The best things come...

 

...to those who wait.  Castor oil is nasty stuff, but it most often does the trick (if you are nice and ready to have a baby).  I was called in at 2am and by 4:35am baby was born. I rolled in this morning around 8am.  Her father is Iranian and they named her after his Grandmother.  I wish I could remember her full name, but they call her Nou ("New") for short.  Isn't that cute?

Isn't she cute?  The mama did an amazing job, the father was so attentive.  No real "story" to report.  I guess each baby has their own special way of entering this world, but little Nou came when she was ready.  But just by looking at her...I can tell she will be worth the wait.

Waiting

It has been a very quiet summer for births so far.  In fact, the last birth I attended was the first week of June. Finally, today the call came at 11:30am, "she's brewing" said the Midwife.  "Brewing" is midwife-ease for "perhaps she might be heading into labor and so you might want to plan accordingly."   Not knowing when I would be needed on shorter notice I packed my bag and then waited for the next call.

All the essentials here (snacks, BP cuff, phone, notes/directions, camera bag, etc.). The only things missing are mints.  No one likes a birth assistant with dragon breath.  My watch is on the fritz so I snatched my husband's. I have to wear one to count heart rates- I am thinking that his will not fit well under my gloves.  I'll be sure to wipe of any amniotic fluid before I return it :)  Also on the fritz is my stomach...a little Imodiam AD to the rescue.  Yikes.

While waiting, I did other very responsible things like: fixing dinner early and putting it in the fridge to reheat later, attempting a short nap, a couple loads of laundry, programming the address (homebirth) into my GPS, shaving my armpits, and fishing out my scrubs and crocs. Mostly I just waited and waited some more. Sometimes I think I prefer the "middle-of-the-night-get-here-in-10-minutes!" kind of call.  I remind myself that one of the primary ingredients for natural birth is patience.

It is now 7pm and still no active labor. The poor mama has been ordered to choke down some castor oil. It probably won't be long now. I am crocheting these little flowers,

and waiting....

Hope to be back tomorrow with a birth story.

Summer Fresh

When we arrived back home from our trip, the first thing I did was march straight out to my garden.  I held my breath as I neared the little patch of green hoping that it was all still alive.  Would my plants hate me after 4 days of not watering?  Imagine my relief when I not only found them alive but blossoming with produce.

Radishes.  These babies are my kind of veggie.  I think I like the look of them better than their taste, but you can't help but be attracted to theinstant gratification factor!  Drop the seeds in the ground and wa lah- 20 or so days later you have a bouquet of luscious reds pinks and purples. 

I am picking about 8-10 cucumbers a day now.  Not sure what I was thinking when I planted 18 cucumber plants.  We love them though.  I made this salad the other night which was pretty tasty.  I am also working on procuring a "secret family recipe" from a close friend for the "world's greatest pickles ever".  If I am successful I plan to make up jars upon jars of them and give them away at Christmas.  Isn't that what everyone really wants for Christmas- pickles?

Dinners these days have been very light.  I love summer eating.  With the heat no one is really in the mood for things that are too heavy. Mostly, we find ourselves grazing all day long on little platters of fruit, brushetta, nuts, and cheese. 

Somehow, and I am not sure how, I wound up with a subscription to Good Housekeeping.  Thank you mother-in-law?  Anyways, it comes month after month and I usually just flip through the pages once and then it goes to the recycle box.  But this month's issue turned had some really tasty-looking recipes.  The best part- every single one that I have gone to the trouble of trying has been so good!

This is a lovely shrimp salad with mango and peaches.  I don't like chiptole peppers, so I just used a sprinkle or two of carne asada seasoning instead. 

I have also tried and loved:

Southwest Chicken Wraps

Curried Chicken Salad

Jerk Seasoned Pork Chops

Seared Scallops

There you go! Five dinners...make a list and off you go.  Happy shopping and eating!