Cake with no eggs, butter, or milk? Crazy Cake!

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Oh dear, this sweet tooth of mine has kicked it up a notch this last month.  I blame baby boy #2… or the heat… or genetics… or whatever!  I planned a few treats and desserts for our 2 week meal plan, but apparently that was not enough this go-round.  I found myself scrounging through the pantry this weekend, trying to come up with a recipe that could use ingredients that I had on hand.  Enter “The Crazy Cake” that someone happened to pin on Pinterest a few minutes before I’d signed on.  I think it was meant to be that they pinned it at that moment, don’t you?  What else could I do but make it?

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Crazy Cake.  Crazy as in it uses no eggs, no butter, and no milk.  When I told Chris that there were none of those things in this cake, he didn’t believe me.

And what’s cake without frosting?  I used this recipe which calls for all of 3 ingredients: coconut oil, dark chocolate chips, and vanilla.  If you want to go dairy-free, I’m thinking that you might be able to substitute carob chips for the dark chocolate {little bit of advice: make sure you wait till the icing is completely chilled and somewhat stiff before beating it – if it’s still in liquid form after the recommended 20 minutes, let it sit longer}.

I kept the cake in the fridge mainly because of the icing {it gets a bit runny if it’s too warm, and it’s been warm around Auckland these days}.  Chris and I both agreed that the cake and frosting were good.  Not out-of-this-world, but good and incredibly easy to throw together.  It’s also a nice recipe to have on hand if you’ve got guests with an egg or milk allergy.  I think that next time around, I’ll make it the same way but increase the frosting by half… we’re big frosting lovers in this house.

You’re probably wondering right about now, “Jenny, how do I make this crazy cake?!”  Well I’ll tell you…

Ingredients

  • 3 C all-purpose flour
  • 6 T cocoa
  • 2 C white sugar
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp white vinegar
  • 2 tsp vanilla essence
  • 10 T {150mL} vegetable oil
  • 2 C water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well with a fork or whisk.  Pour dry ingredients into a greased 9×13 inch baking pan.  Make one large impression in the center of the pan and 2 smaller impressions on either side of that (I just used the bottom of my 1 C measure to make the indentations).  Pour vegetable oil in large indentation, vinegar in one of the small indentation, and vanilla in the remaining small indentation.  Pour water over all, then mix with a fork.

Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Yield: 16 regular-sized pieces or 12 giant pieces

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The Last 10 Days…

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Well, I didn’t intend to go a week and a half without blogging a single thing, but that’s what happened.  To say that it’s been busy around here is an understatement.

On Business Trips…

Chris got back from a trip to the States where he had his fill of philosophy, barbecue, and beer.  In loving-husband style, he stopped in San Francisco to get me, his chocolate-and-peanut-butter loving wife, a travel gift…

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Oh yes, Reese’s PB Cups Minis and PB M&Ms.  Nothing like {mental} health food from the States!  I have to share, however, that after handing me the Target bag and after I’d photographed the goods, Chris backpedaled and said that he hadn’t meant for me to have the M&Ms, that those were for him.  Ha!  Very funny.  Just try to pry them out of my hands.

On Moving Out and Moving In…

After Chris got back it was go-go-go for about 3 days.  We were officially moving out of our house-sit and into our new place.  I was cooking, cleaning, and getting groceries delivered for our friends who were set to return from the US, and Chris watched Joe while trying to get over his jet lag.  In the midst of this was usual life: cooking for my family, keeping the apartment here clean, doing laundry, grocery shopping, watching Joe, and everything else.  Chris started teaching again at the university, as the semester here started last week.

On Dishwashers and Life Without A/C…

Our new place is nice, but like every new place, we’ve had a few adjustment bumps.  The dishwasher here didn’t work (so aggravating after having a non-working dishwasher at our house-sit for the last 2 1/2 months) but was thankfully quickly fixed with minimal disruption to our daily lives.  We have some beautiful views and basically an entire wall of windows, which is lovely but also a sun-catcher in the afternoon.  I’ve written before about how many homes in NZ don’t use air-con because, generally, it’s not needed.  The summer here doesn’t get into the high-90+F range like in the States.  But this summer has been a bit warmer and drier, and combine that with being pregnant and it gets a bit uncomfortable for me. Once 3pm hits, I get Joe up from his nap and we are out of here!  Otherwise, we bake.

On Small Kitchens and Silver Linings…

And speaking of baking and cooking and meals, I’ve learned to adjust to yet another new kitchen, this one the smallest we’ve had yet.

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It’s not bad, really.  I was thinking to myself, “The downside to having a very small kitchen is that you’re constantly cleaning and rearranging stuff.  The upside, however, is that it takes almost no time to do all of that.  Hooray!”  I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep to my 2 week meal-planning with the much smaller fridge and freezer, but so far, so good.

On Being Without a Car Again…

We gave up the vehicles when we moved to NZ nearly 3 years ago.  It was nice to have 24/7 access to one once again while house-sitting, and we’ve had friends who’ve let us borrow theirs in the past when they were traveling.  I really like the convenience of having a car, but I also really enjoy living in an area where I can walk to most places that I need to visit, have my groceries delivered, and avoid paying for things like petrol, insurance, maintenance, and parking.  I took this photo for a friend’s daughter back in the States as part of a class project that she was doing.

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Please note that this is per litre, not per gallon.  This was with a receipt voucher code for having shopped at the attached grocery.  In general, it’s $2.20/litre rather than $2.13/litre, which would equal a little over $8.30 per gallon.  Yeouch.  Definitely happy to be able to use my 2 feet to get most places – far more economical.  But like anything else with moving to a new country, you learn to take the good (such as the gorgeous weather, high quality of life, access to healthcare, etc., etc.) with the bad (like high petrol/food prices, high housing rates, etc., etc.).

On Surgery…

Chris has needed to have sinus surgery for the last 6+ years.  He put it off at first because we’d talked about it and decided it could wait… but over time, his sinuses got worse and his nighttime heavy breathing was bordering on snoring.  Over time, his sinus surgery became a point of… nighttime discussion?  Middle-of-the-night conversation topic?  Early morning wake-up call?  You get the point, I’m sure :-)   He went to see a doctor in the NZ public health system before we took our trip to the UK, then had follow-up upon our return.

It was looking as though Chris wouldn’t have the surgery till mid- to late-April.  With my due date in early May, this wasn’t ideal, but I didn’t mind – I was ready to have quieter nights (well, quieter on one side of the bed and a newborn on the other side of the bed!).  Then we got some news – a surgeon had a few slots open up on his schedule and Chris is set to have the operation this Friday.  Hooray!  We’re praying that his recovery won’t be too difficult and that he’ll be able to return to work on Monday.

All of this was a lesson to me on (1) communication and (2) putting myself in another person’s shoes.  It’s easy for me to forget, as a nurse, that surgery can be an anxiety-producing thing.  Recovery isn’t fun.  It’s one thing for me to push my husband to have surgery.  It’s another thing for him to be the one to actually go through the surgery.  Chris would never say that he was anxious about the operation, but I know that he’s not keen on taking off work or having his schedule interfered with because of recovery.  I felt a little selfish and spoiled for pushing so much, especially since we’d had another middle-of-the-night “roll over, you’re keeping me awake!” session just a few nights earlier (cue grimace right about now!).

