CSA Supper: Zucchini & Tomato Pie

For the last month our kitchen has been overrun with tomatoes and zucchini. I've frozen I don't know how many loaves of zucchini bread, and we've canned at least three dozen jars of tomatoes, pasta sauce, etc. But those darned zucchinis and tomatoes just keep coming via our weekly farm share and our own garden. In the spirit of 'waste not, want not', I'm trying my best to use them up...but my enthusiasm and creativity are waning.

This zucchini and tomato pie is always my end-of-summer savior. It's dead easy (as Jamie O. would say) and super-fast to throw together. Plus, it always yields leftovers. I even baked this one over the weekend, then just reheated it (which was extra nice since I've been waist-deep in baby food and laundry for the last three days...CANNOT get caught up on either). Throw in a simple salad and frosty beer, and my day just got a whole lot better.

Zucchini and Tomato Pie
Serves 6

2 cups zucchini, diced
1 cup tomato, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 cups milk
3/4 organic baking mix (or Bisquick)
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees; grease a 10" pie plate.
2. Spread diced zucchini, tomato, and onion in the bottom of the pie plate.
   
3. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth, then pour into pie plate.
4. Bake until knife comes out clean (about 30 minutes), then remove from oven and top pie with the two cheeses.
   
5. Turn on the broiler; place pie under the broiler until cheese is melted and golden brown.
6. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

(Recipe adapted from an ancient Bisquick recipe book that my mom probably pulled out of the Good Housekeeping back in the '80s. If you can get your hands on one, it's a treasure trove of deliciousness!)

Finger Foods

For the last month or so, the lads are wanting to feed themselves more and more, which is so sweet, but it makes it harder to ensure they are getting balanced, full meals. I liked the consistency of seeing an empty bowl at the end of every mealtime versus a semi-empty tray that gives no indication whether the food went into their tummies or Zelda's.

I've been trying to think out of the box about fingers foods, so I thought I'd share some of our current favorites (FYI...we're still having super porridge for breakfast and a yogurt-based lunch, so these items are used as add-ons, snacks, or sometimes even dinner):

• Pieces of Applegate Farms yogurt cheese slices or Wegman's/Applegate Farms organic chicken and turkey
• Roasted broccoli (1 bag frozen organic broccoli florets, tossed with 1 T. sunflower oil and pinch of sea salt and pepper, roasted at 425 degrees for approximately 20 minutes or until really fork-tender)
• Ricotta spelt pancakes and pumpkin spelt waffles
  
• Dollops of Dr. Weil's white bean spread (I halve the amount of salt and use dried basil instead of pesto)
• Raisins or diced dried apricots
• Toasted Ezekiel bread with a light schmear of almond butter
  
• Carrot cream cheese sandwiches (Shred 3 medium carrots, then blend with one 8 oz package of organic cream cheese, 1/2 cup chopped golden raisins, and 2 T. sprouted sunflower seeds)
• Diced tomato, peaches, plum, kiwi, sweet potato, or sliced grapes or berries
• Hard-boiled egg (chopped)
  
• GoRaw Live Pumpkin bar (finely chopped)
  
• Wild Wood SpouTofu veggie burger
• And, of course, lots and lots Happy Baby puffs, munchies and MumMums (when in doubt, they are always a hit, right?)
  

Super Porridge

Starting solids was one part of parenting that I was the most excited/nervous about. Food is such a central part of our lives that I wanted give the boys an introduction that would make them love mealtimes as much as S and I do. Plus I had all this guilt about my low milk supply/milk drying up at 5 months/blah, blah, blah that I wanted to start G and Q off with as diverse a diet as possible to help make up for the nutrition (I felt) they weren't getting from me.

Enter Super Baby Food. My bff M recommended I check it out, and since her word is always gospel for me, I immediately ran out to buy it. The concept behind the book is feeding your baby whole, natural, homemade foods from the start to help maximize their nutritional intake and use food to build a robust immune system. The basis of the diet is a whole grain cereal, dubbed 'super porridge'. (By the way, I love the phrase 'super porridge'. It takes something so mundane--hot cereal--and elevates it. It's not just 'oatmeal' or 'Cream of Wheat' any longer; it's SUPER PORRIDGE. Who doesn't want to eat something that sounds like the breakfast of a superhero?)

