A Different Kind Of Busy

I have been busy working on my Mom's immigration paperwork for the past few weeks. I feel like my kids are a bit neglected & watch way too much TV. They definitely spend more time than I would like on their Android tablets. Oh, well... If my Mom makes it here on time for my birth, it will be well worth it. We have not hired an attorney, so I am it. I have to read & re-read various form instructions multiple times to get it just right. I did my own U. S. citizenship paperwork, so I have confidence I can do it. But it sure takes a lot of time.
For example, today I have finally mailed the first required set of documents to the National Visa Center. The documents required included:

1) Employment verification letters for both my husband & I.
2) Copies of our tax return & W-2 forms for 2010.
3) A lengthy I-864 form (Affidavit of Support). I had to research my exact INDIVIDUAL income for the past 3 years (tough to do when you've filed a joint tax return with your spouse).
4) Another slightly shorter, but no less complicated form I-864A (Contract Between Sponsor (me) & Household Member (my husband)) since we are using both of our combined incomes to qualify for sponsorship of my Mom.

Here is some other information I had to get my hands on recently:

- My parents' certificates of marriage & divorce
- My mother's parents' birth & death certificates
- Certificates of birth & death of my deceased brother
- All the places my Mom has lived for at least 6 months starting at age 16
- All the places my Mom has worked for the past 10 years
- All of the educational institutions she has attended (with dates & institutions' addresses)
- All of my Mom's visits to the US (about 7 of them with exact dates)
- All of immunizations my Mom has had up to now & the ones still required (per CDC's recommendations) for her age group
- My Mom's military records & rank achieved

My Mom also has to undergo a lengthy criminal background check (which takes a month to a month-and-a-half). All of the above-mentioned original documents have to be photocopied & then translated from Russian into English. Then they must be certified as legitimate translations.

I am literally burried by the mountain of paperwork! By the way, all of the form instructions mention the Paperwork Reduction Act passed a few years ago, so I can imagine how much more complicated this process used to be.

31 Weeks

I have started to have a familiar pain on the right side of my rib cage (this baby is all on the right, just like Gerritt & Sophia were) from baby's kicks & stretches. He is growing big time, & I am constantly hungry. I can hardly believe that my abdomen has grown that much bigger. Just 2 months to go! In one respect, it seems like far away, but I know it will fly by quickly.
I've decided not to go back for my 2 recommended ultrasounds (one for cervical length check, another one to check on baby's growth). I just feel like they are completely unnecessary. My main concern was placenta previa, & now that it has resolved, I feel like the other 2 ultrasounds were advised mostly due to the US practice of defensive medicine (a doctor is afraid to miss something) & to generate more business ("your baby's belly is on the small side," common!). The perinatologist even asked me if I was gaining appropriate amount of weight. Believe me, it's not a problem now. I can tell how much my son has grown since it's so much harder for me to bend over & almost impossible to put on my shoes. I've already had 2 ultrasounds & would rather not expose my baby to more ultrasound waves (even though it's considered relatively safe, I am very conservative when it comes to unnecessary medical interventions).
Plus, based on all my research, I've come to a conclusion that cervical length is a poor predictor of likelihood of preterm labor in low-risk women (in the absence of other risk factors such as, for example, previous preterm birth, LEEP procedure (where part of cervix is removed due to precancerous cervical cells), bacterial vaginosis, diabetes, hypertension, increased stress, etc.). In low-risk women (such as myself) the sensitivity of cervical length measurement is decreased & the false positive rate is increased. One article even stated, "In order to improve the positive predictive value of a cervical length measurement in low-risk women, a length of 1.5 cm rather than 2.5 cm should be considered too short." So, there!
My sleep is more disturbed than ever. I toss & turn probably at least every 2 hours, often waking up Gerritt. He has been more grumpy in the mornings because of that, & even though I offered to move him to his own bed, he has been stubbornly refusing. I've started to wake up at 4 or 4:50 am & not being able to get back to sleep. In addition to having to empty my bladder more often, I also have uncomfortable pubic & bilateral hip pain. If I lay on my back, I feel like I am suffocating, but if I lay on my side for too long, my hip is killing me.
I am still trying to find an OB/GYN who would do my VBAC consult. The purpose of the consult is to be fully informed of the VBAC risks (such as uterine rupture) & also to establish care in case of a hospital transfer. Of course, I am already well informed, so this is just another formality. I was referred to a female doctor at Salish Women's Health a couple of weeks ago, but then had to cancel when she decided not to do VBAC consults any more. The whole situation is very political, & many OB/GYNs do not want to get involved with midwives, especially the ones doing HOME VBACs, which they consider unsafe. So I have a tentative VBAC consult appointment with a different OB/GYN at UW in October, but she wanted to see my medical records first.
I am still working. In Russia, Canada & most of Europe women have the option to start their maternity leave in their 8th month of pregnancy. Unfortunately, not so in the US. I will probably be working until the very end thanks to poor maternity welfare system in the US. If I start my maternity leave now, I will have almost nothing left for after the birth. Actually, it's not such a bad thing for me since my job at the clinic is mostly sedentary. My physically demanding work as a hospital bedside acute care nurse only happens once a week & sometimes, as per diem employee, I get cancelled. Also, I like to keep busy!
I still haven't met my doula Patti Ramos (she had to cancel several times due to her clients going into labor), & I have a meeting set up with her in a couple of weeks. I don't really care when we meet as long as she makes it for my birth.