I think that’s enough of an update for now.   I hope that all of you have been doing well and enjoying summer (if you’re on my side of the world) or winter!

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Baby Baby ~ 30 Weeks

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Something about that number “2″ changing to a “3″ makes reaching 30 weeks seem like a pretty exciting deal.  I know that I’m getting more and more ready for baby boy #2 to get here :-)

Joe decided to wake up crying at 4:30am today.  Perhaps he wanted to remind me of what’s in store once baby #2 gets here!

This is me around 5am when I finally gave up on going back to sleep… good morning!

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Here’s how things have been going since the 28 week update:

Weight Gain & Pregnancy Fitness

I’ve gained a little less than half a pound since my last weigh in and am on track for a normal, healthy pregnancy weight.  Lets hope it stays that way.  I’m continuing with my once weekly prenatal fitness class and visiting the gym twice a week.  Earlier this week, I thought to myself that it’s pretty pathetic when you look like you’ve already completed a full, sweaty workout before you even get to the gym (I usually walk there with Joe in the stroller).  I know that it’s cold and snowy in the States, but it is hot and humid over here.  I’m ready for the temps to come down juuuuust a little bit.

Appetites, Aversions, and Cravings

No aversions, but lots of heartburn.  Nothing I can’t handle by eating smaller meals more frequently.

Sleep

Aside from waking up at 4:30am today thanks to Joe, my sleep has settled into a pretty regular pattern with only a few nighttime waking sessions.

Baby Movement

Lots of movement!

Pregnancy Brain and Weird Dreams

I had to put a reminder on my calendar so that I wouldn’t forget to take my 2nd iron tablet.  Except then I kept forgetting to put the reminder on my calendar to remind me to take my iron.  I had my 28 week midwife appointment and we went over my lab results.  My iron is at the very bottom of the normal range, hence the addition of a 2nd iron tablet.  Hopefully it will help boost my energy levels and get me through these next 10 or so remaining weeks.

Other Odds and Ends

Did you know that in the UK, women who are in their 2nd+ pregnancies are only required to have a total of 5 midwife visits?  That’s it – just five!  Granted, this is only for women with a history of uncomplicated pregnancies and no significant health issues or risk factors.  In other words, if we were still in Oxford, I’d have met the minimum requirement and not have any more appointments on the schedule.  Interesting.  My midwife shared this with me when she said that if I wanted, I could stretch my next appointment out to 32 weeks rather than 30 weeks (in other words, come every 4 weeks rather than every 2 weeks, which is what happened when I hit the first trimester when pregnant with Joe).

I wasn’t sure that I wanted to do that, but then I thought about it and realized that it was a good idea.  I’ve got a lot on my plate and having one less appointment is nice.  My midwife was supportive of whatever I wanted to do and said that if I did come at 4 weeks instead of 2 weeks, I was to call with a status update or let her know if anything was a concern.  So far, everything feels fine.  Lets keep it that way!

And last but not least… I think that we’ve decided on a name.  I’m not 100% certain yet, but Chris is already referring to baby boy #2 by this name so I’m guessing it’s going to stick.  I like the name, but we went back and forth on so many different ones for such a long while (and then there was the whole, “I’m completely convinced this baby is a girl” thing) that I need a bit longer to get used to it.  Like with Joe, we’ll keep it a surprise till after he’s born, but I wanted to have a name settled so that I can get all of the passport paperwork sorted in advance.  Those who know me well will not be the least bit surprised that I’m filling out my child’s official paperwork before he even gets here.  It pays to be organized!

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New Place

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We have finally moved all of our things into our home-for-the-next-4-months.  We haven’t officially moved in yet, as our house-sit continues for about another week, but all of our gear is sorted.

Here’s a picture of our storage unit pre-emptying.  This thing was packed to the hilt.

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The storage center employee originally tried to get us to commit to a smaller unit.  I have to give her credit for not trying to sell us a space that was bigger (and more expensive) than what our needs required, but I’m glad that I stuck with my gut and said we’d take the next larger size.  There are boxes and furniture all the way to the back, packed to the sides, up to the ceiling, and inside suitcases and drawers.

Here are a few snaps of our place before everything started to arrive.  It’s a smaller apartment and yes, it does have a small 3/4 size fridge/freezer, but I’m happy with it for the next 4 months.  It’s close to our church, friends, several parks, library, grocery, and both of our places of employment.

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This is our new kitchen. I was standing in the bathroom to take this photo.  And here it is loaded with stuff that’s waiting to be put away.

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Yikes.  It doesn’t look like this anymore, I can assure you.  Almost everything found a proper home.  The only 2 items that had to go on the chopping block were cookie sheets that didn’t quite fit in the smaller oven.

Next up, the bathroom.

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We still have Joe’s flexibath, so that will have to go on the floor of the shower.  No tub!  And just to the left of this photo… my washer and dryer!

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I’m very thankful to (a) have a large washer and (b) have a dryer, period.  Many dwellings in NZ don’t have dryers and while I do almost 99% of our drying on the line, I still like to have one for emergencies.  Plus, there isn’t as much space in this place as our previous one, so I’m curious to see how well line-drying will go here.

Here’s the lounge.  Lots of natural sunlight, though it does get pretty warm in the afternoons.  I’m sure that will be great in winter, but it’s summer at the moment!  The bedroom doors are to the left in these photos.

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The first door to the left is our room, the second door is Joe’s room.  Yes, Joe gets the room with the view.

Here are some photos of the lounge pre-organisation…

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Oh my, what a mess.  I’m glad it’s sorted now.  I did most of the organising and putting away after church on Sunday while Chris went back to our house-sit and put Joe down for a nap.  They joined me later and Chris put away the DVDs and took care of the mountain of boxes and the few rubbish bags that had accumulated.  I’m very thankful that he and 2 guy friends from church were able to move all of the heavy, cumbersome items in without me.  I am past the point in my pregnancy of holding up one end of a sleeper sofa, I’ll tell you that right now.  After the guys left (they were only able to help out for about 2 – 2.5 hours because of other commitments), Chris single-handedly unloaded and moved everything else out of the storage unit.  Again, I’m glad that I didn’t have to deal with that.

So, our room…

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And then again pre-organisation…

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It’s still a bit of a mess, truth be told, though the bed is set up and night tables are in there.  I don’t know about you, but our bedroom always seems to get the least bit of attention from me.  This particular room is small and has a sliding door entry.  I described it to Chris as a large closet with a closet, but at least it has a connecting door to the bathroom :-)   Many of the apartments that we looked at didn’t have latching doors for bedrooms, but I wanted at least one room (Joe’s room) to have a latching door that will keep out noise.  I’m thinking ahead to those middle-of-the-night nursing sessions that are in my not-too-distant future.

