It's a boy!

The latest addition! Ryan Skow Mallett was born last night at 9:22pm. He was 8 lb 12 oz and 21 inches long. Anna was only 6 lb 13 oz, and Melanie, my biggest so far, was 7 lb 15 oz. We were all surprised by our big baby boy. I went natural, and the progress was a little too fast for the doctor... A nurse delivered him. Two pushes (or rather attempts to hold back), and he was on the delivery bed, which they didn't get taken apart (I was thankful - he just slid on out onto the bed). To give the doctor credit, I was at 9 cm at 9:20 pm (2 minutes before he was born). Ryan is doing great, as am I. I'm glad I was able to experience going completely natural. I couldn't have done it without Mom and Josh. The overall experience, not knowing if it was a boy or girl, and being completely involved and engaged during the labor and delivery were really good for me. I was able to appreciate the miracle and sacrifice of it all in a new way for me. We're planning on heading home tonight to go enjoy Thanksgiving and see big sisters and brother! (We're very happy to have a little brother for Jonathan so he won't forever be doing ballet and carrying purses around with his sisters! :)

September-November 2009

facebook Amanda Bristow Mallett 9:01pm Nov 22nd September-November 2009 To amanda.mallett.email@blogger.com   New pictures on Facebook! Amanda has shared a link to an album with you. To view the album or to reply to the message, follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=523620482&k=54FZ25SSWT6G6BD1TB34YWS2T6BAZUVAVPAR&oid=1303443865051 If you do not wish to receive this type of email from Facebook in the future, please click here to unsubscribe. Facebook's offices are located at 1601 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304.

We're going to the zoo...

We had a great day at the DC zoo Saturday, but apparently were a day early to miss the action... A wild deer jumped into the lions' enclosure, finally escaping with the help of zoo workers, though it had to be put down due to wounds it received from the lions. Here's a clip of the incident. Yikes! I think I'm glad I missed that one with the kids.

Meanwhile, we actually didn't take our camera. Frankly, with 7% of my brain gone to the baby, (It's true! They've done studies!) I've had a hard time keeping track of it I have since located the camera (which is good, because baby #4 is due in 9 days!) But I still don't know where the cord is to download pictures... Thank goodness Josh's laptop has a slot to insert the memory card to take the pictures off. We've had this camera since Anna was born, and the card that came with it is 16MB. Impressive, eh? It holds 23 2-megapixel pictures, as I recall. Someday it will break and we'll replace it, but until then, finding the cord would be helpful!

Anyway, we had a great time at the zoo, and I actually appreciated not having a camera and feeling compelled to use it. Our favorite exhibits were the ADHD armadillo (zipping back and forth in his cage) and a 5 week-old gazelle, "stotting" which basically looks like jumping on a trampoline - it jumps off the ground with all 4 legs at once. I've never seen anything like it, and it provided some great comic relief for all of us.

I also found our MIA sanding block, which I've been looking for so we could finish painting our free once-bright-red-bookshelf to a nice pleasing white. That's done now (pending a look-over tomorrow) which means I can finally put the videos and games on it in the basement! Hooray! We will eventually unpack all the boxes!

Oh, one more thing. Anna was looking at the toothpaste tonight and read "Cavity Protection" on the front, and her first comment was, "This is to protect cavities?" She realized quickly what it was supposed to mean, but I couldn't blame her for the first interpretation! It was pretty funny.

Have a happy Friday the 13th everyone!

More Halloween fun - Frankenstein cupcakes

This was a great Family Home Evening activity and refreshments!

• 1 dozen cupcakes from your favorite recipe
• 1/2 recipe chocolate frosting
• 1/2 recipe white frosting, tinted green
  
• 12 large marshmallows

• peanuts
  
• black gel
• 2 green Tic Tac mints (wintergreen matches frosting)
  

Bake and cool 1 dozen cupcakes from your favorite recipe. Frost with chocolate frosting.
Spread green frosting on marshmallows, coating the sides. Place on frosted cupcakes. Add peanuts for eyes, using black gel for the pupil and mouth. Place tictacs next to marshmallow for bolts. Top each monster head with a bit of chocolate frosting and muss with your finger or a fork.

Halloween Fun-Swamp Juice

We made the most of Family Fun magazine this month and the kids loved it. We even shared swamp juice with cousins, uncles, aunts, and grandma and grandpa when we visited for Laura's baptism. So we can enjoy it next year, here's the recipe, adjusted to our liking:

• 1/2 cup small tapioca pearls
  
• Food coloring
• 4 tablespoons sugar

• 8 gummy fish
• Apple juice or white grape juice (apple was our favorite)
  
• 8 gummy worms

MAKE THE EGGS: Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add the tapioca pearls. Reduce the heat slightly and boil the pearls, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes.
COLOR THE EGGS: Divide the pearls, with the remaining water, between two bowls. Add 4 drops of food coloring (we used 3 drops of yellow and 1 drop of green in one bowl, and 4 drops of blue in the other) and 2 tablespoons of sugar to each bowl. Stir the mixtures, then allow them to sit uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes. When ready to serve, drain and rinse the pearls with cold water.
ASSEMBLE THE DRINK: Spoon 2 tablespoons of pearls into each glass (clear glasses for the best effect) and drop in a gummy fish. Fill the glasses with juice. Place a gummy worm around a spoon as shown.