28 Weeks

Last weekend my husband & I had another date night, more exactly date morning. We dropped off the kids at Mrs. Anna's house around 9 am on Sunday & went to see the "Art in the Garden" exhibit at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. I originally wanted to hike the Snoqualmie Falls, but with my hubby's encouragement (who thought I was way too ambitious for the 3rd trimester of pregnancy) changed our more physically demanding hike to a leisurely walk in the Gardens. It was a good decision since, unfortunately, I got tired fairly quickly. We finished the date with a lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.




Posing with some of the art exhibits

I am officially done with the "easy" 2nd trimester. Now the all too familiar back pain, sleepless nights & fatigue are back again. I am up to 4 pillows for sleeping. The hardest part is getting up twice a night to use the bathroom & then not being able to fall back asleep. I'll be up with the baby soon enough & it just doesn't seem fair not to get my rest now. The hot weather has been especially difficult causing considerable ankle swelling & more insomnia. I have to start seeing my midwife every 2 weeks now (I honestly wish I could skip such frequent visits, but those are the medical guidelines). It's harder to find clothes that fit well & I'll probably be wearing the same pair of pants & a couple of shirts for work for the rest of the pregnancy. My feet are definitely bigger & I have to wear shoes that are half a size or even one size larger than usual.
I am in the midst of doing all the immigration paperwork for my Mom to move to the US. We filed the paperwork in March & got approved at the end of July. If we move quickly enough, there is hope she'll make it here for the baby's birth. Most of the work now has to be done on her end & involves being current on immunizations, a detailed medical exam, undergoing a criminal background check (which takes about 1 month) & submitting a huge stack of documents (including the original, a copy & a translation).



Attempting to capture some of the outdoor's beauty

The baby must be gaining weight since I've been craving rich foods. I've recently switched from low-fat products to full-fat milk & cheese & even started to eat butter(!). Most of the traditional pregnancy-related websites & magazines encourage maintaining a low-fat diet, yet some alternative practitioners state a diet rich in full fat foods from healthy sources is beneficial (e.g., organic full-fat dairy, organic grass-fed meats, pastured eggs & coconut oil), especially in pregnancy. The growing baby's brain is composed mostly of cholesterol so it's essential to consume adequate amounts.
Homeopathy practitioner Joette Calabrese from HomeopathyWorks.net recently wrote about good fats vs. fake fats in her August newsletter, & about the commonly accepted notion of saturated fats & cholesterol causing heart disease being completely wrong. One of my favorite online health experts, Dr. Mercola, even wrote a recent article, "The Forbidden Food You Should Never Stop Eating," outlining all the benefits of saturated fats in one's diet.
Personally, my well being has much improved since adding some fat to my diet. I still remember when about 10 years ago I went to a naturopath complaining of lethargy, depression, angry mood swings & feeling cold often. I was following a strict low-fat diet & replaced all my dairy with soy products. My cholesterol levels came back BELOW normal. The moral of the story is that we all need cholesterol to maintain healthy hormone levels & produce sufficient serotonin to feel happy.


One of my favorite things to eat for lunch lately is bacon, avocado & tomato sandwich. Just spread Vegenaise on toasted slices of rustic whole grain bread. Top the bread with avocado, tomatoes, & crispy bacon slices (I really like Trader Joe's Uncured Apple Smoked Bacon).


Strawberries topped off with organic whipped cream make a perfect desert

I had my 28-week OB ultrasound & good news - my placenta moved away from the cervix! Green light for home birth! The baby is head down & growing well (over 2 lbs). Of course, I couldn't get off easy. My cervix is shorter than usual - 2.4 cm to be exact (the ideal length is between 3-4 cm). If it gets any shorter I'll be at higher risk for preterm delivery. Perinatologist & I did a thoroughly chart review & it turned out I had the same "problem" while pregnant with Sophia. My cervix length was 2.1 cm at 29 weeks & that didn't stop me from carrying her to 40 weeks 2 days.


