to my local library. I don't even have to visit a physical branch to place the hold. It just sometimes takes 6 months.
Like I said, patience.
Still, having discovered that the cookbooks I've had saved in my Amazon cart for years now are available for me to try for free, I'm pretty excited. Let the tasting begin!
The first cookbook I checked out was Mexico One Plate At a Time by Rick Bayless. I requested the book last spring after perusing the archives of Roots and Grubs and seeing a recommendation for the mojo de ajo. What followed was a flurry of time-consuming Mexican dishes.
Worth making again:
Mojo de Ajo - R mocked me a bit for needing a recipe to make garlicky shrimp, but he does agree that this sauce is crazy good. It's minced garlic slowly simmered in olive oil, with sliced chipotle peppers and lime juice added at the end. You can then cook things in the infused oil and cover them in soft, delicious, golden garlic. Mmmmm...
Beans - Okay, this sounds like an odd thing to love from a cookbook, but I hadn't had much success cooking pots of dried beans in the past. What's more, I now know that homemade refried beans (we used black beans) are delicious. I could eat them as a meal on their own.
Guajillo-Spiked Pork and Potato Tacos - The procedure for these was rather fascinating. You rehydrated chilies, blended them with tomatoes, and pushed the whole mixture through a strainer for a smooth yet flavorful sauce. Not the best weeknight meal, however, unless you're planning on eating late.
Not really worth the time:
Queso Fundido - Tasty, yes (sausage + cheese + roasted peppers in flour tortillas), but not something I'd bring into the regular rotation.
Pork in Salsa Verde - Again, not bad, but not spectacular and quite time consuming.
Guacamole with Roasted Poblano Peppers - Maybe I'm just a purist, but I didn't think the peppers added much to the guac. To each his own, I suppose. Reminds me of the time I was going to a Superbowl party with my friend S and we were making guacamole. We wound up splitting the batch in two and seasoning each half separately, due to disagreement on whether or not the guacamole should have diced raw onions. In the end, both bowls were consumed, but, yeah, raw onions. Ick.
I also photocopied the recipe for Mexican Chocolate Streusel Cake before returning the book. I'm sure I'll make it some day. I just rarely bake.
My final verdict on the book? Unless you're in a land devoid of good Mexican food (such as Montana, according to my brother in law), this is a book best borrowed from the library. Still, I do highly recommend checking it out, if only for the mojo de ajo.
My mom laughed at me when I mentioned my new found love, but she lives in a small town which only has one library branch. If she wants a book, and they have it, it will be there. San Diego, however, has many tiny branches. They've got a pretty decent selection, but if you're looking for a specific book, it might be an hour away. Or one of the storage libraries, not actually on the shelves. Since I'm pretty much always looking for particular books, you can see my problem.
With a little patience, however, I can have any book in the collection delivered to my local library. I don't even have to visit a physical branch to place the hold. It just sometimes takes 6 months.
Like I said, patience.
Still, having discovered that the cookbooks I've had saved in my Amazon cart for years now are available for me to try for free, I'm pretty excited. Let the tasting begin!
The first cookbook I checked out was Mexico One Plate At a Time by Rick Bayless. I requested the book last spring after perusing the archives of Roots and Grubs and seeing a recommendation for the mojo de ajo. What followed was a flurry of time-consuming Mexican dishes.
Worth making again:
Mojo de Ajo - R mocked me a bit for needing a recipe to make garlicky shrimp, but he does agree that this sauce is crazy good. It's minced garlic slowly simmered in olive oil, with sliced chipotle peppers and lime juice added at the end. You can then cook things in the infused oil and cover them in soft, delicious, golden garlic. Mmmmm...
Beans - Okay, this sounds like an odd thing to love from a cookbook, but I hadn't had much success cooking pots of dried beans in the past. What's more, I now know that homemade refried beans (we used black beans) are delicious. I could eat them as a meal on their own.
