Eugene and I are still recovering from Alex's party last week. I started describing it on his own blog, but I still need to finish the story and add some pictures. Basically, Alex was overtired and very shy around all of the guests, but after he had some of his cake, he mellowed out. There were about 50 people there, and the party lasted for about six hours. There was a lot of food; in addition to the roast pig, there were three kinds of grilled meat, eggrolls, two types of ponsit (Filipino noodle casserole), Greek food my parents had catered in, and other food some of the guests brought. Plus there was a Filipino cake from my in-laws and two half-sheets of cake we ordered. Luckily for us, some of Eugene's aunts took over the kitchen; they not only set up the food but cleaned up afterwards. If it weren't for them, we'd still be cleaning up. Alex got some very nice presents, but I don't want to list them here. We still have nine thank-you cards to write, but we should be able to finish in the next day or two.
Part of the reason we're still recovering is that Alex had a streak of poor nights. He woke up at odd hours, which wasn't good for our own sleep. He might be teething again. At least he's back to sleeping through the night again (I hope I haven't jinxed things for tonight now.) But with our chronic fatigue, not to mention that we've been busy for several weekends in a row, I suggested to Eugene that we just hang out at home today. He agreed. So we spent Father's Day chilling out. We did a couple of chores--he mowed the lawn, I sorted through Alex's clothes and put some in storage--but all three of us took a much-needed nap this afternoon.
Writing--I'm almost ready to post my query package to the OWW wiki space. I still need to revise my synopsis--I have suggestions from the synopsis workshop that I haven't had time to review properly. Hopefully I can do that in the next couple of days. Then maybe I can go back to working on some of my short stories or continue the final pass on my book. I think I'm going to use Across Two Universes as the title--unless I think of something better.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Cookies, Don't Crumble!
Alex's birthday party is Sunday. We still don't know exactly how many people are coming, as not all of them RSVPed but may still show up. That makes planning difficult, but I'm assuming about 70-80 people will come. (I figure it's better to plan for more than for less.) Since many of them will be driving a good distance, I thought it would be nice to have a little favor for them in addition to all the food and cake we'll have available. I came up with making cookies to tie into the party's theme (which I'll keep under wraps for another couple of days.) But what I thought would be a quick project has been more time-comsuming than I thought it would be. Of course, I don't have much free time to begin with after working and taking care of Alex. But here's what the last few days have been like:
Sunday--After returning home from Kristi's shower, I started making a double batch of dough for sugar cookies. Then I realized I was out of an ingredient and had to go to the store. I mixed the dough and put it in the refrigerator to cool. The dough seemed a little dry, but I thought it would improve after cooling. Unfortunately, it was still too dry. I realized I hadn't put in enough butter but figured it was too late to add it. So I had to dump it and make another batch. By then it was too late to actually make the cookies, so I had to store the dough in the refrigerator for another night.
Monday--I started rolling out the dough--which worked much better this time--while Alex was still up. It was harder than I remembered to roll it out, and the first couple of cookies were a little too thin. It was my night to put him down for the night, so I had to take a break. By the time I returned to the kitchen, some of the dough had warmed up too much to roll out well. At least I managed to make about two dozen cookies and prep more dough for the next day.
Tuesday--Eugene offered to help me, and it was much easier with two of us. Eugene rolled out the dough (which was between two sheets of wax paper) while I held the paper down. We finished all of the baking that night.
Wednesday--Before Alex went to bed, I made homemade buttercream frosting. Afterwards, I split it in half and colored it blue and green. Eugene again offered to help me frost the cookies, which allowed us to go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Thursday--Almost done; I just had to bag the cookies and find someplace to put them.
So the cookies are finally done, but there's still a lot left to do. I just hope people enjoy them. We did lose a few cookies due to breakage, but they found good homes in our stomachs. If some of the cookies we hand out are broken, I hope people don't mind.
Sunday--After returning home from Kristi's shower, I started making a double batch of dough for sugar cookies. Then I realized I was out of an ingredient and had to go to the store. I mixed the dough and put it in the refrigerator to cool. The dough seemed a little dry, but I thought it would improve after cooling. Unfortunately, it was still too dry. I realized I hadn't put in enough butter but figured it was too late to add it. So I had to dump it and make another batch. By then it was too late to actually make the cookies, so I had to store the dough in the refrigerator for another night.
Monday--I started rolling out the dough--which worked much better this time--while Alex was still up. It was harder than I remembered to roll it out, and the first couple of cookies were a little too thin. It was my night to put him down for the night, so I had to take a break. By the time I returned to the kitchen, some of the dough had warmed up too much to roll out well. At least I managed to make about two dozen cookies and prep more dough for the next day.
Tuesday--Eugene offered to help me, and it was much easier with two of us. Eugene rolled out the dough (which was between two sheets of wax paper) while I held the paper down. We finished all of the baking that night.
Wednesday--Before Alex went to bed, I made homemade buttercream frosting. Afterwards, I split it in half and colored it blue and green. Eugene again offered to help me frost the cookies, which allowed us to go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Thursday--Almost done; I just had to bag the cookies and find someplace to put them.
So the cookies are finally done, but there's still a lot left to do. I just hope people enjoy them. We did lose a few cookies due to breakage, but they found good homes in our stomachs. If some of the cookies we hand out are broken, I hope people don't mind.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Our Son is One! (And Other Wonderful Things)
I'm a little late on this, but Alex turned one on Friday. At daycare, he got to wear a little crown (I'm not sure how much he liked that), and they sang, "Happy Birthday" to him. That evening, a photographer came out to our house to take pictures. We know her so well we invited her, her husband, another photographer from the same company, and the second photographer's husband (do you have all of that?), to stay for dinner. It was a relatively simple meal, but Eugene more than made up for that with his mile-high apple pie, made with two dozen apples. (I'm not kidding; this pie is huge.) Too bad we didn't have enough time to make our own vanilla ice cream. It was fun having them over.
Saturday we had another couple of guests over for Alex's first playdate. We hit it off with a couple in our childbirth class last year, so the mother and her daughter came over. I'm not sure what Alex thought about another baby exploring his house and playing with his toys, though he did watch the little girl try to climb the stairs. I'm afraid that may have put ideas into his head--not what Mommy and Daddy need! We may go visit them in a couple of weeks.
Today Alex and I went to a friend's bridal shower. I had to wake him up from a nap, but we were still late. He behaved pretty well, though towards the end he was a little fussy. We let him nap before going shopping.
As for the other wonderful thing I mentioned, Firestorm of Dragons is now available through Amazon.com and other online outlets! Order early, order often! Now, all I need to do is find some writing time. With Alex's party next week, it may be tough to find any time at night to work.
Saturday we had another couple of guests over for Alex's first playdate. We hit it off with a couple in our childbirth class last year, so the mother and her daughter came over. I'm not sure what Alex thought about another baby exploring his house and playing with his toys, though he did watch the little girl try to climb the stairs. I'm afraid that may have put ideas into his head--not what Mommy and Daddy need! We may go visit them in a couple of weeks.
Today Alex and I went to a friend's bridal shower. I had to wake him up from a nap, but we were still late. He behaved pretty well, though towards the end he was a little fussy. We let him nap before going shopping.
As for the other wonderful thing I mentioned, Firestorm of Dragons is now available through Amazon.com and other online outlets! Order early, order often! Now, all I need to do is find some writing time. With Alex's party next week, it may be tough to find any time at night to work.
Monday, May 26, 2008
A Momentary Taste of WisCon
That's the name of WisCon's official newsletter (though this year they're doing it as a blog), and it sums up my con experience this year.
Although I took Friday off, Eugene had an important errand to run in the afternoon, so we didn't leave for Madison until close to 5:00. We stopped along the way, so we didn't arrive at our hotel until nearly 8:00. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get a room in the con hotel this year, so we were in an overflow hotel. The silver lining was that we had a suite, which is nice because we could put Alex to sleep in one room and stay up in the bedroom. But this meant we had to tote everything we needed for Alex and Eugene's photography equipment with us for a few blocks. It's also the main reason I skipped all of the nighttime activities at the con, even the dessert function I'd prepaid for; I didn’t want to be walking around by myself late at night.
After visiting the Farmer's Market Saturday morning, I picked up my registration packet and brought Alex to the on-site daycare. (He clung to me every time I brought him there because it was strange to him; he's much better at his normal daycare. But this afternoon, he was playing like a whirling dervish.) I also brought some copies of the anthology to the BroadUniverse table for sale. Then I went to my first panel while Eugene bummed up and down State Street. We met for lunch (picking up Alex so the daycare providers could have their own break). After lunch, I participated in a rapid-fire reading with a dozen other members of BroadUniverse; people told me afterwards my reading went well. I went to another panel, then volunteered at the BroadUniverse table for an hour. We had dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant. Alex did OK for a while but got fussy toward the end.
On Sunday, I went to three panels. I skipped a panel in the middle of the afternoon to bum around State Street myself. I could have splurged in Wintersilks--there was a teal silk blazer I came within a hair's-breath of buying--but limited myself to one silk tee. (The near-purchase gave me an idea for a short story, though.) We had dinner at a tapas restaurant before returning to our hotel; I had to leave early with Alex because the noise got to be too much for him.
I never do much at the con on Monday. We checked out of our hotel and immediately went to the con hotel to make reservations for next year. Then we left Madison. We stopped along the way to visit my parents. Now we’re trying to unwind before going back to work tomorrow.
It was great to be back in Madison in the spring again; when the weather is good for Memorial Day weekend, it doesn't get much better than it did this weekend. It was also good to be back at WisCon again, though I did feel a little isolated by not going to the parties and other nighttime events. I didn't get much time with my friend Margie either. Apologies to our Madison friends that we weren’t able to get together this time. We definitely will in the fall for our yearly reunion.
Although I took Friday off, Eugene had an important errand to run in the afternoon, so we didn't leave for Madison until close to 5:00. We stopped along the way, so we didn't arrive at our hotel until nearly 8:00. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get a room in the con hotel this year, so we were in an overflow hotel. The silver lining was that we had a suite, which is nice because we could put Alex to sleep in one room and stay up in the bedroom. But this meant we had to tote everything we needed for Alex and Eugene's photography equipment with us for a few blocks. It's also the main reason I skipped all of the nighttime activities at the con, even the dessert function I'd prepaid for; I didn’t want to be walking around by myself late at night.
After visiting the Farmer's Market Saturday morning, I picked up my registration packet and brought Alex to the on-site daycare. (He clung to me every time I brought him there because it was strange to him; he's much better at his normal daycare. But this afternoon, he was playing like a whirling dervish.) I also brought some copies of the anthology to the BroadUniverse table for sale. Then I went to my first panel while Eugene bummed up and down State Street. We met for lunch (picking up Alex so the daycare providers could have their own break). After lunch, I participated in a rapid-fire reading with a dozen other members of BroadUniverse; people told me afterwards my reading went well. I went to another panel, then volunteered at the BroadUniverse table for an hour. We had dinner at our favorite Japanese restaurant. Alex did OK for a while but got fussy toward the end.
On Sunday, I went to three panels. I skipped a panel in the middle of the afternoon to bum around State Street myself. I could have splurged in Wintersilks--there was a teal silk blazer I came within a hair's-breath of buying--but limited myself to one silk tee. (The near-purchase gave me an idea for a short story, though.) We had dinner at a tapas restaurant before returning to our hotel; I had to leave early with Alex because the noise got to be too much for him.
I never do much at the con on Monday. We checked out of our hotel and immediately went to the con hotel to make reservations for next year. Then we left Madison. We stopped along the way to visit my parents. Now we’re trying to unwind before going back to work tomorrow.
It was great to be back in Madison in the spring again; when the weather is good for Memorial Day weekend, it doesn't get much better than it did this weekend. It was also good to be back at WisCon again, though I did feel a little isolated by not going to the parties and other nighttime events. I didn't get much time with my friend Margie either. Apologies to our Madison friends that we weren’t able to get together this time. We definitely will in the fall for our yearly reunion.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Writing News
Lots of writing stuff to post today.
First, I'd like to spread the news about a dialogue contest being run on Nathan Bransford's blog. Nathan is a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. He's challenging people to post up to 250 words of dialogue and supporting description. The contest ends tomorrow at 5:00 Pacific Time (he's out of California). I posted a snippet from Thine Own Self. There are nearly 400 entries already, so we'll see Thursday morning if I made it to the finalist round.
Second, one of the writers I know, Maria Zannini, is celebrating the release of her debut novel, Touch of Fire, a fantasy romance. It's available here as an e-book and will be in print late next year.
Finally, and most exciting personally, I found out from Dragon Moon Press that copies of Firestorm of Dragons are on their way to me. I should receive them Thursday in time to bring them to WisCon. I'm planning to be part of Broad Universe's Rapid-Fire Reading there (reading from my short story) and will be selling copies of the anthology at their table in the Dealer's Room. I can't wait to see the book!
