And let me tell ya, he hiccups a lot, or it seems like a lot. After this week's lil freak out though, I don't mind feeling anything, even if he's hiccuping and it feels like he's so low in my pelvis that I feel his movements reverberating through my bones (which is very weird). He had been quite the kicker, but this week, he seems to have slowed down. I was feeling him very regularly and a bit vigorously, but in the last few days, his movements are less often and much more subtle, like shifting feelings than jabs. I was only a little worried until I mentioned it to Matt and he instantly suggested we immediately call our doctor. Then I started to obsessively worry. The odds of something being wrong, of a miscarriage (or, actually, now it would be considered a still birth), are very slim, yet... it does happen to someone. Think I've watched too much Long Island Medium lately; she is always talking to people who lost an infant and it's so sad. So all that night, I tossed and turned and couldn't stop thinking about how he wasn't hiccuping and kicking me in the ribs. I feel like I got no sleep and the next morning was super emotional. But I called my O.B. and the office instructed me to do a "kick test," for which I have to drink something sugary (28g of sugar in 8oz of O.J., can you believe that?!, vs 10g in hot cocoa and 20g in hot apple cider mix), then 15 mins later, I had to lie down somewhere quiet for up to an hour until I could count 4-6 movements. Well... he started jabbing before 15 mins of waiting, then I counted 10 movements in the first 10 minutes. So... he's fine.
It's a strange feeling, starting to become a parent. Both Matt and I feel this connection, this growing affection and care for this tiny little being who we haven't technically "met" yet, who we only get to interact with through kicks and jabs. Maybe more of it is our own projection and imagination about what he may be like as an infant, as a child, as our son, what our relationship with him might be like. And that's a very sweet thing to imagine. I had a very sweet dream about him a few weeks ago (think I was lucid dreaming) in which I was hugging my body pillow and thought "I wish this was my baby" and suddenly it was. He was probably a few months old in my dream, light brown and very soft hair, chubby cheeks. And in my dream, we just cuddled. It was one of those dreams that you don't want to watch up from and you hope you'll be able to recreate. I have this strange sensation of missing him, even though I haven't got to hold him (in my arms at least) yet.
 |
| Friends' holiday party |
 |
| Great pic of me, Matt, thanks... He was excited to be able to balance something on my belly. |
My ultimate holiday fav... I can't quit eating it...
Carrot cake "loaf"
(300 yr old recipe a la my grandma Georgia)
2 2/3 cups white sugar
2 cups grated carrots (about 3 large carrots)
2 cups raisins
2 T butter
1 teasp cinnamon
1/2 teasp cloves
1/4 teasp nutmeg
1/4 teasp allspice
---
1 1/2 teasp baking soda
3 cups flour
Preheat oven to 350` F. Bring water, sugar, carrots, raisins, butter and spices to soft boil, about 20 mins. Cool to room temperature. Remove 1 cup and add the baking soda; this will bubble. Stir well and add back to rest of mixture. Add flour and mix well. Pour into two greased loaf pans (7" x 4.5" x 2"). Bake at 350` F for 40-50 mins until brown and pulling away from edges. Tastes best after it's cooled, and the flavor improves as it ages (I think). Serve with cream cheese, or for those needing a sweeter taste, a cream cheese frosting.
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
2-3 Tbsp sugar
1 teasp vanilla
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
pinch of salt
---
powdered sugar to coat (about 1 cup)
Preheat oven to 300` F and prepare a large cookie sheet. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl, then add vanilla. Add butter in little pieces and combine with (clean) hands until mixture looks like a coarse meal with nut bits. Form dough into small balls no larger than a walnut, BITE size would be easiest later, and place on cookie sheet at least an inch apart. Bake 35 mins. When still warm but cool enough to touch, roll cookies in powdered sugar. Cool completely. When cool, dust again in powdered sugar. Makes about 15-20 cookies.
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teasp cream of tartar
1 teasp baking soda
1/4 teasp salt
---
Coating-- mix together in bowl:
1/4 cup sugar
2 teasp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400` F. Mix sugar, butter, shortening and eggs in large bowl. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Shape dough into 1 1/4-in balls. Roll balls in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2 in apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set (our oven cooked these REALLY fast, so I'd say 8 mins because these came out crunchy).
Step by step directions on the link, with pics
1 box red velvet cake mix (plus ingredients required for mix)
----
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, room temperature
4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 teasp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
----
16 oz Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate
6 oz Baker's White Chocolate
sprinkles (optional)
Bake cake according to mix. Let cool completely, then crumble in large bowl.
In separate bowl, cream butter and cream cheese til smooth. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, then beat until combined.
Incorporate half cream cheese frosting into cake crumbles, then add more frosting until the cake crumbles just come together (too much and they will be soggy). Scoop by tablespoon then roll into balls and place on wax-paper lined baking sheet. Refrigerate 1/2 hours.
Melt semi-sweet chocolate in microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring between, until smooth. Dip cake balls in chocolate using two forks, then place back on wax paper. Melt white chocolate and use a spoon to drizzle over cake balls. Sprinkle with colored sprinkles, then refrigerate until chocolate hardens. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Okay, one more non-dessert... from Matt's side of the family...
Cheesy Potato Casserole
i.e. "Mormon" Potatoes
also referred to as "Funeral Potatoes"
this is apparently THE quintessential potluck comfort food to bring to all occasions
8 medium potatoes (peeled or not), cubed (or shredded) and boiled til almost done
Mix in saucepan until cheese & butter melt:
1 can cream of mushroom or chicken soup
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 pint (2 cups) sour cream
1/3 cup diced green onions, diced chives or minced onion
Pour mix over potatoes in a 9x13 baking pan. Top with crushed Corn Flakes, and shredded cheese if you wish. Bake at 350` F for 45 minutes.
And in final news, I received my certification... now I just need to get a frame :)
.jpg)
