Kick It!

I felt my first kicks last night!!! 10 weeks late but at least they finally came! Plus, they were strong enough for Ken to feel too. He was very excited and felt about 3 in a few minute span.

So, I guess she's really in there. Maybe she just likes to sleep in like me, which is why it took so long.

Cherry Experimentation

I processed 5 pounds of cherries last week in my quest for the perfect Old Fashioned after Katie is born. I have dreamed of having Oregon cherries to complement my drink but I had never attempted to can cherries before. My motivating factor was a coworker who attempted it with success last year, combined with the fact that my parents are coming to help take care of Katie in October -- and my father makes a mean Old Fashioned.

I read in the Oregonian last week (June 30th Food Day) that pouring boiling simple syrup over raw cherries and sticking the jar in the fridge can preserve them for up to 3 months. But Katie's born in just around 3 months, so I needed a more drastic preservation method to be sure that I won't have cherries-gone-bad come October. That would make me sad. All that work and no cherries.

So I decided to look into pressure canning the cherries, which prolongs their shelf life by years. According to several reports, canning cherries can really change the texture, rending them soft mushy blobs. I also read that brandied cherries are excellent. I couldn't decide which to make. Thus, I created a mini experiment to test the effects of pressure canning and brandy on cherry texture for our delicious drink-to-be.

The Syrup
Most recipes for preserving cherries say to submerge the cherries in hot water or a hot simple syrup when processing. I chose a simple syrup of equal parts sugar and water, boiled. I made 8 cups and added 2 cinnamon sticks, zest of a lemon and 5 drops of calcium chloride (latter for added firmness). According to some food science articles I looked up, adding a 0.04% solution of calcium chloride improves firmness in processed cherries. Since I happen to have a calcium chloride solution in my kitchen for cheesemaking (bottle doesn't say the concentration; just to add 1/4 teaspoon per 2 gallons of milk), I figured I'd add a few drops. Note: I didn't have enough cherries to control for calcium chloride concentration else I would have. Also note: I feel ridiculous for having calcium chloride on hand.

The Cherries
I used Bing cherries from the farmer's market at ~$2 lb. I only used firm cherries, which I pitted and stemmed. I left the stems on two of the jars because my father insists that Old Fashioned cherries have stems. Luckily, I had enough cherries to control for stems vs no stems in pressure canning.

The Experimental Groups
I tested for:
a. pressure canning (used a standard 10 lbs pressure x 10 min, which translates to roughly 240 degrees F -- enough to kill all sorts of buggies)
b. brandy (used 1 part brandy, actually an unsweetened Tuaca base, to 3 parts simple syrup described above)

My groups were (only one pint jar per group due to limited cherries):
1. Stemmed cherries in syrup, put in fridge (control)
2. Stemmed cherries in syrup + brandy, fridge
3. Stemmed cherries in syrup + brandy, pressure canned
4. Cherries with stems in syrup, pressure canned
5. Cherries with stems in syrup and brandy, pressure canned

The Results
I opened jars 1, 2, 3 and 4 this weekend to check for taste and texture. We had 6 tasters.

The cherries in the fridge had a much better texture than the canned cherries. All tasters preferred the texture of the refrigerated "preserved" cherries, which tasted "like fresh cherries" according to one taster. Great for making cherry garnishes in advance for a party, but I was sad since this isn't a preserving option for me for October. The pressure canned cherries were pretty soft but passable (especially for a drink).

The brandied cherries were excellent. Not too strong but gave a nice flavor that complemented the cherries. They were good in both cases but the brandied pressure canned cherries were a really nice distraction from the texture. (Keep in mind that the fridge cherries were by far the winner, but for my drink in October, the brandied pressure canned cherries are the winner).

Stems don't seem to make a difference when pressure canning. All stems stayed on fine and didn't change the texture of the cherries.


The Outcome
I have one jar of pressure canned cherries with stems leftover from this experiment and I canned 3 more jars this weekend (all with brandy) for October. I am looking forward to my Old Fashioned. I even have homemade bitters to use in the drink. It will be a homemade Old Fashioned, that's for sure. Well, minus the booze. I've been saving a bottle of Bulleit bourbon just for the occasion.

Camping

Heading into the woods this weekend for my first camping-while-pregnant experience. Ken got me an aweseome, super-cush dreamtime thermarest for my birthday... a 3 inch thick air mattress of sorts. I am excited to use it and hope that it's comfortable. I've been spoiled from our awesome new bed lately. I am also going to miss the beer. It's been a long time since I've camped without it. If a beer camps in the woods and there's nobody to drink it, does it really exist?

My uterus is a steel fortress

Ken and I went to my doctor's appointment this morning. The nurse took my weight, blood pressure and urine tests (all fine), making small talk by asking if I was feeling the baby kick. When I said no, she looked at me in disbelief. "Really? You haven't felt anything?"

Ken: "Is that abnormal?"
Nurse: "Well, most people start feeling the baby kick at 17 weeks and you're at 25 weeks. We'll have the doctor look at it".

We sit for an hour from the start of our appointment time, waiting for the doctor to come in. I understand that doctors get backed up, but for the first appointment of the morning (and having to be at work), it was especially frustrating watching the minutes tick by. Thank you iPhone for allowing me to play mah-jong while I waited.

When the doctor arrived, she was also surprised that I hadn't felt any movement. She did the doppler and heard the heartbeat (150 bpm). She asked if we could stay so she could do an ultrasound. I asked if it was safe since we've had so many (this was our 4th). She said as long as the energy settings are low (which these are), it's perfectly fine. And so I was slathered with ultrasound goo and probed.

Not much movement at first, which gave some concern since it could be a sign of developmental problems. But then Katie apparently woke up because we could see what she characterized as "giant kicks and punches", none of which I felt. The doctor was amazed I couldn't feel it. She said if I still don't feel movement in a couple of weeks, we can be more concerned since they use kick counts as some sort of pregnancy yardstick. I have another ultrasound in a few weeks, followed by my 28 week appointment. I'm sure we'll know more by then.

But for now, I feel my superpower is having a uterus of steel. I feel strangely proud of this feat.


P.S. Mom, the doctor said I should stop riding my bike for commuting purposes (just in case I fall or get into an accident). Bummer. I will abide since I don't trust my steel uterus that much. I'll miss the exercise and fresh air. Plus, riding the bus doubles my commute time. Boo.

Dirty Drawers Floors

After the strawberry jam incident, you'd think I would have had enough. But I still had several pounds of berries on the counter to process last weekend, so after Ken went to bed on Saturday night, I stayed up and plowed through them.

I washed and hulled them all, dividing them into:

1. Large intact barries - for cutting and drying
2. Medium intact berries - for fresh eating (washed but unhulled)
3. Small intact berries - for freezing in a single layer and then bagging
4. Perfectly ripe, but not for long - for popsicles and sorbet
5. Bruised but fine - for jam

I sat down for most of this, but I was still exhausted by the end. After they were all safely stored in the freezer, fridge or dehydrator, I went to bed. The next morning, I got to work on the processed berries. I made:

1. strawberry rhubarb jam -- 14 pints of it.
2. strawberry popsicles
3. strawberry sorbet
4. Pulled the dried strawberries from the dehydrator for later use
5. Bagged the frozen strawberries for later syrup
6. simple syrup (pressure canned for future lemonade applications)

I finished around 1, sat down and ate brunch. Apparently I still had some energy afterwards because I got back up and made:

7. 10 lbs of gnocchi (froze individual pieces on cookie sheets and then bagged when frozen solid for later boiling)
8. Chocolate chip cookies (froze as pre-formed balls on cookie sheets and bagged for later cookie cravings).

By the time I finished this, it was 5 or so and I was still in my pajamas, exhausted and sticky from gnocchi dough/jam/cookies. I also had a line of flour running across my belly from where it now touches the counter when I work. I had a pile of pots in the sink and was working through them, exhausted. It was at this point when Ken asked if I wanted to have people over. I told him I wanted to get through the dishes first and then we could talk about it. He then asked if he should send a text message out to people, which is when I must have snapped at him because he went to the basement for 20 minutes or so before going out to hide in the garage.

I went on with the dishes, ignoring my lack of patience and social grace due to exhaustion. I had been working for 8 hours and felt somewhat excused. It was at this point of rationalizing that I heard running water downstairs. I yelled to Ken in the garage to see if he'd turned on some water. He said no. I went to the basement to investigate, only to find water rushing onto the basement floor at a record pace.

I yelled to Ken as I ran downstairs to turn off the water main.

Nothing.

Water is still streaming onto the floor, now reaching the drywall I just installed.

Ken passes me and went for the washing machine. Apparently, the water was coming from the output of the washing machine, which had somehow come undone from the wall and was draining onto our basement floor. 60% of our floor was now covered in water, including the area rug, the new moldings I just installed, parts of the gear room and soaking any cardboard boxes that were on the floor, etc.

I am still in my pajamas and slippers, covered in ick, now mopping up dirty, soapy water from our washing machine. I began having flashbacks of the basement hell from a few months ago. Meanwhile, Ken got out the shop vac and we exchanged jobs (since holding a vacuum cleaner hose is easier than manual mopping). It took us 30 minutes, a 30 gallon pot and two additional shop vac empties to rid the floor of water.

Ken saw my look of despair and finished up for me while I finished the remaining dishes in the kitchen (after turning the water main back on). I then took a shower and put on other PJs. I was beat. I think I sat on the couch, barely moving for the rest of the night (about 2 hours) before crashing.