And Joe’s room…

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And again, pre-unpacking…

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Never fear, those windows don’t open any more than they are in the photo, though I am a bit concerned about him dropping things out of the lower window.  That one may have to remain closed most of the time.  There’s a small closet in here, too.  I have one of those hanging shelving units in it and it’s a life-saver for storage space.  Setting up his room made me realise how much I’m going to miss that cot.  I bought it from Mocka.co.nz and it’s been such a great little piece of furniture.  Economical, easy to set up, and the perfect height – not like the cot we’re using now which is much higher off of the ground and harder for me to reach into and out of in the later stages of pregnancy.  I’m going to enjoy his Mocka cot these last few months!

I’ll try to get around to putting up post-move-in photos, but we were in a rush to get out at the end of the day and I completely forgot.  I still need to do some cleaning, but I don’t have any plans on going back until we get confirmation that the lock is fixed.  Yes, that’s right – the lock is broken.  It locks from the outside but when you lock from the inside, you can get locked in!  I discovered this on Sunday afternoon when I was there with a dead cell phone.  Chris had warned me that the inner handle of the main door was loose, and it took some Macgyver-style engineering + prayer to get it open again.  Obviously it wouldn’t have been a disaster – Chris knew that I was there and I knew that he was planning to come over in a few hours with Joe, but being in a locked apartment and unable to get out is still a hazard!

One more nice little feature of our new apartment (to help make up for the broken lock): the building has an air-conditioned fitness room and a pool.  I’m sure that Joe and I will like being able to nip down for a swim when he and I are going stir-crazy in a slightly smaller living space!

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Coromandel Peninsula: Cathedral Cove

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We decided to take a day trip this past weekend to Cathedral Cove in the Coromandel Peninsula.

Auckland to Cathedral Cove

image via Google Maps

It was about a 2 – 2.5 hour drive from where we live.  Joe did so well in his car seat and Chris and I were able to enjoy the beautiful Saturday morning scenery.

You might recognize Cathedral Cove from the movie “Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”.  This is where the Pevensey children return to Narnia via the London train station.

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Cathedral Cove can be accessed via boat or the way that we did it – hiking down the trail.  The trail really is a hike down, with several flights of stairs scattered throughout and a grand finale of 12 flights to get to the beach.  Of course, the review that I read didn’t mention this.  What it did mention was that there were 5 flights of stairs and that 2 fit adults should have no problem bringing along a stroller, so I thought, “Great!  Let’s bring ours.”  We have a City Mini which isn’t too big and folds quite quickly and easily, but I wouldn’t recommend bringing anything larger than that.  In the end I was glad to have it, but a backpack carrier would have been the better bet.  The trail is unpaved and has quite a few uneven patches and exposed roots, not to mention all of the steps.  But I was bound and determined to push that stroller there and back, and it wasn’t too hard for me at 28 weeks pregnant.

Here’s Joe, waiting with me for Chris to get back from parking the car.

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A word to the wise: arrive early during peak holiday season (December – March) unless you want to park at the bottom of the hill!  We got back from our hike and saw several cars whose drivers had decided to leave them on the Cathedral Cove carpark sidewalks… and they were all ticketed.  So don’t do that, either!

Here are a few shots of Hahei Beach and Gemstone Bay.

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The nearest town is Hahei – you can stop there for food items from the market or pick up sandwiches from the local cafe, which is what we did, and bring them with you to Cathedral Cove.  Just be aware that it’s a tourist stop, so you’ll pay a bit more.  We anticipated that but if you’re traveling with a large crew, it might bite into your budget more than you were expecting.

Looking down towards Gemstone Bay and Stingray Bay…

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Chris came back from parking the car and we headed on our way.

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I think that I’m making a weird face in the above photo – this was about the 14th attempt from Chris to get a picture where Joe and I were both looking at the camera at the same time.  I think that I was smiling and saying “Just take the picture!!!”.

We walked down the trail and there were a few moments of grumbling from yours truly when Chris hiked on ahead, leaving me to navigate over roots and rocks with the stroller, Joe, the nappy bag, and our beach bag.  I may or may not have done a Kate Gosselin and loudly yelled, “Chris!” at one point.  Whoops.  But he got the picture and waited for me, then kept a closer distance between us in case I needed help getting over stairs or roots.  The hike down was really nice and we were laughing a lot of the way.  At one point, 2 parents passed us on their way back up.  The dad was carrying a sleeping baby and the mom, who looked hot, sweaty, and tired, was holding a toddler’s hand.  As they walked by, I heard the mom say to the dad, “Look Ron – another pram!” as if to say, “Wouldn’t it have been a great idea if we had brought one (or at least a backpack carrier)?”  The dad didn’t say anything!

We finally got down to the beach and wow – what a view.

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I let Chris take over baggage porter duties once we reached the sand, and he let me photograph to my heart’s content while also keeping an eye on this little man, who was bound and determined not to be beaten by the waves.

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Joe is still not very comfortable around the ocean (I’m not either, truth be told) but he was a trooper and kept coming back to the water’s edge to hold my hand and let the waves wash over his feet and legs.

After sitting in the shade to eat our lunch and me doing a bit of a search for the “long drop” toilets (aka, pit/vault toilets) and finding them (thank goodness!), we walked a bit further and I got to take more photos.

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Chris and Joe came back from exploring the other side of the beach and took a few photos of Joe and I together.  Joe has started doing what I refer to as a “kisses attack” where he puts his hands on either side of my face and kisses me over and over again!

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A little bit windblown…

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We had such a great time.  My only regret?  That we weren’t there longer!  But eventually it was time to head back up the trail (and up those 12 flights of steep stairs) to the car and get on our way home to Auckland.  Joe was one sandy little guy.

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I’m really glad that we were able to visit Cathedral Cove.  It’s so crazy for me to think that we’ll be leaving NZ in about 4 1/2 months.  There are still so many things that I want to see and do here.

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Recipe: “Not-Quite-Scotcheroos”

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These bars are the kind of thing your dentist warned you to stay away from.  Sticky?  Yes.  Chewy?  Yes.  Sweet?  Oh yes.

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Not-Quite-Scotcheroos

I decided to call these “Not-Quite-Scotcheroos” because they’re like Scotcheroos, but not quite.  Not very original, but there you have it.

Why aren’t they scotcheroos?

Reason #1 – I can’t find butterscotch chips in New Zealand.

Reason #2 – I’d have to go to an import store to get corn syrup.  And I really don’t want to (a) go the American import store or (b) buy corn syrup.

Nonetheless, Chris was asking for something resembling Scotcheroos.  I told him that I didn’t know how successful I’d be, but that I’d try.  I think that based on the photo above, you all can see that I’m a culinary whiz :-)   That, and these bars are pretty hard to ruin.

Not-Quite-Scotcheroos

Yield: 18 bars

Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.

Measure sugar and syrup into a large saucepan and stir to combine.  Place saucepan over low heat and stir frequently till mixture reaches a moderate boil.  Allow to boil for 10 seconds, stirring constantly and making sure it doesn’t burn.  Remove from heat.

Add peanut butter to saucepan and stir till fully incorporated.  Add rice cereal and mix till cereal is evenly coated.  Pour into prepared dish and press down to get a smooth surface.

