Welcome Baby

Colton Pierce was born Saturday, September 25th at 7:15pm, 8lbs 10oz, 22.5 inches long

this was one of his first hospital pics

getting ready to come home for the first time

more to come... not much time right now! :)

8lb Baby

Well I had another Doctor appt on Wednesday. I always go with such high hopes that I will hear something along the lines of "woah.. youre already in labor! couldnt you feel those intense contractions?" haha. I know that this will probably NOT happen and that I will know when I am in labor, but it's good to dream right? I did hear though that this baby is still in the right position to come out (oh good!) and that she guesses that he will not get here until 40 weeks or so (Oh great... 2 more weeks of this?! lol). Also... her guess as to his size right now is 8lbs, and that he will be 9 if she is correct and he gets here close to the due date. Holy big baby, Batman! Brad said "Good! I hope he's 10lbs... we could have ourselves a Saints linebacker as a son!" Um... only if you give birth to him, honey. I'm praying even more earnestly that he comes out NOW to make this all a little easier on my poor body! Also... the story at the hospital on post is that they do not induce labor until 10 days past the due date. That date happens to be 10/10/10. How cool of a birthday would that be?! Although I definitely do not want to have to be induced that much past my due date... it would be slightly worth it for him to have the coolest birthday of 2010. I guess this is all in God's timing though, right? If He picks our baby to have the coolest birthday of the year, and me to be pregnant (gulp) 3 more weeks... then I should accept this and know that God's timing is always the best timing. Maybe He is teaching Brad and I patience... or teaching me how to survive with little sleep without being slightly crabby :) We shall see, I suppose.

Well everyone.. the weekend is upon us! Any exciting weekend plans??

apple cider doughnuts!

I have been craving and craving apple cider doughnuts the past few weeks... but there is no cider mill anywhere near me!! Which is really weird to me, growing up in Kansas there are cider mills everywhere, or apple markets, or other places that have these delicious cider doughnuts. So I decided to order some cider doughnuts from the amazing Louisburg Cider Mill (mmmm.. they are delicious!) a couple weeks ago, but all that did was make me want them even more! And unfortunately, ordering donuts and paying for shipping makes them cost a lot more than they are probably worth. :(

SO: I decided to attempt to MAKE my own cider doughnuts! How hard could it be, right? Here is the recipe I picked:

Apple Cider Doughnuts

• 1 cup apple cider
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 2t baking powder
• 1t baking soda
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/8 t ground nutmeg
• 4 T butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• Shortening or vegetable oil for frying

1. In sauce pan over medium-low heat, gently reduce cider to 1/4 cup (about 20 minutes). Let cool.
2. Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder & soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, continuing to beat.
4. Reduce speed to low and gradually add reduced cider and buttermilk, mixing just until combined. Add flour mixture and continue to mix just until dough comes together.
5. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and sprinkle generously with flour. Turn dough onto one sheet and sprinkle top with flour. Flatten until 1/2 inch thick. Transfer dough to freezer and freeze until slightly hardened, approximately 20 minutes.
6. Pull out of freezer & cut doughnut shapes. Place cut doughnuts and holes onto other baking sheet and refrigerate another 20 to 30 minutes.
7. Add enough oil or shortening (I picked shortening.. the doughnuts are less greasy I hear when you pick shortening!) to a deep sided pan to measure almost 2" deep. Heat over medium to 350*.
8. Carefully add donuts to oil and fry each side until golden-brown. Drain on paper towels.

Now... I read this recipe and thought "sounds simple enough.. I can totally do this!" So I got all the necessary ingredients and equipment and attempted it. I did not, however, purchase an oil thermometer, so I had to guess the temperature and do the fry a donut hole, check to see if the inside is as done as the outside method. It failed and failed. Finally, I called my grandma (who I swear knows everything about everything to do with cooking/baking/frying, etc). She suggested baking them on a wire rack with a cookie sheet underneath it to catch the oil after frying. She said that should dry up the inside a bit. And guess what? She is a genius.. It worked! my done on the outside but not on the inside doughnuts were done all the way around after 5 minutes in a 350 oven! I wish I had a picture to show you, but I don't. Anyway... here's the glaze recipe, because they don't taste as good without a topping:

Apple Cider Doughnut Glaze

• Simmer 1 cup apple cider until reduced to 1/4 cup (again). Whisk in confectioners sugar until smooth and glossy, I used almost 1 cup.
• In another bowl, mix 1 cup sugar & 2 t cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Set aside
• After doughnuts are done, dip one side in the glaze and then in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

mmm... these are delicious! It makes about a dozen... and I have eaten one. My husband has eaten 5... yes, FIVE... since last night.