The little guy's 3D image (this is the best ultrasonographer could do since he kept his hand in front of his face the whole time)


It looks like he inherited my long nose!

So more appointments for me - a repeat cervix check in 1 week & another complete OB ultrasound in 3 weeks (due to baby's abdomen diameter being in the 5th percentile, or smaller than expected). That's on top of my regular midwife appointments & an OB/GYN doctor consult for VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean) (another formality to be fully cleared for home birth). Did I already mention how much I don't like going to the doctors?


Sophia taking a nap with her favorite kitties (I couldn't help photographing her - she looks so precious when sleeping!)

Gerritt & I have discovered a few more favorite books at our library:

Bad Boys Get Cookie! by M. Palatini & H. Cole
Superman: The Story of the Man of Steel by Ralph Cosentino
Dora Saves the Snow Princess by Phoebe Beinstein
Don't Be Silly, Mrs. Millie! by Judy Cox
The Red Hen by Rebecca & Ed Emberley
That's What Leprechauns Do by Eve Bunting
Where's Kitty? (a lift-the-flap book) by Mercer Mayer

Additional Resources:

How Low Cholesterol Can Harm Your Health by Sayer Ji from GreenMedInfo.com

The Diet-Heart Myth: Cholesterol and Saturated Fat Are Not The Enemy by Chris Kresser, L.Ac

My 16-year Anniversary Of The Arrival to the US

August 25, 1995 (My first day in the US. Lunch at the Floyd's Place in Seattle, a couple of hours after getting off the airplane)

August 25th marked the 16th anniversary of my arrival to the US. I set my foot on the American soil on August 25th of 1995 & met the people who changed my life, Chris & Gerry Ailts, at Lake Chelan over the Labor Day weekend. No one would have predicted that my temporary 3-month stay at their house would stretch to 5 years, or that I, with my limited English, would go on to graduate from a nursing program & get my Registered Nurse license.


At the Chelan County Fair (during my 1st week in the US)

The Ailts were unique because they didn't have children of their own, they've never participated in hosting an exchange student before and, most importantly, they've never treated me as one. I immediately became a member of their family. They shared their home, lives & hearts with me, not expecting anything in return.
I was a shy, scared & lonely teenager. As an only child, I was sheltered from life & didn't have experience making any kinds of decisions for myself. I couldn't budget money & went through $1000 given to me by my Mom (to be spent over 1 year) in about 1 month. I didn't know what my favorite color was & wore only black for a while (I thought it was classy). I couldn't decide what kinds of foods I liked & once ate a large rare steak just to be polite. I didn't smile much & when I did, I covered my mouth due to my poor dental health.


November 11, 1995 (Visiting San Francisco - my first trip with Chris & Gerry & one of many more to come)

I consider my move to the US to be one of the best things that have ever happened to me. This country became a wonderful place to grow up, to be liberated & to find myself. Mostly because I moved far away from my intensely loving, but very controlling Mom. My first act of rebellion was getting a perm (which I wasn't allowed to do growing up). I went through a period of changing my hair & clothes styles as often as I changed my boyfriends - about every 3 months. I still admire Chris & Gerry's wisdom & courage not to interfere & let me figure things out on my own.


June 8, 2000 (RN program graduation ceremony)

Finding myself & building a life in the US was a gradual process. I studied hard & held a variety of cash-only jobs such as babysitting, gardening, taking care of elderly, painting, & house cleaning. They paid for my out-of-state college tuition, which was quite expensive even though I was studying at a small local junior college. I renounced everything Russian & made it my goal to assimilate into the American society as much as I could (I am just starting to get back to my Russian roots now & becoming a parent was my biggest motivator). I observed, listened & learned. By the end of my 1st year in the US I was able to understand the American jokes & even joke back.
I fell in love with America. It's hard to describe everything I like about my new home, but a few things stand out:

