This Lunch Brought to You by Our Local CSA Goodness

The other day I made this:

 

It tasted even better than it looks.

Blueberries, raw almonds, mushrooms, red peppers, red leaf lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.  Delicious :) 

No CSA pic from last week due to the craziness of the weekend, but I'll be back up to date this coming week.   

Pregnancy Update - With More Details Than You Might Want

I've got some cool posts in the works but in the meantime, I'll share what's been keeping me erm... busy.

Two days ago, after running around the house with the girls, playing, cleaning, and doing whatever I could to appease the massive nesting urges I was experiencing, I sat down for a minute only to be met with some of the worst back pain I've experienced thus far. 

And contractions.

Fantastic. 

I went into panic mode/lay on the couch and whimper mode.   I got some water and let the kids climb all over me until nap time.  By the time I talked to Shaun when he was on his way home, I was having trouble forming sentences without groaning and the contractions weren't helping.  The pain in my back was a constant and only got worse when a contraction would come along.

The contractions were sporadic and in and of themselves, not necessarily painful as much as they were uncomfortable. 

That night, the pain was bad enough that I was having trouble sleeping.  Add to that an extreme case of "I'm SO NOT READY FOR THIS!" and I had a bit of a panic attack and spent a good 30 minutes in tears, trying to decide if we should head to the hospital or not.  Thankfully, things settled down enough for me to fall asleep and I decided to reevaluate in the morning.

I woke up in the middle of the night downright miserable and found that a shower and some medicine were the only things that helped.  Managed to get back to sleep and the next morning I woke with much less back pain.  However, I would have a contraction every time I stood up for more than a minute or two. 

Off to the docs. 

Two hours there gave me some time on the fetal monitor, confirmation of frequent contractions, verification of no dilation, speculation of another UTI or kidney infection, a prescription for antibiotics, and instructions to sit/lay on my butt and rest while drinking tons of fluids.  Can do.

Last night I had three of the worst contractions I can remember within the course of 30 minutes before they finally abated and I was able to sleep. 

This morning, no more major contractions, little to no back pain, but the classic symptoms of a UTI/kidney infection.

Cue drugs and rest. 

So that's been the last two days around here.  Exciting, no?

So I'm packing a hospital bag and shaving my legs to ensure that he won't come within the next few days.  Because we all know what happens when we prepare.  NOTHING!  :)

Stay tuned for some cool posts.  (That's to say if Little Man decides to stay in there :)

A Preggo Pic - 34 Weeks

For my adoring fans:

 

OK!  Ok, I KNOW that's sort of cheating.  Black is just so delightfully slimming.

Here's the side view.  And no, I did not swallow a 3 year old, though it may look like it.  

 

There, people.  Happy? 

Summer Rule #1

Life is ever so much more fun if you're outside barefoot and (almost) naked.

If you ask her, I think she'd agree.

 
Hey, she can get away with it.  I, however much I might like to, can't.  So we do what we can.

(Pictured in a Rumparooz one-size diaper in the "Lil' Monster" print... we're pretty in love with these)

I Apparently Live in a Variety Show

The other day, I was sitting on the couch watching the girls fight play and had my feet tucked up beside me.  C was getting a little whiny, but typical "Mom-Magic" wasn't cutting it and she came over to whine directly into my face instead of from across the room.  Bean has already climbed up onto the couch and was trying to perfect the ideal belly flop onto my legs.  All at once, I felt sharp little teeth gently close over my big toe. 

I yelped, C grinned, (with my toe in her mouth, yes), and Bean cracked up.  So of course C repeated the process.  After a second or two, we were all cracking up. 

Until she stopped being gentle and bit the nonesense out of my big toe. 

I yelped again and hid my feet under a pillow. 

C was not happy at all.  Apparently, she liked that teething item.  I, however, did not.  

Bean, being sweet, said, "Mommy!  C can nibble on my finger!" 

Before I could dive over to prevent a dramatic reenactment of "Charlie Bit Me," Bean's finger was firmly between C's strong jaws.  C was amused.  Bean was most certainly not.    Poor kid.  I don't think she'll be eager to let C bite anything anymore. 

Well, at least she won't put herself in that position again.  5 minutes later, I overheard her whispering to C, "Go bite Mommy's toe!  Go get her!" 

I think I need to get some steel toed boots. 

CSA - Week 3

I've got a ton of fun things to post this week!  (And I WILL). But for today, I'll give you the weekly status update on our CSA yields:

Red leaf lettuce, blueberries, summer squash, eggs, a gorgeous head of some sort of lettuce that was almost too pretty to eat, mushrooms, red potatoes, beets, peas, green beans, bread (not pictured) and that thing on the bottom left, which is felted soap.  (We actually bought the soap). 

I love the colors this week.  We're planning to make some pink mashed potatoes for our oldest using some of the potatoes and a few beets.  I think she'll be tickled... well, pink.  Hehe.  We've all been enjoying raw peas from the pod.  Bean loves to shell them and eat them, and of course, C wants to eat everything Bean does, so it works out quite nicely.  Shaun's already made some green beans cooked with carrots, garlic, salt, and pepper.  I ate a bowl the size of my head. 

But the day this stuff came home?  I pulled out this gorgeous head of some sort of lettuce that was possibly the prettiest vegetable I'd ever seen.  I tried to capture it on camera but couldn't quite get the lighting right.  And I got really hungry.  Like I said, it was almost too pretty to eat.  Almost.

I put the entire head in a bowl with mushrooms, tomatoes, and blueberries and topped it with a honey mustard dressing.  It was delicious. (As if I expected anything else :)

Pregnancy Update

I haven't written a lot about this pregnancy, in part because I run around most days like I'm a chicken on crack and the full effects of pregnancy don't really hit me until I sit down.  And that happens, oh, at about 8:30 or 9 every night. 

The other reason for my relative silence has been how this pregnancy has been SO vastly different and so much more difficult than my first two.  I can't figure out whether it's been harder simply because I've had a 3 year old and a baby to take care of while going through the throes of all pregnancy stages or simply because this pregnancy was always destined to be a bit rougher around the edges. 

But despite the unpleasant parts of this pregnancy, the little guy inside of me is growing and moving and stretching like a champ.  And that's the important part. 

So far, at 33.5 weeks, I've gained 14 pounds which is greater by far than what I gained with C and from what I remember, on par with what I gained with Bean.  Some days this makes me feel ridiculously self-concious.  Some days I'm quite happy with that. 

I'm perpetually battling back pain on the lower right side, pretty extreme rib pain on the upper right side, and puffy feet on both sides.  My stomach is plenty big enough to provide a nice little shelf for C to ride around on, as she prefers to do. 

OK, ok, big is not the right word.  I look like I've been sucking on a helium tank and might float away at any moment. 

(And yes, yes, I will post a picture.  Soon).

But through all my discomfort, I still love most of all to sit still in the evening and rest my hands on my stomach and feel the acrobatics begin.  And despite the fact that every time I count down the number of days until he's supposed to arrive and begin to panic, I can't wait to meet this little guy. 

And that's what matters, most of all. 

That WOULD Be A Good Present, Actually!

The other night, we were sitting on the back deck discussing upcoming festivities and happened to mention my birthday.  Shaun asked Bean what she thought they should do to make it special. 

"Well... Me and Wobin and Daddy...  we can go outside and pick up doggie poo!"

And I totally promise and swear that I didn't put her up to that. 

I Didn't Get Lost, I'm Just Eating and Organizing (a.k.a. CSA - Week 2)

There's a lot going on here, most of which I'll post about later.

Anyway, for now, I'll give the rundown of our second week of CSA goodies! This week's theme was green, lots of green. Apparently, I liked the theme and "posed" the veggies and such on a green towel.

We have russian kale, peas, green beans, asparagus, rolls, a loaf of multi grain bread, spinach, blueberries, strawberry cream cheese (OH MY WORD THE DELICIOUS), green onions, and some kind of lettuce that I forget the name of, but that tastes wonderful. 

I did learn that I hallucinated a bit last week.  This farm, (as is the case with most MD farms), is not totally organic.  Most farms around here, (if not all), would have little to no yield without some form of pest control.  This isn't to say that everything is treated.  Our particular farm treats at most twice a year.  Being on the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, more than that results in heavy fines, so they tread a fine line.  In any case, it makes me sad as that's still something that's important to me, but I'm happy that we're getting REALLY fresh local produce, so that makes up for it.  And knowing that the farmer is doing his very best to do the very least in treating his crops is good to know.  Anyway, sorry if I mislead anyone.

Anyway, we're still thrilled to bits at the harvest and Shaun's enjoying the company in his work share group. 

I'm loving watching my daughter try new things as she gets excited about Daddy's "harvest" when he comes home on Fridays.  She can shell peas better than I can.  (Think I can get her to do the rest?)

Community Supported Agriculture = WIN

This year we decided to join a CSA, or a community supported agriculture group.  These are basically farm shares where you pay and get a weekly box of local produce grown on your selected farm or on farms nearby, (many farms work with each other to give their CSA members a greater variety).  We looked through a few online before finding the one we settled on and then Shaun noticed that they also offered work shares.  Every Friday, Shaun goes for 4 hours or so and works at the farm and in exchange, our share is free.

Here's a sampling of our first week's loot:

 

(The picture is horrendous, I know)

We got spinach, broccoli, radishes, green onions, asparagus, butter leaf lettuce, strawberries, mushrooms, potatoes, a small sample of cream cheese (not pictured), a dozen cage free farm fresh eggs (not pictured), and two loaves of bread (also not pictured) .  Shaun bought the small container of local honey on the bottom left.  

