One of the motherhood-inspired bloggers I follow wrote an open letter to her baby. I thought this was a neat idea, so I am starting periodic letter-writing posts to our little guy or girl.
Dear Baby Towers,
It's week 19 of your prenatal experience (almost halfway!). I have been able to feel you move much more lately, although these feelings are still pretty faint. I wonder what you are doing in there. I expect you are exercising just like I like to exercise. I wonder how much you can hear and perceive. Do you know my voice yet? Do you know your dad's voice yet?
It still feels a little strange to say "mommy" and "daddy" when I'm talking about Aaron and I. We'll likely get used to it really quick once you are born. Being a parent is going to change everything, and I hope and pray that we will be good parents to you. Your dad talks about how much he wants to meet you and thinks this pregnancy is far too long to wait. He talks to you, I read and sing to you, and we both are planning and preparing for you to be born.
I want you to know that you are very, very wanted and very, very loved. Your dad and I felt a special spiritual prompting that it was time to start a family. And then you came right away! You are a special spirit that God wanted to be born soon. We were amazed at how that prayer was answered. Your life thus far has strengthened our testimonies, especially of how God knows each of us.
I have so many things to teach you, and I imagine lots of fun things to share and do with you. I am excited to meet you and learn all about your personality. Your dad and I love you as you are already, and we want you to blossom and grow up happy and self-confident.
I'm going to keep writing letters to you. One day I hope you read them and find joy in them.
All my love,
Mom (that is still strange to write!)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
18 weeks + Quiche
Baby Towers is getting active, or at least, I can feel the activity. The first distinct quickening was at 16 weeks, but I can feel the baby pretty frequently now. The movements are still really faint, so if I am not sitting/laying still, I usually can't detect it. I love it, I love knowing this little baby is alive and moving. What a joy it brings each time! How did we get so lucky?
In other baby news, my body is rapidly changing now. I am definitely showing and definitely gaining weight. Running on Wednesday didn't go so great, I think mostly due to the weight. (running today was better though!) I know my body is in it for a good cause, but I find the transitions in eating/activity habits challenging sometimes. I miss wearing myself out with a hard workout. But, would I give up this amazing process for that? NO WAY!
The second pregnancy brunch was today. More empathy, fears, joys, and laughter were shared among the ladies. I love having this "support group" once a month. I am excited to learn new things and hear their stories. One of the gals is due next week, which is really exciting! It's almost like graduating.
Last, I wanted to share one of our go-to dinner recipes. It is super easy and delicious. You can also vary to your tastes pretty easily:
Easy Vegetable Quiche
(Image courtesy of Steaming Gourmet)
Adapted slightly from allrecipes.com
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 - 1 onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli (you can also sub other veggies, we did half broccoli and half mushrooms this time)
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (we mixed in sharp cheddar with the mozarella)
• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese. Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until center has set. Perfect!
In other baby news, my body is rapidly changing now. I am definitely showing and definitely gaining weight. Running on Wednesday didn't go so great, I think mostly due to the weight. (running today was better though!) I know my body is in it for a good cause, but I find the transitions in eating/activity habits challenging sometimes. I miss wearing myself out with a hard workout. But, would I give up this amazing process for that? NO WAY!
The second pregnancy brunch was today. More empathy, fears, joys, and laughter were shared among the ladies. I love having this "support group" once a month. I am excited to learn new things and hear their stories. One of the gals is due next week, which is really exciting! It's almost like graduating.
Last, I wanted to share one of our go-to dinner recipes. It is super easy and delicious. You can also vary to your tastes pretty easily:
Easy Vegetable Quiche
(Image courtesy of Steaming Gourmet)
Adapted slightly from allrecipes.com
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 - 1 onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 cups chopped fresh broccoli (you can also sub other veggies, we did half broccoli and half mushrooms this time)
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (we mixed in sharp cheddar with the mozarella)
• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Over medium-low heat melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions, garlic and broccoli. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Spoon vegetables into crust and sprinkle with cheese. Combine eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over vegetables and cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until center has set. Perfect!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Ramblin' 2010
(pic from Cartoonstock)Aaron and I have been traveling a lot lately. At times, it has been great. At times, it has inevitably brought on exhaustion. We had planned on getting a lot done before Baby Towers comes to greet us (for the lifetime trip of parenthood). I haven't quite figured out the traveling-with-small-infant thing. So, in the meantime:
• late February: Ang travels to Fort Lauderdale for work. Packed schedule, but the humidity was a nice break for the NC snow.