- I like visiting or calling an office & getting a friendly & helpful response to my questions.
- I like seeing friendly faces & getting smiles from complete strangers many places I go.
- I like being able to achieve anything through perseverance & hard work without having the right connections, lots of money, or being a city mayor's daughter.
- I can dress & behave any way I like without worrying about what other people may think or say.
- I have the freedom to pursue chosen by me lifestyle without being considered an outcast or an anarchist (including marrying a man from a different race & having a homebirth).
- I have faith in my future & enjoy relative stability instead of having to constantly worry about tomorrow (I didn't realize I had chronic anxiety until I've lived in the US for a few months).
- I love the melting pot of cultures living together in harmony. I let go of my judgement of people based on their nationality or religion, & I really don't care if someone is from Ukraine, Uzbekistan or a Jew.
- One can get things done relatively quickly without much red tape & bureaucracy.
- I like being able to try clothes on before buying them & return them to the store if I change my mind.
- I loved being able to afford my own condo & a car just 3 years after graduating from college.
- I like having fresh air to breathe instead of suffocating in diesel & second-hand tobacco smoke fumes at every turn.
- I like going to beautiful & well-maintained parks that are completely free & knowing that they will not be trashed.
- I love being able to purchase foods & products required to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I have gone back to Russia only once since leaving, exactly 10 years later, in August of 2005. My husband & I decided to spend our honeymoon there. It wasn't much of a vacation, & I don't have any desire to go back (unless I really need another reminder of how fortunate I am). Perhaps the children & I will visit Russia some day once they are teenagers & able to fully appreciate the differences between the US & Russian societies.

Remlinger Farms - Part 2

Gerritt at the entrance to the Farm

Of course, one visit to the Remlinger Farms wasn't enough. So the next time I had a day off during the week, Gerritt & I set out to discover the previously unexplored areas of the Farm. Sophia stayed at home with her nanny Irina, & the freedom of traveling with just one child was heavenly.


The carousel ride (almost empty)

The decision to visit the Farm during the week turned out to be a good one. There were no long lines of people waiting for the rides. Even though the day was warm again (in the 80s), the fact that we didn't have to wait made it that much more pleasant. We even went for many of the rides twice!


Gerritt loved exploring the fire truck

Gerritt absolutely loved exploring the fire truck! He went inside it, climbed on top of it & behind it. I was thinking the bright red color of the truck would be a perfect location for a fall photo shoot.


The Antique Car ride



On the train ride

We went on our favorite train ride again. The train was half empty & we sat not too far from the train conductor's cabin allowing us a good view of the steam coming out of the smokestack.




Last time Gerritt couldn't play with the sprinkler because he didn't have his swimming shorts. This time, we were well prepared. He really enjoyed getting completely wet on a hot summer day.


Gerritt's turn to enjoy the sprinkler

Unfortunately, the Farm serves only junk food (hot dogs, pizza, artificially colored soft drinks & ice cream, hamburgers, french fries, etc.). The growing baby inside me & a toddler require more nutritious foods than that so we brought our own food from home against the rules. But as far as we were concerned that was the only minus. The Farm is now definitely one of our favorite places to visit. Another unfortunate event was loosing Gerritt's stuffed puppy somewhere (the one I had to drive & pick up after forgetting it at daycare because Gerritt wouldn't sleep without it). We went back to all of the places we visited twice, but couldn't find it. Thankfully, Gerritt was able to be appeased by a new puppy I bought for him at the Farm gift store for a whooping $15 (!). He immediately named it Nemo.

Ailts' Seafood & Pesto Angel Hair Pasta

This is one of my favorite pasta recipes. I give credit to my American parents, Chris & Gerry Ailts, who created this delicious dish & made it almost every weekend while I lived with them for almost 5 years after first moving to the US from Russia. If you have the time, this pasta tastes amazing with homemade pesto - a traditional Italian sauce consisting of crushed garlic, basil & pine nuts blended with extra virgin olive oil & Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. I made this recipe using the ingredients found in Trader Joe's - grocery store I shop at most often.

