Happy Almost Halloween

You've probably already seen Sean's awesome Jack-0-lantern on his blog, but in case you missed it, I wanted to re post a picture here. Isn't it just wonderful? It's completely dark by 6 p.m. now, so it has been fun to have this glowing in our living room. I think it's his best pumpkin yet.

We had an appointment with the midwife yesterday, and things are continuing to go well. This is 16 weeks for anyone trying to keep track. I have gained almost two pounds since last month and almost four pounds overall. Both the midwife and I were quite pleased. Sean thinks I shouldn't worry about such things, but he was happy because I was happy. He's a good boy that way. :)

My blood pressure continues to be very good and within my normal range: 100/60. Woo hoo! I was a bit surprised, actually, because this week at work was stressful with many last minute projects. Thank goodness for yoga. It has been such a great tool for stress management, and now I am glad to be able to stick with it in a prenatal yoga class. And thank goodness for Sean, who always makes sure I GO to yoga, even on the days when I talk try to talk myself into coming home and being a slug on the couch instead.

Little One's heartbeat was between 160 and 165 beats per minute, another completely normal reading. He or she is getting quite jumpy in there. Little One was moving around so much (causing the Doppler to sound like a needle sliding across the surface of a record) that it was a challenge for the med student to get a reading. Luckily our midwife has such an experienced hand.

Unfortunately, I cannot feel these movements just yet. The midwife says probably not for another month or so. Bummer.

Our next appointment is set for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It's a big one - the anatomy scan. The health-care professionals look for lots of important medical-related stuff so it's a very serious test. But, Sean and I are giddy with excitement because we might be able to find out if Little One is a boy or girl.

This information is highly dependent on whether Little One cooperates. He or she seems to have a bit of a stubborn streak (hmmm... wonder where THAT could have come from...) so we are trying to prepare ourselves for the possibility that we might have to wait until delivery date to find out. Oh, how technology has spoiled us. :) Keep your fingers crossed!

And thank you for all your wonderful comments on the blanket I made last weekend. I think there are more projects on the horizon so I'll be posting pics of those as soon as they are ready.

In terms of themes for the nursery (in our case, nursery is kind of a generous term. Little One will be sharing our room for a while so it's more like the baby corner.), we are leaning toward some something on the sciences and/or technology front - two of our favorite subjects. We haven't completely decided on how to execute this yet so stay tuned for more.

Nerdy? Yes, probably so. But the baby corner is more for us at this age anyway. I am sure Little One will begin to exert his or her tastes soon enough.

Nesting

I guess the nesting phase has begun. Sean and I found this super cute whale fabric a couple of weekends ago. We thought it might become a crib sheet, but I decided today to make it into a lovey blanket instead.

So, on our errand adventures today, we went to the fabric store and bought some amazingly soft faux mink-type orange fabric for the back and coordinating ribbon to make tags all around the edges. I hear tags and textures are really popular among Little Ones so hopefully these features will be a hit with our kid, too.

I want to do a little quilting hand work, but it's mostly done. What do you think?

A new adventure

It's been pretty hard to find motivation to blog the last few months. There's really not been a lot of exciting things to say... until now. As I think almost everyone knows, Sean and I are expecting!

We had a prenatal appointment yesterday and our first sonogram. It was very exciting to see the Little One. He or she is about three inches now. We could see a nose, eye sockets, a mouth, fingers, toes, legs, arms, heart (all four chambers!), brain, spine. We could even tell (OK, mostly the sonographer could tell, but she was really good at explaining what we were all seeing) that the stomach and bladder have formed, and the baby had a working diaphragm and at least one working kidney. Yeah, kidneys!

We could see him or her jumping around, but the baby spent most of the show with ankles crossed and arms behind his head like he was hanging out in the La-Z-boy. Funny. It was really quite amazing. Thankfully, everything looked completely normal.