• early March: Ang travels to Gainesville for work. She starts getting exhausted and zones out during her last interviews. On the plus side, she gets to see Haddocks and Towers (Aaron's fam) also located in Gainesville!
• mid March: Aar travels to Albuquerque to see his sister Ash and rocks it out with food, games, hunting, and family time.
• mid March: Both travel to Nashville for Susan and Lance's wedding. Booked flights the night before and survived on 2 hours of sleep. The wedding and "alone time" away together was totally worth it.
• late March: Ang travels to Tampa for work. Ok, these trips are getting a little old. Come home already.
• early April: Aar travels to Gainesville for our niece's baptism and nephew's ordination to the priesthood. Family time #2 - awesome!
We also have upcoming travels for Anna and Garrett's wedding in Sumter, Rob's graduation in San Diego, a family reunion in Georgia, visiting friends in DC, and a few other work trips. Of course, I am not including dates, due to pleaserobme.com. It looks like this crazy website is on hiatus, but they make a good point nonetheless. Read the story here... Where have you been ramblin'?
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
My Love-Hate Relationship with Technology
When looking back through my Feb-March posts, I noticed a pattern. Food, pregnancy, religious thoughts, food, pregnancy, religious thoughts. Could I be more predictable? :) To be fair, these items do occupy most of my free time outside of work and classes and they are important. This post could have been about the amazing Irish feast I prepared last night (except not amazing - it turned into a diaster), but I will try something new. Perhaps commentary? I will ponder new things to post.
On my mind as of late - the virtues and vices of technology. Technology is everywhere, it seems to have taken over everything with access to a pocketbook. I sometimes (actually often) go through fits about what to do regarding this takeover: fight it or embrace it, loathe it or love it? And, what about the environment Baby Towers will grow up in? Aaron and I remember a time without the internet or the microwave, so we have some pre-takeover context, but our child won't. And, taking that further, Aaron and I have never grown up in a time where we had make to survive (i.e., grow our own food, make clothes, build our home, etc). We have only known life where these tasks were deligated to companies, corporations, or other specialists.
On the positive side, all these technologies and luxuries allow us to excel in our individual fields. Both Aaron and I do health-related research. We aren't required to spend time gardening, sewing, and wood working; there are other experts who work in these fields. In theory, all these "experts" should allow a society to excel and progress more quickly. Technology, particularly the internet, has interconnected the world in a way it has never been before. We can reach out to others more easily (e.g, this blog), and we can learn about a great breath of subjects in a short amount of time. We can work from home or distantly. Everything is more efficient. Everything is cleaner, or so we think (another post for BPA, PBDEs, and phthalates later). Technology can lesson negative environmental impact, when used properly. From a religious perspective, communications technology helps to spread the message religions' want to express. Overall, we know and can do a lot more in less time and with less resources.
Sounds pretty good, right? But there is a really big negative side. What if we don't want to to be expert in just one or a few subjects? I've definitely seen some push back from our society here. People want to make to survive again (Etsy.com, case in point). People, myself included, are tired of spending all day in front of a computer. Society, and women in particular, and demanding a new type of lifestyle - one that allows them to be spread among many things, not pegged to a singular profession. Working from home is great, but do I really want to decide between attending to my baby crying and my Blackberry beeping? When companies make the things we eat, wear, and live in, there are shortcuts taken and quality lost. There is distrust between these parties, the market for lemons. We are getting fatter and lazier - we don't have to lift our garage door, unlock our cars, go to the post office, etc. And then, there is my biggest worry, my biggest fear for my child. The addictive side of technology.
Have you ever noticed how difficult it can be to not get online, turn on the TV, put your cell phone down, or not play the next level in your video game? I am just as guilty as the majority, but it drives me bonkers! Companies have a very vested interest in making new technologies more and more addictive, or making customers feel like we can't function properly without them. I really miss spending time reading something not on my computer screen, being outdoors for hours at a time, and spending more face-to-face time with folks that I love. Passive entertainment is not stimulating us or our children in the best ways. And what about the lack of censorship or societal "mores" online - e.g., the ubitquitous nature of pornography? In addition, we might be amusing ourselves to death—spiritual death. How can we feel the Spirit with the TV in the background?
