Pinky Swear

We have fruit salad a lot of the time for dinner. Ada LOVES fruit salad and if she gets a plate full, she may not eat much else. So most nights I negotiate with her to eat some of her dinner before she can have any salad.
Tonight's conversation:
Ada: I am going to eat the rest of my fruit salad, and THEN my dinner.
Me: Ada, you have to promise to eat all your pork chop and potato if you eat your fruit salad first. Promise?
Ada: I PROMISE.
Me: Ok, pinky swear (holding up my pinky).

This led to a long discussion on how to pinky swear, what it means, etc, etc and the girls wanted to pinky swear on all kinds of things.
Later:
Me: Ada, you need to finish that dinner, you promised.
Odessa: And when the pinky goes up, there's no going back!

We about died laughing and knew that was too funny a line for her to come up with herself. Sigh. Turns out that PBS kids and The Electric Company strikes again!

Franklin Lewis

Birth stories- ahhhhhh. Love them or hate them or scroll to the bottom and just look at pics : ).

Well, we finally had our little boy. But he didn't come on his own. Let me preface this story by saying I have always been soundly against my being induced. I had firm opinions about it and didn't want to consider it whenever any Dr broached the topic with me (my first OB said he would induce me on my 2nd baby because my first came so fast). I had 2 due dates- the 19th of April and the 26th. I had told myself and everyone else that I would go until the 27th- just to outlast my Dr and her predictions (and Stephen's) and also to wait until "Grandma" got here. My mom arrived on the 27th and we all breathed a little easier knowing we wouldn't have to call someone in the ward in the middle of the night (when I tend to go into labor).
When the 27th came and went, I was disappointed. Then it was so close to my birthday and frankly, I didn't want to share that day or have to have a child share theirs with me (Odessa has to share with Thanksgiving sometimes and it's hard for her.) Stephen had taken the week of the 25th-29th off work and still no baby, so on May 2nd, he went back to work (very disappointing to me and him). I had so many "false alarms" that I was getting very discouraged and tired of being disappointed and tired of being in pain. I knew he was getting big- he had felt bigger than the girls for some time and I had predicted he would be well over 8 lbs. I would go to sleep every night feeling crappy, and wake up every morning feeling fine and still pregnant. BUMMER.
At least my mom and I had fun- and boy! we celebrated my birthday for 3 days straight!

