Eighty-Four Days

Dear Audrey:

Tomorrow I will return to work after twelve weeks of maternity leave, and I cannot emphasize enough how fast these last eighty-four days have passed. Few other times in my life have I lived each day with such purpose and fulfillment, existing in each moment instead of looking towards the future and wishing it would come a little more quickly. I don't mean that in some romantic, lights-all-aglow way; there have certainly been times when I've been a bit bored and starved for adult interaction. But I am sincere nonetheless. I love my job, but on Monday morning I always look forward to Friday afternoon. And when I was in school, I always looked forward to the next semester, the next vacation, or the next phase of the life that I wasn't fully living because I was convinced that the next thing had to better than the current thing. Now, while I am certain that what's to come will be amazing, I am equally certain that these last twelve weeks together cannot be overvalued.

Since the last time I wrote, you have absolutely blossomed. In addition to figuring out how to control your fingers and hands, you are now aware of your feet and legs. You will stare at them in baby awe and cautiously feel on them with your hands. You are also incredibly intrigued by faces, most notably your dad's. He will put his face down close to yours and you'll run your hands through his hair, stroke his five o'clock stubble, and put your fingers into his mouth and pull on his lips. Getting you to release whatever you've gotten your hands on, be it my hair or your Sophie giraffe, is more work than you'd think. You also practice standing up all the time and I must say that your legs are surprisingly strong. Most of the time, you stand flat on one foot and on the outside of the other, perfectly bowlegged. What's really cute is when your legs get tired. Instead of just plopping down, your torso begins to come forward, your knees bend, and gravity slowly starts to win the tug-of-war, pulling your cute diapered bottom to the ground.

For the last couple of weeks, you've gotten to where you will only nap on my chest when you are can't-keep-my-eyes-open pooped. Otherwise, you find your surroundings so fascinating that a nap on Mom's chest is dull by comparison. Nursing doesn't always keep your attention, either, as you will jerk around trying to find the source of every noise or light. It can get somewhat frustrating because you need to eat, but then you look me square in the eye and flash that grin, which renders me incapable of doing anything but mirroring your glee. In the last two weeks, you've also begun sleeping through the night, making both Dad and me immensely happy. When I was reading in bed one night after it became apparent that your new habit would be at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep, I told your Dad that I was finally beginning to feel like my old self! I must tell you, however, that the first night it happened our excitement was tempered by fear, demonstrated by the fact that your Dad jumped up, quickly walked into your nursery, and made sure you were, in fact, still breathing!

You are such a happy baby, Audrey! Most mornings you greet us with wiggles and a smile; throughout the day you woo us with your bright-eyed, gummy grins; and at night our lively "conversations" delay putting you down for bedtime. When you are really excited, you'll kick out your legs, lift up your arms, open your eyes wide, stick your tongue between your lips and make all sorts of noises. Kiddo, I could probably go on and on for miles, telling you about how much the photographer loved you at the first wedding you attended, describing your face when you figured out how to roll over, or explaining how much joy you bring my grandparents when we visit. But they wouldn't do justice to the eighty-four days of experiences we've shared.

I never anticipated enjoying mothering a newborn so much! I know that the time will come when it will no longer phase me to leave you at daycare, but I also know that tomorrow I am going to miss you every minute.

Love,
Mom

Eleven Weeks

Eleven Weeks

Easter 2013

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies [A Review]

Let me start by saying that I am probably late in the game in choosing to blog about this recipe. However, I chose to make these cookies and blog about them in order to share with you why this recipe works. Many people look at this recipe and think one of two things (or maybe, like me, both):

1) The beauty of chocolate chip cookies is that they are quick. Unlike a cheesecake or a cupcakes, there isn't any waiting on them. A recipe that requires 24 hours of chilling is NOT for me. Can't I just skip the wait and bake them immediately? -or-
2) Why does it call for both cake flour and bread flour? Can't I just substitute all-purpose flour?

The answer to both of those questions is "no." And I promise that I give you this answer after I tried three different batches of these cookies: One batch made exactly as the recipe says; one batch made with all the ingredients called for but skipping the chill time; and one batch substituting all purpose flour for the cake flour.

The results of our test testing.

The best were the ones where the recipe was followed exactly. They were the chewiest and had the most tender crumb. Second best were the ones where we skipped chilling the dough for 24 hours. These were slightly less chewy than the chilled version but still had a tender crumb. And the least good (but still quite tasty) were the cookies from the batch where we substituted all-purpose flour. These cookies were similarly chewy to the unchilled batch but (ironically) were cakier than those made with cake flour.

So here's the "science" behind it:

Why Bread Flour?: Bread flour is much higher in gluten content than all-purpose flour (around 12%). It is this high gluten content that helps makes bread chewy.

Why Wait 24 Hours?: Chilling the dough gives the gluten time to develop a more complex structure, making them even chewier.

Why Cake Flour?: Cake flour is the exact opposite of bread flour in that is has the lowest percentage of gluten of any of the flours (around 6%). It is this low gluten content that makes cakes have a light, tender crumb.

I had the pleasure of making these cookies with my dear friend, Catherine. She came down from New York for a wedding shower and fit in a visit to Winston-Salem so that she could meet Audrey. She seemed really enjoy her time playing with and cooing at the baby; she must have professed her love for Audrey at least a dozen times! And then while Audrey slept, we made two different batches of cookies (the unchilled + the all-purpose flour batches) and reviewed them. I can't express how wonderful it was to see her and how much I wish that we lived closer to one another. I couldn't help but include some photos of Catherine + Audrey in addition to the cookies.

The New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

The New York Times

In a large electric mixing bowl, combine:
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/8 cups sugar
Cream together on high for 4-5 minutes.

One at a time, add:
2 eggs
Scrape down sides of bowl after each addition.

Mix in:
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Scrape down sides of bowl.

In a separate medium bowl, sift together:
1 7/8 cup cake flour (this is the same as 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons of cake flour)
1 2/3 cups bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
In three batches, mix into wet ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to over mix.

Mix in:
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate

Pour batter onto large piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24+ hours.

Preheat oven 350

Spoon large balls of dough onto greased cookie. Use hands to form balls of dough.

Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. [Don't be afraid of the salt; it is delicious.]

Bake 15-20 minutes until centers are just set. Do not overcook.

Let cool on baking sheet for at least 10 minutes (they'll fall apart if you try to remove them too soon). Transfer to wire cooling rack. Either let them cool completely and store in an airtight container, or - and this is the better option -

Eat up immediately!

Batch #2

Batch #3

All together now.

Smiles all around.

Crazy hair + elbow dimples.

Baby bliss.

Baby bum.

Fighting a nap.

This was a gift from Catherine + her mom, Pam. Pam MADE this entire doll!! I love it.

Love.

Love II.

Working Towards A Better View

a collection of instagram photos [weeks three-six]

Dear Audrey-

Your father and I have made it six weeks with you in our lives and to our knowledge, we don't seem to have damaged you in any permanent way. Thank God.

You've come a long way in the last month. You are now flashing your contagious smile at us all the time. I like all of your smiles, but they have an uncanny ability to melt my heart when you flash one at me just after I've changed your diaper for the second time after a 4 a.m. feeding. That's right...a second time. Because girl, you poop a lot without much concern for the fact that I've just put a new diaper on that cute little bum of yours. And you are a gassy little thing. Sometimes as I am finally drifting off to sleep, I hear you tooting away in the other room and have to let an audible little giggle escape from my sleep-deprived lips.

Let's talk about sleeping for a minute. Little one, I want you to know that there have been a couple of truly frustrating nights. I want you to know this so that in some far off time when you have your own little gassy darling, you won't feel like a bad momma when you hit a wall and have to call in the support troops. It's HARD to have someone yell at you for hours. But it doesn't mean you love them any less; it just means that you're tired and you're frazzled and you need to call me to tell me all about it...just like I call your Grammy for words of comfort and advice.

At your one-month appointment with Dr. Warner, he said you were in perfect health (at 9 pounds 12 ounces, you are in the 75th percentile for weight, evidence that you eat like a champ)! He also told us to start with tummy time. I must say that you love tummy time. Ever since you were born, you've been practicing tummy time whenever you lay on your dad's chest by frantically pushing your legs against his lap to "stand up" and by pushing your arms against his chest. Only now that you are stronger, you are able to lift up your torso so that you can look him right in the eye and give him that show-stopping smile. You haven't perfected holding up your head, but now when you do, it is for more than just a second or two. You are one determined little girl, demonstrated by both your facial expressions and vocal grunts as you try to get your body to cooperate with what your brain is telling it to do. We normally don't end tummy time because you're tired but because your frustrations drive you to real cries.