Pour chocolate chips into a small saucepan and heat over lowest setting possible, stirring constantly till chips are melted.  Remove from heat and pour over cereal mixture, smoothing out across the surface.

Place in refrigerator to set and cool.  Remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you need to serve, otherwise cutting these will be a real nightmare!

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Baby, Baby ~ 28 Weeks, 3rd Trimester, and on Becoming Forgetful Jones

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Hooray for the home stretch – the 3rd trimester is finally here!  Or as my friend D said, I’m 66% done.  That makes me think of the progress updates that the gym machines give me… only 33% remaining in this pregnancy workout :-)

Do you want to know what a very tired, 28 weeks pregnant mother to a 20-month-old looks like?  Here, let me show you…

010Ugh, I feel huge.  I can’t imagine how much bigger I’m going to get over the next 12 weeks.  But enough with the self-critiquing.

Here’s how things are going since the 26 weeks update:

Weight Gain

On track.  I’m following my pattern of gaining no to little weight for the first 2 trimesters then kicking it into gear once I start the 3rd trimester.

Pregnancy Fitness

It’s getting harder for me to do my prenatal fitness class, but I’m still going.  The class is 1 evening a week and I also go to a local gym 2 mornings a week.  I’ve backed off on the DVD, mainly because of being so tired and because of doing so much extra walking with Joe in the stroller.

Appetite, Aversions, and Cravings

Appetite is the same – hungry in the morning, then generally little appetite for the rest of the day.  Heartburn has started to rear its ugly head so I don’t like to eat past a certain point in the day, otherwise I have even more trouble getting to sleep.

Sleep

Not the greatest.  I’m waking 2 – 3 hourly to use the bathroom.  My body must think that all of the waking means it’s time to get up, because right around 3am I struggle to fall back asleep and am generally up for an hour, hour and a half.  Chris has been a big help recently.  Rather than leaving at his usual 6am, he’s been waiting to feed Joe breakfast (Joe’s usually up just before 6:30am), letting me sleep till 7am.  I really appreciate it.

Baby Movement

Baby #2 is moving all the time!  Sometimes it’s surprising how often he moves.  I’ve also had a lot more Braxton-Hicks (which spell check keeps trying to tell me should be “Brampton-Hicks”!) contractions than what I remember with Joe.  It makes me wonder if this baby will be content to hang out till 40 weeks.  I not-so-secretly hope that he’ll come 1 or 2 weeks early, but I know that he’ll come in his own time.

Pregnancy Brain and Weird Dreams

I’ve turned into Forgetful Jones these past 2 weeks.

Things that I’ve forgotten…

  • Walked almost the entire way to Joe’s 1st swim lesson of the this term, only to realize that I’d left the bag containing all of our swim gear at home.  There wasn’t enough time to walk home and back again, so we missed the lesson.  Argh.  Made it to the second one, though.
  • Went to the library to return a book that was due.  Walked all the way there pushing Joe in the pram, only to realize that I’d left the book at home.  Had to ask for an extension.  Someone else had a hold on it, but they gave me another 48 hours.  I think that they took pity on me because of being pregnant.
  • The same trip, I brought along my camera to take photos of “Flat Lydia”, a paper cutout that is part of a class project for a friend’s little girl back in the States (she travels to various states and countries and I’m to take photos and write about what we did while she was with us).  I pulled out my big, heavy camera only to find that I’d forgotten to put the memory card in the slot.
  • Went to work out at the gym and left my clean socks at home.  Ending up wearing my workout socks home.  Gross.
  • Got myself all frustrated because I couldn’t get the grocery budget figured out.  I thought I’d planned so well and was doing great with my 2 week meal plans/bi-weekly grocery-going (another of my “lets see if I can do this” projects), but for some reason I thought that I was waaay over while doing my most recent online grocery shop.  I went through, re-worked the menu, then finally threw my hands up (figuratively speaking) and placed the order even though it was over budget.  Twenty minutes later, I realized that I’d gotten my numbers wrong and had an extra $60 available to spend.  Urgh.  Oh well.  I told Chris that the upside is that we’ve got some wiggle room for if I find that I’ve forgotten something or if I get a terrible chocolate craving.

Other Odds and Ends

I’d written about the upcoming change in our living situation in the last pregnancy update.  Good news: we’ve signed a lease on an apartment!  The refrigerator/freezer in the kitchen is smaller than what I’d hoped for and the master bedroom is a tight squeeze, but I’m OK with that for 4 months (yes, they let us do a 4 month lease and no, it’s not furnished – basically, it ticks a lot of the boxes on my wish list, so I’m happy).

I’m also thankful that we haven’t had any more bouts of illness.  I felt like I was doing so much extra laundry and endless loads of cloth nappies.  I’m glad that’s ended for at least the time being.  The washing machine (and I) need a break.

I don’t like to harp on this, but about my weight gain/pregnancy size… I know that I’m not huge, and I know that going to my prenatal exercise class and working out at the gym are good things, but I still feel like I resemble Mrs. Potato Head.  Most pregnant women reach a point like this (unless they’re Heidi Klum)… I’d just hoped mine would be delayed a little bit!  I still weigh less now than I did pre-pregnancy with Joe, and when I think about that, I realize that I’ve come a good long way since last time.  A sweet woman at the gym asked me how far along I was the other day and when I told her, she said, “Goodness – you’re a small package.  You don’t look that far along at all!”  I wanted to hug her :-)

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Oatmeal Banana Applesauce Loaves with Chia Seeds and Honey

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I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen again.  Sometimes it goes badly, but this time it went well.  Really, really well.

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I made up a batch of these Oatmeal Banana Loaves using some applesauce, chia seeds, and honey.  They’re made without eggs and they’re gluten-free.  They’re also delicious.  Not too sweet and with just a little bit of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Oatmeal Banana Applesauce Loaves

Yield: 8 mini loaves or 12 muffins

  • 1 1/4 C rolled oats
  • 1/2 C plain, low-fat yoghurt
  • 1/2 C fat-free or low-fat milk
  • 1 1/2 C oat flour (see tip on how to easily make your own oat flour)
  • 2 – 3 tsp cinnamon (it’s a matter of taste)
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/3 C mild-flavored honey
  • 1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 T chia seeds
  • 2 1/2 T warm water
  • 2 large, ripe bananas, mashed
  • 2 T vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 375F/190C.

In small bowl, combine rolled oats, yoghurt, and milk.  Set aside for at least 10 minutes so oats can absorb liquids.

In a small cup, combine chia seeds and warm water.  Stir together and let sit for 2 – 5 minutes or till a gel-like consistency (this is your egg substitute – if you prefer, you can just use 1 large egg, well beaten).

In large bowl, combine oat flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Stir together, then add honey, applesauce, mashed bananas, and vanilla essence.  Add in chia mixture and stir till well combined.