Two non-stress tests showed the baby had good movement, heart rate and amniotic fluid, but my Dr got more stressed out since she was going off the 19th as my due date.
May 4th- my father arrived and I started having some emotional breakdowns- just tired of being disappointed. I emailed my Dr saying that I would let her induce me on the 6th, even though I had an appointment with her on the 5th. Then later that day, (after 2 crying spells) I changed my mind and emailed her that I would be willing to just come in for my appointment and stay and be induced. I felt good about the decision, but it was also really hard to make. (Stephen says it would be so funny to get those 2 emails back to back.)
On the 5th, I went in at 11:30 for my appointment.
12:30pm They checked me in at the labor and delivery unit.
2pm- They finally started my IV antibiotics. Here is one important part about being induced: I have had the Strep B bacteria with all 3 of my pregnancies and with Odessa and Ada, I did not have the time before delivery to get the required 2 doses of antibiotics, so they make me stay in the hospital for 48 hrs to observe the baby and make sure they don't have the infection, etc. So before doing any induction measures, they wanted to get my antibiotics in just in case I delivered too quickly.
I was having a few contractions already since my Dr had stripped my membranes at my appointment.
Induction measures- I didn't want pitocin. But my cervix was already so soft and dilated enough that the other 2 options weren't necessarily going to do anything for me. I reluctantly agreed to 1 ml of pitocin per hour and we were all hoping that just a touch of it would set my own body's processes into motion.
4 pm- pitocin started- walking, walking, walking
6:30 pm- some strong contractions bouncing on the birthing ball
7pm- into the tub (my preferred method of pain relief that I used with both the girls) Contractions got easier and farther apart- very disappointing.
8pm- Out of tub and I said I just wanted to sit on the bed and watch some TV to get my mind off it (everyone was a little surprised things had slowed down considering my history) and I felt all this pressure, like everyone was waiting around. I had my Dr there and a resident was also attending me. At this point I called my mom to tell her nothing much was happening and to say good night to the girls. Odessa wanted to know if she would have a baby brother in the morning- I told her I thought so, but was starting to doubt if he would be a May 5th baby or 6th some time . . .
8:40ish- I started having some bad cramps that felt more like I needed to go to the bathroom. The contractions started in full once I got out of the bathroom and I bounced on the birthing ball.
They were so hard and so fast, I was pretty surprised. I could hardly breathe through them with Stephen's help. I bounced away.
9:30- I told my nurse to have the Dr come in and check me. Because of my history, both Drs were there at the nurses station and the birthing table had been prepared hours before- someone finally listened to me!
9:41 - Franklin Lewis was born! It was the most painful of all my deliveries and I was sure I tore a bit when he came out. He was all tangled in his cord and he was gurgling a little, but he was pink all over and I wasn't worried. Every one of my deliveries have had a moment where I probably should be frightened (because the staff or Stephen have been), but I am always overcome with peace that my baby is fine. They quickly clamped and cut his cord in a number of places to get it off his neck.
They put him right onto me, the first time I have ever gotten to hold my baby right away and it was as bit as wonderful as they describe. They didn't weigh him till a bit later and they never took him from my room for any of his tests or anything, I loved it. He was 9lbs, 21 inches. I only had to have 1 stitch, and that was huge shock.
Stephen and I enjoyed that night and the next day just the 3 of us and 3 lbs of strawberries and a half gallon of chocolate milk that he was able to go across the street for since we had a mini fridge in our room. The girls and my parents came the next morning to meet the baby. They let us discharge the next evening at 7:30pm.
Overall- I do not regret being induced. I got my antibiotics which was safer for the baby and awesome for me because it meant I got to go home. My parents were here for almost a full week after he was born and that was a huge help.
Would I be induced again? No. I wouldn't. The labor, delivery and recovery were all different, and I didn't like the way it felt. The contractions felt forced- it wasn't as gradual (obviously, since I have never had such a short period of hard labor). My body did not have as high of levels of adrenaline and shock afterwards I don't think (indicated by lack of shaking and actually remembering the details of this delivery).
Even though, overall it would seem this was an awesome delivery, I still prefer the crazy, unpredicted and a bit longer labors and deliveries of the girls. But I am happy he's here (SO HAPPY) and I have had a good recovery. Because of his size, he was very fussy until my milk came in. He eats a ton and sleeps a ton and is more happy now when he has very brief awake moments. Because my back still bothers me, I still sleep in the recliner and so when he's fussy at night I can hold him and he sleeps better and I love those times.
Stephen got me an i-pod shuffle for Mother's Day so I can download e-books from the library website and listen to books while I nurse. BRILLIANT. I am loving it and am halfway through 36 hours of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
My feet are the size of bread loaves as my friend Becky would put it and I had to actually buy a pair of shoes size 12 to go anywhere. All the IV fluids and the pitocin as well can exacerbate that apparently. Bummer.
Stephen's parents are here now and Stephen will be able to take some significant time off after they leave. Feeling very blessed for all these things.
As for his name- that was a hard one. It took us until Monday morning to finally decide. We named him Franklin for my grandma Hambelton's maiden name and Lewis is Stephen's father's middle name (and his father before him as well). We felt really strongly about using family names and in the end, it was these names that had real meaning to us that won out.

Going home!!

Recap

Well, I am finally getting around to posting about the last few weeks! Most of the things that happened here are out of order, but that's ok. I put the recipes at the bottom so if you are not interested, you can skip that part. It's now May 1st and baby boy Hunt refuses to make an appearance on his own. I will probably consider some induction methods this week . . . depends on how my Dr feels the baby is doing. So now he won't be an April baby- which I am actually kind of sad about. I have a May baby- Ada's birthday is in 2 weeks!