Speaking of figuring things out, three days ago you were in your vibrating chair when I caught you looking at your right hand. Audrey, I swear that at that very moment you came to the realization that those adorable five-fingered things were your hands and, what's more, that you had some semblance of control over them. Since then, whenever you look at a mobile that is within reach, you stare hard at it, stick out your tongue and concentrate on getting your hands to reach out and touch it. Just as with tummy time, sometimes we have to end these learning sessions because you get frustrated that things aren't happening as quickly as you'd like them to happen. It's really quite endearing.

Once you've gotten fussy, I quickly walk into your nursery and stand in front of the mirror. One glimpse at yourself or me in that reflective glass will yield at least a pause in the shockingly loud shrieking cries that escape from that tiny little mouth of yours.

In the last month you have been quite the socialite, garnering looks from every direction when I take you out! It doesn't matter if it is in line at the post office as you spit up all over me (that was super pleasant) or you're passed out in a wrap at lunch with your Grandpa and me at Whole Foods, you draw people in. You've visited with my co-workers, Grammy's Wednesday wining girlfriends, and even attended your first Game Night. And as you get older, you spend longer and longer with your hands against my chest, pushing yourself away from me so that you can get a better view of this great big world where adventure certainly is just around the corner. I can't wait to see where you'll go!

Love,
Mom

four weeks

Sweet + Sour Pot Roast

Aunt Dot [left] and Grandma Kelley [right] in Grandma's kitchen making strawberry jam.

Several weeks ago, Jason, Audrey and I went over to my parents' house for a Sunday dinner of Sweet + Sour Pot Roast - a recipe from my Aunt Dot's kitchen, which I associate with my Grandma Kelley (her best friend). We have gone to my parents' several Sundays since Audrey's birth so that I can get out of the house and curb at least a little bit of the stir-craziness that develops over the course of a week. In addition to providing a respite from being home alone with a very cute infant, we are treated to delicious home cooked meals that I neither have to make nor have to clean up (for the record, I do try to help clean up, but Dad shoos me away). I cannot overstate what a blessing it has been for my parents to live close-by!

Now, I must admit that when Jason and I moved back to Winston-Salem, I was skeptical. While it did provide me a job in a terribly weak economy, Winston wasn't exactly where I'd envisioned myself landing. No, I had dreams of living in Denver, charting my own exciting and adventurous course in a bigger city with even bigger mountains nearby. Winston did not exactly seem exciting or adventurous. To be honest, it seemed like old news; a place I'd already experienced and didn't need to redo. As much as I'd loved my own childhood experience, I felt like I'd come full circle at the ripe-old age of twenty-five. I felt like I was reliving my parents' life when I wanted my own life.

But as we have made a life here, I have come to love Winston-Salem. I love the restaurants; I love its central North Carolina location; I love its history - particularly my history with it. But most of all, I love the people that Winston-Salem houses. And that is really what's most important anyway. Because without family and friends, what is a place? It is buildings and scenery and culture. But all those things without those you love cannot be more, at least not until you've been there long enough to make them your buildings, your scenery, your culture. No, it isn't not until that place houses your loved ones that it really becomes your home.

Does this mean I'd never leave Winston-Salem? Of course not. But I can now recognize that it provides its own excitement and adventure. Excitement and adventure that I get to share with my husband, my daughter, and my parents' over Sunday dinner. A dinner that you probably won't be surprised to know that I'd eaten numerous times, quite often on Sunday, with my parents, my brother, and my Grandma Kelley (from whom Audrey gets her middle name). Talk about full circle.

Sweet + Sour Pot Roast
Aunt Dot Newman [aka: "Ice Cube Dot"] with additions from Kathy Gondring [Mom]

Preheat oven 325º

In a large oven-proof Dutch oven, place:
3-4 pound rump roast
2 cups water
1 beef bouillon cube

Sprinkle over top of roast:
1 tsp salt
Cover and cook in oven for 1 1/2 hours.

In a medium bowl, combine:
1 medium white onion, sliced
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup catsup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried ground ginger (or 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger)
1/2 teaspoon dry ground mustard (or 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard)
Add to Dutch oven and continue cooking for another 1 1/2 hours.

After beef has cooked for 3 hours, add:
1 green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup diced sweet pickle or sweet relish
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces [optional]
Place back in oven and cook for 5-10 minutes or until veggies are tender. Remove from oven and place on stovetop over medium heat.

In a small bowl, combine:
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon corn starch
Add to the Dutch oven and cook until broth has slightly thickened.

Slice meat and serve with rice (Aunt Dot) or mashed potatoes (Grandma Kelley).

Eat up!

Stock in Thank You Cards

Dear Audrey-

It has been two weeks since your arrival and you wouldn't believe how many people love you to pieces already. Considering the number of thank you cards I have written in the last several months, it probably would have been prudent for me to go ahead to buy stock in both Hallmark and Papyrus. And believe me when I say that I am not complaining! It is jaw-dropping to think about how generous friends, family members (immediate and distantly related), co-workers, and even neighbors have been, both before and after you were born. You've gotten clothes from people I barely know. Friends of mine who don't live in Winston-Salem have delivered casseroles and bagels. And another wonderful friend came to our house amid her busy schedule to take newborn photos of you. You even have a rhodolite garnet - your birth stone - beautifully cut by a long-time family friend. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. They say it takes a village to raise a child and Audrey, I'd say your parents are lucky enough to have an entire city!

Before we had you, I wouldn't have believed it was possible to see you change every day (especially when the days sometimes run together because you keep your mother up much of the night). Your dad and I talked about how ridiculous we would have found any other parents' of a newborn if they'd said that to us, but you literally change every single day! I mean, the day you were born, you had these narrow fingers with no fat paired with long, skinny nails. And then one day I looked down while you were nursing and your fingers had fattened up and your nails had widened! I'd been with you every moment - when did this happen!?!

Audrey, I wish it were possible to capture all of the faces you make because I want to remember them forever. Sometimes you look at me out of the corner of your eye when you're nursing and I can see the sassy teenager you will one day become, daring me to take away what you're working on. Or you'll furrow your brow - at what, I'm not sure - giving me the cutest grumpy face I think I've ever seen (this is especially amazing when you're wearing your green monster onesie!). And then there are the times you smile, eyes closed and body utterly relaxed. I know that your smiles are involuntary at this point, but that doesn't matter to me one bit. One day soon enough you will discover that you can control your mouth, your arms, your legs.

My favorite times are those when I actually can't see your face at all. It's when you are curled up in fetal position, passed out on my chest. You still haven't regulated the consistency of your breaths, so sometimes they are deep, soft, and regular while other times they are shallow and quick. These are the times, dear Audrey, that new motherhood is at its best. When sleep deprivation stops mattering, at least for that one moment. When it is easy to forget the banshee-like screams that belted out of your little mouth just minutes before. When I can close my eyes and just be with you.

You made your way into this world on a Saturday night after twenty-two hours of labor. Your dad cut the cord and the nurses placed you right on my chest. I cried. You cried. Your dad cried. It was a messy, beautiful, amazing moment that I will never forget. A lifetime of motherhood awaits and I cannot wait to share many more messy and beautiful and amazing moments with you.

Love,
Mom

First stop: Winston-Salem, NC

You are an excellent napper - especially during the day...

Putting forth a great grumpy face.

And then a hint of a smile.

Butterscotch + Oatmeal Cookies

These cookies were my first cooking experience with a newborn! One of my best friends, Ashley, was stopping by the house to meet Audrey and it just happened to be her 30th birthday. And I must say that Ashley has never looked better! It sounds cheesy to say, but Ashley has one of those personalities that just shines. She pretty much always has a contagious smile on her face - a fact that my friend, Stacey, and I discussed on Sunday. What's even more impressive is that her smile is genuine. Even when things aren't going her way, she puts her best foot - and her bright smile - forward. She reminds me that the glass is always half full.

I decided to put on my Moby wrap, place Audrey safely inside it, and make birthday cookies for my sweet friend. The cookie making was a success, though the whole process took significantly more time than it would have three weeks ago! That's okay, though, because this beautiful daughter of mine is worth the extra minutes spent in my favorite room of the house!

What I don't have are pictures of these cookies. In the past, this would have stopped me from creating a post, as I would have waited to make the cookies again to get a picture. But I am practicing an adapted line from Stacey's recent blog post: Better finished than perfect. Instead, I will share two of my favorite pictures of the birthday girl and me.

Happy Birthday, Ash!

Butterscotch + Oatmeal Cookies
Kelley Gondring

In a large electric mixing bowl, cream together:
2 eggs
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add:
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Once dry ingredients are evenly incorporated, mix in:
2 heaping cups rolled oats
1 scant cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup toffee chips

Drop by the spoonful onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to wire cooling rack immediately.

Eat up!

It's a Cookbook!

I apologize for being MIA for the last couple of weeks. No, there's no baby yet. And yes, I have still been cooking - just not blogging. Instead of blogging, what I have to show for my absence is a cookbook! I've spent the last several weeks working to perfect the recipes, formatting, and photography for the 55 recipes I've included in my very own cookbook!

While I do love being able to go online to find recipes, I personally find it much easier to cook from a traditional cookbook than I do to cook from a website. First off, a cookbook stays open! It doesn't time out and close because I haven't touched it within the last three minutes, so I don't have to log into my book multiple times. Which is great because I also don't have to wash and then dry my hands unnecessarily between egg-crackings in order to remind myself whether I mix the cake batter after each egg addition for thirty seconds or a minute and thirty seconds. Second, I can easily notate changes to a recipe so that in the future I know if I did something different than the recipe said - whether it was substituting or adding an ingredient, doubling the recipe, or doing future troubleshooting so that I don't repeat the same mistake twice! Third, I'm old-school for being not that old: I like flipping through the pages to have a picture jump out and say "pick me, pick me!"

So if you're interested in having your very own or you're looking for a Christmas present or you just want to see what I've been working on, you can check out the hard copy of family, friends and food here. Or if you're not quite so old school as I am, here is the eBook version. I'd love to know what you think!

PS: Blurb has a coupon for 25% off that goes until December 17th. Promo code is WARM [all caps].

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies

Armed with mixing bowls, measuring cups and spoons, cookie trays and cooling racks, and all the ingredients to make three different types of cookies, twelve members, myself included, of Highland Presbyterian Church headed to The Winston-Salem Rescue Mission on Saturday morning to make cookies for the residents. It was part of Highland's Helping Hands, a community service event where 100+ church members headed out into the community to participate in various service projects.

I usually pick projects with Habitat for Humanity, but given my current "condition" I figured that climbing up on a roof or smelling paint fumes all morning were probably less than ideal projects for me. Breakfast cookies, on the other hand, sounded right up my alley!

Our top-notch leader had organized everything wonderfully, as was exemplified by the recipes she chose for us. Instead of choosing to make three different types of cookies that would all have needed the oven, she picked this recipe for no bake cookies. Combined with traditional-style chocolate chip and sugar cookies we also made, these no bake wonders were perfect!

Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
Food Network

In a small saucepan, bring to a boil:
2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk

When the mixture has been boiling for one minute, mix in:
1 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups oatmeal
Remove from heat.

Line several cookie sheets with waxed paper. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the waxed paper. Place in refrigerator to let cool. When they've hardened, they're ready to eat.

Eat up!

Carrot Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

While there are countless headlines about the upcoming presidential elections, I think it is important that we remember our local elections. It is in these local elections - the ones I am generally the least educated about - that we elect the individuals who make the decisions that have the potential to directly affect our lives the most dramatically. For those of you who live in Winston-Salem, please check out and support my colleague, Andrew Keever, in his campaign for District Court Judge. He's a great person, an excellent attorney, and will be a fair and impartial judge.

Important voter information for 2012:
Last day to register to vote: October 9th
Early voting period: October 22nd through November 2nd
ELECTION DAY: November 6th

Carrot Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
Kelley Gondring

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Carrot Cake

Ingredients
12 ounces unsalted butter, softened [3 sticks]
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
--
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 heaping teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
--
4 large eggs
--
3 cups shredded carrots (not packed)
1 cup craisins, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins, coarsely chopped

Preparation
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. Lightly grease and line with parchment paper three (3) 8" cake rounds. [Don't skip the parchment paper or your cakes will stick to the pans.

Directions
1. In a large electric mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla extract for one minute.
2. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients.
3. Add the dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time to the butter/sugar mixture, alternating with the addition of the eggs. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
4. Fold in the carrots, craisins, pecans, and raisins.
5. Pour batter into lined cake rounds.
6. Bake 30-35 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.
7. Let cake cool in the pan ten minutes before transferring to wire rack.
8. Let cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
--
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
--
1 pound confectioner's sugar
--
3/4 to 1 cup toasted diced pecans

Directions
1. In a large electric mixing bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese.
2. Mix in vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.
3. Gradually mix in confectioner's sugar.
4. Assemble cake. Sprinkle pecans on the sides of your carrot masterpiece.

Eat up and remember to VOTE!

After a little contemplation, I decided this cake needed a little more color, so I added a circle of red stars.

Sugar + Spice

Deciding how to tell people you're pregnant is thrilling yet nerve-wracking. Should you wait to do it in person or is calling okay? What about more modern forms of technology like email or text or Facebook? And what words to use? Do you just let it come up in conversation, create a cute story, or just blurt it out because you can't possibly keep it inside any longer? And what about the times when a friend or family member beats you to the punch and asks??

Over the course of the last several weeks, Jason and I have mostly kept quiet about little snow pea's nine month long stay in my uterus. While Jason probably would have been fine limiting that knowledge to only our parents, I just couldn't keep it from several of my closest girlfriends, my brother, and my grandparents. With each passing week, I gave myself permission to induct one more person to our secret society (yes, this is probably news to Jason).

Most of the dozen or so people I told in the first trimester have learned via the "blurt it out" method. Ashley, for example, agreed to meet me in Chapel Hill for a quick visit while I was in Raleigh for a work conference. She didn't know it, of course, but my heart was racing and I had to stop myself from breaking out into a grin as we ordered our ice cream. We went to sit outside, and just as she was taking her first bite of ice cream, I blurted out "I'm pregnant!" Her spoon literally stopped just centimeters from her lips and I'm pretty sure I saw her brain churning as she worked to absorb my words.

I basically used the same method with my parents. After Jason and I returned from our trip to California, we drove straight from the airport to my parents' house to pick up our Sydney. In the car, we agreed to wait to tell them until Mother's Day. Being as helpful as ever, I just stand and chat in the foyer with my parents while Jason packs up the dog crate and walks outside to put it in the car. Dad looks at me and says something to the effect of "You look different, what's up?" I look in the opposite direction of my all-knowing parents and try to fight back my smile. Unsurprisingly unsuccessful, I turn around, cheesy grin and all, and say "It's because I'm pregnant." Their excited yells were loud enough for Jason to hear halfway down the sideway. So much for keeping a secret.

Grandpa has been itching for me to get pregnant since the day I got married. Grandma did her best to keep him at bay, though her success rate steadily declined with each passing visit. One Wednesday evening, I drove to my grandparents with the intent of telling them the good news. I had no idea how I'd bring it up, but I figured the "blurt it out" method had worked so far. As I sit down at the dining room table, Grandpa pulls a stuffed animal off the table, hides it behind his back, and says:

"Kelley, I have an incentive for you." He proceeds to pull the white stuffed seal from behind his back, leans forward to get close to me and says, "I'll give you one if you name him Jason Augustus and I'll give you two if you name him Augustus Jason."

If that isn't a reason to procreate, I don't know what is.

"Well, what if it is a girl?" I ask him.

He sits back in his chair and ponders the question. "Hmmm, I hadn't thought about that."

"Good thing you have until January to figure it out."

"What?"

Maintaining eye contact, saying it more slowly this time, I repeat, "It's a good thing you have until January to figure it out."

"JO! Do you hear what she's saying?!?!"

At a mere 97 years old, it never ceases to amaze me how sharp that man is.

Not like my dear friend, Catherine. This story is my favorite, probably because Catherine's desire for me to have a baby is second only to my Grandpa's. Months and months ago, I'd told her that I'd figured out how I would tell her when I learned I was pregnant. So one afternoon as I was leaving work I sent her the simple text of "+". I figured she'd get it immediately. Minutes passed. Maybe she was on the train without a signal. Minutes turned to hours. Did she receive it? Did she understand it? Was she upset I told her via text?

Over 18 hours later and I still had no response from Catherine. Hmmm...How to get the conversation going? So I asked her opinion on a semi-immigration case in the news at the time thinking maybe that would prompt her to follow-up on my previous text. Nope...she just gave me very educated answers to questions I cared little-to-nothing about. Sensing failure, I cut to the chase:

Huh, Catherine? Really?

And finally the lightbulb.