In Japanese, sweet sour pork is called “Su buta”. ” Su ” means vinegar. “buta” means “pork”. So, sweet sour pork literally means vinegary pork.
The dish “su-bu-ta” (Sweet sour pork” ) is traditionally made with pork shoulder,deep fried and they are coated with thicken sweet sour sauce. The dish got onion, pepper, carrot and pineapple.
I like su-bu-ta but I do not like sticky sweet sweet sour sauce you sometime find at American Chinese restaurants across the country and, when I make the dish, I make less sweet sauce and, I enjoy them a lot.
Chinese influenced Japanese dishes like this is a good dish that you can add in whatever vegetables on hand as well to make it extra nutritious. I like to add in non traditional ingredients from the fridge sometime.
This is the recipe you can cook up in 30 minutes and, perfect recipe for busy moms out there.
Since my version does not deep fry the meat, I just call it “Skinny Sweet sour pork”.
10 oz wt pork shoulder boneless cut into bite size pieces 2 capful sake (I like to use Gekkeikan Sake brand) 1/4 tsp baking soda 1/2 sweet onion rough chopped 1 stick carrot thinly sliced diagonally 1/8 Green pepper rough chopped 1/8 Red pepper rough chopped shanghai bok choy stem thinly sliced
1. Cut the boneless pork shoulder to about 1/2″ thick or so and pound them with back of the knife
2. Season it with Morton’s Natures Seasons
3. Put the pork into the small container and add 2 capful of sake, 1/4 tsp baking soda, and marinade 20-30 minutes to tender
4. Wash the pork meat under the cold running water to rinse off the marinade
5. In the skillet, drizzle sesame oil and bring the skillet to hot
6. When the skillet got screaming hot, add in pork shoulder meat and brown them
7. Add 1/2 onion rough chopped, carrot thinly sliced diagonally, and when they got cooked to about 80%, add in 1/8 Green pepper rough chopped, 1/8 Red pepper rough chopped, and sliced shanghai bok choy stem thinly sliced, add in 8 sugar snap pea and stir
** Season the vegetable with Morton’s Natures Seasons each time you add in new ingredients
Order over $30* (merchandise subtotal after all the discount must be over $30) on Saturdays,and you will receive: one count of free 4 oz Buffalo liver Baguette biscuits
This American Lamb ear is soft texture, and it has been one of our k9 executive chef “Palette’s favorite chew since when she was a puppy. She still get this old time favorite chew as jackpot treat sometimes.
single:Normally,it is $1.05,with sales price,it will be $0.74
10 pieces: Normally, it is 8.85, with sales price,it will be $6.86
*** Bulk treats of the Month ~ March 27th through April 2nd~ ***
** Palette’s k9 Foodie Mystery Bag Buffalo/Fish (salmon/herring/sardine) $36.85
** Palette’s K9 Foodie Mystery variety Gift bag $35.67
Palette’s K9 Foodie Mystery variety bag is the mystery bag that consists of mystery items from sitewide;can be mixture of all natural dog treats,toy,grooming supplies,gifts for dog lovers,training tool,collars,travel accessories etc…
Contents can be the same or different from one bag to the other.Number of products in the bag also can be different from one bag to the other while the value of the bag remain the same.
In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Pregnancy week 17 week – 21 week“,I wrote about how my pregnancy went from week 17th through 21st week,and shared some of the sonogram picture of Liam with you.
Here,I would like to share my pregnancy and Liam’s growth from Week 22nd through 26th.
April 2014 was relatively happy month.
Last time when we went to high risk OBGYN, and talked about what would be the next step after abnormal result of AFP test, he suggested to re-test it especially because if the level of the AFP elevated (only 0.1 above the cut off number in my case), because it will change how they approach to monitor me & our boy (more sonogram,more testing ,preparation for the delivery timing etc..) and, he suspected if sonogram did not pick up the spina bifida ,then, it was provably due to bleeding/spotting.He also said that if it came back normal,then, it will give us peace of mind.
So, we did re-test AFP and tried another 99% accurate harmony blood test in March then.
That harmony test result and second AFP screening test result came back in April 2014 as “negative”,which made me/us very happy.I remember I received the call from Genetic counselor at high risk OBGYN telling me that screen test Harmony and AFP repeat test came back all normal, and all of my heavy feeling/worries disappeared:)
On the phone, he told us that the cut off number for the AFP level at the lab they are using is 2.5 and I was 2.6 last time to be categorized “abnormal”, but re-test result came back with number 1.5 with 2.5 cut off number:)
I was very very happy, and at the same time, I was surprised that me being spotting more could change that much of result.
My husband was very happy to hear the news too.
On the very same phone call day, at night time, I could feel the big kick from Liam as if to say “Hey guys, I am very ok in here. No worries”.
As always, every time I felt his kick, I called my husband to come and let him touch my belly so he could feel the next kick from Liam. I still remember my husband was placing his hand over my belly,anticipating for Liam’s next kick, talking to him gently “Hey,little guy..” with a big smile on his face. It was the great moment.
However, first some months, I think Liam was shy to my husband’s voice and he did not kick back as fast as he did with my talking. Then, I read the section on Q&A in my Japanese maternity magazine article about “Why the little one stops kicking when father touches mother’s belly”.
I thought it interesting because Liam tended to be quiet when my husband touches the belly for a bit. Sometimes, he did not response to his touch. He needed some time to get used to my husband’s voice and touch.
I remember once my husband was talking to Liam “Hey,little guy.If you can hear me, give me a sign”,lol.
Well, after a few seconds later, Liam did kick for him:)
The magazine said that 90% of baby boys stop kicking,50% of baby girl stop kicking when they feel someone different is touching mother’s belly.
Did your husband experienced the same like mine;when they put their hands on your belly, your little one stop kicking?
I am curious to know…
That one little kick for us meant a lot to us and much more so when you think about how long it took for us to get to that point with repeated fail result of IVF and this strong Liam was the last embryo, last chance to try IVF..
Of course, my parents in Japan was worried over the tests, and I made a call to them letting them know everything was all right.
Back home in Japan, OBGYN there does not screen pregnant ladies this much.They do have screening test but not as many tests as pregnant ladies are going through here in the states. Hearing so many tests are done in the states, my side of my family was surprised.