The rug has since dried and the jam is now safely stored in the basement. Yet I still think of the basement, covered in water. It brings panic to my heart. My one bit of solace is thanks to my mom, who talked us out of putting laminate wood floors in the basement. We've had water on the floors twice, so that would have been a disaster for us. The painted concrete has held up very well so far. The drywall seems unharmed and everything seems back to normal. The only cardboard boxes damaged were empty anyway. I try to keep water-resistant things on the ground floor -- apparently for good reason.

I am hoping that the basement saga will end soon. I recently remembered that I forgot to cut holes in the soffits for access to the outside water lines. I remembered when I tried to turn on the hose in the front of the house. Fitting that in order to do so, I had to pull out a drywall saw and cut into the ceiling. I still have another to go, as well as some access panels for vent shut offs. Then it's creating the access panels to cover the holes. Likely to be done next week. Ken installed an ethernet/cable jack in the basement so we can move the office down, but we need help in order to do so because the furniture is too heavy.

Once the furniture's downstairs, then we can work on Katie's room. Now if only the basement would stop causing me headaches.

Merit Badges

I just came across these on a crafting website and absolutely adore them.

I can only imagine ones with different brain regions. Can you imagine getting your "limbic system" merit badge instead of an "A". I think I would have been more motivated in grad school.

Pork for Jam

A few weeks ago, I bought some fresh pork belly from our local butcher to make bacon. I got it home, put it in the fridge to deal with the next day since we were having company that night. Then something came up the next day so I figured I'd cure it the next day. Or the next. Or the next. It went rancid before I could cure it and my heart sank. I wasted food and money. I was really, really sad about it. I didn't tell anyone but Ken, it made me that upset.

I vowed to take on only projects that I could tackle (if they involved perishables, at least). Yesterday, I went strawberry picking on Sauvie Island. I picked 12 lbs of berries and when I went to pay for them, I saw that they had a jamming flat reduced for quick sale. My inner struggle. Get the hurting berries or leave them. It was the pork incident all over again.

For $6.50, I purchased the additional flat of berries and went to a barbecue at a friends house while they sat in the back of my car. By 9:15 p.m, I was on my way home. By 9:30, I was sitting in a chair pulled up to the sink, hulling and washing berries. Come hell or high water, these berries wouldn't rot on me. By 10:00, I was almost finished processing the 15 cups of strawberries that would make up my jam. By 10:03, I realized I didn't have enough sugar. I called Ken, who was on his way home from kickball and work to pick some up. (You have to love a husband who knows you well enough to know that when you ask for sugar, you mean a 25 lb sack of it -- he called to confirm that's how much I wanted, which it was. He didn't ask why I wanted it either. He just picked it up for me. Another reason why he's my best. Sidenote: he was also very understanding about the pork incident.)

Back to the stove, it was now 10:10 on a work night. I had my pot of boiling water going for the jars and I'd just finished processing the strawberries and adding the lime juice when Ken walked in with the dog and a 25 lb sack of sugar over his shoulder. I am stirring a 26 gallon sized pot of red goo.

His only response: "You're doing this now? Is this because you're motivated to make jam or because you're still feeling guilty about the pork?"

Yes. Talk about hitting my reasons out of the ballpark.

Ken said he needed to walk away from the canning madness. I mumbled something that may have sounded like "ok" but I can't be sure. I was in jam-land. I added the sugar, cooked it all down, ladled the jam into the jars and processed it in the boiling water. Thankfully, it was a cool night (a welcome change from normal jamming weather) so I was only a sticky mess rather than a sweaty, sticky mess. By the time I pulled the last of the jars from the water and cleaned up, it was around 11:30 pm. I had 24 pints (around 3 gallons) of perfectly-set, jewel-colored strawberry jam. I left it on the counter overnight so I could admire my work the next morning.

Upon seeing my work this morning, I was proud of what I accomplished but I am still thinking about the pork. I am also thinking about the other 12 lbs of strawberries still sitting on my counter.

Hello lovers

I dropped off some black maternity pants to be hemmed after work yesterday and then went shoe shopping. I'm normally not much of a shopper but I only have one pair of plain black flats for work -- and they need socks in order to wear them. Since it's summer and socks are starting to cut into my cankles, I figured it was time for some new ones.

I found some nice black ones on sale at Macy's, which was having a promotion that if you bought any two pair (even if on sale or clearance), both pair got an additional 20% off. So I got another pair that I've been lusting after since Easter. I love them because they're so bright and outside of what I usually wear. They're so comfortable and are the most vibrant lime green I've ever seen (the picture doesn't do the color justice -- they are even brighter than what you see below). I don't know if they're stylish or if I look like an old lady. But I don't care. I love them and am wearing them now. They brighten my mood whenever I look down and see them.

