AFP Screening Results

Dr. H left a message this afternoon that he had results of bloodwork and everything "looks great."  He said I could call back when convenient.

I almost accepted "looks great" and waited until my February appointment for details.  Almost.

Dr. H wasn't available when I called back but the nurse let me know I was "low risk" with chances being 1 in 5300.  She didn't say exactly low risk for what but I think this is for Neural Tube Defect.  I can wait until February for a more detailed explanation.  I think I'll get revised results for chances of chromosomal abnormalities after the anatomy scan.

Making a list

• Sidmar's
• Casamento's
• Parkway
• Streetcar ride
• Beignets
• Walk in Audubon Park under the live oaks
• Elephants at the zoo
• Magazine Street stroll
• Bordeaux Street drive by
• Boiled shrimp
• Boiled crabs at The Galley (Or should I try Charlie's?)
• Stuffed artichokes
• Smoked chicken and andouille to take home
• King cake
• French king cake
• Paddle boats and feeding the ducks
• Storyland
• Drive thru McDonald's (in lieu of a drive thru daiquiri since I am pregnant!)

The list is growing so check back.  And I promise to report on my progress getting through this list!

Super cut

We trammed it over to the east side on Saturday.  Supercuts is just a few steps away.  Charlie took his chances and only gave the instructions of "shorter all over" to the stylist to demonstrate for Freddie what he was in for.

Freddie was happy to sit in the chair by himself at first and didn't mind the scissors at all.  She really went to town chopping and I was a bit concerned that her  plan was to clean it up and shape it with the clippers.  Once she tapped the clippers on him he went nuts and it was over.   I sat down and had him sit on my lap, but he was really hysterical.  I don't think she'd cut a toddler's hair before with her requests for him to position his head just so and her expectation to give him a clipper cut.  

Next time I know to let the stylist know in advance he'll sit for scissors only.  Charlie did spend some time with him in the evening with the clippers putting them on his arms and belly to help him get over his fear.  Charlie was able to clean up the edges a little, thankfully.

He's definitely looking more and more like an big boy.  Sorry for the phone pics.  Promise there will be some better pictures soon.

Singing the Blues

 

Playing the harmonica is one of his favorite past times.  He did this for an hour straight the other day.  He's also pretty fond of the kazoo and any whistle he can get his hands on, but the harmonica is by far the favorite.  

Tarzan

Sunday at the Zoo

Going to the zoo in Central Park is my current favorite thing to do.  Freddie gets so excited about everything.  As soon as he spots the sea lions he hops out of the stroller and he's off, saying hello to all the animals and jabbering through the entire visit.  Each exhibit and every animal elicits some sort of amazed response form him..."Wow!"  "There he is!"  "Hmmmm...Let's see."

We visited the bird house for the first time and it's a tropical environment.  HEAT!  HUMIDITY!  I loved it.  We got to take off our jackets and spend lots of time watching the birds flit around.  There are so many birds among all the foliage so there's lots to look at.

Eating french fries and ketchup at the cafe is pretty exciting as well.

