At Home…in Alaska

Archive for January, 2005

1/25/05 4 (brown)

1/26/05 5 ! (4 brown, 1 green)

1/27/05 2 (1 brown, 1 green)

1/28/05 3 (brown)

1/29/05 5 ! (4 brown, 1 green)

26 weeks today! The more I keep track, the faster it seems to go! LOL One more week and I’ll begin the last trimester!

I’m definitely feeling this little one’s size now. Another big Hunt baby…all of the girls have been above 8 lbs., all the boys above 9 lbs. They haven’t gotten increasingly bigger as the “theory” goes necessarily. With the girls, oldest was largest, middle was smallest, youngest was in between those two. Boys, yes, did go up…oldest was smallest, second was larger. So, I think gender will mostly determine the size and then depending on that we’ll see if it’s in the 8 or 9 lb. range. Genetics is so very interesting… I feel fortunate that my genes run on the smaller side - especially compared to dh’s family. Even the women are tall. 10, almost 11, pounders aren’t unusual apparently. While my midwife has assured me it’s head circumference not size that makes a difference…it only makes sense that a larger baby would have a bigger head. Of course, I know she’s trying to be comforting…but my brain isn’t “tricked” easily! LOL

I’m increasingly uncomfortable…which goes without saying. Even in bed the last couple of nights, I couldn’t relax and be comfortable. That’s the pits. You so need rest…but it escapes you.

Am I complaining? No. I don’t take our “fertility” for granted…know many people who deal with the opposite…know some who have chosen abortion…know many with those on the verge of leaving the nest…know many whose children have been gone a long while…know some whose children have died in infancy and into childhood… Their life experiences aren’t lost on me. Embrace and savor the moment. Each little (and big!!) kick, each tug and pull and twist…are like soothing caresses to take with me through to the end of my life here on Earth. Each child born, a soul to potentially spend Eternity with. Knowing the enormity of that makes me strive the more so everyday to become more and more like my Savior…to whom I offer my comparitively small but overwhelming felt “thanks” for the opportunity…and for those who remind me of it every hour of the day!

This baby is so loved already…and while I’m not looking forward to that “ring of fire” :shock:…I’m (we) are definitely anticipating the day just a few short months from now when he or she shows us his or her beautiful little face!

Woke up to the furnace out at about 5:30am this morning. It’s exactly 10° F outside so that makes it darn right nippy in here. Thinking of visiting the chickens for a while in the garage…sure feels toasty out there! At the moment, I’m drinking some miso soup to warm up a bit and don’t want to mix chicken smells in with that. :sick: Needless to say, we weren’t in too much of a hurry to jump out of bed this morning but I was finally forced to by my hips. Dh wants me to get him up in a few minutes so he can start fiddling with the furnace. I think I’ll let the children lounge around in their beds for as long as they want (when they wake) reading, etc. No sense trying to do much else until it’s warmer.

With that, I’m going to go huddle in a blanket and sip on my soup more…my fingers are pretty stiff already.

1/21/05

3 (brown)

1/22/05

4 (3 brown, 1 green)

1/23/05

4 (3 brown, 1 green)

1/24/05

2 (1 brown, 1 green)

I made this recipe this weekend and all, even those who suffer “salmon burnout”, liked it!

1 bag (6 oz) baby spinach
1 pkg (8.8 oz) fully cooked white rice OR 1 2/3 cooked white rice
½ ts salt
¾ cup reduced far sour cream
1 egg
3 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
¼ ts black pepper
1 lb Salmon fillet

1. Place spinach in a glass pie plate along with 3 Tbs water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Uncover and drain carefully. Coat a 1 ½ quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Heat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, stir together the contents of the rice packet, spinach and ¼ ts of the salt.

3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream, egg, 2 Tbs of the Parmesan, mustard, remaining ¼ ts salt and black pepper.

4. Set aside 2 Tbs of the sauce. Combine remaining sauce (a generous ¾ cup) with the rice-spinach mixture. Stir until well coated. Transfer to the prepared casserole, spreading level.

5. Place salmon, skin side up, on a cutting board. Peel off skin and flip over. Remove any bones with tweezers. Slice crosswise at an angle into ½ inch thick slices. Fan slices over the rice mixture.

6. Thin reserved sauce with ½ ts of water. Drizzle over salmon slices. Top with remaining tablespoon cheese. Bake in 350° F oven for 25-30 minutes or until casserole registers 150° F on an instant read thermometer. Let stand 5 minutes at room temperature before serving.

I forget where I copied this recipe down from…but I typed it up as it was. Here are my adaptations:

* Doubled for our large family.
* All ingredients organic.
* I did use white rice this time…we like basmati or jasmine. But, brown rice is common here too. Cooking time would be increased for about another 20 minutes for that though…and you might want to add an extra bit of H20…approx. a ¼ - ½ cup.
* Regular sour cream as opposed to non-fat.
* Used sea salt.
* Don’t use a microwave any more! Spinach can be thawed ahead of time on the counter or put into the oven while it’s heating.
* Don’t use nonstick cooking spray either. Used shortening.
* Didn’t use a seperate bowl to mix rice and spinach - why make more dishes to wash?! Just put both into the prepared casserole dish and mixed there.
* Didn’t set aside a portion of the sauce - again, why make more dishes to wash?! Just poured sauce into rice until recommend “set-aside” amount was left and then thinned with water in the same bowl.
* Didn’t use a thermometer. I cook salmon often enough that I know when it’s finished by sight…or a poke with a fork.

That’s it! Simple, easy and yummy! Enjoy!

My parents are here for a visit. Had to drive Mom to a doctors appt. at the podiatrist to have a toenail removed. Then, both of us had to visit the feed store for various things. On to have her perscriptions filled and grabbed a late lunch. Hit the grocery store for a few things. Made it home after regular dinner hours, made dinner and finally got all the children in bed. Dh was home late but was able to clean up the toddler, who fell asleep on the couch, for me (but missed the icky diaper change ) and brush his teeth ’cause I’m beat and sore. Haven’t been out-n-about since before Christmas and have had a lot of abdominal growth since then. Whew. It’s all I can do to type this… *yawn*

I have a busy day tomorrow too. Have a baby shower to go to and with dh so busy working he didn’t have time to get me around to prepare for it. So, in the morning, I’ll go with Mom to do some shopping…must find something else to wear! I gave away or pitched quite a few maternity things (some of which had been through 5 pregnancies and just had to go!!!) after my last pregnancy fully hoping that I’d be able to replace things in the future. The future is here and I haven’t been able to. I only have one outfit that’s decent for church and maybe three changes for here at home. Which isn’t too bad as I try to wear something twice before putting it in the laundry…but some days you just can’t. Mostly, I’d like just one more choice for church. Wearing the same thing now for weeks upon weeks (the weeks we’ve actually been able to attend when not sick) has gotten really old. I received a bday gift though that I refuse to give up to bills and I’m going to find something even if it kills me (I hate today’s fashions and hardly ever ever see any thing I want and very rarely ever come home with anything…so I consider this a major mission and feat to accomplish! LOL)… Or, I’ll have to take dh’s suggestion and “go naked.” LOL (He’s kidding of course!!! ) Then, I have to come home and cook the frozen meal for my dear friend, wrap her gift and come up with a few verses that I find encouraging and print them out on 3 x 5 cards. Actually, the last thing won’t be hard…I have lots of favorite encouraging verses! All this before 2:30pm. At this rate, if I don’t go to sleep NOW, I will find it hard to rise very early and will feel the busyness of it… We don’t do very many “extracurricular” things but when we do, they seem to come all at once. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow though now that I think on it. Very rarily do I get out “alone” or with my mother to do adult girly things…and tomorrow I’ll have a full day of it. I don’t feel the need to “escape” my children and I’m a real home-bod…but there are times when it’s just nice and refreshing and different for a change of pace. Although I’ll enjoy myself, I also know I’ll be missing my dh and children and home by the end of the day. And, the following day is the Lord’s Day with a wonderful church family to worship with.

So, this weekend will be a pleasant one…and, again, different for a change. I need one after the hectic holiday and “sicky” season we’ve had.

*yawn again* Must to bed. Goodnight!

1/19/05

3 brown

1/20/05

4 (1 green, 3 brown)

25 weeks today! 3.5 more months to go…and boy do I feel it already! My age is starting to show I think…

This little one sure is active though! Reminds me a lot of our first child as she was really energetic in utero also. This one likes the soft belly button area too just like she did. Oooo, that’s such an odd feeling! Very, very sensitive on me. Our first child would continually stick her elbow or knee or foot right directly behind my belly button and push and poke unmercifully! This one has on a couple of occasions and I’ve had to literally push back with both hands quite hard until it gave up the area…several minutes later and when I’m finally in bed for the night!!

Funny thing…oldest dd was so active in the womb but is a typical oldest child and can be quite calm and still. Second dd was comparatively “quiet” in utero and is far from it now! The others have been varying degrees between the two and still are on the “outside.” But, the two oldest get along really well and are “pals”…makes it kind of hard for our 3rd dd but now that she’s getting older (and knowing more what her sisters know), things seem to be balancing out. I’m really thankful for that. Of course, the boys are boys and as the younger one gets older the two of them are more “chummy” now too. Before, dd3 and oldest son kind of banded together. She’s kinda too bossy (to him) though for me to let them play together for extended periods so that makes me even happier that things are balancing out with her sisters. Either one of them play together with her well now. I mean, they always have, but now it’s more closely “relating” to one another rather than an older “entertaining” a younger…they interact now on a different level. More girl to girl rather than girl to baby or toddler or even preschooler. Interesting thing - family dynamics. I didn’t experience any of this as I was an only child. As a mother, I’m fascinated and encouraged.

Well, what started as a “baby update” turned into a reflection on *all* my children. It will be just as fascinating to see how this new wee one fits into the equation once he/she shows his/her beautiful little face.

I’m really conscious of the time winding down as I have a lot to accomplish, particularly in the way of this house, before I’m entirely too big to do so. At least, relatively comfortably and safely… I’m already feeling ackward with some of my general household chores.

Just because the technology exists to conveniently dispose of an inconvenient baby at home, we must not be complacent and think it’s better than the trip to an abortuary. Both methods conclude with the same destination for the baby. Being prolife means realizing that God’s gift of life begins at conception, and with fear and trembling avoiding putting ourselves in the place of God who alone is the determiner of when life begins…and ends.

Well said Carmon! (Be sure to read her previous post too.)

Amen and amen!

1/17/05

2 (1 green, 1 brown)

1/18/05

5! Yay - full count!