Katie in 3D

Ken and I went in for an ultrasound today due to some potential complications they found a few weeks ago. Short version: both issues may not be issues anymore. The placenta's now 5 cm away from the cervix (instead of partially covering it) and the fibroid hasn't grown and is on the posterior uterine wall -- away from the baby (who's hanging out in the anterior portion). Either of these issues would necessitate a C-section down the road. I'm glad to hear things are ok.

But truthfully, I was most thankful that the ultrasound just happened to be today since I've been sick all weekend. I was worried that something may have happened to Katie due to fever, etc. I was nervous for the appt.

Everything is looking great. She's still a "she" and is growing right on schedule. They estimate her weight at 1 lb, 8 oz. Her kidneys are fine, heartbeat looks good, etc. She wasn't moving much and likes to keep her hand near her face (which is pretty common apparently). Still, they were able to take the following pictures. We were pretty excited to see that some of them were in 3D!

Here's Katie at 24 weeks:

Her heartbeat


Her grizzly-like feet


Side view of her arm covering her face


What the same picture looks like in 3D. You can see her arm in front of her face with the umbilical cord to the left (near the nose/mouth/eyes)


The ultrasound tech tried to digitally "remove" the arm and umbilical cord to get a better view. It created some weird shadows....


Kind of like if she were a pirate. Arrrrgh! Batten ye timbers, mateys.


Face shot


Same face shot, but in 3D. Ken and I were surprised by the "dark hair" which are actually just shadows. Surprised us both at first since I didn't have hair until I was 3 and Ken is blonde as can be.


And lastly, the distorted view that Ken and I think is creepily hilarious.


Don't worry, Katie has the back of her skull. But in this picture, I think it looks like she has horns. Ken thinks she looks like the kitten on fire from the Family Guy episode where Stewie kills Mr. Rogers (see the 0:41 second mark). Either way, we were laughing in the ultrasound and thought some of you may find the humor in it too.

Next ultrasound appointment is in 5 weeks. An unexpected bonus of complications, I suppose.

You give me Fever

I've been out of commission for the past couple of days. I got really queasy last Wednesday morning which morphed into sweats, dizziness, chills and aches as the day progressed. I left work and went immediately to bed. Did not pass couch. Did not collect $200. I woke up 6 hours later to a fever just shy of 101. I ate and drank something before going back to bed for the night.

The next morning, my fever had broke so I went to work for a meeting but called it quits half way through the day. Spent the rest of the day sleeping on the couch and went to bed early after vomiting my dinner. I called in sick the next day after that. I could barely move. More sofa city. Threw up that night too. Saturday was better and I could move, albeit slowly. Sunday hurt a lot and I was exhausted. I am finally feeling better today.

I learned:

• I can't lay down in all positions anymore. I have my left side or my right side. Sometimes on my back, but not for long. Any of these positions hurt after a while.
• Laying down for 3-5 days really, really hurts my abdominal muscles (they call them round ligaments -- which stretch as the uterus grows). My sides were really hurting these past few days. 1000 situps -- only inverse result. I needed help to pull myself up.
• Hurting abdominal muscles puts strain on my lower back. So by Sunday, my lower back and abdominal muscles were killing.
• Having a fever and vomiting and sore muscles made me feel that I was having pregnancy complications. Not knowing what is going on (and if anything is wrong in there) is frightening.
  
• Being exhausted and not being able to move/do the things that I want makes me really, really sad. I miss the pregnancy of 2 weeks ago when I could do anything.
• Ken is awesome and took control of everything while I was out of commission. I feel lucky to have him as my partner.
• I am glad we got most of the baby stuff already. If I feel like I did this weekend, I am not going to want to move/do anything.
  
• The third trimester is going to suck.

iPhone and Crib

It was a happy day yesterday. Two big purchases that change things:

1. An iPhone. Apple is coming out with a new one so they dropped the price of their old one to <$100. My old phone (which they don't make anymore) started dropping calls and losing reception, so it was a great time to upgrade. Now I can keep track of appointments, check email (work and home), etc. on the go. iPhones are awesome. I've been coveting Ken's for a while now. I'm particularly fond of the GPS maps feature since I frequently get lost in new places.

2. Crib. I've been searching craigslist for a couple of weeks and just found a crib in a darker wood about 10 blocks from our house. We picked it up last night after our stop at the apple store (see crib picture below; we didn't get the bedding). We had to disassemble the crib to get it in the door. It is now in pieces in Katie's room. Having a crib in the house (even disassembled) makes upcoming baby feel a little more real. Earlier in my pregnancy, I was not so excited about getting things ready or decorating. That has changed where I'm now looking forward to it. I'm still not ready to embroider baby books or anything, but I am ready to start on some fun craft projects to hang over the crib. I'm planning to make some bigger paper lanterns out of the brightly colored tissue paper leftover from our wedding -- almost five years ago. I'm hoping to make the room fun without being too "baby-ey".