My favorite bread

Well, one of my favorites (I'm a bread lover!) . . . it's wonderful on it's own, or cut into squares then sliced through the middle for sandwiches - either a great vegetarian one with sprouts, tomatoes, avacado (for those of you who like it), cucumber, lettuce, etc. or with a little deli meat and cheese added to all that good stuff, too. Either way I make the sandwich, I top it off with Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinegar Dressing - my very favorite dressing.

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Rosemary Focaccia Bread

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2 c water

1 Tbsp yeast

1 Tbsp sugar

1/3 c freshly chopped rosemary

3 minced garlic cloves

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp freshly cracked pepper

5 cups flour

2 tsp salt

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For the top:

extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

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1 - In a large mixing bowl combine water, yeast, sugar, freshly chopped rosemary, garlic, olive oil, pepper, and 3 cups of flour. Mix together and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

2 - Add the salt and enough of the remaining flour to pull the mixture together into a soft dough. Knead for 5 minutes.

3 - Spray a large bowl with olive oil

4 - Shape dough into a round and place in the bowl tha thas been sprayed with olive oil.

5 - Spray the top of the bread with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap. Allow bread to double in size (About 1.5 hrs).

6 - Once bread has doubled in size, remove from bowl and place on a counter top. Allow dough to rest for 10 minutes.

7 - Spread dough into a well-oiled cookie sheet - dimpling it with your fingers

8 - Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt

9 - Allow bread dough to double in size again.

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Bake @ 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

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**This recipe actually came as a hearth bread recipe, if that's your preference, use steps 1-6 and follow these:

7 - Divide dough into 2 equal portions

8 - Shape each portion of dough into rounds and place on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper.

9 - Brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle each top with kosher salt.

10 - Allow bread dough to double in size.

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Bake @ 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

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I could REALLY use a rosemary plant of my own.

Procrastination as an Art

Five years ago got as far as piecing together the nine squares and the dark border around them all.

A couple weeks before Guy was born I finally added the last border, backed it with some fleece, and stitched it all together (after digging through my mom's craftroom to find it). There's nothing like incentive to finally get a project done, right?

Squeaky Guy

With some subpar video editing skills, here's a short clip of Guy

Friday Hike

Right now Rob works four ten hour days a week. On Friday, his day off, he was kind enough to join me when I wanted to check out a trailhead I spotted a while ago while we on a motorcycle ride one evening. The trail was a little disappointing, it just led to a rock climbing area, but we did find a pretty good view from the top.

Next time we should bring someone else along to take photos. :)

Before . . . and After

A while ago I decided to grow out my hair a little more and donate it. Yesterday both Rob and I decided we'd had enough of my hair falling out and and being all over everything (especially after the pregnancy - you lose much more than "the usual" post-pregnancy) - so in the afternoon I went in for a cut.

Before:

I made two major requests to the stylist while showing her styles I like: my hair be shoulder length, and I still want to be able to put most of it back with a rubberband.

After:Now I can't do either. Nice girl, but not the greatest listener.

Damage done:

This is the shortest my hair has EVER been (besides as it was growing out when I was a kid). And we like it--I just hope that I can replicate what the stylist did . . .

What do you think?

Happy Easter!

Finally getting around to putting new photos on. Easter was Guy's first week at church - it's nice to be able to take him out and about more, especially in the warm weather.

And - just for fun - what sometimes happens when Rob dresses Guy.

The past 6 weeks

Holy cow - in some ways it seems like Guy has been with us a lot longer than 6 weeks. In others, it's all still brand new.

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For a while I felt like I could update life through medications, medical procedures, and self diagnosis (with some wonderful help from a very generous friend). Some days, when I remembered to take everything, I was taking more than 20 pills. Fortunately, that did include 2 doses of iron, calcium, vitamin C, and a prenatal vitamin, but really . . . really?

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As for the issues it's mostly been breastfeeding woes . . . after Guy's jaundice, I got a mastitis, yeast infections on both sides of my chest, low milk supply (because of the infections/complications), and my latest discovery (and explanation for the ongoing pain since Guy was born): vasospasms (another chest issue). I've learned all this from 2 lactation consultants (one a good friend) and mostly from the above-mentioned very generous friend (THANK YOU ERIN!). Seriously, I have this renewed gratitude for facebook, and reconnecting with old friends, I really don't think I could have survived so long with the pain and frustration had it not been for Erin, who I've known since fourth grade and recently reconnected with via facebook.

