Home again!

Rebecca and I arrived safely back in California yesterday evening. We had a very good flight. Rebecca played the first hour of the trip, then slept most of the last three hours. She woke up a few times and cried out and once she grabbed her ear, so I know her ears were hurting. I couldn't make her drink anything so help equalize the pressure, but I think it wasn't too bad for her because she was all smiles when the plane touched down. Ramy was there waiting for us, and it was a joyful reunification.

Now I have the task of unpacking. We always come back with more than we went with! I think I'm going to have to run to Target to buy Rebecca more hangers, especially ones with clips. It's a good thing we have such a long summer, because Rebecca has a ridiculous amount of gorgeous clothes. I get excited when something she is wearing gets dirty, because it means I get to change her clothes and dress her in another cute outfit! It truly is a sickness.

But I wanted to post some pics of Rebecca and Jack. Are they precious or what?!? They are such a cute little pair, and I can't wait for them to both be walking and talking, because I think they will be so cute playing together. He's fair and blond and blue eyed and all boy, and she's tiny and dark and so girly! They're both so bright-eyed and intelligent-looking and clearly superior to all other babies. Molly and I always dreamed of having children who would grow up together; it's nice that it is finally a dream come true.

Some birthday pics

Here are some pics from my birthday celebration the other night:










Tomorrow evening, Rebecca and I will be heading back west. We've had a lovely trip and have enjoyed so much time with Rebecca's Grammy. At the same time, however, we've missed Ramy a whole lot. It will be a great thing when I am no longer separated by the North American continent from someone I love! I can't wait until we are moving back here for good.

We've had some problems with allergies, but otherwise it has been a great trip. Poor Rebecca - the Singulair and Zyrtec had gotten things under control until we had her confronted with a whole new set of allergens. She had a really runny nose and watery eyes for a couple of days, and I've also had a full-blown allergy attack, as has my mom.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon, ate lunch at Bread & Company, and headed back to Fayetteville so Rebecca and I could get our hair cut. It costs a third of what I pay for my hair cut in Chino Hills, and Faron cuts mine and Rebecca's. That evening, we ate at Cahoots in Fayetteville. Friday, we went to Huntsville and bought some things for the shower and did a bit of shopping. Saturday, we were getting ready for the shower and then we had my birthday dinner at Macaroni Grill in Huntsville. Sunday (my birthday!), we went to church and then had the bridal tea for Shanna. The a/c was out in the church, so it was hot and humid. We were exhausted afterward, but it was a very nice event. We ate dinner in Huntsville at Cantina Laredo. Monday, mom, Rebecca and I went to Nashville and went shopping in Green Hills. We bought a lot of beautiful things for Rebecca at Janie & Jack and The Little Cottage, plus some things for ourselves! Tuesday, we had lunch with Tim and Shanna and then dinner with the Girl Posse. Wednesday, we went to Nashville with Aunt Margaret to get some things for their trip. Today, we took Aunt Margaret to a doctor appointment, went to the chiropractor, and met Molly, Jack, Brenda, Lisa, and Terry for lunch at O'Houlihans. We showed Rebecca off to a lot of people, but of course there are always more people that I wanted to visit but didn't get a chance to see.

I've got more pics from the trip that I'll upload after I get back home.

I'm 30!

Happy Birthday to me!

I've had a very pleasant time turning 30. Last night, Rebecca, my mom, aunt, the available members of the Girl Posse, and I went to eat at Macaroni Grill to celebrate my birthday. Today, I helped give a bridal tea at my mom's church and we went to eat Mexican tonight. Tomorrow, we're shopping in Nashville.

I'm enjoying my visit home with family and friends. There are only two bad parts: 1) Ramy isn't here with us, and I'm pleased to be able to say that nothing is quite as good without him being a part of it. 2) Our allergies are causing problems for both me and Rebecca and are driving us miserable.

So yeah, the big 3-0. Eh, doesn't feel any different than 29. But I will never complain about getting older, having stared the alternative in the face. Being someone's wife and mother were both much more significant indicators of being an adult. I have no complaints about my life at 30, other than wishing I didn't live in California, away from my mom and friends. And I wish this June was my graduation, but the light at the end of the tunnel is surely visible enough (and I enjoy being home with Rebecca so much). I definitely have everything I could never have even imagined as a little girl!

