2008-11-17 : Pies and Home Birth
More food talk...Food, it's my life:) I think Isabella likes apple pie cuz she's poking and poking me..it's so cute.

I love eating cold pie for breakfast. I think everybody in my family liked (or likes to do that)...I don't heat it up..I like pie at room temp and don't mind if it is slightly chilled from the fridge. I must say that the pie I made is DAMN GOOD but not as perfect as my moms pies...well, practice makes perfect! Larry asked me last night if I wanted my pie heated up and wanted ice cream on top. I'm really particular in that I feel like adding a scoop of ice cream to the top of a beautiful pie just takes away from some of the purity of the pie. I like ice cream on top of apple crisp sometimes, but I love pie so much that I want to eat it unaltered. Let's see..how much can I write about pie? My mom always said the tricks for getting a good, flaky pie crust were: #1 touch the dough and pie crust as little as possible. The oil in your hands makes it more heavy. #2 Use ice water when wetting down the dough. #3 put the pie crusts (while you are making the filling) in the fridge or freezer, and then once the pie is completed, stick it in the freezer for a little bit (10 minutes is what I did) and for some reason a really chilled pie going into a piping hot oven makes the crust extra good. My favorite pies are (in order): #1 rhubarb (this has to be straight rhubarb and I find it WRONG when people make strawberry rhubarb pie...I'm just picky. I love the tartness of the rhubarb and don't want it masked by a sweet fruit)...Rhubarb pie was my mom's masterpiece pie. People associate rhubarb pie with her and we all miss her terribly because she was such a kick ass lady but we miss her rhubarb pie, too! I've yet to attempt making a rhubarb pie. #2 Cherry. Mom used to pick pie cherries from this tree that was on the Fay farm (my step dad's parents) and then freeze them with some sugar added. Oh my god..the cherry pie was so tart and sweet at the same time. #3 Apple pie. It's just a classic. I also really like pumpkin pie and pecan pie but can't figure out where they go in my list of favorite pies. I like lemon meringue pie as well as key lime pie, too, though I eat these far less than fruit pies. I'd like to try more sweet potato pie..I've had it once, I think, and it was fab. I used to hate blueberry pie but I'm liking it now. Marion berry pie is good. I still don't like peach pie for some reason. I'm off to start the kettle to make some peppermint tea. Oh, and I've never had mince meat pie..I wonder what that is like?
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My cold is mostly gone but I keep hacking up disgustingly thick crud. It is like the filling in an eclair of something (TMI, sorry!) Unfortunately, I didn't have time to cover my mouth as I coughed and a big wad of crud just flew onto my hoodie. GAG. Oh well, at least I'm not going into details about the wretched gas that the cassoulet (it is those white beans, damn it) has given me the last two nights. Poor Larry. Ha Ha..I like talking bodily functions. I'm very comfy with the beautiful things my body does as well as the less savory.
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I have an interview for a part-time medical billing job (doing anesthesia billing which is perfect for me as I have several years way back when doing billing for anesthesia docs) today at 1:30. Now, I keep getting conflicting advice about my pregnancy dilemna. Some people (and this is the way I am leaning) say to just be upfront at the very first interview about the fact that I'm pregnant. It may prevent me from getting hired but at least I'm being honest. I'd feel deceitful not to mention the pregnancy until after they've offered me a position (and legally, they couldn't not hire me at that point)..They'd also wonder why I kept the info from them to begin with. It just seems dishonest. I think that if I announce that I'm pregnant but let them know that I will do whatever it takes to work around this...to not take a full 6 weeks of maternity leave..to try to do some work at home while I am still recovering...to get them to see that while I am working and still pregnant that my work won't be affected by my pregnancy, maybe they will want to hire me regardless of my pregnancy and will appreciate the fact that I am an honest person. I do realize that they may very well not hire me, but my gut instinct tells me not to hide the facts from them at all. I am showing anyway and doubt I can mask it with clothing. It's not like I'm going to walk into the interview and say "Hi, by the way..I am 5 months pregnant, is this a problem?" I'll wait until the end to let them know that I need to discuss this with them.

The crib we ordered should be arriving today or tomorrow. We still have to buy the mattress but it is so neat that we were able to get this crib for free due to Larry getting gift cards to Overstock.com for being such a hard worker at his job. Not that we have any place to put the crib for now. Larry has to still work on the nursery...it is a disaster area. So, I guess the crib will stay in it's box until later on. I hope he has the room done by February! I know that Isabella will sleep upstairs with us in a moses basket or bassinet for the first several months...I'd like to have her room set up for breastfeeding during the day and for lying her down for naps when I'm doing stuff down here, though. Plus I just want to have the nursery done. Speaking of baby. I had a weird dream last night:
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DREAM
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I was staying with (or living with) my friend Laurie and her kids. I had planned on giving birth in their house and they were fine with that. In the dream I am 38 weeks and I come home from somewhere and there is a note from Elizabeth (Laurie's daughter) stating that she has made an appointment for me at Labor and Delivery..there is a print out of the L&D schedule for the day and I am booked for 2:30 and next to my name it says "difficulty" (as if Elizabeth had said I was having pregnancy complications, which isn't true)...I'm convinced that if I go into the hospital they will induce me at 38 weeks (even though there is no reason to at all) and I am NOT doing this! I realize that Laurie and Elizabeth are not comfy with me having a home birth in their home and I realize I have to give birth in my own home. I call L&D and explain that my friend made this appointment for me without my permission, that I am planning a home birth and have no complications and have no intention of going to the hospital to get poked and prodded and checked out and that inducing me at 38 weeks when the baby still "needs to bake" is just plain old stupidity. The receptionist is really understanding and takes my name off the list.

So, I'm back at my house (which happens to be the house that my friend Jill lived in when she gave birth to her daughter...another home birth) and I realize it is no problem at all to set up the birthing tub in the living room of this house. My mom is there and try to tell her politely that I don't want her with me during most of the laboring or the actual birth because she is a worriwort and it will just be distracting for me. She understands but insists that she'll need a flash light so that when the head crowns she can get under the blankets to watch the progress. I inform her that I love her but don't even want her in the same house when I am born..maybe not even in the same state (WTF? That is sorta mean)...She just laughs and says she understands. Then my midwife comes over and tells me stuff I'll need to buy for the home birth. I write down "butchers apron" and "straws"...then I woke up!
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