Aaron and I cancelled our internet connection a few months ago, with the idea that we would go "internet-free" at home. That effort quickly failed, since we can pick up a neighbor's connection, and we are taking online classes/have work to do at night. Recently, we decided to go "technology-free" one night and one day of the week. Hopefully, we can make this work! I feel really strongly that we need to set a good example for our child. Technology is a wonderful thing, when used properly and in moderation. But, often, I long for a more life without it altogether. I would love to learn to make to survive. I would love a simple life with more talking, less watching.
What about you?
On my mind as of late - the virtues and vices of technology. Technology is everywhere, it seems to have taken over everything with access to a pocketbook. I sometimes (actually often) go through fits about what to do regarding this takeover: fight it or embrace it, loathe it or love it? And, what about the environment Baby Towers will grow up in? Aaron and I remember a time without the internet or the microwave, so we have some pre-takeover context, but our child won't. And, taking that further, Aaron and I have never grown up in a time where we had make to survive (i.e., grow our own food, make clothes, build our home, etc). We have only known life where these tasks were deligated to companies, corporations, or other specialists.
On the positive side, all these technologies and luxuries allow us to excel in our individual fields. Both Aaron and I do health-related research. We aren't required to spend time gardening, sewing, and wood working; there are other experts who work in these fields. In theory, all these "experts" should allow a society to excel and progress more quickly. Technology, particularly the internet, has interconnected the world in a way it has never been before. We can reach out to others more easily (e.g, this blog), and we can learn about a great breath of subjects in a short amount of time. We can work from home or distantly. Everything is more efficient. Everything is cleaner, or so we think (another post for BPA, PBDEs, and phthalates later). Technology can lesson negative environmental impact, when used properly. From a religious perspective, communications technology helps to spread the message religions' want to express. Overall, we know and can do a lot more in less time and with less resources.
Sounds pretty good, right? But there is a really big negative side. What if we don't want to to be expert in just one or a few subjects? I've definitely seen some push back from our society here. People want to make to survive again (Etsy.com, case in point). People, myself included, are tired of spending all day in front of a computer. Society, and women in particular, and demanding a new type of lifestyle - one that allows them to be spread among many things, not pegged to a singular profession. Working from home is great, but do I really want to decide between attending to my baby crying and my Blackberry beeping? When companies make the things we eat, wear, and live in, there are shortcuts taken and quality lost. There is distrust between these parties, the market for lemons. We are getting fatter and lazier - we don't have to lift our garage door, unlock our cars, go to the post office, etc. And then, there is my biggest worry, my biggest fear for my child. The addictive side of technology.
Have you ever noticed how difficult it can be to not get online, turn on the TV, put your cell phone down, or not play the next level in your video game? I am just as guilty as the majority, but it drives me bonkers! Companies have a very vested interest in making new technologies more and more addictive, or making customers feel like we can't function properly without them. I really miss spending time reading something not on my computer screen, being outdoors for hours at a time, and spending more face-to-face time with folks that I love. Passive entertainment is not stimulating us or our children in the best ways. And what about the lack of censorship or societal "mores" online - e.g., the ubitquitous nature of pornography? In addition, we might be amusing ourselves to death—spiritual death. How can we feel the Spirit with the TV in the background?
Aaron and I cancelled our internet connection a few months ago, with the idea that we would go "internet-free" at home. That effort quickly failed, since we can pick up a neighbor's connection, and we are taking online classes/have work to do at night. Recently, we decided to go "technology-free" one night and one day of the week. Hopefully, we can make this work! I feel really strongly that we need to set a good example for our child. Technology is a wonderful thing, when used properly and in moderation. But, often, I long for a more life without it altogether. I would love to learn to make to survive. I would love a simple life with more talking, less watching.
What about you?
Monday, March 15, 2010
Asian-Inspired Cuisine
Saturday we had some dear friends over to catch up, congratulate the recent graduate, and talk about gardening (they are the pros, we are the wannabes - posts to come!). Aaron and I pulled together a quick Asian-inspired meal that was pretty delicious and very easy.