Stupid people annoy me

I agreed to do a pro-bono neuropsychological testing case in our clinic for a little girl who likely has MR after anoxic brain injury. For those of you who don't know, neuropsychological testing can be extremely expensive, particularly if one is paying out of pocket. It also can take quite a bit of time, especially if the goal is to localize the brain damage and to make predictions about the possibility of recovery of function, both of which I needed to do in this case.

The little girl I was testing no-showed for her last appointment (back in early April). Grandma left a message then about a family medical emergency. I left several messages, none of which were returned. I sent a letter, which got no response. Then we got a request from Social Security wanting a report, because they have filed for SSI. We sent them a letter saying we had no report to give them, because she only came for one testing appointment. So finally Monday, I got a message at the clinic from the grandmother. She said that she had left several messages trying to come back in (the clinic secretary says that no messages have been left). I finally talk to the woman yesterday, and she is full of reasons why they haven't come in and why their schedule is so busy and how she's been trying to get back in for three weeks. I offer her any time yesterday or this morning or afternoon. She tells me she can "try to come" in yesterday afternoon but "can't guarantee" that they'll make it? I politely told her we are very busy and can't hold appointments just in case it fits conveniently into her schedule. She is also not at all happy that I won't be in next week. Furthermore, it annoys her greatly that we can't finish the little girl's testing in one appointment, of which she only wants to be there for an hour.

WTF? Lady, you are getting about $15,000 worth of testing done for the grand sum of $40. You no-show and then you expect me to sit around, waiting and hoping you can make it, so that you can get money from the government to care for your child? Simply unbelievable.

Weekend update

Friday was Ramy's last day at the Norwalk office. He wanted to let his colleagues and office and court staffs see her one more time, so Rebecca and I met him at his office and spent a couple of hours there with him. Friday afternoon, we took Rebecca to Toys R Us and bought her some new toys. We got some big soft blocks and pool toys. Then, we went to the pool and enjoyed the cool water (it was 103°!). That evening, we met up with Maddy, Paul, their girls, and Vincent for dinner in Pasadena. Rebecca had a wonderful time! She wanted to make friends with a little boy who was at the bakery area. Also, she was quite impressed with Rachel (age 6). She wanted to touch Rachel's hair, her hands, her clothes, you name it. She was less interested in Ashley (age 3), but she still enjoyed playing with them.

Saturday, I went to my friend Julie's baby shower in Apple Valley. By the way, Apple Valley is in the middle of the high desert. Waaayyyyyy out in the middle of a vast wasteland. Why anyone would want to live there, I have no idea. There's no grass, except on golf courses! But anyway, the baby shower was very nice, and I'm looking forward to Julie's little girl being here. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Rebecca hung out with Ramy all day. They signed a contract for the work we're having done in the back yard. That night, we went shopping and I got to pick out the new work tote I'd been wanting for my birthday. I got exactly what I wanted - a blue leather semi-structured bag that is big enough to hold all my files and testing materials but that doesn't look too briefcasy. Ramy said that the bag looked like me because of the blue color. Then when I get back from Tennessee, I get a trip to the Jewelry District. Woo hoo! Happy 30th birthday to me!

Sunday, we went to mass at 7:30 (I'm pretty impressed with us making it to early mass every week lately!). Rebecca was a very good girl during mass. Ramy went to visit his dad yesterday afternoon. I did a bunch of laundry and started organizing things to take to Tennessee with us this week. I cleaned out the refrigerator and gave the kitchen a good deep cleaning. We watched No Country for Old Men...actually, Ramy watched it and I mostly ignored it while I did other stuff.

Today, Rebecca and I met my friend Julie for lunch at Panera Bread. Then I had a meeting with Julie (who was the other therapist at Chaffey College this year) and our Chaffey supervisor to give our feedback about the site and the Chaffey experience as a whole and to talk about our evaluations. I was pleasantly surprised about my evaluation from her. She rated me as above average on everything and wrote really nice comments about me. Interestingly, she wanted us to give her the site/supervisor evaluations that we are supposed to turn in to our DCT about each of our sites. I think she knew we might have negative things to say about her. I just told her that I'd already given mine to Dr. Vermeersch, as we are supposed to do, but that I'd be happy to talk to her about what I'd written. Then I just bullshitted my way through it. Whatever, I'm just glad to be done with her. Crazy.