Notes from the Potty

• Freddie has been napping in undies for 2 weeks and has only had 2 accidents.  I am fairly certain both happened as he was waking up.  Both happened after leisurely lunches with lots and lots of milk drinking.
• He got some new undies so the training pants are all packed away.
• Just as with training pants though, he would rarely tell me he had to use the bathroom unless it was poop.  He'd wet, and then say potty.  Until Sunday...he pushed his undies to the floor, stepped out of them, and sat on the potty without even glancing in my direction.  Wow!  I think he's getting it.  I wondered if the extra step of needing help to get undressed or the sensation of clothing on his bottom like a diaper was standing in the way of this last step but I think he's making the connection.
• Since he wasn't initiating potty visits often enough I was asking him often.  He'd say "yes" about 15% of the time...I was asking a lot!  So I moved to if he hadn't agreed that he needed to potty in what seemed like a long time, I tell him it is time.  He'd oblige and sit, and he always produces.  I was wondering if this was the  "right" thing to do because I want him to experience the "need" to potty but at the same time he gets upset about wetting his pants and it is quite the ordeal to convince him to put on dry underwear.  I am hoping we are now moving past this.
• Since I had been telling him when to potty his undies had been dry all day long.  Each time before taking them off and putting them on I'd let him feel them to see if they were dry.  I'd make a big deal about how big boys wear dry undies.  He likes this discussion a lot and always smiles and grins when checking out the dryness of the undies.
• We've entered the world of public restrooms.  All I can say is thank god for hand sanitizer.  There's a lot of me saying "Don't touch, it's dirty." And a lot of him flushing and sticking his head in the toilet to try to get the full effect of that powerful flush.  Ugh.  Things would be a whole lot easier if he didn't have to strip from the waist down to straddle the toilet.  Taking of shoes, pants and undies and then replacing them, all while trying not to touch anything and avoiding puddles on the floor is exhausting.  He doesn't seem to have a problem being perched atop the potty while holding on to me for support.  We visited several public potties over the weekend and he took care of both kinds of business upon each visit.  We've made it a habit to go to the potty when we get somewhere and then again before we leave.  Did I mention I was exhausted.  I'm sorry I was too big of a chicken to go diaper-less on the go earlier.  I think it's made a difference in moving this process along.  I've got the backup pants, socks, and undies in my bag and just keep my fingers crossed that he avoids peeing in the stroller or I don't discover he's wet when his teeth start chattering in the 20 degree temperatures.
• Strangers have started noticing he's not wearing a diaper.  Poor child could barely keep his pants up before and now he often flashes a little plumber crack with his baggy undies.  I've had one genuine question of interest from a mother wanting to start her son "young"  and others give looks.  I've avoided any opportunities for anyone to interject disapproving "Isn't he a little young" comments but I know they are coming.  I'm prepared.  
• I think we'll stay on this course through the end of February as long as Freddie is agreeable.  After February I may begin feeling out ditching the diaper at night as well.  He's had a few dry diapers in the mornings, this morning included.  I think if I can get him to sit on the potty as soon as he gets up we'd be seeing more dry morning diapers.  I've been reading about it but honestly I'm scared.  I don't want to ruin a good night's sleep nor do I want to change sheets in the middle of the night.  I don't even have a washer in this apartment.  Sigh.  But wouldn't it be nice to be done with diapers (for now)?

Oat Bran Muffins (with honey)

I liked the last batch, but Charlie's been wanting oat bran muffins similar to those we used to get at our bakery, Laurel Street Bakery.  They were made with honey. 

I found this recipe at the Joy of Baking.  Of course I didn't have everything so there were some omissions and substitutions. I've noted each.  Pretty good, but still not quite what I'm looking for.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup (130 grams) whole wheat flour (didn't have wheat so used all purpose)
• 1 cup (150 grams) oat bran 
• 1/3 cup (75 grams) light brown sugar 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (omitted, I'm picky about cinnamon use)
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) unsulphured molasses or mild flavored honey (used honey)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 tablespoons canola oil (used vegetable oil)
• 1 1/4 cup (300 ml) milk 
• 1/2 cup (70 grams) raisins or currants (omitted because Charlie is not a fan of raisins)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place rack in center of oven.
• Line or spray 12 muffin cup pan.
• Mix dry ingredients into a bowl.
• In a separate bowl lightly beat egg.
• To the beaten egg, add honey, milk, vanilla, and oil and mix.
• Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing gently. Batter will be thin.
• Fold in raisins (I think I will make another batch with raisins for Freddie and me next time.)
• Ladle into 12 muffin cups.
• Bake 16-20 minutes.  (Mine were done in 12 minutes!)

Tomato Soup

I served this with grilled cheese tonight.  This meal made me happy.  Very, very happy.  It isn't exactly healthy, but damn it was good.

Served with parmesan, croutons, and basil

Again, I scanned some recipes and new I had the basics on hand.  The only thing I got specifically for this recipe was basil and I completely forgot to include it.

Ingredients:

• 7 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 14 oz can chicken broth
• 2 medium-large onions, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Melt butter in heavy stock pot.  Pot should be very large because this makes quite a bit of soup.
2. Add onions, celery, and garlic to butter cooking until translucent.  About 15 minutes
3. Add flour to pot gradually and stir constantly so that flour doesn't clump.  Just allow mixture to thicken, not brown.
4. Add tomatoes and chicken broth.
5. Simmer for an hour allowing tomatoes and vegetables to cook down.  Stir frequently to ensure not sticking to bottom.
6. Blend.
7. Return to pot and stir in cream.
8. Salt and pepper to taste, remembering tomatoes and chicken broth probably already have some sodium.

Notes:

• I blended using an immersion blender right in the pot.  So easy!  Would not be as inclined to make this recipe if I had to blend it in batches in a traditional counter top blender.
• I forgot the basil.  I am not sure how I would have included it.  My plan was to add 15 or so fresh basil leaves while cooking and just blend them in.  Another recipe I read recommended adding the complete bunch of basil to pot, and removing before blending.  this time it was chopped, and added to top.
• Wanna make it healthy: Of course the butter and cream are part of why this is so yummy, but Freddie and I did have little taster bowls after blending before adding the cream and it was really good.  I almost didn't put in the cream and may leave it out next time just to be mindful of our health. 