But I'll admit it: I was a bit apprehensive about embarking on milling and mixing my own grains. I kept putting it off, opting instead to feed the boys a mix of Earth's Best rice and Happy Baby oatmeal cereals until they were 7 months old. And then one day I intrepidly entered the bulk foods at Wegmans and starting scooping organic grains and seeds into bags.

I brought them home convinced that my pathetic little blender would never be able to grind them up; but to my amazement, it whizzed them up with aplomb. "Take that!" the blender seemed to growl as it dug into the steel cut oats.

Less then 10 minutes later, I had a 1/2 gallon jar full of gorgeous, nutritious baby cereal. But the question remained: would G and Q actually eat it...?

The next morning I nervously cooked up my first batch, mixing in some nutritional yeast and a little pureed sweet potato as the book suggested. I apprehensively sat before G (he always eats first...no reason why) and very warily approached his lips with the porridge. He opened his sweet little mouth, closed his lips around the spoon, and his eyes widened. "MMMMMmmmmmmm! MMMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmm!!!" He liked it! He really liked it! And Q liked it, too!

In fact, S and I even liked it. We're now a family of super porridge devotees. The boys eat it (almost) every morning, while S and I have it a few days a week. It's incredibly versatile, filling, and easy. I love that I can cook a big batch and just reheat individual portions*, which means each family member can customize their cereal with the toppings they like best. Probably the most super thing about it? It's ridiculously cheap. I fill that enormous 1/2 gallon jar for approximately the same cost as one 7 oz. can of Happy Baby cereal (I've included some cost information below based on what I pay for organic bulk grains at Wegmans), and it lasts almost twice as long as store-bought cereal.

G/Q's Favorite Super Porridge**
1/2 lb ground steel cut oats, $1.00
1/2 lb pearled barley, $1.25
1/2 lb mulled millet, $1.21
1/3 lb oat bran, $.66
Total: $4.12

Also:
1/2 lb nutritional yeast, $3.03
1/4 lb pumpkin seeds, $1.20
1/4 lb flax seeds, $.57

Directions:

1. Using a blender, grind each grain separately using the 'Grind' or 'Mill' setting. For babies just beginning cereal, grind grain(s) until they are a soft, powdery texture; for more advanced babies, grind just until grains reach a coarse, sandy texture (as seen in the photo above).
2. After each grain is ground, pour into a mixing bowl. Once all grains have been added, add the oat bran and stir until well mixed. Pour the mixture into an air-tight container (preferably glass) and store in a cool, dark location since bugs love organic grains (I keep mine in the fridge).
3. Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly whisk in 1/3 cup of porridge mixture. Reduce heat to medium low, stirring often and cooking porridge for 10 minutes.***
4. For beginning eaters, serve cereal plain or with one food serving and a 1/4 teaspoon of nutritional yeast. For advanced eaters, combine one fruit serving and one vegetable serving along with a 1/2 teaspoon of nutritional yeast and some ground seeds. Every other day, serve super porridge with a hard-boiled egg yolk.


*I reheat the porridge in the microwave for about 45 seconds.
**Once you have the grinding/cooking technique down, it's really easy to vary your porridge. For example, I've also made one with brown rice, lentils and quinoa. For beginning eaters, you'll want to stick with just one grain, most likely brown rice or oatmeal.
***This was the quantity I made when the boys were 7 months old and were eating a tablespoon or two of cereal per morning. This batch lasted 3 or 4 days in the fridge. I now double this amount, since they each eat 1/4 cup per morning and it still lasts 3 or 4 days.

CSA Supper: Swiss Chard with Garbanzo Beans and Tomatoes

It's around this point every summer where my enthusiasm for the copious amount of greens we get each week in our farm share starts to wane. Those giant bags of kale and chard become less of a blessing and more of a curse. I feel obligated to take them, but the idea of eating them braised, steamed, tossed with a vinaigrette, etc., honestly makes me gag a little. It's too much of a good thing, if you will.

