Last day of November

It is hard to believe that today is the end of November! Wow! Christmas is just around the corner! We had a really nice visit with my aunt and mother. The week flew by! We did a lot of shopping and eating (I think it is a theme with us). We went to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra that Tuesday night, took Rebecca to get her pictures taken on Wednesday, went to Thanksgiving mass and had Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, shopped all day Friday, put up the Christmas tree on Saturday night, visited extended family in Redlands on Sunday, and did some more running around on Monday. We also attempted to get some family pictures done for our Christmas cards and had a near disaster with Rebecca falling into the Christmas tree during that process. It was really nice having them here, and for a couple of days after they left, every time we'd go into the guest room, Rebecca would look around expectantly.

Oh yeah, one of the most exciting things is that Rebecca has started saying "mama!" I figured she would probably say dog, sippy cup, and supercalifragilisticexpealidocious before she was ever going to say mama. But it is an awfully nice word to hear from her!

Rebecca finished her ten days of antibiotics and she still has a runny nose, gets congested, and makes funny noises with her nose and throat (I suspect she makes them because her throat itches). So I have a call in to Dr. Jeng to talk about putting her on the maintenance antihistamine.

The nanny Rebecca started work for us this week as well. On Tuesday, I took off work to be here to make the transition a little easier, and so Rebecca could get acquainted with our Rebecca's daily routine, where things were, etc. She stayed with her on Wednesday, and when I came home, Rebecca was much less clingy to me than usual. On Thursday, Ramy came home and said she was all smiles for him, and when I got home she was all smiles for me. I think she is less stressed than she was at Arlene's, which in turn, makes us less stressed! It is nice to not have to pack all her things up to take and to know that I don't have to get her out of her cozy bed in the morning if she is sleeping well. So far, Ramy and I both think we made a good decision in hiring Rebecca. Next week, Rebecca and I start taking a music class for babies ages 4-14 months old and their moms. It is all holiday music stuff. Basically, I think they get to play with drums, maracas, and tambourines, but Rebecca loves music so I think she will enjoy it, and it will also give her more opportunity to interact with other babies.

Rebecca and I head to Tennessee two weeks from tonight. I have so much to get done before then, I can't even believe it!!!

9 month checkup

Here are a couple of crazy pics of Rebecca. She is modeling her "baby legs" (or maybe she is sorry she missed out on the 80s) and her Baby Ugg boots. Isn't great to be on the cutting edge of fashion for 9 month olds?

This morning, Rebecca and I went to her 9 month well-baby checkup. She weighed in at 16 lbs, 4 oz. and measured at 27 inches long. I don't really think the length was accurate, because I think she moved up on the table when they were about to make the head measurement. If so, that would be the 47th percentile, and she's definitely shorter than half of all 9 month olds! But she's still hanging in there at the 10th percentile for weight. They did a toe prick to check her hemoglobin, and she was well within normal range - no danger of anemia. Dr. Jeng wasn't able to hear her heart murmur at all when she was standing up, and he didn't hear it when she was lying down either, but she was not cooperating. It should be more pronounced lying down. But either way, it definitely hasn't gotten worse and may have disappeared. She is exactly where she should be on social and language development, and she is ahead of expected on both gross and fine motor skills. Dr. Jeng proclaimed her to be perfect, healthy, beautiful, and comical.

The biggest issue we discussed is that she has basically been sick for the last month - she had a cold, followed by the double ear infection that wouldn't go away, and then the upper respiratory infection. I told him about how she pulls at her ears randomly and how she cries out in her sleep and grabs her ear if she is lying flat. Dr. Jeng suspects that what is driving all of that is allergies, especially since she has eczema, I have a lot of allergy problems and come from a long line of allergy sufferers, and Ramy's dad has asthma (another predisposing factor). He thinks that she is staying congested because of the allergies, which is pushing pressure into the Eustachian tubes. The pressure would be the strongest when she is lying flat and is probably causing her ears to pop when she sleeps. With the chronic congestion, the fluid in the tubes is less likely to drain, making it more uncomfortable and more likely to cause more ear infections. He wanted to be completely sure that there was no underlying sinusitis, so he put her on a whopping dose of amoxicillin for ten days (twice the amount each time than what she got before, and now she gets that 3x a day instead of twice). And then if she is the same (which he suspects she will be), then we'll put her on a maintenance antihistamine.

