April 30th

Tomorrow I will be 36 weeks along (just over 8 months) and Jonah will be 15 months old. Here is a little update on the both of us.

Me: I have gained 25 lbs. so far this pregnancy. My cervix is softening but not yet dialating. I am tired (and today also emotional) and achy but overall pretty great. I have been taking walks everyday now that the weather is warm (It's been in the 70s, though it's going to be signifigantly cooler for the next week). I am so excited to meet my little girl! I am nervous about being a mom to two young children. We still have yet to decide on a name for our new arrival.

Jonah: I swear he gets cuter and funnier everyday. He goes to the doctor for a check up tomorrow so I can tell you even more then. For now I'm getting a big kick out of him practicing walking backwards, which he does at least twice a day with a very serious look on his face. He hasn't been crying at all when he goes down at bedtime this week (something totally new for him) but he's been getting up a half hour earlier in the mornings. He is teething on at least one back tooth which means he is gnawing on a finger most of the time and gets rather fussy sometimes, but overall he is an angel.

Other good news: My sister, Robin, who has a little boy 6 months younger than Jonah is expecting a baby girl 4 months after me. It will be so fun to have close cousins!

Getting Into Things

Literally!

April in Photos

My boys, watchin' a little Baby Einstein.

Who has the cutest hair ever?

Playgroups make Jonah squeal with delight.

I eat my veggies.


Nacho Libre (my good friend, Ryan) cruisin' our street.

Spend a weekend hanging out with Elaine, one of my dearest friends (she lives in Houston).

My good friend Avalie meets us for Brandon's birthday lunch. Hadn't seen her in almost a year, she's just as funny as ever.

My SIL, Katie's and her boyfriend, Jason, head off to her senior prom.

Lisa dressed him...



This was Jonah's first trip to the zoo where he is old enough to appreciate it. It was so fun to watch him watch the animals!! I got season passes if anyone in UT ever wants to join me, I've got a ticket for you.

One of less than 10 white (not albino) alligators in the world. See it now at Hogle Zoo.

Has it Really Been Three Years??

Lisa and I have been friends since 6th grade. She lives in New York, I live in Utah. We talk on the phone almost every week. It's been three years since the last time we saw each other (I visited her at her home on Long Island). She now lives in Westchester County, has a new job, and a puppy and I have almost two children. Lots has changed, but some things never do.


Lunch on Saturday with the Jensens after Katie's half-marathon at Red Butte Cafe on Foothill Dr. Tasty! (I need mascara).

We went up to the cabin for a BBQ on Sunday.


She arrived Thursday afternoon. I showed her son, my house, my cats, etc. We stayed up late talking. Friday we had a girl's night out. We went and got massages in Provo, went out to dinner at Carrabba's (delish), and saw 27 Dresses (fun chick flick!) at the dollar theater. Saturday we went to the zoo with Brandon and Jonah and to lunch with the Jensens. Spent the evening watching Scrubs mostly. Sunday we hung out at home and then went with my boys up to the cabin to make some burgers and check out how spring is coming along up there (the snow is starting to melt). Monday her flight was cancelled and she had to leave two hours earlier than planned. It was a very nice, relaxing trip. We had a great time together, we always do.

April?

(photo from earlier this month)

It's snowing here. It's almost May. Somethin' just ain't right.

Barefoot and Pregnant

This captures a pretty typical moment in my everyday life; using the electric broom to tidy up around the highchair while Jonah follows me around in my cluttered kitchen.

Happier Birthday

Here's some pictures of Brandon on his birthday weekend looking a bit more chipper. He did have a ridiculously high fever in the evenings though.

7 1/2 Months Along

I realized that compared to my last pregnancy, I have taken very few pictures of my belly. Here's a few shots of me on Saturday (thanks to Elaine) wearing my tight non-maternity top that got me a lot of long stares at The Cheesecake Factory.

Yesterday

Brandon's 31st birthday was yesterday. I made him a chocolate stout cake with coconut pecan frosting. Our best couple friends, the Pettits, were in town all weekend and we had a ball together. More pictures and stories to come.

The Ultimate Food Survey

What is your favorite cuisine?
Nepali, Italian, Indian, Mexican, Thai, Japanese - in that order

What is your favorite dessert?
I'm not real picky, I love the sweet stuff. Homemade cookies (no bakes, choc chip, oatmeal, etc.), ice cream, rootbeer floats, pie, cake, creme brulee...

What is your favorite breakfast?
.good blueberry muffins, pine-orange banana juice, bacon
.french toast, bacon or sausage links, oj
.my homemade banana bread in a bowl with milk poured over it and heated up
(Can you tell I'm a carb lover?)
I love hash browns too!