That's why last week I did a little nosing around on the 'nets for some inspiration to get me through the next 12 weeks of farm pick-ups. I came across this recipe on AllRecipes.com and loved the sound of it because I'm trying more and more to make dinners that all four of us can eat. G and Q love chard and chick peas, so with a little alteration, this meal was perfect!

I think this recipe was intended as a side dish, but to make it a complete dinner, I increased the amount of beans and served ours over Wegmans Golden Jewel Blend, a mix of Israeli couscous, mini-garbanzo beans, orzo, and red quinoa. The lads had their's with sprouted white quinoa. We all had grilled asparagus on the side. (Oh yeah...and S and I had a glass of Malbec rose.)

Swiss Chard with Garbanzo Beans and Tomatoes
serves 4 (or 2 adults and 2 babies*, with some leftover for the hubby's lunch the next day!)

2 T. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 16 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 large bunch of Swiss chard, cleaned and sliced into ribbons
1 large tomato, sliced
1/2 lemon, juiced
salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook until translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
3. Pour in the garbanzo beans and season with salt and pepper.
4. Layer the chard ribbons over the bean and onion mixture, top with the tomato slices, and season with more salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover the pan, cooking until the chard has wilted.
5. Once the chard has wilted, juice the lemon over the top. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Baby version:
Once the chard has wilted, remove 1 cup of the chard/bean/onion mixture from the pan and transfer it into a food processor or food mill. Add one tomato slice. Puree to the consistency to which your baby is comfortable. I decided to leave out the lemon juice since this was our first experience with tomato (two new foods at once seemed risky). I was also pretty light on the s&p until I removed the babies' portion.

*We follow the Super Baby Food diet, which says it's safe to eat cooked onion, greens and beans at 9 months and tomato and citrus at 12 months.

1st Birthday Party, G/Q-style (part 1)

We loved these whale invites from Tiny Prints. They perfectly
coordinated with our theme. We're big DIY-entertainers,
but I'm a stickler for nice printed materials.

I was ridiculously excited about making these decorations.
I'm not crafty at all, but give me some crepe paper, paper
lanterns, curling ribbon and a hot glue gun, and somehow
I'll give you a giant octopus and a jellyfish garland!

Ms. Octo is ready for her close-up.

I thought the jellies had the sweetest faces!

My dad thought everyone should have to
"swim" through the tent.

This is the pool I bought to soak in while pregnant last
summer, now with MUCH cuter contents: an inflatable
octopus from Pottery Barn Kids and whale and beach
balls from the dollar store.

Our centerpieces were cheapo bubble bowls from AC Moore,
filled with Rhode Island sand from vacation and our tub toys.

I had the most fun making these octopus party hats out of
balloons, paper plates and ribbon. I knew it was doubtful
that the babies would keep them on, but the idea was
too cute not to attempt!

Party hats and high chairs waiting for the guests of honor.

We used sand buckets scored for $1 each at
Christmas Tree Shops to hold favors.

I gussied them up with a resin sand dollar
and personalized tag.

My mom used these felt banners at my shower last summer,
and I thought it would be a nice tradition to hang them every
year on the boys' birthday.

We spread a beach blanket as a hangout
for all the babies in attendance.

I'm sooooooo ready to get my party on!

Stay tuned for more details from the bash!

A letter to myself.

37 weeks , August 4, 2010

Dear Me:

I know what you're doing...you're sitting in bed, watching Twilight in a feeble attempt to distract yourself from the dread that's making your heart so heavy you think it might suffocate you and the babies. You're feeling like before your tenure as a mother has even begun, you've already failed. Failed because your c-section was scheduled and instead of being so excited to meet those two little guys you've grown, you're terrified. Failed because despite every attempt, you couldn't get Baby A to turn. Failed because you think having a natural birth was your last chance to have a "normal" pregnancy experience. Failed because after everything you've been through over the last two years--the heartache, the fear, the shots and procedures--you've been so brave. But where is your courage now?