Guajillo-Spiked Pork and Potato Tacos - The procedure for these was rather fascinating. You rehydrated chilies, blended them with tomatoes, and pushed the whole mixture through a strainer for a smooth yet flavorful sauce. Not the best weeknight meal, however, unless you're planning on eating late.
Not really worth the time:
Queso Fundido - Tasty, yes (sausage + cheese + roasted peppers in flour tortillas), but not something I'd bring into the regular rotation.
Pork in Salsa Verde - Again, not bad, but not spectacular and quite time consuming.
Guacamole with Roasted Poblano Peppers - Maybe I'm just a purist, but I didn't think the peppers added much to the guac. To each his own, I suppose. Reminds me of the time I was going to a Superbowl party with my friend S and we were making guacamole. We wound up splitting the batch in two and seasoning each half separately, due to disagreement on whether or not the guacamole should have diced raw onions. In the end, both bowls were consumed, but, yeah, raw onions. Ick.
I also photocopied the recipe for Mexican Chocolate Streusel Cake before returning the book. I'm sure I'll make it some day. I just rarely bake.
My final verdict on the book? Unless you're in a land devoid of good Mexican food (such as Montana, according to my brother in law), this is a book best borrowed from the library. Still, I do highly recommend checking it out, if only for the mojo de ajo.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Feets
My poor, fat feet. You might not be able to tell from this picture, but they're quite fat.Actually, I took this picture a week ago. They've only gotten fatter since. R is vaguely afraid that they will pop when he rubs them. I've taken to wrapping them tightly in a bandanna, to help squeeze the fluid out of them. Exercise (or possibly the act of squeezing my feet into shoes) seems to help, but only for a little while. They just look ridiculous.
It really is a waiting game around here. Assuming the baby doesn't show up early, I've got two more weeks of work before I start maternity leave. Two weeks until my due date. Two weeks until the deadline for my project at work. Gah. So I just work, and exercise, and wait out the comments of how I look like I'm going to pop. Really, it isn't necessary to comment on the size of my belly every day, people at work. It doesn't really change much in the hours in between.
I guess I'm just a little grumpy. I'm ready to be non-pregnant. I'd like her to show up sooner, rather than later, so that R and I get a little more time to know her before my mom arrives (she originally agreed to change her ticket date if the baby was late, but has apparently forgotten about said agreement). Bit of drama at work, but can't really share that. Bit of drama with the HOA (we never got a copy of the rules, but apparently you can only have two plants on your walkway, the fascists), but hopefully they'll be appeased with a reduction in the number of plants. I don't think I can trim my garden down to compliance, but less flagrant violation of the rules should take the heat off until we move out. If nothing else, I'll play the pregnant lady card. Apparently we make people uncomfortable.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
A change in perception
This week, my coworkers at the office simultaneously realized that I'm going to be having a baby.
Sure, this isn't exactly news. As far as they're concerned, I've always been pregnant. As I only moved up to the main office a few months ago, most of them didn't even meet me when I wasn't pregnant (or if they did, it was briefly and long ago). Still, all of the sudden, it seems to have sunk in. I'm not just having a baby, I'm having a baby. Very soon.
I wound up having the following conversation several times this week.
"So, when are you due again?"
"October 1st."
"[some sort of exclamation] That's really soon."
"Yup."
"So, she could pretty much come any time now."
"Yup. She'll be full term next week."
"Wow."
Sure, this isn't exactly news. As far as they're concerned, I've always been pregnant. As I only moved up to the main office a few months ago, most of them didn't even meet me when I wasn't pregnant (or if they did, it was briefly and long ago). Still, all of the sudden, it seems to have sunk in. I'm not just having a baby, I'm having a baby. Very soon.
I wound up having the following conversation several times this week.
"So, when are you due again?"
"October 1st."
"[some sort of exclamation] That's really soon."
"Yup."
"So, she could pretty much come any time now."
"Yup. She'll be full term next week."
"Wow."
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