Thanksgiving & Third Trimester Backpacking

This year’s Thanksgiving weekend was great. Last week I was worried I wouldn’t be feeling well enough to enjoy it, but everything worked out wonderfully!

By Wednesday I was completely over the stomach virus and Chris and I were able to get into cooking mode. Chris had picked up a 15 lb organic turkey at Central Market the day before (note that we had reserved it a couple weeks in advance, otherwise we couldn’t have gotten one since they ran out of non-reserved organic birds), and on Wednesday evening we got ready to brine it. After washing the turkey though, we realized that we didn’t have anything big enough to submerge the bird in. But after searching around we decided that our punch bowl would do and Chris managed to squeeze the whole thing in there. We then soaked the bird with water, a cup of salt, and freshly sliced jalapenos. We had no clue how it would turn out since we’d never brined anything before, but we hoped for the best. After it was in the fridge, I got to work on making cranberry sauce and turkey broth. The cranberry sauce is something I’ve finally perfected and it is easy to make in no time. Other than following the standard recipe (1 cup sugar + 1 cup boiled water + 12 oz package fresh cranberries), I typically steep the water with mulling spices and strain it before adding the cranberries. Also, we thoroughly wash all the cranberries and pick out the bad ones before tossing them in the sauce (one year the sauce came out terribly because a few rotten cranberries got mixed in and unfortunately there isn’t much you can do after it’s cooked). After cooling the sauce, I had to figure out what to do with the turkey broth on the back burner. I had tossed the turkey neck and some spices into some water and it had simmered into a delicious stock that would have been a shame to waste. Then Chris and I found a simple gravy recipe that we decided to give a try. In years past we’d bought pre-made jars and packet mixes that all turned out to be terrible, but for whatever reason I thought that making gravy from scratch was too intimidating. Clearly there was nothing to be afraid of. After mixing some flour into melted butter, we slowly added the broth and before I knew it we had concocted some delicious organic gravy. This is definitely a keeper for years to come!

The next morning, I got to work on the remaining sides while Chris packed up our camping supplies. Thinking back, I’m pretty impressed that we managed to make so much food from scratch using almost entirely organic ingredients. Over the past couple years we’ve managed to phase out all the unnatural items in our pantry so now even our sugar and flour are organic and not heavily refined. It’s liberating!

Once the mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, creamed corn, and creamed spinach were ready, we got the car loaded up and soon we were enjoying some quality family time at Chris’s parents’ house in Spicewood. The weather was gorgeous and it was great being able to sit out on the deck while Chris and his dad fried the turkey. They had tossed a whole onion and garlic bulb in the fryer and it smelled tantalizingly good. Then in less than an hour we had a deliciously juicy main course and some amazing accompaniments. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner and stayed the night.

Friday morning, we bid farewell to Yiayia, Papou, and Grandma Geri. After Chris’s dad got back from dropping them off at the airport, we made use of all the leftover fryer oil by making potato wedges, chicken fingers, and fried catfish. I honestly have no clue how I didn’t gain back all my pre-sick weight right then! I had dropped several pounds the previous weekend and Brielle advised I eat whatever I could since my ketones were super elevated (vomiting had led to starvation which led my body to try consuming its own muscle, fat, and liver cells for fuel, yikes). Well, mission accomplished. As we fried up our second round of food, our good friends Richard and Ruby arrived. After lunch, the four of us set off for Enchanted Rock – or seven of us if you include the dogs and the baby in the belly.

The week before Thanksgiving, Chris and I had talked about how great it would be to go backpacking, but we weren’t sure if it was feasible. We considered staying home to paint and get upstairs organized, but ultimately I’m happy we chose to try backpacking instead. I didn’t take as much weight as I normally do and Chris had to help me readjust my pack a little, but as soon as I was strapped in, I was comfortable and energized. The hip belt fit surprisingly well under the belly! And our two mile walk to the campsite went by in no time. It just felt really good to be outside doing something we love. There’s nothing quite like hiking towards a primitive site with pack on back and five fingers on feet!

We ended up spending Friday and Saturday night in the park. The weather was gorgeous and the views from the top of Enchanted Rock were stunning. The nights got a little chilly but Pepper slept curled at our feet and our sleeping bags did a wonderful job keeping us comfy so we got a lot of rest. I slept close to eleven hours each night and it felt really good! It was well deserved too with all the walking we were doing. But I can’t be too smug. Richard and Ruby were teaching their new dachshund puppy, Cinco, to be an adventure doggy and the little thing did a great job keeping up with us for a total of almost 8 miles over the course of the weekend. He happily hopped alongside us wherever we went like it was some sort of game and Enchanted Rock is no easy climb!