Gerritt & Sophia riding a car at the mall


Sophia discovered a way to combine drinking apple juice & milk


Gerritt & Sophia's favorite game - making a "cake" & then taking turns jumping on top of it ("cake" is made of pillows & blankets)


Kids fascinated with the spinning dinosaur top


Gerritt displaying his favorite toys - the Transformers, the Thor hammer & the Spiderman helicopter


"I am a turtle, Mommy!" (Sophia after strapping a diaper changing pad to her back)

Sophia has started to climb out of her crib regularly. Often, when she wakes up in the morning, she'll get out & then stand by the bedroom door pulling on the door knob. I was pretty shocked finding her there for the 1st time, but now it has become routine. Sometimes she climbs out of the crib during the night, simply because she wants to snuggle with Daddy.
We've finally stopped buying formula for her. She still likes her bottle about twice a day, "I want my milky!", but we now give her only organic whole milk. She doesn't need the formula anymore from the nutritional standpoint (she is an excellent eater & has a mouthful of teeth). More importantly, I want to get formula & bottles out of sight so I don't give up too soon when I am struggling to learn breastfeeding my newborn son in a sleep-deprived, zombi-like state. I am actually not concerned about the delivery part as much as attempting breastfeeding again. Maybe the 3rd time will be the charm?

Apple Quinoa Muffins

This muffins are light, fluffy & nutritious. Sour cranberries contrast nicely with sweet raisins.

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quinoa flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 apple, cored & diced
1/4 cup raisins, chopped
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease the muffin tins & line with paper cups.
2) Mix butter & sugar until the mixture is light & fluffy. Mix in eggs & vanilla.
3) In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking powder & salt. Gradually combine the wet & dry mixtures together. Chop apple, raisins & cranberries using the food processor. Fold in the fruits into the muffin batter.
4) Spoon into the muffin cups using more or less batter depending on the desired muffin size. Place the muffin tin into the oven & cook for 25", or until the muffins are a rich golden color & a wooden stick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 30" & serve. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.


Notes:
Quinoa is one of the oldest cultivated grains in the world. It is also the most nutritious. It is high in protein, calcium & iron. Quinoa flour can be substituted for half of the all-purpose flour in many recipes or completely replace wheat flour in cake & cookie recipes.
My favorite butter to use for baking (& eating on top of toast or baked potato) is the Kerrygold butter. They happened to carry it in our Trader Joe's nearby. This butter is made from "summer milk" of grass-fed cows in Ireland. It is soft & spreadable, with a naturally deep gold color.