Pour rolled oats and yoghurt mixture into oat flour mixture and stir till a uniform consistency.  Spoon into 8 greased mini loaf pans or 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or till tops are lightly browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Tip: To make your own oat flour, pour just under 2 C of rolled oats into blender or into food processor with blade attachment.  Pulse until a flour-like texture has been reached.  Be sure to measure out the oat flour, as it may be a little more or a little less than what is called for in this recipe.

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Applesauce Cinnamon Sugar Cookies

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I was in the mood for cookies earlier this week.  Unfortunately, I hadn’t counted on cookies when I did our 2 week meal plan and shop, so the usual cookies that I’d make were out of the picture as most of the ingredients for them were either unavailable or earmarked for something else.

What to do, what to do… improvise!  Nothing like a hungry pregnant woman to force some innovation in the kitchen :-)

I did a few Google and Pinterest searches and found a recipe for these beauties: Applesauce Cinnamon Sugar Cookies.

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Healthy?  Um, no – not really.  Delicious?  Oh yes.

Easy to make, too, and they yield a decent amount: 2 dozen cookies {roughly 1.5 inches in diameter}.

I used some of my homemade applesauce that I had in the fridge plus 6 other ingredients and voila – cookies!

Applesauce Sugar Cookies

  • 1/4 C unsweetened applesauce (I make my applesauce with cinnamon – that’s fine!)
  • 1 C (225g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 C powdered/icing sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon, divided
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 C granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 325F/160C.

Beat applesauce, butter, powdered sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until well combined.  Slowly add in flour and continue beating until everything is mixed and there are no lumps.

In a small bowl, stir together granulated sugar and remaining teaspoon of cinnamon.  Shape cookie dough into balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Place on greased cookie sheets and slightly flatten.

Bake in preheated oven for 18 – 20 minutes, then cool on wire rack.  Try not to eat too many at once :-)

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I wasn’t the only one who liked them!

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Flying Fox Fumble

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I’ve written before about how playgrounds in New Zealand are, in my opinion, just a little more risky than playgrounds in the USA.  I don’t think this is a bad thing.  Quite the opposite, really.  It makes sense to me to think that kids will take risks no matter what, and that creating a playground that supports a controlled, safe risk is better than a playground that removes all risk.  A playground that removes all risk (you know the ones I’m describing – the swinging bridge is an inch off the ground and surrounded by rubber peanuts) leaves children bored.  They end up trying to make things less boring, and thereby more risky, by using the equipment in an unsafe way.

Regardless of how risky or not risky a playground is, parents should still be watchful when their kids are on it.  I try to hold back some of my mothering fears and encourage Joe to take safe risks while at the playground with me nearby to catch him if he falls.  However, it seems to be one of those facts of life that fathers are more likely to encourage risk-taking than mothers.  Case in point: Joe’s episode on the flying fox (i.e., zipline).

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Before you get too worried, no, Chris didn’t send our 19 month old zinging down the hill by himself.  He was running alongside him with his hands on Joe’s waist.  But boys being boys, and big boys being little boys at heart, they got going faster than expected and Joe zoomed forward with more force than anticipated there at the end.  The result: he bit down hard on his lower lip and there was a fair bit of blood.  Still, no worse for the wear.  He was smiling and laughing again within minutes.  Just another battle scar to add to his already skinned knees.

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I think that many playground safety improvements are good ones, especially the rubber surfacing that covers the ground on most.  But I also think that making a playground “too safe” has the opposite effect by encouraging overly risky behavior in kids and by lulling parents into a sense of false security.  What are your thoughts on playground safety?  Do you think playgrounds today are “too safe”, and thereby boring and more likely to encourage unsafe risk-taking?

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Honey Cola

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This is one of my new favourite drinks:

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Honey Cola, by Pheonix Organics.  Pheonix is a New Zealand company and I’ve had several different flavours of their beverages, always with good results.  But when I saw this one at the Ceres Fresh Market, I was a bit skeptical.  I like honey, but I wondered how good a cola made with it could be.  Especially a caffeine free cola.

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Oh yes, caffeine free.  Music to this pregnant woman’s ears.  I bought a bottle, took a drink, silently passed it to Chris for him to take a taste, and we both agreed: delicious.  You can certainly taste the honey, so if you’re not a honey fan then I wouldn’t recommend it (go for their non-honey sweetened version!) but it tastes like caffeinated cola to me.  Chris was surprised that it had no caffeine, and a little disappointed as he’d run out of coffee beans that morning, but still liked it all the same.

I did a bit more research and found that in addition to Honey Cola, they also make Honey Ginger Beer.  They also make Cola, Cream Soda, Ginger Beer (love this!), Lemon Lime and Bitters (love this, too!), Lemonade, Orange Fizz, Raspberry Fizz, a variety of juices (sparkling and non) in partnership with Charlie’s, mineral waters, and hot beverages.  All of it organic.

I found the Honey Cola at the Ponsonby Central Ceres Fresh Market.  I’m not sure if it’s carried at my local grocery, but I hope that it is!

Check out the Pheonix Organics website for more info.

image via

What about you?  Do you have a favourite organic cola or drink?  Do share!

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First Dental Appointment

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Joe had his first ever dental appointment last week:

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This was the best photo of the bunch.  He was a happy little boy but wasn’t quite at 100% that morning.

Note that I said it was his first “dental” appointment, not dentist appointment.  He was seen by a dental therapist.  Makes sense, considering that the whole visit lasted about 15 minutes, max.  She used a dental mirror to examine his teeth and gave Joe a dental mirror to do his own examination.  He didn’t want to give it back :-)   He also got to check the teeth in a giant mouth and received not one, but two stickers.  A big day, indeed!

His teeth looked great and she was glad to hear that he didn’t put up a fuss during tooth-brushing time.  She gave the standard advice about only drinking water and no sticky, sugary sweets between meal times.

One thing that I think is quite clever?  The fact that the dental clinics are linked up with schools (dental care is provided for NZ children up to age 18).  Joe’s clinic was on the grounds of a nearby primary school.  How convenient for parents!  No more mid-day runs or late-to-school drop-offs when your child needs a dentist appointment.  They can just walk on over, provided that their school has a clinic.  Good thinking.

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To Market, To Market

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One of Joe’s preferred books these days is a book of nursery rhymes.  He’ll bring it to me and say, “Baa, Baa?”, as he knows that the first rhyme in the book is “Baa Baa Black Sheep”.  Another rhyme in there is “To Market, To Market”:

To market, to market to buy a fat pig. Home again, home again, jiggity jig! To market, to market to buy a fat hog, home again, home again, jiggity jog!

While we didn’t do any hog or pig purchasing this past weekend, we did go to market… and then to another market!

The first was The French Market in Parnell, or perhaps more accurately, the La Cigale French Market.

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Set against the back of the La Cigale storehouse, this market takes place every Saturday (starting at 8am) and Sunday (starting at 9am) till about 1:30pm.  It was a bustling, busy place.  I’ve been a few times before but apparently had forgotten to bring Chris with me.  As we were walking amidst the stalls, he turned to me and remarked, “Now this is a farmer’s market.”

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I’m sure that the chocolate, pastries, coffee, wine, and cheese had absolutely no influence over his declaration ;-)

And just because I was so impressed by their sheer size, here’s a photo of 3 vats of paella that were simmering away:

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Beautiful, eh?