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I really feel like with just a little more information I could be an expert on breastfeeding issues and infections/complications. I think I know a lot more than many doctors now (and for sure, more than the 2 doctors that I went to during all of this).

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For four days I pumped every 2 hours round the clock. One of those nights Guy slept for 7.5 hours in a row (yes, I was very jealous). And I'm still having some issues, but they are tolerable, and I'm working to make them better--coping a lot better, to say the least. Now I'm getting 4 hours of sleep in a row pretty regularly--horray!

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Meanwhile, Guy's growing (a lot more since we figured out we needed to supplement for a bit - now I've got more milk than he drinks in a day - yea!)--changing everyday, smiling lots, and laughing every once in a while. Putting everything else into that perspective, it makes all of it worth it. Now if I could just figure out how to consistently keep him awake while he's feeding . . . he's got this habit of falling asleep while eating, even if he just got up from a 3 hour nap. Baby steps, right?

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And now an open-ended offer . . . if anyone has breastfeeding problems, please don't hesitate to see if I can help, I'd be willing to share what I have learned--seriously.

Where did the last month go?

I can't believe how fast the past month has flown - - could have something to do with the adjustments we still haven't mastered, or just other stuff we've encountered (to be filled in later). For now, I'm just posting some photos.

Some Photos

Our glow-worm--the at home bili-blanket

Guy's mask for under the bilirubin lamp

R. Guy

Wow, it's been quite the few days.

On Saturday we were blessed to have Robert Guy make his appearance. The hospital had wi-fi, and I knew that in advance, so a couple weeks before Guy was due, I wrote up an email and just had it saved to go out. On Saturday a couple hours after delivery, Rob filled in the details and sent it out.

Last Friday we had an appointment with the dr., and he felt like things weren't progressing very quickly, so that day we scheduled the induction for Tuesday, Feb. 17. We also scheduled this week's appointment to include an ultrasound - the dr. wanted to check his positioning and size to see if he was stuck on a bone or something (explanation for him not dropping enough). I was feeling a little disappointed after the visit, but off I went to work.

Rob worked until 9 pm on Friday, so I went to JoAnn's to get material for a nursing cover--my Friday night was mostly me making the nursing cover. That's as close to "nesting" as I got, I guess.

We went to bed around 10:30. At 3:15 I woke up feeling my water break. I now know what they mean when they say that if your water breaks, you'll know . . . and did I ever. Within 5 min. after we got to the hospital two other girls came in, too. It seemed like the hospital just got busier.

There was one anesthesiologist on duty, 2 c-sections going on, and just a lot going on. The anesthesiologist started my epidural and went on his way to one of the c-sections. I started feeling the needle in my back AND contractions. No numbness at all. Over 45 minutes later still not numb, the anesthesiologist came back and actuallyh hooked up the pump that disperses the medicine. The rest of the day was better after that.

At 1:23 p.m., after about an hour of pushing, Guy was born. We're biased, I know, but I think he's an absolutely beautiful baby.

Things at the hospital were okay, though it wasn't my favorite experience. I don't think I'll ever recommend the hospital to anyone. A few times nurses said they would be back in 10 minutes, and most the time that meant it would take over an hour.

The morning of the day we thought we were going home, we got Guy's blood tests back and found out he was jaundiced. One day under the bilirubin lamps, a "hotel stay" in the hospital for Rob and me, and one messed up breastfeeding habit/routine later . . . we were on the way home, with a biliblanket. Never a dull moment, it seems.

After a couple more visits to the dr, and some eating wars later (he's still proving stubborn, go figure), we're doing a lot better. I finally got a nap in on Friday while he was sleeping too. We're far from a predictable routine, but we're making progress.

Fabulous Food cont.

Jen got this to me last week, I'm just a little slow in getting this up:
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The last shower food recipe:
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Salad - so good!
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Greens: spinach, iceberg or romaine (mix a few together)
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Glazed nuts: I used about 1/2 c almonds with 3/4 a cup sugar and you caramelize in a pan (stir constantly for about 10 minutes?), pecans or walnuts also good.
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Fruit: blueberries, pineapple, apples, pears, craisins, strawberries--all good!
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Veggies: celery, onion are all I really like
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Chicken: I had some shredded ckn and sprinkled some garlic powder on it.
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Raspberry Salad Dressing:
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2/3 c canola oil
6 T sugar
4 T raspberry vinegar (I only had apple cider vinegar on hand, not a big deal)
1 c raspberries
2 T sour cream
1 T dijon mustard
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Mix ingredients in blender for a few seconds. Put on the side or add right before serving.