Whew

Anyone who has been, or is, or knows anything about pregnancy will tell you that in addition to having to steer clear of some key culinary delights that you never think you would really miss but really DO in order to give a growing chitlin inside a healthy fighting chance, also will remind you to steer clear from your (my in this case) favorite tasty beverages.

I get it, I know why, I follow it but honestly - I would have given my right arm (and maybe part of my left) for a glass of Cab last night at the ‘spill the beans dinner’… heck I’d take one right now. Why, oh WHY can’t someone come up with a fantastic alternative to cocktails for those of us craving but not able to indulge?

I have searched for “mock”tails for 2 days online (yes, MOCK tails, everything has a catchy name these days) and NOTHING…. I see loads of fruit juice based fizzy drinks that because they are poured into a specialty glass with a stem fall under the ‘tails’ category- WRONG. these drinks couldn't be farther from a real cocktail.  

Show me a fake Manhattan that actually TASTES like a Manhattan or a martini flavored water that you can throw in a couple of olives into and call it a Friday night , Non Alcoholic wine that actually TASTES like wine and not bastardization of grape juice and I will actually come to your house and mow your lawn. No Joke. Back it up with something to take the edge off that falls under my doctor’s approved pregnancy items list, and I’ll give you first right of refusal on the bragging rights to owning the worlds largest orange cat named Russell. (Seriously, it’s worth it, he is easily 25 lbs. - he could have a chance at a Guinness record).   


Aside from the lack of hot and cold spirit warming spirits that we usually delve into now that the thermostat is going up and the outside temp going down, things are good. The “spill the beans” dinner went great, moms and dads all very excited of course, Giddy in fact I think might be a better description, very cool. The small taste of that sparkling nectar of the gods on my lips and tongue was, as expected, all at once pure ecstasy and torture wrapped up nicely in a brown paper package and tied with a raffia bow by Martha Stewart herself. And despite the fact that only our immediate family currently know that T’s boys can swim it feels great just knowing we are not harboring intel that feels like a dirty little secret until the cat is out of the bag. (Shameless reference to the cat again as I really could use that drink and the offer for Russell still stands.) 

The Beef Bourguignon was good; the combo of the rainstorm and early evening chill, family, fireplace and something to celebrate worked out nicely in my favor. Crusty French bread… mmmm… and the homemade sweet apple compote I made the other day with the apples from the farm over ice cream, yes thank you, I WILL have some more, it was fall flavors at their best.

In my innate desire to surround this growing baby with the warmth of a kitchen and the sweet smells of homemade, home baked, and even home fried delights I wildly searched the other day to dig up a decent Beignet recipe- I found of course hundreds that all made my mouth water and I think maybe my knees weak. While I have never been to New Orleans, I have long been a lover and dreamer of the beignet. Any size, any flavor, savory, sweet, you name it. To me they are the ultimate piece of angelic fluff, little clouds of dough with breezes of powdered sugar – perfection. 

Although, the last time we (okay-I) made beignets, I cheated. It was one of those things that seemed like a great idea at the time but turned out more appropriate for the 101 items that could also be used as a home construction material list (oh and, remind me to tell you about the fact that we have only a semi operating, mid-construction master bath at some point as well and how I got us in this pickle). 

I used the Café du Monde mix that Peter and Bonnie brought back from NOLA – gasp – I know, I know… it was in a test, I was super curious to see if it actually worked, and it failed me miserably. 

Therefore, tomorrow, after a semi good night rest (and prayers that the dogs do not decide fake me out of bed at 7:30 only to go outside briefly then snake my spot with muddy paws) and before a planned afternoon of pumpkin picking followed by an evening of making homemade gnocchi, I plan on arising early to make homemade, from scratch, Beignets… I can’t resist. I can’t do very much it feels like these days but I am allowed to cook, and I am allowed to eat. So, as I settle a little deeper into nesting mode, Beignets, a little CBS Sunday Morning, pick ‘em yourself pumpkins, and homemade pasta all sounds ridiculously good. Maybe I’ll throw in a brief nap to put it all over the edge. 

Wow, a girl could get used to this pregnant thing. 

TWO TWO

Welcome to Day 22 of my "Gestational Cycle" which means that as of today we could SEE our teenie tiny baby the old candy jar... which is growing ridiculously fast. Just the other day when we were in to confirm this whole parents to be thing, our nubbin was the size of a pinhead, now an eraser. I am hoping that the next analogy will relate the baby to the size of one of the crazy huge prenatal vitamins I take 6 of each day just to make up for the fact that I take SIX of them... who's idea was it again to make these things so big that poor women who are lucky to keep down a saltine have to choke them down 2 at a time three times daily? The nerve.

What an odd experience this has been so far... we tell our parents tonight, which will make things MUCH better as we will have people to "turn to" to chat, lament, ask questions of, worry with, laugh with, plan with - the whole ball of wax...whew and finally. It is hard to keep this kind of news tucked in. It's like winning the lottery and then going back to work the next day like nothing happened... yeah, right.

We had our first ultra sound today, piece of cake. All is where it should be and looks like it should etc.. After a little internal stress last night on my end of "what happens if this ISN'T going to actually happen??" passed we rallied ourselves for a first thing doctor's appt.. As it turned out, the hardest part of the visit was realizing that our doctor has a bottle of what we can only assume to be "snake oil" in his office- I know WTF right???? This is no shabby doctor either, despite what the About me section may have you think of us- we do not live in a house with wheels in the deep south, we have all of our teeth and our church services aren't held under a canvas tent in a field.   This guy is top notch (and knows it actually-but that's another story), so seeing a funky clear glass bottle filled with various colored and sized snakes and snake skins soaking in oil was super creepy. 

I would like to add to this story that there is one thing that I knowingly fear the most... yep... snakes... I don't care if they are alive or dead; 2 inches small or 20 feet long; in our backyard in the wood pile or behind glass at the Zoo. They are, and will always be the same devilish, disgusting slithery things that make my knees knock. So yes, seeing this intriguing bottle on the obligatory doctor's office "Cool nick knacks I've collected in my travels thanks to your money" shelf set me back a little... breathe... over it... moving on...then he told me I couldn't have splenda along with the 3 million other things I can't have (sure - kick me while I am down- how else is someone supposed to make DECAF coffee taste better???).

I guess in the grand scheme of things I should be thankful. After nine months of trying for a baby, and the time finally being here, I should (and DO) feel lucky that the only thing that makes my knees currently knock are snakes in a jar and the rug woven of my multitude of vices being pulled out from under me. Oh yes, and my husband, but that's in a good way- still- for now...we do have a long way to go in this pregnancy though, hee hee. 

Anyway, we are back at home. I with my blah decaf coffee trying to determine what I can eat next that is on the short list of healthy things for mom to be, my husband with his amped up leaded version of the morning kick in the pants and a day of work at home on his hands. Our nutty dogs who for some reason seem to have the WORST smelling gas today (Budreaux in particular) and a pending rain storm that should arrive just in time for the big 'Spill the Beans' dinner with our parents - which is also why I made beef bourguignon for dinner aside from the fact its so easy its not funny. I am SO having an illegal sip of champagne tonight to celebrate. If this baby is going to be a Goetz, it better get used to the good stuff early on.