oh hi, I'm still here

No, Tadpole hasn't been born yet! We moved, though, and then we didn't have the interwebs for a whole week. Hence my recent silence.

I don't have any links this time, because I was too busy nesting to collect any for you. As much fun as blogging is, it's a lot more fun to fold blankets and arrange wine glasses in the china cabinet.

However, I do have husband quotes and a preggers update.

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"I love you even more than bacon."
-Jared

"Babe, why do you have a big bag of weed in the kitchen?"
-Jared

For the record, it's red raspberry leaf tea . . . and I knew as soon as I opened the package that he would be calling it weed.

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We're excited.

Pregnancy happenings: There is a muchness of baby in front of me, as you can see. I think this is what they call the "beached whale stage." Honestly, I sort of forget what life was like without a big belly preceding me. I suppose that once upon a time, I could bend over without grunting like an inelegant cow . . . yes, I recall those days vaguely . . .

Tadpole is full term now (38 weeks yesterday!) but I've been trying not to go into labor, i.e. moving slowly and taking a lot of breaks as I unpack. After all, the nursery is not ready, the house is still full of boxes, none of her clothes have been washed let alone put away, I don't have the required paraphernalia to take to the birth center. Oh my. People ask me if I'm "ready" and I just sort of give them a skeptical look. What does "ready" even mean when it comes to bringing a brand new soul into the world?

Some days I cannot wait until she arrives. I can't wait to see her little feet, not just feel them. I can't wait to hold her. I can't wait to discover her personality. Other days I am on the verge of a freakout at the thought of, well, being a mother. How am I supposed to take care of a miniature person? How will I know what she needs? Are they seriously going to let us take her home?!

Well, it could be any day now. I'll keep you posted.

Weekend linkage

Me: Simon sent me some Youtube video, because apparently everyone has seen it but I haven't. Whatever.
Jared: What video would that be?
Me: I think it's called Gangnam Style.
Jared: Babe. Everyone has seen that.

Rachel: Man, I've had that dumb song stuck in my head all day!
Me: Which song?
Rachel: The One Direction song.
Me: Which One Direction song?
Rachel: Oh, their most famous.
Me: Err. 
Rachel: The Piano Guys covered it.
Me: I . . . don't know who the Piano Guys are . . .
Rachel: THE ONE YOU LINKED TO ON YOUR BLOG.
Me: Ohhhh.

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Pregnancy happenings: She's a lively one, this tadpole of ours. But I love it. This week I had my hand on my stomach and, beyond a doubt, there was a wee foot pushing back at me. Sort of weird, you know? How she's large enough that it's individual feet I feel, not just general pressure?

BABY FEET AHHHHHH!!!!!!

Sorry. I am a little bit excited. Not so enjoyable, these days, are the frequent (as in every forty-five minutes) nighttime bathroom trips. asdfasdfapoijdasopfija

The midwife says she's in a great position, though currently facing front, and we want her the other way round. Thus I'm sitting on an exercise ball, squatting, and generally tilting forward in an effort to get her to rotate. Apparently the heaviest part of a baby (vertically speaking) is its back, and so the more time I spend leaning to the front, the more likely she is to swing around. Here's hoping.

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This was of course even funnier before Francis appeared on the balcony, but! "What Do You Think About the New Pope?"

Paper wins.

Twenty-five photographs that defy explanation.

Well Written Wednesdays: his second name is Gengulphus

I was rather surprised.

"Do they knight birds like him?"

"Oh, yes, sir. A gentleman of Mr Trotter's prominence in the world of publishing is always in imminent danger of receiving the accolade."

"Danger? Don't these bozos like being knighted?"

"Not when they are of Mr Trotter's retiring disposition, sir. He would find it a very testing ordeal. It involves wearing satin knee-breeches and walking backwards with a sword between the legs, not at all the sort of thing a sensitive gentleman of regular habits would enjoy. And he shrinks, no doubt, from the prospect of being addressed for the remainder of his life as Sir Lemuel."

"His name's not Lemuel?"

"I fear so, sir."

"Couldn't he use his second name?"

"His second name is Gengulphus."

"Golly, Jeeves," I said, thinking of old Uncle Tom Portarlington, "there's some raw work pulled at the font from time to time, is there not?"

-from Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit by P.G. Wodehouse

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We've not 100% settled on a name for this little girl, but you can at least be certain that it will not be Gengulphus Portarlington.

till the storms of destruction pass by

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

I cry out to God Most High,

to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

He will send from heaven and save me;

he will put to shame him who tramples on me.

God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

. . . I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

-from Psalm 57

paleo carrot cake muffins

In which I continue to make muffins.

Muffins are just . . . nice. They're snack-size. Cute. No need for a bread knife. Quick to make. Easy to freeze. So many different kinds! And, bonus for me, they're one baked good that turns out really well with alternative flours. So that's why I keep baking them.

With this recipe, I essentially offer you portable carrot cake. Feel free to add cream cheese frosting. Who could object?

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Paleo Carrot Cake Muffins
(adapted from The Well Fed Homestead)

6 large eggs
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 cups grated carrot

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners; lightly spritz the inside of each liner with nonstick cooking spray.
2) In blender, process eggs, coconut oil, and honey for 15-30 seconds, until uniformly yellow and slightly foamy. Add all remaining ingredients except for carrot and blend until smooth.
3) In mixing bowl, stir together batter and grated carrot. Divide among prepared muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes, until tops are no longer wet. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.

Weekend linkage

Our projects: baby and house.

I did the quintessential Pregnant Woman Thing this week-- at about 9:30 PM, after having a perfectly good dinner and with no reason other than an irresistible craving, I stood in the kitchen and ate chocolate peanut butter ice cream out of the carton. It tasted so good. I felt so terrible afterwards. Well, now I know. :)

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Russell Moore on why the afterlife bores us. "Your eternity is no more about looking back to this span of time than your life now is about reflecting on kindergarten. The moment you burst through the mud above your grave, you will begin an exciting new mission--one you couldn't comprehend if someone told you."

Well that's pretty awesome: a Hogwarts constructed of over 400,000 LEGO bricks. "My younger son helped by testing the sturdiness of the buildings, the usability of the classrooms, and he contributed several charmingly wobbly shrubs down by Hagrid’s hut."

Interesting: models and their mothers.

A perceptive article on "culture creep," or how perversions become acceptable in public discourse.