First Trip To The Park

 After being cooped up in the house last week we needed to get out and do something. Thursday we just rode with Nathan to get gas and pick up pizza. Friday we went to the park for about an hour. George loves to be outside. Nathan usually takes him outside every night when he gets home.

Dumpling Update: 2 weeks

George is 2 weeks old today. He had his check-up this morning and here are his stats.

8Ibs 13 ounces

21 inches long

Check out the cheek growth!

Hospital

 2 weeks.

Like I said...he likes to eat.

It Feels Like Fall

 I can't believe summer is almost over. It's only 3 more weeks until it's officially Autumn. Here in New Hampshire it actually starts feeling like fall when the calender says it is. Earlier this year I was amazing when I read in a magazine that summer was only 90 days long. I had completely forgotten that in some parts of the U.S. it doesn't last 6-7 months. We tried to pack in as much as we could while it's been warm and I think we did a pretty good job. 

Now we have fall things to look forward to like the big Apple Harvest Day and other fall festivals. The nights have been cool ever since the weather changed 2 weeks ago (the night George made is move). It was 57 degree's when I took Nathan to work this morning. I'm looking forward to the cooler weather and fall baking and cooking. But then comes the long winter...

Funny Faces

  

 This is how Nathan sleeps and it's also what George was doing when we had our 20 week ultrasound. 

 He makes the cutest faces.

Our Little Dumpling

George Hudson House

8/16/2012

7Ibs. 8.8oz

20.9 inches

He came 5 days early and gave me a good fight before making his appearance at 3:06 PM on Thursday. He's healthy, has lots of hair and LOVES to eat. His dark hair is light on the ends and has lots of blonde hair underneath so I don't think it will be dark long. He has Nathans hairline and the Leonhard nose and eyebrows. 

He's perfect.

Heading home on Saturday.

First family picture.

First car ride!

Faux Hawk

Yawn

We are so thankful for Gods rich blessing to us.

39.5 Weeks, Quilt Love & Baby Clothes

So this is what 39 1/2 weeks looks like. Crazy huge!! It freaks me out a little looking at it. Anyway, hopefully this baby will be here very soon.

I've been blessed with a lot of quilts with this baby and I thought I'd show you a couple. This green one is the small one that we all made squares for at my last baby shower. It's going to be perfect for the stroller or car seat.

This is one of my favorites so far (I still have 2 more I haven't seen). The sweet lady at my church made it with reproduction 1940's print fabric.

And here are a few more things I've made.

I made this yesterday.

These diaper shirts I made a while back but I finally put the ribbons on this week so their officially finished.

Just us on Sunday before church. The two of us...for a few more days.

Basil Pesto

I love pesto! The amount of uses are endless. It's one of those things that I continually wish I had an endless supply of. I have made a big batch in the past and frozen it but not for the last 2 summers because we haven't had a garden. This year we once again have nowhere to put a garden. I could have planted some herbs in a pot but I've been busy with baby stuff. 

Thankfully everyone at the farmers market has tons of basil and it's actually a reasonable price (unlike everything else). I walked the 3 blocks to the market on Wednesday and picked up $4 worth. It actually made more than I thought. If there is no baby here by next week I might do another batch. 

Here is what I put in mine:

Basil

Parmesan or Pecorino Ramano Cheese

Lots of Garlic

Pecans, Pine Nuts or Walnuts

Olive Oil

Salt 

I really like using a food processor for this but all I have right now is my blender.

I pack it in these great little freezer jars and freeze it!

This Just In!

 

 This package of amazing baked items just came in the mail from our favorite bakery. Nathan and I have lived in a lot of places and non of them have a bakery that compares to Sugar Magnolia Bakery were I worked in Statesboro, GA. 

Our sweet friends Brooks and Caitlyn (who work there) sent us this package filled with bread, cookies and pastries. Thank you so much ya'll!

They Just Don't Get It...

...it's a Southern thing. 

Fried Green Tomatoes!

I've had the hardest time finding green tomatoes here in NH. There are none to be found at grocery stores or farmers markets. Thankfully Nathan has an older man that works a few hours at the shop with him. He also has a garden and has brought in cucumbers, tomatoes and squash. Last week Nathan asked if he could bring us some green tomatoes. Apparently it took some convincing to get him to agree to pick not yet ripe tomatoes. Making a pregnant woman very, very happy won him over.

I've made fried green tomatoes several different ways this time I had Panko bread crumbs on hand so I made them the way we used to at the restaurant I worked at in Charlotte. 

1. Slice tomatoes and toss in flour flavored with salt and pepper.

2. Dip in an egg wash

3. Dredge in Panko bread crumbs seasoned with herbs de provence.

4. Pan fry in a couple inches of oil in a cast-iron skillet. Fry on one side until golden and flip.

I made a remoulade sauce to go on top and salad to go alongside.

Fortune Cookie

On Wednesday nights I host a ladies bible study/book study at our apartment. One of the ladies brought me this massive fortune cookie last week as a thank you for hostessing. A company in Hollinsford, NH makes custom fortune cookies that are about 10 times the normal size. It's about the size of a softball. I shared half of it with Nathan and I still felt a little sick after finishing it...the best fortune cookie I've ever had though!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I keep taking pictures of everything I've been working on, cooking or things we've been doing. Lately we've been so busy that I've had a hard time finding time to post everything so I'm just going to do a big giant post and catch up. 

This is what we've been up to lately:

 

 Sanding and painting this to use for a changing table.

Before:

 After: (still needs nobs)

Stocking up on cloth diapers

Painting the baby bed...used to be white.

Hanging nursery art.

Sewing the baptismal gown...

nursing cover, binkie clips, diaper shirts, burp cloths and other baby items

Packing the hospital bag & installing the car seat. 

Midwife appointments every week now. 

Cooking more lobsters.

Making killer pizza...

...oven fried zucchini with homemade garlic tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese...

...orange, cardamom breakfast rolls...

 ...blueberry and ginger jam...

 ...and stocking the freezer with pizza, dough, bbq, pie crusts, breakfast breads, chicken, beef, cookie dough, chicken stock and anything else to keep me from going to the grocery store and minimal cooking for the first two weeks after baby's arrival.

Movies in the park on Monday nights in Porstmouth. We've had to miss a few due to a breastfeeding class and other engagements but next week is Toy Story 2! One of my all time favorites.

So that's just a few things that we've been doing along with all the other normal things. Hopefully I'll stay up to date a little better now so I won't have to make such huge posts.