First, I'd like to spread the news about a dialogue contest being run on Nathan Bransford's blog. Nathan is a literary agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. He's challenging people to post up to 250 words of dialogue and supporting description. The contest ends tomorrow at 5:00 Pacific Time (he's out of California). I posted a snippet from Thine Own Self. There are nearly 400 entries already, so we'll see Thursday morning if I made it to the finalist round.
Second, one of the writers I know, Maria Zannini, is celebrating the release of her debut novel, Touch of Fire, a fantasy romance. It's available here as an e-book and will be in print late next year.
Finally, and most exciting personally, I found out from Dragon Moon Press that copies of Firestorm of Dragons are on their way to me. I should receive them Thursday in time to bring them to WisCon. I'm planning to be part of Broad Universe's Rapid-Fire Reading there (reading from my short story) and will be selling copies of the anthology at their table in the Dealer's Room. I can't wait to see the book!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
A Walk in Lilacia Park
Lilacs are one of my favorite flowers. I didn't get to see much of them last year since I was in my third trimester and couldn't get around very well. This year, we introduced Alex to the lilacs at Lilacia Park. The lilac season is past its peak, but there were still plenty of bushes in bloom. As you can see below, there were also lots of tulips too.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Every Breath You Take...
Yesterday was a busy day. (Actually, all of my weekends for the next month will be busier than normal. At least that should be good blog material.) I did laundry and then ran errands with Alex. We went to the bank, to the bakery to order the cake for his party, and to the grocery store. Eugene came home early from work so he could mow the lawn before it rained today. But we were rewarded for doing all of our chores, for we had tickets for the Police/Elvis Costello concert. My parents came down to watch Alex while we were gone. They arrived early so he had time to get used to them (he's got stranger anxiety) before we left.
We got to the concert about a half hour before it was supposed to start. We had seats on the second level--I wasn't going to pay more. I brought binoculars so we could get a better view of the stage. Amazingly enough, the concert started on time, with Elvis Costello opening the show. We knew only a couple of the songs he played (I never got into his music). The music was fine, but it didn't have an emotional resonance for me. Someone came out to duet with Elvis on one of the songs; Eugene identified the singer as Sting. It was hard to recognize him, since he had a hat pulled partly over his face, and his beard was scruffy.
After a break, the Police came out. I could tell from the first song that this was going to be a better show than the one we saw last year with Genesis. There was much more energy in the songs. I have to admit I didn't recognize all of them, since I have only two of their albums. But they did play the two songs I really wanted them to play, "Invisible Sun" and "King of Pain." (They did "Every Breath You Take" during the encore.) They played for less than two hours, but it didn't feel like that. Even so, I have to admit I just don't have the energy I used to. Gee, I wonder why?
Today, for Mother's Day, Eugene gave me tulips and a gift certificate to a spa. I also got a card from Alex with a partial tracing of his hand. (He doesn't sit still long enough for a full tracing.) We had both sets of parents and my grandmother over for lunch. Eugene did most of the cooking since I was busy with Alex; we had pork loin, orange and almond salad, eggrolls, rice, breadsticks, and vegetables. Eugene's mom also brought over more eggrolls and shrimp. The grandparents really enjoyed the time with their grandson. As for me, I'm looking forward to my spa trip.
We got to the concert about a half hour before it was supposed to start. We had seats on the second level--I wasn't going to pay more. I brought binoculars so we could get a better view of the stage. Amazingly enough, the concert started on time, with Elvis Costello opening the show. We knew only a couple of the songs he played (I never got into his music). The music was fine, but it didn't have an emotional resonance for me. Someone came out to duet with Elvis on one of the songs; Eugene identified the singer as Sting. It was hard to recognize him, since he had a hat pulled partly over his face, and his beard was scruffy.
After a break, the Police came out. I could tell from the first song that this was going to be a better show than the one we saw last year with Genesis. There was much more energy in the songs. I have to admit I didn't recognize all of them, since I have only two of their albums. But they did play the two songs I really wanted them to play, "Invisible Sun" and "King of Pain." (They did "Every Breath You Take" during the encore.) They played for less than two hours, but it didn't feel like that. Even so, I have to admit I just don't have the energy I used to. Gee, I wonder why?
Today, for Mother's Day, Eugene gave me tulips and a gift certificate to a spa. I also got a card from Alex with a partial tracing of his hand. (He doesn't sit still long enough for a full tracing.) We had both sets of parents and my grandmother over for lunch. Eugene did most of the cooking since I was busy with Alex; we had pork loin, orange and almond salad, eggrolls, rice, breadsticks, and vegetables. Eugene's mom also brought over more eggrolls and shrimp. The grandparents really enjoyed the time with their grandson. As for me, I'm looking forward to my spa trip.
Top Ten Reasons I Haven't Blogged Lately
10. I look at the floor, and I see it needs sweeping.
9. I have to sleep sometime.
8. Still waiting to get copies of the anthology...
7. so I can pick a section to read at WisCon.
6. There's still a lot to do before WisCon but precious little time to do it.
5. Getting ready for Alex's first birthday party.
4. I'm working on a short story, but I'm stalled, as usual.
3. I'm still trying to develop a query package for Thine Own Self.
2. Eugene needs quality time too.
1. All Alex, all the time.
9. I have to sleep sometime.
8. Still waiting to get copies of the anthology...
7. so I can pick a section to read at WisCon.
6. There's still a lot to do before WisCon but precious little time to do it.
5. Getting ready for Alex's first birthday party.
4. I'm working on a short story, but I'm stalled, as usual.
3. I'm still trying to develop a query package for Thine Own Self.
2. Eugene needs quality time too.
1. All Alex, all the time.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
We're Out and About!
It seems like work and chores and all the various little projects I want/need to do never end. Still, when the weather is as nice as it was today, it's time to get out and enjoy it. We went to the Chicago Botanic Garden this morning; we even beat the crowds. Here are a few pictures. I don't know why the top two are sideways; I rotated them when I uploaded them to my computer.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
New Links
I added a couple of new links to the sidebar. The first and most important one is a link to the website for Firestorm of Dragons, the anthology which will contain my first published story. The list of authors on the site is currently incomplete (I'm one of the missing), but my short story is mentioned. The listing is also available on Amazon, though Amazon says it won't be available until June 1, while the website says it's coming out in mid-May. I hope the latter date is correct so I can bring copies to WisCon. There's already a book review available here, and it's a good one. It's going to be so exciting to see this book in print.
The second link I added is to the website for the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, or SPOGG. The site is actually pretty sparse at the moment, though the blog contains listings of bad grammar in action (so it can be corrected, of course). Still, it's important to promote good grammar, so I figure it's worth doing my part to spread the word.
The second link I added is to the website for the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, or SPOGG. The site is actually pretty sparse at the moment, though the blog contains listings of bad grammar in action (so it can be corrected, of course). Still, it's important to promote good grammar, so I figure it's worth doing my part to spread the word.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
The Ransom Note Birthday Card
In an effort to save some money, I'm trying to make my own greeting cards. I'm getting tired of spending $3 or $4 per card, especially when I may need several cards for one holiday. I don't have much experience with paper handling, although Eugene and I did make some things, such as our programs and rehearsal dinner invitations, for our wedding. I still wish we could have used some of the cool invitations from Paper Source, but that would have been too much and too stressful givn the size of our wedding. But we are going to make the inviations for Alex's first birthday party, and I'm also planning to make birthday cards for some of my friends. I already ordered some of the supplies I need from Paper Source.
Yesterday, while I was at Target, I checked out their craft section, as they have some cardmaking supplies. I saw they had letter stamps and inkpads, so I thought those might come in handy. Since one of my co-workers has a birthday tomorrow, I decided to try making a birthday card for her. I wanted to put "Happy Birthday, Name" on the front of the card and "From All of Us" on the inside, using silver ink from an inkpad. I've never used stamps and inkpads before, so I wound up overinking the stamps, and the extra ink wound up on the card. Even though I used a ruler, the letters wound up unevenly spaced and not lined up properly. Eugene joked that it looks more like a ransom note than a birthday card. I'm still going to give it to my co-worker, but I'm a little embarrassed about passing it around for my other co-workers to sign. We'll see if I go ahead and do it anyway. I just hope Alex's invites turn out better!
Yesterday, while I was at Target, I checked out their craft section, as they have some cardmaking supplies. I saw they had letter stamps and inkpads, so I thought those might come in handy. Since one of my co-workers has a birthday tomorrow, I decided to try making a birthday card for her. I wanted to put "Happy Birthday, Name" on the front of the card and "From All of Us" on the inside, using silver ink from an inkpad. I've never used stamps and inkpads before, so I wound up overinking the stamps, and the extra ink wound up on the card. Even though I used a ruler, the letters wound up unevenly spaced and not lined up properly. Eugene joked that it looks more like a ransom note than a birthday card. I'm still going to give it to my co-worker, but I'm a little embarrassed about passing it around for my other co-workers to sign. We'll see if I go ahead and do it anyway. I just hope Alex's invites turn out better!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Settling In
First, an update on Alex: we took him to a couple of doctors Monday to get opinions on how to handle his recurrent ear infections. We first saw an ear, nose, and throat specialist. He recommended surgery to insert ear tubes. The pediatrician suggested a few other things we could try first, such as removing dairy from Alex's diet and giving him a different type of antibioitic. So we switched to soy formula, which Alex seems to be taking well. Unfortunately, Alex wasn't able to tolerate the oral antibiotic, and he had to have more intramuscular injections. But at least he seems to be doing better, although he's still sensitive to loud noises. We bring him back for a recheck next week and will (no pun intended) play it by ear.
Now that Alex is improving, someone else in our family must get sick to keep the universe in balance. This time, it was Eugene's turn to visit urgent care. He has bronchitis -- again. I hope eventually everyone is healthy!
Yesterday, my dad came for a visit. He secured some of our bookshelves to the walls and also tried installing a safety gate. (We need something else to finish the job.) After that he played with his namesake for a while until he tried putting Alex down for a nap in his crib. That didn't work too well. But at least I was finally able to unpack some of my books. Seeing them again was like reuniting with lost friends. There's still more to unpack, but at least now I can work on my office area when time permits.
As for today, after we went to urgent care, we went grocery shopping, came home for a while, and then had dinner with my in-laws at a restaurant. They too were suffering from Alex withdrawal. He generally behaved OK, though he got a little fussy toward the end. We also discussed plans for Alex's first birthday party. It's coming up soon!
Now that Alex is improving, someone else in our family must get sick to keep the universe in balance. This time, it was Eugene's turn to visit urgent care. He has bronchitis -- again. I hope eventually everyone is healthy!
Yesterday, my dad came for a visit. He secured some of our bookshelves to the walls and also tried installing a safety gate. (We need something else to finish the job.) After that he played with his namesake for a while until he tried putting Alex down for a nap in his crib. That didn't work too well. But at least I was finally able to unpack some of my books. Seeing them again was like reuniting with lost friends. There's still more to unpack, but at least now I can work on my office area when time permits.
As for today, after we went to urgent care, we went grocery shopping, came home for a while, and then had dinner with my in-laws at a restaurant. They too were suffering from Alex withdrawal. He generally behaved OK, though he got a little fussy toward the end. We also discussed plans for Alex's first birthday party. It's coming up soon!
Monday, March 24, 2008
An ER Ear-ster
Alex spent his first Easter in the hospital.
Alex has had several ear infections since January. We brought him to urgent care last Monday after a very fussy night and found out he had yet another ear infection along with a sinus infection. The doctor put him on Omnicef, a very strong antibiotic, and for a few days Alex seemed to be improving. Thursday Alex was very sensitive to loud sounds at daycare, and they even noticed fluid coming out of his ear. We brought him back to urgent care that night, and the doctor said his ear was improving. So when he had a low-grade fever Saturday, I thought it was teething and kept giving him Tylenol. Unfortunately, the fever got worse in the evening, and at 12:30 a.m., when it still didn't improve despite the Tylenol, we went to ER. According the doctor there, Alex did have another ear infection. Bloodwork showed Alex had an elevated white blood count, and that's why he had to be admitted to the hospital.
The pediatric ward was very quiet, since there was only one other child in the wing. It was nicely decorated, with murals on the walls, a playroom, and a gameroom/gathering room. Alex's room had a fold-out bed so parents could stay in the room, and the staff even brought in lunch and dinner for us. But it still sucked having to be there, especially when it meant we couldn't celebrate Easter with Eugene's family. We did bring Alex his Easter basket, which had a couple of stuffed animals, a couple of books, and a couple of toys. At least he really liked the giant, colorful glowworm. None of us slept well, if at all, while we waited for the doctors in ER. Alex was so overtired he couldn't fall asleep; he screamed no matter what we did. He finally got some sleep in the afternoon, after we carried him around the hospital wing. He also didn't eat very well. His treatment was a pair of intramuscular injections of antibiotics. He got the first one in ER and the second one in the evening, when we were finally discharged. We've spent this afternoon in following up with more doctor visits. Alex may have to have surgery if the ear infections don't clear up, but we're going to try a couple of other things first. I also hope that if spring ever actually arrives, Alex will stop getting sick.
Alex has had several ear infections since January. We brought him to urgent care last Monday after a very fussy night and found out he had yet another ear infection along with a sinus infection. The doctor put him on Omnicef, a very strong antibiotic, and for a few days Alex seemed to be improving. Thursday Alex was very sensitive to loud sounds at daycare, and they even noticed fluid coming out of his ear. We brought him back to urgent care that night, and the doctor said his ear was improving. So when he had a low-grade fever Saturday, I thought it was teething and kept giving him Tylenol. Unfortunately, the fever got worse in the evening, and at 12:30 a.m., when it still didn't improve despite the Tylenol, we went to ER. According the doctor there, Alex did have another ear infection. Bloodwork showed Alex had an elevated white blood count, and that's why he had to be admitted to the hospital.
The pediatric ward was very quiet, since there was only one other child in the wing. It was nicely decorated, with murals on the walls, a playroom, and a gameroom/gathering room. Alex's room had a fold-out bed so parents could stay in the room, and the staff even brought in lunch and dinner for us. But it still sucked having to be there, especially when it meant we couldn't celebrate Easter with Eugene's family. We did bring Alex his Easter basket, which had a couple of stuffed animals, a couple of books, and a couple of toys. At least he really liked the giant, colorful glowworm. None of us slept well, if at all, while we waited for the doctors in ER. Alex was so overtired he couldn't fall asleep; he screamed no matter what we did. He finally got some sleep in the afternoon, after we carried him around the hospital wing. He also didn't eat very well. His treatment was a pair of intramuscular injections of antibiotics. He got the first one in ER and the second one in the evening, when we were finally discharged. We've spent this afternoon in following up with more doctor visits. Alex may have to have surgery if the ear infections don't clear up, but we're going to try a couple of other things first. I also hope that if spring ever actually arrives, Alex will stop getting sick.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Synopsis Writing and Other Things
I haven't blogged much lately since I was busy with the synopsis writing workshop held through OWW's focus mailing list. If you're not familar with synopses (as I expect most of you are), they're summaries of a novel used to pitch them to agents and editors. They have to sum up an entire novel (which can be over 100,000 words) in just a couple of pages, all while being clear in conveying plot, setting, and character development. No wonder many novelists dread doing them. For this workshop, we started off by reading some "how-to" articles and sample snyopses, then writing one of our own. I wrote one for Thine Own Self, previously known as Lennon's Line. Three people commented on my synopsis. Unfortunately, I got so swamped with work and taking care of Alex (as usual, he's sick) that I haven't had a chance to revise and resubmit my synopsis. I'll probably post it on the OWW workshop once I've revised it.
In other writing news, I'm rewriting the first couple chapters TOS, trying to make my main character more sympathetic. I also signed up for a panel at WisCon, but it'll be a while before I learn if that goes through. Even if it doesn't, I'm participating in a rapid-fire reading with BroadUniverse. Also, the website for the anthology A Firestorm of Dragons is up; this anthology includes one of my short stories. I'll have to post a link to the website when I have more time.
Not much else going on otherwise, just trying to keep up with work and the house and everything else I have to do. I need to split myself into two or more people to get everything done!
In other writing news, I'm rewriting the first couple chapters TOS, trying to make my main character more sympathetic. I also signed up for a panel at WisCon, but it'll be a while before I learn if that goes through. Even if it doesn't, I'm participating in a rapid-fire reading with BroadUniverse. Also, the website for the anthology A Firestorm of Dragons is up; this anthology includes one of my short stories. I'll have to post a link to the website when I have more time.
Not much else going on otherwise, just trying to keep up with work and the house and everything else I have to do. I need to split myself into two or more people to get everything done!
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Family Party
I'm a little behind reporting on this, since it happened Sunday night. My cousin threw a surprise birthday party for my aunt and uncle. Unfortunately, my parents couldn't make it since my mom is sick. Alex handled it pretty well, given that it interfered with his bedtime. Here are a few pictures:
My uncle and aunt are in the center, flanked by my cousins Sylvia, Ilonka, and Dirk. Sophia, one of my flowergirls, is visible above my aunt's shoulder.
More of the family, including my cousin-in-law and some of my cousin's children.
Friday, February 29, 2008
An Actual Writing Update
Since it's Leap Day, I figure it's a good time to post a little bit about my writing projects. The way things are going this week with Alex teething, it may be another four years before I make any progress.
--I've decided to put my NaNoWriMo novel on hold while I prepare Lennon's Line (the old title; I'm trying to come up with a new one) for submission to agents. There are too many projects I want to work on, so I figure I should start with the one closest to being done. Besides, I'm getting a bit frustated with the NaNoWriMo novel and need some time away from it. What I really need to do is go back and reread it from the beginning, but I'm dreading that. I do need to make sure I go back to this project eventually; I put too much effort in it and got too far in it to give it up completely.
--The other main thing I'm working on right now is editing a friend's novel. I work on both of these projects at lunch, which I guess is more productive than poker.
--As part of working on Lennon's Line, I'm writing a synopsis for it. This is good timing, as OWW is starting a workshop on writing synopses next month.
--WisCon has put up the programming participant signup sheet on its website. There are a few panels I'd like to be on, so I need to sign up in the next week or two.
--I'm debating what to do about my Locus subscription. I don't have time to read it anymore, but at the same time I feel like it's unprofessional to stop my subscription. Maybe I can just skim the magazine or read the website more frequently.
And now off to do something that won't occur again for another four years: relax.
--I've decided to put my NaNoWriMo novel on hold while I prepare Lennon's Line (the old title; I'm trying to come up with a new one) for submission to agents. There are too many projects I want to work on, so I figure I should start with the one closest to being done. Besides, I'm getting a bit frustated with the NaNoWriMo novel and need some time away from it. What I really need to do is go back and reread it from the beginning, but I'm dreading that. I do need to make sure I go back to this project eventually; I put too much effort in it and got too far in it to give it up completely.
--The other main thing I'm working on right now is editing a friend's novel. I work on both of these projects at lunch, which I guess is more productive than poker.
--As part of working on Lennon's Line, I'm writing a synopsis for it. This is good timing, as OWW is starting a workshop on writing synopses next month.
--WisCon has put up the programming participant signup sheet on its website. There are a few panels I'd like to be on, so I need to sign up in the next week or two.
--I'm debating what to do about my Locus subscription. I don't have time to read it anymore, but at the same time I feel like it's unprofessional to stop my subscription. Maybe I can just skim the magazine or read the website more frequently.
And now off to do something that won't occur again for another four years: relax.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Detour
If we named snowstorms the way we do hurricanes, we'd probably be at least in the middle of the alphabet by now. (I don't know exactly how many it's been, but it's been way too many for my tastes. When does spring arrive again?) Last night we had yet another snowstorm. It wasn't as bad as originally forecasted, but it made driving messy this morning.
After getting me ready for work and Alex ready for daycare, I set off around my usual time. I drove slowly, the way I always do post-snow. As I made my way to the street leading to the highway, I noticed the cars in front of me were going more slowly than normal. When I got up to the intersection, there was a police officer directing traffic, beckoning me to go straight. Of course, that didn't fit with my iternary, and I started to make my turn. That's when I realized the street was blocked off. I couldn't see why, other than the street being covered with snow. So I obeyed the officer and drove forward, trying to figure out what to do. Part of me wanted to turn around and go home, but I didn't want to miss too many days of work. Since I had to cross a river to get to work, there was only one alternate route, and that was over local streets, going south instead of north.
As before, I drove slowly, slowly enough to annoy the people behind me, I'm sure. While I was at a red light, I called work and let them know why I was delayed. The roads improved once I got to the street leading to daycare. At this point, I was about fifteen minutes late for work. I got in half an hour late, but my boss was understanding about it.
The sun came out mid-morning, and the streets were clear after work. I had thought about trying to call someone to find out if the street was still blocked, but I figured whatever had caused the problem had probably been taken care of, and it had been. I'm still not sure what it was, but it could be flooding. Water tends to accumulate on the exit to the highway. As annoying as it was to take a long way to work, it beats having the engine stall out, especially when I have Alex with me.
After getting me ready for work and Alex ready for daycare, I set off around my usual time. I drove slowly, the way I always do post-snow. As I made my way to the street leading to the highway, I noticed the cars in front of me were going more slowly than normal. When I got up to the intersection, there was a police officer directing traffic, beckoning me to go straight. Of course, that didn't fit with my iternary, and I started to make my turn. That's when I realized the street was blocked off. I couldn't see why, other than the street being covered with snow. So I obeyed the officer and drove forward, trying to figure out what to do. Part of me wanted to turn around and go home, but I didn't want to miss too many days of work. Since I had to cross a river to get to work, there was only one alternate route, and that was over local streets, going south instead of north.
As before, I drove slowly, slowly enough to annoy the people behind me, I'm sure. While I was at a red light, I called work and let them know why I was delayed. The roads improved once I got to the street leading to daycare. At this point, I was about fifteen minutes late for work. I got in half an hour late, but my boss was understanding about it.
The sun came out mid-morning, and the streets were clear after work. I had thought about trying to call someone to find out if the street was still blocked, but I figured whatever had caused the problem had probably been taken care of, and it had been. I'm still not sure what it was, but it could be flooding. Water tends to accumulate on the exit to the highway. As annoying as it was to take a long way to work, it beats having the engine stall out, especially when I have Alex with me.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Museum of Modern Ice
My parents and grandmother came down today to see Alex and our house. My mom hasn't seen it since we moved in; I don't think my grandmother had seen it at all. We met my parents at a local place first for brunch. Alex did all right during the brunch, considering there was a jazz band playing. (We sat at the back of the room so it wouldn't be too loud for him, but the band came around to serenade individual tables and disturbed a younger baby nearby.) Both Alex and the house were a hit.
After my parents left, we decided to take a trip downtown to Millennium Park. They had a special exhibit during the month of February called the Museum of Modern Ice. Basically, there were panes of colored ice embedded in more ice and kept cool on aluminium plates. The exhibit changes with the temperature--not that it's been above freezing for most of the month. This has been the first (and only) weekend we've been able to go with Alex (it's been too cold to have him outside). Although it was sunny and around 40 degrees Farenheit, it was still cold being so close to the lake. Alex fell asleep during the car ride and slept through most of the the time we were at the park. Here are a few photos I took while we were there:
My favorite photography subjects:
The open-air theater/concert venue at the park:
And, of course, the traditional shot of us at the Bean (a.k.a. Cloudgate):
Alex fussed on the way back home, but he was much happier when we stopped to take care of him and have dinner at a Whole Foods. Although there's still a lot we need to do around here, every now and then we need to get out, especially after the brutal winter we've had.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Once in a Red Moon...
We have a total lunar eclipse. It's even more rare that we get a good view of one, so Eugene rented a teleconverter for his camera to take pictures tonight. The nice thing is that we got a good view from our upstairs windows, so we didn't have to go outside in the frigid weather to seen the moon.
The eclipse started around the time I was putting Alex to bed. Eugene got his camera set up on the tripod before he helped me bath Alex. I got to see the start of the eclipse, but I nearly nodded off myself in the nursery, so by the time I put Alex in his crib, the eclipse was nearly complete. Eugene had been taking photos during this time, so I got to see some of the intermediate stages. I did get to see the red moon for myself. We dug out our binoculars, but unfortunately they weren't powerful enough to help me make out Saturn's rings.
I went back and forth with watching the eclipse and uploading some photos of Alex. I considered trying to take my own photos, but since my camera and lenses are less powerful than what Eugene has, I didn't think I'd get good pictures. By the time the eclipse passed its peak, the moon had risen too high for us to see easily from our vantage point. I was content to have seen the total eclipse, though.
Anyway, while I update Alex's blog, feel free to bug Eugene to post some of his photos. It's high time he posts to his own blog. ;)
The eclipse started around the time I was putting Alex to bed. Eugene got his camera set up on the tripod before he helped me bath Alex. I got to see the start of the eclipse, but I nearly nodded off myself in the nursery, so by the time I put Alex in his crib, the eclipse was nearly complete. Eugene had been taking photos during this time, so I got to see some of the intermediate stages. I did get to see the red moon for myself. We dug out our binoculars, but unfortunately they weren't powerful enough to help me make out Saturn's rings.
I went back and forth with watching the eclipse and uploading some photos of Alex. I considered trying to take my own photos, but since my camera and lenses are less powerful than what Eugene has, I didn't think I'd get good pictures. By the time the eclipse passed its peak, the moon had risen too high for us to see easily from our vantage point. I was content to have seen the total eclipse, though.