A day in the life of Rebecca

Rebecca has had a very adventure-filled day. She was awakened to go to church (we made it to early mass this morning) and threw a big fit about having her clothes and diaper changed but was as good as gold during the service (she always sings along with the songs, but she didn't try to give her own homily today, so both of us got to stay through the whole mass). Then we went to the grocery store, where Rebecca was carried around by her daddy. She was angered by the carseat but then fell asleep before we got home, so I carried her upstairs and she finished her morning nap in her crib.

When she awake, she had her breakfast of apple cinnamon oatmeal. But you see, daddy was working on the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs, and he was far more intriguing than breakfast. So she refused to participate in more than half of it. Then we went to Costco, where she got to take a fun trip in the cold room and to look at the lobsters in the tank. She wanted to bang on the tank, I suppose so they would look at her. Next, we went to Lowes and she fell asleep on Ramy's shoulder and she took another nap in her crib.

Then she got up and ate some blueberries and yogurt. While mommy folded five loads of laundry, Rebecca got to play on the floor in the upstairs. She found daddy's wallet on the nightstand and pulled it off. Then she found the baby in the mirror and yelled at her and patted on her and kissed her and yelled at her some more. Somehow, Paddy got upstairs so she chased him for awhile. Then she pulled up and cruised around the laundry basket, after which she opened the drawer, leaned against it and pushed it closed, getting her fingers caught in it. She cried for half a second until she spied Paddy again and then took off after him. Next, she watched some football with daddy while mommy cooked dinner.

Dinner was the most interesting part, because she got to try a new food - eggs (egg yolk actually). She also had acorn squash with cinnamon and carrots, both of which she loves. So in went a spoonful of squash, a spoonful of carrots, and then here came a spoonful of egg yolk. This was what seemed to go through Rebecca's mind:

Wait. What was that? I don't know what this stuff is. What do /i do with it? It is crumply and weird feeling in my mouth. Oh okay, here's some more squash and another bite of carrots. Oh no! There's that bizarre yellow stuff again. What the heck am I supposed to do with this? Okay, I'll roll it around in my mouth for a bit and maybe it will taste better. Oh good, more squash and carrots. WHAT IS THIS YELLOW CRUMBLY GUCK? Why does my mom keep giving it to me? I'll just spit it back out and blow raspberries until she gets the idea. Okay, carrots and squash again. WHAT THE HECK DOES IT TAKE TO GET ACROSS THAT I DON'T LIKE THIS YELLOW GOO? Passive resistance, that's the idea. I'll just keep my mouth open with the yellow bits and won't chew or swallow it and let it fall back off my tongue. Okay, I guess mama will got the hint, because she scraped it off my tongue with the spoon and now she just keeps giving me the carrots and squash.

After that ordeal, she was still hungry, so I cut up about a quarter of a banana (quartered it and then cut it in slices, so each slice had 4 tiny wedges of banana). I put that in one pile on her highchair tray and about a tablespoon of shredded cheddar cheese in another pile. She knew what the cheese was, so she went after it first, but then she got intrigued by the chunks of banana. When she picked the first one up, she made a face like "What the heck is this slime?" But then she got it in her mouth (caked in cheese) and decided it was the best stuff she had ever eaten, grunted and banged her fists on the tray, demanding more. So she ended up eating almost a whole banana that way. Then our chicken pot pie came out of the oven, so we ate, and she wanted some of ours. So I gave her a couple of bites of the potato in it, which she liked.