I wasn’t there for chocolate, pastries, coffee, wine, cheese, or paella.  I was there for blueberries.

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I’d show a photo of the actual blueberries, but the last of them were polished off by Joe this very morning.  I may or may not have helped.  The berries are from Mamaku Blue Blueberry Farm & Winery down near Rotorua.  They’re spray-free and delicious.

Later that day, Joe and I took a walk into Ponsonby to Ponsonby Central to visit the Ceres Fresh Market.

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I’d been to this market before but was keen to re-visit it after hearing a rumour that their organic and spray-free produce was better priced than at the grocery.  I went armed with pen, paper, and raisins (the raisins were for Joe) and did some research.  I felt a bit guilty or perhaps suspicious for walking around and writing down prices without actually buying anything, but then I thought, “Wait a minute – why wouldn’t they want me to compare?  If they’re lower priced, they’re lower priced!”  But invisible peer pressure eventually won out and I was “forced” to buy a cranberry juice for myself :-)

I did a comparison of their prices to my local Countdown and here’s what I found (everything listed is organic unless otherwise specified)…

  • Bananas: Coutndown didn’t have them vs. Ceres at 3.99/kg
  • Plums: Countdown’s were $9.99/700 grams vs Ceres at $6.45/kg
  • Fairtrade Bananas: Countdown didn’t have them vs. Ceres at $3.79/kg
  • Sunrise Apples: Countdown didn’t have organic apples of any variety vs. Ceres at $4.20/kg
  • Carrots: Countdown’s were $6.49/kg vs. Ceres at $5.25/kg
  • Broccoli: Countdown didn’t have any vs. Ceres at $2.65/each
  • Kumara: Countdown didn’t have any vs. Ceres at $6.95/kg
  • New Potatoes: Countdown only had white potatoes at $3.19/kg vs. Ceres at $1.59/kg
  • Spray-Free Capsicum: Countdown didn’t have any vs. Ceres – red at $3.29/ea, yellow at $2.70/ea, and green at $2.29/ea
  • Oranges: Countdown didn’t have any vs. Ceres at $4.50/kg

So, in every instance Ceres beat my nearest grocery in terms of price and availability.  Note that when I say that Countdown “didn’t have any”, I’m specifically referring to the organic or spray-free options.  Also, I mainly stuck to fruits and veggies that we would be most likely to purchase.  I didn’t have the time or inclination to write down prices for everything.  Of course, prices and availability are able to change.  I know that I’ve seen both organic and fairtrade bananas at my local store in the past, and if you shop at stores other than Countdown then you may find some variations there.  Still, it was interesting to see and certainly something that I’ll bear in mind the next time I do a grocery shop.

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Baby Baby ~ 26 Weeks

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Only 98 days remaining till my estimated date of delivery – hooray for double digits!  Hopefully that number is pretty spot-on and baby #2 doesn’t decide to repeat his older brother’s performance of going late.

No photo today.  We are all recovering from a GI bug of sorts and I was too tired to get out my camera.

Here’s what has been going on since the 24 week update…

Weight Gain

I’m down another pound, which puts me down a total of 2 pounds from my 22 week update.  The weight loss isn’t intentional, I’ll tell you that.  I think that my weight would have stayed the same or gone up were it not for this tummy bug we’ve been dealing with.  Going nearly 36 hours without being able to keep down food and only small sips of water has taken its toll.  I was so happy at being able to stomach some toast with avocado this morning followed by Jell-O at lunch.  Lets hope it stays put.

Pregnancy Fitness

I learned an interesting lesson this week: don’t overdo it, because you never know what tomorrow will bring.  I took Joe on 2 very long, hilly walks in the sun on Wednesday.  I was feeling a bit puny, and Joe wasn’t quite himself, but we needed to get out.  Joe loves to be outdoors and sitting passively in his stroller while observing the wide world is a great way to keep him entertained when he’s not at 100%.  So, off we went.  We made a stop at his 1st dental appointment and from there the library, then took a long, meandering route home.  That afternoon was another long walk with a stop at a large, shady park.  It’s not particularly nearby but is one of our favorites.

When I got home, I was utterly sapped.  I finished the pizza dough for dinner, put it in the oven for 10 minutes, and propped my feet up.  I fixed the pizza the rest of the way and returned to the couch, where I debated about what to do that evening.  My prenatal aerobics class – normally held on Mondays but moved to Wednesday this week because of a holiday – was in about an hour and a half and I was pretty tired.  I debated not going but the fact of the matter is that I have always felt so energized and upbeat after those classes.  I wondered if I was just being lazy and decided that I should go after all.

Bad idea.  I really struggled through the class and had a hard time drinking water because of feeling queasy + a faulty water bottle nozzle.  When I got home, I took the laundry off the line and then proceeded to be sick every 30 – 45 minutes from just before 9pm – 9am the following day.  I was throwing up so frequently that I started to get contractions and began to worry about being dehydrated, pre-term labour, etc., etc..  Basically, I was working myself into a panic.  I took a deep breath, grabbed a cold washcloth, laid on my side on the couch (I can never lie in bed when I have an upset tummy – I need to be out of the bedroom) and prayed, told myself to relax, and remember that God knew about this baby and had a plan for him before he was even conceived.  I was able to go 45 minutes without being sick and the contractions stopped.

Lesson learned: next time I’m feeling utterly worn out, I’ll skip the class and not give myself a guilt trip about it.

Appetite, Aversions, and Cravings

My appetite is basically a big fat ZERO right now, but I think that’s mostly due to being recently ill.  I’ve got a general aversion to pretty much all food.  Cravings?  I crave an unnauseated feeling!  I don’t think “unnauseated” is even a word, but I can’t think of a better description.

Sleep

I’m pretty tired right now, but that is again likely due to all of us being sick this week.  Chris had it first and I was up with him on Sunday/Monday, then of course up myself on Wednesday/Thursday, and then was up at 1:30am today with Joe.  I pretty much had to give him a bath, poor little guy.  I’m ready for healthy immune systems to return to our house.

Baby Movement

Lots of movement.  I made sure to keep an eye on that throughout being so sick, but my illness didn’t seem to phase him.

Pregnancy Brain and Weird Dreams

Neither at the moment.  If anything, it’s more a sleep-deprived state of mind that I’m struggling with.

Other Odds and Ends

Our house-sitting agreement ends midway through the 1st week of March, which leaves us the month of February to find new arrangements.  I was planning to call about properties earlier this week but with being sick, it didn’t get done.  I was finally able to really hack away at it today and let me tell you, I’m a little discouraged/worried.

We basically only need a 4 month lease.  However, because the rental market is so popular in Auckland right now and because of students returning to university in just a few weeks, most property owners will only consider a 6 month minimum lease.  Argh.  I’ve called about 15 different people, plus sent texts and emails to others.  I’ve left a lot of messages.  Those who have spoken with me have all either said that they can’t do a 4 month lease or that it’s very unlikely that the owner would consider it.

