Three Months Postpartum

My baby is fifteen weeks old. I am back to work this fall, and he is at the sitter's during the day. I don't like leaving him. It's hard for me to trust someone else to take care of my baby, even if it was my own mother. And I know the ladies I have watching him are very caring too!! I might be a little obsessive since I made a chart for the sitter to fill out with how many ounces he at eat meal, how long he slept, poopy and wet diapers.... But I just love Ansel so much. I want him to grow and develop and thrive.

I really don't doubt that he's thriving. Two weeks ago, he had almost doubled his birth weight, so I think he is probably pretty close to it now. He likes to lay under the gym and bat at the toys, and is grabbing onto the rings too. I hang them from his car seat so he has something to swat at too. He kicks his legs and swings his arms like crazy. While he's not quite there, he can just about touch his toes, grabbing at his legs and shins.  His neck muscles during tummy time are great, although he still favors turning to the left side. He makes lots of noise like he wants to tell a story, and it's really fun to listen to him. He smiles. Oh, the smiles. I live for them.

In short, Ansel is doing great.

I am doing pretty good too. I still have about eight pounds to go, and I feel like I have been stuck here for a month. That is frustrating. But I keep telling myself that it will come gradually, and to just eat healthy and be patient. It really stinks not being able to fit back into my clothes right now. Almost can, but not quite! I still don't think I am over giving birth... it just was really hard. I am convinced more and more that the birth process is different for everyone. For some it's easier or faster, and for some, it's longer and more painful. I wish I wasn't in the latter category...

Breastfeeding is going pretty well too. At thirteen weeks, Ansel decided he only wanted to eat every four hours, so he eats at 6 am, 10 am, 2 pm, 5:30 pm, and 8:30 or 9 pm. That's just five times a day. (I was totally content with keeping him at six times a day (every three hours) but he just wasn't eating at those times). Since two of those times I am at work, I pump just once at work right in the middle of the day. Thankfully I can pump over ten ounces in about ten minutes, so I can make up for this just fine. Usually Ansel is eat around five to six ounces from a bottle of breast milk during his daytime feedings. I am glad that I am able to keep up with it. My goal is to reach six months. If things keep going like they are, I might go longer though.We will see.

I think that's a simple summary of where we are now. Gotta get ready for tomorrow now!

Lemon-Lime Cucumber Spears

Overgrown cucumbers overtaking you? Here's a sweet canning recipe for your tastebuds! I got the idea for this concoction from my mom's cinnamon rings. I figured that if you could  flavor cucumbers cinnamon, then why not lemon-lime? Both are strong flavors. So these are "pickled" with apple cider vinegar and turn out to be a very sweet treat. I will be using some of these at Christmas for gifts.

Lemon-Lime Cucumber Spears
Cucumbers
Apple cider vinegar
Sugar
Lime juice
Lemon juice
Alum
Green and yellow food coloring

Day One
1. Peel and seed cucumbers and cut into spears to fit the size of the jars you will be using. You need about 8-10 cups. Place in large container.
2. Mix one cup pickling lime with about 4 quarts of water to cover spears. Let sit overnight.

Day Two
3. Drain and rinse spears.
4. In saucepan, bring to boil: 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar,  2 tsp alum, and green and yellow food coloring (to desired color) with spears. Simmer at least an hour. Drain. Pack into jars.
5. Begin heating canner for a hot water bath. Have lids and rings ready.
6. In another saucepan, bring to boil: 1 c. cider vinegar, 1 c. water, 5 c. sugar, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup lime juice, and green and yellow food coloring (to desired color).
7. Pour syrup over packed jars, leaving about an inch of head space. Put on lids and rings. Process 10 minutes in boiling hot water bath.
8. Remove jars from hot water bath and let cool until jars seal. Let sit for several days for flavor absorption. Enjoy chilled.

Canning Season Totals 2014

This post may be slightly premature, but I'm SO stoked about how much I was able to preserve this summer, I have to write about it. It's been crazy busy with Ansel, but luckily my mom is here and has helped me with a lot of it. Some I have done bits at a time, while others have been a massive haul in one day. My garden definitely didn't perform like I wanted it to. I planted green beans, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, peas, cucumbers, a melon, and gourds. The green beans did well until something started eating the leaves off; I canned maybe half of what I did the year before. The peas looked awesome until...something ate them. The zuchinni did great, though they had their share of blossoms and even leaves eaten. The tomatoes are still going, but I swear they are ripening one at a time. (Because of this, I bought 50 lbs at Meijer and used those) Nothing happened with the cucumber or melon, though I have a wonderful friend who gave me some of her too-big cucumbers. A few gourds are growing on the fence. Even with all that, here's the totals:

25 half pints of salsa
8 pints of tomato juice
15 pints of spaghetti sauce
43 quarts of green beans (about half are from my mom's garden; of these she canned some for me)
8 half pints of cinnamon sticks + 5 pints of cinnamon rings
8 half pints + 2 pints of lemon-lime cucumber spears
17 quart freezer bags of shredded zucchini
7 quart freezer bags of strawberries (from my mom's)

I still had some frozen apples and corn left, as well as some green beans and tomato sauces. I'm pretty well stocked. I love knowing what is in my food!!!! I might have a few more items to finish up into fall (apples and tomatoes) but the bulk of it is done. Whew. About time to prop my feet up!