Cake # 77 Currant Bars with Spiced Apple Syrup

This week's blog is very special to me because it is the day before Father's Day- and boy do I have a baby story to share! Like I mentioned last week, I was pretty sure after my 36 week appointment that my baby would be early. He was - almost a full month early, because five days after my appointment, baby Liam was born! I am truly blessed that he is a healthy and happy "preemie". To me, a six pound fourteen ounce baby is certainly not a "preemie," but because he was born on his 36 week of life and not 37th, which doctors consider "term" and at 40 weeks "full-term," he is considered a "preemie" and my little man had to undergo a slew of tests that I never experienced before with Evie- as did I for a matter of fact.

After my 36 week appointment, Ted and I were trying very hard to make it until Thursday, which was the last day of work for teachers, then on Monday, our Superintendent, Tomback, decided to re-instate that Wednesday was the last full day for teachers. When I made it through the weekend, and Monday at school, I figured, I could do two more days. One of my favorite books as a child was The Little Engine that Could, by Watty Piper, and the "I think I can"mantra that the little blue engine repeated over and over again stayed in my head the whole time. At least, I wanted to make it until Tuesday, which was the last day for students, and their last final exams. After school on Tuesday, at around 4:00pm, I was attending an emotional end of the year celebration at a fellow English teacher's house - and I knew I was in labor, but refused to admit it. In fact, one of my fellow English teachers, who was incidentally getting me all worked up because I was incredibly sad to see him go, said to me "I remember that look from the first time Laura went into labor, there is no way she is making it twenty-four hours before this baby is born." Though I hate to admit whenever he is right, Chris was right.

I left the party at around 4:30 because I was extremely uncomfortable, Ted and I picked up our daughter at daycare, ate dinner and did the whole bed-time routine with her - the whole time I was feeling contractions - they were every ten minutes, but they were not strong. I decided to try and take a shower to see if that made them go away - it did not. So at around 7:00 p.m. when the contractions were getting stronger, I told Ted to call his mom to come up so she could watch the baby. Ted's mom and sister came up and we got to the hospital by 7:30p.m. When my midwife, Lori, checked me she said I was only four centimeters -- and that she could see that my contractions were regular, but that because I wasn't feeling any stronger pain, that she would just wait to see what had happened within an hour. 9:00 p.m. rolls around and Lori comes back and checks me again and sees that I haven't changed much, and thinks that I am probably not in labor, she then asks me how much I have had to drink, and I told her that I only had about a bottle of water all day. She gets a look of "Oh duh!" on her face, and tells me that I am having contractions because I am dehydrated and that I need to drink water. She brings me back three huge containers of water and tells me I need to drink them all within the half hour. By eleven o'clock she comes back to check me again, she asks me how I feel, and I tell her that the contractions are getting more uncomfortable for longer periods of time, stronger, and closer together. She checks me, sees that I am completely effaced and at 6 centimeters. She tells me that I could go home if I wanted, but that she is pretty sure I would be back before the morning because I was in active labor. She also tells me that they cannot break my water because I am not to"term" and that I should try to get some rest, but that I was going to have to go through labor all night - she would be back by 7:00 a.m.

We got checked into a labor room at around 12:30a.m. and stayed up until about 1:00a.m. I was in really bad pain, but I thought I could sleep through some of it. By 3:00 in the morning, I understood why most women take an epidural. The contractions were every two to three minutes and they were incredibly painful. By 5:00 a.m. I could no longer do it alone and woke my husband up and told him that he needed to hold my hand and put pressure on my back if I was going to get through this. You may be wondering how someone can be so detailed with remembering time, but when you are counting down the minutes until you hope your pain will decrease, every second is memorized in pain. I told him that the nurse said that Lori would be there by 7:00a.m. and that I could make it for two more hours. It was dreadful, but I made it until 7:00a.m., by 7:05a.m. a new nurse came in and I said that I am in a lot of pain and pressure, and I am starting to feel the need to push- I want to be checked. The nurse got Lori, Lori checked me and saw that the baby's head was already there- and was shocked that my water didn't break, she broke my water and I had to push right away with the first contraction.

Ted bought me a beautiful present thanking me for carrying his son into this world. It is the initials of both of my kids:

By 7:37 a.m. little Liam made his presence known to this earth, weighing six pounds and fourteen ounces, clocking in at nineteen and a quarter inches tall (Evalyn was twenty-one inches tall) and with a sandy blonde/brown hair with red highlights. Lori and the nurses laughed at me because I was apologizing for cursing and for screaming too loudly - they all said that Liam's mommy was a champ. It has only been three days since Liam was born, but let me tell you -- two kids without epidurals -- if and when we have a third, I think I might just cave in! Anyway, next thing you know Liam is rushed through a battery of tests to make sure he is healthy because he was born early - and sure enough Liam is perfect in all respects, just like his daddy -- Ted would say.

Liam saying "Hi" to the world:

So, I shocked Ted when I told him Friday morning at the hospital (we came home Friday, by 10:00a.m.) that I had to make a cake tomorrow for my blog. He said "we'll see honey". But I felt like I needed to keep some routine the same in my daughter's life. Making a cake every week, since Evie has been old enough to help, is something that Evie and I share. Even if the cake ends up looking terrible or tasting funny because of it- this is my special time with her, and with a new baby brother in the picture, which she is attempting to bond with, but is struggling like all toddlers would, I want to make sure I am still giving her, her special time with Mommy.

Indeed we did make a cake, a quick one, but we did it, and we did it with one of Evie's favorite fruits- the currant. The cake, Currant Bars with Spiced Apple Syrup called for 3/4 cups of currants, a cinnamon stick, and 1 and 1/4 cup of apple juice to reduce down to a syrup to be drizzled on top of the cake. The cake itself called for currants, flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. The cake smelled heavenly, was golden brown, and Ted loved it. I told him that it was his father's day present from Evie and I.

Here is my cake:

Here is the book's cake:

Fortunately, I also made him a scrapbook for Father's Day, that arrived on Monday- so I was able to give him that as well. Other than that I told him that Liam was his Father's Day gift- and that he was welcome :) . Honestly though, for Father's Day, I plan on telling him that there is no one else in the world that I would want to raise our kids, that he is the most incredible man and father that I have ever known, that his daughter adores him and that his son will too.

Daddy we love you!: