23 Weeks & Baby Carrier!

I ordered my baby carrier last week from Tender Cargo, and got it within two days! To add to the speediness of the delivery, the shipping was free. Woo hoo!! It is a Beco, which I chose because a couple people in my life have really enjoyed having this brand. So, I hope Tiny Dancer will get some good use out of this carrier. So far, Bear seems to like it just fine! :)

I am now 23 weeks into this pregnancy. Having the first trimester sickness buried away in my distant memory, I have to say that I am really enjoying being pregnant. I feel great, and it is amazing to feel Tiny Dancer (TD) moving and squirming around all throughout the day!

At the tail end of the first trimester/beginning of the second, I felt so unsettled by changes of the pregnancy and the fear of another miscarriage that I commented to some friends that I just wasn't one of those women who loves being pregnant. That definitely has changed as the pregnancy advances. I wouldn't say that I absolutely LOVE being pregnant and wish I were pregnant all the time, but there are some things that I am really, truly enjoying:

• Feeling TD move
  
• The roundness of my belly, especially first thing in the morning
• Some maternity clothes
• Eating more liberally than when not pg!
• Not dealing with TTC
• Browsing baby gear
• Maternity leave! (at least in my mind I love it, though I am not on leave yet!)
  
• Mike's bonding with the baby
• My bonding with the baby
• My relationship with Mike - I love the way it is evolving as we prepare for our new addition
• My boobs

On the flip side, there are a few things that miff me about pregnancy:

• waking up a lot in the night for better positioning
• heartburn
• my ass & thighs
• backaches
• rib pain
• clumsiness
• forgetfulness
  
• easily wiped out if I overdo it
• still having to watch what I eat so I don't end up gaining a million lbs
• no margaritas, beer, & martinis
• no hot tubs
• maternity clothes
  

Funny thing is - these little inconveniences are so, so worth it. I feel like I am in the process of something so amazing - and sometimes (with the risk of sounding a bit grandiose) I feel like I am such a friggin' bad ass for being able to MAKE A BABY!!! Granted, I wouldn't be here without Mike, but my body has this amazing capacity to nuture a developing life, and that just blows my mind!! On that note, I leave you with a 23-week picture, taken in our garden!

I Heart Packages from Vermont!

A few days ago I came home from work (yoga, knitting??? I can't remember!) and there was a package from my brother and his family, who live in Vermont.
It has been a busy week this week, during which many nights I arrived home between 9 & 10 pm, so I just got around to opening the box tonight - when I was not feeling so wiped out that all I wanted to do was crawl into bed. I think I am also extra energized tonight because spring has really sprung this week, with temps in the 70s! Even now, at nearly 8:30pm, we still have the windows open because the weather is so nice. Anyways, I digress.

I busted open the box, only to discover - well, I'll let you see for yourself (I mean really, what else comes from Vermont - and no, it's not cheddar or Ben & Jerry's):
Okay, okay - maybe the picture is too small to really see what it is - so here is another one, to help you out, slacker:
Yep, you guessed it - it's a quart of homemade maple syrup! This was made from sap taken from the sugar maples on my brother's property. To be honest, it wasn't a total surprise to get this - my bro told me he was sending it out last weekend when I talked to him. It was a surprise, however, to see the awesome homemade label that they put on the jars this year. That is their oldest, standing next to the pan of sap as it is boiled down into syrup!

There were some other treats in the package too, which were a total surprise. The other contents were a jar of Blackberry Honey Creme, also made locally, and a hand-made mouse.
I think the mouse may have been a stow-away, looking to get away from the Vermont chill!
Here is what happened after I finished opening the package (be warned, it is not a pretty sight):
And then things started to get really crazy - sneaky little mouse . . .
The rest is just not appropriate for posting on the blog - gotta keep things clean around here, folks. . . .

Have a great weekend!! Stay tuned for belly shots!

2 Days In a Row!

Holy cow, could it really be that I am posting two days in a row??? Yes, it is true. This is what happens when a new computer is at hand and I can geek out with it for days on end!

So, here is a belly shot - me and Tiny Dancer at 22 weeks:

Notice the uber-geeky effect on the photo?- aw yeah, that's the magic of iPhoto, baby.
The power I have at my fingertips! Bwah ha ha!