Ingredients:

1/2 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, grated or chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 of yellow pepper, diced
1/2 of red pepper, diced
4-5 small white or Shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
One 12 oz bag of Trader Joe's frozen Langostino Tails or shrimp, defrosted
One 1 lb bag of Trader Joe's frozen Wild Jumbo Scallops, defrosted
1 lb of Trader Joe's Italian Capellini ("angel hair" pasta)
6.7 oz (1 jar) of Trader Giotto's Pesto alla Genovese (basil pesto)
Half of 8.5-oz jar (or more to taste) of Trader Joe's Sun Dried Tomatoes in olive oil
Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to taste

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. In the meantime, saute onion, carrots, garlic, yellow/red peppers, mushrooms & sun dried tomatoes in olive oil for about 5" on medium heat. Add shrimp & scallops & saute 5-10" more until seafood turns opaque color, but is not overcooked. Take the sauteing pan off the heat & mix vegetables & seafood with pesto sauce (in order to preserve the delicate flavor of pesto sauce it should not be cooked). Set aside until angel hair pasta is ready (cook according to the time length recommended on the package). Add cooked pasta to the vegetable/seafood/pesto mixture & gently coat with pesto sauce. Serve with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top.
My American family usually serves this recipe with a green salad & whole-grain rustic bread with extra virgin olive oil & balsamic vinegar on the side.

Remlinger Farms

After spending last weekend not doing anything special (both my husband & I had busy & tiring work week), I told him it's imperative we do at least one fun outing every weekend. With only 3 months to go before our new son arrives (he is due at the end of November, just when the annual rain & darkness set in again in Seattle) there will be many months of being cooped up indoors. I doubt I'll be brave enough to go out with 3 kids by myself, although I am capable of anything if I get bored or desperate enough...
So yesterday my husband & I had a date night - our first one since our wedding anniversary in June. I happened to crave Korean cousine, so we had a fabulous dinner at the Seoul Hot Pot. It consisted of barbequed Korean ribs & sauteed squid with seasoned vegetables with multiple little appetizers of seaweed salad, fermented beans, kim chi, soybean sprouts, & pickled vegetables. We took Gerritt & Sophia to their new favorite babysitter Anna who we found while our regular nanny Irina was gone to Russia for vacation. She lives only 5" away from our house & for only $10/hour for both kids, is well worth the money. When we tried date nights in the past, it was such a chore with Gerritt crying & insisting on coming with us. However, he LOVES Mrs. Anna, so when I said that Mommy & Daddy were going out by themselves & he & Sophia would go to Mrs. Anna, to my big relief, he quickly put on his socks & shoes & ran to the door saying, "I am ready, Mommy!"



Water canoe ride

Today we went to the Remlinger Farms - a fun place I've read & heard about way too many times not to visit. Every time I heard another rave review, I felt like I was missing being a part of something big & exciting. So finally, we braved the heat (it was in the 80s today) & the crowds & visited the Farms. No question, it beat our previously favorite Kelsey Creek Farm Park. Due to exhausting heat, the nature of my condition & 2 toddlers who still needed their daily naps, we probably only toured 1/3 of the Farm's amenities.


Gerritt on his 1st pony ride



Riding the train

As soon as Gerritt found out there were live pony rides available, he announced he wanted to go there first. The best part of the pony ride for me was seeing his face light up with a big smile (thanks, Bumbleberry!). The water canoe ride followed (it turned out to be Sophia's favorite). Then we boarded the Tolt River Railroad Steam Train, which was a big hit with all of us. While Sophia & Daddy visited the Animal Barnyard where she could see & pet goats, pigs, cows, alpaca, sheep, bunnies & donkeys, Gerritt rode the Swing Carousel.


Mommy & Sophia on the Flying Pumpkin ride


Sophia cooling off with the water sprinkler!

