Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Pancakes

The other day Mike came home from Sam's with a GIANT box of raisins. Ever since I've been craving Oatmeal Raisin cookies but don't want to have treats in the house. Today I decided I NEEDED some flavors of Fall and am justifying the recipe I made up by saying, it's got lots of fiber. And the doctor said I should eat more fiber after the baby was born. Yeah, that's it. :)

These were a big hit. So much so, there are no photos- Didn't get there with the camera in time. Suffice it to say they had great flavor and texture with just enough sweetness for breakfast, and the oatmeal made them filling enough not to go crazy.

Ingredients:
2 Cups Bisquick
1 TBS Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 TBS Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 Cup Raisins
1 Apple, peeled and very finely chopped
1 Cup Milk
2 Eggs
1 TBS Lemon Juice
1/2 Cup Apple Juice
Vegetable Oil or Butter for cooking

Directions:
Combine all ingredients (except butter/oil) in a large bowl. Batter will be runny. Heat Oil/Butter in a large skillet. Ladle batter in small batches. Flip when edges brown and bubbles start to pop.  Serve hot with maple syrup.

Baby Owen's Baby Story

We welcomed our newest little Cozy Baby on Tuesday at 2:15 AM.  Owen Graeme weighed 9lbs 5oz and was 20" long.  Here is his birth story.

Since I suffered a miscarriage immediately before conceiving Owen, the start date of my pregnancy was a little vague. According to an early sonogram the due date was set for October 3rd. But no one really expected it to be that day. In September the doctor predicted little Owen would arrive on September 23rd. I chose the 27th. My mother chose her birthday, September 30th.  Owen kept us waiting.

I was against induction from the start because of several risk factors. However, when we saw the doctor on the 30th and there will stll no signs of labor we decided an induction was the right thing to do. He scheduled us for an office visit on Monday, October 3rd. I was dilated to 1.5 cm that morning. The doctor explained the procedure.

We were to arrive at the hospital that evening at 7PM. They would administer something called Cervadil to make the cervix thin out. Then they'd let me rest all night. It wasn't supposed to cause contractions just mild discomfort. The doctor would come break my water at 7:15 AM and then they would give me my epidural and start administering pitocin to bring on contractions.  Once I had a timeline I was good. Now I could plan. We called my family. My mom drove up from Tulsa and my dad came up from Little Rock Monday afternoon. They were going to stay with Evie for the night and come up to the hospital in time for the baby's birth. The doctor said it would be around 11AM-2PM on the 4th.

But like all plans it didn't quite work out that way and we were very lucky to have both Mom and Dad here Monday night!

We arrived at the hospital a little later than expected. They hooked me up to a monitor where we discovered that I was experiencing very mild, pain free contractions about every 10 minutes. They weren't concerned about that, and I was still only dilated to 1.5cm, so they administered the Cervadil at around 8PM. After that my contractions became painful and sped up rapidly. Going from every 10 minutes to every 5 minutes in less than an hour. I was in so much pain they checked me again, and although the Cervadil was not supposed to cause me to dilate, I was now at 3cm.  The nurse removed the cervadil, explaining that the contractions should slow down and I should be able to rest. She gave me an Ambien. No sooner had she done that, my contractions sped up to around 2 minutes apart and were lasting 60 - 90 seconds each! She turned around and offered me some pain medication to take the edge off so I could sleep.  That didn't work either. But it did make me feel exceptionally drunk peaked with painful moments of lucidity that just kept getting closer together and lasting longer. And I was uncontrollably shivering with chattering teeth during the brief breaks in between contractions.  In tears, I begged the nurse for an epidural.  She took pity on me, checked again and when she found I was rapidly dilating further and feared my water was about to burst called the on call anesthesiologist (who barely made it in time) and my doctor.  By 1AM we were at 8cm and got my mom out of bed too. The epidural was taking forever to kick in and the anesthesiologist explained that he was going to speed things up but that it would wear off faster. He laughed that at the speed I was moving it wouldn't matter. And it didn't.  It barely kicked in before I was being told to push.  The delivery room was a much calmer place after the drugs kicked in but the real excitement was quickly coming. Now that I was feeling no pain I could focus my energy on pushing.

I pushed with only 4 contractions and at 2:15AM delivered a bluer than expected Owen Graeme, who had managed to tie his umbilical cord in a knot. The doctor was very calm, suctioned him vigorously and allowed Mike to cut the cord before handing Owen off to a nurse with some Oxygen, which happily pinked him right up.  He scored 8 and 9 on his Apgars. Later the doctor explained that about 1 in 100 babies have their cords tied in knots. In his calm way it didn't seem all that scary, but I know just how lucky we were and am even more grateful we decided to proceed with the induction (If you can really call it that.  We prefer to think of it as a kick start.) when we did.

Owen is a very laid back baby. He rarely really cries, although he does let us know he is hungry or uncomfortable. He took right to breastfeeding with no problems at all and eats well. I only hope my wonky thyroid allows me to hold up my end of the bargain. Owen is a little snuggly cuddle bug. He loves to sleep in your arms and will curl up right next to you, sleeping better there than in his bed. He hates to be undressed or cold and diaper changes have been a LOT easier since we got home to our wipe warmer vs the cold ones at the hospital.

Owen's first name is Irish and means "Born of Nobility" which is fitting because, as you all know, I am a princess. ;) His middle name, Graeme, is after his daddy. Naming him was exhausting and involved an NCAA tournament of names written on little cards all over our bed one night. The final showdown was between Owen and Andrew. Owen had the added benefit of Evie being able to say it perfectly, but it was not formally declared the winner until a day or so before he was born.