The heart beat seemed so fast - between 163 and 175 beats per minute - but it also was completely normal. We even found out that the little one is measuring about a week ahead of his or her gestational age: so 13 weeks. We have an overachiever from the start! The midwife didn't think this was significant enough to warrant a change in due dates, though. We are still expecting the Little One in April (hopefully while the cherry blossoms are still in bloom - fingers crossed!).

We also have a stubborn little bugger, too (not that we were expecting less - Sean and I have to be the two most stubborn people on the planet). He or she absolutely refused to position himself in the proper way for the sonographer to get an important measurement. Finally, Little One cooperated, but it took 45 minutes.

I am doing well - the worst of morning sickness is behind me, I think. I am able to eat peanut butter again (thank goodness), and I am hopeful that we will be able to have fish again, soon. Poor Sean is going through withdrawal. We ate fish probably three times a week before I got pregnant, but I couldn't stomach even the thought of fish during the first trimester.

I have more energy and am actually looking forward to a bike ride and yoga this week. Two areas in which Sean has also been suffering, either directly (in the case of the bike rides) or indirectly (in the case of yoga). I am so lucky to have a completely amazing and wonderful partner and husband, who is supportive beyond my wildest imagination. Little One, your Dad has been taking very good care of us these last three months.

I have gained 2 pounds so far, which is absolutely perfect. And, as Sean put it, I have the blood pressure of an Olympic athlete. It's always been safely in the "good" category, but it was really good yesterday. Woo hoo!

Overall, the second trimester is looking sunny in the Siem household.

Strawberry mosaic birthday cake

I had a wonderful day, yesterday. After my salon visit, Sean took me to the Pacific Science Center where we visited the Butterfly House (of course) and saw Roving Mars. Wonderful film, terrible auditorium.

Then, Sean took me to eat sushi, and we capped off the evening with birthday cake: angel food cake, strawberries and homemade whipped cream. It was wonderful, and I am embarrassed to admit that I've enjoyed leftover cake on more than one occasion today.

Thank you, Lover. You did such a great job.

45

...degrees. Not years, thank goodness. I think this might be the coldest birthday I have ever celebrated.

Just as a reminder that it is indeed spring, I snapped a quick photo of the daffodils outside this morning when I was walking Dottie. They've been in bloom for several weeks now and won't be around much longer.

Well, this photo is not my best work. It is raining and Dottie was NOT happy about standing in the cold and wet waiting for me to finish taking photos. I even got the growly, chatty pre-bark as a warning. Funny.

Anyhoo, gotta get ready to head out. I am having brunch with my wonderful friend, Kate, who happens to be on vacation this week. Then, I am off to the salon for a haircut. The day is off to a good start.

30 miler

On Saturday, Sean and I took our longest bike ride to date: 30 miles. It was the first rain-free day we'd had in a week. And, if we are EVER going to pull off the Seattle to Portland ride, we need to start building mileage soon.

So we set out on the fabulous Burke-Gilman Trail, starting from Matthews Beach a couple of miles from home (we drove there - no need to be overachievers, after all), rode north around Lake Washington to the Sammamish River Trail and headed south along the river to almost Redmond before turning around.

We did pretty well, even if we were a little slow. And, of course, there were learning experiences to be had. Namely, bring snacks! I am usually pretty snack driven but didn't even think about on Saturday. Needless to say, we were famished by the end of the ride.

One of the best things about riding - other than being outside in the fresh air and getting a good workout, of course - is the people watching. Here's what I learned from the people and pets on the ride:

• There is a bike for everyone. We saw lots of recumbent riders, including one guy who rode with what looked like a grill cover draped over him and his bike, leaving only his head sticking out. I am not sure why. It's not like it was cold or raining. Curious...
• Tandem bikes seem to be quite popular among a certain type of couple... generally the ones who enjoy dressing identically and look so much alike they could be twins. If we were in the south, I might wonder, but that's generally not been something I've noticed in the Pacific Northwest. A note to the middle-aged, overweight couple riding the tandem bike. Lady, it looked like you were steering your part of the bike with your guy's love handles. You might want to consider two bikes.
  