Lot's of leftovers even after three large bowls have been eaten.  I'll put one in the freezer for later.

Freddie loved it too!

Part Deux Update

At 16 weeks 5 days:

Blood pressure:  100/60
Weight gain: +3 for the month (all gained this past week) +4 overall

Dr. H's doppler doesn't measure heartbeat, so that's a bummer, but he does listen for a bit to make sure it is a consistent rhythm.  All sounded good.

Tests for spinal muscle atrophy and Tay-Sachs were negative.  I am not a carrier.

Blood was taken for the second trimester screening (alpha-fetoprotein screening) to screen for open neural tube defects such as spina bifida.  The AFP levels are also used to calculate risk for down syndrome and chromosomal abnormalities.

And about that weight gain.  All three of dem pounds settled on my hips this week as a result of bagels, cream cheese, fudge, and king cake. Eating meatloaf everyday for lunch one week and potatoes au gratin the next probably had a tiny bit to do with it as well.

Chugging right along.  Almost half way.

Anatomy scan:  February 7th, 8am, at the hospital
Next prenatal visit: February 15th, 8am

Playing in the snow

We left the apartment today.  We even left the building.  And there is snow on the ground and high temperatures were in the 20s.

Yes, I am just as amazed as you are.  It took quite a bit of motivation, and reassurance that it wasn't windy out.  It took a long, long, l-o-n-g time to get all bundled up for the expedition.  I honestly thought we wouldn't be out for as long as it took as to get dressed.  

Freddie refused help with walking and he fell down a lot.  And he couldn't get up by himself.  Poor kid could barely move.

He's been asking for the playground quite often.  We talk about it being covered in snow almost every day as we look at it through the living room window.

We got to go today.  He couldn't get himself up the steps to the slide but he did get to swing for a while.  He tried to dig but gave up when he couldn't really move his arms.

Freddy and Rebekah brought their sled and met us on the "hill" by our building.

Rebekah giving Freddie a pep talk before sending him down.

 

I wasn't sure he was going to be too interested in going down again since he almost wiped out on his first run, but he actually loved it.  He clapped and giggled and asked to go again over and over.  He even went down on his belly, head first once.

Freddie and Freddy catching their breath

I'm on the hunt for a sled on sale as well as some snow gear for next year, specifically mittens and boots with wide entrances and cinches to keep snow out.  Freddie's current mittens and boots cinch but I can't guide his appendages into the correct position since they don't really open wide enough.  So this year it is just a lot of pushing, pulling, and squirming to get things stuffed into place.

Potatoes Au Gratin

I browsed recipes and the ingredients were pretty consistently potatoes (some say red some say russet), milk, cheddar cheese, onion, flour.  The amounts were pretty similar so I just based this off what I had on hand.

It is yummy, yummy, yummy.  I'd really like it served next to a steak, but we had it with grilled shrimp poboys.  We'll have the leftovers this week with brisket.

Ingredients:

• 4 large potatoes, I used russet
• 2 cups shredded cheese, I used a cheddar blend
• Handful of cheese to sprinkle on top
• 2 cups milk, I used 1.75 cups whole milk, 0.25 cream
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 toes garlic, chopped

Directions:

1. Slice potatoes and then cut slices into fourths.  My slices weren't super thin as some recipes instructed, but they weren't thick either.
2. Whisk milk and flour until combined.
3. Toss potatoes in 2 cups cheese and garlic to ensure cheese evenly distributed among potatoes, and then place in a 2 quart baking dish.
4. Pour milk over potatoes.
5. Cover with foil.  
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
7. Remove foil and bake another 25 minutes.
8. Add remaining cheese to top of potatoes and bake another 15-20 minutes until browned and bubbly.

Note: 

• Some recipes required "cooked" potatoes, I imagine to decrease cooking time.  Many had baking time of 1 hour, but I imagine the potatoes needed to be sliced pretty thin for that.  Test potatoes after first hour to get better idea of cooking time.
• I opted not to use onions.
• I used three toes of garlic and these were garlic-y.  I may reduce to 2 toes next time.
• Potatoes will look very soupy after first hour of baking.  They will firm some after removing the foil and then even more after cooling before serving.

Morning Tram Ride

Freddie and Freddy

The boys like check out the cars, buses, and trucks below

We bundled up and braved the cold to head over to the Upper East Side this morning.  Thankfully Freddy and Rebekah motivated us with promises of fresh air and good groceries at the Food Emporium.

