VACATION!!!!

I'm on my last official vacation without a little one (pending my pregnancy continues to go well). I'm going to try to take advantage of sleeping without interruptions, and just relax.

I'm also looking forward to working on R2D2's nursery. I decided I want to try to make my own quilt and crib skirt. They said it's really not all that hard. We'll see.

We're doing purple and green for the colors (pink is over rated).

Here's my inspiration for the quilt, from Happy Quilting

And the tutorial I'm going to use for the crib skirt, from Sew 4 Home


As cute as the bumpers are, I'm going to follow my recommendations as a pediatrician and not have one.

Mom and Joe think I'm getting in a little over my head, but I have faith. I've made a couple Halloween costumes, I can do this, right? I'm going to have fun with it at least.

Caprese Salad

I CANNOT wait for summer tomatoes and fresh basil again. I think I made this salad a little less than a year ago. It's quite simple and delicious.

I reduced my balsamic vinegar to give it a slightly more sweet taste. I definitely recommend that! Otherwise, just layer sliced mozzarella, basil and tomatoes.

Now I want one!

Yay Spring!!!

I've come to the conclusion I get a case of Seasonal Affective Disorder every winter. Fortunately I wasn't nearly as down this winter as last year. I can such a difference in my overall affect with the warmer weather and longer days! One of these days I might get a light to use in the winter, but in the mean time, WELCOME SPRING!!!

Shanghai Girls

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It wasn't captivating enough to make me want to go on long car rides just to find out what happened next. However, it was a great story of survival and the love of two sisters. The book also informed me a lot of how America treated the Chinese and Chinese Americans in the mid 1900's. Overall, a good read, but not a favorite.

View all my reviews

19 Weeks!

If you couldn't tell from my last post, I was just a wee bit nervous about our anatomy scan. Thankfully, R2D2 has everything a baby needs and in the right spots! And, if you haven't picked up from my bump picture, we're having a baby GIRL!

It's funny how Joe and I have switched roles in terms of nerves. I've been quite anxious about our anatomy scan. In my profession, it was quite hard for me not to think about all of the things that could be wrong, and yes I still fear the things that could still go wrong. Joe on the other, now he's the anxious one. He admits it was this ultrasound that confirmed how real this is and how he's soon going to be a father.

Before we discovered the sex, I already had a feeling R2D2 was a girl, just because I'm going to need another ultrasound. During my 1st trimester scan, they noted placenta previa. I don't have as much of my placenta covering the cervix now, but it's still low lying. So in another 4 weeks, I'll get to see our baby girl again!

So far, R2D2 is already starting to take after her mother--she doesn't like to stay still! She proved quite a challenge for the ultrasound tech. As soon as the tech thought she found what she needed, R2D2 would roll over.

I was very fortunate not to have morning sickness, but I'm not appreciating my increased frequency of headaches. Tylenol never worked before I was pregnant, and it's still not working now. I'm getting headaches about once every other week and they're lasting for 2-3 days at at time. I'm also not liking my blood pressure at my office visits. Before being pregnant, my systolics were in the 100's to 110's. The past two appointments, they've been in the 130's. The past two appointments I've rushed to from work, so I'm sure that's not helping. I took my pressure at one of those stands in a pharmacy and it was normal. I really don't want to develop pre-eclampsia, this baby needs to bake as long as possible.

This weekend we stopped at a toy store, just to browse. I wished I videotaped Joe's expression as he walked through the girl's toys aisle. He was just a quite bit overwhelmed.

Do You Have A Preference?

I'm 18 weeks now, so the exciting anatomy scan is coming up in the very near future. We've decided to find out the sex, and of course there are some individuals who ask, "so do you have a preference?" As a pediatrician, of course I have a preference, I want the following:

1. Four chambers in the heart with the proper vessels hooked up to the proper chambers
2. Two functioning kidneys.
3. Stomach contents in the abdomen instead of floating outside.
4. A formed brain with the spinal cord completely in the body.
5. Two formed lungs without a hole in the diaphragm
6. One sex or the other, without ambiguity.

So, do you think I'm asking too much? The problem with taking care of sick kids is I know what kind of things can go wrong. So, do I have a genitalia preference. Nope I just want a healthy baby.

Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ahh, a recipe post again! Just to put into perspective how behind I am, I made these in October, 2011, almost 6 months ago!

My aunt loved these! I personally thought they were too rich. They require a lot of chocolate, and it all adds up, so break into your savings :p. Seriously, I think I spent close to $15 on chocolate for this recipe.

Recipe from Annie's Eats, who was inspired by Jason and Shawnda

Yield: about 24 cookies
Ingredients:
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour - 2.83 ounces
½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. fleur de sel (sea salt), plus more for sprinkling
2 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup packed light brown sugar - 1.89
1 tsp. vanilla extract
12 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Combine the 8 ounces chopped chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, and heat until the chocolate and butter are melted and smooth, stirring occasionally. (Alternatively, heat in the microwave in 25-second intervals, stirring in between.) In another mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, brown sugar and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 4-5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add the melted chocolate mixture, blending until incorporated. Add in the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in the remaining chopped chocolate with a spatula. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, about 2-3 inches apart (I used my medium-sized dough scoop).

Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are just slightly soft in the center and crackly on top, about 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with additional salt and let cool on the baking sheets 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Star Wars Funny

We love Star Wars, but we're both not fans of Jar Jar. Loved this quote!