The Little Cake that Couldn't

Sadly, we have had a high-altitude casualty. I attempted some chocolate-banana bread (CBB), and it did NOT turn out well. It looked fine throughout baking, but when I came back after it had cooled, it had also fallen.... and was super gooey inside. Bumm-er. Sean willingly ate a few slices, but I've noticed the rest is still in the pan a few days later (an extremely long lifespan for desserts around here). I made a dozen mini muffins with part of the batter, and those turned out ok, if a little dry. (Chocolate frosting, anyone?) Those we devoured that same day. A lesson learned! Some recipes don't need modification-- the chocolate zucchini bread I made a few months ago came out just fine, and I've made banana coffee cake as well. I think this CBB recipe had a fluffier consistency that didn't hold up. Someday I'll post something about the science behind why things bake differently "up here" (and why water takes forever to boil), but I will save that for another day! Until then, take a deep breath of your nice, thick air and enjoy your day!

Cheddar Bay Biscuits!

So a couple days ago, we had made spaghetti for dinner, one of our all-time favorite meals, and I was really craving some type of bread to go with it. Unfortunately, I didn't think about that until the noodles were practically done and dinner was imminent. We didn't have any crescent rolls, and I wasn't in the mood for toast. Thankfully, my mom has given me her Cheddar Bay Biscuit recipe (like Red Lobster's biscuits, only better) and it is super quick! I mixed them up, hoping the altitude wouldn't be detrimental, and 10 minutes later we had golden, decadent, buttery, cheesy biscuits. They were amazing, and a little piece of home to complement the other comfort food we got to eat.

Mood swings during pregnancy

I recently read an article from BabyCenter.com that had me going, yes, yes, yes! That is me. Here are a couple excerpts. If you've been pregnant before, you can relate. If you haven't, it will explain a bit what pregnancy can be like. :) I don't want to become so absorbed with this adventure that I fail to care about other people and what they are going through. Just know that I share my life as I see it (our newlywed Colorado life!), and this is a big thing we're experiencing right now.

Pregnancy can be a stressful and overwhelming time. You may be overjoyed at the thought of having a baby one day, and then just as quickly begin wondering what you've gotten yourself into. You may be worried about whether you'll be a good mom, whether the baby will be healthy, and how the cost of adding a child to your household will affect your family's future finances. 

...

You may be worried about putting on too much weight or looking "fat" as your body expands to accommodate pregnancy, while at the same time feeling that you can't exercise as much as you might want to or used to.


Finally, the physical symptoms of pregnancy, such as heartburn, fatigue, and frequent urination, can also be a burden. It's not uncommon to feel like you've lost control over your body and your life during this time. All these concerns may take your emotions on a roller-coaster ride.

Um, yes. I have been particularly messed up the last few days, as in crying for seemingly no reason and really down and in a funk (and experiencing lots of heartburn!). I have been feeling guilty about not exercising, yet I have felt so exhausted I can hardly get daily tasks done. I wonder if I will be patient and kind as a mother, or get exasperated and raise my voice. I wonder how I'll handle the lack of sleep, since I've already learned from college days that I get cranky and/or grumpy more easily when I'm tired. It shortens the fuse. I'm wondering how the transition of early post-partum days will go. I've been struggling with my emotions in general, over- and under-reacting to situations, which affects Sean. I'm hoping and praying that God supplies grace for each moment when I come to it-- I know He will. But it's a huge question mark hovering over the future. I'm a little scared of failure, of messing up, or worse yet, messing up my kid!

I am excited too, because I know it will be an incredible experience. Holding in your arms a wee, separate human being that once lived and developed for months inside you, that you and your spouse helped create-- parts of both of you already visible in a tiny button nose, or maybe the length of the fingers or toes, or the shape of the eyes. Watching a child discover the world, starting with discovering their own hands to suck on, or being captivated by bright colors and fuzzy toys. Being there when they learn to smile, or sit up, or laugh. I can't wait to make my baby laugh and nuzzle my nose into his belly-- mommies and daddies get the best responses, after all. I can't wait to feel her soft cheeks and examine her fingertips one by one, or admire the fine eyelashes that feather her eyes. I know it can be extremely rewarding, and is certainly extremely challenging. It will change our lives forever, and I'm looking forward to maturing more because of it. I'm actually glad pregnancy is so long, because it gives you time to think about things and prepare yourself for them, even if the actual experience ends up being different than you anticipated and planned for, which it invariably is. :)

The only part of the article I didn't completely agree with was the "solutions" to these struggles. Basically, the advice was pamper yourself, be easier on yourself, do things to make yourself happy. While I definitely think it's okay to take naps or give yourself a little slack (especially if you are a driven, competitive person like me), it's not all about me. I have a responsibility to respond correctly to situations, even when dealing with crazy hormones. Love is a choice; obedience to what I know to be true is a choice. I can choose what to think about, even when I feel overwhelmed or "stuck" in a certain mindset. I can choose to be kind to my husband even when he accidentally hurts my feelings, or unintentionally belittles the symptoms I'm dealing with. The presence of hormones is no excuse to sin, frankly. That sounds harsh, but God gives grace for anything, including pregnancy hormones!

