Dear Baby Towers, Letter 3

Dear Baby T,

As our time tummy to tummy ends and we will soon meet you face to face, your dad and I feel a mixture of excitement and a little nervousness. Well, your dad is not really nervous, just me.

We are so excited to finally meet you! And we are excited for the birth - we have been preparing for some time now for a "marathon" of contractions and hard work. I hope that you are able to come into this world naturally and healthy. I am nervous about not having control over the labor process - basically, all of our preparations going out the window. I know this could happen based on circumstance, so, most important, we just want you to arrive healthy and happy.

Also, this pregnancy has been wonderful. I really can't complain about too much - you've been a joy to carry. :) I will miss it, miss protecting you like I am right now.

Last, I feel nervous about motherhood. We have been preparing so much for birth, but I'm not really sure how to prepare to be a mother. Your dad doesn't seem too worried though. You'll change everything - in a wonderful way. I hope I will be a good mother and a good example for you. I know I will make some mistakes, but I hope more good choices. Your dad is going to be awesome and lots of fun - not worried a bit about him! You couldn't have picked a better dad and role model. Plus, you have two great sets of grandparents, a loving extended family, and lots of friends.

Come soon so we can shower you with love!

All my love,

Mom

Quesadillas and Crumb Bars

A recent favorite - Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesdillas from Pioneer Woman. DE-licious! All grilling was done a la Foreman.

• 8 whole Flour Tortillas
• Butter Or Margarine
• 2 cups Grilled Pineapple, Sliced
• 3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 3 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
• Cilantro
• 3 Tablespoons Barbecue Sauce

To grill pineapple: cut wedges, stick on skewers, and grill over low heat. Cut into slices. To pound chicken, place inside a Ziploc bag and pound with a mallet or large can to flatten to uniform thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and Cajun spice (or cumin/cayenne, etc.) Grill, set aside, and slice into very thin slices. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides. To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top (yes please!). Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges. Serve with sour cream, salsa, etc.


I read about these Blueberry Crumb Bars on yourhomebasedmom - they don't dissapoint. Super easy recipe Aaron and I pulled together in about 10 minutes. We made half this recipe, but I would not hesitate to do the whole thing and give away some as treats. Yummers!

•1 C white sugar
•1 tsp. baking powder
•3 C all-purpose flour
•1 C cold butter (2 sticks)
•1 egg
•1/4 tsp. salt
•Zest and juice of one lemon
•4 C. fresh blueberries
•1/2 C white sugar
•4 tsp. cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Cut in butte and add egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the top. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool before cutting into squares.

Updates on T: Almost 38 weeks now. We are full-term and T could come any day now! I am suprisingly feeling great. My weight gain plateaued, but could still go up later. I had my first contractions (!!) at the end of week 35, since then I've only had cramping, nothing crazy. No major swelling, backaches, or anything else. Can't complain a bit. I just keep dropping stuff square on my stomach - call me Homer....

A Class Prepared

Here is a pic of Aaron's and my Bradley childbirth class - more hippies who really really want to do natural childbirth. :) Notice the one night Aaron was missing (out of the 12), they took a picture!

The class was a great experience - glad we did it. It definitely helped both of us feel more confident about birth - heck, I listened to Aaron talking to our unwitting dinner guests about the amniotic sac the other night!

Only one couple has had their baby that we know of - the rest are due between Aug 1 and October. There has been talk of play groups...

Miracle

Miracle
Author: Jewel

listen!

do you hear it?
i do.
i can feel it.
i expect a miracle is coming.

it has set loose this retlessness
inside of me.
expect it.
dream about it.
give birth to it in your being.

know! something good
is coming down the line.
finding its way to you
like all things find
their way to god's children.

listen!


Miracle of love
Author: Unknown

Before you were conceived, I wanted you
Before you were born, I loved you
Before you were here an hour, I would die for you
This is the miracle of love