Liam’s very first kick I felt was on March 25th 2014 and, as the days go by, I started feeling more and more of his kick and, I felt strange in my belly and it was hurting especially when he tries to do the stretch work (??) in my belly making my belly rectangle but, I did enjoy his kick every time.
April was more active kick month for Liam.
I remember placing my hand on my belly and said “kick” and after a few seconds later, I felt the kick:)
Liam seemed to get active,kicking and dancing at night time, and peak time was like 11pm-12am..
Sometimes, he was still playing,kicking after midnight and I keep being awake in the bed while I hear Palette’s snore:)
Now and then, he was kicking non stop 1 am,2 am etc and he was still kicking at about 7am. Then, he sometimes got quiet a bit but started kicking again from morning-afternoon-night.
I remember thinking, he might have a quiet day next day from all the workout he did on the day.
When I called my parents in Japan around that time, my mother told me that maybe around this week (22 week), he will be able to hear our voice etc.. and we should start reading books,singing to him, talking to him more,which Japanese people call this “ta-i-kyo-u” and they are believed to be good for the little ones.
People say that when you start talking,singing,reading to unborn baby, when they were born, they would recognize the voice and, make them feel relaxed.
I do not know how common in the states or outside Japan, but I did Taikyou throughout my pregnancy as you read it in my previous entry titled ““Yassy’s note: Pregnancy week 17 week – 21 week“”.
In the middle of April, I had to be up early to go to regular OBGYN while it was heavy rain (hard to see the front through the window)..
Palette the Corgi had early breakfast too and, she was eating it with one eye opened,yawning and slow pace,lol.
When I needed to be up that early, often time, Palette had very early breakfast,eating meal with one eye opened,yawning but she did not complain. Often time, she seemed to go back to heavy sleeping after we left the house because she always welcomed us with big stretch and yawn:-)
At the regular OBGYN, I did not get to do the sonogram (maybe because high risk OBGYN does sonogram every time I go in),and just heard the Liam’s heartbeat through the machine;it was 143 bpm.
Nurse said, he must be wide awake.
After talking to the doctor, I was told I have to do the glucose tolerance test again at 28th week while I did it already earlier because I had relatives who were diabetic. It is not a painful test at all physically but,I just have hard time drinking super sweet juice.
In the same month, we went to high risk OBGYN. I did not know this but they can measure the weight of the baby by using baby’s anatomy.
At that time,which was 24 weeks and 2 days,, I was told that little Liam is weighing approx. 1 lb 3 oz.Here is Liam on the day..
Liam 24 weeks 2 days..
With 24th week baby development, according to pregnancy corner website, Liam would have been almost a foot long and is about the same size as an ear of corn at 1 ½ pounds (approximately four ounces more than last week).
It said that baby’s brain continues to develop, as do the taste buds and lungs. Also,the lungs begin to develop branches and cells that produce surfactant, a chemical agent that will be needed to inflate their little air sacs once your baby is outside the womb.
Liam’s eye would have been still shut, but he would have been using his hands and feet to maneuver and develop their sense of touch. The hair on the scalp is still growing at an even pace, and he would have been continuing to inhale amniotic fluid into its lungs as practice for breathing after birth.
I remember the sonographer kept telling us “Oh,the baby is practicing breathing” while checking on him.
Compared to average baby development, Liam was a little smaller side,but doctor told me that as long as he keeps growing, and I keep gaining weight, since I am thin, I do not have to worry about it.
You can read more on what is happening with you and your baby in week 24 here at pregnancy corner website.
However, doctor’s concern was his heart.
We were scheduled to meet baby heart specialist from DC later.
The sonographer and doctor took looong time looking at his heart on the day, and after we left the facility, I had belly discomfort (pain). Maybe too much pressing and stuff..
After coming back home, Palette inspected me every inch of me, and did not let me go.Her nose was glued to back of my leg:)
Sleeping comfortably…
After 24th week and after, I was having muscle sore on my right upper thigh through right hand leg knee..
The sore was the result from sleep position.
Therefore, I was trying to find the comfy way to sleep,but no luck. I used 4 pillows piling up to support me, but still not good enough for me to be comfy.. I even tried using clean big fluffy Palette’s bed and it was better but no luck for the best..
I then started thinking that maybe my best solution is to sleep in the recliner chair or some sort.
It was comfy enough and, I was happy about the purchase.
It gave me the back and tummy support needed during pregnancy, and it was perfect for sleeping comfortably.
In fact, my husband liked the pillow as well, and he ended up getting one for himself.He still is using the pillow:-)
One thing that I read for pregnancy sleeping position is that, it is more comfortable sleeping side ways because belly would give you the pressure and get uncomfortable sleeping on your back. I also read that it is best to sleep looking left because it increases the amount of blood and nutrient that will be carried to the placenta and babies.Therefore, I was sleeping on my left side.
Now, some more months to go, and Liam came to meet us. Stay tuned for more stories.
From March 20th through 26th, you can save more on selected Beef treats.
*** March 2015 SnackSaturday treats***
Order over $30* (merchandise subtotal after all the discount must be over $30) on Saturdays,and you will receive: one count of free 4 oz Buffalo liver Baguette biscuits
** Palette’s k9 Foodie Mystery Bag Buffalo/Fish (salmon/herring/sardine) $36.85
** Palette’s K9 Foodie Mystery variety Gift bag $35.67
Palette’s K9 Foodie Mystery variety bag is the mystery bag that consists of mystery items from sitewide;can be mixture of all natural dog treats,toy,grooming supplies,gifts for dog lovers,training tool,collars,travel accessories etc…
Contents can be the same or different from one bag to the other.Number of products in the bag also can be different from one bag to the other while the value of the bag remain the same.
** Selected Dog toys on sale.Please click here to visit Dog toys page.
** You can get Free shipping with order over $100 (No coupon code required)
** We ship the order on every Monday,Tuesday, every other Wednesday.
** If you order on Saturdays, you can get free GDK treats. For more information on Snack Saturday offer,please click here.
