19 Week Grapefruit

It’s week 19. Almost halfway though. Time is going by very fast these days

This week the baby is 6 inches long from head to baby butt. So it is supposedly mango/grapefruit size. Mangoes are super gross this time of year, but grapefruits are a pretty safe bet. So that is what I am featuring this week. During my first trimester I ate at least one a day for a while, so of all the fruits and veggies that have been suggested as comparisons, this one is probably the most accurate. I am sure the baby’s genetic make up is no less than 50% grapefruit.

Which means baby will smell really good and be slightly pink in coloring.

What you see above, is this recipe for grapefruit basil salad*. It seems like an unconventional flavor combination, but it works surprisingly well. The balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper marinated the grapefruit, basil, chives and red onion. The result was a refreshing salad that should be eaten on a patio in the sun.

However, I ate it in the dark, inside my apartment with the heat blasting because I live in Siberia. I will have to try it again when Chicago becomes more like Florida during the mid-summer. Because I have a feeling that my pregnant self will not be using the oven much come June and July. Just a hunch.

*Important tip: If you make this, I suggest trying to slice the grapefruit like this. That way, you do not have to deal with the tough pithy membranes that I had in my salad.

18 Week Sweet Potato Fries

It’s time for another week of maternity and food shots. Seems like time is going REALLY fast by the way. I can’t believe I will be halfway through this pregnancy in only two weeks.

This week, the internet gods of pregnancy have emailed to inform me that baby Boley is about the size of a sweet potato (about 5.5 inches from head to butt). Soon we get to start adding the leg measurements into this equation which means suddenly baby will appear to grow from a something like a grapefruit to a melon within a span of a couple days. This is not exactly the case, but then again this is all very silly with the fruit and veggie thing in the first place.

Once again, the grocery delivery service gave me slightly smaller sweet potatoes than I would have picked out for this shoot, but let’s all pretend they are a bit more rotund. LIKE MY FACE.

Dear FACE, please stop growing. Not cute.

I don’t think I have given credit to the photographer, Mr. Boley. He is not super thrilled about being on the cold porch for these shoots, but he is getting used to the idea. Today he made me sing the filet o’ fish commercial and talk on the potato phone so I would loosen up in front of the camera. I would rather be behind the camera taking the photos, but that is clearly impossible in this situation.

Porpus Boley has been a wonderful director of photography throughout the process. She is generally excited to inspect each food item. NOT TODAY. She doesn’t want anything to do with potatoes. They are neither cute nor tasty in her feline opinion.

DO NOT WANT.

She is right about this being an ugly food. I added the bunny to up the cute factor.

This week, I made a simple and tasty batch of sweet potato fries. You can find a million websites with different spice blends to put on these guys before baking, but you really don’t need a recipe. Just a few favorite herbs and spices that you aren’t afraid to mix.

Here are some important notes to remember when making sweet potato fries:

• Make sure they are cut into small, even sized fries. 1/4 inch is a good measurement, anything too large will be a mushy mess.
• DO NOT crowd the pan. Do a couple batches instead. If you crowd the fries they will steam instead of bake. Hence mush mess.
• Bake at a high heat. 425 degrees for 15 min. Then turn the fries and return them to the oven for 10-15 more minutes. DO NOT open the oven to peek on them all the time. Let them do their thing. Otherwise, mushy mess.
• Experiment with different crisping methods. I have heard that soaking the raw fries in cold water for 10 minutes will remove some of the starch and allow for a crisper outcome. I have also heard that tossing them in egg whites is the way to go. Let me know if you find the perfect method.

All in all, they are a healthy and unexpected fry option, that is generally a winner for most people. And if you are pregnant, they have all these wonderful vitamins and nutrients that your baby will love you for. (If you are not pregnant, don’t worry, you are allowed to have nutrients, too.) So skip the McDonalds’ version, and treat yourself to a healthy plate piled high with these seemingly indulgent fries.

17 weeks Turnip Bump “Glump”

Welcome to week 17 of the my maternity/food series. If you missed last week’s edition, check it out here.

This week, the What-To-Expect-Baby-Bump-Circus emails suggested that the baby was now the size of a large onion or turnip (or a bit over 5 inches long from head to bum). Unfortunately, I have my groceries delivered, and this week the produce was a bit on the small side, so let’s all pretend that objects in this photo shoot are larger than they appear. Except my cheeks, in which case you can obviously tell the camera adds 10 lbs…ahem.

I love my little apron. It is actually my husband’s grandmother’s nanny’s apron. It is in pretty good shape for being an antique. I love the little characters stitched along the bottom:

Oh, onion skins. I can’t resist an onion pic. If you have been here for a while you already know how I feel about these luminous bits that we all throw in the trash. Even though I discarded them as usual, the least I can do is give their image a permanent home on the internet:

Porpus, director of maternity and food photography, much preferred the week 16 shoot. She is not a huge fan of onions. Clearly.

So what did I make from the turnip and onion? Well, it started off as being a dish that resembles vegetable Cornish pasties. It ended up more like something my mom would call a “Glump.” I know this sounds gross, but it is quite the opposite. We often had glumps when I was little. Tuna glumps to be specific. I know that sounds even grosser, but it is really just a pocket of rolled-out biscuit dough with a cheesy, gooey, savory filling.

My glump creation consisted of :

• potatoes
• turnips
• onions
• carrots
• mushrooms
• garlic
• cheddar cheese
• milk
• egg
• rosemary, sage, thyme
• salt and pepper
• refrigerated biscuit dough
• and a wee bit of butter

They come out looking like fancy hot pockets. I decided to call them Bump Glumps, in honor of the belly.

The belly approved.

Craving

“What kind of crazy cravings have you had so far?”

This is the top question I get from men. Not sure why it’s such a popular query from the men folk, but they all want to know. Or they don’t know what else to ask, so they go with something that is pretty safe like food. Besides the Cheez-its and vanilla ice cream, I can’t claim that I have wanted anything that could be considered “crazy” just yet.

The most powerful craving I have had so far has not been for food.

I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep when I was hit by a huge wave. It was a physical craving unlike anything I have felt. I’ve never been addicted to anything, so I can’t compare it to withdrawals. But it was an intense need that I have never experienced before. I wanted to hold the baby. More than anything. My lungs felt like they couldn’t expand unless I had the baby laying on my chest. I imagine this is nature’s way of making sure I bond with my child before she/he is born. My hormones are pulsing through my veins and screaming I WANT mY BABYYYyyyyyy until I want to burst.

Does this sound weird to anyone out there? Or is it the most normal thing in the world for a mom-to-be? Is this feeling just a tiny inkling of what I will feel when the baby actually arrives? Because I think my heart will burst out of my chest it that is the case.

The best conversations I’ve had in the past couple months have been with well seasoned parents. They tell me that I think I know what love is, but I have no idea what is about to hit me. Hmmm. This is an exciting and terrifying prospect. I hope I am capable of such a thing, and I don’t have a heart attack in the postpartum suite. What if I don’t fall in love instantly? I have heard of delayed bonding is also possibility for new parents.

If the wave that hit me earlier this month is any indication, I assume my bonding capabilities are built in and ready to go. I should probably worry more about squeezing the baby to death from over-loving it more than anything else.

Speaking of hearts, we have heard the baby’s heartbeat twice. Today’s was full of static because apparently baby is moving around like crazy in there. I am waiting to start feeling these little kicks and somersaults in the next few weeks. And on March 9th, we will actually get to SEE our little one at the big ultrasound appt. *burst*

Puffy Coat

I recently grew out of my beloved winter puffy coat. Others in the house are lucky enough live in a permanent puffy coat.

Yesterday, Porpus bravely tried out her fabulously padded outerwear. She generally prefers a warm patch of sun, but her curiosity about the white fluffy stuff on the porch was too strong to resist.

She steps out without hesitation.

A fine layer of blubber provides protection.

Short legs, big dreams.

Cat hand stands are not for the weak.

16 Week Guacamole

Every week, thousands of pregnant woman receive communication from websites they have signed up for. The email/text/app tells them what to expect from their bodies that week, as well as how the baby is developing at that stage. In almost all the updates, the baby is compared to a fruit or vegetable, just to show you how large he/she is by that week.

I just hit the 16 week mark yesterday (4 months for those of you who don’t speak in weeks). Baby Boley has just passed the avocado size this week. (Yes, I am aware that I am more melon sized than avocado, and no, I don’t believe twins are in there.)

But seriously, food is for eating, and I am not totally on board with it showing up in my prenatal updates. So I have decided to put food in its place. My mouth. This week, guacamole was a no-brainer. Especially on Superbowl sunday. Stay tuned for next week’s recipe that will feature a large onion. And if you hang around until July, you will get a lovely watermelon or pumpkin recipe.

I didn’t make this one up on my own, but I did add some cumin to the mix. If you are even slightly a fan of guac, I highly recommend this top recipe from All Recipes:

Guacamole by Bob Cody.

EDIT: It has come to my attention that this may be considered creepy–eating a food that is supposed to be your baby. Hmmm. Not what I intended, but I think I am going to stick with the recipe thing regardless. Don’t be scared!

Pants (and shirts) on the Ground

I have not been doing laundry. Instead it turns out I’m only sort of doing laundry. I will start a load, and then fall asleep or act pathetic, and then Justin ends up finishing the job. Because the basement floor is cold, and I am kind of exhausted. Sometimes it gets folded, but more often it just kind of hangs out in a pile. It is really a sad situation. I don’t know why I am admitting this publicly, because I am not one bit proud it.

I think what I meant to write about here is what a good man my husband is. He has been in charge of a lot of the chores that I lost all motivation and energy to do during the first trimester. Luckily, I am feeling a bit more industrious in the last week, and even have little nesting urges here and there. I am hoping these urges turn into an all out hormone-fueled cleaning rampage for the rest of the pregnancy, because I really do like a clean house.

In the mean time I know I can count on Justin to make sure we aren’t living in a barnyard and eating off of last week’s pasta-sauce-crusted plates. The trash will be emptied. The litter box will be managed. Dry cleaning is dropped off and picked up. We won’t be wearing dirty underwear. And if we are out of hot sauce, toilet paper, or detergent, Justin is likely bundled up and walking to the Bodega.

I think I have really hit the jackpot. Help with the chores is great, but keep in mind that he is also going through his last semester of law school, bar registration, interviews, and a clerkship without showing any  signs of stress. Does he complain? No. The only thing I hear is how much he loves his job. I THINK HE IS MAGICAL. I would seriously be balled up in a corner if I had to deal with all of that. Add a pregnant wife to the mix and I would be balled up on the street corner.

He has also thought up a theme for the nursery, talked about names endlessly, and discussed his excitement for being a dad on many occasions. The importance of camping and introducing the little one to animals has been talked about endlessly. I think he even admitted that he is not scared one bit of dirty diapers. (I just saw him catch a cat puke in mid-air last weekend without flinching). Last weekend, there was a possibility that we would purchase a station wagon, and the man was thrilled. It is seriously his dream car. (edit: “It was a TURBO station wagon, I’ll have you know..”)

He tells me I look cute even though I am a bit round (in the face and the belly). My coat has to be buttoned to keep the baby warm. Any anxiety I have, he calms. Bedtime is at 10, and he feels really bad if I am up past then. He doesn’t judge me for eating salt ‘n vinegar chips everyday for the last 3 weeks. He wants to know when the baby can hear him so he can start talking directly to my belly. And if he gets himself a bowl of ice cream, he knows to scoop for two because I will be stealing half of it. I could write ten more pages like this, but I will spare you.

I really don’t mean to brag, but obviously I think he is the best. He should teach husband classes. With fatherhood just around the corner, I can’t wait to see how he fits into that new role.

I feel so lucky to have him as my partner.