As you can imagine, after a 9 month old feeds herself shredded cheese and banana, she is pretty sticky. There was banana stuck all over her arms, legs, face, hair, diaper, and shirt. So it was bathtime. Immediately we dunked her in the tub, where she splashed around and looked at us with glee. While washing her hair, I decided that she had to have her bangs trimmed. It could not wait until December, because her bangs are in her eyes and it drives me nuts. So I overrode Ramy's veto, and the hair trim commenced. Rebecca was less than interested, but I cut off a little bit just from the front. It's not the best haircut in the world, but it isn't in her eyes anymore, so I'm happy. Next haircut, I'm giving her some Benadryl first.

Now she is finally winding down and getting ready to sleep...finally.

Sunday

We've had a very productive weekend! I'm caught up on all my Rorschach grading. I have read so many Rorschach scoring assignments that I've started dreaming about coding in my sleep! Ramy got the new baby gate installed at the bottom of the stairs. We cleaned the house. I did about 5 loads of laundry. We went to Costco, Lowes, the mall, the pizza place, and the grocery store. Woo, what an exciting life we lead.

We finished up getting together the huge box of Christmas gifts for Abner and family in the Philippines. I can't wait to hear their reaction to what we're sending - this will be a huge deal for them. We've loaded it with clothes for the whole family, food (including Spam and corned beef - apparently hot commodities and delicacies in the Philippines!), toys and games and books for the kids, some jewelry for his wife, and some kind of tool dealie for Abner, and some more stuff.

Rebecca seems to be less snotty-nosed. I still think she has some fluid behind her eardrums, because when she lies flat, she bats at her ears. We go to the pediatrician tomorrow for her 9 month checkup. The only shot she is supposed to get is her second half of her flu shot. She may get a blood test for lead and anemia, but I'm not certain about that. After that, we are meeting Rebecca's nanny for lunch and to show her around before she starts next week. Then on Tuesday, my mom and aunt arrive for their Thanksgiving visit. Ramy and Rebecca will be picking them up, because I'll be at Chaffey listening to my crazy college kids. Tuesday night, the ladies (minus Rebecca) are going to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra play. Wednesday, we're taking Rebecca to get some pictures done at the Picture People. Thursday is Turkey Day, so we'll go to Mass that morning and then gorge ourselves. Friday, Rebecca is going to stay with Ramy while we go shopping. The rest of their visit is pretty unscheduled, but I'm sure we'll stay busy and have fun.

Toothy Grin!

Here's a new pic of Rebecca. You can see those two pearly little bottom teeth. We all think that she looks much more Filipino (or at least Asian) with her hair pulled back, for some reason. She also looks more like a little girl and less like a baby. (It's a necessity, because her hair is so long that her bangs get in her eyes, and I can't stand that).

Thursday

So as to be fair, here's a pic of Ramy and Rebecca also at the park on Monday (since I did one of me and her in my last post). Rebecca is finished with Mrs. Arlene. She did pretty well yesterday but was really cranky there on Tuesday. She is still pulling at her ears a lot, especially if she lies flat. So I just really think that there's continuing to be fluid in her ears that bugs her. We go for her 9 month appointment and second flu shot on Monday, so I'll talk to Dr. Jeng about it then.

I suddenly realized how much has to be done in the next few days! I'm trying to get all my Rorschach grading done for my class as quickly as I can, because they have another big assignment they'll be turning in on Tuesday. Arghhh! Since I'm having company for Thanksgiving, I also probably need to get the house ready for them, and then Rebecca the nanny starts the week after. Not to mention that I've not bought a single thing yet for Christmas. What do I do with all my time?

Here's a picture of me and Rebecca that Ramy took yesterday at the park.

We are still dealing with Rebecca being sick, and I'm tired of it! Poor thing. We started with a cold, then the double ear infections that wouldn't go away, and then that turned into the upper respiratory infection. I have invested in my own otoscope so at least I can look at her ears and see if they are red or not. I also bought an electronic snot sucker, since the old fashioned kind, well, sucks. She also thinks it is a torture device, so at least this one, while still tortuous, is faster and more thorough. Where does she pick these things up? There are only 3 other kids at Arlene's (only 2 others when she is there). I blame Ramy. ;-) I think his germy clients pass things on that hop onto him and then infect sweet babies. Maybe I will start spraying him with Lysol before he comes in the door.Another reason for him to become a DIC - less clien contact.

Back to the grind!

Sadly, our four-day weekend is over (or it will be after The Bachelor is over), but we really had a good time - from the pumpkin pancakes on Friday morning to cleaning out the garage tonight! Yesterday, we went to mass at 9, and then we drove to Loma Linda to my department picnic. Today, we ran errands and started putting together the balikbayan box of things we are sending to a family in the Philippines. Abner is a really resourceful fisherman who makes all his own fishing equipment to support his family. Ramy hired him to be his tour guide when he last visited, and Ramy thinks a lot of him. We're sending a box with clothes, toys, magazines, Spam (a delicacy there!), school supplies, and candy to them for Christmas.

This is Rebecca's last week of daycare. I'm so happy! Next Tuesday, my mom and aunt arrive for Thanksgiving. We have a busy week with them planned and are looking forward to their visit. I haven't even made my menu or grocery list yet for Thanksgiving. I'm also up to my ears in Rorschachs I need to finish grading. Maybe it will be a quiet day at Chaffey tomorrow and I can get some stuff done, but I doubt it. I think my schedule is packed with a work-in already. Oh well, the day definitely flies by there. The other thing I have to get done are the pictuures for our Christmas cards. I have an idea and hopefully I can bring it to fruition!

Yay for 4 day weekends!

Ramy had his 9/80 day yesterday, and Monday is Veterans' Day, so we're enjoying a long 4-day weekend together. Nothing very exciting happening for us, but it is nice to just relax and hang out together. The biggest news is that we hired a nanny! Hooray! She'll be starting the week after Thanksgiving. Her name is Rebecca (which may get confusing to our Rebecca, so we'll have to think of something), and she is 26 years old and lives in Riverside and does a lot of community theater. We liked her a lot and were willing to pay more than we had planned to get her for our Rebecca. The other big news is that the LA County Public Defenders Office rumor mill has it that Ramy is being pegged for a DIC (Deputy-in-Charge; i.e., supervisory) position. We expect that soon after the new year, he'll be getting moved, probably to Whittier. Of course it is all speculation at this point.

Wednesday

While Ramy and Rebecca were hanging out, napping on the couch last night (see pics below), I got a lot of work done, which was awesome. This morning, Rebecca and I have been reading books and playing with her doll, and we're waiting until she's had her medicine long enough so that she can eat breakfast. Last night, for dinner, I came up with a concoction that was actually completely delicious. Sweet potatoes, mixed with banana, nutmeg, and a little bit of vanilla. It tasted like a dessert! She loved it and was grunting for more. Later, she shared some yogurt with Ramy. For breakfast this morning, she is having apple cinnamon oatmeal. It is a lot of fun to give her new combinations of food and to see her reactions.

I think we've almost gotten our nanny confirmed! Expensive, but worth it. I just pray that this will be the key to keeping Miss Rebecca in a good mood. I'm still worried about her ears, because when she lays down on her back, she starts pawing at her left ear.

We're looking forward to a long weekend coming up. Ramy's trial didn't go, so he gets his 9/80 day on Friday, and then Monday is a holiday for him. So we get to all have 4 days off together. Woo hoo! No plans for anything very exciting, but I know we'll have a good time together.

Sleepyheads

I came down the stairs a few minutes ago and saw my two loves both sound asleep on the couch, watching tv. I couldn't resist snapping these pics.

Monday

Busy day for us...
Ramy is waiting to learn if he is going to start trial or not - hopefully the DA is going to drop this case and he won't have to. Tomorrow, I have to give a talk at Chaffey and also have a full schedule of clients. We had a church town hall meeting tonight - our parish is about to start building a childrens center that wll have a preschool and kindergarten.

I took Rebecca to the pediatrician today to check her ears after the last ear infection. She still has some fluid behind one eardrum, but no longer infected. Since she has had three ear infections in 7 months, they are concerned. It is often at 4 within a year they start talking about putting in tubes, because of the speech delays, increased risks of encephalitis, hearing loss, and more lifelong sinus problems. So we'll see. Oh yeah, she weighed 16 lbs, 3 oz.