** You can now sniff out Dog/Cat toys,Gifts for dog lovers,Training aids,and Grooming supplies as well.
** You can get FREE one count of Buffalo trachea strip (Buffalo version of Moo-tubes sliced into strip) with every order! ** Watch how much Palette enjoy her Buffalo Trachea strip below.If you are a blog subscriber,please click here to watch the video.
Palette and Buffalo Trachea strip
** We accept only US order,no international order please.
**If you become a fan of our Facebook page,you can get “Fan only” offer,and discounts. Please find “Yassy’s Gourmet Dog Kitchen” on Facebook here.
To visit our store,please click here or paste and copy the link below into your browser.
If you follow my blog entries, you would notice that our Corgi “Palette” is on fresh food diet a.k.a. raw diet, and she eats all kinds of stuff.
She loves the fresh food menu very much. She always start her day by trotting to the kitchen,nose up in the air to sniff out what is for breakfast today. Then, when she knows it is her meal time, she waits “nice sit” at the spot where I normally place her food mat on.
She already learned her meal routine very well and, I do not need to call her for the meal time.
For now, since we have new addition to our family; our little prince “Liam”, her routine got changed a little but she already learned when her meal is served and what the cue will be.
I, on the other hand, enjoy watching how much she loves her meal and I feel great knowing that I am providing the best menu possible for her for healthy,long,happy life.
It has been 8 years since her first raw diet menu.
I started off by introducing chicken menu without organ and then, introduced another protein one at a time.
She did pretty good on the menu except a few learning curves,where I learned that she has sensitive tummy for fat % in one sitting and I need to trim some fat from fatty protein source such as Duck or limit the amount of food served due to higher fat content in the menu such as lamb tongue.
Once I learned that, feeding became second nature to me and, I am being able to adjust to my own personal preferable way of feeding.
Personally, I Prefer to provide variety of protein source in shorter period of times as opposed to buying single protein source meat in bulk and feed through over a month or two months or more, and then switch to other protein source.
Therefore, you would find more than 10 variety of protein source in Palette’s freezer.
For that personal purpose, what I did during the introductory phase of the diet was that, I wrote down I like to feed to her, and let her get used to the protein source one by one.
Then, after about 2-3 round of feeding following the list of items I wanted to feed, I started feeding mixed/match menu.
Therefore, sometimes, her meal is not just one protein source such as beef menu at AM, Turkey Menu for PM, and sometimes both breakfast and dinner are the same protein source but different menu. It all depends.
As I have been writing in many entries in the past, after switching her diet to the fresh food diet, I started learning more about overall health topics such as over vaccination, nutrition, along with dog treats,dog food matters and more..
One of my goals for this blog has always been trying to focus on educating readers by passing all of those information that I have learned over the years and, at the same time, I wanted to raise the awareness of healthy, nutritious fresh food diet for dogs, and encourage people to start trying to add fresh food diet menu in their doggy bowl, or start switching training treats or chews to healthier ones to start with; start switching what they get throughout the day via a small steps at a time for the sake of dog’s health.
Since I have started the series titled “Decoding kibble”, I am hoping that the series help people to understand what are in the kibble, how you can pick the better brands of kibble if fresh food diet was not their option.
If one was trying to switch their diet to fresh food diet a.k.a. raw diet like I did for Palette’s, then, I wanted to provide information how I feed her as fresh food diet guide so they can see what it is like to feed fresh food diet to dogs.
As you know,the good diet is the base of overall health.
When you go to human doctor, not many doctors would discourage you toeat fresh food, and they would not push you to include processed food inour diet. They do not have canned soup or frozen food for you to purchase to bring home to enjoy.They are more likely to tell you to eat fresh food for your over
all health.
Processed food is convenient and quick and easy for you, but if you were on total processed food diet without fresh food, will you be healthy? Imagine your diet consists of canned soup, frozen food etc only,day in, day out.
Now, I cannot wrap my head around why so called “Medical expert” for animals should be pushing you or recommending you to feed the process food as opposed to encouraging you to feed fresh food for the overall health.
Even Rachael Ray,who is very passionate about bringing fresh food menu for school lunch is having her own line of kibble, pre-made wet food and I find there is a little discrepancy in the message she is sending to the public. I am sad about that.
If she were real passionate about dog diet as much as she does for kids’ lunch menu at school, then, she could have worked on freezer dried/dehydrated food instead of kibble or wet dog food; much simpler, less processed food, and she could promote healthy diet for dogs and cats as well.
I feel that medical expert on animal field is moving backward in stead of moving forward focusing more on dog’s health.
I strongly feel that vet is moving backward on the diet issue for animals especially because all of my cousins and neighbors who I grew up with fed fresh food all the time and, I had an impression back then that it was what dogs eat until I came to the states.
Raw diet menu for dogs, for example, is unique in a way that each menu is served fresh, without fillers, and offer quality of food and, it will leads to good overall health.
Ultimately, you can tweak the diet menu if problems arise accordingly. That is the virtue of this raw diet method.
As you have noticed, I have started the new series on raw diet titled “Fresh food in the bowl”, where you get to sneak peek what Palette is eating.
Generally, Palette’s regular meal is consists of one meal with bone, and the other meal without bones.
Meal with bone can be portion cut poultry, 4 leg animal’s ribs, whole fish with poultry feet etc..
Other half of the meal is whatever planned to feed in the menu list in order,and it is boneless meat along with organ such as liver with or without miscellaneous items such as a whole Egg.
I usually feed the same menu item two times per week and move on to the other menu except organ such as liver or poultry giblet such as gizzard.
The amount of food served is roughly around 10 oz to 12 oz per day. I consider her ideal weight is 30 lb since she is a tall corgi (14″ tall; 2″ taller than average Corgi).
Then,I go by 2 % of ideal weight to calculate her daily amount.
Calculation goes like this.
30 x 16 x 0.02= daily feeding amount 9.6 oz (roughly 10 oz)
With some menu items, it is not likely to be able to cut to the piece into exact amount that I would like to feed as her portion, so her daily amount can vary some.
Generally, dogs’ feeding amount guideline starts with 2% of ideal adult weight. If that daily feeding amount was too little, you would up the % to 3% , 4% ideal adult weight as needed.
