Its the FINAL coutdown!!!

The last two weeks I have been pacing around the house wondering when this baby will be born--waking up each day questioning whether those pesky contractions would die down or lead to labor. I have cleaned the house daily, washed sheets twice weekly, packed and repacked my hospital bag hoping that all the cleaning would send me to L&D.

I was really hoping for labor to start spontaneously. I envisioned my water breaking, heading to the hospital in hurried excitement, and walking the hallways and doing pelvic rocks a top a yoga ball to handle contractions instead of using drugs. For months I have dreamed the perfect birth, as I imagine every woman does, and now I sit here staring at the clock waiting for our 5am departure for our hospital induction.

I have tried all the home-induction techniques (everything short of castor oil) and have been walking for hours on end each day hoping that labor would occur. Now that my blood pressure is elevated, fluid retention high, and my due date passed, we are waiting no longer. I had hoped to avoid making this decision and have so many fears for tomorrow, all compounded by feelings of guilt for agreeing to induction. However, I understand the serious nature of childbirth and want to ensure the safety and health of my soon-to-be son, so sometime tomorrow, I will be a new mom.

There is a huge sense of relief in knowing that tomorrow is the day. I feel like a weight has been lifted and rather than questioning whether each day is the "day" I can focus on my birth experience, relaxing, meditating, and anticipating our son's arrival. I still intend to keep our birth natural and am confident that with the strength of myself, Dale, and family, I will be able to accomplish this.

So, today, is my last day pregnant and while I am excited to count 10 fingers and toes, I am going to miss my beautiful belly, my glowing skin, and long nails (a first for me!) and eating 6 times a day! I look forward to sharing an intimate night with my husband, dinner with my family, and getting what will be my last night of sleep for quite a few days!!

We will keep you posted in every adventure along the way, however, please understand if our blogs are not as consistent as they have been! I cant guarantee when our birth announcement will be made but please check our hospital's website: http://www.newbabynews.net/hospitals/com28/public/ at some point this week to see if our little one has made the headlines!

Playing Hooky!

We realized on Wednesday with the upcoming arrival of family and baby that it was our last day to truly enjoy "just the two of us"--so we played hooky! Dale and I both took the day off, slept in, cleaned the house, went for a walk and enjoyed what will be our last movie for awhile by attending "Where the Wild Things Are". It was such a relaxing day and gave us a chance to celebrate each others company before the real party begins!

Thursday, my grandparents arrived giving me a few more days to get spoiled before this little one steals my thunder! We have enjoyed showing them Missoula, dining out, and of course shopping! And of course, we celebrated Dale's 28th b-day by first enjoying an afternoon happy hour riverside at Finn&Porter and then feasting ourselves on steak and potatoes (true Montana food!) at the Depot Restaurant!

Today marked the beginning of my maternity leave, as I packed up my office, changed my voicemail and announced to the world that I will be gone until December 1st!

Now that our bellies are full, our to-do lists accomplished, and our final moments together savored, we are ready for this little one to arrive!!!! Until then, we will take it easy, and celebrate the arrival of my mom (tomorrow!) who will surely help us get the party started!

Dear Work...

I am tired of coming into my office everyday. Tired of hauling my very pregnant self into my husband's explorer, tired of searching for the seat belt clip, tired of circling for parking and then walking the precarious slippery hallways only to be asked "you are still here????" or "still no baby???".

I do not want to stop working but at the same time I can't handle another person asking me "where's the baby???". Don't you think that if I had the baby, I would relay that information??? Seriously, I am getting embarrassed and feeling like everyday is a walk of shame because I am still pregnant. My due-date is next week and yet you have been asking me these questions since September 1st!!!!

For the record, I plan on showing up everyday until this baby pops and until then please refrain from opening your mouth!

Thank You,
A Seriously Aggravated Pregnant Lady

39 Weeks....Its almost time!!!

We just returned from our 39 week appointment. So far in this pregnancy I have gained 19 pounds and have been textbook from the start. Our baby has always measured on target, so I shouldn't be at all surprised if our baby makes his grand entrance on his due date.....however, I am losing patience as the 8-pound bowling ball sitting on my bladder is getting uncomfortable as is the daily bought of false labor contractions.

This week, I am still 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and the baby's head is still "right there". My doctor has given me permission to have this baby any day now (I hope the baby heard him!) However, if we have not had the baby by Monday the 26th our doctor would like to schedule an induction for that week...most likely the 28th, when I will be 40 weeks 1 day. He said we could wait until November 3rd to schedule an induction but realistically, it's easier to do before the baby gets too big and that a lot more complications can arise when the baby is overdue by too long. I have mixed feelings!!!! I hope that the baby will get here before I have to make a decision. I really don't agree with inductions but at the same time, I feel I will be able to sleep easier at night knowing that if this baby doesn't come by Monday, then he will come Wednesday, happy and healthy (YIKES!!!). (Our family has a history of GIANT babies....so lets hope this one is still the 6 1/2 pounds the doctor was predicting!)

So until then, I am doing everything short of shaking this baby out!!! I have continued with my walking and am now bouncing on a yoga ball playing "Katamari" (its an amazing game, I am hoping the visualization of growing my katamari from 1-10cm will be enough to make my cervix do the same!) and am headed in search of some spicy spicy food!!!

Anniversary and Eggplant Baby!!

Today marks our 1-year wedding anniversary but we celebrated early (on Thursday) I think hoping that the baby would come early! We shared an intimate evening, first stopping in at our favorite watering hole, James Bar, for some cheap drinks and eats to set the mood. Then we headed to RedBird, which ended with us walking out on account of poor service and bad vibes and strutted our heels down to Scotty's Table instead. Our last fancy meal out was on my birthday and we went to Pearl for what I thought was the most amazing meal of my life--truth is, I had another amazing meal (don't hate me Pearl!)

We brought our own wine, which Dale picked out, a beautiful and smooth malbec from Argentina, and pared it with braised beef with a marscapone polenta and sherry demi-glace, a pork confit with tomato-bacon remoulade with brioche and a delightful over-easy egg, and topped the whole night off with a flourless chocolate-raspberry torte. Needless to say, we walked away happy and full, enjoying what will probably be our last night out for a while!

So Friday morning, I woke up having these horrible stomach cramps...I thought it may have just been the rich meal we consumed the night before, but these cramps did not go away! We ran a few errands, walked around, took a nap, and the cramps kept coming back! I was running around trying to decide whether I should get my bags packed or sleep it off. Of course, Dale and I were super excited that this might be the start of labor only to be disappointed when the cramps slowly faded away--2 days later and I get a cramp maybe once every hour. Now, I realize that it was probably false labor!

I know every one says "you will know" when its labor but for all the women I have spoken with (my family included) none have known until the baby popped out 45 minutes after arriving to the hospital! In fact, most of them thought it was a stomach ache! We have a doctor's appointment in the morning and we will find out if any of these contractions were productive!

In all the hullabaloo, Dale and I were doing everything in our power to continue contractions. I walked, drank raspberry leaf tea, ate spicy Wasabi sauce over my burrito, walked more, and finally decided to distract ourselves by preparing what is believed to be a "guaranteed" labor inducer: Scalini's Famous Eggplant Parmigiana (http://www.scalinis.com/Bambino.htm) 24 hours later and I am still sitting here (there is still hope, as they guarantee labor within 48 hours) so I am not convinced of any of these tales but at least I am fat, happy and full with a belly full of eggplant! The recipe was easy and soooooo delicious it had our cat begging for more!!! You can follow the recipe on the link, which makes a ridiculous amount of food, so I would suggest cutting it in 3rds.

When Time Just Stops....

Every week when Dale and I head to the doctor for our weekly appointment it reminds us of how close we actually are to holding our son! These last 38 weeks have flown by yet I still feel like I am going to be pregnant forever! We wake up every morning thinking "is this going to be the day" and sadly, nothing happens. However, we have been reminding ourselves that we need to continue to enjoy these last few weeks together instead of anxiously pacing around the house like we are late for a meeting or something.

Anyways, this Sunday marks our 1-year wedding anniversary and we fully intend to celebrate over a nice dinner on Friday night. We are both amazed at how fast this year has flown by! We certainly never expected this all to happen so quickly but we always hoped! So, in honor of our anniversary, I finally uploaded our wedding video and created a video montage of our wedding photos.

Dale and I met in September 2007 but didn't start dating until January 2008. After only a month or so of dating, we moved in together, exchanged "I love you's" and enjoyed an awesome 8 months of dating. We vacationed in Oregon, went to concerts, enjoyed many fancy meals out on the town, and met each others families. I always knew Dale was the "one" and I knew he was thinking about proposing....I just didn't know when! We went to Alaska and Dale had already said he wouldn't propose in Alaska because it was too predictable....well, plans change and he ended up popping the question over a hot fire next to a glacially carved river. Of course, I said yes!

We immediately started planning a wedding for April 2009 but the planning process alone had Dale and I both in tears and frustrations as we realized we were planning a wedding for everyone else, one that would be big, expensive, and stressful. We finally came to the realization that we really just wanted to get married on top of a mountain with only a few friends present. So, two weeks later, a dress I found on Craigslist for $50, and our few friends, we headed to Orcas Island, WA to exchange nuptials.

We rented a house on the island that opened up to beautiful Eastsound bay and were planning on making a nice dinner the first night but settled with mac & cheese from the gas station as the one grocery store closed at 9. The next day, we slept in, drank coffee, made cinnamon rolls and headed up to Mt. Constitution to enjoy the majestic views of the San Juans. We leisurely made our way back to our lodging and started getting ready for our wedding, which didn't have a specific start time. My friend Hanna prepared beautiful bouquets while another friend, Kaisee, curled my hair. Dalyn, Dale's sister, was floating in between the boys and girls rooms helping us accomplish everything in a timely fashion. By 3 pm we were ready to get hitched and headed up to our little mountain (which happens to be my guardian's yet to be developed property).

We had no music, only a few notes from Dalyn. I wore blue shoes. Our camera was hoisted by a tripod and our only decorations were a few candles, a scarf, and the view. I dint really remember the wedding, all I remember is staring into Dale's eyes waiting for the most important speech of my life. Looking back on the video, I laugh. Our wedding was the most beautiful comedy of errors: the rings were tied too tight, my curls kept falling out, my dress was falling down, Jarred forgot to let us read our vows, Hanna proclaimed the Internet as our justice of peace, and Dale and I could hardly contain our inside-jokes. Overall, the wedding was a success: beautiful and stress free. I wish that all our families could have been present for the party of a lifetime, but if I had to do it over, I wouldn't change a thing as it really was about our love for each other and not about seating charts, colors, and big bands.

Dale and I floated on air the rest of the day. We all chipped in and grilled salmon and pork tenderloin, stuffed bell peppers, and ate cake that was inappropriate but made us laugh. We shared bottles of champagne and Dale and I ended up retreating to the couch to hold hands and smile. Time stood still that day.

When I think back to the day, time stops as all I can remember is the fresh crisp air, the birds chirping, and how beautiful Dale's vows were. We started our own family unit that day and now, I just smile knowing how much our family is growing. We went from us, to 2 cats, a dog, and a baby on the way! I am anxiously waiting for the next weeks to come, but I will remember fondly, the day our family was started-- peacefully, relaxed, and hopelessly in love.

Brrrrrr.....

We have kept ourselves bundled up the last few days as temperatures hovered around 18 degrees practically freezing everything in sight. Montana has four distinct seasons--they just don't always come in the same order. One day its fall, the next winter, and so forth. In the spirit of cold days, we decided to cheer ourselves up with some holiday cheer (albeit, premature) by roasting a turkey, soaking up some mushroom barley soup (recipe to follow) and hosting an apple-cider pressing party. The warm kitchen kept us distracted from not only the cold weather but also from our quickly approaching due date!