Chris is going to view a furnished short-term property this afternoon, pretty much as I’m typing this right now (3pm).  Getting a furnished apartment isn’t ideal, as we have our own furnishings, but I’ll take what I can get if the price and location are both right.  We’ve moved so many times over the years, and I know that worrying about things in the past has profited me absolutely nothing, so I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, keep calling, keep sending texts and emails, and pray that something opens up.

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Living in New Zealand: “Ports of Auckland” Tour and “Kiddie Consumerism”

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Every month, Ports of Auckland and 360Discovery Cruises team up and offer free community tours around Waitemata Harbour.

That’s right: free.  Obviously, at such a great price the tickets for these cruises go fast, and it’s recommended that you book early to avoid missing out.

I’d heard of the PoA tours for awhile but kept forgetting about them.  That, or when I would think about them it would be the middle of winter, and who wants to go on a bout tour in the middle of winter?  Not me!

January, however, is smack-dab in the middle of summer over here, and it was perfect weather for it last week.

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I don’t know who any of these people are

As you can see, it was a bit of organized mayhem trying to get people on-board.  These tours are quite popular with small children.  I was part of a group of mums and we looked like the stroller brigade – I think that there were 7 or 8 of us, each with a stroller.  Thankfully, the boat was quite roomy and there was plenty of space for all.

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Absolutely gorgeous weather for it.  We cruised around various harbour points and dock yards.  The cruise features an informational lecture, but I was more focused on minding my 19 month old than listening to the history and informational tidbits.

Joe had a blast.

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Of course, it helped that I had a fully stocked snack box.  When in doubt, bring food.  Always bring food.

He was content to sit on the deck chair for a little while, but pretty soon was ready to ramble about.

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Conversing with one of his fellow passengers

We really enjoyed our PoA tour, and I was thinking on the way home how nice it was that it was free.  Even my transportation back home (I walked there with a friend) was free thanks to Auckland’s CityLink bus and my HOP card.  It made this article, about a British mum who’s vowed to spend no money on her 2 year old for a year as a way to save money/combat “kiddie consumerism” seem even more intriguing.  Follow that up with a news feed about Dolce & Gabbana offering “infant perfume”, and it really got me to thinking.  Do you think that you could go for an entire year without spending anything on your child?  It’s certainly ambitious, I’ll say that!

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Bumps, Bubs, and Books

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January is nearly over – how quickly it’s gone!  This has been such a great month, one where I’ve felt more settled and at home after all of our gallivanting.

Bumps

I’ve been going to an hour-long evening prenatal fitness class once weekly.  I’ve also enrolled Joe in the local gym’s creche and hopefully will be able to bring him with me when I work out there twice weekly.  I’m continuing to do an at-home fitness DVD (Erin O’Brien’s Prenatal Fitness Fix) on days when I don’t have class or am not going to the gym.  It’s a good DVD, though the sound quality leaves a little to be desired, and I like that you don’t need any special equipment.  As with any workout, you get out what you put in, so I try to make the most of those 40 minutes on the days that I use it.

There are days when I don’t feel like exercising at all, but I try to push through those feelings and get in a work out.  I keep reminding myself that doing at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise is one of several things that I can do during pregnancy to help ensure a healthy baby, complication-free labor & delivery, minimize aches and pains, and to help me bounce back postnatal.  I did a lot of running and walking right up to the time that I delivered Joe, but I felt like I could have done more.

I’m working 1-2 evenings a week, depending on Chris’ schedule and availability.  I’ve been thinking about what my work schedule will be when we return to the States.  Chris is supportive of whatever I want to do, but we’ll play it by ear for starters.  It’s always a little hectic when Chris starts a new job and is working on lectures and lesson plans.  I think that once he’s settled and we’ve gotten a house and vehicle sorted, then I’ll look at work for myself.  I was happy to see that there’s a charity clinic in our new town and another charity clinic just outside of town.  Both operate with volunteer staffing so, in the meantime, I may inquire about volunteering at one of those two places.  I’m also wondering if ER nursing is the place for me to stay, or if perhaps I ought to consider another discipline.

Bubs

Joe is keeping me busy and is a joy to be around.  Here’s a short video of him laughing uproariously because I was saying the word “so” in a funny way.  He loves to mimic!

Not only does he love to mimic and parrot what we say, but he’s full of questions.  He points at any old thing and asks, “Dis?” or “Dat?” (“This?” or “That?”).  He wants to know the words and names behind everything.  Curious boy!  His vocabulary has been rapidly expanding over the last month and a half and I love getting an even better view into what he’s thinking and feeling.  I can tell that there are times when he’s frustrated with communication, but he’s trying and learning every single day.

Books

I’ve just finished reading a book about mothers and sons.  It’s aptly entitled Mothers Raising Sons and is written by New Zealander Nigel Latta (Kiwis interested in purchasing the book should click here, or search it out in your local library).

It had me giggling and laughing at several parts and, overall, I enjoyed it to the point where I would read sections of it aloud to Chris (he enjoyed it as well – he asked “Where’s the ‘Dads Raising Sons’ book?”).  I appreciated the author’s candor and transparency.  As with any book, there were some things that I didn’t agree with him about, and other areas where I was nodding my head.  I thought that this was a good “preventative” book with a lot of common sense advice, but perhaps not a great book for a mother who’s mid-crisis.  While the author doesn’t have a “Fathers Raising Sons” book, he does offer a “Fathers Raising Daughters” one (Kiwis click here to purchase) that has been highly recommended to me, along with several other volumes (Kiwis click here for a list).

I’ve also re-started to read Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood: Practical Parenting from Birth to Six Years (click here for the Kindle edition, Kiwis click here) by father and son team Jim Fay and Charles Fay.

This book was recommended to me by an experienced mum who said that she found it useful to the point where she would highlight sections and then give them to her husband to read.  She was going to let me borrow her copy, but then realized that she needed to re-read a few sections herself.  I figured if it was that good, I would just buy it.  At the time, I was asking for books about ways to discipline children.  Joe was about 14 months old and was starting to test EVERYTHING.  I was often frustrated, both with him and myself.  I would quickly lose patience, yell at Joe, and then feel like a great big grouch of a mother.  I remember thinking at the time, “This is not what parenting should feel like, I should enjoy being around my son more than I am right now” and so began to seek out suggestions.

The “Love and Logic” book was a big help, at least to us.  I was worried that it would only apply to older children, but it had plenty of helpful advice and practical suggestions for parents with infants and toddlers.  I started reading it the month before we left for the UK and almost immediately began to put some of those suggestions into practice, talking it over with Chris and making sure that we were in agreement.  I noticed a change in Joe’s behaviour within a few days and in my own attitude almost immediately.  I felt like I had a plan and a starting-off point.  I don’t expect parenting to be fun all of the time, but I do expect it to be enjoyable most of the time.  That doesn’t mean that Joe and I laugh and play all day long or that we don’t have bad days, but we do laugh and smile and giggle and have a good time for most of the days of the week.