After having some lunch & listening in on the show at the Farm Theater, we headed to the Flying Pumpkin Ride. After the ride we decided to get some rest in the shade, while Sophia enjoyed playing with the sprinkler. I watched her beautiful dress & hair get completely soaked and ... I just let her. I had a change of clothes in the diaper bag, & it probably felt wonderful. She sure got a lot of smiles from people walking by. :-) After changing Sophia into dry clothes we finished our trip with the Antique Car ride.


The Antique Car ride

Despite my fatigue & swollen ankles, this was one of my favorite outings of the summer! Gerritt & I made a decision to come back again, just the two of us, to explore the rest of the farm (U-pick berries, the Ice Cream shop, & more rides, of course). We'll definitely be back for the Fall Harvest Festival! Just 20" away from our house & with the admission price of $11 per person, Remlinger Farms is a perfect family outing.
Later in the evening, my husband was talking about continuing with our weekend going-out theme & watching the concert at the Crossroads Mall, but even I reached my limit. After having dinner & bathing the kids, we all promptly went to bed at 8:30 pm. :-)

25 Weeks

25 weeks 3 days

I am now more than halfway through my pregnancy. I wish people would stop asking me if I am sure of my dates since, apparently, I look bigger than 25 weeks. Yes, I am sure & even if I am bigger, I am not concerned. The abdomen size during pregnancy has nothing to do with the size of the baby (obviously, I want it be less than 9 pounds). This is also my 3rd baby so my abdominal muscles are probably not as strong as they used to be.
I had my dental cleaning this week & my pregnancy gingivitis is back, so I will be getting cleanings every 4 instead of every 6 months again. For now it's a lot of flossing, brushing & my faithful CariFree Maintenance Rinse. Amazingly, my platelets have been normal this time around. They've stayed in 150s range (normal range is 150-400K) & even increased slightly at the last blood test. I've cut back on my work quite a bit - maybe less stress equals better platelets?


I can still give Sophia a ride on a swing...


...and my belly is never too big to snuggle!

I must have started my nesting early because ever since my 2-week vacation I've been in constant cleaning & organizing mood. It's hard to believe how much I was able to accomplish during my "staycation." I went through all of kids clothes, washed it, took the stains out & organized it by size. I took all of the clothes the kids have outgrown out of their closets & replaced it with clothes that fits. My husband & I bought a King-size bed (off Craig's list) & a new mattress for his bedroom. I will probably sleep there when the baby comes.


Kids having fun on our old mattress

I deweeded most of the garden & started to apply bark dust in places that needed it. I went through all of kids' toys & donated the ones they didn't like anymore to GoodWill. I also went through my pantry & medicine cabinet & threw away all of the expired food & medications. Our old fridge was leaking water for several months so we bought a new one. We've donated the old fridge to the Puget Sound Recycling Program, but I spent 2 days cleaning it first. Both of the dogs got grooomed & Maxie got his teeth cleaned. I ironed a huge pile of clothes that was stored in my linen closet. I am probably forgetting something, but you get the picture... It will only get harder the bigger I get, so I am trying to cross as many things off my list as possible.


Of course, I have to write an update about the kids (it's not all about this pregnancy :-)). Gerritt is officially potty-trained!!! I can't tell the exact date it happened since it was such a gradual progression over several months. He has been responsible for his own elimination for at least past 6 weeks. And I was so afraid he'd still wear diapers on his 4th birthday... He pees & poos in the regular toilet now, so no more cleaning messy potty. :-) He hasn't transitioned to his toddler bed yet, probably because I don't really care. It will probably become more of an issue when the baby comes. Gerritt still loves reading & his most recent favorite books are Fred and Ted's Road Trip by Peter Eastman, Seven Spunky Monkeys by J. F. Koller, & Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood. He is such a lovebug & tells me he loves me several times a day. Gerritt now loves TV show Blue's Clues & has to watch it every day. Also he is into anything related to Spiderman.