Anyway, while I update Alex's blog, feel free to bug Eugene to post some of his photos. It's high time he posts to his own blog. ;)
Monday, February 18, 2008
A Visit With Kristi
My company observes Presidents' Day, which is good since Alex's daycare was closed. So I took Alex, ear infection and all, to visit my friend Kristi. I haven't seen her since the baby shower last year, so I wanted the chance to catch up with her. We met at her parents' house. Her fiance was also there. We discussed her wedding plans and her new house, among other things, while her mother served us lunch. They enjoyed seeing Alex, but unfortunately he's going through stranger anxiety and didn't return the compliment. I'm sure the ear infection was still bothering him a bit. Kristi's family has a lot of young children (I should say, her nieces and nephews), so they're used to babies and were very accomdating to him, even though he cried a lot. At least he fell asleep on the way home and did much better there. It was good to hear him laugh when we played with some of his toys, and he ate really well for me. Hopefully the next time we get together with Kristi, Alex will show he really can be my "smiley boy."
Sunday, February 17, 2008
OK Already...
Yes, I'm way overdue for an update. I've been busy with my family and writing--or at least critting other's writing. So here are the highlights of the last couple of weeks, though some of them aren't exactly highlights:
I had yet another flat tire. I don't know why I'm cursed with flat tires; perhaps it has something to do with the roads. The worst part about this flat tire was that it happened on a weeknight, and I didn't discover it until I got to Alex's daycare. (I did notice that I was riding roughly on the way there, though.) So I had to bring him with me while we waited for them to put on a new tire. He was OK at first, but then he got hungry, and I didn't have an extra bottle with me. I felt so bad for him. Now I keep an extra can of formula in the car, just in case. I should put our extra diaper bag in there as well.
I missed my follow-up appointment with the surgeon twice because of the weather. I finally made it in last Friday and got my stitches removed. I'm healing well and should be done with the lifting restrictions by the end of the week. I hope to start working out then as well--Alex permitting, of course. And yes, I'm out of the maternity jeans again. It did take my system a while to adjust to the loss of my gall bladder, but it's better now.
Eugene and I actually got to have a date on Friday after Valentine's Day. Our daycare stayed open longer to give parents some couple time. So Eugene and I had dinner together. We did talk about Alex a little bit, but we weren't on the phone to daycare every fifteen minutes either. We got to the daycare after Alex's normal bedtime. He was still awake but overtired; Eugene had a tough time putting him down for the night.
Speaking of Alex, he has another ear infection. He was unconsolably fussy at daycare a couple of days ago, but we thought at first it was due to teething since he didn't have a fever. But after two fussy fits yesterday that Orajel didn't fix, I did some research and realized ear infections aren't always accompanied by a fever. So we took Alex to an Urgent Care center this morning, and the doctor there confirmed my hunch. Alex gets yet another ten-day course of antibioitcs. I'll be glad when the cold and flu season is finally over. But Alex is sitting up on his own now, and he's taking to eating solids. He hasn't gotten the hang of the sippy cup yet, though. He's trying to crawl; I think he'll figure that out in the next couple of weeks.
Writing: Still going very slowly. I have some ideas for my Season Lord trilogy, so I may dust that off and look it over. But I also need to finish the first draft of the book I'm currently working on, and I'd like to get Lennon's Line ready for submission too. Plus I still have some other projects to crit for other people, so I'll never be done. Story of my life, I guess.
I had yet another flat tire. I don't know why I'm cursed with flat tires; perhaps it has something to do with the roads. The worst part about this flat tire was that it happened on a weeknight, and I didn't discover it until I got to Alex's daycare. (I did notice that I was riding roughly on the way there, though.) So I had to bring him with me while we waited for them to put on a new tire. He was OK at first, but then he got hungry, and I didn't have an extra bottle with me. I felt so bad for him. Now I keep an extra can of formula in the car, just in case. I should put our extra diaper bag in there as well.
I missed my follow-up appointment with the surgeon twice because of the weather. I finally made it in last Friday and got my stitches removed. I'm healing well and should be done with the lifting restrictions by the end of the week. I hope to start working out then as well--Alex permitting, of course. And yes, I'm out of the maternity jeans again. It did take my system a while to adjust to the loss of my gall bladder, but it's better now.
Eugene and I actually got to have a date on Friday after Valentine's Day. Our daycare stayed open longer to give parents some couple time. So Eugene and I had dinner together. We did talk about Alex a little bit, but we weren't on the phone to daycare every fifteen minutes either. We got to the daycare after Alex's normal bedtime. He was still awake but overtired; Eugene had a tough time putting him down for the night.
Speaking of Alex, he has another ear infection. He was unconsolably fussy at daycare a couple of days ago, but we thought at first it was due to teething since he didn't have a fever. But after two fussy fits yesterday that Orajel didn't fix, I did some research and realized ear infections aren't always accompanied by a fever. So we took Alex to an Urgent Care center this morning, and the doctor there confirmed my hunch. Alex gets yet another ten-day course of antibioitcs. I'll be glad when the cold and flu season is finally over. But Alex is sitting up on his own now, and he's taking to eating solids. He hasn't gotten the hang of the sippy cup yet, though. He's trying to crawl; I think he'll figure that out in the next couple of weeks.
Writing: Still going very slowly. I have some ideas for my Season Lord trilogy, so I may dust that off and look it over. But I also need to finish the first draft of the book I'm currently working on, and I'd like to get Lennon's Line ready for submission too. Plus I still have some other projects to crit for other people, so I'll never be done. Story of my life, I guess.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Recovering
Recovering from laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is a lot like being pregnant, right down to the fashions.
That's right, I've been wearing my maternity jeans the last couple of days. I was so bloated from the surgery that my regular ones didn't fit, and the maternity jeans probably put less pressure on one of my incisions (there are four small ones) than the others would. I guess I should be grateful the maternity jeans are too big on me. ;)
It's also a lot harder to bend over or get objects off of the floor, just as it was in my last trimester. If I need to do either of those things, I try to kneel. But I seem to be doing pretty well given that my surgery was less than a week ago. My digestive system is in the process of adjusting, and my side aches off and on, especially if I've been doing stuff, but otherwise I feel all right. I went to a baby shower yesterday for a family friend of Eugene's, and people were surprised I attended. (They played a game in which people had to eat ice cream...without utensils...from a diaper. Yum!) I stayed home today because I had to wait a few days before I could drive. I'm not sure yet if I should go to work tomorrow or stay home and try to rest. (Ha!) I could probably work, but I have to be careful not to push myself too much too soon.
It's a little difficult tending to Alex. Eugene and my dad (who came down today to help me) have been doing most of the lifting. I can hold Alex on my lap, but I have to change how I hold him so he doesn't press against the incisions. I can carry Alex if I need to, but carrying him in the car seat will be awkward. Bathing him is probably out of the question for now.
I go in Friday for a follow-up appointment. Hopefully that will go well, though it will be a while yet before I'm back to my normal routine.
That's right, I've been wearing my maternity jeans the last couple of days. I was so bloated from the surgery that my regular ones didn't fit, and the maternity jeans probably put less pressure on one of my incisions (there are four small ones) than the others would. I guess I should be grateful the maternity jeans are too big on me. ;)
It's also a lot harder to bend over or get objects off of the floor, just as it was in my last trimester. If I need to do either of those things, I try to kneel. But I seem to be doing pretty well given that my surgery was less than a week ago. My digestive system is in the process of adjusting, and my side aches off and on, especially if I've been doing stuff, but otherwise I feel all right. I went to a baby shower yesterday for a family friend of Eugene's, and people were surprised I attended. (They played a game in which people had to eat ice cream...without utensils...from a diaper. Yum!) I stayed home today because I had to wait a few days before I could drive. I'm not sure yet if I should go to work tomorrow or stay home and try to rest. (Ha!) I could probably work, but I have to be careful not to push myself too much too soon.
It's a little difficult tending to Alex. Eugene and my dad (who came down today to help me) have been doing most of the lifting. I can hold Alex on my lap, but I have to change how I hold him so he doesn't press against the incisions. I can carry Alex if I need to, but carrying him in the car seat will be awkward. Bathing him is probably out of the question for now.
I go in Friday for a follow-up appointment. Hopefully that will go well, though it will be a while yet before I'm back to my normal routine.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Goodbye Gallbladder
A couple of months after first learning about my gallstones, I finally had my gallbladder removed yesterday. I just got home from the hospital a couple of hours ago.
I had to be at the hospital very early, at 7:00 a.m. Since we weren't sure when Alex would be up, I took a cab to the hospital so Eugene could stay home with our son. (It turned out that Alex was up when I left, but at least this way he didn't have to go out in the cold.) I didn't have to worry about my pedicure at all; they gave me socks to wear for my entire stay, so polish on my toenails wasn't an issue. (They did check my circulation via fingertip, though.) I remember a nurse rolling me down a corridor as I got my knockout dose, and then the next thing I remember was waking up in the Recovery Room. Apparently the surgery itself went well. I have some pictures they took of my gallbladder after they removed it. It turned out that I had lots of little stones in my gallbladder; I counted over 40 of them. Was that a gallbladder or a gizzard? ;) I was still groggy and a bit nauseous most of yesterday afternoon, but by the evening I was able to keep liquids down (though it did take longer to pass them, but I'm sure you don't want me to get into too much detail about that.) By morning, I was able to eat solids and walk around, even though I still had some pain. The whole day became one of waiting for my surgeon to make rounds, which didn't happen until about 4:30. At least she was able to discharge me. I was going through Alex withdrawal. I don't know how much he missed me, but he gave me a big smile when Eugene picked me up.
It's going to be a few more days before I'm able to drive, so I have to take Monday off as well, maybe longer, depending on how I feel. I'm allowed to lift up to 20 pounds, so I will be able to lift Alex once I've healed a bit more. For now, I'm just glad to be home with my family and to no longer worry about my time bomb of an organ.
Writing: A couple of months ago, I mentioned how I'd submitted a funny anecdote about wedding planning to an anthology. Well, it looks like that one is on hold. I have no idea if they will use my piece if they do publish the anthology. At least I've found out that the dragon anthology with my first published short story will be out in May (hopefully in time for WisCon). Time to book a room for the convention and see if I can sign up for programming. I'll also have to talk to the editor to see how to get some anthologies for the con.
I had to be at the hospital very early, at 7:00 a.m. Since we weren't sure when Alex would be up, I took a cab to the hospital so Eugene could stay home with our son. (It turned out that Alex was up when I left, but at least this way he didn't have to go out in the cold.) I didn't have to worry about my pedicure at all; they gave me socks to wear for my entire stay, so polish on my toenails wasn't an issue. (They did check my circulation via fingertip, though.) I remember a nurse rolling me down a corridor as I got my knockout dose, and then the next thing I remember was waking up in the Recovery Room. Apparently the surgery itself went well. I have some pictures they took of my gallbladder after they removed it. It turned out that I had lots of little stones in my gallbladder; I counted over 40 of them. Was that a gallbladder or a gizzard? ;) I was still groggy and a bit nauseous most of yesterday afternoon, but by the evening I was able to keep liquids down (though it did take longer to pass them, but I'm sure you don't want me to get into too much detail about that.) By morning, I was able to eat solids and walk around, even though I still had some pain. The whole day became one of waiting for my surgeon to make rounds, which didn't happen until about 4:30. At least she was able to discharge me. I was going through Alex withdrawal. I don't know how much he missed me, but he gave me a big smile when Eugene picked me up.
It's going to be a few more days before I'm able to drive, so I have to take Monday off as well, maybe longer, depending on how I feel. I'm allowed to lift up to 20 pounds, so I will be able to lift Alex once I've healed a bit more. For now, I'm just glad to be home with my family and to no longer worry about my time bomb of an organ.
Writing: A couple of months ago, I mentioned how I'd submitted a funny anecdote about wedding planning to an anthology. Well, it looks like that one is on hold. I have no idea if they will use my piece if they do publish the anthology. At least I've found out that the dragon anthology with my first published short story will be out in May (hopefully in time for WisCon). Time to book a room for the convention and see if I can sign up for programming. I'll also have to talk to the editor to see how to get some anthologies for the con.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Pretty, Cold Feet
Yes, I've been a bad blogger. There hasn't been a lot to blog about; the days have been pretty routine. Get up, take care of Alex, get ready for work, bring Alex to daycare, work, pick him up, play with him/get dinner ready/put Alex to bed, unpack a box or two, relax, go to bed. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Today was different in that I had a spa day scheduled. It was supposed to be on Monday, since I have the day off and daycare is open, but there was a miscommunication when I set up the appointments. Good thing Eugene was able to watch Alex today. The first thing I had scheduled was an eyebrow shaping/facial. I put my clothes--all umpteen layers of them--into a locker and changed into a robe. The facial was nice and relaxing, since it also included some massage. After I was done, I returned to the locker room to put my clothes on before my haircut. Unfortunately, I could only find one sock. I'm not sure what happened; perhaps the missing sock fell into the locker below. I had to leave the other sock off; as wierd as I am, even I don't want to go around with one sock on and one sock off. It didn't matter for my haircut or even my pedicure, since they gave me disposable sandals to wear until the nail polish dried. The pedicure was the last thing I had done, and the polish wasn't dry when I left. So I wound up going outside in very cold weather in bare feet. At least it gave me a good excuse to shop for a while at a store next door to the spa until I could wear my normal shoes. The ironic part about the whole thing? The main reason I got a pedicure was because of the surgery on Thursday; after all, if you're going to have strangers looking at your internal organs while you're unconscious, it's reassuring to have your outside groomed. But despite that, they may have to remove the nail polish to monitor my circulation during the surgery. Ah well, good thing I didn't splurge on a manicure as well.
Writing: My short story is boggin down. Sigh. It started out about one thing but morphed into something else during drafting. That's fine, but now I'm not sure where I'm going with it. I'm putting it to the side for a while to work on my NaMoWriMo novel. At least that's going well for now.
I've been meaning to add a link to another blog for a while now, so I'm going to go ahead and do it. This one is a blog for another local NaMoWriMo writer. I've offered her some feedback on her novel (since she's much faster than I am), and I still need to look at her revised first chapter. I should go do that now....
Today was different in that I had a spa day scheduled. It was supposed to be on Monday, since I have the day off and daycare is open, but there was a miscommunication when I set up the appointments. Good thing Eugene was able to watch Alex today. The first thing I had scheduled was an eyebrow shaping/facial. I put my clothes--all umpteen layers of them--into a locker and changed into a robe. The facial was nice and relaxing, since it also included some massage. After I was done, I returned to the locker room to put my clothes on before my haircut. Unfortunately, I could only find one sock. I'm not sure what happened; perhaps the missing sock fell into the locker below. I had to leave the other sock off; as wierd as I am, even I don't want to go around with one sock on and one sock off. It didn't matter for my haircut or even my pedicure, since they gave me disposable sandals to wear until the nail polish dried. The pedicure was the last thing I had done, and the polish wasn't dry when I left. So I wound up going outside in very cold weather in bare feet. At least it gave me a good excuse to shop for a while at a store next door to the spa until I could wear my normal shoes. The ironic part about the whole thing? The main reason I got a pedicure was because of the surgery on Thursday; after all, if you're going to have strangers looking at your internal organs while you're unconscious, it's reassuring to have your outside groomed. But despite that, they may have to remove the nail polish to monitor my circulation during the surgery. Ah well, good thing I didn't splurge on a manicure as well.
Writing: My short story is boggin down. Sigh. It started out about one thing but morphed into something else during drafting. That's fine, but now I'm not sure where I'm going with it. I'm putting it to the side for a while to work on my NaMoWriMo novel. At least that's going well for now.
I've been meaning to add a link to another blog for a while now, so I'm going to go ahead and do it. This one is a blog for another local NaMoWriMo writer. I've offered her some feedback on her novel (since she's much faster than I am), and I still need to look at her revised first chapter. I should go do that now....
Thursday, January 10, 2008
New House, Same Gallbladder
Lots of news to catch up on.
The biggest news is that we moved into the new house this weekend. A co-worker of mine was kind enough to round up a few of his friends and help us move the furniture. There's still a bunch of small stuff in the kitchen, bathroom, and closets that has to be moved, but Eugene and I have been gradually bringing some of that over after work every day. If we can get some more help, we should be done by this weekend.
So far, the house is still very much decorated in early Cubism (boxes everywhere), but we're working on getting the boxes unpacked too. It makes for a long day, as we can't get much done until Alex goes to bed. But it's so much nicer to have the room and decent appliances. Perhaps decent is an overstatement; we already had to have the kitchen faucet replaced. This was an item we found during inspection; I just didn't expect the faucet to break within a couple days of moving in. Still, we're very happy to be in the house and are enjoying making it our own.
I was supposed to have my gallbladder removed yesterday, but it had to be delayed. I developed (believe it or not) tonsilitis last week but didn't realize it until I went to the Urgent Care clinic on Sunday. (At first I thought it might have been strep throat, but the symptoms didn't seem to match. Then I thought it was just another of my bad colds and was waiting for it to improve. No such luck.) I'm currently on two types of drugs for the tonsilitis, and I'm feeling much, much better. I still have to wait a couple of weeks for the drugs to clear my system so I can have the surgery. It's annoying to wait (I can't even have herbal tea for the next couple of weeks), but at least this gives me time to build up my reserves for the recovery.
Somehow in the middle of all of this I've started a new short story. It's about halfway done; I know how I want to finish it, so I just need to sit down and work on it. If I can post it quickly enough to OWW, I could revise it and send it out during Broad Universe's mailing party at the end of the month. Of course, I can always do it later, but it would be nice to be part of the party.
Speaking of writing, I need to add a link to a friend's blog. Hopefully I can do that once we have phone service.
That's it for now.
The biggest news is that we moved into the new house this weekend. A co-worker of mine was kind enough to round up a few of his friends and help us move the furniture. There's still a bunch of small stuff in the kitchen, bathroom, and closets that has to be moved, but Eugene and I have been gradually bringing some of that over after work every day. If we can get some more help, we should be done by this weekend.
So far, the house is still very much decorated in early Cubism (boxes everywhere), but we're working on getting the boxes unpacked too. It makes for a long day, as we can't get much done until Alex goes to bed. But it's so much nicer to have the room and decent appliances. Perhaps decent is an overstatement; we already had to have the kitchen faucet replaced. This was an item we found during inspection; I just didn't expect the faucet to break within a couple days of moving in. Still, we're very happy to be in the house and are enjoying making it our own.
I was supposed to have my gallbladder removed yesterday, but it had to be delayed. I developed (believe it or not) tonsilitis last week but didn't realize it until I went to the Urgent Care clinic on Sunday. (At first I thought it might have been strep throat, but the symptoms didn't seem to match. Then I thought it was just another of my bad colds and was waiting for it to improve. No such luck.) I'm currently on two types of drugs for the tonsilitis, and I'm feeling much, much better. I still have to wait a couple of weeks for the drugs to clear my system so I can have the surgery. It's annoying to wait (I can't even have herbal tea for the next couple of weeks), but at least this gives me time to build up my reserves for the recovery.
Somehow in the middle of all of this I've started a new short story. It's about halfway done; I know how I want to finish it, so I just need to sit down and work on it. If I can post it quickly enough to OWW, I could revise it and send it out during Broad Universe's mailing party at the end of the month. Of course, I can always do it later, but it would be nice to be part of the party.
Speaking of writing, I need to add a link to a friend's blog. Hopefully I can do that once we have phone service.
That's it for now.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Home Again, Home Again
I've been at home with Alex all this week. He has RSV, a respiratory virus that's very contagious, so daycare insisted he not come in for a few days. He started getting sick on Saturday, when he had several coughing fits that led him to lose his bottle a couple of times. We still brought him to Simbang Gabi, a special Mass with Filipino touches at Eugene's family church. Alex started crying shortly after we arrived, so I spent most of the service in the bathroom trying to get him to eat. (I haven't converted and don't plan to, so missing the Mass doesn't bother me.) We noticed later that he was wheezing, and it continued on Sunday. So we brought Alex to the doctor Monday morning, and I've been home with him since.
Despite being sick, Alex has generally been in a good mood. Unfortunately, today he was really fussy; I think it could be due to teething. Hopefully he will get his two front teeth for Christmas! I haven't done too much besides tend and play with Alex and goof off on the computer with a new game. Today, at least I got to go to the grocery store while Eugene stayed home with Alex; it was nice to get out for a while. I also stopped by our house to drop off a few things and check out the paint job. The painters still have to finish a couple of rooms upstairs, but the downstairs looks much better now. I can hardly wait until Saturday, when we have some new furniture delivered. Maybe after that we can accelerate the moving a bit.
Despite being sick, Alex has generally been in a good mood. Unfortunately, today he was really fussy; I think it could be due to teething. Hopefully he will get his two front teeth for Christmas! I haven't done too much besides tend and play with Alex and goof off on the computer with a new game. Today, at least I got to go to the grocery store while Eugene stayed home with Alex; it was nice to get out for a while. I also stopped by our house to drop off a few things and check out the paint job. The painters still have to finish a couple of rooms upstairs, but the downstairs looks much better now. I can hardly wait until Saturday, when we have some new furniture delivered. Maybe after that we can accelerate the moving a bit.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Updates
Remember a while back when I posted about my late night trip to the ER and follow-up ultrasound? Well, I finally got to talk to a doctor about the ultrasound. Yes, it's my gall bladder, and they recommend having it removed. So I've scheduled the surgery for January 9th. Let's see if I last that long; I had another attack last night, even worse than the previous ones. I didn't bother going to ER because I didn't want to put Eugene and Alex through another sleepless night like that one--and if I'm going to lie awake for three hours anyway, I may as well do it at home, where I'll be more comfortable. The surgery doesn't sound too bad, though I will have to stay overnight at the hospital. The sad thing is I'm looking forward to that; at least that'll be one night where I won't have to get up between 1 to 3 in the morning to provide Alex with "crib service." Recovery is expected to last up to a month. I won't be allowed to lift anything heavy, which will be a problem when I bring Alex to day care in his car seat.
Finishing up my novel is going more slowly than it did in November. Since we're trying to move and getting ready for Christmas, I'm writing mostly during my lunch hour, and this week I only did it a couple of times. Still, I'm making progress with the plot, as both of my heroines are in a bind. It'll be fun figuring out how to get them out of it.
As for the moving, it's going to take a while yet. At least most of the books are packed. But we still haven't figured out what colors we're going to use.
Finishing up my novel is going more slowly than it did in November. Since we're trying to move and getting ready for Christmas, I'm writing mostly during my lunch hour, and this week I only did it a couple of times. Still, I'm making progress with the plot, as both of my heroines are in a bind. It'll be fun figuring out how to get them out of it.
As for the moving, it's going to take a while yet. At least most of the books are packed. But we still haven't figured out what colors we're going to use.
Sunday, December 02, 2007
The Exterior of the House
I couldn't figure out how to blur out the address, so that's why I made the picture smaller than usual. But this should give you an idea of what it's like. Too bad I didn't think to take pictures of the kitchen. Maybe I'll do that once we're all settled.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
The Christmas Party That Wasn't
Ever since I started working at my present job, I've been part of the Party Planning Committee. I do it because...well, most of my other co-workers won't. I've helped plan the open house we hosted when we moved to our current location, and I've been a part of planning the Christmas Party (now called the more-PC Annual Company Dinner) for several years.
This year it was going to be a grand affair, with our budget more than what we've spent before. We found a very fancy restaurant (they have baked Alaska on the dessert menu!), reserved a private room, and set up a several-course dinner featuring several different types of appetizers, a choice of entrees, and a dessert platter, with the menu custom-printed for us. We were even going to cover valet parking.
Then...the first winter storm of the season came through the Midwest today.
It took Eugene twice as long to get home as it normally does. Even going to the grocery store with Alex was hazardous (and I don't think he was too excited about experiencing snow for the first time). My parents were planning to come down from Wisconsin to babysit Alex while Eugene and I went to dinner, but obviously that was out of the question. So Eugene said he would stay home with Alex. That left me with a dilemna: should I drive to the party by myself or stay at home? Although I felt guilty about it, I decided it was best to stay home. If the main highway Eugene took home was slick, how bad would local roads be? I felt guilty knowing the fancy dinner would go to waste, though. But then my boss called, checking to see what our plans were. It turned out that only three people would be able to make it, so I doubt the dinner (which was scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m.) went on at all. I'm sure the restaurant will charge us full price anyway; they reserved the room for us, so they won't be able to make any money off of it tonight otherwise. In a way, it's too bad; I doubt we'll be able to reschedule anything. But I have to admit I'm glad to be home with my family, in casual clothes instead of worrying about what to wear (most of my clothes are in storage, so it would have been either a summer dress or black jeans with a nice sweater), baking cookies, copying music to my computer, and just relaxing in general. And I suppose in the long run, it's better for my company if we all show up Monday morning in one piece.
This year it was going to be a grand affair, with our budget more than what we've spent before. We found a very fancy restaurant (they have baked Alaska on the dessert menu!), reserved a private room, and set up a several-course dinner featuring several different types of appetizers, a choice of entrees, and a dessert platter, with the menu custom-printed for us. We were even going to cover valet parking.
Then...the first winter storm of the season came through the Midwest today.
It took Eugene twice as long to get home as it normally does. Even going to the grocery store with Alex was hazardous (and I don't think he was too excited about experiencing snow for the first time). My parents were planning to come down from Wisconsin to babysit Alex while Eugene and I went to dinner, but obviously that was out of the question. So Eugene said he would stay home with Alex. That left me with a dilemna: should I drive to the party by myself or stay at home? Although I felt guilty about it, I decided it was best to stay home. If the main highway Eugene took home was slick, how bad would local roads be? I felt guilty knowing the fancy dinner would go to waste, though. But then my boss called, checking to see what our plans were. It turned out that only three people would be able to make it, so I doubt the dinner (which was scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m.) went on at all. I'm sure the restaurant will charge us full price anyway; they reserved the room for us, so they won't be able to make any money off of it tonight otherwise. In a way, it's too bad; I doubt we'll be able to reschedule anything. But I have to admit I'm glad to be home with my family, in casual clothes instead of worrying about what to wear (most of my clothes are in storage, so it would have been either a summer dress or black jeans with a nice sweater), baking cookies, copying music to my computer, and just relaxing in general. And I suppose in the long run, it's better for my company if we all show up Monday morning in one piece.