Well, lovey, let me give you a little peak into the future. I can't tell you that the c-section was great, that the hospital met all your birth plan requests, that breastfeeding was a breeze, or that what happens on August 12 won't change you--make you stronger and harder in some ways and more fragile in others. But I can tell you this: one year from now, you will be so proud of yourself.

You will have these two perfect little humans that you will marvel at every day. They will exceed your wildest expectations...like that somehow the embryologist selected the two sperms and two eggs that contained the very best of S's and your DNA. You will look at them every day and be reminded of how blessed you are, of just how much God spared you from...that, as bad as it was, it could have been far, far worse.

You won't suck at being a mother. In fact, for the first time in your life, you'll actually feel like you're good at something. You'll find patience and love like you could never have imagined (Mom was right...you had NO idea the depth of a mother's love).

You'll finally understand that you couldn't move Baby A (that's G, by the way), because once he makes his mind up to do something, he does it no matter what. He's stubborn and tenacious. And you'll love him for those qualities and a million others.

And I know you're worried that things will change between you and S. They will. But not like you think. You'll actually be closer and more of a team than ever before. His stoicism will balance your neurotic mama freak-outs, and your heart will break at how deeply devoted he is to the boys. Seeing them together will remind you over and over of why you went through what you did--to give him this gift...these babies...his sons.

Now go back to watching Edward and Bella. Enjoy these last few lazy moments. Thank God that you're 37 weeks pregnant with two strong, healthy babies. Find peace in your heart knowing that despite what happens next week, it will all be worth it. In a year, G will sing along as you two dance around to the Slackers. Q will give you big, wet kisses and rub his little cheek against yours. A lot will be taken from you in that operating room, but not these moments. They will be made more precious, more sweet and fleeting, because you will never forget that for as bad as it was, it could have been far, far worse.

Love,
You

Ricotta Spelt Pancakes

Sunday morning was the last day of our first family vacation (we were technically home at that point), and even though we often make a big breakfast on Sunday mornings (like this one), I decided I wanted to do something extra special. Try something new. Most importantly, I wanted G and Q to be able to eat whatever I made. I looked for some inspiration online and decided to make ricotta pancakes. To make them baby-friendly, I opted to use spelt flour instead of all-purpose.

The result? The lightest, moistest, most flavorful pancakes ever. To gussy them up for S and me, I topped them with a homemade lemon thyme syrup and blackberries from our bushes. The lads just had them plain, but loved them any way. Q scarfed two in two minutes flat (mmmm-mmmming the entire time, as he is wont to do (that kid is a serious foodie already!)) and would have eaten more if we hadn't already polished them off!

Ricotta Spelt Pancakes, aka Babies' 1st Pancakes
serves 4 (or, in our case, 2 piggish adults and 2 babies)

1 cup organic whole milk ricotta
1/2 cup water (you could use milk to make them richer, but I used water since the lads haven't had milk yet)
2 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp raw sugar
1 tsp sunflower oil

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, water and egg yolks. Add the flour, baking powder, and sugar, stirring to make a thick batter.
2. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are white and foamy, but still loose. Gently fold the beaten whites into the batter. (Note: you could easily skip this step if you aren't yet ready to give your baby egg whites. The result would simply be a denser, less fluffy pancake.)
3. Heat the oil in a skillet or large frying pan over medium heat. Using a tablespoon, drop batter onto the hot pan. Cook pancakes approximately 2 minutes per side, or until they are a golden brown. I ended up getting about 24 half-dollar size pancakes (yep...we ate them all!!!).

Lemon Thyme Syrup

1 cup water
1 cup raw sugar
5 sprigs of thyme
1 lemon, zested

1. Add water, sugar, whole thyme sprigs, and zest of the lemon to a small sauce pan over medium low heat.
2. Bring mixture to a slow boil, just until sugar is melted.
3. Remove from heat and let cool. Remove thyme and strain lemon zest (if you'd like--I left the zest in because I think it looks pretty!).

Belly Update: 26 weeks

Per my earlier post, we spent this last Saturday at Mystic Seaport, where Seth was able to snap some fun belly shots while we were aboard the Charles W. Morgan, the oldest surviving whaling ship.