I mentioned the book to a sister-in-law when they were visiting us in Oxford, and as soon as I said the title, she began to nod her head and said that this is the book that they recommend to parents (she has her MS in Counseling Psychology and works with families of at-risk children).  It turns out that another family member uses this book’s techniques with their kids, too.  How did I not know about it?

Anyway, I read through most of it before leaving for the UK but was so excited to try some of the suggestions (and kind of desperate, to be honest) that I didn’t finish it.  I’m going to go back, re-read some parts and finish the last few chapters.  I may even suggest that Chris read a few of the chapters as well.  As with the “Mothers Raising Sons” book, there were some parts of “Love and Logic” where I didn’t see eye-to-eye with the authors, but I agreed with their overall approach and it was helpful to have guidelines.

Whew – I feel like that’s enough information for one post.  I hope that you’re all doing well and enjoying your week!

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Weekend Wrap-Up!

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What a nice weekend :-)

Joe and I went to a nearby park on Friday morning and then I headed into work in the late afternoon.  I’m going to need a new pair of work shoes soon:

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I’ve owned these Murietta shoes by SoftWalk for the last 2.5 years and they’re starting to show their age.  I love ‘em, but it’s time to update.

It was nice to arrive home and find that the crock-pot dinner that I’d started earlier turned out to be a success.  The kitchen was still a mess, but Chris kindly cleaned it up for me.  What did I make?  Crock pot spaghetti.  Click on the image below for the link to the recipe (note: I think that next time, I’ll leave out the cream cheese, use more chicken or vegetable broth, and do a beef/lentil mix instead of strictly beef).

 

Later that night wasn’t so nice.  Joe started crying and then full-on wailing around 11pm.  This continued till 1am, despite all sorts of different interventions: too hot? too cold? thirsty? fevered? in need of a nappy change? in need of snuggles?  I finally broke out the paracetamol (Tylenol) and after about 30 minutes, it did the trick.  The likely cause was discovered the next morning – one serious case of nappy rash.  How it can flare up like that so quickly is a mystery.  Even when changing him in the middle of the night, there was only the merest hint of redness but, come morning, everything was bright red.  I bought some medicated cream for the first time, but he’s still a bit sore, poor guy.

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Saturday was pretty status-quo: Skyping with Joe’s grandparents to see the new Westie puppy (Joe can now say “puppy”), laundry, grocery shopping, and last but not least, “Les Miserables”.  The movie didn’t premiere in New Zealand till last week, several weeks after being released in the States.  I kept seeing so many rave reviews and was glad to finally have the chance to watch it.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!  Sunday was spent at church in the morning with me working in the creche (nursery).  I’m one of two creche coordinators for our church and realized that in the midst of our grocery shopping on Saturday, I’d forgotten to get some more disposable nappies for the church supply.  Whoops.  Have to add that to my list for this week.  Chris had to leave early for church, as he was on set-up, but I let him have a bit of a lie-in that morning since he’d let me go out the night before.  Joe was SO excited to discover that his daddy wasn’t at the office, he was still in bed!

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Sunday afternoon was leftovers, naps, books, and Chris taking Joe out to the playground so that I could have a little time to myself.  Very nice.

This week looks to be another busy one with various things on the calendar.  I’m glad to have had a good weekend to start things off right :-)   Hopefully you all had weekends that were equally nice!

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Baby Baby ~ 24 Weeks

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Yesss, we’ve made it to the “point of viability”, and only 16 more weeks to go.  I can’t wait till it’s only double-digits for the “days remaining” in this baby countdown.

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24 Weeks

So, I thought it was kind of funny how most of my photos were of me in maternity jean capris + black t-shirt… but now it’s really not a joke!  Apparently I am a huge creature of habit and by week’s end, this is all that’s decent-looking in my closet.  And I wear buns way too much :-)

Here’s what’s been happening since the 22 week update…

Weight Gain

I’ve lost 1/2 a pound over these last 2 weeks, but I’m still on track for a normal weight gain.  Midwives in NZ often don’t weigh you unless it’s an issue, and it’s not an issue for me.

Pregnancy Fitness

I’ve started up my prenatal fitness class one evening a week.  I was worried that I would be the most out-of-shape woman there, and I’m happy to report that I’m basically at the same level as everyone else.  There were around 12 women in our class and while it was a tough workout, it was also a lot of fun.  As far as I can tell from talking to other women, I’m the furthest along in the class.  It was the same instructor that I had when I did baby bootcamp last summer with Joe + other new mums, and she recognized me right off the bat.  I’m also going to the gym twice a week and doing a prenatal workout DVD (Erin O’Brien’s Prenatal Fitness Fix) on “off” days.  I recently checked out another prenatal fitness DVD from the library, just to try something different.  We’ll see how it goes.

Appetite, Aversions, and Cravings

Appetite is so-so.  I’m not having any aversions or nausea, for which I’m quite thankful.  Cravings?  I wouldn’t say that these are pregnancy-specific cravings because I always want them, but anyone who brings me chocolate would certainly earn extra points in my book :-)

Sleep

Oh, sleep.  I normally fall asleep just before midnight, am up at least once in the night, and then get up around 6/6:30am because of Joe.  There have been a few mornings where Chris has delayed going into the office till around 7:30am and taken care of Joe’s breakfast, letting me sleep a bit longer.  I really appreciate those mornings, especially when they’re on the same day or the day after I’ve worked an evening at the hospital.

Baby Movement

Lots and lots.

Pregnancy Brain and Weird Dreams

No weird dreams, but I’ve had a tendency lately to do things like get to the grocery store and even though I have a list, ignore the list or ignore certain items on it or not get the quantity that I needed (despite having written it on the list).  Urgh.

Other Odds and Ends

THINGS NOT TO SAY TO PREGNANT WOMEN: In the past 2 weeks I have had one friend come up to me and say, “Jenny – you’re huuuuuuge!“, complete with her pantomiming holding a giant belly.  I really didn’t know what to say except to laugh slightly awkwardly.  The other thing was courtesy of my midwife, who asked, “Now, how many weeks along are you?  Really?  Wow.  It’s amazing how much bigger you get the 2nd time around.”  Oh, those blunt midwives!  And here I thought that I was doing pretty well compared to the first pregnancy.  I’m still a few pounds shy of my first prenatal weight with Joe, so I’m not too put off by the comments.

POTTY TRAINING: I’m considering potty-training Joe before baby #2 arrives.  I’ve read some tips from a friend, sought advice from my mom and older sisters who’ve been through it, and have put several books on reserve at the library.  I’ve also requested a few toddler-directed potty training books to read to Joe, and requested two DVDs for him to watch.  One is an Elmo DVD and one is a Bear in the Big Blue House DVD.  I got the most horrible case of the giggles when I was reading the description on one of the DVDs, which included a listing of their “original songs”.  A song was entitled, “What’s That Smell?” and I couldn’t stop snorting with laughter.  Even now, I still crack up just thinking about it.  What a name for a song!  But more seriously, as much as I would love to have only 1 child in nappies at a time, I also don’t want to freak out Joe or stress him out, so we’ll just see how we go.  I probably won’t start for at least another month, month-and-a-half.

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