We made an offer to one of the nanny candidates tonight, but we'll see if she takes it. We really liked her a lot and feel she is a good match for us. Hopefully she liked us just as much! Hard to believe we're just a couple of weeks from Thanksgiving!

Heavenly bread pudding

Some of you know that I love bread pudding, and it's true. But this is the very easy, sinfully delicious recipe I used for the bread pudding I made last night. I adapted it from a recipe by The Pioneer Woman


The Best Bread Pudding

2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
3 1/2 to 5 cups sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup pecans, chopped finely

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together eggs, butter, vanilla, and milk. Add sugar and mix until sugar is dissoved. Arrange bread cubes tightly in a shallow casserole dish, keeping the crust facing up around the edges in scattered within the dish. Pour liquid over the bread. Sprinkle pecans all over and bake for 55 to 70 minutes, or until crust is golden brown all over the top.

While the bread pudding is baking, make the Cream Sauce:

1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup cream
1/4 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until mixture reaches a low boil. Stir in vanilla. Pour a small amount over the individual servings of bread pudding. Serve hot.

Saturday

We had a very successful dinner party last night. We had hot spinach, parmesan, and artichoke dip in mini bread bowls as appetizers, shrimp and penne pasta in a garlic tomato cream sauce, ceasar salad, and garlic bread for the main course, and bread pudding for dessert. It was delicious, if I do say so myself, and of course Rebecca was a big hit. We enjoyed having Ana, Simon, and Rourke over, as always. Even better, I got the kitchen cleaned back up after the left, so I don't have to face a messy day-after-party kitchen this morning.

We also interviewed a potential nanny yesterday afternoon. Her name is Rebecca also! We really liked her, so we feel good about that possibility. Ramy and I decided that after being used to paying for a nanny, we needn't have to worry about whether or not we can afford private school for Rebecca. It will be cheap in comparison! Oh well, whatever it takes, and it won't be forever.

Ramy's actually already up and gone this morning. He had to meet a client at 8 in La Mirada, so Rebecca and I are on our own for a few hours. Then I'm sure he'll have some kind of project to work on. ;-)

We're havin' a party...

Busy day today! We are having a dinner party tonight at 7:00, so I've got to get ready for that. Plus, we're interviewing a potential nanny at 4:00. Of course, Rebecca had no interest in sleeping late this morning, so she is up and playing. We'll be headed out to the grocery store in a little while. We're having brie en croute for appetizer, shrimp and penne in tomato cream sauce with capers, chicken caesar salad, garlic bread, and bread pudding with whiskey cream sauce for dessert. There's enough butter and heavy cream in this meal to harden anyone's arteries!

Here's a pic of Rebecca from yesterday morning. Check out her crazy morning hair. We call her Filipina Specter (because her hair is as crazy as Phil Specter's).

It's November!

Wow, it is already November. For us Catholics, today is All Saints Day, which is a Holy Day of Obligation (you gotta go to mass or you're a big fat sinner). Since I have to work tonight, we went to the vigil mass last night, which was totally not crowded since most people were doing the trick-or-treat thing. It was a really nice mass. For all the Protestants (most everyone I know and love), All Saints Day is the day to remember all the saints (not just the canonized Saints) "who have died and gone before us into the presence of the Lord". Apparently, I particularly like the somber church holidays because I like the services for All Saints and Ash Wednesday the best. But anyway, enough theology. Rebecca wanted to preach a little last night too, so Ramy and I alternated taking her out and coming back in. She blew a big raspberry in the middle of silent reflection and then again when we went up for communion and the sacristan gave her a blessing. Ramy told her she was "gabaten", which is Visayan for "God's going to get you."

We interviewed a couple of otential nannies this week. We loved one but then found out she is moving to Texas in February. The other one was just not what we wanted. So the search is still on. Hopefully the perfect person will be revealed. We're interviewing more the next few days.