One of Ramy's faves

This is one of Ramy's favorite dishes. It's not low-fat, by any stretch of the imagination, so if you're watching your weight, avoid! You can also substitute chicken breast for the shrimp, if you happen to not be a fan of shellfish. Don't cheat yourself by trying to use dried herbs - they just ain't the same, so pony up a couple of bucks for the real thing.

1 lb. extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3 Tbsp. butter, divided
5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb. penne or fusilli pasta
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. fresh basil
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Add water to a stock pot and bring to a boil.

Rinse shrimp under running water. Allow to drain and dry. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Heat 1 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet. Add the raw shrimp and cook for approximately 2 minutes or until just opaque. Remove from skillet.

Add pasta to boiling water, along with about a tablespoon of salt. Cook according to package directions, drain, and return to hot pan to allow remaining water to evaporate.

On medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. olive oil in skillet. Add garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes, or just until onions begin looking transparent. Add white wine and allow to cook until beginning to evaporate (about 2 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add tomato sauce and stir. Add heavy cream, stir, and turn oven to low. Add previously cooked shrimp back to skillet. Chop parsley and chiffenade basil; add to skillet. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Add cooked pasta, and stir together until well combined. Serve immediately.

Pesto

By the way, I've been making pesto quite a lot lately, and can I just say that it is incredibly good? Great as a dipping sauce for french bread or sesame breadsticks, slathered on top of some fish, as a spread on sandwiches, and as a dressing for pasta salad.

Here's the recipe I've been doing (roughly, because I don't measure anything)

2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Into the bowl of a food processor, add the garlic, basil leaves, parsley, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. With the blender still running, slowly pour in 1/2 cup of olive oil. Check for a thick, yet smooth consistency, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan.

Done with Redlands

As of tonight, I'm no longer a therapist for any of my counseling center sites. I had my last night at the University of Redlands tonight. So I'm now officially relieved of all my responsibilities to clients. If anyone offs themselves now, at least it isn't on my watch anymore. (I always tell my student supervisees that my biggest concern is making sure no one kills themselves while we're responsible for them). And since I'll be at Casa Colina next year doing only assessment and no therapy, I don't have to worry about any of that stuff for quite some time!

It has definitely been a good year for me, in terms of my clinical placements. I've enjoyed being a part of the counseling centers at both places, although the U of R has definitely been my favorite. That's probably the reason why I am going to be collecting data for my dissertation there!

Speaking of which, we're moving along with those plans. I gave a draft copy of the methods section to the director of the counseling center this afternoon, and it seems like it meets with her approval. The next step is to get started with the IRB process - at both LLU and UofR. My goals are to be done with my comps by the beginning of July, to submit both IRB proposals by mid-July, and to have proposed my dissertation by mid-August, and to start the study at the beginning of September. Since I'm done with clinical stuff except for supervising my students and only have the one (retarded) class that I'm taking, I'm going to be devoting a lot of time to this dissertation over the next several weeks until I start at Casa Colina. Nanny Rebecca will continue coming on her regular days, and I'll continue leaving the house as I do now. Only instead of going to be someone's therapist, I'll be going somewhere with my laptop so I can advance my dissertation! It would be nice if I could work at home, but if Rebecca knows I'm here, she will want to be with me and I can be a lot more productive if I get away.

Concurrent with the dissertation stuff, I will also be getting ready to apply for internship. Some friends in the department and I are going to form a support/accountability group that will be meeting weekly to keep each other on the ball with our AAPI, organizing application materials, narrowing down sites of interest, and keeping track of deadlines. We'll start meeting sometime in July but it will really pick up during the months of September and October. Applications will be due in November and December, then interviews happen in January, rankings are done at the beginning of February, and then match day is in mid-to-late February. You'll all be hearing a whole lot about that process in the months to come. It will be a nail-biting good time, I assure you!

Tomorrow is Ramy's last day at the Norwalk courthouse. Today, his office took him to lunch to wish him well. His court staff and even his judge and some prosecutors came to be a part of it. He is generally embarassed by any attention that is directed toward him, but he had a good time. Apparently, they used the opportunity to roast him and tease him. Tomorrow, Rebecca and I are going to Norwalk with him. I think he wants to show off Rebecca one last time to all the people there. So Rebecca and I will be skipping Gymboree in the morning, and we'll go one day next week to make up the class.

