Late Summer

Thank goodness for the nice weather staying around this year.  It's helping to make up for those miserable months of June and July when things SHOULD have been nice.  It's also making the end of the pregnancy a little easier because we can spend so much time just hanging out in the backyard.  I grab a cushion and a magazine for me, and Delphinium puts on her pink crocs "all by her own" and we're all set.

There are just so many wonderful things you can do in a good backyard.  I turn the hose on just a trickle, and she fills and refills the watering can.  I'm sure some plants are getting far more than they would like while others go dry, but oh well.  The slide also remains popular, and she is forever saying "watch me Mommy!" when she reaches the top of the ladder.  Another favorite is her big Tonka truck.  It gets pushed all over the place with much grunting because "it a big job for me."  Last, is the sand box.  For some reason she usually saves it for the end of her outside time.  It's endless fun to dig holes, fill them in, dig more, and then bury things in them.  Thus far we have remembered to keep the lid on when not in use, so the kitty hasn't been able to make any "donations."  Soon, soon we'll be staring mournfully out at the rain, so it's good to get out now.  Extra bonus?  More time for more tomatoes!

Winter Vaccinations

It's time once again to go out and find yourself a flu shot!  Every single doctor, nurse, and scientist I've ever talked to about flu shots is of the same opinion about these.  If you get the shot, and get it regularly, your chances of a really bad flu go waaaaay down.  This is especially important if you have little kids around you because flu is especially dangerous for them.  Some people say they think they will get the flu from the vaccine, but this is not the case.  The reaction, if you have one, is far milder than actual flu, and it usually doesn't occur again if you get another shot the next year. Many people also say that the shot is not safe due to high mercury levels.  As one friend put it, you consume more mercury in a can of tuna than you do in a vaccine, so do not fret.  Lastly, some people say that the flu is just not that bad, and they will just tough it out.  These people clearly have not had actual influenza in a while.  The real flu knocks you out not for a day or two, but for a week or more.  The real flu is vicious, and for some people, dangerous, so please don't take changes.  

While we're on this topic, do you remember when you last had a whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine?  That is another terrible illness very much on the rise especially in states where many parents refuse to inoculate their children.  While it is not pleasant for adults to catch this disease, it can easily be deadly for tiny babies.  The good news is that this shot lasts for five years, so you won't have to be back at the doctor again next year.  Please protect yourself, but also protect those around you!

Prepping Your Home for Winter

Last night it finally got below 50 degrees for the first time in many months.  Then, when we got up this morning, it was drifting fog all over our neighborhood.  Autumn is definitely here, and it's time to get prepared for the colder winter ahead.  With the baby coming, I'm trying really hard to get everything squared away.  Here's the list for basic winterizing on our house.  Yours may differ depending on your climate, but at least it's a start:

- Have the furnace serviced
- Clean ducts, vents, and air filters
- Reverse ceiling fans (really it works!)
- Have the chimney cleaned
- Winterize outdoor taps
- Inspect doors for drafts
- Change curtains (if needed) to provide insulation

Baby Shower

Just have to mention the sweet thing our friends did for us recently.  They threw us a baby shower!      What a sweet thing to do especially since it is our second child.  Bunches of bright summer flowers (gerbers and sunflowers especially) and plates of delicate little snacks made up the decor along with a "welcome baby" sign.  There was also a beautiful pink cake with white daisies made by one hostess who is an amazing cake decorator.  It was a family affair, so there were kids playing and daddies talking, and mommies playing some non-stupid party games.  I love knowing that my dear friends would never had me the melted candy bar diaper for that horrendous game.  The whole experience was sweet, elegant, and not fussy just like the lovely ladies who put it on in the first place.

37 Weeks

Whew!  We made it to the official definition of full-term for this baby.  Now she can pretty much arrive whenever she feels ready.  I am very relieved that her thoughts of coming early came to nothing, and now I can go back to normal life without fear of causing early labor.  Delphinium will be quite happy to go back to normal activity levels.  Of course there is the part where I'm entering the most uncomfortable part of pregnancy, but that seems like not such a big price to pay for having a healthy baby.

No Harm from "Cry It Out"

Well, well, well here's an article all about the "cry it out" method of infant sleep training.  Specifically, these people studied the long term effects of allowing babies to cry in an attempt to teach them self-soothing techniques.  We used one of these with our girl, and I was more than a little worried about how it might impact her emotionally.  It was very effective at helping her sleep better, but did it leave her feeling abandoned?  Apparently not.  Children expose to these sleep training had no more problems than children soothed in the traditional (in the last 30 years) American sleep plan.  I think we will have to see if it works as well with baby #2.

Best Granola Recipe!

Have I mentioned this before?  Hopefully not, and if I have, I can only repeat myself because this stuff is amazing.  This is the Alton Brown recipe for granola, and for once, he does not over-complicate.  In fact, this could not be a simpler process to produce something so scrumptious.  The flavors are mostly from the nuts and the coconut, but you could add any number of spices and/or dried fruits to change things up.  Why be limited to raisins and cashews?  It takes about 1.5 hours, but most of that time the trays are just sitting in a low oven making the house smell incredible.  Granola at Whole Foods costs between $4-$7 per pound, so you have to give this homemade recipe a shot.