Strawberry Banana Bread

I am not sure what it is about reaching the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, but all I want to do is bake! Nothing says "fall is here" like the delicious aroma of freshly baked banana bread. This recipe is a variation of the traditional banana bread. Strawberries add a surprisingly unique & delicate flavor to the predominant flavor of bananas.

Ingredients:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
3 ripe bananas (the riper, the better)
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash up bananas in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, sugar, eggs & vanilla. Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda & baking powder. Combine wet & dry ingredients & mix again. Fold in sliced strawberries & walnuts.
Grease a loaf pan with nontick spray or butter. Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown & bread passes toothpick test, 50-60." This bread tastes the best when slightly warmed.

Blackberry & Apple Crumble

This recipe was inspired by our trip to the Grass Lawn Park today. I took the kids outside for some much-needed fresh air & exercise. On our way back to the car, we discovered a large patch of blackberry bushes just breaming with juicy ripe berries. Most of the berries went straight into the kids' mouths, but the rest were saved in a plastic sand castle mold we brought along. I also happened to have a box of Ginger Gold apples bought on a trip to Wenatchee to visit grandma Chris & grandpa Gerry this weekend (just Gerritt & I). A dessert combining both apples & blackberries seemed like a perfect end-of-summer recipe.


Ingredients:
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

Filling:
3 cup gently washed blackberries
3 medium-sized apples with peel on, sliced
2 Tbsp corn starch
1/2 cup light brown sugar (add 3/4 cup if using sour apples)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2) In a large bowl, combine the filling ingredients - blackberries, apples, corn starch, sugar, lemon juice, & cinnamon. Mix well. Place fruit mixture in a 2-quart casserole.
3) In a medium bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, butter & baking powder. Mix with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the milk & egg until just moistened.
4) Drop batter on fruit. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the crumble topping is golden brown & the fruit is soft & bubbling beneath.

Serve warm with ice cream on top.

A few photos from our trip to Wenatchee:


At the Smallwood's Harvest Farm near Wenatchee


Gerritt fell in love with Katie (a large cat that lives inside the Smallwood's Harvest Farm store)


Gerritt shopping with his "Boppy"(the name he gave to his toy puppy)


Posing with the rooster


Swimming with grandma Chris


Another stop at the Farm on the way back home


Gerritt did a great job taking this photo of me with the sunflowers


The beauty of a sunflower

Additional Resources:

Individual Berry Crumbles by Our Nourishing Roots

Upside Down Plum Cake

My last 2 baking adventures didn't turn out well. Last week I've attempted to make glutein-free pumpking pancakes, & a few days ago I tried to make muffins. Both of the recipes flopped - the pancakes & muffins failed to rise, turning out heavy & underbaked. Little did I know that baking powder & baking soda expire. Apparently, the baking powder I was using was more than 4 years old (!).
This weekend my husband & the kids visited Korean grandma, & he brought home a large bag of red plums. Last time we got plums, many of them rotted & had to be thrown away because we just couldn't eat them fast enough. This time, I wanted to put the plums to a good use. Despite being so discouraged last week, I stocked up on new baking powder this morning & decided to give baking another go.
The plum cake didn't disappoint. It turned out light, moist & not overly sweet. Plus, I loved the presentation! The cake is best served at room temperature, topped off with whipping cream.


Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups plums, pitted & sliced

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease & flour one 9-inch round baking pan.
2) Separate the eggs. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form & set aside.
3) In a larger bowl, cream the butter & sugar. Beat in the egg yolks & vanilla extract.
4) Stir together the flour & baking powder & then beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Gently fold in the egg whites.
5) Arrange the plums in an attractive pattern on the bottom of the baking pan. Spread the batter evenly on top of the plums.
6) Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35." When transferring the cake to a cooling rack, turn it upside down, so the plums are on the top. Cool before serving.