First, we prepared the apples for the apple press by coring the apples and removing any wormy bits.



Then, we put the apples through the masher, which mashed them into smaller chunks.



Then, we pressed the apples, extracting as much liquid as possible. Our 40 lbs of apples yielded about 2 gallons of juice.



Finally, we activated some champagne yeast and added it to the juice to be capped. We will let this ferment, checking on the activity daily, until its developed good head and flavor (most likely by Christmas!)



Exhausted from our coring, mashing, pressing party, we enjoyed some cheese and warmed ourselves with some hearty soup.

Mushroom-Barley Soup

Ingredients

• 1 c Uncooked pearl barley
• 7 c Stock (chicken or veggie, or more depending on how thick you like soup)
• 2 tb Butter
• 2 med carrots, diced
• 2 med celery stalks, thinly sliced
  
• 1 md Onion; diced
• 2 md Clove garlic; crushed
• 1-1/2 lb thinly slice FRESH mushrooms (I used Crimini)
• 1/2 ts Salt; (up to 1)
• 1 tsp of pepper
• 1-2 tsp of dried thyme
  
• 3 tb Soy sauce
• A few glugs of red wine
• ****Optional, if you like creamy soup
  
• 2 tbl butter
• 2 tbl flour
• 2 cups of milk
  

Preparation

Bring a saucepan with 3 cups of stock to a boil. Add the barley, reduce heat and let simmer covered for 20-30 minutes (or until cooked).

Meanwhile, melt 1 tbl butter in a skillet. Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, salt and pepper and saute until softened. Add veggies to the barley, along with a couple glugs of stock, cover and continue to simmer.

Melt another tbl of butter in a skillet over med-high heat and add the mushrooms. Give 'em a minute to brown and soften and then add the soy sauce and red wine, and salt/pepper and thyme. When the mushrooms are softened and slightly darkened, add them with all its liquid to the cooked barley, along with the remaining stock (depending on how thick you like your soup, you may need to add more stock or more water.) Bring to a boil and let simmer, covered for 20-30 minutes. From here, the soup is cooked and you can adjust any seasonings you might like, but if you like creamy soup, continue.

**If you like creamy soups, which I do, mix 2 tbls of softened butter with 2 tbl of flour until a paste is formed. Drop the paste into the soup and stir it up. Then stir in the 2 cups of milk. Let simmer until thickened (about 5-10 minutes) and serve with a nice crusty bread!

This makes a big batch of soup, which you can freeze or enjoy with lots of guests!

Pregnancy Resources

Now that I am nearing the end of my pregnancy I have been thinking a lot about how I felt earlier in my pregnancy. These last three weeks are almost as long and painful as it was waiting for the home pregnancy test to turn pink--it could be any day and the anxiety is killing me!!!

However, I have been able to relax and enjoy what little free time I have myself. I have been re-reading and re-watching movies and pregnancy guides that I read in those initial weeks. I thought I would share some of those resources not only for my memory but also to see if my opinions change post-baby!

Books:

1.) What to Expect When You Are Expecting

2.) Dr. Miriam Stoppard's Guide to Pregnancy

3.) Ina May's Guide to Childbirth--I wish this had been the ONLY book I read while I was pregnant, it was inspiring and positive and really explain pregnancy and childbirth well, especially if you are aiming for a natural childbirth experience.

4.) Belly Laughs-Jenny McCarthy. This bitch is hilarious, enough said.

5.) Feed the Belly--Frances Largeman-Roth. This was a nutrition guide that had lots of easy recipes and natural food cures for pregnancy ailments. It also explained our cravings!

6.) The Happiest Baby on the Block--Dr. Harvey Karp. He explained the idea of our 'fourth trimester' and how to calm a baby using the 5 S' (Swaddling, Stomach lying, Shhhing, Swinging, Sucking).

7.) How to Make a Pregnant Woman Happy--Uzzi Reiss. This was a great help to Dale as it explained a partner's role in pregnancy and offered great tips on pleasing pregnant women.