Speaking of April babies, here is a photo of our April birthdays celebration. Last year, a group of women in my ward started this awesome tradition- a bunch of them have April birthdays. So they do a 10$ gift exchange of items bought at West Seattle stores and eat out at a West Seattle restaurant. I took this photo after Ketsy had to leave. We had a great time, can't wait to keep this tradition up!


My birthday has been 3 days of fun- every day starting Thursday we thought "better celebrate tonight, who knows if I will be around tomorrow!" That made for some FUN DAYS! lol Mom and I are focusing on playing since there isn't a baby to take care of yet.
I really wanted a WinCo cake, so when I was there last time, I got one!! It was good for memories, but next time I think I will let those who offer make me something . . .

On my actual birthday, Ada made me a blueberry, blackberry, strawberry cake (she's hold "it") and Odessa gave me my favorite pipe-cleaner creation of hers. I got many other nice things for my b-day including shipped in Chicago pizzas from Lumanati's (Gino's East put me into labor with Ada, so Stephen was hoping . . . ) and a video phone to chat with the Grandparent Hunts, an egg cook book and a little shopping spree to body shop thanks to a great Groupon! Not to mention a couple dinners out . . .


Now on to Easter
The girls in their Easter outfits- their hair looked much cuter this Sunday with Grandma here to help : )

Remember last year? This will always be one of my favorite photos ever


Easter egg hunt!






Tulip festival in Skagit Valley:
We had the most perfect day. Stephen took Friday off work so we wouldn't have QUITE as many crowds to deal with as we would have on a Saturday. But it was Spring Break after all, so there was plenty of people to contend with. This is our third year going up to the tulip fields and usually we drive around, park for free where we aren't "technically" supposed to (don't want to pay for parking) and have never paid for the big garden admissions. This year, I wanted to do it the "right way" and so we paid for admission at Roozengaarde, a 3 acre garden complex with every tulip variety known to man (seems that way). You also get to walk around a couple fields of tulips. We all loved it.
After driving around looking at some of the other fields, we went into La Conner for lunch and found a cafe with patio seating where we enjoyed chowder and fish and chips. We got an ice cream recommendation and ended up eating cones, sitting in the sun and overlooking the river. That's when Stephen said "why don't I do this more often?" - meaning take a day off work since he NEVER EVER DOES. It was the perfect combination of amazing sunny weather, good food and great family time out of the city.





















Recipes:


Marrakesh Stew (I actually learned last week that Marrakech is a city in Morroco- thanks to America's Next Top Model! And I am not ashamed of that fact.)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large red onion, diced large
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 3 3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 small eggplants, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• Cooked couscous (optional), for serving

Directions

1. In an 8-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 minutes. Add cumin, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, and allspice and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add carrots, potatoes, and squash and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and broth (vegetables should be completely covered by liquid; add water to cover if necessary). Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, 20 minutes.

2. Add eggplant, stir to combine, and simmer until eggplant is tender, 20 minutes. Stir in chickpeas, season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook until chickpeas are warmed through, 5 minutes. Serve stew with couscous if desired.

(so this is the stew that Odessa loved and it was very good. We did serve it on couscous. I again subbed zucchini for the eggplant- too expensive.)


One of the main reasons I wanted to make every recipe from Everyday Foods issue 79 was the groups of recipes- crepes and versions of crepe recipes, frittatas and version of frittatas, and of course all those smoothies! What do crepes and frittatas have a lot of? Eggs of course! lol
Here are a couple of the crepe versions and 2 of the frittatas.

Crepes with vegetables and goat cheese

• 4 Simple Crepes
• 8 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese
• 2 cups roasted vegetables, such as bell pepper, eggplant, mushroom, and onion
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 4 crepes on a rimmed baking sheet. Place 2 tablespoons goat cheese and 1/2 cup roasted vegetables down the center of each crepe. Season with salt and pepper. Fold edges over filling. Bake until cheese softens and filling is warm, 5 minutes.

