Oops, Did I Make the No-Rise Version?

I've been baking bread for a long time. I can tell by about the first hour of rising whether a dough has problems. There is a certain smell to dough that's rising well.

My first experiment with no-knead bread was an utter disaster. This dough had problems. By the time I went to bed last night, I knew the dough was not rising well, and the sticky mess I pulled out of the bowl this morning made the case.

The recipe is not difficult. I either mismeasured (not likely, but possible) or the yeast was not good. There is no proofing step in this recipe for the yeast; however, the expiration date was fine and I bought it at HEB, where there is sufficient turnover at this time of year. I don't think the yeast was bad.

People in Google-land report sticky dough that comes out fine in the end. But this was not sticky dough...I don't think. It was a sticky, unmanageable mess. User error? I'll try again next weekend.

Feeling Kneady

The weather turned cold and drizzly today just in time for the kickoff of my two-day cooking project: A version of the "No-Knead" Bread made famous about two years ago via an article in the New York Times (although I actually didn't read about it until Vogue followed it up later. Yes: carbs in Vogue.)

As the article notes, it's hard to come with any "innovations" in bread baking, since it's been going on for, I don't know, a gajillion years. The tactic used for this recipe involves no kneading, and baking at high heat in covered a Dutch oven, which supposedly makes a to-die-for crust. I don't mind kneading bread, but this just seems too interesting not to try, especially since I've been reading about it for two years.

The recipe I'm using is actually from Cook's Illustrated. They call their version "Almost No-Knead" bread because it does call for kneading 10 times after the first rise (10 times, which is like, 30 seconds of kneading). I decided on a modification of their parmesan/rosemary/olive version, but without parmesan and replacing the green olives (seems very weird for bread) with kalamatas.

The first step was very easy: Mix flour, salt, yeast, rosemary, water, olives and a little beer until it forms a "sticky mass" (eeeeew!) then let it sit for 8 to 18 hours. Tomorrow morning will be the final steps, which is the kneading and shaping into a loaf; a 2-hour rise, and then baking. I'll report with photos (unless the results are embarrassing) tomorrow!

Thanksgiving, Indeed

Uncle Bill shut it down with a perfectly cooked Thanksgiving turkey this year. I'm usually neutral on the turkey, but I had two helpings. The other culinary highlight was a life-changing pecan pie from our guest Peggy.

Thankgiving makes me wonder why we don't eat Reddi-Whip all year round? One good dollop is only about 30 calories.

Sweet Oliver (above, with Aunt Emily) slept in his car seat almost the entire afternoon, finally being extracted during the last hour for some passing around by various interested parties. With all the food, football and fuss going on, Logan didn't nap at all and Wills napped only for a short while. Aunt Emily exacerbated the situation by planing "howler monkey" with them. It was very chaotic and yet I'm not sure we would want it any other way (well, except for faux-pa, who looked a little overwhelmed toward the end). Happy first Thankgiving, Ollie.

12 Lbs. of Baby

Breaking news...Larry took Oliver to his four-month checkup today and Oliver is a whopping 12 lbs. 1 oz. Dr.P liked what he saw all around and commented on how strong Oliver is. Our sweet baby was pretty wiped out today after the appointment, which means he'll be hungry and ready to party at around 3 a.m.

Pot-unlucky

Possible reasons why nobody ate your dish at the office potluck:

• You hovered near your dish for the entire meal, noting co-workers' reactions, serving sizes and consumption.
• You complemented the dish with an article about the medical benefits or detriments of some of the ingredients.
• You complemented the dish with specific instructions on preparing and eating it (Sprinkle with 1 Tb olive oil, provided, and then re-microwave for 30 seconds. Next...).
• Bulgher wheat.
• The loaf of white bread you brought because you didn't have funds/inclination/inspiration to bring anything else is not very festive and actually a little depressing. Sometimes it's best just to freeload.
• Really...does anyone eat ambrosia?

First Day Back

We ought to be grateful, but things went so swimmingly today with my return to Bulldog, I'm actually suspicious that the roof will cave in tomorrow.

• Our morning routine went off without a hitch. In fact, Logan, Larry and I ended up in the living room staring at each other when we realized we'd actually completed the routine with 10 minutes to spare! I got to nurse and cuddle Oliver for 45 minutes when we got up, and then an extra 15 minutes right before I left.
• Jumping back into work was not at all difficult. Even with the new faces that have joined since I've been gone, it was nice to see all of the familiar faces. The few hours I've spent each week checking e-mail and handling major crises were worth the investment, even if I had to do them at 1 in the morning, because I did not have to deal with 2,000 stacked-up e-mails in my inbox and could start getting up to speed on real projects, as opposed to wading through a bunch of junk.
• And most important of all, by far, is that Oliver had a good day with our wonderful friend N, who is going to stay with him for a while so I can transition back to work in peace and we decide how to handle his care. Knowing that he was in loving hands made a tremendous difference in my day. Of coure he was on my mind all day (as Logan is...that's just parenthood) but I was not worried.