• Performance wear comes in a wider selection of sizes than I ever imagined. As a note, if you aren't actually a professional bike-rider, consider buying one size up. Otherwise, you just look like an over-stuffed sausage. And wearing fancy head-to-toe Lycra, an aerodynamic helmet and special clip-on bike shoes does not hide the fact that you are 50 pounds overweight and sweating profusely. You aren't kidding anyone, man.
  
• Some kids love the little bike trailers and dig riding with their parents. Some kids absolutely do not like the little trailers and will even try to jump out of said trailer while it and the parent pulling it are zooming downhill.
• Performance bike jerseys with lots of corporate logos seem to be code for asshole riding a bike. Seriously, jerks, this is the Burke-Gilman, not the Tour de France. You have to share the trail with me and the little kids riding their bikes and the old people walking their scraggly dogs. Deal with it.
• Basset hounds wearing pink tutus look just as ridiculous as you might imagine.

Overall, a great day. Can't wait to get back out!

16 percent

We are part of this 16 percent. Are you?

Seriously, fill out your 2010 U.S. Census forms. It's important, it's your civic duty and it takes about five minutes. Go do it now ... I'll wait.

Still here

Yes, I am still here. I just haven't been inspired to blog lately...

It's the same ole, same ole. Our apartment still sucks. We still hate it, and the three-day adventure last week when there was no hot water only strengthened our resolve to move this summer. On the positive side - I was able to re-purpose my canning pot and stock pot to draw baths the old fashioned way. It took bloody forever, but at least I was able to get clean.

We had a perfectly lovely Saturday this weekend - sunny and warm. So we spent part of the day at the beach in Carkeek Park. What a fun day. The picture at left is the ONLY photo we took that day in which my eyes were open. It was so extremely bright compared to the overcast, gray days we have been experiencing, and Sean deserves a medal for taking probably 200 photos until I could keep my eyes open.

Friday night treat

Homemade banana sorbet made with my new Kitchen Aid ice cream maker attachment. Yum. It's so very nice to have something new to do with rotten bananas. Hope your Friday night is equally as delightful.

Ready for the week

I love when Sunday afternoon rolls around and the laundry is done, grocery shopping for the week is finished, prep work for efficient weeknight dinners are neatly packed in the fridge and lunches are made. It feels good, and I feel like I am ready for the week ahead.

For lunches this week I made a repeat of a dish I invented a couple of months ago: whole wheat pasta, edamame, roasted squash topped with a homemade spinach pesto (minus pine nuts) and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. It's pretty darn yummy and filling and healthy.

I plan to spend the rest of the evening lounging on the couch with a furry bebbie on each hip. Hope your Sunday evening is half as nice.

Why I love Seattle

So here's a bonus post for today... this picture is from a stem cell symposium at work yesterday. I just love it, and I don't think I would ever have seen this in Texas.

Happy New Year

Now that the holidays are behind us, I hope to have more time to devote to blogging. We had a wonderful Christmas season and the New Year is already off to a good start.

Today has been a relatively quiet day - perfect after a busy post-holiday week, the first "real" work week since before Thanksgiving.

Dottie had her annual check-up at the vet today. She is healthy and doing well and received lots and lots of treats from the staff. She knows how to work a crowd, that's for sure.

While I was with Dottie, Sean spent the morning overseeing the door experts (I use the term very loosely) who made their third and hopefully final visit to our apartment to fix our leaky patio door.

Fortunately, you can no longer see daylight around the door and the cold winter air isn't (currently) pouring into our apartment. We should see an incredible improvement in our utility bills. Finally. We've been dealing with this issue for more than three years. I can't believe it might actually be resolved. Let's all do a collective finger cross now.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been one of my very favorite holidays. What's not to love? You get celebrate all the many things to be thankful for, spend time with loved ones and friends and eat lots of good food.