We made 1.5 times the crepe recipe. We roasted bell pepper, mushrooms, carrot, zucchini, carrots and a potato sliced in wedges with olive oil in a 450 oven. We used white cheddar instead of goat because it needed to be used- these were very good, a big hit. The next morning we made the rest of the crepes with the batter and put strawberries, bananas down the middle with either vanilla-honey yogurt I mixed up or melted nutella drizzled on the fruit. DELISH!

Potato-leek Fritatta

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 leek (white and light-green parts only), halved lengthwise, rinsed well, and thinly sliced (1 cup)
• 2 cups cooked, cubed, peeled potato
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add leek and potato, season with salt and pepper, and cook until leek is translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add eggs and ricotta, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook, undisturbed, until edges are set, about 2 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top of frittata is just set, 10 to 13 minutes. Invert or slide frittata onto a plate and cut into 6 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cook's Note

The frittata will appear to be mostly liquid on top when you transfer it to the oven, but as long as the edges are set, the eggs will finish cooking evenly.

Onion, Spinach and Bacon Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced (1 cup)
• 2 cups frozen spinach (from two 10-ounce packages), thawed and squeezed dry
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon (5 slices)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and spinach, season with salt and pepper, and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add eggs and bacon, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook, undisturbed, until edges are set, about 2 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top of frittata is just set, 10 to 13 minutes. Invert or slide frittata onto a plate and cut into 6 wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

(both of these frittatas were huge hits- Stephen and I liked them and the girls really ate them well. I didn't substitute anything although I did add some cheddar cheese to the top of the spinach bacon frittata. We will be doing all these frittata versions a lot- I plan on making one strata or frittata a week to cut down on costs as we are getting 6-7 eggs every day).



Spicy Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black beans, picked over, soaked overnight, and drained
• 2 large yellow onions, diced small
• 2 jalapenos, minced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
• Diced avocado, diced onion, cilantro, low-fat plain yogurt, and tortilla strips, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, cover beans with cold water by 2 inches. Add one quarter each of onions and jalapenos and bring to a boil over high. Reduce to a rapid simmer; cook until beans are tender, 45 to 50 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer 1 1/2 cups bean mixture to an airtight container. Let cool, then refrigerate, and save for Mushroom and Black Bean Tortilla Casserole.

2. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add garlic and remaining onions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and golden brown, 10 minutes. Stir in remaining jalapenos, cumin, beans and their cooking liquid, and broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until beans are soft, 20 minutes (if necessary, add up to 1 cup water to keep beans covered).

3. Transfer 2 cups soup to a blender and add cornstarch. Puree until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to pot. Cook, stirring, until soup thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Add lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, top with avocado, diced onion, cilantro, yogurt, and tortilla strips if desired.

Cook's Note

Instead of soaking dried beans overnight, cover them with cold water by 2 inches in a pot; bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit 1 hour. Freeze leftover soup, up to 1 month.

(this soup was so good. I didn't sub anything. We had avocado, sour cream and chips on top- yum!! I just cooked a great big batch of beans for this soup and the casserole below- we doubled everything in the soup, made the casserole a little bigger to feed everyone).

Mushroom and black bean tortilla casserole

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 pound cremini or button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups reserved cooked black beans from Spicy Black-Bean Soup, or 1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 corn tortillas, warmed and halved
• 2 cups salsa
• 1 1/4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces)
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until browned, 7 minutes. Add garlic and cayenne; season with salt and pepper. Add black beans and stir to combine. Cook until beans are warmed through, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

2. Arrange 5 tortilla halves in a 2-quart baking dish. Top with half the bean mixture and 1/2 cup salsa, then sprinkle with one-third the cheese. Repeat with another layer of tortilla halves, bean mixture, salsa, and cheese. Top with remaining tortilla halves, salsa, and cheese. Cover with foil and bake until center is hot and cheese melts, 10 minutes. Uncover and bake until cheese is bubbling, 5 minutes.

(again, really liked this recipe. I liked the mushrooms as part of it, they were delicious. Didn't sub anything, just increased the amounts slightly to fill a 9x13)