Speaking of the husband.... Our 2 year anniversary is coming up on Monday! Isn't that precious? The picture at the beginning of this post is a picture taken of us almost exactly 2 years ago. So much has changed since then!

Baby Talk:

I had another appointment yesterday, which was not very exciting actually. Baby's heart beat is the exact average of what most baby's heart beats are (which it has been since like... week 7). I think that is probably good though! I asked if there was any way to tell if he is breech or if he has already flipped himself into the right birthing position, and so she pulled in an ultrasound machine and said that we could find out right then. I wish Brad could have been there, but he had to work and didn't know that we would have the ability to see an ultrasound.. anyway, this baby is absolutely precious and I cried a few tears yesterday... He is adorable! His head looked HUGE.. but I am hoping that is just the ultrasound distorting it a bit :) .. His belly also looked big, which is good because chunky babies are absolutely adorable and because that means he is growing quite well inside of me. The midwife showed me his little hands, and I saw all 10 fingers. I think he actually had some of his fingers in his mouth, but it was hard to tell. Anyway.. all this to say that he is head down, feet up, ready to come out. I would have guessed this being as I feel his hiccups so low and such powerful kicks up in my ribs. But it is good to know for sure!

Anyway... that is pretty much it! They won't check dilation until 40 weeks or until I am having real contractions for a couple days with no increase in intensity or duration. Or until I am in labor at the hospital, of course. I do have appts for the next 3 weeks scheduled though, but I am hoping I don't need them!

Any guesses on when he decides to arrive? I keep telling him there's a whole big world out here, and he can actually stretch out (which he so wants to do... but unfortunately either a rib, or a bladder, or the side of my belly, etc. stops him from fully stretching) Hopefully I can sweet talk him out early! Brad even told him he would buy him anything he wanted if he appeared by a certain date... with suggestions like a pony, a toddler motorcycle (hah.. we'll see about that..), an ATV... really mostly things Brad probably wants to buy him anyway!

--Jessica

24 Days and a Wake-Up

Yes.... that is all my friends. My due date is EXACTLY 24 days and a wake-up from today. Doesn't it sound so much sooner to say 3 and a half weeks though? :)

Brad is back from SERE and it is SO good to have him here. Our house feels like a home now, we have been able to finish completely unpacking and organizing... I saved the garage and the bonus room for us to do together, he didn't get completely out of all the moving responsibilities :)

We have also been finishing the baby room. I will soon post pics of it because I think it is super adorable! Just a few more wall hangings, and we have everything we need for it. And everything we (think) we need for baby's arrival! So just to finish washing EVERYTHING. I have washed the clothes and burp rags and sheets and most of the blankets... so maybe just 1 or 2 more loads of some of the rest of the blankets. Also I haven't done any of the bigger sizes of baby clothes... I don't know when I am supposed to do that? I feel like it's too soon to wash clothes he can't wear until he is 3-6 months! Maybe?

I have been really trying to enjoy the last part of being pregnant... I won't do it again for quite awhile! :) But.. it seems the longer this goes on, aka the bigger I get, the more I am ready for this child to get here and be in my arms instead of my belly. My hands and feet have swollen to crazy sizes... As of several weeks ago, my wedding ring began fitting my pinky perfectly! As of a couple days ago, it no longer fits my pinky. Just today, Brad and I were sitting on the back porch watching the cat and dog chase each other around the yard (it was so funny, I wish I had a video camera because they just ran and ran after each other for a good 15 minutes solid!) when Brad looks down at my feet and says "WOAH! I knew your feet were swollen.. but they are HUGE!" ha... i guess when it becomes that noticeable, you can't deny it any more. I kept thinking my feet weren't that bad... but they are.

Also... (as Brad has also pointed out) I have begun to have the "pregnant waddle" and my pace has slowed dramatically. We try to go on walks together every evening and just since Brad has been home, which has been exactly a week today, he has noticed a decrease in the speed of our walks, and a change in my walk. I tried so hard to not have the pregnant waddle! If I make an effort, I can avoid it. But the waddle comes naturally right now.. So I may just embrace it. :)

All this to tell you.. I am so ready. The room is ready. Everything is washed. We have decided to pack our hospital bag and begin praying that God delivers this baby a teensy bit earlier than the due date... as long as he is fully developed and healthy, we would prefer earlier! We shall see though. I suppose patience is a virtue that I am still learning!

Well I will keep you up-dated on this baby and his arrival decisions! I am taking bets though :)