8.) The Essential Guide to Breastfeeding--Marianne Neiffert.

9.) Unbuttoned--Maureen Connelly. In this one, women share stories about the pain and pleasures of breastfeeding.

10.) Marley & Me--John Grogan. Okay, so its not your typical pregnancy book, but dont dismiss it! It was way better than the movie as it captured the story of a growing family and challenges and rewards that accompany it. During half of the book, his wife is pregnant and it is about his struggles trying to adapt to becoming a father and a better husband. It really opened my eyes to what my husband is experiencing plus it gave me plenty of laughs and tears.

Movies:

Fiction:
10. For Keeps?
Yes, there were teen pregnancies before Juno. Back in 1988, when Molly Ringwald was still an ‘80s It girl and John Hughes’ muse, she shocked everyone by playing a high school senior named Darcy who gets pregnant, gets married and tries to make it. Such drama.

Best line: “I'm pregnant. Can you pass the turnips?”--Darcy
9. Junior
Oh, Arnold, what possessed you? As scientist Dr. Alex Hesse who, as part of a fertility research project, agrees to carry a pregnancy in his own body, the Schwarzenegger mostly pulls it off. Still, what a bold career move.

Best line: “Does my body disgust you?”--Alex
8. Father of the Bride 2
In the delightful Father of the Bride, Steve Martin’s George Banks has to reluctantly give away his darling daughter in marriage, so the logical step for Bride 2 would be for said daughter to get pregnant thrust George into grandfather-hood. Except in this scenario, Banks’ lovely wife (Diane Keaton) also gets pregnant at the same time. Oy vey!

Best line: “Now, going to the movies, that'll be economical: one child, two seniors, thanks.”--George
7. Nine Months
The whole nine yards from the male perspective--in this case a selfish commitment-phobe, played by Hugh Grant, who realizes he might have to change his lifestyle for better or much, much worse when he finds out his longtime girlfriend (Julianne Moore) is pregnant. Sound familiar?

Best line:
“I'm ten days late.”--Rebecca
“And there's no way you could have had it and just not noticed?”--Samuel

6. Waitress
Keri Russell plays a very unhappily married waitress/pie-maker extraordinaire who is none too pleased to find out she’s pregnant. Of course, things happen for a reason and her mind starts to change, especially when she starts an affair with her obstetrician (Nathan Fillion).

Best line: “Dear Baby, I hope someday somebody wants to hold you for 20 minutes straight and that's all they do. They don't pull away. They don't look at your face. They don't try to kiss you. All they do is wrap you up in their arms and hold on tight, without an ounce of selfishness in it.”--Jenna

5. She's Having a Baby
This is John Hughes’ take on the whole concept of parenthood, as experienced by a yuppie couple, Jake and Kristy Briggs (Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern). Being young, they are perhaps a bit unprepared for the full reality of it all--but that’s when it gets fun.

Best line: “And in the end, I realized that I took more than I gave, I was trusted more than I trusted, and I was loved more than I loved. And what I was looking for was not to be found but to be made.”--Jake Briggs

4. Baby Mama
Tina Fey hits the nail on the head, playing a single, successful women, who is told her uterus is too hostile to have a child, and so goes the surrogacy route--except she doesn’t expect to be saddled with working class moocher Angie Ostrowski (Amy Poehler) as her baby mama. Ah well, it all turns out OK in the end.

Best line: “Can I just spray a little PAM down there right before the baby comes out?”--Angie.

3. Knocked UpA classic case of the “Ooops!” When total slacker Ben (Seth Rogen) inadvertently hooks up with hottie Alison (Katherine Heigl) for one night of drunken pleasure, they don’t expect the results of a misused (or NOT used) condom. Yep, knocked up indeed.

Best line: “You know how they say to never drink and drive? Well, never drink and bone.”--Ben


2. Rosemary's Baby
OK, probably not the most enlightening or happy view of pregnancy but nonetheless important to note for this feature since poor Mia Farrow goes through hell, quite literally, during her first pregnancy--carrying the child of SATAN, that is.

Best line: “He chose you, honey! From all the women in the world to be the mother of his only living son!”--Minnie Castevet (Ruth Gordon)
1. Juno
As unwanted teenage pregnancies go, Juno (Ellen Page) proves it doesn't have to be a totally unhappy experience. She knows she can’t keep the baby, so she finds the right set of parents (Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman), and although things don’t necessarily go as planned, Juno handles it with a fair amount of wit, charm and warmth.

Best line: “Yea, if I could just have the thing and give it to you now, I totally would. But I'm guessing it looks probably like a sea monkey right now and we should let it get a little cuter.”
Some other faves:
Where The Heart Is, 2000
Saved, 2004
How to Deal, 2003
Fool's Rush In (MY FAVORITE!)

Non-Fiction:

1.) Business of Being Born-Although this movie was a little one sided it presented a lot of information regarding our health care and maternity system and really just asks that women remain informed and in control in their birth process.

Internet Resources:

1.) http://community.babycenter.com--This site allows you to connect with pregnant women around the world, exchanging information, frustrations, tips and tools and much more!

2.) http://www.youtube.com/user/lifebodyfit--This woman created video logs for each week of her pregnancy and uploaded them on youtube. These videos were interesting, informative, and absolutely necessary during those lonely days of thinking nobody understands your pregnant frustrations!

3.) http://www.pregtastic.com/--Online radio full of pregnant women experiences.

4.) http://www.youtube.com/user/DadLabs#play/all-- My husband died of laughter watching these clips! Especially check out Daditudes/Preg-o Man when Owen gets pregnant!

Crisp for Crisp Days....

A few months ago, I escorted my family to Jerry Johnson hot springs a mere 67 miles from Missoula. The hot springs are technically in Idaho but Missoulians claim them for Montana fame. On that trip, it was 90 degrees and the river flowing nearby was more relaxing then the rock lined hot springs. Nonetheless, we had a great time and after witnessing a very pregnant women soaking in those pools I vowed to go back on a crisp fall day with Dale in tow. Let me just say, it was well worth the 67 mile trip, 1.5 mile hike, and jeans I ripped on the way to hear my back and hips crack and pop like a bowl of rice crispies, submerged with relaxation.



After devouring some delicious pork sandwiches that Dale made, we packed up some goldfish, homemade peach-apple crisp (recipe to follow), and a bottle of wine that we have been saving since May. The road was long and windy but beautifully lined with amber, orange, and red trees, and snow capped mountains in the distance. The parking lot, as usual, had a few cars, all hinting of nature's magical powers. We started our ascent up the 1.5 mile trail, that was admittedly easier when I wasn't nine months pregnant.



Our way up the trail, Dale and I held hands and quietly observed our surroundings: mushrooms, ferns, babbling creek, broken logs all lined the way. After a few stops to catch my breath and adjust my now ripped jeans we arrived at the luxurious site free of other people and quickly stripped to our swimsuits and jumped in.



The pools were hot but not too hot and were deep enough to sit in fully submerged with only our heads sticking out. Emma even enjoyed the hot springs, swimming around and panting in an attempt to stay by our sides. We enjoyed our bottle of wine, a dessert wine from Mission Mountain Winery (one that we had been saving for a special occasion), and pared it with our delicious crisp. All in all, it was the perfect way to celebrate the beginning of October, being full-term, and appreciating the last few weeks we have to ourselves. All this time, I have been so anxious to meet our baby, but now, after such a relaxing day, I am wishing I had just a few more months to enjoy our twosome-life together as a couple.



We made our way back to Missoula, with soft hands and feet slightly effervescent of sulphur, hand in hand as we drove over the pass, knowing that this was a special day, one to remember between midnight feedings and diaper changes when we become 3.

Peach-Apple Crisp

You can make this crisp with almost any fruit you have lying around--in fact its a great way to use any over-ripening fruits that may be lying around your counter. I used a few apples and 2 cans of peaches, drained and rinsed, totaling about 4 cups of fruit.

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 2 cans of sliced peaches, drained, rinsed, and patted dry
• 2 apples, sliced
  
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch kosher salt

For the topping:

• 1 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pea sized pieces
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons cold water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the filling:

Toss the fruit in a large bowl with the zest and lemon juice. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Evenly fill a pie-plate or baking dish with filling.

For the topping:

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor except the water. Pulse until combined, this will take about 30 seconds. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture is clumpy but crumbly.

Top the filling with the topping.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is hot and bubbly and the topping, brown and crispy.

This was delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream!

Zucchini Gratin

Most home-gardeners complain about too much zucchini. Dale and I haven't had enough! Our plant was very productive bearing delicious golden fruit daily but we still want more! However, as the temperatures cool I needed some recipes to use the last of my zucchini in tasteful ways. I made Zucchini Gratin last week and we all cleared our plates! Dalyn, Dale's sister, made this dish meal-request for Thanksgiving so I made sure to freeze some sliced zucchini for the honor.

Zucchini Gratin

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 3 tbls unsalted butter
• 1-2 onions, thinly sliced
  
• 2 big zucchini slice, 1/4 inch thick
  
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup hot milk
• 3/4 cup panko (or seasoned bread crumbs)
  
• 3/4 cup grated parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a very large saute pan and cook the onions and zucchini over low heat for 20 minutes, or until tender but not browned. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the hot milk and cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce. Pour the mixture into an 8 by 10-inch baking dish.

Combine the panko and parmesan and sprinkle on top of the zucchini mixture and bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Fall, Summer, Winter, Fall is Here

Whew, these last two weeks have been a whirlwind as Dale and I have traveled to and from Big Sky, MT, worked 8-day work weeks, and shuffled between wearing flip-flops and heavy sweaters as, in typical Montana fashion, the weather varies between wintry chills and summer heat!

First, for all those who were wondering, Dale passed his Introductory Sommelier Course and Exam in Big Sky, MT last week! We stayed at a colleague's house, where I relaxed in a hot tub with majestic views, and Dale and co-workers studied hard for two long days. I knew Dale was a whiz when it came to wine but after two days surrounded by cork dorks I realized how extensive his knowledge is! To top it all off, he nailed a few blind tastings, identifying even grape varietal, region, and VINTAGE! I am confident that Dale will be able to pass the next level which is the Certified Sommelier Exam when the next opportunity comes around.


A very proud Dale!!

It was beautiful in Big Sky. The air was crisp and cool and the skies blue. I enjoyed my time relaxing, enjoying my last opportunity to cart around my Nikon without a baby strapped to me. I spent a few hours in Bozeman and caught up with an old friend and took a little hike with Emma to get some fresh air and see some waterfalls. Usually, leaving Bozeman always saddens me as it is my home, but this time, I was excited to return to Missoula and the home I share with my husband and family. I know many Bozeman trips are in the future but for now, I have decided that I can live in Missoula (however, I still refuse to become a Griz Fan!).



We had tons to do when we returned to prepare not only for baby's arrival but for winter's arrival as well! So between more laundry duty and house cleaning, I was out in my garden planting one last batch of radishes and covering my not-quite-ripe pumpkins with hay. I am hoping this last batch of radishes will have some time to mature before the ground freezes, but no one can predict Montana weather. It was 75 one day with nighttime temps of 35 and the next it was 46 with a 30% chance of snow!

Just as no one can predict winter's exact arrival, our little one's arrival also appears to be a mystery! As of Monday, the doctor said I am already progressing and preparing for labor, so it could be any day! It is only October 1st and technically I still have 27 days till D-Day, nonetheless, many of our family members are already starting to make early predictions! If you want in on the game go to: http://www.expectnet.com/games/PittmanBabyPool to make your prediction. Winners will get bragging rights unless Dale and I can come up with a more generous prize!



Today, the weather forecast is 55 with sun so Dale and I are headed to Jerry Johnson hot springs to celebrate October's arrival and enjoy fall before it quickly becomes winter!