Peach-stravaganza!

The peaches around here have reached that wonderful peak where they smell as fantastic as they taste.  Of course they don't last more than a day or two in the fruit bowl, but that's okay because who wants to let them sit!  My first go-to dessert is cobbler, and this recipe is full of juicy and spicy  flavors.  If you're more in the mood for something savory, a salad with peaches is a delicious way to go.  The combination of salty and sweet with a lemon dressing is the perfect summer lunch.  If that's not enough here is a collection of 16 recipes from the people at cooking light.  Now get out there and enjoy those summer beauties before they disappear!

Books on the To-Read List

Just like virtually every other housewife out there, I'm always wishing I could do a better job.  Why is my shoe cupboard so cluttered, but never seem to do anything about it?  Why is the car always grubby?  Why does my child sometimes look like an under-loved refugee?  These are the sorts of questions that bothered Gretchen Rubin enough that she wrote The Happiness Project a couple of years ago.

Since I enjoyed that one so much, I'm delighted to see that she has another new book called Happier at Home.  This one is even more focused on the challenges (and rewards) of home-making than the first.  I got lots of good ideas from the first book, so I know this one will be helpful too.  For instance, are you addicted to gold stars?  Before reading her first book, I was always looking around waiting for someone to notice when I did something great around the house.  She made me realize that I should be satisfied with knowing that I had done the right thing without worrying about what other people think.  Very helpful for my state of mind in the long run.  Let's hope I can get more great advice.

Bed Rest Light

Now that I'm 36 weeks pregnant, I should start to get that wonderful sense of relaxation that comes from knowing your baby is more in the "safe" zone for being born.  Were she to arrive today, her chances of survival would be extremely good.  That being said, nobody chooses to have an early baby without a reason.  Ideally all babies would arrive on their due dates with no surprises either way.

Unfortunately, my body is not being so cooperative about that whole 40 weeks idea.  Lots of Braxton Hicks contractions are making life a little interesting.  Every time I do something physical, especially if it involves my core muscles, I get one or more contractions.  Put the toddler in the grocery cart?  Contraction.  Lift the stroller into the car?  Contractions.  And on it goes.  I've been trying to take it easy and only to the minimum, but sometimes, by evening, I have to rest on my left side in order to get things to calm down.  Stand up for any reason and they return.  

Now the doctor's put me on "restricted activity" where spend most of the day on the couch, but I can still get up to do the necessaries such as make lunch, change diapers, and visit the facilities (every five minutes!).  It's certainly better than bed rest, but still not much fun.  Mostly the major enemy is boredom, hers and mine, and we are doing our best not to miss walks and outings.  Thank goodness she's got two days of school to amuse her this week.  Otherwise we might both climb the walls.  Thank goodness for Daddy who is doing is absolute best to keep us together.  Still, he will have to go to work sometime, and then the lack of fun may begin.  

First Day of School

I truly cannot believe I'm writing this post.  Didn't I just write about Delphinium's delivery sometime last week?  Apparently not because now she's off to school at the ripe old age of two and a half.  We wanted her to continue to play with other children even though I won't be able to do a mommy and me class with her this year, so school seemed like a good choice.  Thus we found ourselves, one bright September morning, walking her in to her first day.

We'd already been several times to check things out and meet the teachers, but this was the first time I would be leaving her.  She suddenly looked very small to me even though she was wearing her most grown up jeans, pink plaid button-down, and pigtails.  Luckily SHE had no reservations about where we were or what was about to happen.  There were kids!  There were toys!  There were farm animals!  There was the promise of snack!  What's not to love?  I had to call her back to say goodbye.  No tears were shed on either side.  That's good right?

I took myself off to the grocery store trying not to let the sense of dislocation impact my driving.  Then spent the next hour staring at the shelves and finding it extremely hard to make choices.  When I picked her up again, she was a little shell-shocked by all the stimulation, but still happy and excited.  She told me all about snack (blueberry bar!) and the other kids (what they names?) and the real live parrot (he say "Wow!" to me).  She absolutely wanted to go back and do it all again soon.  Here I am left with this odd combination of pride at her success, happiness for her happiness, and sorrow for what is gone.  Strange times indeed.  Maybe I need to throw a tiny infant into the mix just to keep things interesting.

Quick Pickles

Love, love love this recipe for quick pickles!  They are not kidding about the quick.  When I remember my mom's generation doing pickles, it always involved sweating over huge pots and/or bathtubs full of ice.  As much as I adore pickles, I've never had the guts for all that.  This recipe could not be further from the hassle.  You take all the ingredients (cukes, spices, salt, vinegar, garlic, water) and plop them into a mason jar.  Shake well, and then you put them in the fridge.  Then, three days later, you begin to have some really fantastic pickles.  Super crispy (still like a cuke!) but with lovely briny flavors.  The big girl keeps requesting pickles for her afternoon snack.