The "bond with your partner" advice was good-- share what you're feeling so they can understand (or at least try to understand). I saw this in our life the other day, when we were talking about working out and I mentioned I missed running. (I do wish I had not gotten out of the habit of running when we moved here in October.) Sean said, not uncaringly, "you're not going to get in better shape by not running." Very true, but I then told him, I don't think you understand how tired I have been. He conceded he didn't know what it felt like to be pregnant. :) That day we went for a 30-minute walk with a slight hill at the end, after which I was quite fatigued and promptly laid down when we got home. That helped him see. Hopefully it will get better in the second trimester! I must say Sean is very understanding and our only issues have been very minor (and at least 50% my fault, if not more). He is very sweet, and good about getting me water or snacks, or letting me nap, or rubbing my back. He's the best! More than I could have asked for in a life partner. And I'm excited to get to go on this adventure with him. Can't wait to see him with our baby. I know it's a huge dream of his to have lots of kids. Mine too. :)

Twelve Weeks

I am twelve weeks along today! Hard to believe there is only one week remaining in the first trimester! The nausea is getting better and I am starting to have more energy (though not consistently, yet). I like peanut butter again, and haven't had any super-strong (or crazy) cravings. :) For a few nights, I woke up after about 5 hours of sleep and couldn't get back to sleep, but the last few nights have been better. All in all it's going well!
As far as how baby's doing: he/she can now suck her thumb, and is developing reflexes! Baby is about 2 inches long, the size of a lime, and weighs half an ounce. This coming week, B will be about the size of a large shrimp! B's kidneys are now excreting urine into his bladder. The hands, with 27 bones connected by ligaments, are structurally complete. His feet, with separated toes and developed heels, are almost fully formed.

CRAZY!!

By the way.... calling the baby "he" and "B" isn't terribly significant. Both our favorite boy and girl names start with C, incidentally. Using gender pronouns is just easier than saying "it," because our baby already has a gender, we just don't know what it is yet! Should we find out the sex at the 20-week ultrasound? We're still trying to decide...

Shout Out

A few things, for your attention....

First, if you read this blog regularly, could you post a quick comment, just to say hi? It's always nice to know who's listening on the other end. :)

And second.... notice our new "baby ticker" on the right, just above "about us"! I know almost nothing about HTML code, but was able to copy and paste it into the Blogger template after creating it at TheBump, an offshoot of TheKnot. For any visual people, it shows some progress. Hard to believe I'm almost through my first trimester already!

Thanks! Talk to you soon.

V Day 2010

So... I decided to be sneaky and create a romantic dinner environment for Sean when he got home from work on the thirteenth of February. A little preemption never hurt anyone. :) I took the above picture because that table is very. Very. Heavy. Much heavier than it looks, especially the glass. I took the below picture because I was a little dubious about being able to get the glass back on top of the base, after rolling it from the common area into our bedroom. What was I thinking?

Thankfully, a few Strecker males (landlord family) were home and helped me out after I explained, only a little sheepishly, my plan. I covered the table with a lovely tablecloth Sean's mom got us for Christmas (doesn't look too much like poinsettias on it, does it? Good thing red is also an appropriate color for Valentine's Day).

 

I made a "you and me" slideshow of photos of us throughout our history together, complete with romantic/favorite music of ours.

I got all dolled up and even curled my hair and put on a dress!

For mood lighting: a personalized lantern to shed soft light on our dinner table, honey-vanilla tea light within and others scattered over dresser-tops. This component of the ensemble was also a Christmas gift, this time from Mark and Heather.

Sean was definitely surprised when he got home, and I was giddy to show him. We had a very sweet second V-Day together. I am so grateful he is in my life!

Taco Lasagna!

Taco Lasagna was our Valentine's Day meal (more on that later). It's romantic because we made it together in my apartment while we were dating. Not the fanciest or hardest, but still sentimental and of course yummy.


My ingredients

Cooking the meat and veggie layer

 

The recipe makes two 8x8's, or one 9x13. I opted for 8x8's, so they would fit in our toaster oven for baking. Plus, we were able to cook one that day, and freeze one for later-- definitely a plus to have a dinner ready!

 

 

Ooh, profile shot. Love those layers! It turned out delicious, and we ate it in candlelight, oh yes. Anything can be romantic with the right setting.