Everyone seems very taken with his mop of dark hair. I haven't washed it yet, but I think it's going to curl like Evie's did at this age. Up close he appears to have highlights. He weighed in at a hefty 9 lbs 5oz but he's not a rolly polly little chunk. His little legs and arms seem darn right skinny. He does have big feet though. They barely fit the newborn booties I made for him.

Evie is a caring and gentle big sister, but has a short attention span for her brother. She kindly gave him a blue blankie and taught him to rub the satin on his cheek the way she does with her pink blankie. She likes to give him is binky (which he wants nothing to do with) and she wants to help buckle him in his car seat.

It's only been 2 days but we are very taken with our sweet little guy. Welcome to the family little Owen.

Baby 'Back Hat Pattern

Woooooo Pig Souieeeee!!

Finally a soft version of the iconic Hog Hat is available for you and your littlest Razorback Fans.

Only $5.  Pattern features detailed written instructions for basic hat in sizes 0-3 months, 3-12 months, 12-24 months, 2-5 years, and 5-Adult, spikes, ears, snout, eyes and tusks. Includes numerous photos.

Knit Techniques and stitches used: K, P, K2tog, P2tog, SSK, Slip 2 tog, Pass Slipped stitches over, Short rows, BO.

Crochet stitches used: Chain, SC, SL.

Requires approximately 85 yards of red worsted weight yarn, plus a small amount of white and black yarns for details.

Go Hogs Go!!

Custom Finished projects are available by request through my Etsy site:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/evellynnsmommy

Kansas Bird Hat Pattern

Kansas Bird Hat Pattern is now available sale for only $5.

Pattern includes written instructions for basic hat, earflaps/wings, beak, eyes, eyebrows and assembly. Lots of photos included and step by step photo tutorial for earflap joining.  There are many components to this pattern but it's worth it! Stitches and Techniques used:  Knit, Purl, Single Crochet, Double Crochet, Duplicate Stitch, and a variation of 3 needle bind off.

Custom Finished projects are available by request through my Etsy site: http://www.etsy.com/shop/evellynnsmommy

FASTEST Fish Tacos

This recipe has become our go-to "Oh crud I forgot to set something out to thaw and it's 4:00" and "OMG. I can't believe it's so late; we need dinner NOW" meal.  We buy individually frozen flounder fillets at Sam's and always have them on hand. They thaw in no time in a sink full of water and the meal is literally cooked in 6 minutes. SIX MINUTES! Add that it's extremely low fat, healthy and even Evie eats it and we have a big winner.  This recipe has 4 Weight Watchers Points plus per serving.  Recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

4 Flounder Fillets, thawed
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Chipotle Powder (Optional if you like it spicy)
Juice of 1 lime
4 fat free soft taco sized flour tortillas
4 TBS Fat Free Shredded Cheddar cheese
4 TBS Fat Free Sour Cream
1 Tomato, Diced
1 Green Onion, Chopped
4 Tbs Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

Directions:
Preheat Broiler to 500 Degrees. Place fish fillets on broiling pan and sprinkle with 1/2 the spices. Wrap Tortillas in aluminum foil. Broil Fish for 3 minutes on top rack directly below broiler.  Put Tortillas on lower rack to warm.  After 3 minutes remove fish, turn over and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 of the spices. Return to broiler for 3 more minutes. Remove fish and squeeze lime juice on top.

Assemble tacos with 1 fish fillet, 1 TBS Cheese, 1 TBS Sour Cream, Tomatoes, Green onions and 1 Tbs Cilantro each.

Slang

For the record, that is not my belly.

I am 31 weeks pregnant. I am not Prego. That is a pasta sauce.

There is a baby boy happily growing and turning somersaults in my tummy. A male fetus gestating in my extended uterus if you want to be clinical, but I do NOT have a bump, or a lump, or a hump. I am not a three humped gump.

In approximately 9 weeks I will deliver the baby, have the baby, experience the miracle of childbirth. I will NOT "Pop". I am not a cooked turkey, or a burst balloon, or a character in an Alien movie.

Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's the hormones. Maybe it's both. Regardless, I already feel like a hot beached whale. There's no reason to be so crass when discussing my shape, nor any reason to discuss it at all. Whatever happened to, "You look pretty." or "She's glowing."?

Chocolate Cherry Sauce

Baby Boy is a fruit lover. I've been craving any and all fruits I can get my hands on, making the produce section a test of will power. On Monday I gave in and purchased a BIG bag of delicious sweet cherries. Never mind the pits or the staining juice or that there was no way we could possibly eat them all. "MMMMM CHERRIES!!" my belly kept telling me. So this morning I was faced with a still large bag of cherries that weren't going to last forever.

Evie and I decided to make homemade waffles while Mike slept in.  I searched for a cherry sauce online and in my cookbooks but was unable to find a suitable one.  And thus, Chocolate Cherry Sauce was born. The small amount of chocolate is just enough to flavor the sauce but not over power the sweet cherries. Mike took one bite and said, "OMG. YUM!" We enjoyed it on waffles this morning but it would be heaven on ice cream. MMMM... Ice cream.

It made for a clothing optional breakfast for the toddler set, but was certainly Evie approved.

Yield approximately 4 servings.

Ingredients:

Approx. 30 large sweet cherries, pitted and halved
3 TBS Sugar
1 TBS Flour
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 TBS Lemon Juice
2 TBS Butter
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate (60% Cacao), chopped or pieces

In a sauce pan combine Cherries, Sugar and Flour. Toss to coat all cherries. Heat over medium heat and add Vanilla and Lemon Juice. Stir frequently until thickened and cherries start to break down. Add Butter and stir until melted and smooth.  Reduce heat to low or off and add chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Serve hot.

Mikey approved too!