To calculate your dog’s daily feeding amount fill the blank below
ideal weight of dog x 16 x 0.02 for 2 % = daily feeding amount
If you go by 3% of ideal weight,then fill the blank below
ideal weight of dog x 16 x 0.03 for 3% = daily feeding amount
By observing how your dogs do, up and down the percentage of ideal weight. Palette’s menu detail goes about 80% meat,10% bone, 10% organ.
When I have organ other than liver such as kidney, I feed 5% liver, 5% kidney a day but when I have only liver,I feed 10% liver a day.
I feed her 2 times a day on regular feeding time,and I feed 1 time a day when I feed her big meal once a month.
If you go by 80 % -10 % -10 % guideline exactly with Palette’s feeding amount, you will get 8 oz boneless meat, 1 oz bone, 1 oz organ, but as you can see, I feed her 2 times a day and when I portion cut her menu, often times, boneless meat is cut to about 4 oz wt, meat with bone such as portion cut chicken etc will be cut to about weighing around 5 oz to 7 oz, and organ portion gets chopped to about half an ounce and then I bag them in the zip bag and put those in the freezer bag to freeze them.
With my way, the amount of bone gets up and down depending on what you will feed. When fish meal day, the amount of bones are very low and when I feed neck or ribs as part of her daily menu, the amount of bones in the meal gets higher than fish meal day.
The week I took the picture of her meal was Beef meal day.
What she got? Here is what she got on beef meal day. It was surf Turf meal day.
AM: Beef trachea about 8″ – 10″ or so long, beef liver
PM: Sardine, Duck feet
As you can see, her meal is very simple.
In this entry, I would like to share Palette’s “Fresh food in the bowl; Beef menu”.
I think if you already feeding your dogs raw diet for a while and ifyou know your dogs do good on each items that you see in this entry, then, you can use Palette’s sample meal as example for the feeding.
However, if you were new to the raw diet, please do not feed variety of things all at once. During the introductory phase, each protein source menu must be introduced to your dogs one at a time,and keep the dogs on the protein source until your dogs do good on, and then, you can move on to the next protein source and as they get used to the menu, keep introducing new stuff slowly one at a time to be able to feed variety of items.
The Beef Trachea is raw trachea and it was meatier (thicker) than I was expected, and was long so, I fed it as meal rather than snack.
Goodthing about trachea is that it is very good natural source of glucosamine/Chondroitin and good for dog’s joint health. Palette used to limp when she was a puppy and, she became fine after she was on glucosamine/chondroitin. NZ green lipped mussels supplement for her joint care (You can read more on her experience for the joint problem at the previous entry titled “Run like wind again” here.).
However, I still do give food items such as trachea, weasand (gullet), poultry paws etc that are rich in glucosamine/chondroitin in her diet or as treats.
When I first introduced raw trachea long long time ago, it was with Emu trachea. It was much much shorter because I asked the farmer to cut it in 6″ long and I remember the trachea was much thinner than beef ones that i fed the other day.
Texture-wise, it was chewy and I remember Palette was chewing for so long. I felt like it would be nice teeth brushing for molar/incisor teeth for dogs:-) Of course, it would not clean their front and canine teeth though because they do not use those teeth to chew it off.
Unfortunately, the place that I got her beef trachea (raw) does not carry Beef trachea in whole form anymore (they use it for ground products) and I cannot offer the same to Palette, but Palette did enjoy munching on her raw beef trachea meal.
Palette really loved it.
Yassy’s Gourmet Dog Kitchen carry variety of treats with health benefit. If it were beef treats with joint health benefit, you can find followings
If you would like to find great treats for your dogs, get the one with health benefit over chew pleasure treats such as bully sticks.
Bully sticks are great chews, but I personally prefer treats with health benefit because dogs can enjoy treats AND they can receive something more than tasty treats time; better health.
Generally, raw beef trachea can be sold through raw food suppliers, but it is rare to find whole raw trachea because many places use the trachea for dehydrated treats or use it for ground products.
For the dinner time meal, I fed whole sardine. Sardine, herring,salmon, and mackerels are great fish to add to your dog’s diet because they are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and great for coat and skin for dogs.
If you are thinking about adding fish to your dog’s diet, try the fish with health benefit as pruority because all of these oily fish contains much more Omega 3 fatty aids than other type of fish you can find at the fish counter.
The duck foot that I fed… poultry feet is great natural source of glucosamine/chondroitin, and considering Palette’s past limping history, it is a good choice. I usually have Chicken feet or Duck feet. I had Duck foot in the freezer so,I gave the Duck foot to her this time.
From March 13th through 19th, you can save more on selected Buffalo trachea treats.
*** March 2015 SnackSaturday treats***
Order over $30* (merchandise subtotal after all the discount must be over $30) on Saturdays,and you will receive: one count of free 4 oz Buffalo liver Baguette biscuits
Buffalo Trachea strip is the Buffalo version of Windee or Moo-tube that was sliced into strips.
These are made from Buffalo that received No antibiotic,No growth hormone in their life.
Single: Normally,it is $1.30, with sales price,it will be $1.20
10 pieces: Normally,it is $11.39, with sales price,it will be $10.47 You can read /watch taste testing video more on Buffalo trachea strip in the entry titled “Palette’s note:Buffalo Trachea strip”. Please click here to read the entry.
** Palette’s k9 Foodie Mystery Bag Buffalo/Fish (salmon/herring/sardine) $36.85
** Palette’s K9 Foodie Mystery variety Gift bag $35.67
Palette’s K9 Foodie Mystery variety bag is the mystery bag that consists of mystery items from sitewide;can be mixture of all natural dog treats,toy,grooming supplies,gifts for dog lovers,training tool,collars,travel accessories etc…
Contents can be the same or different from one bag to the other.Number of products in the bag also can be different from one bag to the other while the value of the bag remain the same.
** Selected Dog toys on sale.Please click here to visit Dog toys page.
** You can get Free shipping with order over $100 (No coupon code required)
** We ship the order on every Monday,Tuesday, every other Wednesday.
** If you order on Saturdays, you can get free GDK treats. For more information on Snack Saturday offer,please click here.
