Oscar Hinckley Craven

Our February 5th due date came and went, and Oscar, the fetus formerly known as "OHC" decided to make his debut on Friday February 10th...! Holly's water broke about 2:30am, and we made our way to Swedish-First Hill to deliver. Active labor kicked in, and he was born at 11:23am. Weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and measuring 21.5 inches long. Holly and I couldn't be happier for our new son joining our family.



Me & Oscar. I love this boy to pieces.



All swaddled in a hip blanket. Not a crappy hospital blanket...LOL...!



Holly and Oscar.



First day home post hospital discharge in the blanket that Shelly made for us, using material that my Mom had purchased before she died. It's nice for Oscar to have a blanket from his Grandma Craven.



He loves having his hands up.



First tub time...



Relaxing on the Cookie Monster blanket that Gretchen made for him. He'll definitely learn to LOVE Cookie Monster.



Learning to take a "bink" so he doesn't cry so much...



Oscar, Holly & Grandma "Nana" Finlayson. Three generations. Oscar is the first grandson on Holly's side of the family. He joins 7 granddaughters.



A cute frog hat that our friend Betsy got for him. Perfect for walks in the brisk, cold sunny air. We feel so very fortunate and excited, blessed and exhausted all the same time. We are transitioning into parenthood just fine with minimal freak outs.

Our New Little Oscar

Still can't believe Holly & I, have a healthy, handsome, strong baby boy. So grateful & privileged we get the opportunity to parent. Looking forward to the adventure that lies ahead. Not to mention all the fun photos & memories. I'll post photos when I get caught up on sleep. He arrived February 10, 2012 at 11:23am. Weighing 7lb7oz, and was 21.5 inches. I was able to help nurses & doctors with the entire delivery. Priceless memories. Especially what Holly was willing to put her body through. I love our new little family immensely!

My vegan, gluten free, dairy free power bar experiment.

In my continued effort to only consume the healthiest of food, I reviewed a few recipes this weekend on the granola and power bar front. I wanted something that tasted good, had enough season or spice to it, as well as having the right mixture of dried fruit and nuts in it. Additionally, I wanted to make this vegan. As well, as gluten & dairy free. This is what I came up with for healthy snacks for Holly and I to enjoy during the busy work week at our offices. Great source of protein and fiber. Pretty low natural sugar content from the honey. No refined sugar in this at all. And the batch split 18 ways is 128 calories per par, or if split 15 ways is 142 calories per bar.



Cinnamon-Cranberry Granola Power Bars

1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
½ cup packed unsweetened dried cranberries
½ cup chopped toasted pecans or almonds
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons best quality honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line an 8X11 inch baking pan with foil, allowing foil to extend over sides. Lightly coat foil with olive oil. Mix oats, cranberries, nuts, cinnamon & salt in a bowl. Combine olive oil & honey in a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and begins to boil. Pour oil-honey mixture over oat mixture and stir until well coated. Transfer to prepared pan.

Using a spatula, press mixture evenly into pan, pushing down to slightly pack. Bake mixture until top is golden brown, about 23-25 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely for 1 hour. Using foil as aid, lift out of the pan. Place on work surface (cutting board), and using large sharp knife, cut into 15-18 bars.





Once portioned out, wrap in waxed paper and place in plastic bag. For best/freshest quality, consume within one week.