And Our Next Project Is....
Moving into our new house.
That's right; we closed on a house yesterday. (I took off from work early, so I didn't get to write during lunch. Instead, I brought my laptop along and wrote on the way to and from the closing.) We actually had the offer accepted back in October, but we didn't want to say anything until we had the keys in our hands, just in case the deal fell through.
We still need to paint and pack before we can move in, so it's going to be a while yet. In the meantime, here are a few pictures of the interior. (I have a couple of the exterior, but I need to figure out how to cover up the address. BTW, one of the regular readers of this blog will get a kick out of the name of the street. You'll find out more once we send out the new address.)
The foyer.
The family room. This is one of the rooms that needs repainting -- the yellow is much brighter in person!
The loft, where my new office will be.
Friday, November 30, 2007
I Did It!
So much for Writing: Impossible. I, a working mother, wrote just over 50,000 words in a month. I honestly didn't think at the beginning of the month that I would make it, but after the first couple of days when I did meet the daily quota, I became determined to finish despite a couple of unproductive days. It took a lot of effort, but I caught up. The last thousand was a bit tricky because today was so busy; I'll blog about that in a separate entry.
I learned a lot from doing this. I found that lunchtime is a productive time of day for me; I can write over a thousand words then. I learned how to turn off my inner editor and just put words down on paper, even if they're filler or awkwardly phrased. In fact, it's fun in a way to just let loose. At the same time, I also discovered that night time might not be my "write time." My exhaustion catches up to me at night, making it harder to write. There are more online distractions; even more importantly, I want to spend some time with my family instead of being forced to the keyboard to meet quota.
Speaking of family, I'd like to thank Eugene for his support this month. He offered me encouragement and gave me the time at night to write. One Saturday, when I was still a few thousand words off target, he even took off early from the clinic so he could babysit Alex and let me write at the bookstore. Love you lots, hon!
I still have a fair amount to go before I finish my story, and then it's going to need a major self-edit before it's ready for other people to crit. I think I'm going to continue to write on my lunch hour but slow down writing at home. I'd like to spend more time with Eugene. Besides, I have a new project to work on. I'll post about it next....
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Christkindlmarket and Counting Down
I've been immersed in working, baby-tending, and writing so much I haven't had much time to blog. Still, I've surfaced every now and then to meet with friends and family. We got to see our friends Adam and Natalie (and their daughter Sarah) last week. It was great seeing you again! (waves) As for Thanksgiving, we celebrated at Eugene's aunt's house. There were a lot of people there, and unfortunately Alex didn't handle the noise well, despite our efforts (and Eugene's parents' efforts) to soothe him. He's also showing more signs of teething these days, such as chewing on things and drooling, so that doesn't help.
Despite all of this, we decided to try taking him downtown today to the annual Christkindlmarket in Chicago. This is becoming a family tradition of ours, so we were looking forward to it. We also thought it would be better to go now, instead of doing it in December when it might be even colder. I brought my camera along, but I only took a couple of pictures, which I haven't uploaded yet. One of the funniest sights was seeing all the pigeons gathered around a fenced-off memorial flame for fallen soldiers. I guess in the winter it serves a dual purpose, though some of the birds got so close to the fire I thought they'd roast themselves.
We stopped at some of our favorite vendors at the market. Eugene bought some pieces for our holiday village (we started collecting them last year), and I bought an embroidered runner for the holiday table. We didn't get any ornaments this year, though. Alex looked around for a while but then started getting fussy, even after I changed his diaper and tried to feed him. He finally fell asleep, which gave us a chance to eat. But we didn't stay too much longer after that. Alex was much happier when he woke up, so we stopped at my in-law's house so they could see him in a good mood. They appreciated the unexpected visit.
Writing Update: I'm over 40,000 words, which means I have less than 10,000 words to go. (To meet the NaNoWriMo goal, not to finish my story. My novels never turn out so short.) I have a lot to do now to start prepping for the holidays, but I think I can make my goal if I push. Wish me luck!
Despite all of this, we decided to try taking him downtown today to the annual Christkindlmarket in Chicago. This is becoming a family tradition of ours, so we were looking forward to it. We also thought it would be better to go now, instead of doing it in December when it might be even colder. I brought my camera along, but I only took a couple of pictures, which I haven't uploaded yet. One of the funniest sights was seeing all the pigeons gathered around a fenced-off memorial flame for fallen soldiers. I guess in the winter it serves a dual purpose, though some of the birds got so close to the fire I thought they'd roast themselves.
We stopped at some of our favorite vendors at the market. Eugene bought some pieces for our holiday village (we started collecting them last year), and I bought an embroidered runner for the holiday table. We didn't get any ornaments this year, though. Alex looked around for a while but then started getting fussy, even after I changed his diaper and tried to feed him. He finally fell asleep, which gave us a chance to eat. But we didn't stay too much longer after that. Alex was much happier when he woke up, so we stopped at my in-law's house so they could see him in a good mood. They appreciated the unexpected visit.
Writing Update: I'm over 40,000 words, which means I have less than 10,000 words to go. (To meet the NaNoWriMo goal, not to finish my story. My novels never turn out so short.) I have a lot to do now to start prepping for the holidays, but I think I can make my goal if I push. Wish me luck!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Back on Track!
I've been lagging on my word count for National Novel Writing Month since Day 3. (Between Alex and a party that night, I only wrote 50 words.) Since then, I've been struggling to catch up. Tonight, I finally did:
Target Word Count = 17 * 1667 = 28, 339
Actual Word Count = 28,435 (according to Word; I think the Count Validator for NaNoWriMo gives me a few extra words)
Given everything that's been going on this month, this is incredible. It makes me more determine to reach 50,000 words by November 30th. Hopefully I'll have some extra time to write over the long weekend, even if we have other things scheduled too. May the muse be with me, please!
Target Word Count = 17 * 1667 = 28, 339
Actual Word Count = 28,435 (according to Word; I think the Count Validator for NaNoWriMo gives me a few extra words)
Given everything that's been going on this month, this is incredible. It makes me more determine to reach 50,000 words by November 30th. Hopefully I'll have some extra time to write over the long weekend, even if we have other things scheduled too. May the muse be with me, please!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
I'm So Stoned, Duuuude...
I bet anyone who knows me never thought I would say that. (big grin)
After calling the doctor's office a couple of times and spending the last few days at work with my cell phone by my side at all times, I finally heard from my doctor. Well, techincally she didn't speak to me; someone else at the office called me while I was driving home from work tonight. The ultrasound I had on Friday "is consistent with gallstones." They didn't tell me much more than that; they just referred me to another doctor. So I'll call him or her tomorrow and see what's recommended. Maybe they'll be able to break up the stones instead of having to remove my gall bladder. From what I've heard from other people, however, having the gall bladder removed isn't too bad in terms of the surgery or the aftermath. I would have preferred not having two major surgeries in a single year, but you have to do what you have to do.
(Russ, isn't it odd we're both blogging about health issues at the same time? I don't know if I should start feeling middle-aged because of my health or youthful for using technology to discuss it.)
OK, I better get back to writing. Tomorrow is the halfway point for National Novel Writing Month, and I can't quite seem to close the gap between where I am and where I should be.
After calling the doctor's office a couple of times and spending the last few days at work with my cell phone by my side at all times, I finally heard from my doctor. Well, techincally she didn't speak to me; someone else at the office called me while I was driving home from work tonight. The ultrasound I had on Friday "is consistent with gallstones." They didn't tell me much more than that; they just referred me to another doctor. So I'll call him or her tomorrow and see what's recommended. Maybe they'll be able to break up the stones instead of having to remove my gall bladder. From what I've heard from other people, however, having the gall bladder removed isn't too bad in terms of the surgery or the aftermath. I would have preferred not having two major surgeries in a single year, but you have to do what you have to do.
(Russ, isn't it odd we're both blogging about health issues at the same time? I don't know if I should start feeling middle-aged because of my health or youthful for using technology to discuss it.)
OK, I better get back to writing. Tomorrow is the halfway point for National Novel Writing Month, and I can't quite seem to close the gap between where I am and where I should be.
Still Waiting....
Thanks to all who sent good wishes/thoughts about my abdominal pain. In case you're wondering why I haven't posted an update on the situation, it's because I don't have an official diagnosis yet. I did go to my primary physician last Thursday, and she recommended an ultrasound, which I had Friday morning. Unfortunately, I don't have the results for that yet. I was supposed to get them Tuesday, but even though I called the doctor's office to remind them about it, my doctor didn't get back to me that night. Hopefully she'll call me on my cell later today. In the meantime, I do have medication in case I have another attack. I still feel some pain in that area (and I'm noticing other symptoms having to do with gall bladders), but it's nowhere near as bad as it was last week.
(And in case you're wondering why I'm blogging at 2:30 a.m., it's because I just finished giving Alex a nighttime bottle. He slept through the night a couple of times last week, but now he relapsed into needing a middle-of-the-night bottle. I hope this phase passes quickly!)
Writing Update for NaNoWriMo: I'm still slightly off pace. I should have reached 20,000 words on Monday, but I'm currently at 19,800 or so. It's frustrating because I'm only a couple thousand words behind where I should be; I should be able to catch up. I would catch up if I could write as well at home as I do on my lunch break. All I can do is keep at it.
(And in case you're wondering why I'm blogging at 2:30 a.m., it's because I just finished giving Alex a nighttime bottle. He slept through the night a couple of times last week, but now he relapsed into needing a middle-of-the-night bottle. I hope this phase passes quickly!)
Writing Update for NaNoWriMo: I'm still slightly off pace. I should have reached 20,000 words on Monday, but I'm currently at 19,800 or so. It's frustrating because I'm only a couple thousand words behind where I should be; I should be able to catch up. I would catch up if I could write as well at home as I do on my lunch break. All I can do is keep at it.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
The News You've Missed...
Personal news from me, that is, since I've been writing instead of blogging.
Actually, I did very little writing on Saturday. Alex was doing his usual weekend routine of resisting a rest during the day, and that night we attended a birthday party for Eugene's cousin. Alex had a bit of a meltdown from fatigue, but even so, many of Eugene's relatives wanted to see him. Eugene's mom held Alex while he napped so we could eat and socialize.
Alex was again fussy Sunday afternoon, when we celebrated my grandmother's birthday at a Polish buffet. I have some pictures from that, but I haven't uploaded them yet. I did get to see my cousins again. Although they're not that far away, we haven't gotten together since the wedding or shortly afterwards.
On Monday, we lost power during the day. Alex's daycare lost power first; I got a call from them saying I might have to pick him up if they couldn't get it fixed. A few minutes after that, we lost power at work too. Luckily, the power was restored fairly quickly.
Unfortunately, I have to end with some not-so-good news. I wound up in the ER last night with abdominal pain. It started shortly before I went to bed and just kept getting worse until I woke up Eugene. (Alex was already up.) I felt bad about doing that, but it was necessary, and Eugene reassured me about that. The three of us checked in around 2:00 a.m. and stayed until 5:00 a.m. The pain got better, but my bloodwork came back showing signs of a possible gall bladder problem. I'm going to see my regular doctor tomorrow to follow up. Too bad I forgot to bring the lab results with me when I was discharged, as that may mean they'll have to repeat it (which I can deal with) or delay further tests. Maybe the doctor's office can get the results faxed over.
And Russ, I'm a day or so behind schedule with my writing challenge. I should be at 11,667 words by now, but I'll be lucky to break 10,000 tonight. Maybe this weekend will be better for writing, maybe not. I'll just have to do the best I can.
Actually, I did very little writing on Saturday. Alex was doing his usual weekend routine of resisting a rest during the day, and that night we attended a birthday party for Eugene's cousin. Alex had a bit of a meltdown from fatigue, but even so, many of Eugene's relatives wanted to see him. Eugene's mom held Alex while he napped so we could eat and socialize.
Alex was again fussy Sunday afternoon, when we celebrated my grandmother's birthday at a Polish buffet. I have some pictures from that, but I haven't uploaded them yet. I did get to see my cousins again. Although they're not that far away, we haven't gotten together since the wedding or shortly afterwards.
On Monday, we lost power during the day. Alex's daycare lost power first; I got a call from them saying I might have to pick him up if they couldn't get it fixed. A few minutes after that, we lost power at work too. Luckily, the power was restored fairly quickly.
Unfortunately, I have to end with some not-so-good news. I wound up in the ER last night with abdominal pain. It started shortly before I went to bed and just kept getting worse until I woke up Eugene. (Alex was already up.) I felt bad about doing that, but it was necessary, and Eugene reassured me about that. The three of us checked in around 2:00 a.m. and stayed until 5:00 a.m. The pain got better, but my bloodwork came back showing signs of a possible gall bladder problem. I'm going to see my regular doctor tomorrow to follow up. Too bad I forgot to bring the lab results with me when I was discharged, as that may mean they'll have to repeat it (which I can deal with) or delay further tests. Maybe the doctor's office can get the results faxed over.