Some of you may remember me mentioning the blog of a guy whose wife with cystic fibrosis had a double lung transplant and whose baby girl was a micro-preemie. His wife Tricia has done very well after the transplant and is out of the hospital and doing rehab/PT stuff and today they were able to bring their baby girl home from the hospital as well. What a family of miracles!

Done With Chaffey

Yesterday was my last day at Chaffey College. I thought it would be a slow day, since they're in finals, but I must have been suffering from a delusional disorder of my own. All the crazies come out of the woodwork when there are about to be no more services offered. During one session, it seriously crossed my mind to say, "You're an idiot...get over it!" Maybe that's a sign I need a break! Anyway, the only thing I have left is to meet with my superviser for my end-of-the-year eval. I hope she doesn't make me cry the way she did to two people last year.

My Mother's Day

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! Ramy and Rebecca made me feel very special and gave me a great day. Ramy had made reservations for us at the Pomona Valley Mining Company, which is a really cool restaurant on the side of the mountain. They had a Mother's Day champagne brunch, and we had a table at the window overlooking the whole valley. They had a huge spread - a waffle bar, a whole sideboard of cold salads, crab legs, shrimp, and fruit, a long table of hot dishes, a carving station with prime rib, and a big spread of muffins and desserts. It was wonderful. Best of all was the very sweet message in the card I got.

A healthy 15 month old

This morning, Rebecca had her 15 month well child visit and re-check on her allergies with Dr. Jeng. Unfortunately, her appointment ended up coinciding with naptime, and she was Miss Fussy Musserson about being sat on the scales to be weighed and at having anyone touch her with the stethescope. When Dr. Jeng dared to take out the otoscope, Rebecca screamed and clapped her hands over her ears. No problems with her ears or throat, which is another sign that her allergies are responding to the treatment. He wasn't able to hear her heart murmur, but her lack of cooperation could have been the reason for that. Luckily, mommy came equipped with Cat Cookies for People (I love Trader Joes' names for things), so all was well when those came out.

Rebecca weighs in 18 lbs, 12 oz. and is 29 3/4 inches tall, putting her just under the 5th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height. Dr. Jeng isn't concerned about her growth and thinks she is just destined to be tiny. He also was totally unconcerned about her loathing of cow's milk, since she is still breastfeeding. He said there was nothing magical about cow's milk and agreed that the breastmilk was better for her than anything else, and that she is getting plenty of fat (plus antibodies) from it and that she gets calcium through other sources.

Developmentally, she is doing fine - her gross and fine motor skills are especially advanced (she danced for Dr. Jeng and unzipped her purse to pull out the toys she wanted, then threw her purse over her shoulder and ran across the room). Her social and language development is on target or advanced. Dr. Jeng and I discussed how she is doing on the Singulair and Zyrtec and whether there is anything to be gained at this point from doing allergy testing. He strongly suspects that her allergies are environmental. If we thought they were food or contact-based, then it seems logical to do the testing so that we could control her environment. But since that doesn't seem to be the case, his argument was that we can't really control the pollen in the San Gabriel Valley, as long as her symptoms are controlled, there probably isn't much to be gained from allergy testing. If the meds don't continue to control her allergies, then he would definitely want to refer her to an allergist for testing, and he suggested that it would be a good idea to have the testing done at some point anyway.

I also talked to him about my concerns about the MMR vaccine and told him that I wanted to delay it. He was totally fine with that, discussed the research with me, and agreed with me that it seemed that the benefits of the vaccine really didn't outweigh the risks for her at this point. He then qualified that by saying that that was his opinion as her personal physician and not as a public health official. She got her 4th DTaP vaccine though. He proclaimed her "beautiful, funny, and perfect."

Mother's Day

A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them.
~Victor Hugo


Tomorrow will be my second Mother's Day as a mother. It is most certainly a joyous thing to be the mother of Rebecca Lee Cisneros! I am so incredibly blessed to have the most wonderful mother, and I am proud to have her as my example. I hope that Rebecca and I will always have the kind of relationship my mom and I have shared for nearly three decades now.

Wishing a happy and loving day to all the mothers out there!

TGIF!

