A misty and rainy morning

Even though Mother Nature has forgotten that it's technically May here in Cincinnati (Winter feels as if its just around the corner) I'm gearing for the next 6 months of waiting for baby, and so at least in my head its sunny! The past two or so weeks have been lovely, as my morning/afternoon/night nausea seems to have disappeared for the time being (stay away, stay away!). I have a bit more energy then I did due to not feeling sick + my daily 8 hours of sleep + daily walks and, starting tonight, prenatal yoga. I am one week away from my second trimester and I want to use this growing energy to get in shape for labor (and for me), eat a more rounded diet, and just enjoy the whole process.

Its been a little difficult (but also alot exciting) to mentally transition from the normal pre-pregnancy way I thought about my body and self image to accepting the reality that my body is changing and I am going to get bigger - bigger and heavier then I ever thought about being (while 25-35 pounds of expected weight gain is completely healthy for me its still a little scary). Ive been talking to myself a lot in my head lately and it usually sounds something like this:

" Ok. Deep breathes. Julia you are going to love your body, and all of the "wobbly bits" ( thank you Bridget Jones) that come along with whatever amazing and unique little person that is growing inside of you (how weird is it that you have a brain in your uterus, by the way). You are going to eat, think and be healthy and happy and positive. While there will be days where you feel less then beautiful, definitely grumpy and a little more then fat you have to accept that your body knows what its doing, and is doing it for a very good reason. Be patient with yourself, and let yourself feel however you do in the moment. You are beautiful and pregnant and just plain wonderful looking, and David thinks so too. Enjoy your growing body, and enjoy the next six or so months. Get ready for baby, get ready for being a mom, and just breathe."

So, rainy outside or no, in my mind its sunny and I cant wait to take myself and baby poolside in a month or so and just relax with a book and a glass of lemonade. How perfect :)

Bun in the oven!

11 weeks, and Ive got the beginning of a baby bump :)

Food love

I am a food magnet at work. People are always giving me food… and it’s not food I can turn down without seeming rude. Like Joe, the super sweet old man in the copy room (who whistles while he works, Im not kidding) who gave me my absolute favorite kind of donut this morning out of nowhere, or Sherry who gave me a pink almond flavored Busken bakery heart cookie because she said I looked stressed out all week and wanted to make me smile. These aren’t people I can say no to! It’s as if I’m obligated to absorb their kindness through my stomach. After getting the cookie (and eating it and loving it) I texted David and fake complained by saying ”why are people always forcing food on me?!

His answer: Cause they plan on eating you.

Thank you husband, for bringing the real.

"Less sweet and more flavorful"

I have discovered the most amazing ice cream in the entire world: Jenni's Salty Caramel ice cream. Oh my goodness it is the most beautiful bite of cold stuff you will ever have! Jenni's Splendid Icecreams is based out of Columbus, OH but they sell their ice cream through a select number of stores in the Cincinnati area, like Whole Foods and Carl's Deli. The salty caramel is perfect plopped on top of roasted summer peaches, next to a souffle cup full of molten chocolate desert, or just by itself on a cold spoon. Granted, the price for a pint is hefty, but for a good reason. At around $10 a pop it had better be pretty darn good! Here are some other flavors to inspire your taste buds: Queen City Cayenne, Pistachio and Honey,Wild berry Lavender, Corn Syrup Custard with Whiskey and Pecans, Goat Cheese with Cognac Fig Sauce, Lime Cardamom Yogurt, Violets and Meringue, Honey Butter Cake, Dark Chocolate, and Black Coffee.

This is summer will absolutely need to have a pilgrimage to visit a Jenni's store in Columbus, I cant wait :)

Mozzarella....

So, the mozarella turned out decently! It ended up taking double the amount of time we thought, apparently the rennet we were using wasnt the best and had to sit in the curds for two hours. There are so many different versions of how to make cheese that it took some weeding through them to figure it all out. Rachel, being the super woman that she is, took charge (it was her kitchen) and got everything together while I helped supervise temp changes and played with her kids! In the middle of the cheese making I had to run to work, so I didnt get to see the stretching of the cheese. The end product was a pretty mild mozarella, but definitely cheese. Next time I think we are going to use Snowville Farm whole milk that is unpasturized and see how it turns out. There is something pretty exciting about realizing that with a gallon of milk and some rennet you can sustainably make your own cheese, bypassing the pricey cheese at the store.

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Mozarella.jpg

Homemade Mozzarella recipe

Mozzarella article.... Rachel and I are going to make homemade Mozzarella on Tuesday, I cant wait!

This reminds me of my grandparents, I love it!