Monday, September 29, 2008

27 Weeks - the Twins are Getting Big!


We're the size of eggplants! Probably around 2lb each, we now have a healthy pink glow thanks to the formation of tiny capillaries.

Really, the pic for us should look more like this:



Of course, Mommy is getting big, too! This month saw her get much bigger. So big, she can rest her (non-alcoholic) drink on her belly...



Everything is going great and we're getting ready for the home stretch - 3rd trimester!

Thanks for checking us out, more news soon...

Friday, September 19, 2008

Pregnant Craving - Extreme Banana Bread


My craving of the month was banana bread, which sounds normal enough however - I have never actually baked a loaf of banana bread before! This pregnant craving needed to be satisfied but the first time I screwed it up... The recipe I used was good (it included buttermilk – yum!), but apparently I overmixed which causes a tougher bread. It was fine microwaved with a pat or Promise on it, but I was aiming for an existential experience.

I came across this recipe for Banana Banana Bread and followed it to a T - with the addition of a few autumn spices. You can always add nuts, chocolate chips or maple syrup!

Just preheat oven to 350 and set rack so that the top of your bread will be in the exact middle of the oven. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan and set aside. In a bowl sift together 2 cups of AP flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg. In a separate bowl, cream together (mash it all up with a fork) 1/2 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter (softened) with 3/4 cup light brown sugar. Stir in 2 beaten eggs and 2 1/3 cup of mashed bananas. 2 1/3 cup took me 6 medium sized bananas – I allowed the peels to become 30% blackish, so I know they're starting to over-ripen and get sweet and mushy...

Stir banana mixture into the flour mixture, and literally ONLY stir 10-12 times around, that’s it. Avoid the temptation to fully incorporate all those lumps, just make sure there are no visible dry flour pockets. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 65 minutes. Insert a tootpick in to a couple of places to make sure it comes clean. I say to do a couple places b/c you may hit a pocket of yummy banana goodness and mistake it for not being done.

No need to nuke the slices or add butter to moisten b/c this bread is so moist and full of banana flavor. My only problem now is that it’s all gone!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Twins - in 3D

We had a cool 3-D Ultrasound done today, you can see our faces!


The boneyard that is mommy's womb.


The boy - cleft chin like daddy!


The girl - with her leg jacknifed straight back, she's very flexible!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Twins at 24 Weeks - Last Camping Trip


The twins are at 24 weeks now, about the size of a papaya! They are moving around quite a bit, pushing and kicking and punching and flipping and flopping around. Their faces are fully formed - I wonder what they look like? And they've developed taste buds! So they can share in Mommy's hot fudge sundaes...

We took the opportunity to take one last "camping" trip as a twosome to Northern New Hampshire to the Dartmouth Second College Grant.



An osprey nest greets you on the way in to the Grant, after the gate at the entrance.

We stayed in luxury this past weekend at the Management Center Cabin - one of the few that has an inside, flush toilet. We needed the comfort of using the bathroom inside - instead of out in the outhouse - as you can imagine.





The cabin was very well appointed with propane lights and fridge/freezer, books and other cool artifacts, a couple of deer heads, a nice kitchen, lots of chairs and tables, and a couple of big wood stoves for heat (that we didnt' need)...





The lands and networks of rivers up there are simply beautiful. We love going up there and exploring - and we can't wait to take the twins with us in a few years!





Of course, we took the opportunity to wet some flies. Caught a few Brook Trout - all released safely.






I had slipped and fallen in the river, note the wet tshirt. Had to dump out my waders...


Self portrait