Are horizontal stripes a pregnant girl's best friend? Probably not, but I've loved this little navy and white tunic from H&M maternity anyway.

It was so fun to get away and to feel well enough to travel! This trip didn't exactly count as a "babymoon" since my parents were along (we opted to renovate our bathroom instead of doing a bigger trip this spring...probably not a great choice, but more on that later...), but we had a wonderful time.

As you can see, my belly is really filling out and getting SUPER heavy. I've definitely got my waddle on! At our appointment last Thursday (I got to see the twins on my birthday--how cool was that?!), we learned that they are each weighing in at approximately 2.5 lbs, which is the size a single baby should be at this point (usually twins are a little smaller!). We also got great news in that I passed the diabetes scan and also that the right twin's amniotic fluid is not increasing at all and might even be a little bit less than it was a month ago when we learned that he had too much. Overall, they just keep saying that they look really, really healthy, so we are feeling very relieved and blessed (albeit very, very uncomfortable!).

Belly Update: 25 weeks

I almost look non-prego here, don't I? Is there a belly in that dress...?

...oh yeah...there it is!

They're ridin' low and heavy!

Jacket: Vintage (previously seen here)
Dress: Liz Lange Maternity
Shoes: BCBG
Jewelry: Mix of vintage, Stella & Dot, gifts from hubby, and Banana Republic
Umbrella: Burberry (a very nice gift from a former coworker!!!)

My 25th week is up today!!! I don't feel like the size of my belly has grown too much in the last few weeks, but it's definitely gotten a lot heavier and more cumbersome. Two weeks ago the twins were weighing in at 1.5 lbs (baby A...aka 'Lefty') and 1.75 lbs (baby B...aka 'Righty') respectively. We have another appointment tomorrow, so I'll be curious to see how big they are. I think they must be getting really strong because their movements and kicks are just unbelievable now. My entire belly undulates and sometimes they kick so hard that it startles me! Honestly, feeling them move is the best part of being pregnant. And as I get closer to my due date, it's becoming harder and harder to wrap my mind around the fact that there are two little people inside of me!

In other baby news...it's been over a week since I've had to take a nausea pill, and I'm eating more foods all the time. It still feels really exciting to feel hungry and actually want to eat after so many months of feeling so sick! We also finished our HypnoBirthing class on Monday night, so now I'm even more jazzed to birth these guys naturally. I also got a recommendation on a really great doula, so I'm getting in touch with her this week to see if she is available to work with us.

Next up: TACKLING THE NURSERY!!! Stay tuned....

Blue Monday: Maternity Bathing Suit

You know how terrifying picking out a bathing suit is when you are your normal size and physique? Okay, now imagine the horror of putting on a bathing suit in the last trimester of a twins pregnancy. Welcome to my world, ladies!!!

With Memorial Day rapidly approaching, I'm realizing I can no longer avoid the reality that I must bite the bullet and buy a maternity swimsuit. When my bff, Nicole, was pregnant last year, she bought a suit from A Pea in the Pod. It was adorable, but frankly, I just don't want to spend that much. So I'm considering this paisley number from Old Navy because one of my favorite bikinis of all time actually came from there about eight years ago. It was super, super flattering, so I'm holding out hope that ON's maternity swimwear will be the same!

Belly Update: 23 weeks and counting...

Ever wondered what approximately 24 inches and 2.5 pounds of babies looks like?!

Wearing:
Vintage jacket - 1918 Vintage
Wife beater - stolen from the hubby
Jeans - H&M maternity
Turquoise and brass necklace - Stella & Dot
Turquoise enamel bracelet and ring - vintage

Wow. I've made it through 23.5 weeks, ladies!

We were at a little party on Saturday afternoon and someone asked me if I was enjoying being pregnant. My honest response was simply that I feel unbelievably blessed and thankful to be having this experience after thinking for so long that I wouldn't get to, but that no, "enjoy" is not exactly a word I would marry with "pregnancy." I'm totally jealous of those women who love, love, love being pregnant!

That said, my love for these little guys seems to grow in leaps and bounds every day as I feel them squirm and kick almost non-stop now. And I find myself having really funny conversations with them...like my left twin kicks really, really hard, so every time he does it I always say, "Good job, buddy! That was a good one!" Isn't that silly? Seth catches me and says, "Are you talking to the boys?!" He thinks it's so cute.

