Time for another recipe post

I have had a HUGE appetite lately (given that I'm probably transferring 700 calories a day to my daughter, it makes sense) and was craving this banana bread. I have to give credit to Miriam Escher for this recipe, who is the mother of my friend Janet.
It's a simple and delicious recipe:

BANANA BREAD
2 c flour
2 t bkg soda
2 t cinnamon
1 ¼ c. brown sugar (or mixture of white and brown sugar)
½ t salt

3 eggs, beaten
¾ c. oil
1 t. vanilla
2 c. mashed banana, (or grated carrot, etc.)

Optional:
½ c. raisans, dark choc. chips, toasted nuts
Mix and pour into loaves and let stand 20 min. Then bake at 350 for about 50-60min

Enjoy!

Announcing Molly Rose

When the time came for her to finally come, she came fast!
I woke up about 1am on April 9 with contractions 4-5 minutes apart and after 20 minutes knew it was time to head to the hospital, which fortunately we live very close to. As soon as Matt's sister arrived to stay with the kids, we were on our way. I was checked in at 1:45am and things progressed quickly! I was dilated to 6 when I got there and as they wheeled me to labor and delivery, my water broke.
Now, I am a baby about pain and would never choose to go without an epidural, but I had no choice! Within minutes, I knew I needed to push and was yelling for a doctor. A team quickly assembled and by 2:41am, we had our little girl. It was a little traumatic having it go so quickly but also kind of exciting to be the one the nurses talked about that night. "Oh, are you the one who had her baby as soon as she got here?"
So here we are, staring down at another incredible miracle of a healthy child. And as you can see, she's quite a beautiful gift we've been given.
While we're a bit sleep deprived, we are all so thankful to have welcomed Molly Rose into our family.

Still pregnant

I admit that I have never been a super patient person. And I have been spoiled: my first baby was born 22 days early, and my secondborn was born 12 days early. With 8 days til my official duedate, that now makes me the most pregnant that I have been. The hardest part is that I thought (and my doctor concurred) that labor was imminent 3 weeks ago, and was quite worried that a newborn might prevent us from participating in my brother-in-law's wedding last weekend. So I lay low to keep contractions at bay and made it through the wedding, with everyone telling me, "Now you can go home and have the baby!" But, mysteriously, the contractions lessened and another week has passed, despite my doctor telling me on Tuesday that she thought I might go into labor that night!
This has been a lesson in patience and control. As much as I'd like to think I have control, I don't. I can do all the walking, squats, mopping of the floors, eating of spicy foods, etc. that I can, but ultimately this baby's arrival is out of my hands. As much as I would've loved for her to be born on Matt's birthday or Easter Sunday (or just an even date, is that too much to ask?), I have to constantly remind myself that this isn't a choice I get to have, and that I need to be content in the waiting. So I am working to appreciate the little blessings: I got to go to church, I can enjoy the beautiful spring weather we've been having, I got yet another full night's sleep. And once baby girl makes her debut, all this waiting and questioning will be forgotten. I can't wait (but will) to meet her!