And Russ, I'm a day or so behind schedule with my writing challenge. I should be at 11,667 words by now, but I'll be lucky to break 10,000 tonight. Maybe this weekend will be better for writing, maybe not. I'll just have to do the best I can.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
So Far, So Good
I started National Novel Writing Month today (I blogged about it earlier). I actually started at 2:00 a.m., since Alex woke me up and I didn't get back to sleep right away. I also brought my computer to work and wrote during lunch, then I got another hour or so in after Alex went to bed. So far, I have over 1,800 words. I need to average 1,667 per day to complete this challenge, so let's hope I can keep it up.
As for writing like this, I'm forced to think less about what I put down and just focus on getting words on the screen. I'm writing a lot of cliches and repeating some words; this first draft is going to be too raw for OWW. But maybe this is a good way of learning how to write more quickly. I 'm sure this draft will need a lot of revision, as many of the scenes will be made up on the spur of the moment. The main thing is to finish the draft, though. Wish me luck that I can keep up this pace.
As for writing like this, I'm forced to think less about what I put down and just focus on getting words on the screen. I'm writing a lot of cliches and repeating some words; this first draft is going to be too raw for OWW. But maybe this is a good way of learning how to write more quickly. I 'm sure this draft will need a lot of revision, as many of the scenes will be made up on the spur of the moment. The main thing is to finish the draft, though. Wish me luck that I can keep up this pace.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Misled
It's not often that I get to leave the lab for other work-related duties, but today I did. Last week, I received an e-mail about a free seminar about managing your chemical inventory. It sounded like it might be useful, so I got permission from my boss to register, then obtained directions from Mapquest. The seminar was being held in a special science and technology complex in Skokie, near where Eugene grew up. Unfortunately, the exact address for the complex wasn't available from Mapquest; they gave me instead a range of numbers similar to that address. I printed out the directions anyway, then showed them to Eugene. He knew of the complex and thought the directions would work. He also pointed out to me that I would have to take one of the Chicago exits off of the highway (detour due to construction). Lovely; between that and the commute during morning rush hour, I started to dread this trip.
Eugene had to leave extra-early this morning, so he did as much as possible (e.g., prepare bottles for day care, fill out the sheet) to help me before he left. Alex wound up sleeping in; I had to rouse him to change him for day care. He wasn't ready to eat before we left, so, feeling guilty, I left him an extra bottle for breakfast. Then I got on the highway.
The highway portion of the journey wasn't as bad as I feared; traffic moved along steadily, and even though it was sunny, the sun didn't cause delays either for east-bound traffic. Even getting off of the highway wasn't bad, and I didn't have to venture into the city itself. In fact, it was easy to follow the directions, and I was on time--until they led me to a community college. I knew that couldn't be the place, so I tried driving around it to see if the street continued on the other side. No such luck. I drove around a bit more and came across the vet clinic where Eugene's dad works. I pulled in, thinking to get directions from my father-in-law. But he wasn't in; the clinic was closed until Halloween.
By this time I was late. I called Eugene at work and on his cell, then explained the situation. He gave me other directions to the complex, but that didn't work out either. I knew I had to be close, though, as I could see some industrial buildings in the area. Finally I pulled into a parking lot and walked around until I found the right address. I was about 40 minutes late by the time I found the seminar. At least there was still time for tea and cookies.
As for the seminar itself? It was essentially a sales pitch for a software/scanner combination. You can print out labels with barcodes for your chemicals and then track them with the handheld scanner. It seems like a neat setup, but it's too expensive for our small lab. Ah well, maybe I'll get some ideas for something we can do on our own.
Eugene had to leave extra-early this morning, so he did as much as possible (e.g., prepare bottles for day care, fill out the sheet) to help me before he left. Alex wound up sleeping in; I had to rouse him to change him for day care. He wasn't ready to eat before we left, so, feeling guilty, I left him an extra bottle for breakfast. Then I got on the highway.
The highway portion of the journey wasn't as bad as I feared; traffic moved along steadily, and even though it was sunny, the sun didn't cause delays either for east-bound traffic. Even getting off of the highway wasn't bad, and I didn't have to venture into the city itself. In fact, it was easy to follow the directions, and I was on time--until they led me to a community college. I knew that couldn't be the place, so I tried driving around it to see if the street continued on the other side. No such luck. I drove around a bit more and came across the vet clinic where Eugene's dad works. I pulled in, thinking to get directions from my father-in-law. But he wasn't in; the clinic was closed until Halloween.
By this time I was late. I called Eugene at work and on his cell, then explained the situation. He gave me other directions to the complex, but that didn't work out either. I knew I had to be close, though, as I could see some industrial buildings in the area. Finally I pulled into a parking lot and walked around until I found the right address. I was about 40 minutes late by the time I found the seminar. At least there was still time for tea and cookies.
As for the seminar itself? It was essentially a sales pitch for a software/scanner combination. You can print out labels with barcodes for your chemicals and then track them with the handheld scanner. It seems like a neat setup, but it's too expensive for our small lab. Ah well, maybe I'll get some ideas for something we can do on our own.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Still Sick
It's been nearly three weeks (I think) since Alex and I got sick. We're both still congested, though I think I'm worse off than he is. I'm also beginning to wonder if I have a sinus infection. I have a headache that won't quit no matter how much Tylenol I down. Other people have it worse, I know, but this cold or whatever it is is pretty bad. If it's not better by tomorrow, I'll have to call the doctor.
Speaking of being sick, we almost didn't get to go up to Madison this weekend for our annual early Thanksgiving get-together with college friends. Alex had a slight fever Friday night. Luckily, we were able to bring it down with medicine, and since he was acting normally Saturday morning, we decided to go. We stopped first at a local pumpkin farm to meet with some other local families from a forum we belong to. Here's a photo of Eugene with Alex in his Halloween costume:
Alex handled the car ride up to Madison pretty well. He slept for the first part of the journey. We did have to stop and change him, but that didn't delay us too much. We went straight to the church where the dinner was being held. As always, there was a lot of food and a lot of fun. The kids, of course, provided most of the entertainment. As new parents, we spent most of the time sharing our experiences with the other parents in our group. We've definitely moved on to a new phase in our lives. Alex was quite vocal at times, and not in a good way. I think all the noise was too much for him. We gave him a bath when we got to the hotel, since baths seem to soothe him. We stayed in a nice suite complete with a microwave and mini-refrigerator for Alex's needs.
Sunday morning we had brunch with the gang before heading back. (The weather was too bad for going around campus. I guess we'll have to wait for next year to show it to Alex.) We visited my parents on the way back.
There isn't too much else to add, especially since I've been going to bed early for the last couple of nights. I did find this site which has some links to some cool videos on YouTube:
And you can watch one of the videos here:
Saturday, October 06, 2007
National Novel Writing Month
In case anyone needs proof I'm crazy, this is it.
I just signed up for National Novel Writing Month. If you haven't heard of this before, the idea is to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November. You're allowed to come up with notes and an outline beforehand, but you can't start writing the actual novel until November 1st. In order to meet the word quota, you have to average about 1,667 words a day. I'm lucky to make 300 words a day, and that was before Alex. If I get even a fraction of the way to the goal, I'll be amazed. But the idea behind NaNoWriMo (as it's abbreviated) is to focus on quantity, not quality. I'll need to change the way I write in order to make quota. Also, I'll have to bring my laptop to work and write on my lunch hour--something I told myself I'd do but haven't so far. Whether I succeed or not, at least this will give me some motivation to get writing again. I haven't done anything for a while (it's hard with a baby), and I feel the need to write. Besides, this gives me a good reason to stretch myself and work on something different from Paul Harrison or my Season Lords.
I probably shouldn't say too much about what I'm working on, but it's a fantasy novel, and the tentative title is Only an Owl. I'll be using the rest of this month for research and outlining.
Wish me luck with this new endeavor, and if I don't post much during November, you'll know why--I'll be saving my words for my story.
I just signed up for National Novel Writing Month. If you haven't heard of this before, the idea is to write 50,000 words of a novel during the month of November. You're allowed to come up with notes and an outline beforehand, but you can't start writing the actual novel until November 1st. In order to meet the word quota, you have to average about 1,667 words a day. I'm lucky to make 300 words a day, and that was before Alex. If I get even a fraction of the way to the goal, I'll be amazed. But the idea behind NaNoWriMo (as it's abbreviated) is to focus on quantity, not quality. I'll need to change the way I write in order to make quota. Also, I'll have to bring my laptop to work and write on my lunch hour--something I told myself I'd do but haven't so far. Whether I succeed or not, at least this will give me some motivation to get writing again. I haven't done anything for a while (it's hard with a baby), and I feel the need to write. Besides, this gives me a good reason to stretch myself and work on something different from Paul Harrison or my Season Lords.
I probably shouldn't say too much about what I'm working on, but it's a fantasy novel, and the tentative title is Only an Owl. I'll be using the rest of this month for research and outlining.
Wish me luck with this new endeavor, and if I don't post much during November, you'll know why--I'll be saving my words for my story.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Not Really Turned On Again
Last night was the Genesis concert. (I blogged about getting tickets for this show back in...oh, I don't remember what month it was. My memory is as sharp as a damp sponge these days.) It was at the United Center downtown, so it was a big pain getting there. Although Eugene got home early enough to pick up Alex, traffic for me was pretty heavy, even though I left right at 5:00. Then we had to pack up everything Alex needed and bring him over to Eugene's parents so they could watch him. Again, local traffic was heavy, and we got there later than we planned. We rushed through setting up the Pack-n-Play for Alex and giving the grandparents last-minutes instructions, then we dashed off for the concert. We worried on the way in that we'd be really late, but luckily the traffic wasn't too bad. We did have to grab dinner at the United Center, since we didn't have time to get some decent food elsewhere. I did have pizza--something I've been looking forward to since giving up dairy in July (we thought Alex might be allergic to milk protein, but so far he seems OK), but this was a disappointment. Ah well, I can always make my own za.
Anyway, we did make it to our seats in time for the official start of the concert, which was of course delayed. We had a decent view; we were on the first level. Still, it was much easier to see the band on the screens.
Phil had some decent interaction with the crowd; from time to time, he brought out a digital camera to take pictures of the audience. The music sounded good, but for some reason I didn't get into it as much as I did the first time I saw Genesis fifteen years ago. Part of it probably was being exhausted and sick and still wound up from dashing all around. Part of it too was thinking about our son and wondering how he was doing; both Eugene and I had our cell phones clenched in our hands, waiting for them to vibrate. And perhaps part of it was not being familiar enough with the early Genesis songs. They played a bunch I didn't recognize, and I waited in vain for "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway." But even some of the songs I like, like "Domino," didn't get a strong reaction from the crowd. (Of course, we did have fun watching the drunks dance.) There were some good points, such as the drum duet between Phil and Chester Thompson. And I did get to hear one of my favorites, "Invisible Touch." But although Eugene and I did need the chance to have some couple time, I don't think we got our money's worth. Good thing we didn't pay for floor seating.
By the time we got home with Alex, it was about 1:00 a.m. (And yes, he still woke up in the middle of the night.) Gotta wonder how I made it through the day without caffiene.
P.S. Alex is still sick, but he seems to be doing better. His teacher at daycare said he was in a happy mood today, and his cough seems to be improving. Eugene picked up a humidifer for the nursery; hopefully that will help clear up his congestion.
Anyway, we did make it to our seats in time for the official start of the concert, which was of course delayed. We had a decent view; we were on the first level. Still, it was much easier to see the band on the screens.
Phil had some decent interaction with the crowd; from time to time, he brought out a digital camera to take pictures of the audience. The music sounded good, but for some reason I didn't get into it as much as I did the first time I saw Genesis fifteen years ago. Part of it probably was being exhausted and sick and still wound up from dashing all around. Part of it too was thinking about our son and wondering how he was doing; both Eugene and I had our cell phones clenched in our hands, waiting for them to vibrate. And perhaps part of it was not being familiar enough with the early Genesis songs. They played a bunch I didn't recognize, and I waited in vain for "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway." But even some of the songs I like, like "Domino," didn't get a strong reaction from the crowd. (Of course, we did have fun watching the drunks dance.) There were some good points, such as the drum duet between Phil and Chester Thompson. And I did get to hear one of my favorites, "Invisible Touch." But although Eugene and I did need the chance to have some couple time, I don't think we got our money's worth. Good thing we didn't pay for floor seating.
By the time we got home with Alex, it was about 1:00 a.m. (And yes, he still woke up in the middle of the night.) Gotta wonder how I made it through the day without caffiene.
P.S. Alex is still sick, but he seems to be doing better. His teacher at daycare said he was in a happy mood today, and his cough seems to be improving. Eugene picked up a humidifer for the nursery; hopefully that will help clear up his congestion.
