Friday, May 25, 2012

Name Change

So since we are weeks away from having baby #2, I think I need to change the name of this blog.  I'm not going to change the address or anything, just the name.  Probably to "The Oesch Momma" or maybe I'll try to do some kind of play on words with "Oesch" (pronounced "Ish").  Maybe not, though, since most people won't get it.

Anyway, in the meantime here are some pictures of Elijah playing on the new climber/slide thing that Mike's mom got for him.












It also has a basketball goal on the side.  It came with balls but not a pump for pumping them up so I will have to borrow one from someone this weekend.  In the meantime, we can use the Mizzou ball that Mike usually plays with.  Yes, I am serious about that.  I married a 4 year old.



Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Elijah Language 102

"zee" = tree
"bah-beh" = baby
boo boo (sounds a lot like "poo poo")
Addi (his cousin/my niece)
"nah nah" = no no
"bah-bah" = bye bye (sounds much like baby, you have to put it in context)
Mmmmm = the general noise in response to any food

Also, here is something to do if you're having pre-labor contractions while you're watching a toddler.  Have him decorate your enormous belly with leftover Easter stickers.


Hopefully not too much longer.  I'm really ready to be done with this pregnancy and have my new son out where people can see him.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Some thoughts on Mother's Day

I know that Mother's Day can be a joyful day for some people and a heartbreaking one for others.  There are some women who long to be mothers and can't.  I have been there and I know how painful that is.  There are people who have lost their mothers or people who do not have good relationships with their mothers.  There are single mothers and even married mothers whose husbands really don't step up to the fathering plate.  There are single fathers who long for a woman to be a mother to their children.

In amongst all this, I would just like to say on this woman-honoring and mother-honoring day that:
I am grateful for my son and for the son I am about to have.
I am grateful for the wonderful mother that I have and for the example of motherhood and womanhood that she set for me.
I am grateful for my husband and the wonderful, sacrificial father and husband that he is to me and our son.
I pray that those for who this day is sorrowful would realize that whether they are hoping for motherhood or grieving the loss of a mother in some way, that they are valued not for their parentage or accomplishments or anything else except that they are human and God loves them.  You are important because you are infinitely valuable to the Lord of all life, the one true perfect parent.
And lastly, I am extremely grateful to God for all that he is and all that he has blessed me with.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Bonnie Crock Pot Chili

Okay this may be one of those times where everyone is like "um, derrr, Bonnie, everyone knows how to make that..."  If so, that's fine.  I just thought I'd share it just in case because every time I see a recipe on someone's blog that's easy prep and clean up and/or can be done while Elijah is sleeping, I always try it out (assuming that it's not something I know Mike wouldn't eat).  Anyway, this is my easy peeasy crock pot chili recipe that can be done before you go to work, the night before, or during the kiddo's nap and will be ready for dinner.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 medium yellow or white onion
1 can chili ready tomatoes
1 can chili beans
garlic salt (or a few garlic cloves if you want to be fancy pants)
chili powder
Salt and pepper

First you're going to toss the tomatoes and chili beans in the crock pot.  I don't drain them because the juice in them has flavoring and if you do drain them you'll have to add water so it doesn't get too dry.  Make sure you keep one empty can to drain the grease from your meat into so you don't screw up your sink.  Then chop up the onion and throw it in a skillet with the meat.  Brown the meat, mixing it with the onion as you go until the meat has no pink and the onion is opaque.  If you want you can chop up some garlic cloves and put them in with this.  Then you won't have to use garlic salt.  But, as I have said numerous times before, I'm lazy so I usually just use garlic salt.  Once the meat and onions are done, drain the grease into your saved empty can.  (If you leave it sitting on the counter for a few hours, it will dry and harden and you can throw it in the trash.)  Then put meat and onions in the crock pot with the beans and tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper and chili powder and garlic salt (if you didn't use garlic cloves--or you can do both if you want it super garlicky).  I can't really say how much of each spice to add because I just throw it in until it looks good to me.  Probably about a tablespoon of garlic salt and chili powder and then just a few grinds of salt and pepper.  Then mix it up.  This one I actually do mix so that the spices get mixed into everything.  Since it's pretty much all made up of cooked items you don't have to put it on for any particular amount of time.  A few hours on low will get all the juices and spices mixed pretty well.  I wouldn't do it on high unless you want it done in like 30 minutes.  And I wouldn't leave it on for longer than like 5 or 6 hours because then it might get dry.

If you want it spicier you could add red pepper flakes or even chop up some chilies like jalapenos and cook them with the meat and onion.  Of course if you have kiddos, that's probably not a good idea.  Then you serve it with whatever you like.  We usually do corn chips (i.e. fritos) and sour cream and cheese or if you're weird like my husband you can just add ketchup (like it isn't salty and tomatoey enough already).

Clean up is just bowls, silverware and crock pot rinsed and thrown in dishwasher.  And of course you have to wash the skillet.  I use a teflon one so I have to hand wash it, but, again, it can be done while Elijah is napping so way less stress on me and less cleanup after dinner, which is really what I try to avoid.

Friday, May 4, 2012

What was that thing Jesus said about worry?

