Suprise Discovery!

It seems that One and I should have switched posts last week, because after false starts (and stops), at 8 lbs and 15.4 oz, Surprise Discovery, (or Disco for short) has arrived.  Now, Suprise Discovery has little chance of actually being given such a stupendously wonderful name (I think Mr. One would protest too much), but since I have the pleasure of announcing this beautiful brunette baby's birth, I also get to christen her with her blogger tome.

I am very, very excited about this little joyous muffin.  One thing that makes me particularly happy is that Princess H and Disco will be about the same distance in age as me and One.  Like little Disco, I was the second girl in our family.  I often reflect on what a blessing it was to have One as our oldest sister.  Of course along the way, we had our fair share of spats, hair pulling and silliness.  Still, from the time I started to consider myself something of a grown up (probably around 9 or 10) One always made time for me as a friend.  While my older brothers (whom I love) didn't like the idea of their pre-adolescent sister tagging along, One didn't seem to mind.  From movie dates, to sister parties rife with nail polish and rag curls, tea parties and duets, One almost always made me and my sisters know she valued and loved us.  As we've grown up, she's acted as a moderator between us during arguments and conflicts.  I am fully aware that (diva that I am) I could not have done the job.  But One, with her deep confidence, quick wit and profound, abiding love has acted as the glue holding the five td sisters together.

Welcome little Disco.  While you can expect that some things will be unpredictable, I hope that your new little sisterhood will be as wonderful as ours.

   

Still waiting. . . .


Don't mind me.

I'm just hanging out. With a baby in my tummy.

Last Tuesday, at my regular doctor visit, my Ob ordered me straight from her office to the hospital for what she was confident would be a quick delivery that very evening. We went, sat around, walked around, and waited around for several hours, and nothing much happened. Except for some dude I'd never met before offering to pump me full of induction drugs in the middle of the night. No, thank you. So, we decided to leave. And they agreed to "let me go," as long as I promised to call an ambulance if things got exciting.

But, despite all medical predictions to the contrary, here we are a week later, still waiting for things to get exciting. This little lady (who was due April 15) obviously has a mind of her own.

While we're waiting (and waiting), I thought I'd share some truly exceptional commemorative art created by Five and the kiddies to mark Tuesday morning's Space Shuttle flyover. It was pretty fantastic.


Come to think of it, I think the real reason Baby Girl chose not to arrive that day is that she didn't want to be called Disco, which was actually a matter of quasi-serious discussion at our post-Shuttle sighting luncheon at Mimo's house...

Orange Fennel Salad

Source

The other night I was charged with making a salad for dinner. We didn't have any normal salad stuff, so I scrounged around and tried to figure something out with the green foods that were available. I'm pleased to report that the result was quite scrumptious! (And this is coming from an avid vegetarian [read: I eat a lot of salad....]). 

I give you:

Orange Fennel Salad 
(It's so good. For the realz.)

Ingredients:
Fresh fennel
Oranges 
(tangelos are a really good substitute)
Cilantro 
(good substitutions include: romaine, arugula, lemon greens, fresh spinach, or almost any other green you can get your hands on)
Garlic cloves
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil
Honey
Garlic salt
Pepper
Mustard 

You'll want equal parts oranges, fennel, and cilantro (I'll leave that math up to you). Peel your oranges and slice them through the cross section (like this--except without the peel). Slice your fennel in long, narrow strips. Chop your cilantro and throw it into a bowl with the fennel and oranges. In a small pan, heat up some olive oil. Slice garlic cloves into 1 inch lengths. Add to olive oil and let brown. In a small jar, combine equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add approximately 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon mustard, a dash of pepper and a sprinkle of salt.  Add the garlic to the fresh ingredients and drizzle everything with your dressing and--voila!
   

The Babies' Verse

There once was a princess called Hetti
Sometimes her pants Hetti would wetty
She was smart as a tack
and she had a knack
obtaining what she wanted to get-y.

There once was a baby so tiny
It took one wet wipe for his hiney
he laughed and he cried
when he grew up we sighed
Even when that Tiny would whiny

Now one more small baby is coming
Because something is new with One's plumbing.
We're all so excited
In fact, we're delighted
We hope that she'll soon be forthcoming.

THAT's RIGHT!!!  One's on her way to the hospital!!!*


*to deliver baby #3. We wouldn't be quite as excited if it was for, say, a lung transplant or something like that.

Sometimes, All You Can Do Is Dance

A passionate night between my attention span and some gold duct tape begat Mr. Oliver Fig Newton. He loves to dance.


A Lot Of Little Things







Little things make me happy. 

A walk in the park with Momo, her dog and the babies.  

The babies playing in the dirt. 

An afternoon at Eastern Market with Mr. Two.  

Sunflowers and Bracelets. 

Spring.

What makes you happy?

Haiku for the Ninth Month

Blossoms! Bubbles! Spring!
Everything here is popping
Except li'l old me

Children Are Blessings
Is a good mantra for moms
Who shop with toddlers

She'll seem so tiny
When she gets here; so huge now,
Perched on my bladder

God is quite witty.
How can I be so certain?
Sex first, then childbirth.

Pregnant brains don't work
Simple things become so hard
For example, counting the appropriate number of syllables in the last line of a Haiku is just more than I can bear at the moment....


Easter. Huh.

Ah, Easter.

Every egg contains vital potential.


Here's what I like to do with the promise of new life!

"Fly Me to the Moon!"

 Last week Astro Boy asked me on a date in a rather unorthodox manner. About a week before the date, a package arrived containing some chocolates (salted caramel...yum), a stuffed pygmy elephant from WWF (representing the real baby pygmy elephant he adopted in my name), and several letters.
Each letter contained instructions about when the next was to be opened ("OPEN FIRST!", "Open the day before the date", "Open after the date") and clues about the upcoming date. 
As some of you know, Astro Boy is preparing to become an astronaut in...Texas.
So the medium of communication was...
Skype. 
But, somehow, that didn't really matter. 
And he planned everything, including: 
what we would eat
and
after dinner activities 
(which included star gazing via planetarium software).

I like him.
He's really cute
 and
just the right amount of nerd for me.

I think I had just shown him this.
To be fair, y'all should know he didn't know any of these pictures were being taken....Sorry Astro Boy. I couldn't help myself.

Walk it out

You know what I like? Going on walks, because it's kind of exercise, but it doesn't feel like it (which is probably why it's not really exercise).

You know what takes a walk from "like" to "love"? My sisters!


You know what makes walks with my sisters even better? Some kick-a tunes like this one.


You know what makes walks with sisters and music the BEST? When it degrades into a street-side dance party.




Love Patches

Right after I got home from the hospital, my dear friend MamaQ gave me a call.

"Nancy and I have been working on something for you and I'm wondering when I can drop it off."

Considering I looked like I had been hospitalized for anorexia instead of a transplant, I was guessing it was something edible.  And considering how unpleasant it is for me to eat, I was touched, but unexcited.  That is, until I went to church.

MamaQ said since I'm supposed to avoid germs that accompany literal hugs, she and my friends patched together this giant hug instead.

Don't you love it!?