The Pumpkin Patch

As you can see, Carolyn was very excited about the hay ride. In addition to the hay ride, we did pumpkin launching (Craig hit the target and won a gift card to Winegar's), and B played on a hay bale tower as well as the corn pit. They had pigs that they let out for the kids to chase around, but we weren't there at the right time. We opted not to stay and wait because it was raining. Now I knew there was rain in the forecast, but I was expecting Ellensburg rain, not real rain. We got soaked, and I was very glad that I had dressed B in multiple layers!

Loving our new place

We are so happy with our new apartment, especially B. She was SO excited to be back in her full-size crib, and I think she is enjoying having her own space. Granted there are still boxes in every room, but her toys are all in her room. Her sleep schedule is a little messed up in that her bedtime has become a little later again, but at least she is sleeping through the night again and having pretty solid naps. A well-rested toddler is so much easier to take care of!

The move was crazy - Mom came which was a HUGE help. I was pretty useless because of morning sickness; as far as that goes, the move happened at the absolute worst possible time. But if we didn't take it they would have moved on down the waiting list. So we jumped at the chance. Mom wasn't exactly feeling great either because she is still recovering from a really nasty gout attack that lasted the entire month of September, but she did what she could, and the little things add up really fast. After the guys from the ward moved the furniture and most of the boxes, Mom made tons of trips carrying light boxes and clothes/small house items in her car. And of course she spent LOTS of time with B. Poor B was very upset when she left though. She always cries when she says goodbye to Gama, but this time was especially bad. I think she thought Mom was moving into the new apartment with us.

I am 11 weeks now, and am starting to feel some improvement in my morning sickness. I still have 2-4 pretty miserable hours depending on the day, but that's still way better than a week ago when I had maybe 2 good hours per day.

Sometimes she still likes me to baby her

We are moving in 3 days ahhhhhhhh! Packing is actually going pretty well, and we will have help from the Elders' Quorum when we actually move. In the meantime Leta is coming over later today to play with B while we get some more packing done, and Mom will be here tomorrow. So B will be thoroughly entertained having her Gama here. They just have the sweetest relationship.

I don't know what is up with her, but for the past week and a half or so, she has been waking up super early. Like between 6 and 6:30. Now it's not quite as bad as it sounds because I actually feel a lot better at 6:30 am than I do at 6:30 pm. The real issue is that it makes her a tired cranky wreck! Her little body really truly needs to sleep 12 hours at night, and 10 hours is just NOT cuttin' it! Granted she is taking a really long nap to make up for it, but she is still really difficult to deal with in the morning.

A few minutes ago she grabbed her pillow, soft, and binky, and asked me to pick her up. So I wrapped her up in her soft and she rested her head on her pillow which was on my chest. So cute. Then I asked if she wanted me to rock her, and she said "Ok", so I cradled her like a baby and rocked her in my computer chair :). She played with my hair for a minute and then said, "thanks mommy". And I became a melted puddle of something or other instantly. It's moments like that when I am SO THANKFUL to be a full-time mommy. She can have my time whenever she needs it, and I don't have to miss any of those tender and rare moments.

After a few minutes I asked her if she was ready to rest in her bed, and she said, "yeah". So I put her in bed and tucked her in, and I was closing the door she said, "Mommy? Shopping?". I laughed out loud and told her she was wayyyyyyy too tired for shopping and that we'd have to go shopping later (I made that mistake yesterday, and she was a total wreck). She is just too cute and funny :D.

Lies!

Whoever said that hormones start to taper off at 8 weeks was LYING! K I really don't it nearly as bad as some of my friends . . . I can eat, and I can keep things down. Well until tonight anyway. Unlike a stomach bug, there is no point to pregnancy puking. It doesn't make you feel better, and it doesn't help your body rid itself of a bug. It just happens and is obnoxious.

Now that I have been very irritated and whiny, I will say that I am still very thankful for this pregnancy, and I recognize it for the blessing that it is. It was a pretty big leap of faith trying for a baby this time around when I was still feeling the after-effects of my illness this winter, but the Lord allowed us to get pregnant right away, and in getting pregnant my other issues all but went away. That is a huge blessing besides the new baby that we will be welcoming into our family.

Crazy Day

Today Craig took the LSAT! He says it was really hard and he has no idea how he did, but we will find out within a month.

I woke up this morning feeling comparatively really good. Nausea was mild, and I was just feeling really good and peaceful. So I took advantage and got the house all titied up, B bathed and dressed, and myself bathed and dressed. By then the nausea was picking up a bit, so B and I watched "Hidalgo" together. She loved seeing all of the horses, and just doesn't understand any of the violent stuff yet, so we both really enjoyed it.

A little before 1 pm, we headed out to the Kimballs' - our old branch president and his wife from when we were in the branch. They moved here from Pendleton several years ago and he worked here at CWU, but his job responsibilities started getting assigned to other people so he realized he better look elsewhere before he got phased out entirely. So they are moving to Bend, OR next week and he will be working at a community college there. They have a granddaughter who is just 3 months older than Carolyn, and she was visiting her grandparents this weekend for kind of a final hurrah in E-burg. So they invited us, the Schoenwalds, and a few other families from the ward who have small children over to pick pumpkins from their pumpkin patch, play, and have snacks. We weren't able to stay for a really long time because B was WAY overdue for her nap, but it was a lot of fun and she really enjoyed herself. She just loves anything where Connor is involved. She talked about him all the way home! Sooooooo cute :). Craig got home a few minutes before we did, so we talked to him for a few minutes and B gave him lots of hugs, then we all 3 had a nap. I had intended to go to the Relief Society general broadcast (our ward does a little luncheon at 4, then the broadcast starts at 5), but I slept til 4:45! So that didn't end up working out. Then I had some pretty intense anxiety hit me - my hormones are peaking this week so it's not unexpected, but still not fun. I am feeling better now though after taking a pill (an anti-anxiety prescription that I have), and eating my first real meal in 2 days. Eating is just hard right now.

I am kind of reminded of a point in very early pregnancy with B. We had 8:30 church at the time, and I was 5-6 weeks along. I got up and got ready, and then Craig got in the shower by the time he got out I was sitting there sobbing. He was obviously very concerned about the baby and asked me what was wrong. I said something along the lines of: "I'm sick (had a cold), and I have a UTI, and I'm growing a brain . . . it's just too much!" I cried for 2-3 hours. Yes indeed pregnancy hormones do crazy things. I like to call it "progesterone poisoning". Haha. In the moment I knew that it was the hormones getting to me, and now I look back on it and crack up.

Overall my symptoms have been much milder this time around. At this time with B my face was so broken out I looked worse than I ever did as a kid/teen, my morning sickness was worse, my breast tenderness was unbelievable. It seems like my body totally froke out the first time because it was all so new, but this time it remembers to a degree and doesn't have to freak out as badly. A lot of my friends have it WAY worse than I do, so I really can't complain. I will be excited for the hormonal rollercoaster to be on the downward slope though!

Recipe

Per Angee's request, here is my recipe for leaner Pasta e Fagioli - at least an approximation of it. I don't use a recipe, so feel free to add/substitute as desired!

Ingredients:

2 boxes chicken stock
1 can beef broth
1 lb 99% lean ground turkey breast
1 lb 93% lean ground beef (ground pork works too but is higher in fat)
2 cans white beans
3 cups chopped onions (about 2 large onions)
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots (about 3)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery (about 3 stalks)
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 small can sliced olives
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fennel seeds
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp or more red pepper flakes
salt & pepper

Start by sweating the onions in the oil over low heat in your stock pot. They will become translucent (adding some salt will help the process along) after a few minutes, then add the celery and carrots. Stir and cook for 5 minutes or so over medium heat. Add garlic last, cook for just a minute or so - you don't want it to burn. Crank up the heat, and add stock, broth, beans, tomatoes, and olives.

Now grab your sautee pan and put it on medium heat with just a little but of olive oil. While your pan is heating, add meat and spices to a bowl, take off your rings, and mix it all together. You are essentially making your own sausage, so make sure it is all mixed thoroughly. Move meat mixture to the sautee pan, spreading it out in an even layer. Turn heat to medium-high, and let it sit there until browned on the bottom: a nice caramel color. Be sure you use salt & pepper on both sides - this really brings out all the other flavors. Use your spoon/ spatula to break the sausage up into bite sized pieces. Brown the opposite side, then add to the stock pot. It doesn't need to be cooked through - that will happen in the pot. You may want to drain excess fat off the sausage if you used pork. Finally add the tomato paste, and let it simmer. It is ready to eat at this point, but if you let it simmer on low heat for a bit (even hours), all the flavors will combine more thoroughly.

*Make sure you season every layer by adding a little bit of salt & pepper at every step. More flavorful ingredients make a more flavorful soup. Also feel free to add any additional veggies you have lying around - my last batch included a yellow squash and a zucchini. Yummy!

*I omit the pasta part entirely, but you certainly can add it if you want. I would cook 1/2 pound of pasta according to the directions on the box ahead of time, then add cooked pasta right before serving to prevent it from getting mushy. Again, make sure you salt the pasta water to get maximum flavor!

Random stuff

Well morning sickness is definitely starting to pick up now. I haven't thrown up yet, I just feel really really nauseous when there isn't something in my tummy. So I have to eat something like every half hour, which was starting to make me nervous. Yesterday I made a big pot of my leaner knock-off version of Olive Garden's "Pasta e Fagioli", sans pasta. It's loaded with lean protein and veggies, so that will be good. Let me be clear - I'm not dieting - I'm just trying to find food choices that will keep me fuller longer so I don't start packing on the pounds in the first trimester.

In other news, we got a note in our ward bulletin today about a stake talent show that will be taking place in November, with auditions mid-October. Carolyn's favorite song is "Tomorrow" from Annie. She sings it several times a day, and it is soooooooo cute! So she going to audition :). Of course she won't remember it, but if she gets to participate it will boost her confidence and that is a very valuable thing. I think that has a lot to do with why I never really had trouble with stage fright - I started singing in church talent shows as a toddler.