Monday, June 07, 2010

sweet, sweet corn salad

man, i love summer. and i know it's not technically summer yet, but we've had enough days in a row with 85+ degree weather that i consider it summer here already. and one of my favorite things to eat in the summer is this salad i made up out of some leftover random things i had in my fridge one thursday night a few summers ago. i still think it rocks, and i make it for cookouts, myself, for the critter, and for any other reason i can think of. it's so yummy--everyone but meredith will love it.

summer corn salad

INGREDIENTS
4 ears of corn
1 red bell pepper
4 scallions
1 tsp chopped cilantro, or more
~ 1 tsp ranch dressing, just a little bit
black pepper to taste
1 avacado

DIRECTIONS
clean corn, place in a large pot, and cover with water. bring to a boil, let boil for 5 minutes. submerge in cold water to stop the cooking process. cut corn from cobs, and place in a large-ish bowl. chop bell pepper, scallions, and cilantro, and add to bowl. add ranch and black pepper. mix well, cover, and refridgerate for at least 20 minutes until ready to eat, up to a day. just before serving, chop avacado and stir into salad. that's it. simple and delicious.

Thursday, June 03, 2010

pregnancy update: entering the home stretch

34 weeks

belly 2010.06.02

seriously, people--only 6 weeks to go. i've been sailing though the past month, refusing to stress over anything, and telling everyone, including myself, that june is my get-my-shit-together month. it is upon me. i spent my lunch hour today ordering stuff for the baby's room. i have an official registry set up for the shower some friends are unexpectedly throwing for me. i have a plan of attack. what i am trying to do now is quell the sudden urge to repaint the new baby's room. so far, the urge seems to be winning, in spite of the fact that the room is a lovely green that's perfectly acceptable. i long for a light, clear, teal. *sigh*

anyway. pregnancy is progressing normally, in spite of the dire predictions of the horrible death-focused doctor at my practice. it's also not without its concerns, in spite of the pie-in-the-sky doctor's assessment. it's funny how well you get to know these doctors when you are on your second round with them and going in twice a week for tests. if anything is going to make me ill, it's the fact that i am spending too much time there. lol.

anyway, as you all know, i have had high blood pressure since my youth, which means there are things they watch for when you get pregnant, especially if you are 40. they monitor my BP of course, as well as the baby's size, the fluid levels in my uterus, the placental function, esp as related to the variation in the baby's heart rate, my weight, my kidney function, and any tiny signs that i might be becoming pre-eclamptic. well, so far--everything is a-ok. the baby is gigantic, my BP is running lower than it has since i was 16, there's no sign of anything wrong anywhere.

dr. death still talks about stillbirth a lot. dr. sunshine gives me unrealistic statistics for VBAC success and the ability to let nature take its course. dr. reality--the dr. who performed my surgery with the critter, is somewhere in the middle. it's pretty likely that i will end up with a c-section with him again this time. i am trying to come to terms with that, although it's still depressing to me that i am most likely not ever going to experience a natural labor and delivery myself. i am somewhere between the anger and acceptance phases of my grief over this. i keep reminding myself that the healthy mama and baby at the end of this process is the goal. but it doesn't change the sadness at the lack of control and over not being able to let nature do its thing without taking a bunch of possibly unnecessary risks.

anyway. my point here was--i'm feeling pretty good. the baby's doing great. we're sailing into the home stretch. my belly is huge, and once again, it's hard to believe it can get any bigger, though i know it can...

on the down side, i am bone tired. i am getting up probably 5 times a night with either leg cramps or to pee, or both. i have considered naps at red lights more than once in the past couple of days. my gums are so bleedy, it looks like someone has punched me in the mouth every time i brush my teeth. my pants are all falling off because the baby is stealing my ass much like his big brother did.

on the upside--he's a mobile little critter, and i am firmly in the land-sharking phase of this pregnancy. it's comforting really, having all that motion from him--let's me know every day that he's ok in there. i am motivated as all get out to Get Things Done. i have a temp lined up for my leave. i am eating all the cookies i want.

could be much worse.