On Thursday we go back to our doctor for further testing to find out why our right twin has waaaaaay too much amniotic fluid. We're praying that the problem has just gone away in the last two weeks, but if it hasn't then I'll be tested for gestational diabetes. Considering having twins puts you at a much higher risk for g.d. and throwing in the fact that diabetes is rampant in my family, I'm guessing (hoping--because I cannot even let myself consider that it could be something wrong with him!!!) that is the problem. Please send good vibes our way!

Nursery Art

Giant Squid

Jacques Cousteau vs. the Octopus

Nautical Print

Just did a big Etsy order today for art for the nursery. Can you guess what our theme is?

(via BeatUpCreations, petitemoufette and AfricanGrey)

Blue Monday: Mental Images

Tonight is our first birthing class, and despite the fact that I have a wicked cold, I'm still really, really excited about it. The birthing technique we are learning is called Hypnobirthing. Have you heard of it? I cannot say enough positive things about it. Calling it a technique is really inaccurate because it's really more of a birthing philosophy. Once you read the book and learn the history and the benefits of having a hypnobirth you are a complete convert. You're like, "Yes! That's right! My body was designed to do this! Why am I scared? I should be excited!"

I learned about Hypnobirthing a number of years ago because bff Molly is a midwife and Hypnobirthing coach (actually she's a full-time mom now, but she is still a crusader for natural labor and women's health in general). She gave me all the Hypno materials two years ago, and last fall as the date for our in vitro got closer and closer, I decided to read the book and start listening to the meditation cd to help lower my stress level and prepare me--both mentally and physically--for the two procedures.

I found the Hypno techniques came in particularly handy the day of our embryo transfer. Although the doctors had prescribed Valium because I was really jumpy during our trial transfer (as you can imagine, it's super important that you remain really relaxed and still as they are injecting the microscopic embryos into your uterus), I really didn't want to take it. So instead, I spent the entire car ride from Ithaca to Rochester listening to the Hypno cd and focusing all my energy on relaxing my abdomenal muscles--in particularly my cervix, and centering my thoughts on having an easy, successful transfer (which we did...x2!).

Anyway...all of that is a very round-about way to get to saying that I've been trying to come up with a few mental images to focus on during labor. Since there is absolutely no place I am happier or more relaxed than the beach, I figure that is where I should focus my attention. In particular, I always have this image of Nauset Beach, on Cape Cod, that I just love....walking up the sandy path through the dunes to get out to the beach, you get almost to the top of the dune and can see a sliver of the Atlantic that is all gold and shimmery like this:

Sigh...I can totally hear the waves crashing, the rustle of the wind through the dune grass, feel the hot sun on my back, and smell the onion rings cooking at Liam's. If that doesn't get me through labor, I don't know what will!

Sneak Peak of What We Did Last Sunday...

Last Sunday we met our friend, Bryan, in Jersey City, to have some "pregnancy pictures" taken. Bryan shot our engagement and wedding photos (I'll post some soon), and he's so fun to work with. I am really, really not good at being photographed, and as much as I wish I dared to have some nudie, "glamour shot" pregnancy pix done, that's just soooooo not me; but I wanted us to document this time because I knew I'd regret it later if we didn't. So doing some cute shots of the two of us together seemed ideal and being able to have Bryan take the pictures seemed perfect (I told him he's now the official "Brahler Family Photographer"). We took a few shots in his studio, then headed to Liberty State Park to do the rest. I'm just wading through the files now to narrow down the selection so Bryan can start to retouch, convert to b&w, etc., but I wanted to share a few of my faves so far.

Incidentally, isn't Zelda just the cutest?! That first pic brought the biggest smile to my face because she is so clearly on a mission to sniff, sniff, sniff! It was her first time in the big city, and she took complete advantage of it!