For some reason, it has seemed to be a long week to me. Tuesday was a crazy day. I have a schizophrenic that I'm trying to get transferred to someone who can see her long term. She's a fun one, that's for sure. The first day she came in, it was clear that, at best, she had ideas of reference, and most likely full on delusions. Unless one of the New Kids on the Block really did propose to her while she was in the hospital and was so heartbroken when she turned him down that all of the NKOTB songs were about her. This was after a long soliloquy from her about how God talks to her regularly. Now before anyone thinks that I'm doubting that God talks to people, let me just tell you that God talks to her about episodes of American Idol and The Simpsons. At least 5/8 of the times I saw her, I teetered on the edge of 5150ing her (that's a nice, do-not-pass-go-do-not-collect-$200 trip to the psych ward for an involuntary 3-day commitment), but she is on a little heavier antipsychotic now and seems to be doing well. Then I had the craziest Filipino God put on this earth (and he spelled his ethnicity as Pillpino) as a crisis walk-in, who had absolutely no idea why his ex-girlfriend was french-kissing some other guy in his living room, but he didn't think she was cheating on him, because she told him she would never do that as long as he kept paying for everything. Klassy! To make her not leave him, he threatened her that he would kill himself by choking himself with his own hands. But I did get to terminate one of my most favorite clients, and that was sweet. But I digress.

On Wednesday, I had a meeting with my dissertation chair and the director of the counseling center where I plan to collect data for my dissertation. It looks like everything will be a go for doing my dissertation there, although there are still details and logistics to work out (plus IRB proposals to write for both LLU and U of R, after I get my comp paper done). In both my college sites this week, I was trying to write case summaries for transfers and to close all the cases that I possibly could. Next week is my last week at both Chaffey and Redlands. I am sad to be leaving my college counseling center sites - they've both been great, and I have gotten awesome supervision at Redlands. Since I can't say anything nice about my supervisor at Chaffey, I'll try to just not say anything about her at all. Next year, I'll be doing nothing but neuropsych testing. No therapy at all.

Nanny Rebecca did an art project with Baby Rebecca yesterday as a gift for me for Mother's Day. So, so sweet. We are so lucky to have Nanny Rebecca. I hope she will stay with us until we are ready to move back to Tennessee!

Speaking of Rebecca, what a week she's had! First of all, the combination of the Zyrtec and Singulair seem to have made a world of difference. No more sneezies and snotties, she isn't rubbing her eyes or nose, and her eyes don't have dark circles underneath them anymore (did you know that is a sign of allergies?). Grammy sent her two boxes of cute new clothes. She got all dressed up in one of them on Thursday morning and looked so cute. Then just before I was leaving, Rebecca stumbled and fell into the dogs' water bowl and got soaked (and flooded the hallway). It was pretty funny, and Nanny Rebecca and I were both laughing hysterically, but it kind of hurt Rebecca's feelings. She's a sensitive sort.

Ramy didn't get to have his 9/80 day today. He has been in trial this week and has been pretty nervous about it, judging from his quietness, his not sleeping well, and the fact that anytime I look at him, I can tell he is thinking about a line of questioning or his closing statement (I can tell that, because his lips move - ah, he's so cute). This is his last trial in Norwalk. He is embarassed because his colleagues are having a goodbye lunch for him next week. He hates attention (boy is he my opposite or what). Next week will be a pretty crazy one for us too, with both of us wrapping up at our current positions.

My loves

My favorite month

May 3, 2007


and May 3, 2008:

What a difference a year makes!

I'm so glad my favorite month of the year is here. Growing up, May was the month of birthdays (my dad's, Molly's, my granny's, MINE, my best friend's, and my mom's just a few days into June) and getting out of school, which often dovetailed with my birthday. Now, it's still my birthday month - and I'll be honest, even though I'll be 30 this year, I still get just as excited for my birthday. No one ever has to worry about forgetting my birthday, because I still announce a countdown to it just like I did when I was 9. My husband is grateful, because he'd always forget the right date - when he picks up a prescription at CVS and they ask my birthday, he freezes like it is a pop quiz. But now I also get to celebrate Mother's Day as a mommy, and I look forward to the beautiful spring weather. Of course, California can be a bit of a bummer in that, because May is often associated with "May Gray" when it is cool and overcast most of the day, and it is the precursor to the "hot as hell" summer.

My dad's birthday was Saturday. He always liked celebrating his birthday (and Christmas and other gift-giving occasions), just like I do. I made some spice cake cookies this weekend, probably because my dad's favorite cake was spice cake with caramel icing. Much like pumpkin pie and boiled custard, I think he and I were the only ones who liked that concoction. I'll have to introduce Rebecca to it when she is a bit older. Saturday was also my best friend Molly's birthday. Ha ha - she's 30 now, and I'm still in my 20s (for three whole weeks more). Eh, I don't care. I never complain about getting older - I'm happy for all my birthdays (what can be bad about a day with cake, presents, and lots of attention!?!?).

This weekend went by really quickly, it seemed. Friday afternoon, Ramy came home early. He had some people come by to give estimates on the concrete work we're having done in the backyard. Rebecca managed to go through three changes of clothes, between playing in the dog water bowl and toilet and finding a tube of Neosporin and getting the cap off. She and I met my friend Julie at Baskin Robbins to gossip. Rebecca had a little bit of ice cream but mostly enjoyed being able to walk around and look at other little kids, while Julie and I chatted about department gossip. We got home just after the Knights of Columbus guy had gotten there. So we got to see the black and white of how we're doing financially and what shape we'll be in for retirement and if/when either of us kicks the bucket. We also decided on a long term care insurance policy. To celebrate the fact that we can live well in retirement and that we'll be able to go to a nice nursing home or have someone come in and take care of us at home, we ate a late dinner at Rubios. Saturday morning, Ramy got up at the crack of dawn and got his car smogged. Myrna and Jessica came by to see Rebecca and visited us for a bit. Here's a pic of Rebecca and Jessica:



In the evening, we went into Pasadena and ate at Ramy's favorite place - the Gaucho Grill. They have a dipping sauce that he loves, and I think I figured out what is in it so that I can re-create it at home. Afterwards, we walked around in Paseo Colorado. Rebecca loved walking instead of being in her stroller. The fact that we creep along at a snail's pace because her little legs are so short doesn't bother any of us. Yesterday morning, we got up and went to mass and then bought groceries. Ramy took my car to get a tire repaired (it had a screw in it and had a small leak) at Costco, bought gas for me, and then took Rebecca with him to see his dad. He said that his dad had a big smile when he saw Rebecca. That was awesome, because he hasn't really shown any acknowledgment of anyone in a long time. I did laundry and cleaned some of the house. Then Rebecca and I left the house for a bit so that Ramy could do some work on his trial. Ramy grilled bratwurst and corn on the cob last night, and I did roasted potatoes and zucchini. After I cleaned the kitchen, our (gas) stove started clicking the way it does when it is trying to light the gas. We looked at the igniter was flashing, even though no gas was coming out. So that was a little scary, but after unplugging it, it stopped. So I don't know if there is a short in it or what, but it isn't doing it now and we'll have to get it serviced.

The Singulair and Zyrtec seem to be helping Rebecca. She isn't sneezy or snotty now, and she isn't growling and rubbing her eyes and nose and ears anymore. We will be going back to see Dr. Jeng next Monday, so we'll see what he has to say about things. I think I'm going to take her to see Keegan Smith - who I grew up in church with and who is now a pediatric allergist/immunologist - when we're at home. I think Dr. Jeng will want to refer her for allergy testing, so we'll have that done here probably and then see what Dr. Keegan says. I have more confidence in him than in random allergists out here that I don't know. I'm still debating about whether or not we're going to get her MMR shot on time or not. I am considering delaying it until she is 2.

A good way to travel

Don't you wish someone would carry you around on their back so that you could comfortably enjoy the scenery when your little legs got tired of walking?

Lovin' Gymboree

This morning, Rebecca and I went to her Gymboree class. Whereas before, she thought the tunnels were to be avoided at all costs, today she decided that they were the greatest fun evah! So much so that she was totally uninterested in most of the circle time (except for the bubble blowing and log rolling activities), because she wanted to do the obstacle courses so she could go through the tunnels. There is a super-precious little boy named CHase in her class. Chase hates everything to do with parachute time, and he cries every time they put him on it or under it. Rebecca thinks that Chase obviously knows something that no one else does. Whenever Chase tunes up and starts crying, Rebecca looks at him with a worried look for a few seconds and then she cries too. Only Chase has this effect. But Rebecca had a glorious morning at Gymboree. Here are some pics of her at Gymboree last week that my mom took: