Kitchen Day

I'll blame it on the insomnia again.

Somehow, at 5am when my mind was racing instead of sleeping, I thought it would be a good idea to...spend the entire day in the kitchen, on a 95-million degree day. At almost 8 months pregnant. With a cranky almost-two-year old.

Well, somehow, at 7am, after he woke up, it still sounded like a good idea to me. As we surveyed the refrigerator, my initial feelings, that this all-day-kitchen-event just HAD to happen, were validated and confirmed.

Clearly, my garden and friends have been over-generous, and something had to be done about it...before everything rots, which things are known to eagerly do in my fridge.

Started with some good veggie-roasting fun.

Chopped em' up

(still early in the day, both feeling fresh and happy)

Drizzled 'em with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper

God made veggies so pretty!

Popped 'em in the oven at 450 and moved on to the next project.

Hmmm...what to do with a huge zuchinni and 10 lbs of peaches? Why naturally, zucchinni peach muffins (what?) were in store.

(side note: yes, that is an iron hiding in the background. and yes, it was out because I was supposed to be sewing baby gifts, not spending the entire day playing with knives, skins, seeds and plant innards)

 

 So, I whipped 'em up, and while those puppies were in the oven, I moved on to the conundrum of what to do with the remaining 9.5lb of the peaches with which my coworker so graciously surprised me!

I decided to make peach jam (since I conquered blueberry jam last month, my first time went well, so I guess I decided to recklessly and fearlessly take on a different fruit) and to freeze the rest.

I started out by sanitizing my newly purchased canning jars.

Then I hit a major bump in the road. What??!! Peaches need to be peeled before you can freeze or preserve/jam them? C'mon!

Though I fought it tooth an nail, countless google searches revealed that there was no way around this. So I gave in.

Turns out, it was not THAT terrible. You just pop the peaches in boiling water for 45 seconds, and then plunge them in an ice water bath.

Then the skins literally slide right off with a little rub. Voila!

Then I chopped those slippery (but pretty) little devils

Then it was break time - we were off to a 32 week check for this little baby #2.

Later on, after an OB visit (baby#2 checked out ok) and multiple errands (had to get jars and pectin!), we were definitely starting to lag. Took lots of these (snack breaks)

and these (resting breaks)

So...you may ask...what did this whirlwind day leave me with, besides a horrendously messy kitchen,

a sore aching back, and an over-abundance of pictures of slimy-looking peaches?

Well...I ended up with this lovely pile of organic waste...

so sad I don't have a compost bin. Alas, it will be a goal for next summer!

Also produced a rather sorry half-bag of peaches to freeze, and a plate of sunken zuchinni-peach-blueberry muffins (needless to say, recipe not shared because it was not a keeper...their yummy taste could not make up for their un-aesthetic appearance)

But I did end up with a lovely bowl of delicious, colorful, and caramelized roasted veggies

Yum!

and I did make dinner for these two goons

This is certainly his momma's boy - loves corn on the cob and roots for the Pack.

And lastly, I ended up with this beautiful collection of jars of home-made peach jam!

Here's to an exhausting delightfully productive day in the kitchen!

Happy for Health

Perhaps it's the realization that in two short months, my little baby boy will be hitting that two year milestone.

Perhaps it is the realization that very soon I will be having another one of these:

Or perhaps just the fact that this pregnancy has rendered me sleepless most nights, and insomnia breeds sleep deprivation breeds over-the-top nostalgia, sentimentalism and emotions...

Whatever the case, as I was sitting here at 4am, scrolling through labor and delivery, birth, newborn and baby photos of my first (and yes, getting teared up once again watching the video feed (well actually listening to...it's soundbyte only, courtesy of my wonderful hubby) (and my, what a soundbyte it is :)) I realized I never did get around to the post I wanted to do of his well-child checkups at the pediatrican's office. Perhaps it is because I am a pediatric NP, or just a corny, cheesy, mushy mom (or both), I just love looking at these pictures, and seeing how he has grown and changed over his short little life.

VERY FIRST CHECK-UP AT 3 DAYS OLD

Little Helpless Newborn

Tired Helpless Daddy

Tiny...vulnerable...precious.

First exam by his awesome PNP while daddy watches

What's that? I can't even lift my head to focus on it

SIX-MONTH CHECK-UP

Super happy chubby baby

Is there something on my face? Hmmm..? What are man-boobs?

Mmm..vaccines. Those awful, life-saving, not-fun necessities

12-MONTH CHECK-UP

Someone has learned how to (pretend to be) shy

Oh but yes, still very happy. I miss that open-mouthed smile.

Do you think I will break the scale mom?

Can you teach me how to use this mom?

So thankful for a healthy, happy little boy.
As a former NICU nurse and health-care provider, I can honestly say that I do not take this perfect health for granted. I desperately appreciate it, and I am desperately sad for those parents out there who face medical challenges of all kinds. My heart goes out to you.