Asian Dumpling Soup
• 2 boxes (32 Oz. each) Asian-flavored Chicken Broth (couldn't seem to find this so we added lots of curry and shredded coconut to regular chicken broth)
• 4-5 whole Carrots, Peeled And Sliced Thinly On The Diagonal
• 1-2 bags Frozen Chinese Or Thai Dumplings (we found some veggie dumplings at Whole Foods, but these can be Pork, Chicken, Shrimp, Veggie)
• 1/2-1 cup Mushrooms, Sliced Thinly
• 4 thin green onions, Chopped
• 1-1 1/2 cups Fresh Spinach Leaves
Pour the broth into a pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Add the carrots. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the dumplings and mushrooms and simmer for about 8 minutes. (Do not cook the dumplings at a rapid boil or they will break open.) Add the scallion and spinach leaves and continue to simmer for about two minutes longer, or until the dumplings are heated through and the vegetables are tender enough. We didn't have enough dumplings (used only one bag), so I added in a nice helping of whole wheat couscous. Super fast and easy! (recipe from TastyKitchen and pic from Epicurious.com)
Crab Rangoons (yummy!)
• 1 package wonton skins (small works best, but you could also use large and improvise)
• 1 package cream cheese (we used low fat)
• 1 - 1 1/2 packages flaked imitation crab
• 1 - 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 t. grated fresh ginger (you could likely used dried in a pinch)
• vegetable oil for frying
Mix cream cheese, garlic, ginger, and crab together. Place a small spoonful of crab filling into a wonton. Brush water onto the edge of the wonton (to make more pliable and sticky) and pull up point of wontons to surround filling. Close edges. You can form the wonton into a triangle, flower shape, or little wrapped oval (we did the ovals). Fry in oil over medium - mediumlow until golden brown. These cook pretty fast, so watch them. This recipe makes a ton of wontons, maybe 25-35. We served them with a Thai sweet chili sauce - AWESOME. Don't worry, I triple checked about eating imitation crab during pregnancy - it's cool. (recipe from babycenter.com and pic from recipetips.com)
Last, we mixied together a quick green salad with leftover spinach, carrots, and mushrooms. We threw on a ginger dressing to finish it.
Asian Dumpling Soup
• 2 boxes (32 Oz. each) Asian-flavored Chicken Broth (couldn't seem to find this so we added lots of curry and shredded coconut to regular chicken broth)
• 4-5 whole Carrots, Peeled And Sliced Thinly On The Diagonal
• 1-2 bags Frozen Chinese Or Thai Dumplings (we found some veggie dumplings at Whole Foods, but these can be Pork, Chicken, Shrimp, Veggie)
• 1/2-1 cup Mushrooms, Sliced Thinly
• 4 thin green onions, Chopped
• 1-1 1/2 cups Fresh Spinach Leaves
Pour the broth into a pot and bring to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Add the carrots. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add the dumplings and mushrooms and simmer for about 8 minutes. (Do not cook the dumplings at a rapid boil or they will break open.) Add the scallion and spinach leaves and continue to simmer for about two minutes longer, or until the dumplings are heated through and the vegetables are tender enough. We didn't have enough dumplings (used only one bag), so I added in a nice helping of whole wheat couscous. Super fast and easy! (recipe from TastyKitchen and pic from Epicurious.com)
Crab Rangoons (yummy!)
• 1 package wonton skins (small works best, but you could also use large and improvise)
• 1 package cream cheese (we used low fat)
• 1 - 1 1/2 packages flaked imitation crab
• 1 - 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 t. grated fresh ginger (you could likely used dried in a pinch)
• vegetable oil for frying
Mix cream cheese, garlic, ginger, and crab together. Place a small spoonful of crab filling into a wonton. Brush water onto the edge of the wonton (to make more pliable and sticky) and pull up point of wontons to surround filling. Close edges. You can form the wonton into a triangle, flower shape, or little wrapped oval (we did the ovals). Fry in oil over medium - mediumlow until golden brown. These cook pretty fast, so watch them. This recipe makes a ton of wontons, maybe 25-35. We served them with a Thai sweet chili sauce - AWESOME. Don't worry, I triple checked about eating imitation crab during pregnancy - it's cool. (recipe from babycenter.com and pic from recipetips.com)
Last, we mixied together a quick green salad with leftover spinach, carrots, and mushrooms. We threw on a ginger dressing to finish it.
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