This year, Sean and I decided to try something new. We started our day with pumpkin waffles drizzled with warm butter and honey and peppered bacon.

Then, we participated in the Seattle Turkey Trot, a 5K fun run/walk benefiting the Ballard Food Bank. We had a lovely time (with the exception of having to climb two extremely steep sets of stairs to get from the parking lot to the registration area. Holy Cow - it was like climbing Everest). We were able to enjoy a leisurely walk through neighborhoods and along the Burke Gilman trail all with a view of Puget Sound blanketed in fog. We were back home by 11 a.m., plenty of time to get Thanksgiving dinner underway.

As we speak, the turkey is roasting and about half a dozen side dishes are poised and ready to go into the oven. How is your holiday going?

Greek-style yogurt

I discovered a new food love at lunch today: Greek-style yogurt. Oh my goodness, this stuff is dreamy. How have I never tried this before? It's very thick compared to traditional yogurt, almost the consistency of a soft cheese or thick sour cream. It was extremely smooth and creamy. The particular variety I tried was flavored with honey, slightly sweet and moderately tangy. I don't think I will ever be able to eat Yoplait again. Sean, be advised.

I must find a recipe for this. Especially considering the Greek-style yogurt is twice as expensive as other kinds. Ugh, that's just like me. At first glance, it seems the only difference is that most of the whey has been drained away. Surely it can't be that hard to make.

Oooh... this would be lovely with fresh fruit. I must remember this when summer produce is available again.

Cool days, warm soup

The weather has been pretty chilly and rainy in Seattle, providing the perfect opportunity for tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. I love this particular recipe for tomato soup because it's creamy and hearty thanks to a little cream cheese. It works equally well with fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes, making it convenient to make with whatever is on hand.

The recipe calls for fresh basil, which isn't in season right now. I substituted dried basil, but, alas, it's just not the same. The soup is still good (and it will certainly make good leftovers tomorrow), but there's just nothing like the flavor of fresh basil.

The grilled cheese sandwiches are on the whole wheat bread I made on Sunday. The trick with making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich, in my opinion, is to use defrosted bread with plenty of cheddar cheese that is slowly toasted on a skillet over low or medium-low heat.

As Sean pointed out this evening, this method creates three distinct layers on each slice of bread: a toasty golden outer layer, soft inner bread layer and a layer of melty, cheese-absorbed bread. While I am a grilled cheese purist, preferring only cheddar cheese on my sandwich, Sean's grilled cheese sandwich has a few dashes of Tabasco to give it a bit of a kick. Eh, he seems to like it so that's all that matters to me.

What's your cold weather comfort food?

Cranberry sauce

Sean and I are preparing for our trip to see family, and we are so excited. We leave in just a few days! I spent yesterday canning jellied

cranberry sauce for the potluck dinner on Friday.

Thank goodness the cranberries went on sale in time. As you may know, I simply refuse to buy expensive fruit just to can it. I see no need to pay twice what I would for a pre-made version in

the store just for the pleasure of saying I made it at home. No, I would much rather brag about making it home AND saving a bunch of money.

I do love canning, though. The product tastes far superior to anything I can buy in the store, and it is so satisfying to see the jars lined up on my kitchen bar when I am finished. It's even more satisfying to see the pantry well stocked.

I have some leftover cranberries and have been trolling my canning cookbook for a good recipe to use them with. So far, most of the recipes call for dried cranberries, not fresh. That's disappointing. I will either keep looking or break out the food dehydrator when we get back. Does anyone have a canning recipe using fresh cranberries (that isn't cranberry sauce - I am afraid I am sauced out) that they would mind sharing?

Cooking fresh cranberries is so fun. I love hearing them pop and seeing them turn such a brilliant ruby red. Word of warning, though - the popping and the color are a recipe for laundry. I didn't think to change out of my white t-shirt before starting this process. By the end, it looked like I had been to war. Luckily, with a little bleach, my shirt is good as new.

