Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
lil' b is Born!
Thorne Frevisse was born 12/12/08 at 6 lbs 8 oz and 19 3/4" long. At 7:30pm while still in labor, I told the doctor I wanted her out by 8pm and she arrived at 8pm straight up!
Many of you have asked the significance of her name, which is:
Thorn (without the e) is a family name on Steve's side that I fell in love with as soon as I heard it. As an anglophile I love that it also sounds so very English like a character from Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre. In the old name book I have, Thorn was a diminutive of the rosy Hawthorne and was listed under girl names. She looks like a rosy apple dumpling to me!
Frevisse (pronounced FrayVEESE) is the French name for the 7th Century English saint Frideswide who is also the patron saint of Oxford. I first visited Oxford in 1994 while on a semester abroad and heard the story of Frideswide while touring Christ Church where her shrine is located. I knew I wanted to name a daughter after her, but didn't think I could convince her father that Frideswide was a perfectly acceptable name. Fortunately, the french version is very pretty and works well with Thorne.
All is well with me. I'm better than I expected to be so soon after her birth. But we're still in shock and awe mode. I finally understand what it means to be so full of love for your child it makes you want to weep. We've been doing a lot of that as well.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Lil' b and Me
I found out today that my amniotic fluid was borderline. Meaning that if I wasn't already scheduled to be induced as the gawdawful hour of 6am Friday morning, I would've been admitted immediately this morning. Thankfully, I got a few hours reprieve to finish up all the nagging details of my life before everything changes tomorrow. I'm going to try all the natural ways to induce labor prior to our arrival to see if we can kick start this event without drugs. I hear there are acupressure points on the ankle that can trigger contractions almost instantly. I'll let you know how it goes. In the meanwhile, the butterflies in the stomach have arrived.
Torture
Torture is sitting in a packed waiting room with Jerry Springer on the TV. A midget proposed to his dream woman of questionable morals saying of her that she "made him climb the walls with her whiskey struck voice." Apparently all episodes end with violence, with the main guests fighting each other or the Springer staff. This one was no different except the midget, was well a midget and you can guess how effective he would be against a gorilla.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Feed Me
During the last month or so of this pregnancy I've developed an insatiable appetite. The books I've read say you'll have less ability to eat large meals because as the baby gets bigger she's squeezing your stomach (and your bladder and your lungs and kicking you in the ribs). Nope, that's not my problem. I can pack away full meals and still want more. When eating out, there were some entrees that I would NEVER have been able to finish pre-pregnancy that I now have no problem consuming in one sitting. Along with the desire to eat (and eat and eat), I have the desire to cook and bake.
In the last two weeks or so I've made:
1. 2 Spinach /goat cheese quiches - I combined and tweaked three different recipes to get it just right.
2. Potato and Leek soup - I've also tweaked this recipe over the years until it's to my liking.
3. 2 Roast Chickens both made the day after Thanksgiving. They sat in my freezer for two years so I thought they'd only be good for making Chicken stock. I never made the stock but did make some of the best gravy ever! And the meat was surprisingly moist.
4. 3 Apple Crisps - One for my sister, one for me, one for Thanksgiving.
5. 2 Chocolate birthday cakes - One was Martha Stewart's recipe for one bowl chocolate cupcakes, but with the adaptation for cake that I then covered in vanilla butter cream frosting. Super Easy! The other was a chocolate fudge pudding cake from a book called Birthday Cakes. Steve requested chocolate cake for his birthday and this recipe delivered on the chocolate. It's a hybrid of a brownie, pudding, and chocolate crisps. All three textures make an appearance in almost every bite. Steve thinks it's the best chocolate thingy he's ever eaten. BUT it has got to be the ugliest and messiest looking cake ever. If you were going to serve to guests, remove from the bowl and top with homemade whipped cream. Though not a presentable cake, it's oh so edible.
6. 1 very large Ham - I only bought the ham because I wanted the ham hock to make soup. Now I have about three pounds of ham leftover.
7. Navy Bean Soup - Thus the need for a ham hock. My mom and the chain restaurant Bob Evans make the best version of this soup. Although my first try ain't bad.
8. Banana/Oatmeal/Coconut/Chocolate health bars - They really are quite hearty and I thought tasty. You can find the recipe at Chocolate & Zucchini.
9. Herbed Ham and cheese Frittata - Still trying to use up that ham. Not so good, but only because I overcooked it.
10. Chocolate Coconut Cheesecake Squares - When I mentioned to Steve I wanted to make these, he groaned. He's worried he's losing his girlish figure, but I think he's taking this baking and cooking for granted.
....and I'm not done. Tomorrow I'll be making ham /cheese /broccoli quiches to use up the remaining ham and then...well, we'll see what gets my chops drooling.
In the last two weeks or so I've made:
1. 2 Spinach /goat cheese quiches - I combined and tweaked three different recipes to get it just right.
2. Potato and Leek soup - I've also tweaked this recipe over the years until it's to my liking.
3. 2 Roast Chickens both made the day after Thanksgiving. They sat in my freezer for two years so I thought they'd only be good for making Chicken stock. I never made the stock but did make some of the best gravy ever! And the meat was surprisingly moist.
4. 3 Apple Crisps - One for my sister, one for me, one for Thanksgiving.
5. 2 Chocolate birthday cakes - One was Martha Stewart's recipe for one bowl chocolate cupcakes, but with the adaptation for cake that I then covered in vanilla butter cream frosting. Super Easy! The other was a chocolate fudge pudding cake from a book called Birthday Cakes. Steve requested chocolate cake for his birthday and this recipe delivered on the chocolate. It's a hybrid of a brownie, pudding, and chocolate crisps. All three textures make an appearance in almost every bite. Steve thinks it's the best chocolate thingy he's ever eaten. BUT it has got to be the ugliest and messiest looking cake ever. If you were going to serve to guests, remove from the bowl and top with homemade whipped cream. Though not a presentable cake, it's oh so edible.
6. 1 very large Ham - I only bought the ham because I wanted the ham hock to make soup. Now I have about three pounds of ham leftover.
7. Navy Bean Soup - Thus the need for a ham hock. My mom and the chain restaurant Bob Evans make the best version of this soup. Although my first try ain't bad.
8. Banana/Oatmeal/Coconut/Chocolate health bars - They really are quite hearty and I thought tasty. You can find the recipe at Chocolate & Zucchini.
9. Herbed Ham and cheese Frittata - Still trying to use up that ham. Not so good, but only because I overcooked it.
10. Chocolate Coconut Cheesecake Squares - When I mentioned to Steve I wanted to make these, he groaned. He's worried he's losing his girlish figure, but I think he's taking this baking and cooking for granted.
....and I'm not done. Tomorrow I'll be making ham /cheese /broccoli quiches to use up the remaining ham and then...well, we'll see what gets my chops drooling.
lil' b Update
Thanks to all of you who commented or emailed me directly your encouragement and support about my upcoming delivery. My anxiety and fear have greatly diminished in the last few days and I know it's the result of all your prayers - so THANK YOU!
I had a fetal stress test yesterday and all is well with lil' b. If she chooses to remain as is, I'll have another stress test on Monday, and then another on Thursday. If all is still well at that point, I will be induced next Friday. So sometime in this next week our little babe will be born.
I had a fetal stress test yesterday and all is well with lil' b. If she chooses to remain as is, I'll have another stress test on Monday, and then another on Thursday. If all is still well at that point, I will be induced next Friday. So sometime in this next week our little babe will be born.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Oh, Crap!
How do I know I'm anxious about the labor and delivery of this baby? I'm having dreams that involve doctors using hacksaws as a "new way" of delivering sweet babes. Yikes! I do NOT want to be induced because I don't want an appointment for when I need to go to the hospital. I don't want to have that countdown of only 24 more hours, only twelve, only four now. I want a "holy crap she's coming" moment. My doctor was ready to accommodate me if I wanted this baby out at Thanksgiving. Uh no. I want this baby to stay in as long as possible, ideally until Steve is done with all his teaching responsibilities, but that's asking too much since my doctor won't let me go past the 12th. Besides my anxiety dreams of delivery, I've got this nagging fear that she wants to come out this week on Thursday. Please pray that ain't so! I can't make up my mind to laugh or cry these days as I anticipate her arrival. I'm back to thinking ignorance is bliss. If I hadn't heard any birth stories or anything about what to expect after delivery, I would be more emotionally stable right now. Too late.