** You can now sniff out Dog/Cat toys,Gifts for dog lovers,Training aids,and Grooming supplies as well.
** You can get FREE one count of Buffalo trachea strip (Buffalo version of Moo-tubes sliced into strip) with every order! ** Watch how much Palette enjoy her Buffalo Trachea strip below.If you are a blog subscriber,please click here to watch the video.
Palette and Buffalo Trachea strip
** We accept only US order,no international order please.
**If you become a fan of our Facebook page,you can get “Fan only” offer,and discounts. Please find “Yassy’s Gourmet Dog Kitchen” on Facebook here.
To visit our store,please click here or paste and copy the link below into your browser.
In the previous entry titled “Yassy’s note: Pregnancy week 13 week – 16 week“,I wrote about how my pregnancy went from week 13th through 16th week,and shared some of the sonogram picture of Liam with you.
Here,I would like to share my pregnancy and Liam’s growth from Week 17th through 21st.
March 2014 was cold snowy month due to Titan,the ice storm,plus Vulcan, the snow storm,Wiley the winter storm.
As I wrote in the previous entry, my parents in Japan shipped the box to me, but it did not arrive within 10 days, even 14 days later.Therefore, at the both ends, we asked post office what has happened to the box they tried to ship.
The state side post office said that they only can see the record that says the box was scanned to get loaded into the plane to the states but no record shown it arrived on the state side.
Me and my parents both worried wondering if it got lost in the air, but early March,finally, it showed up.I still do not know what has happened to the box that made the box arrived so late but,it looked like it was not opened by somebody and not missing any items so,all was ok.
One of the stuff my parents sent me was “belly band”. It was pink and cute, and some pregnancy pants, and an amulet for safe delivery without complication.
When I received the box, I made a call to my parents to let them know about the arrival of their box and on the phone, my mother told me that my father will be visiting us in May 2014.I was so happy to hear about that.
I cannot see them everyday or even every special occasion because they live so far away ; 14 hours flight away,to be exact. Therefore, it was nice to hear that my father will be visiting us soon.
Right after we received my parents’ box that contained safe pregnancy amulet,I kept it inside my purse every time we visit OBGYN.I just felt like having amulet with me calmed me down.
As for how I was during the March, I felt warm,tired and somewhat pain in the lower belly and I often went to nap. When waking up.. I often felt better, but felt a little nausea.It was not as bad as I needed to stay in the bathroom to throw up,though.
Because of nausea,I did not feel like eating much, but I tried not to miss the meal because it would have been bad to Liam in the belly nutrition wise.
One thing I ate and could eat even if I had nausea was Yogurt with fruits. I do not like flavored yogurt because it is sugary and not nutritionally good either. Therefore, everyday I ate plain yogurt 3 times a day (2 scoop of spoons) over fresh cut fruits and, I fond myself finishing up one 32 oz yogurt cup container within 1 week:)
I remember I liked eating various fruits with yogurt so, I made yogurt plate like.. strawberry,kiwi,and grapes with dash of yogurt on top.No sugar added.
I think it was good routine for Palette as well, because when the container got empty, she got to lick the cup however she wants.She licked the cup squeaky clean…she does not mind that she is getting yogurt covered eyebrows.
Palette and yogurt cup..
My belly was not noticeable to others yet,when I am wearing the clothe.
This month was when I was hitting close to 20th week;the middle week in the whole pregnancy journey. It was the time when me and my husband has started thinking about more on car seat arrangement or idea of parent-kid class he wants to take with him/her:)
Child birth classes and breastfeeding classes..
Child birth classes and breast feeding classes are two of the classes my husband and I were thinking of attending before Liam was born.
We are the first parents and everything what we went through was new to me,and we thought that attending classes would help us prepare for the big day and feeding after the birth.
The classes we could have attended had 2 options;weekly classes lasting for a month or so or one day deal taking about 3-4 hours long. We wanted to attend but around 20th week,we did not find the classes that suits to my husband’s work schedule, and we could not sign up for the classes until much later,when we finally found the hour we could go.
It would have been nice if hospital could offer online course on this matter but, I think teaching technique online for the birth might have been difficult, and might not be as effective as “hands on” approach.
Childbirth classes we wanted to go included information on the labor process, relaxation, breathing , role of the partner, medical interventions, cesarean delivery, & the post partum period. The class also included a tour of the maternity ward. Both classes were at the hospital.
I thought,as for birth classes, knowing what to look for as sign of labor, knowing the whole process, knowing what I needed to do during the labor, where we will be at after the birth looked good thing to know beforehand.
In the end, we did not to get to attend the birthing class because class was hold only about 2-4 times a month, and we had hard time finding the time that fits to our schedule plus, Liam suddenly decided it was time for him to come out before we get to attend the birthing class we have finally found the time we could and were supposed to attend.
However, we could attend breastfeeding class at the hospital.
It was 3 hour class for parents focusing on the basics of breastfeeding the babies. The class was great way to learn the basic of how to breastfeed the baby such as the skills and overall knowledge to help Liam and I to start.
You would think that breastfeeding comes naturally to both mom and babies, but I learned that breastfeeding actually involve practice,patience and knowledge.
Especially, Liam was born almost 3 weeks earlier than due date, and spent 3 weeks at NICU, when he was at NICU, he did not know how to suck yet which is the skill that babies would learn around 37th week in mother’s belly.
For him, it took more time with me to practice and his effort. It was not a easy start, but he got hang of it and he became pro for the breastfeeding. When he became pro, he spent like 40 minutes total.. really. I liked watching him sucking milk with his eyes closed and then fall asleep in my arms.
Often time, I found the drip of milk on his cheek. He was so cute. Well, to me, he is always be my son and he is cute always,but breastfeeding gave me different emotional level of comfort and love.
It was something you cannot feel when you give bottles to the babies for the feeding.
Anyway, the class was informative and it was good move to attend the class. Overall, the class gave us more knowledge on breastfeeding and it worked great for Liam and I.
As for OBGYN visit, we had only 2 visits;one for regular OBGYN visit,and the other for high risk OBGYN visit.
When we went to regular OBGYN, we could hear the heartbeat.Last time it was 144 bpm,but this time was 138bmp.I was told above 110 is good one so, I was not worry,then.