The Washington apples are in season now, too. There is one recipe I especially look forward to trying: a spiced apple jam. Supposedly, it is like having apple pie in a jar. I hope so - that sounds yummy!

Adventures in vegetables

We tried a new veggie this weekend: Romanesco cauliflower (also called Romanesco broccoli). I thought it was very tasty, and I found it very exciting to try a vegetable that was completely new to me. The florets are shaped like fractals and are light green; they taste like a mild broccoli.

It turned out to be a perfect compliment to our leftover pot roast. I sliced the florets like broccoli and steamed them for about three minutes until they were crisp tender. Yummy.

I harvested my carrots this week. My yield was about a dozen small carrots, which amounted to about two pounds. They were grown from seeds in a 16-inch square container. The carrots are so sweet and taste much different than the ones I buy in the store. I am very pleased with the results and will definitely plant carrots in the garden again next year.

I also have had success this year with the herbs: sage, basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary. The cilantro and radishes were unsuccessful. The bell peppers were only moderately successful - I am afraid they just don't get enough heat and sunshine at the right times to make them happy. Maybe I'll have more luck when Sean builds my greenhouse extension off the balcony...

The tomatoes were a bit disappointing, but I think my results had more to do with user error than anything wrong with the tomatoes. I have learned a lot about tomatoes these last two summers. I hope I finally get the hang of it next year.

Nine

Sean and I were married nine years ago today. It is hard for me to believe it - the years have gone by in a blink. I am lucky to have found my perfect partner and one true love so early in life and to have been able to spend so many happy years with him. Thank you, Love, for making our life together such an amazing adventure.

So very many adventures

October is shaping up to be a very busy month. Chili season began officially this past week in the Siem household. It was pretty yummy, if I do say so myself. And I can say it's still pretty yummy after having eaten it almost every day. Last night, I moved a few remaining servings to the freezer for quick go-to meals.

Sean and I saw Richard Dawkins last Thursday when he was at the U promoting his new book, The Greatest Show on Earth. It was so exciting to hear him read passages and answer questions. I had chills! Plus, the turnout was amazing - about 5,000 people. I have heard that this may have been the largest crowd Prof. Dawkins has addressed in North America . Cool - Sean and I were THERE!

Then, on Saturday, an adventure we could have done without: a trip to the Emergency Department after Sean woke up with a swollen, tingly and aching hand. Poor guy. We spent a very long time at the hospital getting him checked out, but it was for the best. The ortho team gave him an immobilization cast that went on in what seemed like a matter of seconds. This team was amazing. As soon as the attending uttered the words "immobilization cast," the residents went into action. The three docs worked like a finely oiled machine. If I had the camera, I would have filmed them in action. Wow.

Today, we are trying to get Sean a follow-up appointment with the hand specialist so I thought I would do a quick blog post while I am waiting for the nurse to call us back. Keep your fingers crossed for a speedy appointment and good news.

Welcome to Fall

Sean and I went to the MOHAI on Saturday for free museum day. I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. The museum had good information about the rich history of Seattle and Puget Sound, but it seemed a bit underfunded. Still, it was a fun outing followed by a late lunch/early dinner.

Fall has definitely arrived in Seattle this week. Since I blogged last, the leaves on the trees have suddenly turned shades of gold and red. The rain has returned and it's definitely Fall rain: colder, steadier with sharper rain drops. It's getting dark early and tonight the sun should be completely in bed by 7 p.m. The air smells wonderful: crisp with pine undertones, rather than the sweetness of summer air.

The turn of the seasons is always an exciting time. I am still hoping to can one more batch of peach butter this weekend and dehydrate some tomatoes. But, I am also planning for recipes with roasted winter squash and other Fall goodies.

Chili season in the Siem family is scheduled to begin this weekend. Sean will be so excited! What are you doing to welcome Fall?