Belly Update and Other News

I'm having trouble believing that tomorrow I will already be 21 weeks pregnant. Time seems to be rapidly picking up speed! I feel like my belly is getting bigger by the minute, I'm finally feeling hungry (YAY!), and the twins are moving so, so much now. In fact, for the last week I've actually been able to see them move, which is just the coolest thing ever. They seem to be particularly busy in the evening when I'm in the tub (I think this is a sign that they are going to like the water as much as their mama does!); the funny thing is that they'll be movin' and groovin' and as soon as Seth comes in to see it, they stop! He's starting to think I'm making it up, even though I swear to him my whole belly was jumping just a few seconds before!

Dress - LaRedoute...back when they sold in the U.S.
Jersey cardi - forget the brand, but it was bought at the BonTon
Tights - Target
Black suede studded flats - Sigerson Morrison for Target
Gilda Links necklace and earrings - Stella & Dot

Here I am during my 18th week, in my favorite non-maternity maternity outfit. This silk sundress is one of my summer favorites, bought about 6 or 7 years ago. It's nice and tenty and worked great for early maternity-wear (I even put a black turtleneck under it a few times and wore it like a jumper!). I bought the jersey cardigan last summer in preparation for getting pregnant, and it's been a constant staple.

T-shirt - Old Navy Maternity
Jeans - H&M Maternity
Turquoise and red coral jewelry - Mexico and Passion for Pearls, an awesome jewelry vendor at the National Association of REALTORS' conventions

I can't believe I'm putting this shot up, but it's the only one we got during week 19. I like to call it my "Moby Dick" picture, since I essentially look like big, white whale! This was taken on Easter Sunday, which is miraculous because Easter here is ALWAYS cold and rainy. But since this year it was hot and sunny, I decided the boys and I should work on getting some color! I sat out all afternoon with my parents while Seth putzed around in the garden, weeding and planting lettuce and radishes. It was a wonderful way to spend Easter!

In other news, last week I told my Board of Directors that I won't be coming back to work once the twins arrive. Deciding to stay at home was such a hard decision--for a variety of reasons (finances, I like my job, FINANCES)--but daycare costs are so high here that I essentially would have been working to only bring home a couple of hundred dollars a month. Plus Seth and I both had moms who stayed home when we were little, and it was always our dream to be able to do the same thing when we started a family. Sooooo...it's really scary, and we're taking a HUGE leap of faith, but now that the decision is final I'm feeling a real sense of peace about it and am excited to say that as of July 30 I will be a full-time mom!

Blue Monday: The Twins' First Shoes

Navy blue hi-top Chucks for the twins...can you stand the cuteness???

I'll use it forever...I promise!!!

Haven't we all justified a splurge-y purchase with the little promise to ourselves that "we'll use it forever?" or that we "won't need any other bag/shoe/whatever?" Of course we mean it at the time, but let's be honest--3 or 6 or 12 months later, don't we break down and buy another bag or pair of shoes or whatever? I know I do. I'm weak. And I'm a liar. What can I say?

But since I am a mother now, and as such am trying to be more fiscally responsible, I've been ignoring those empty promises as I've been eyeing up this Kate Spade baby bag for months (like, since before I was even pregnant...seriously, I've been going on KateSpade.com at least once a week since probably November). However, at $425, I just couldn't justify buying the bag, no matter how much I'd use it.

But guess what? Last week I got an e-mail that it had FINALLY gone on sale!!! And on top of that? It was an extra 25% off!!! And on top of that?? FREE SHIPPING!!! And on top of that??? I still had money left from my 2009 bonus from work!!!

So guess what?!?! That little ole baby bag shipped to me today!!!

And you know what?!?! I'll use it FOREVER!!!

(Well, at least for the next few years, anyway!)

Belly Update

First off, thanks so much for the warm welcome back last week, ladies!!! I missed blogging so much while I was sick and am slowly catching up on everything you were up to while I was away. I promise that Shell is not exclusively going to become a pregnancy blog, but it is obviously a huge part of what's going on with our life right now, so you'll be hearing a lot about it. Hopefully, you'll find it interesting!!!

Anyhoo...remember back in January when my belly looked like that, up there? The irony is, I really felt like I had a big belly! At that point, I had gained about 10 pounds from the fertility drugs, so I was definitely feeling a lot thicker and more bloated than usual. Of course little did I know what was to come...

...because here I am last week!!! Big difference between 5 weeks and 17 weeks, eh? I keep joking with my bff that I think my belly is bigger now than her's was at a full 40 weeks, but I have to keep in mind that there are TWO babies in there!!! Honestly, so far I think having a belly is pretty cute, but I'd be lieing if I didn't admit that I am scared about how enormous I'll be at the end if I am this big already.

I signed up for these weekly pregnancy e-mails from WebMD and the American Pregnancy Association, and for the most part they are kind of worthless, but it is nice to get the messages each Monday if only because it helps to keep in perspective all the craziness your body is experiencing. For example, today's messages told me the babies are each around 6" in length, which means I have almost of a foot of babies inside me. How crazy is that?!

My Vegetarian Pregnancy

One of the really crazy things that happened in my time away from the blog was that after 17.5 years of being a vegetarian, I tried (emphasis on the word tried) to start eating meat again. My decision to do so did not come easily. Although it was partially fueled by fear of the insane amount of protein you need each day when you're having twins (100g!!!) and also pressure from people who kept telling me I'd simply have to eat meat to have safe, healthy babies, I feel like I know enough about diet and nutrition that I really came to the conclusion on my own that it was the right thing to do. And what finally spurred me on was that my body reached this point where I was just so starving from being so sick that I felt like I needed something substantial to fill me up, and meat seemed like the best solution.

The first thing I ate was a meal my mom used to make me as a little girl when I was recovering from the stomach flu or some such ailment. It's a really simple dish of stewing beef (we used grass fed organic beef, of course!), egg noodles and beef broth. Taking the first bite was so gut-wrenching and scary! I mean, after such long time I had NO idea what real meat tasted like, what the texture would be, and morally it was just so, so hard. But frankly, the very worst part was that the beef actually tasted really, really good, and it did provide me some momentary relief from the nausea and the hunger.

But from there it was all downhill. I tried turkey bacon (threw it up), chicken cacciatore (ew--don't even get me started), my mom's ribs (delicious, but they still completely grossed me out), my bff's chicken salad (again, super delicious, but the chicken cacciatore had already done me in for being able to enjoy chicken), a slice of pizza topped with proscuitto (the one meat I always regretted not being able to try was disappointingly chewy, fatty, and tasteless). Trying to eat meat and think about eating meat became this vicious cycle that was making me even more sick. Every day I would think, "I should eat meat today!" I would try to force myself to find something that would sound good and then I wouldn't be able to eat anything, which only made me sicker.

So I gave up eating meat again--almost before I had really started. I decided that getting back to a place where I was eating something was way more important than eating meat and that ultimately I needed to stop listening to outside opinions and do what was right for me and my babies. I started doing research online about vegetarian pregnancies, bought the book Your Vegetarian Pregnancy, and met with a veggie friend who is a nutritionist who helped me put together a plan to reach 100g of protein per day without eating meat. So far, so good. Yesterday I topped out at around 90g of protein, and it was actually pretty easy!

Sorry this was such a long post...it just feels like we have a lot to catch up on!

Growing babies is hard work!

...and I'm back from my very unexpected (and unappreciated) break from blogging. The past two months were two of the hardest I've ever lived through, leaving me with barely enough energy to get to the bathroom to be sick, let alone to blog. But thanks to some meds I started two weeks ago, I'm now slowly coming out of the ordeal of morning sickness and am finally starting to really get to enjoy being pregnant, as well as return to life as normal (well, sort of, anyway).

The above ultrasound picture of the twins is from two weeks ago. Sadly, the only picture we got of both of them was of just the tops of their little heads, but we love it anyway! They are sooooooo cute and are growing really, really well (they are actually ahead of where they need to be, which our doctor says is super important because invitro twins have a high risk of being low birth weight). We hope they stay that way!

I have sooooooo much to catch up on, things to get to people...but it feels good to be back in a physical and mental place where I can actually think about doing anything! I missed you all TONS and can't wait to check up on you and see what you've been doing, wearing, eating, etc., etc.

xoxoxo