Every time we visited the OBGYN and had a chance to hear Liam’s heartbeat, it made us smile knowing he is doing fine in my belly.
I was expected to have sonogram done there too, but it was only heart beat monitor and we did not get to see Liam on the screen.
In fact, thinking back, I had only one sonogram done at regular OBGYN place and more often at high risk OBGYN. Maybe the reason why the regular OBGYN did not do sonogram after the first one is because they could see the sonogram picture taken upstairs;at high risk OBGYN.They were in the same building.
AFP test result and beyond..
The regular OBGYN visit in March was stressful after meeting my doctor because when the doctor came in, she told us that they have found an abnormality on AFP test, and we might have a chance of birth defect with Liam.. although there are possibility of false positive as well..
Back at home, I remember kept thinking about that.. I know I should not stress out myself because first screening test was negative, and the genetic test that I had done before IVF came out clean, plus when I check online how the odds are calculated, the factor of just being over 35 is already push up the risk number up,and I saw many posts on forum about false positive among IVF ladies..
Many IVF ladies who had negative at first screening test ,positive result with second trimester AFP test gave birth to a healthy child after all.
Plus last time we were at high risk OBGYN, I know that they were measuring size of the head but everything looked good (the date was after AFP test was done by general OBGYN),we were told.
Next appointment with high risk OBGYN was close then, and I though that since they would do the anatomy test, they would see it on the sonogram and tell us if anything was horribly wrong..,which I hoped that would not be the case.
I remember I kept praying that the result was false positive…
According to pregnancyabout website, this AFP test is said to have over 80% false positive; 80% of pregnant ladies who got positive with AFP gave birth healthy kid.
The site says that the false positive rates depend on many factors, including inaccurate gestational age, maternal age, weight, and presence of diabetes.
You can read the full article on AFP test at pregnancyabout website here.
Later in the March, we visited high risk OBGYN,and spent 4 hours there for the anatomy test.There, we found out the sex of the baby; boy.
Since I had positive result with AFP test at regular OBGYN, the high risk OBGYN told me about it before the anatomy test we were scheduled to do.
In the conversation, the genetic counselor commented that if I were spotting (bleeding) often,then, it could make the test positive as well.It gave me a bit of relief.
According to him, when AFP test comes back positive, chance of having open neural tube defect (NTD) is 1 in 47, and it also means that there are possibility of having babies with other birth defect such as abdominal wall problems (there will be an opening in the abdomen, through which various abdominal organs can protrude;intestine,stomach,organs can be formed outside the body), or placenta problems etc..
However, incorrect gestational age,which in our case would not likely be the case since Liam was conceived via IVF, maternal age, and bleeding/spotting could make the result false positive.
He said that that the cut off number is at 2.5 and above that number is considered positive and I was 2.6.
My result was only 0.1 above the cut off number but, he wanted me to repeat the AFP test plus do another genetic test called “harmony“,which he says that it has over 99% accuracy to detect the birth defect.
Also, on the very same day, our doctor talked us about possibility of follow up test such as amniocentesis,which I read that it has a little bit of risk of miscarriage and I was not comfortable doing that,knowing Liam was conceived after so many tries, and waited for him for so long. Taking risk for that test did not look like good thing for us.
You can imagine how much stressful I was, and how much I was worried over this.
However,knowing the test is known for lots of false positive result, it gave me a bit of relief.
I do not understand why AFP test was needed when the test is known for high false positive result. It is good to know the possibility of genetic abnormalities before birth when it comes to care at home or care at the hospital but still, if it gives lots of false positive, it will give pregnant ladies a lot of stress,which all of us know that stress is not a good friend to pregnant ladies.
If the doctor wanted to provide birth defect information to parents-to-be, then, I thought that skipping the AFP test and,instead, offering the harmony test which has more accurate result than AFP would have been much more understandable and practical.
Anyway,there was still a bit of concern with birth defect but, no matter what outcome will be, me and my husband have had already decided that we will give him best care possible and he will be cared with lots of love.
Here are the sonogram pictures taken in March. I was in 21st week;20 weeks 2 days to be exact. Our sonographer captured Liam’s itty bitty foot prints and I thought it was very cute!
With 20th week development, according to pregnancy corner website, Liam would have been around 11 oz and around 7.5″ long. Then,his lung would not be yet mature, but he would have been breathing.
It also says that the dark green sticky substance called “meconium” is being produced. Meconium consists of cell loss and amniotic fluid that has been swallowed with digestive secretions. Lanugo (fine hair) still covers the body, and the hair is growing. The ears are fully functioning on their own.
You can read more on what is happening with you and your baby in week 20 here at pregnancy corner website.
Liam 20 weeks 2 days old..
Liam’s foot prints…
Naming the baby..
After the baby’s sex was revealed, we had fun thinking about his name. Having something positive in my thoughts was good one for sure.
We already knew that we will name the baby with Irish origin name for the first name, and Japanese name for the middle name.
In Japan, parents name kids wishing for the baby to be.
For example, my name means “healthy kid” in Chinese character because it is what my parents wish for me to be. My sister’s name in Chinese Character means “graceful kid” because my parents wish her to be. My mother’s name means “honest and beautiful” because her parents (my grandparents) wish her to be.
We named our little one “Liam” because the name had the meaning of “strong willed”,”desire”, and “protector”.
His Japanese middle name “Tsubasa”in Chinese character means ” Just like birds, open the wings and flies high in the sky to the goal; set up the goal and make an effort to get there.” The Chinese character also means “wisdom/smart”, “support/help others (considerate)”.
Liam’s first kick in the belly..
After the high risk OBGYN visit day, I started feeling Liam’s kick. As you know, this is my very first pregnancy and I did not know what to look for when doctor asked me many times whether I felt his kick or not. However, as day passes by, I started feeling what I am feeling on my lower belly (I was always being told I carried Liam very low) is actually his kick.
March 25th,2014.That is Liam’s first kick anniversary date,lol.
Now I felt his kick in the belly and knew that he now can hear us talking, it was around this time that I have started “ta-i-kyo-u” ( the prenatal care of an unborn child through the attention of a pregnant women belly; talking to the babies, listening to the music, playing games with unborn child in the belly).
What is Ta-i-kyo-u?