They said we'd get enough to feed a family of four for a week.  I'll say!  All this would have run us about 30 bucks if we were to be paying for a share.  

And another bonus?  All organic.  You couldn't spend $30 at the grocery store and get all this organically, no way. 

They also offer cut flowers at a discount, free herb trimmings, and free ice cream for the munchkins if we visit the farm. 

This is our first CSA, so I'm not really sure how it compares to other local farms in quantity or price, but we're impressed.

Anyway, I'll probably post week to week updates about what they offer to give those considering this for next summer, (or those who can find them this summer with openings!), a taste of what to expect!

And for those of you nearby, keep in mind that we have our monstrous veggie garden which will hopefully bear some considerable fruit this season...  so give us a call, we'll share.

Brain = Fried

In lieu of a normal post this morning, I leave you with this gem of knowledge:

At 12am, when your smallest outside-the-body munchkin is fighting sleep because she's convinced that a party is going on while she's supposed to be in her bed, you trying to corral her onto your lap is a bad idea.

It will result in a head thrown back into your face, giving you a sore and bloody nose. 

Just saying.

And for now?  I'm going to take a nap. 

And You Thought You Had a Weird Diet

We went grocery shopping today and Baby Brother was crowding himself all over my midsection.  Apparently, he took today to be the day when he would size me up for the chaise lounge he's been planning to move in. 

Anyway, I looked down and said, "Man, I feel so full!"  Bean peered up and me and said,

"What did you eat?"

"Oh no, not that, it's the baby making me feel full."

Her eyes widened and she patted my belly,

"You ATE a BABY!?"

Cracks. Me. Up.  She's on a roll lately.

Excuses, Excuses... Wait, WHAT?!

"Bean, please put your dirty clothes into the laundry chute."

"I can't, Mommy, I'm dead."  *flops on the floor and assumes a dead position*

"Bean..."

"Mommy, I'm dead and I can't move, so I can't."

I was laughing too hard to do much at that point.  But I did discover that a good dose of tickling can revive most anyone.

(And no, I have NO idea where she gets this stuff).

C - 13 Month Update

Dear C-Bunny,

You've had an eventful month.  You popped out 4 more teeth and started working hard on getting those molars through.  In the midst of molar melt-downs, you somehow ended up with Roseola and spent 3 full days as a cranky, feverish, and difficult little mess.  You didn't want to be held, but you REALLY didn't want to be put down.  Ibuprofen took the edge off and you'd sit in my lap and whimper from time to time.  Even sleep, which is generally how you cope best with teething and sickness, didn't do anything this time around.  It was beyond frustrating not knowing how to fix things to make you smile again. 

On the third day, you ended up with the trademark polka dotted rash.  Your mood improved, but you certainly weren't ready to stop being snuggled, which was fine with me.  Most days.  My productivity took a huge hit the past week.  As of today, your rash has all but faded away and you're back to your usual mischievous antics.  

And it seems as if mischief is becoming your natural friend as you get older.  This morning I was frantically loading the dishwasher in hopes I'd finish before you tried to climb inside (again).  You slipped out onto the sun porch with your sister and then the two of you ventured out onto the deck.  I watched you both color with chalk, investigate wet chairs, climb under the table, and roll a ball back and forth.  I could see you both from the window and grinned to see you guys playing so well together.  Then you made a beeline for the grass.  Apparently, your phobia has abated.  You crawled into the grass and contented sat there, looking around, for a good 10 minutes.  But as soon as you heard me coming, you took off like a shot further into the yard. 

You like running away from me.  Well, crawling.  Or toddling as fast as you can.  Often, it's because you've put something in your mouth that I obviously want to take away.  You hold it out and show me as if to say, "See this?  I'm going to eat it."  And as soon as I make a motion to take it, it's in your mouth and you're off and running.  And grinning.  At least until I catch you and scoop it out of your mouth.  You don't much like that. 

You walk as much as, if not more than, you crawl nowadays. I love the early walking days, when the Frankenstein wobble takes over and you  sway from side to side.  Toddlers indeed. 

This month you also learned to blow kisses, which I love, but not quite as much as the real kisses you tend to give me when you're particularly happy.  True, open-mouthed baby kisses, full of slobber and love.  I don't love it when you suddenly decide to close your chompers on my lip or cheek, but your intentions are good.  And it's so unbelievably invigorating to get a bit of unsolicited love back after so many months of smothering you with kisses of my own.

May we always have many long days and nights of snuggles, hugs, and kisses.  And may you always keep your mischievous streak.  It sure makes me laugh.  (Remind me of that next time you get into something major, ok?)

With hugs and many, many slobbery baby kisses,

Mama