So as of this Saturday I will be 35 weeks pregnant, only two weeks away from what is considered "full term", and although I have obtained everything I think we will absolutely need for the new baby (at least in terms of "stuff") I am still plagued with worry and stress.  Most of the concerns are associated with labor and delivery.  My last delivery did not go as I'd hoped at all.  It was long and painful (as I expected) and my main goal (other than healthy baby & mommy) was to avoid a c-section.  Well, that did not happen.  I labored all day long with no pain relief and still had to have a c-section.  (You can read the whole story here.)  And the recovery from the c-section was long and difficult.  I guess some people have an easier recovery but I really didn't feel normal for several months.  Fortunately, I had a lot of help and only one small baby at the time.  This time I'm going to have one small baby and one *very* active toddler on my hands.  And while I will likely have the same amount of help, everyone still has jobs and other responsibilities so I can't have someone around to help me all the time.

It is fortunate that I have a doctor who is in favor of VBAC and willing to let me try different things in order to avoid another c-section.  (For example, they can't induce me with cervadil like they did last time but she is willing to try things like breaking my water to start labor so I don't have to use pitocin.)  Obviously my hope is to go into labor on my own, not having to be induced like last time.  And while I'm not going to definitely rule out an epidural, I am going to try to labor without it as long as I can, mostly because I pushed with one and without one the last time and pushing was SO much easier when I could feel what was going on.  But of course, I have no idea how things are going to go so it seems almost silly to me to even make plans about it.

 Here's a picture of Elijah with his ball to break up the text.

Labor is one of the things that most displays to me how Jesus is lovingly taking a machete to my control idols.  (The other number one thing is parenthood in general.)  On the one hand, I believe that God created and designed a woman's body to give birth without the use of medical interventions (in almost all cases), but I also believe that he gives us advances in medicine to help us as long as we don't look to those things as a substitute for his divine care and purpose.  And on top of that, when I go into labor, what the labor will look like, how long it will last, how difficult it will be, how it will end up, etc.  All of that is completely out of my control and despite my efforts to try to figure out how to make it go the way I want to, there really is next to nothing I can do.

At first that causes major anxiety for me because it's my body that has to do all this and I don't care if you call them rushes or contractions or whatever the hell you want to--they are insanely painful.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  I mean, they have their purpose and you have to try to work with them, but they hurt like mad.  And while I'm not one to avoid pain at all costs, no one wants to experience that kind of pain.  Knowing that I am going to in about a month's time causes me major anxiety, especially since I don't know how long it will last and if it will be worth it (by that I mean, allowing me to avoid another c-section).

Another picture in his hat (sorry it's crappy, taken with my cell phone).

Really, though, knowing that God is in complete control should cause me great comfort and peace.  It's like how kids can fall asleep on their parents' shoulders in the midst of chaos because they trust their parents to take care of them.  At times I feel that but at times I don't.

I read through Matthew 6:25-34 where Jesus is talking about worry.  It's interesting that the things he says not to worry about are food, drink and clothing.  These are main essentials.  Without them you don't really worry about other stuff.  Does this mean he's telling us only not to worry about the basic essentials because God will provide for those if we just trust him?  Or is he telling us not to worry about anything other than seeking his kingdom?  In v. 34 he tells us not to worry about tomorrow because there's enough trouble today.  So, is he saying it's okay to worry about the troubles of today or is he simply assuming we're going to worry despite the fact that he told us not to?  And of course there are plenty of Proverbs that talk about the wisdom of planning ahead.  Not suggesting that we plan to the point of thinking  we have everything under control; we know only God has control.  But it's like how I still put my kid in a carseat and wear my seatbelt even though I believe God is in control of whether or not we get into a car wreck.

And here's one of him playing at the Plaza Library

I don't have any real answers here, just musings.  Just trying to pray and wait on God and not worry since worrying about how the labor will go is not going to make it go any smoother.  Planning ahead might be helpful but I have real trouble planning ahead without running into trying to take complete control of the situation, which is beyond silly since I can't take control.  And of course, as if my labor worries weren't enough, there are also money worries and concerns about how Elijah is going to handle the shock of having a sibling.  I have told him there's a baby in Mommy's tummy and that he's going to have a little brother and be a big brother, but I really don't think he gets it.  And will I love one kid more than the other?  And if I do will they realize it or will I be able to keep it to myself?  Right now I can't imagine loving any kid as much as I love Elijah and that freaks me out.  I don't want him to be the golden child just because he was our first.  I could really work myself up here if I start thinking about it too much.  I think instead I'll just go pray for the ability to rest in God's sovereignty.  Man is that hard for me to do.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Mushroom Pork Chops

Okay, time to share a recipe that I like.  I can't take most of the credit for it because, as with most things I cook on a regular basis, it is an adaptation of some other recipe someone else recommended for me, in this case my mom and sister-in-law Marcie.  I have simply adapted it to make it easier on me because I'm lazy (a.k.a. hugely pregnant and chasing around a toddler).

It's a crock pot recipe, which I love because I can do them while Elijah's napping rather than having to try to cook while keeping an eye on him later in the day.  Also, pretty easy cleanup if your crock pot thing goes in the dishwasher.  And it only has 4 ingredients (aside from salt & pepper)--take that Claire Robinson!  Here we go...

Ingredients:
a bag of frozen green beans (or if you're fancy you can use fresh)
about 5-6 medium gold potatoes
pork chops (I like the boneless kind)
a can of cream of mushroom soup

Directions:
Clean & chop the potatoes into 1-inch cubes.  Dump green beans in the bottom & then potatoes on top of those.  Salt & pepper the veggies to taste (you can mix them up if you want, but I usually don't because, again, lazy).  Put pork chops on top.  Pour mushroom soup over the top of the pork chops.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

There you have it.  Pork chops have the yummy mushroom gravy taste and the veggies are all done up delicious.  Clean up is plates & the crock pot rinsed and tossed in the dishwasher.  Easy peeasy!