Ta-i-kyo-u is the prenatal care of an unborn child through the attention of a pregnant women belly; talking to the babies, listening to the music, playing games with unborn child in the belly.
It is believed that how pregnant ladies communicated with unborn child through babies (Ta-i-kyo-u) would have some effect on babies’ brain development and personality if not a lot.
According to joseibigaku website (written in Japanese), there is a story about pregnant ladies gave birth to a baby who did not cry as much (colic) and not too handful when she did Ta-i-kyo-u throughout her pregnancy.
It also says that by doing Ta-i-kyo-u, you too could relax and it could help keep you from feeling irritated, or any worries or stress from taking care of babies after they were born.
Ta-i-kyo-u itself is said to be the tool to build the relationship even before they are born that effects babies’ brain development and personality. Also, by stimulating the baby’s brain cell, it is also believed that you would have a baby who is curious about many things around them, have a babies that has less crying spell during the night.
When to start Ta-i-kyo-u?
Often times, I read that starting Ta-i-kyo-u from around 5th-7th months in the pregnancy. I have started this around 20th -21st week,because I read that babies can now hear our conversation through belly. It was also the time that I have started talking to Liam in the belly everyday,explaining what I am doing, what I am eating, what I hoped he would be liking etc..
Many books or magazines that I read say that it is good to simply talking to the babies, explaining things in your daily life and let their father talk to the babies as well.
I also read that listening to the music is also fine thing to do.
Many Ta-i-kyo-u CD includes piano music or classical music played with other instrument or music from music box (o-ru-go-u-ru). I did not buy them but rather, I was listening to Japanese artist “Yoshiki” playing classical music. He is very good piano player although he was originally from band “XJapan” where he played drum often.
Here is one of the music that I used to listen to for Liam.
I will be your love by YOSHIKI
Another music that I used to listen to is by “yu-min” (Japanese singer/song writer). This is not a classical music but I read that whatever music you choose, music that makes you relax and feel comfortable and feel good about is good to listen to.
The song is titled “Babies are popstars”. I liked the lyrics too.
Babies are popstars..
Another one that I was listening to although it is not a slow tempo,classical music is that the theme music from my favorite Korean historical drama ” Chuno”. This music is uptempo but, i really liked the music so,I was listening to it often.
Chuno..
My husband would have seen me being strange,but I was okay with it. Outside the house, I talked to Liam through my thoughts,without actually spell it out loud.
Besides talking,listening to the music, reading the books for babies are said to be good one too.However, babies cannot see the pictures ad stuff so, I read that explaining what are on the book is also good to do when you read the book to the babies in the belly.
Besides all of these, back home in Japan, some pregnant ladies like to talk to them in English or play the English speaking CD hoping for the advanced development for the language area.
You can actually find English CD for Ta-i-kyo-u in Japan.
Theories behind this talking to the babies in English is because it is believed that if the babies hear the English spoken by native English speakers, the babies’ ear would learn the pattern of English pronunciation better than they would learn much later after they were born.Therefore, they could understand or learn English easier since it was the language/sound they would feel familiar with from the time in the belly.
In my case, Liam would have already been listening to English through TV,music, or wherever we go, so I talked to him in Japanese. I still do. Because I would like him to be able to communicate with my side of my family well as well.
Kick game..
Besides all of these above, some people like to build the relationship with unborn babies by playing game.
This game is called “kick game” in Japan, and it is very simple to play and I used to play with Liam in my belly too.
Basically, you would gently tap your belly and wait for the babies to kick back. I read that you can play this game from 6th months pregnant time.
First 2 weeks, babies would learn that the tap on the belly from mother is the sign that says “Lets play” and then another 1 week, they would learn the rule of the game; kick back number of taps mothers have tapped on the belly.
Here is how to play the kick game.
Level 1
1. tap your belly gently where you felt your baby’s kick and say “kick”, and wait until babies kick back
2. repeat
Level 2
1. Once level 1 is easily done with babies;when the babies start kicking back with your saying “kick”, tap the opposite side of the belly to where the baby has kicked by saying “kick”
2. wait til babies kick back at the spot where you tapped
3. when the babies could kick back the opposite side of their original kick point, you can change the tapping spot
Level 3
1. Up until now, you were waiting for the babies to kick back where you tapped, but now, you will go first
2. You can say “one”, “two” etc and tap the belly as you count and let the baby kick back the number you have tapped the belly
This game was quite fun to play.
I miss Liam’s kick and this kick game I used to play with him….
I sometimes felt my belly around talking to Liam saying “Is this your butt? Is this your head?” etc.. Checking the position of Liam was fun too.
Husbands cannot feel all of these wonderful babies kick etc..,so I always let my husband place his hand every time I felt Liam’s kick,and encouraged him to talk to, and also let him feel how Liam was positioning etc..
I think doing so was good relation building way for him and Liam:-)
I was always being told by doctors that I carried Liam very low. It was funny when I had the rectangle belly now and then;Liam must have been stretching or something. One side got bulged round, the other bulged but not round,making my belly rectangle.
I really should have taken the picture of rectangle belly.. I missed the chance.
I do not know if Ta-i-kyo-u helped Liam’s brain development,personality etc.. but one thing that we know is that he does cry but he does not cry to extreme. Only time he cries are wet diaper time, and food time.
He sleeps well. Everyone who we talked to seem to wow him hearing how well he sleeps especially night time. Since when he was around 3-4 months old,he slept around 10 – 12 hours or so without waking up.
When he was around 4 months old, his aunt,uncle has visited us too, and they were surprised how long he was sleeping without waking up.Liam was actually the last one to be up in the family:-)
One thing that I read regarding talking to the babies in the belly,by the way, is that you should talk to baby slowly,clearly and gentle tone.
Did you do anything similar to Ta-i-kyo-u while you were a pregnant?
From March 6th through 12th, you can save more on selected Beef treats.
*** March 2015 SnackSaturday treats***
Order over $30* (merchandise subtotal after all the discount must be over $30) on Saturdays,and you will receive: one count of free 4 oz Buffalo liver Baguette biscuits
Grass-fed Moo! Angus beef scapulas 3 oz made in Argentina.
