The Anna Articles

 Well, Orson turned 15 months old yesterday. I have ignored this blog for quite some time. Anyway, here's Orson's story.  While I had pre-eclampsia again with Orson, it was much later, as the maternal-fetal-medicine specialist we met with for a pre-conception appointment had said would likely be the case (we spent a lot of time deciding whether to have another after LeRoy).  My mantra through Orson's pregnancy was "every pregnancy is different." And it did feel different. People actually saw me pregnant! It was much harder being pregnant with a toddler. My symptoms were similar and we knew we were having a boy again. We had to find out this time because we both find boy names challenging.  When I found out I was pregnant, I unfollowed all the NICU and pre-eclampsia content on my socials. I knew what could happen. I didn't need the reminders while pregnant. Per my OB's instructions, I started taking baby aspirin at 12 weeks. My blood pressure had come back ...

 This past weekend my immediate family got together for an early Thanksgiving. Since it was so early, I deemed the menu more "fall harvest." I'd been wanting to do a meal where I provided the full meal and all anyone else had to bring was apps, if desired, for a while and this year I made it happen.  Of course, it was a weird week for it. Besides the election putting a dark cloud over everything, LeRoy had pneumonia early in the week and I wasn't sure he'd be recovered (or non-contagious) by Saturday. Steroids and antibiotics are great, though.  Ok, not the best pic with the toaster in here and you can't see the farro, but the best I got. The full menu had not a single traditional Thanksgiving item and was a mix of my favorite fall dishes and some I hadn't tried before: Meat:  Pork tenderloin roast  - EatWell 101 I used 3 pork tenderloins for 7 adults and 2 kids and it was plenty. Adjusted the recipe accordingly, and left out the mustard due to Mike's ...