Cake # 76 Hot Espresso Cakes

If I do not post on a Saturday -- you know something is up. Well what can I tell you besides that I have the most interesting pregnancies according to my midwives? First let me tell you all that this is not the first time that this has happened. With my first daughter, on Friday the 12th 2010, I went to my OB for my 38 week check up, as my midwife checked the baby's heart rate, she said to me "Oh, you are having a contraction- have you been getting them frequently?" I said, "That is a contraction? I just felt like my stomach has been tight for the past week." She thought it was interesting that I wasn't in more pain, but chalked it up to Braxton Hicks.

She wasn't going to give me an exam until my husband said, "My wife was 2 cms dilated at her 36 week check up two weeks ago, and at her 37th no one checked her, maybe we should check her just to see where she is." So my midwife, did an internal exam and all I heard from her mouth was "OH MY GOD." Of course, being first time parents, this comment freaked out me and my husband. She looked at me and said "You are 7 cms dilated, and you don't feel any pain?" She got another midwife in to check me as well, who confirmed how far along I was, the baby was in position and ready to go.  I thought that I should have been in more pain, so I said "So do I go home and wait until the contractions get stronger and come back tonight or tomorrow?" My midwives looked at me and laughed and sent me straight to the hospital.

By 5:00pm I had checked into the hospital and called my family. By 6:00 p.m. I was 9 cms and the midwife broke my water. At around 7:30 p.m. I told my family to leave because I started to feel uncomfortable. By 8:15 I started to feel the pain of the contractions and said I needed to push, and my baby girl was out by 8:55 p.m. 3 hours of labor and I had my baby girl.

So, needless to say my midwives said that they have never seen anything like that before and lovingly called me a "freak." 

I guess the "freak" has reappeared, because again at my 36 week ob appointment I got shocking news. And surprisingly, it was from the same midwife as last time, Jasmine! I went to my 36 week appointment this Friday and because it is also the GSB exam, I joked with Jasmine and said, "Last time you checked me at 36 weeks, with my daughter, I was 2 cms... I better not be 2 cms again because I need to make it until next Thursday when school lets out" Ha - ha - ha. Jasmine laughed and said, "Don't worry I will check you." Suddenly a very strong feeling of Deja vu hit me when Jasmine starting making a strange face and asking me to move up a bit. With a nervous laugh she said, "Well I can say you are not two centimeters...but you are three and a half." I think I threatened to hit her, a couple of times and all I could mutter was, "Are you kidding me!" I also said, "Jasmine this is your fault! Why do you do this to me every time!" Of course I was only halfway serious in my threats to her. Then of course I begged her to tell me what she had no way of knowing - when will I give birth? 

So because I am only 36 weeks, and that is still considered pre-term, I have basically been on self-selected bed-rest since Friday night, because I am really attempting to make it to this Thursday, which is our last day of school. But, I have been having Braxton Hicks with more frequency, so we shall see.

Anyway, due to the whole not moving thing, Ted graciously made the cake of the week yesterday night. However, because we were in frantic mode at the house, boiling bottles, setting up the bassinet, cleaning baby clothes, cleaning the house, the cake did not get made until very late last night and by the time Ted had finished that after all of the other million of chores I gave him to do - I was conked out asleep and could not write the blog. 

So Ted appropriately made Hot Espresso Cakes, which will be a good choice as he will need to stay awake to deal with me, Evalyn, the house, and the arrival of the new little bug. The cake called for butter, flour, baking powder, cocoa, light brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, espresso, coffee sugar crystals, cornstarch, and light cream. To me, someone who hates coffee, it sounds disgusting, Ted said that the cake he made was really good, but he burnt the sauce on top and that the sauce tasted gross. (I think the cake he made looks gross itself...) However, he is happy about the caffeine content- which is something that he is sharing with my daughter the past two days, who he has been responsible for feeding . . . and let me say she has eaten more cookies and snacks and cakes these past two days than she has in a whole month! And he wonders why she is off the rocker crazy. But, I love how hard Ted is trying to prep are for number two, and how bad can a couple days of a cookie diet really hurt?

Here is the book's cake:

Here is Ted's cake: 

I have a strong feeling that this time next week, I will be toting a little one at my side. Wish me luck, and pray that I can at least make it to full term, which is next Saturday!