Definitely an emotional day, but a pretty good one. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Re-entry

Back to work tomorrow. I deliberately chose a short week for this, not because I'm worried about re-entry at Bulldog but because I really question how in the world we are going to get our &%*# together in the mornings. We could barely get Logan and Larry out the door when Oliver and I were home!

Wish us all luck...and the ability to shower.

Mr. Clean

Logan is utterly obsessed with the concept of "cleaning" lately, which to him means dragging around a sponge mop or Swiffer mop (without the sponge or the Swiffer pad inserted). We've been allowing this, as there's no harm and it's certainly part of his natural curiousity to do the things we do around the house (he also likes to "make" his own sandwiches and wipe up spills).

All of this resulted in a most interesting scenario yesterday, in which Larry had to separate Logan from his mop in order to change him into jammies. As Larry carried Logan into his room, Logan reached desperately over Larry's shoulder, screaming "Nooooo! More cleaning!!!" If only we could fast forward 12 years, I'd be glad to get him his very own mop and let him go to town for real.

Sad Times in the Closet

Getting ready for my re-entry at Bulldog Monday, I spent my pockets of free time this week sorting through my disastrous closet. The only thing harder than getting dressed for work as a pregnant person is getting dressed during the "transition," which is what we call the period before we lose the rest of the baby weight and get an accurate read on how the pregnancy redistributed everything.

I sorted the clothes into four groups:

• Maternity clothes, which got boxed up and shipped to their rightful owners. Needless to say, we're done.
• Clothes I really should have given to Goodwill a long time ago.
• Clothes I want to keep even if I can't wear them now.
• The very, very few items that fit.

Sigh. There's no way I'm going to buy an entire new wardrobe. I like my old wardrobe. So my winter ensembles are going to be very limited. I'll have to distract everyone with earrings.

Slow News Day?

Grandpa Philip (referred to here by his alias, "Dr. Philip Silverman,") on News9 Oklahoma discussing antibacterial resistance research. View.

Perfect Park Day

Logan was a little cooped up Saturday so I made it up to him today with a trip to the playground to enjoy the absolutely perfect weather. Emily and I finally got smart and picked a playground halfway between our houses. It worked out perfectly. So much easier to drive 12 minutes than 25.

We packed a monster picnic for Logan and Wills, which they enjoyed al fresco. Look at that spread!

The only shortcoming of this particular park was the shortage of picnic tables. But one kind of genius attribute of eating on a park bench is that the three bottles of water spilled by the children (I'm not saying who spilled more) just went right through the slats onto the ground.

Hockey Pucks, Free to a Good Home

I took a little mommy time last night to do some baking in our new oven. Tried out a new sticky bun recipe that looked interesting because it's leavened with baking soda and -powder rather than with yeast.

Too bad I forgot to add the baking powder. I guess we're having waffles for Sunday breakfast.

Happiness in the Little Things

Breaking news...Oliver smiled at me for the first time today. Not that vague, gassy smirk they get, he's been doing that for weeks, but it really doesn't count. This one was a full-on, eye contact toothless smile that lit up his whole face. That sort of thing can make a mom burst into tears. I mean, that's what I've heard.

I'm only sad that Larry was not here to see it, but I have a feeling he will get his own some time soon. Go, Ollie, go!

Making the World Better for Grandchildren Everywhere

Usually it's unwise to believe anything one reads in the Oklahoman, but for this we make an exception.

Oklahoma researchers learn how germs spread resistance. Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientists said they are one step closer to finding a defense against dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria, sometimes called "superbugs.” OMRF researchers Philip Silverman and Margaret Clarke said they captured the first visual evidence of how some bacteria spread in hospitals and throughout the general population.

Read the full article.

And here is Grandpa Philip doing some research on chocolate birthday cake with Logan.

Free at Last

Oliver saw the pulmonologist today and, as we had hoped (but not dared to hope too much), Dr. S gave us the OK to take him off the oxygen completely. He said Oliver's lungs sound great and his growth has been more than promising (he was 10 lbs. 6 oz.).

Here is the happy baby.


We'll keep the oxygen equipment for a while, though, in case it turns out we've moved too quickly. Dr. S said he rarely sees a kid go back on once he takes them off in this kind of situation. But it is cold season, so we have to be hyper-vigilant about handwashing and contact with people who are sick. (This is very hard with a toddler who is eager to help "feed the baby.")

Oliver is still delicate, we need to be careful not to get too cocky.

When we give him his bath tonight, I can't wait to just bundle him up and brush his little bald head and not have to reattach the TenderGrips and the canula.

The Simple Life

Mommy: "Logan, what do you want for Hannukah?"

Logan: "A sandwich."

Sweet Peace, Indeed

Grandma Margaret might have been a little alarmed at our haggard appearances last weekend. Today UPS delivered the Graco "sweetpeace." It's kind of a swing/bouncy seat hybrid, but with every bell and whistle you can imagine. It makes our bouncy seat look like something they would have used on Little House on the Prairie. And it's all designed for Mission Impossible: Get Oliver to sleep.



We put Oliver in about 20 minues ago and so far, he seems to like it. The real test will come later this evening, around 9 pm, which is his super-fussy time. Our success metric (as we say in the marketing biz) is: Does it allow Mommy to take an uninterrupted shower?



The sweetpeace includes:

• Multiple rocking positions


• A plush headrest and padding


• A dock for one's iPod, so you can play baby music or soothing sounds of your choice


• Its own custom swaddle blanket

Hope

A president who can string together two complete sentences and pronounce the word "nuclear" correctly! Yes, we can.

It's been many years since we watched a presidential election with anything but fear and embarrassment. Cheers.

Election Day

Sarah Palin was just on CNN after voting in her hometown. Someone asked who she voted for...which is a pretty stupid question to waste time on. But her answer was a little freaky. She said she didn't have to reveal that and, like all Americans, was exercising her right to keep her choice secret. Uhhhhh...OK. You do that.

I've always been a sucker for the ceremony of Election Day. Watching the long lines for voting on CNN today actually does my heart some good. I love watching the candidates cast their votes. For just one day, I choose to believe that it's possible to improve some of the major problems of our country while reveling in the great things about it. Cue America the Beautiful.

Open All Night

Oliver and Logan tag-teamed us last night and brought the entire household to its knees. Oliver was up every two hours desperate to nurse. We think he's going through a growth spurt, he's insatiable. Then, Logan woke up at 5 AM screaming for Larry. I think the time change and the excitement of Grandma and Grandpa's visit threw him off. I think there was maybe a 30-minute window last night when nobody was crying.

Coincidentally, last night before all of this happened, we were discussing whether baby #2 is easier or harder than baby #1. I recalled someone telling me the biggest adjustment is from 0 to #1, and that it gets easier with #2. This is true in some respects and very, very untrue in others.

Ways it's easier
1. This time around, we know what we're doing. We're not perfect, of course, but we're much more confident in our baby skills, and that goes a long way.

2. The silver lining of the NICU stay. Logan came home with us just days after my C-section, which means I was still recovering from a pretty intense medical situation while caring for him. With Oliver, the NICU stay at least gave me time to recover physically before he came home.

3. Asking for help. When Logan was born, we were much too shy about asking for help. This time around, because of the NICU experience, we accepted all offers of help from friends and family, and there were many!

Ways it's harder
1. Logan, of course. A toddler requires...uh, demands, a lot of attention. When Logan was a baby we could tag team, with one person getting a break while the other cared for him. With the two of them, it's no such luck.

2. Our friend the oxygen tank. Although it's much better now that Oliver only gets oxygen at night, the tank is unwieldy and instrusive, and makes the night feedings that much harder.

3. The emotional impact of the pregnancy and the loss of Avery. It's easy to think that once you get out of the NICU it's smooth sailing. We knew better. We'll be dealing with the emotional repercussions of this experience for years.

The Natural

Halloween was a smashing success. We had 80 kids at the door and for once almost everyone was in costumes of some kind. We had about a 90% "thank-you" rate, which is terrific. It drives me b-a-n-a-n-a-s when the kids don't say "thank you."

I decided not to put Logan in his farmer costume for day care, because I was worried he'd destroy it. I think that was a good choice, because when I picked him up he was covered with orange cupcake frosting that surely would have been all over his overalls. So we changed him into the costume after dinner and Larry, Grandpa and Grandma set out to take him "to a few houses on the street."



Well AN HOUR LATER, the four of them arrived home. I was getting ready to call the police. Oliver and I manned the door, handing out "Sour Jacks." History shows I can't be trusted with chocolate on Halloween night.

After the first two houses, at which he was mainly confused, Logan absolutely adored Halloween. He's a trick or treat natural. He came home not with the three or four pieces of candy I expected, but with a 2/3 full bucket (and it was a big bucket), which Larry and I raided after he went to bed.