What is your favorite dinner?
Dhal bhat, a fabulous pasta dish, chicken tikka masala, green thai curry, La Puente or La Frontera's smothered burritos with cheese, Thanksgiving (smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, Jen's cornbread sausage & cranberry stuffing with pinenuts added, a cranberry dish, etc.) ...

Favorite lunch??
.a pint of great homemade salsa, chips, and homemade refried beans
.a great burrito

Comfort foods?
.canned Campbell's cream of tomato soup with pepper and tons of saltines (preferably while watching Perry Mason)
.fried corn tortillas

Other favorite foods unmentioned?
french fries, fruit, mashed potatoes, italian vegtables (tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, artichokes), my tomato crab bisque, Mom's cranberry orange jello salad, Linda's carrot cake and a variety of her other dishes, Lisa's cranberries n' cream, Michael's caesar salad, Alisha's black bean soup, Pawena's green curry, anything Nepali that Smeeta makes... (I like not having to cook even though I enjoy it)

Favorite spices?
Curry, cumin, fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro, basil...

Travel food experiences:
.Pretty much every plate of dhal bhat I had in Nepal was pure heaven, the momos there were fantastic too.
.The tortilla soup they serve at the poolside restaurant at the Girasol Sur condos in Puerto Vallarta was incredible as are tacos and tamales from street vendors everywhere I've been in Mexico.
.New York City and San Francisco were all around culinary delights.
.The Tony Newcomb Chili Cookoff in Oklahoma City in August is one of my all-time favorite events as well as the Clam Chowder tasting festival on Nantucket island in fall.
.Our trip to Louisianna brought us the delights of dirty rice, meat pies, red beans & rice, etc. I'd never had authentic southern food before and I enjoyed it:)

Once in a lifetime food experiences:
.The inside out german chocolate cake that Alan & Linda had at their wedding (I got the recipe but it is something I know I will never take the time to make)
.Nepal

Cooking fiasco story?
I can't think of a particular one (feel free to remind me), but pretty much every time we invite someone over for dinner the meal is taking longer than I expected

Most memorable meal you ever made?
.Possibly the time I made Sara Jane's Sour Cream Chicken (a favorite for company) and Sarah's Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Carmel Sauce (everyone asked for the recipe) for three couples without little kids at our apartment on halloween night
.Thanksgivings are always memorable too (with McBrides, Jensens, Pettits, Rajaratnams, etc.)
.fondue night with Lacey

Favorite Restaurants?
I'm not really sure, I just don't like eating at chains. I like Ajanta in OKC as well as Bravos there. I don't eat out all that much. Spicy Lady in Heber has great ambiance but Snake Creek Grill has much better food.

I tag you all!

Engagement Announcement

My brother Teddy (8 years my junior) got engaged on Friday night to his adorable Lauren K. Congratulations! The wedding date is set for Sept. 18th (two days before my birthday). I will be there! Ted leaves for a money-making summer in Seattle in three weeks and will be gone for four months - poor Lauren.

The Omnivore's Dilema

Everyone should read this book!

Here's a quote from the last page that kind of encapsulates the whole thing, "But imagine for a moment if we once again knew...these few unremarkable things: What it is we're eating. Where it came from. How it found its way to our table. And what, in a true accounting, it really cost."
It took me exactly 30 days to read this book (411 pages). It was facinating and engrossing. It moved more quickly for me after the first section.

The book is divided into three sections, here is a little of what I learned from each:

Section 1: Corn
We grow a ridiculous amount of corn in this country because the government subsidizes farmers for it.
We eat a lot more corn than we realize and Americans use corn for all sorts of things.
There are 38 ingredients in a McDonalds chicken nugget. Thirty-eight!
Cows are not meant to eat corn, but because it is a rich, cheap source of calories, we feed it to them anyway.
If you are what you eat, Americans are processed corn.

Personal goal:
I am going to start eating only grass-fed beef instead of grain-fed whenever possible.

Section 2: Grass

I learned a lot about organic farming.
Americans don't seem to care where there food comes from, they just want it cheap and not because they couldn't afford to spend a little more on it.
Sustainable farming is facinating.
I seldom notice how unseasonaly we eat these days (lamb in spring, asparagus in winter, etc.).
Great quote:
"For example, if the sixteen million acres now bing used to grow corn to feed cows in the United States became well-managed pasture, that would remove fourteen billion pounds of carbon from the atmosphere each year, the equivalent of taking four million cars off the road."

Personal goal:
Support local farmers, meat producers, etc. (I joined a CSA).

Section 3: The Forest
Facinating section, especially if you like to cook.
Mushroom hunting would be fun to try sometime.

Personal goals:
Eat meat only from humanely treated animals.
Continue buying eggs only from free-range chickens.