This beef scapulas are cartilage from shoulder blade. Cartilages are,just like trachea,gullet,and poultry paws, great natural source of glucosamine/chondroitin and especially great for Arthritis dogs.
These are made from Grass-fed Angus beef that received No antibiotic,No growth hormone in their life.
In average, one package contains 2-3 scapulas,about 6″-9″ long. Due to natural treats,length, thickness,number of the scapulas in the package can vary.
Normally, it is $5.10, with sales price,it will be $4.29
Grass-fed Moo! Angus Beef Whole Achilles Tendon made in Argentina.
These are made from Free range beef that received No antibiotic,No growth hormone in their life.
The tendons are not smoked.They are about 8″ – 10″ long.
The tendons are great alternative to popular bully sticks and, Palette loves these tendon treats.
Due to natural products,thickness can vary.
Let’s watch how much our k9 executive chef “Palette” enjoy her Grass-fed Moo! Angus beef Whole Achilles tendon below.
Palette and Whole Achilles tendon..
If you are a blog subscriber, please click here for the video.
You can read more on Grass-fed Moo!Angus beef Whole Achilles Tendon in the taste testing entry titled “Palette’s note;Grass-fed Moo!Angus beef Whole Achilles tendon”. Please click here to read the entry.
Single: Normally,it is $2.65,with sales price,it will be $1.49
10 pieces: Normally,it is $24.87, but with sales price,it will be $12.57
** Palette’s k9 Foodie Mystery Bag Buffalo/Fish (salmon/herring/sardine) $36.85
** Palette’s K9 Foodie Mystery variety Gift bag $35.67
Palette’s K9 Foodie Mystery variety bag is the mystery bag that consists of mystery items from sitewide;can be mixture of all natural dog treats,toy,grooming supplies,gifts for dog lovers,training tool,collars,travel accessories etc…
Contents can be the same or different from one bag to the other.Number of products in the bag also can be different from one bag to the other while the value of the bag remain the same.
As you already know, I like re-creating meals from restaurants or eatery places that I have visited and loved. It is fun to brain storming what is in the dishes I like.
When it comes to steak battle, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill wins over Bonefish Grill hands down, and for seafood/fish dishes and sauce creativity, Bonefish Grill is better.However, both great restaurants to check out if you have never visited them.
Anyway, almost all restaurant except Asian restaurants, serve the bread to start with. For example, Bonefish Grill serves crusty artisan bread with basil pest dipping sauce, Outback steakhouse serves the bread with whipped butter, Olive Garden serve the garlic bread, Firebirds woodfired grill serves semolina bread with whipped butter.
Me and my husband loves Firebirds’ bread.Therefore, I thought I would make one for us too,to try. Maybe their bread is a touch softer inside,which makes me wonder if they use milk instead of water or combine all purpose flour or bread flour and semolina flour, but mine was tasty enough.
I would like to share the recipe with you.
Semolina bread..
I do love bread baking.
For me, bread baking is like comforting in many ways from kneading the dough, aroma while bread is being proofed or being baked,sound of crust when you slice into the bread.. There is something about bread baking that makes the whole experience special.
When I started baking bread,I got myself a book for bread baking,and I tried one type of recipe for French bread (Baguette) over and over until I get satisfied result from making one. I made so many French bread to learn the basic technique,and get to know more about bread baking in general.
I find that making artisan bread has depth in learning and more technique,and I have got a lot more to learn about it.
Ingredients for semolina bread:
1.5 tsp dry yeast 5/6C water 2 tsp sugar 2C Semolina flour 2 tsp active dry yeast 1 tbs Extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp salt
0. Preheat the oven at 200F and when it reached to 200F,turn the oven off
1. In the small bowl, add 5/6C lukewarm water (temperature should be around 110F-115F), and add 1.5 tsp dry yeast and 2 tsp sugar and mix well and let it stand for about 10 minutes until it gets fluffy on top
2. In big bowl, add 2C semolina flour,1 tsp salt and mix well
3. Pour yeast-water-sugar mixture into the flour mixture,along with 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil and mix well
** If you use jar of dry yeast, make sure the yeast is at room temperature. Cold yeast would not make your dough rise properly.
** water temperature to rise the dough (proof the dough) should be at 110F-115F. Lower temperature water would not proof the dough properly, and higher temperature water would kill the yeast and would not proof the dough properly.
4. When dough came together,sprinkle some flour on the counter and transfer the dough to the counter to begin kneading the dough until the dough is smooth,elastic dough about 6-8 minutes
** Using silpat mat is easy to work with
5.You can test your dough to see if you knead it more. Do the Windowpane test.
What is windowpane test??
Windowpane test is the test the gluten development in the dough.
What you do is to cut off small piece of dough,and gently stretch out/pulling to see if it will hold a paper-thin membrane.If it tore apart,you would knead a bit more and do the test again.
6. When dough becomes supple,smooth,elastic dough, drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil (not the amount in the recipe above,this is extra) onto empty bowl and smear it around side and inside bottom to make easy for you to take the dough out later
7. Place the dough into the bowl,drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil (not the amount in the recipe above,this is extra) over the dough and smear the olive oil all around the dough
8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place the dough in the oven,set the timer for 90 minutes
9. 90 minutes later, dough will be larger size in volume
10. Once the dough gets nearly double in volume, punch the dough,and ,take the dough out from the bowl onto the silpat mat/slightly floured surface
11. Divide the dough into 2, and form the dough into disc/round shape.Then, sprinkle cornmeal on the nonstick foil lined baking sheet,and place the dough on them
12. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap loosely over the dough,and put it back into oven for another 30-45 minutes until dough gets nearly double in volume
13. Before baking, gently press the center of the bread with rolling pin, or slice the top a bit about 1/2″ or so with knife and spray (mist) the bread dough with water using spritz bottle, and sprinkle dash of corn meal on top
14. Preheat the oven at 450F
15. Bake them for about 8 minutes,and rotate the sheet pan to continue baking for another 9 minutes.Then,continue baking until bread sounds hollow when tapped.
** Bread temperature should be at 205F in the center
(Put the meat thermometer on back of the bread and read the temperature)
** This recipe can yield about 2 semolina bread
** You can also shape the dough into other shape too
