Vegetable potpie (Thankfulness #20)

Well, today was a very up and down day. At the end of it, I am just brutally tired... which segues into:

Thing I am thankful for #20: That this pregnancy has been about 100% easier physically than the one with the Emperor was.

With the Emperor, I was sick throughout the whole thing... had a kidney infection that put me in the hospital for a week... stopped exercising at 32 weeks (which is what I am now! and still going strong!) because I felt so poorly... suffered non-stop heartburn for months, and all manner of other gastric disturbances... my hands were totally numb for a couple of months... and I just generally had a lot to complain about physically. This time? Other than being incredibly tired all the time (which may just be related to, you know, working full time and being one of the primary caretakers for a 2 year old) and constantly pulling muscles in my pelvis, I've felt fine.

I am fortunate in that I have experienced very little swelling of note in this pregnancy or the last, but I have found that when I am on my feet too long, they just ache and throb. So it was probably foolish of me to get out of bed, stand up in the kitchen cooking (pancakes!) with the Emperor, then go out for a long walk with the same, then go on a lengthy grocery shopping expedition with the same, then carry the same home on my back, then spend the afternoon/evening on my feet in the kitchen cooking more stuff (two things for presents, and then potpie for dinner). But, well, all of this was pretty fun, so I guess I can't complain too much...

The Emperor is SO in to helping me cook recently. He has a step stool that he pulls up to the counter and stands on while helping me mix things and trying to convince me that everything needs more cinnamon. It's very sweet and cute and a good way to pass the time, especially on a rainy ol' day like this.



He got really mad when I wouldn't let him help with dinner, but there just wasn't space-- the counter was covered with my other two projects (gingerbread biscotti and spiced pecans) cooling and that's just a recipe for disaster. So he sulked in the living room while I put together this potpie. Which he then refused to eat even one bite of. Oh well.

It's the potpie stew from Appetite for Reduction, poured into a pie shell. The original recipe makes an incredible quantity of filling-- the book says 6 servings and I am a big eater and I still think it's more like uh, 1.5 to 2 times that many servings-- so only about 1/5 of it ended up in the pie shell. The rest I put into the freezer, working towards slooooowly building up my stash of things to eat once this baby is born.

It took me all day to get a picture of the Emperor where he wasn't looking super crabby or crying about something. (Did I mention it has been an up and down day? It really has.) Finally got this one while he was brushing his teeth before bed:



Worth the wait.