Sophia is upset


Sophia all grown up

Sophia is a tech wizzard. She uses the Android tablet with ease & can watch movies on Netflix, play educational games & even have stories read to her by a computer. She is not showing any interest in potty training yet, however, she tells us when she goes poo-poo in her diaper right away. Also, she can't stand the diaper wetness so she often undresses herself. She is definitely in her Mommy phase. Some days only I can dress, feed or change her diaper. Even though my husband sleeps next to her crib when she goes to sleep, Sophia often calls me until I return & give her a backrub while singing a lullaby softly. Sophia is in love with anything Dora the Explorer.


Brother-sister love

Despite of the multiple house projects I had going on, the kids & I were able to get away to the Vasa Park Resort for some water fun & to the Larson Lake Blueberry Farm for U-pick berries.


Feeding the ducks at the Vasa Park Resort


The Farm


Blueberries


Gerritt picking blueberries

I haven't written my birth plan or done any other birth preparation (e.g., hypnobirthing CDs). I am waiting for my repeat ultrasound on September 1st to know for sure whether my placenta previa has resolved. That will determine what kind of plan I can write (homebirth vs. another C-section). The only thing I did was to arrange my doula meeting in a few weeks. Of course, I won't need her if the plan is C-section, God forbid. We haven't come up with the baby's name yet; nothing sounds quite right. I am having a consultation with an OB/GYN re: risks/benefits of VBAC per my midwife preference. I've had one when pregnant with Sophia & it's just another formality. I will probably get more busy as my due date approaches. So far I am grateful for a cool summer making this pregnancy easier.

Making It Through Pregnancy That's Not Your First

With the troublemakers (24.5 weeks along)

I took a long walk with the dogs yesterday & silently congratulated myself on making it this far in my pregnancy. It's not like I have a choice (once you sign up for this adventure, there is no turning back), but I felt proud of being able to take care of myself allowing me to feel relatively well. My thoughts slowly drifted back to my first pregnancy, when I had ample time to take unlimited naps & sleep in in the mornings, read pregnancy & birth-related books & shop for the baby items I thought I needed. Fast forward 4 years & now I am pregnant with my 3rd (gasp!) child. So how do I take care of myself & this unborn baby while juggling family, career & the needs of 2 toddlers?

1) Nutrition is of paramount importance. My daily protein intake goal is 80-100 grams & I include protein in every meal. Since I can't eat as much as I used to in one sitting, I eat all of my protein first, then vegetables, then everything else if I have any room left. To feel my best, I need to eat at least every 3 hours. Some of my favorite snacks are sliced apples/pears with a slice of full-fat cheese, peanuts, whole-wheat toast/English muffin with walnut butter & honey, low-fat cottage cheese with berries, & a couple of ground turkey patties with whole-wheat crackers. Make sure to feed yourself first thing in the morning before taking care of the kids or starting any chores.

2) Adequate rest is 2nd on my list. In my non-pregnant state, I usually need at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night. When pregnant, I feel much better after sleeping for 9. Thanks to cosleeping with Gerritt (he won't go to bed without me), I am in bed at 9:30 or 10 pm on most days of the week. Some days (like during the baby's growth spurts) I need more than 9 hours of sleep, so if it happened to be my day off, I nap with the kids.

3) I would not have the energy I have without regular aerobic exercise. Since we have 2 dogs that need regular walking, it also happened to be my favorite form of exercise. I must admit it's challenging to find time to exercise with my busy schedule, but one must make it a priority. I have exercised at 6 am while my husband was showering & getting ready for work, at my lunch hour & at 9 pm at night when it's dark outside because on some days those were the only times available. My goal is to walk briskly for at least 20 minutes at a time once or twice daily. I don't overexert myself, but strive to increase my heart rate & have mild perspiration by the end of my walks. Exercise is a great stress reliever & helps with pregnancy-related insomnia (you know the kind I am talking about - you can't get comfortable in any position). It's also a good way to clear your head. I often come up with really good ideas by the end of my walks.


A cup of tea - a nice way to take a break if you only have a few minutes to spare

4) It's wise not to overcommit to social engagements. Friends with older children or without children usually don't remember or understand how much energy growing a human being requires. No, I can't go out on Friday evening after working the previous 4 days or stay up past 10 pm, unless you are willing to come over & babysit the kids, feed them dinner, give them a bath & put all of the mess away to get ready for the next day, so I could still go to bed on time. Yes, it would be fun to go to yet another festival, but it would not hurt us to skip it this year. Not only will I not miss the crowds, but also all of the packing/unpacking required for such an outing to be successful (drinks, snacks, stroller, a change of clothes, diapers, wipes, favorite toys, etc.).

5) Break big housework projects into smaller ones. With every pregnancy the list of things I want to accomplish before the baby comes is a mile long. I usually don't like to leave a project unfinished once I start it, but being pregnant requires a different approach. For example, I have a huge pile of clothes for ironing, but some days I can only iron 5 shirts. Also, I can't spend 2 hours on gardening, & doing it for only 30" is OK. Maybe I can organize only 1 closet every couple of days instead of doing them all in one day. The work still gets done & I don't exhaust myself doing it.

6) Next, having time to yourself can't be overrated. Some people get more energetic the more people they have around them. It's the opposite for me. Having a few hours to myself a couple of times a week, when I am not constantly touched or have my name called every 20 minutes to solve various problems, makes me a happier person & mother. My husband has been instrumental in this initiative, taking both of the kids to his Mom's house for the day or with an overnight trip once every couple of weeks. Also, I recently found a wonderful Russian nanny my kids adore not far from our house & drop them off at her place for 4-hour blocks when I need a break (our regular nanny prefers to work full days). I don't really have "Mommy guilt" since the nanny takes them to the park as well as does various fun projects. For example, Gerritt came home last week knowing how to add simple numbers (!).

7) Teach your older kids to be self-sufficient. Encourage them to do as much for themselves as developmentally possible. For example, Gerritt can pick out his own clothes & dress himself in the morning, put Sophia's dirty diaper in the trash & clean up toys.

8) Last, but not least, letting go of my perfectionist attitude has been helpful. It's OK if the kids eat pizza for dinner instead of a homemade meal once a week. Also, bathing them once every 3-4 days instead of daily is OK too.

Everyone has to work together for the good of the family. The goal is to have a healthy mother & a healthy full-term baby. It is worth it in the long haul.

Homemade Copper River Lox

I made this recipe earlier in my pregnancy, at the height of my salt/sour cravings. For a few weeks we had an abundance of the Copper River wild salmon in stores available & I wanted to try a different way of serving this delicious fish. For those of you not from the Northwest, Copper River salmon comes to us from Alaska for a few short weeks every spring & is a prized delicacy. It is bright orange in color with extra omega-3 fat deposits, making it rich & moist. In fact, I usually buy 4-5 large Copper River salmon, cut them up into steaks & freeze them using my Seal-a-Meal Vacuum to be used throughout the year. This cured salmon, or lox, may be served with baked or mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or on top of crackers/toast. I've adapted the recipe from the book A Taste of Russia by Darra Goldstein, but changed it slightly.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of raw Copper River wild salmon, sliced into 1/2-inch steaks
1/4 cups kosher salt
2-3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 large onion, sliced & separated into rings
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp mustard seed
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar

Sprinkle salmon with the mixture of salt & mustard seed. In a large glass jar or metal bowl pack salmon alternating layers of fish, onion rings, peppercorns & bay leaf.
In a small bowl mix together the olive oil, vinegar & garlic. Pour the dressing over the salmon layers. Cover the salmon with plastic wrap or ceramic plate. Place a heavy weight on top of the plate. Refrigerate salmon for 3 days before serving.

Yield: 10-12 appetizer servings

Delicious! I now prefer this salmon recipe to having it baked or grilled. Enjoy!