On Sunday we had to return back to civilization, but not without stopping at Opie’s Barbeque in Spicewood. We ravenously devoured some delicious food before returning to Chris’s parents’ house. After Richard and Ruby took off, Chris and I went in to gather up all the Thanksgiving leftovers. Chris’s parents had left on a cruise and we didn’t want any of that food to go to waste!

And now it’s back to the real world. Here’s a parting picture of me and the baby at 31 weeks. Two more months until the due date!

31 Weeks

Childbirth Classes, Baby Shower, and Sick Mommy

On the Monday after the half marathon last weekend, Chris and I took our first childbirth class. I had spent awhile trying to choose between Bradley, Lamaze, and a whole host of other options. Ultimately I’m really happy with what we picked – the six week complete series through Conscious Birthing Austin, based on the book Birthing from Within. The class came highly recommended by Brielle (my midwife) and my masseuse who is also a midwife. Brielle actually had a copy of Birthing from Within that she was able to lend us and it has been invaluable so far. It’s easy to follow and Chris has been reading it to me and the belly. There’s so much great stuff in the book that no amount of internet research could ever substitute. And reading it together has made it so much easier for me and Chris to get on the same page in terms of our expectations. Just a word of caution if you buy the book – don’t get too hung up on the cheesy parts! We had to skip a few sections, but the majority of the book is packed with good advice. Also, the class itself has been wonderful and informative so far, I think the combination of these resources will set us up very well for January.

The rest of the week started off well but then took a turn. On Tuesday, Chris and I went to dinner with some friends at Bombay Bistro to celebrate Diwali, but I needed to hurry out to make it to a prenatal massage on time. The next day, we went to Home Slice with his family for our first free pizza with Chad. Yiayia and Papou (Chris’s dad’s parents – “grandmother” and “grandfather” in Greek) were also able to join us as they had just flown in from Denver. Things were great but that night, Chris got really sick. He had the symptoms of really bad food poisoning and must have vomited at least six times in the night. We had no idea where he picked it up since we ate the same exact things. We briefly wondered if it could have been the Indian food since I had left before the entrees came out, but none of our friends were affected as far as I know. He spent Thursday in bed and had a hard time working on Friday. Then Friday evening, I started getting queasy. Soon enough I was the one that needed taking care of and by Saturday morning I had a fever and couldn’t keep any food down. Chris stayed in constant contact with Brielle to help me through the day and after half a dose of Tylenol (first time taking a drug this pregnancy), my fever broke in the afternoon. I had trouble deciding whether or not to cancel dancing that evening, but ultimately I recovered enough energy to change into my belly dance costume and the show at Carousel went just fine. I was really reluctant to bail since we knew so many people were planning to see me perform that night and it’s not every day that Chris’s grandparents are in town. Thankfully everything went smoothly and Chris assured me that I didn’t look sick! As soon as we finished up and took some pictures, Chris helped me undo my hair, makeup, costuming, and jewelry. I was back in bed before 10 pm as if the whole night hadn’t happened.

 

Duet Partners!

Sunday morning, I was still fatigued and nauseous, but luckily the fever was still gone. We headed to Chris’s parents’ home in Spicewood for the baby shower, but before getting there, we stopped at the Hill Country Galleria to browse the only Old Navy in town with a maternity section. I made my first ever maternity purchases and now have some reasonable clothes that actually fit properly. Also, between a coupon and a sale, we managed to cut the bill in half which was a definite plus. Had it been summer I probably could have made do with my current clothes, but now that it’s getting chillier out, I really needed some warm pieces that could offer the appropriate coverage!

Once we got settled in at Chris’s parents’ house, the baby shower itself was a blast. Although I was really lacking my usual amount of energy, I still managed to have a good time. The gorgeous weather allowed for us all to chat with friends on the deck while overlooking the cliffs and hill country. And we even got to play our non-traditional baby games outside. The first was a round of “pin the sperm on the egg” in which people got to pick a girl or boy sperm and then blindly stick it to an egg drawing on the front of Chris’s parents’ house. Richard won with a girl sperm and his prize was quite fitting – a pregnancy test!

After opening gifts, we then had a beer chugging contest out of baby bottles. Surprisingly enough, our contestants had an extremely difficult time with it. They each had to finish 4 ounces of liquid but it seemed pretty painstaking for some of them – I think the spectators had the most fun with this since it provided pretty solid amusement. With all the dribbling and drool it was pretty clear that we should have provided bibs… next time! Chad and Lauren ended up finishing first within neck and neck of each other, and Chris’s dad was close behind. We were thoroughly entertained and it was a great way to wrap up the afternoon before going back home for more sleep.

The next morning, I called in sick to work and slept for the majority of the day. I think it was just what I needed to get functioning again. That afternoon Chris and I went to see Brielle and then went to Casa de Luz for dinner before our childbirth class. It was the first time all weekend I was able to keep down an entire meal so I was relieved to be on the path to feeling normal again.