I got a few groceries, frozen hands, fresh air, and some good company. 

Holiday Cards

Freddie loved looking through the holiday cards, and especially loved pointing out all the "babies."

I'm not organized enough to save them for years and years, nor do I have the room, but rather than pitching them in the trash I punched holes in them and put a ring around them to create a "book."  I tossed it into one of his book baskets and we've been looking at it together quite a bit. 

16 weeks

Here's 16 weeks with Freddie.

Wondering if it's more like 18 weeks or 20 weeks.  I am missing my blonde hair though.  Not sure Chalrie 's skills can keep up with highlights.

This week I've been shopping around for new bras...it's time.  I've also been poking around looking for a dress to wear to Charlie's May graduation when I'll be 34 weeks.  Yikes!

I'm also trying to figure out what I need and what I can live without from the mound of Freddie's baby gear in storage.  There is really very limited space around here and there are a few new items I'm thinking we'll need.

King Cake

In order to be able to really get our fill of king cake this year I knew I'd need to spend some time in the kitchen.  Liz sent me this recipe, which I adapted.  The original recipe is here and my adaptations are noted.

Fleischmann's Yeast King Cake 

Adapted from nola.com

Ingredients:

• 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar (I used 1/4 c sugar, 3/4 cup brown sugar)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 packages Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Yeast (I use active yeast)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon (I just shook on some cinnamon sugar)
• Powdered Glaze (recipe follows)
• Colored Sugars (recipe follows)

Directions:

• In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, salt and undissolved yeast. (Note:  I did not use rapid rise yeast so I did not add the yeast at this point.)
• Heat the milk, water and butter until very warm, about 120 to 130 degrees. (Note:  Because I was using active yeast, I kept the water separate here and added the yeast to begin to activate along with a bit of sugar.)
• Add liquid the dry ingredients and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed with an electric mixer. (Note:  Added yeast here as well after giving it about 10 minutes to bubble up in the water.)
• Add the eggs and 1/2 cup of the flour. 
• Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. 
• Stir in the remaining flour (2 3/4 cups) to make a stiff batter. 
• Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours. (Note:  I did not refrigerate since I was not using rapid rise yeast.  I used active rise yeast and simply let dough rise in covered bowl near the heater.)
• Punch the dough down. 
• Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface. 
• Divide into 3 equal portions. Roll each to 28- by 4-inches. (Note:  I  divided dough into 2 balls and rolled into 10x16 rectangles)
• Brush with the melted butter then sprinkle evenly with the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and the cinnamon. (Note:  here is where I used brown sugar.  I just sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top of the buttered sugared dough.)
• Beginning at the long end, roll each up tightly as for jelly roll. Pinch the seams to form long ropes. Braid, then form into an oval. Pinch the ends together to seal.  (Note: I rolled each rectangle like a jelly roll and formed 2 separate cakes.  With scissors I cut slits about 1/3 deep every few inches.)
• Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly golden. 
• Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire race. 
• Brush with the powdered sugar glaze and sprinkle with the colored sugars.

POWDERED SUGAR GLAZE

• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
• Whisk until smooth.

COLORED SUGARS

• 1/2 cup sugar with 8 drops of green food coloring in a sealed jar or plastic bag.
• 1/2 cup sugar with 8 drops of yellow food coloring.
• 1/2 cup sugar with 8 drops of blue and 16 drops of red food coloring.  For the purple, mix food colorings before adding the sugar. 
• Mix sugars and colors together thoroughly in each bag.

King's Day

Freddie's godmother made certain there would be cake on King's Day.  And it's a Haydel's kingcake!

I did get a little misty eyed this morning looking over all the facebook status updates about king cake.  Thank goodness for Fairy Godmothers. 

Chowing down!

 After having our fill we played "Throw me something mister" to kick off the Carnival season. 

Don't worry, only the toddler was running around naked!

That's naturally New Orleans, y'all.  Ain't nothing better.

Meatloaf (with gravy)

 

I have been wanting meatloaf.  I searched through some recipes online and although they were all pretty similar nothing in particular struck me.  So I turned to facebook.  I got lots of comments with recipes and suggestions and even more messages with tried and true favorites.  None of them were just right because they all contained some sort of tomato (sauce or ketchup).  I imagine most people go with that since meatloaf is really just a giant meatball.  Meatballs, pasta, and red gravy...yummy.  But I wanted meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and brown gravy.