And, for more of your viewing pleasure, here is a clip of Mike working on the master bathroom. The walls were painted pink to match the pink & gray in the marble - but the color was a bit outdated. In addition, the texture on the walls was lacking a bit, so Mike decided to sand down the texture for a nice fresh surface to work on. He is a bit hard to hear due to the mask he is wearing, but hey, you get the picture. :)

Black Bean Pie

I made this last weekend, when Hosanna was visiting. I always forget how much I enjoy this recipe, and then when I make it I wonder why I don't make it more often!

This recipe originally came from "Buen Provecho" which is a recipe book put together by Peace Corps Ecuador volunteers. Some of the recipes are Ecuadorian (this one is not, sorry!), others are just yummy ones that folks were making in the campo - getting creative with ingredients and the sometimes limited supplies we had on hand.

Black Bean Pie

Ingredients

Pie crust - enough for top & bottom! (homemade or store bought will do - I am a huge fan of the Trader Joe's pre-made pie crust)

Filling

The filling is really just a hodge podge of ingredients that you would use for vegetarian enchiladas. I don't really measure, either (the quantities I've include are estimates!). I am sure you could add meat to this recipe - I usually make it without.

• Black beans, drained & rinsed (1-2 cans, depending on if you use a "deep dish" pie tin a regular one)
• zucchini, chopped (about 1/2 cup each for the veggies)
• mushrooms
• corn
• onion
• bell peppers
• garlic (1 clove)
• tomato (one, chopped)
• chili powder (1 -2 tsp)
• cumin (1 tsp)
• salt
• pepper
• oregano 1/2 tsp (does this seem a little weird? I just added it because it was in my cupboard, and it tasted yummy!)
• cheese
• sour cream
• hot sauce (such as Tapa Tio)
• enchilada sauce (you can always just make your own - which is what I usually do)
• chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped (you could also use jalapenos - and you can use as much or as little as you like, depending on your spiciness preference.

If I make my own sauce, here is what I put in it:

• tomato sauce (1/2 cup)
• water (maybe an 1/8 to a 1/4 cup)
• adobo sauce from the chipotle (a tablespoon or two)
• 1/2 & 1/2 or cream (just a splash, maybe two tablespoons)
• chili powder
• cumin
• salt
• pepper

You want your sauce to a bit thicker or similar consistency to enchilada sauce, so if you added too much water, add tomato sauce to thicken.

Cooking Instructions

• Preheat your oven to about 375 - 400.
• Prepare your pie crust and put the bottom layer into the pie pan. Set aside.
• Saute the onions and garlic until the onions are starting to become translucent. Add the rest of your veggies and all the seasonings (including the chopped chipotle!). Continue sauteing until everything is nice and hot.

Now, at this point you can either be done with the filling, or you can add your beans to the saute of veggies. It is up to you if you want to have it all mixed together, or if you want to layer your beans in the pie, apart from the veggies. Either way it is uber tastey. For this recipe and sake of ease, I will add the beans to the saute mix and mix it all together, cooking for a few minutes until hot. If your mixture has a lot of liquid, either drain it off or use a slatted spoon when scooping out the filling. You don't want your pie to get soggy!

Okay, now it is time to fill the pie!

• Spoon a small amount of your sauce mixture onto the pie crust that is in your pie tin.
• On top of that, spoon a layer of your black bean/veggie mixture. Cover that layer in sauce, and then follow with a generous layer of cheese.
• Continue with another layer of the veggie mix, followed by sauce & cheese until you've filled the pie tin, maybe even heaping a little bit, and then top with your other pie crust. (If you end up with excess filling once the pie is full, just save it for tacos or burritos later in the week, yum!)
  
• Once you close up your pie crust, remember to cut some vents on the top of the pie, so that the filling doesn't leak from the seams!

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the pie crust is golden brown and a knife, when inserted, pulls out and is hot all the way through! Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and your favorite hot sauce, if you care to spice it up a bit!

A cross-section snapshot!
This was the next day - after being refrigerated, it really holds its shape!
Does this picture even look appetizing? :)