Friday, September 28, 2007
First Cold
Alex and I are sick.
I first noticed it Thursday morning around midnight, when I fed Alex. I noticed he was breathing heavily but thought he didn't have the bottle nipple positioned correctly. But then at the next feeding, Eugene noticed the congested breathing and coughing too. The breathing seemed better when it was time for me to leave for work, so I brought Alex to daycare. At work, I called the doctor's office and on their advice took him in. He doesn't have a fever or an ear infection (though when they cleaned his ears he cried much longer than he did for his shots), so that's good. The doctor recommended against medicating him at this age, so we're just treating him with a vaporizer and chest rub. Alex is quieter than normal, but he still smiles and wants to play. I feel for him when he coughs and sounds congested, but all we can do is comfort him and tough it out. He'll have many more colds and illnesses, I'm sure.
As for me, I hope Alex doesn't have my symptoms, which include a headache, chills, and a sore throat. I'm not sure who gave it to whom, but hopefully the antibodies in my milk will help him recover faster.
We were planning to go to Lynfred Winery's Octoberfest this weekend, but with Alex being sick, we'll just have to forego it this year. He's too young for a stein anyway. ;) But it is a shame being sick on one of the last nice weekends of the season.
I first noticed it Thursday morning around midnight, when I fed Alex. I noticed he was breathing heavily but thought he didn't have the bottle nipple positioned correctly. But then at the next feeding, Eugene noticed the congested breathing and coughing too. The breathing seemed better when it was time for me to leave for work, so I brought Alex to daycare. At work, I called the doctor's office and on their advice took him in. He doesn't have a fever or an ear infection (though when they cleaned his ears he cried much longer than he did for his shots), so that's good. The doctor recommended against medicating him at this age, so we're just treating him with a vaporizer and chest rub. Alex is quieter than normal, but he still smiles and wants to play. I feel for him when he coughs and sounds congested, but all we can do is comfort him and tough it out. He'll have many more colds and illnesses, I'm sure.
As for me, I hope Alex doesn't have my symptoms, which include a headache, chills, and a sore throat. I'm not sure who gave it to whom, but hopefully the antibodies in my milk will help him recover faster.
We were planning to go to Lynfred Winery's Octoberfest this weekend, but with Alex being sick, we'll just have to forego it this year. He's too young for a stein anyway. ;) But it is a shame being sick on one of the last nice weekends of the season.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Overdue Update
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I've been meaning to blog for a few days now, but it's been hard to find the time. Alex doesn't go to sleep until 8:30 or 9:00, and some nights we don't get to have dinner until after that. So there's not much free time here. Last Thursday, as I was tele-experimenting and doing household chores, I thought to myself that I'm living the life of a Victorian housemaid. I've read somewhere that they would work from 5:00 a.m. to midnight. It hasn't been quite that bad for me, but only by a few hours. Hopefully things will get easier as Alex gets older (or gets better about falling asleep when he needs it).
It hasn't been all work and no play, however. Yesterday we went to a friend's baby shower in Chicago. Alex went too, of course, and he and two other babies were the stars of the show. Eugene made his (well, Paula Deen's) mile-high apple pie. It calls for two dozen apples, but he could only fit twenty of them into the bowl he used to stack the apple layers. What a shame. ;) After the shower, we visited Millennium Park and took pictures of Alex by the Bean. Here's a shot:
Today we ran a couple of errands (such as spoiling Alex with toys and new clothes at Babies R Us) and visited Eugene's family. While we were there, Alex grabbed a set of toy keys and waved it around. It's always cool to see him do something new.
Writing: I haven't done much, but I've thought of a new opening for Lennon's Line (I mean, Thine Own Self.) I like the new first line; it's the rest of the paragraph that's eluding me.
I've been meaning to blog for a few days now, but it's been hard to find the time. Alex doesn't go to sleep until 8:30 or 9:00, and some nights we don't get to have dinner until after that. So there's not much free time here. Last Thursday, as I was tele-experimenting and doing household chores, I thought to myself that I'm living the life of a Victorian housemaid. I've read somewhere that they would work from 5:00 a.m. to midnight. It hasn't been quite that bad for me, but only by a few hours. Hopefully things will get easier as Alex gets older (or gets better about falling asleep when he needs it).
It hasn't been all work and no play, however. Yesterday we went to a friend's baby shower in Chicago. Alex went too, of course, and he and two other babies were the stars of the show. Eugene made his (well, Paula Deen's) mile-high apple pie. It calls for two dozen apples, but he could only fit twenty of them into the bowl he used to stack the apple layers. What a shame. ;) After the shower, we visited Millennium Park and took pictures of Alex by the Bean. Here's a shot:
Today we ran a couple of errands (such as spoiling Alex with toys and new clothes at Babies R Us) and visited Eugene's family. While we were there, Alex grabbed a set of toy keys and waved it around. It's always cool to see him do something new.
Writing: I haven't done much, but I've thought of a new opening for Lennon's Line (I mean, Thine Own Self.) I like the new first line; it's the rest of the paragraph that's eluding me.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
I Still Exist...
At least, I think I do. ;)
I've survived two weeks of being a working mom. The mornings are hectic, as Eugene and I take care of Alex and get all the things he needs for daycare ready. Then I have to hurry off to the daycare to drop him off. He cries in the car, but most of the time he settles down once we get there.
In some ways, it's nice to be back at work. It's stimulating, and I get to pump and have a full lunch hour all to myself without worrying about Alex. Not much has changed over the summer, though there are now four people in the lab. (The summer intern decided to stay on longer.) This means we have to be more formal about reporting on our projects, and we're also having lab meetings--with treats! I keep busy, but I still think about Alex when I have a chance.
The evenings have become...interesting. Alex smiles at me when I pick him up, and he seems to be doing well at the daycare. But once he gets home, it doesn't take him long to start fussing, and he does it off and on until he goes down for the night (around 8:00-8:30). I think he may be overtired, but he forces himself to stay awake to be with Mommy and Daddy. It's nice to know he wants to be with us, but he needs his sleep. The problem is getting him to sleep on his own--and to stay asleep once we put him in the crib. Alex naps well at daycare, but he won't nap on the weekends, and he's definitely overtired. I'm afraid we'll have to resort to letting him "cry it out" so he learns to sleep on his own. In the meantime, we don't get to eat until after Alex sleeps, so it makes for a long evening.
Although the past couple of weekends have been gorgeous, we haven't been able to do much because of Alex's fussiness. Hopefully we'll be able to help him get over that. And no, I haven't done any writing either, not even during my lunch hour. I'm too drained to write, anyway. Probably the best thing to do is wait this out and remind myself it'll get better eventually.
I've survived two weeks of being a working mom. The mornings are hectic, as Eugene and I take care of Alex and get all the things he needs for daycare ready. Then I have to hurry off to the daycare to drop him off. He cries in the car, but most of the time he settles down once we get there.
In some ways, it's nice to be back at work. It's stimulating, and I get to pump and have a full lunch hour all to myself without worrying about Alex. Not much has changed over the summer, though there are now four people in the lab. (The summer intern decided to stay on longer.) This means we have to be more formal about reporting on our projects, and we're also having lab meetings--with treats! I keep busy, but I still think about Alex when I have a chance.
The evenings have become...interesting. Alex smiles at me when I pick him up, and he seems to be doing well at the daycare. But once he gets home, it doesn't take him long to start fussing, and he does it off and on until he goes down for the night (around 8:00-8:30). I think he may be overtired, but he forces himself to stay awake to be with Mommy and Daddy. It's nice to know he wants to be with us, but he needs his sleep. The problem is getting him to sleep on his own--and to stay asleep once we put him in the crib. Alex naps well at daycare, but he won't nap on the weekends, and he's definitely overtired. I'm afraid we'll have to resort to letting him "cry it out" so he learns to sleep on his own. In the meantime, we don't get to eat until after Alex sleeps, so it makes for a long evening.
Although the past couple of weekends have been gorgeous, we haven't been able to do much because of Alex's fussiness. Hopefully we'll be able to help him get over that. And no, I haven't done any writing either, not even during my lunch hour. I'm too drained to write, anyway. Probably the best thing to do is wait this out and remind myself it'll get better eventually.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Labor Day Weekend
It was a pretty busy weekend for us. Eugene took Saturday off, so he had all three days free, which was nice.
We spent most of Saturday baking an apple pie. Actually, I should say Eugene did, as he did about 99% of the work while I took care of Alex and did a couple of other things. Eugene tried a new recipe this time, one from Paula Deen that required twenty-four apples. He wound up using only twenty, but it still was a monster pie. In order to stack up the Tower of Apples, he layered thin slices of apples in a stainless steel bowl, which he then inverted over the pie crust. After it was done, he coated the top with carmel sauce and pecans. All of this and the strusel (?) filling made for one delicious pie.
So what was the reason for Eugene making a mountain of pie? One of our friends was celebrating her birthday Saturday night. We met her and several other people at a bowling alley. We brought Alex along as well. In retrospect we should have had my parents come down to babysit, as this bowling alley doubled as a club complete with music that was TOO DAMN LOUD. Call me old school--call me old even--but when I get together with people, I like to be able to hear them without having to shout. Alex tolerated it better than I expected as long as someone was holding him. Eugene kindly took charge of him so I could bowl. I used to bowl once a week with some of my co-workers at my previous job, but that was five years ago. I started the night with a scoreless frame, but I ended up with scores of 69 for the first game and 112 for the second. Ironically enough, I did better after ordering the Gutterball cocktail. For Alex's sake, we wound up leaving early.
Sunday afternoon we went to the Chicago Botanic Garden briefly, but again Alex wasn't quite up for it. We fed him, but he still fussed until we got back to the car, where he fell asleep. It was just as well we left a little early, as we had plans to get together with a couple we'd met in our birthing class. (See my Babies in Stereo post from earlier.) We grilled dinner and talked babies for several hours. It was nice seeing them again, and we may get together with them again later this month.
Today, after doing some chores around the apartment, we visited Eugene's parents and had another grillout. They hadn't seen Alex since the christening, so naturally he was the star. He was fussy again, but this time it seemed more related to hunger and to doing tummy time. (Alex gets frustrated when I put him on his stomach. It's supposed to help him develop his neck and arm muscles, but he screams more than he lifts his head.) At least he fell asleep (hopefully) for the night when we arrived home.
This is a bittersweet day for me; tomorrow I go back to work and put Alex in daycare. It's going to be a bit strange being on a regular schedule again after three months away. Of course, I'll also be undergoing "Alex withdrawl." It's a shame I have to spend so much time away from him just when he's really starting to notice things. I think ultimately we'll all be fine, but it'll be an adjustment for all three of us.
We spent most of Saturday baking an apple pie. Actually, I should say Eugene did, as he did about 99% of the work while I took care of Alex and did a couple of other things. Eugene tried a new recipe this time, one from Paula Deen that required twenty-four apples. He wound up using only twenty, but it still was a monster pie. In order to stack up the Tower of Apples, he layered thin slices of apples in a stainless steel bowl, which he then inverted over the pie crust. After it was done, he coated the top with carmel sauce and pecans. All of this and the strusel (?) filling made for one delicious pie.
So what was the reason for Eugene making a mountain of pie? One of our friends was celebrating her birthday Saturday night. We met her and several other people at a bowling alley. We brought Alex along as well. In retrospect we should have had my parents come down to babysit, as this bowling alley doubled as a club complete with music that was TOO DAMN LOUD. Call me old school--call me old even--but when I get together with people, I like to be able to hear them without having to shout. Alex tolerated it better than I expected as long as someone was holding him. Eugene kindly took charge of him so I could bowl. I used to bowl once a week with some of my co-workers at my previous job, but that was five years ago. I started the night with a scoreless frame, but I ended up with scores of 69 for the first game and 112 for the second. Ironically enough, I did better after ordering the Gutterball cocktail. For Alex's sake, we wound up leaving early.
Sunday afternoon we went to the Chicago Botanic Garden briefly, but again Alex wasn't quite up for it. We fed him, but he still fussed until we got back to the car, where he fell asleep. It was just as well we left a little early, as we had plans to get together with a couple we'd met in our birthing class. (See my Babies in Stereo post from earlier.) We grilled dinner and talked babies for several hours. It was nice seeing them again, and we may get together with them again later this month.
Today, after doing some chores around the apartment, we visited Eugene's parents and had another grillout. They hadn't seen Alex since the christening, so naturally he was the star. He was fussy again, but this time it seemed more related to hunger and to doing tummy time. (Alex gets frustrated when I put him on his stomach. It's supposed to help him develop his neck and arm muscles, but he screams more than he lifts his head.) At least he fell asleep (hopefully) for the night when we arrived home.
This is a bittersweet day for me; tomorrow I go back to work and put Alex in daycare. It's going to be a bit strange being on a regular schedule again after three months away. Of course, I'll also be undergoing "Alex withdrawl." It's a shame I have to spend so much time away from him just when he's really starting to notice things. I think ultimately we'll all be fine, but it'll be an adjustment for all three of us.
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