And as of yesterday I was back to feeling better – or at least as good as one can feel when 30 weeks pregnant. It seems like the baby knew it hit some sort of milestone because all of its movements managed to intensify between last week and this week. I thought everything I had been feeling before was pretty well defined but now there’s a whole new level of rolling around in there. Brielle thinks baby is head down at the moment, but she couldn’t get a solid hold so we’ll need to confirm at the next appointment. A couple weeks ago, the baby was obviously transverse but I listened to a Hypnobabies CD pretty continuously and practiced visualizing baby head down whenever I could. I guess positive energy goes a long way!

And now it's time to start some serious cooking. Happy Thanksgiving!

Lots of Accomplishments

Last weekend, I turned 27 and Chris threw our first party in the new house. We were finally able to unpack our decorative items so the place is starting to feel like home!

The birthday-related events wrapped up just in time for the presidential election on Tuesday. Over lunch that day, Chris and I walked a block from our house to the community center to cast our votes. After having watched PRICELE$$, a documentary on campaign finance, I learned that legislators spend much more time fundraising than improving society, so I was fairly apathetic about voting. I didn’t see how one measly vote could compete with lobbyists and PACs, especially when the majority vote is dictated by the limited information that is available. What happens when you substitute real journalism for copied and pasted press releases? Well, Prop 37 was defeated in California. Chemical companies spent over 40 million dollars buying all the information sources in the state and tricked the masses into thinking it was a bad idea to label GMO-foods. With all this manufactured consent, I don’t know if human and environmental needs will ever take precedence over unethical, profit-driven corporate interests. I voted for Jill Stein as an objection to the tyranny of a two-party system that puts on a show every few years to make people think they have a say in a corrupt government, but who am I kidding? Maybe I’ll have the energy to join in on a grassroots movement one day. At least little things show that change is possible, kudos to the states that made progress with marriage equality and the legalization of a harmless medicinal plant. I suppose society is bound to shed the shackles of nonsense one day.

Once the election buzz died down, life went back to normal for just a little bit. But then on Thursday night, Chris’s parents called to let us know that the family dog, Carsyn, had been up seizing non-stop and that she didn’t have much longer to live. Chris met them at the vet on Friday morning but I couldn’t bear to go. They ended her suffering and now Carsyn is chowing down on pizza and key lime pie in doggy heaven.

The next day, we went to a carnival at Home Slice Pizza after doing brunch with Tracy, an old college friend who was in town for a wedding. We weren’t at the carnival for too long though since Chris and I anticipated coming back several times over the next few days. Chris’s brother, Chad, had signed up for the annual HOES (Hands on an Eggplant Sub) competition. After taking third place the last time he competed, he was determined to win it this year. The premise is simple enough: the last contestant to remove his or her hand from a giant eggplant sandwich wins free pizza for a year. Back in 2010, Chad stood for almost three days (with a few minutes to use the restroom every 10 hours), before calling it quits. We were sure he would be the last man standing this year and we bid him good luck before heading back home.

Winnie and I got some belly dance practice in during the afternoon since our performance at Carousel Lounge is coming up soon. As promised, here are some pictures of me at the October 27th show.

Saturday night, Chris and I went to Miah’s birthday party as well as a little get together at Rose’s new house in South Austin. Then after a brief stop at Home Slice to check on Chad, we were off to San Antonio. We intended to see him as soon as we got back the next day, but apparently all the other contestants left during the night. Around 6 am we got news that Chad had won. I guess we’ll be eating a lot more pizza over the course of next year!

And here we are on Sunday with me at exactly 29 weeks.

29 Weeks - San Antonio 11/11/12

What are those medals around our necks? Well, last year after Chris and I ran the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll half marathon, we decided to save some money by doing the early-bird registration for the same race this year. But after finding out I was pregnant, we looked into deferring the registration to next year since I didn’t think it would be the best idea to run that far during my third trimester. Apparently that was out of the question so Chris’s dad agreed to train and run in my place. In the meantime, registration opened up for a 3 mile “mini-marathon” so that’s what I ended up completing with Chris’s mom while Chris and his dad ran 13.1 miles.

When Chris started the race, he wasn’t very confident since he hadn’t trained nearly as intensively as he wanted to. But in the end he really pulled through. Not only did he beat his old time, he also hit the under 2 hour mark by 17 seconds! I’m really proud of him and all the other half marathon finishers. Here we are with some of my running buddies from work. Most of us participated in the Run to the Sun race earlier this year (an overnight 95 mile relay from Enchanted Rock to Austin) so seeing them all at the finish line festival made me miss running that much more. I see a jogging stroller in the near future.