So after reading through some recipes and suggestions, figuring out what I had on hand, and consulting with Liz this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground beef
• 0.5 lbs Italian sausage
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 toes garlic, chopped
• 0.5 cups Italian breadcrumbs
• 0.5 cups shredded Parmesan
• 0.33 cups flat leaf parsley, chopped.

Directions:

1. Melt butter in heavy pot.
2. Brown onions and garlic.  Let cool.
3. In a bowl mix all ingredients, including browned onions and garlic.  Take time to ensure mixed evenly.
4. Mold into a free form loaf.*
5. Place in same pot used to brown onions.
6. Bake at 350 degrees, covered for 70 minutes.
7. Remove cover to allow loaf to brown and bake another 20 minutes or until internal temperature is 170 degrees.
8. Remove loaf, place on plate, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
9. Use pan drippings for gravy...place pot on stove top over a low flame.  Add one cup beef bouillon/broth and some instant roux and simmer, stirring to ensure no lumps.
10. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes!

Notes:

• *If you're not interested in gravy you can mash it into a loaf pan, but I wanted drippings to use for gravy! 
• Be careful if adding salt.  The sausage, Parmesan, and breadcrumbs are already pretty high in sodium.
• Next time I'd like to get more veggies in it...celery, shredded or finely chopped carrots, and spinach.
• A few recipes I read browned the onions.  I like the flavor from browned onions so went with this but not sure how much of a difference it made.  
• I think I'd add more garlic, too.

This meal made me very happy.  And Charlie liked it too.  Love meatloaf sandwiches the next day!

Don't worry.  We had a green salad too!

Lovin'

• Guilt free McDonald's sausage biscuits and a diet coke
• Kisses on my tummy
• Racing down the hall with lots of giggles
• A new down coat
• Organized toys
• His own table and chairs
• Resolutions
• When I say "let's exercise" he says "March!"
• Trips on the calender
• Summer visitors planned
• Rounding belly
• Orchid blossoms
• Warmth of morning sunshine through the window
• Fleece socks
  

What are you Lovin'? Don't you have a handful of things that made you pause and smile today?
Go ahead and link your list below. Feel free to title it Lovin'.

Never Fail Fudge

The plan was to make the Fantasy Fudge from the back of the Marshmallow Creme jar.  Marshmallow Creme is not to be had in these parts because there is a regional favorite: "Marshmallow Fluff."  You know, Marshmallow Fluff + peanut butter + 2 slices bread = Fluffernutter.  Don't worry, I knew nothing of the Fluffernutter.  Definitely a Northeast thing.  Maybe we'll try it one day.

I thought I'd still do the Fantasy Fudge recipe using the Fluff but since the fluff had its own recipe on the back I went with that one.

 Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 stick butter or margarine
• 1 5 oz. can evaporated milk (2/3 c.)
• 1 Jar (7 1/2oz) Marshmallow Fluff
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla
• 1 12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate pieces (2 cups)
• 1 /2 c. chopped walnuts*

Directions:

1. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside. 
2. In large saucepan combine the first 5 ingredients. 
3. Stir over low heat until blended. 
4. Increase heat to Medium and bring to a full-rolling boil being careful not to mistake escaping air bubbles for boiling. 
5. Boil slowly, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. 
6. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and chocolate until chocolate is melted. 
7. Add nuts. 
8. Turn into greased pan and cool. 
9. Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

Notes:

• *I DID NOT use walnuts.  Pecans are the only nuts allowed in my baking!
• While I don't like overly nutty fudge, this recipe could definitely stand to have more nuts added.
•  I doubled the recipe without issue since I could only find the large size jar of fluff.  This make a whole lot of fudge.  I will be sending some to work with Charlie to share when he does his lab presentation.
• Since I doubled the recipe I had to switch pots midway.  It is a lot of fudge.  It would have helped if Charlie had been here to help me pour it into the pan because it was hot and heavy.
• It would be easy to mistake the early bubbling for boiling.  Hold out for a rolling boil.
• Having Freddie in the kitchen meant I definitely did not stir constantly and it turned out fine.
• Having  tasted "Fantasy Fudge" at Liz's I think I may prefer that recipe.  I'll try it after this is all gone to compare.
• Probably should have let it sit overnight before cutting.  Edges were firmer than center.
• The recipe recommends using the "softball test" as opposed to a candy thermometer.  When I spoke with Liz about Fantasy Fudge and a candy thermometer she advised to skip the thermometer but to make sure it had been at a "rolling boil" for five full minutes.
• I'm doing peanut butter fudge next.  Recommendation from expert fudge maker:  replace chocolate with 1.5 cups peanut butter and reduce butter since plenty of oil in peanut butter.