Too tired for blogging

Ah crap. I just heard the binky hit the floor and the subsequent wail from the baby's room. I've got about 200 pages to cover before class on Tuesday. I AM TIRED.

Difficult decision

We very much think Henry is on the road to good health, but he isn't there yet. A blood draw on Friday showed his neutrophil count had only gone up a tiny bit, from 116 when he was discharged from the hospital to 194. He's still 306 away from the critical mark and well below the normal range. Doctors hope this number will continue to increase during the next month. We hope so too. This low number means Henry cannot return to daycare. There is a significant part of me that feels compelled to forgo law school for now so that I may be here to take care of Henry. I mean, I got in once, right? I can conceivably get in again. And maybe then it'll be at a time when there isn't so much stress at home. If you thought criminal law was confusing before, wait till you try to learn it when your baby is being transferred to the oncology ward. Even though we are home now, it is nearly impossible to shut out thoughts of Henry and concentrate on the reading, of which there is a large quantity. While I got through the majority of it this week, I'm not sure how much of it I retained. The other part of me, though, is thinking that when Henry is better in a month and returns to daycare I will have essentially given up law school to provide one month of care to Henry. What would you do?

On a side note...Holy schnikes, it is nearly 10:30pm and I have yet to get a picture of Henry today. I must go snag one before the day is over.

Update: Thanks for all of the responses. I'm no closer to a decision but it's still nice to hear your thoughts. Yes, we have absolutely considered a nanny. I am having zero luck locating one, though. If anyone has any suggestions, please advise. (To date I've searched and responded to several ads on craigslist, I've posted a job on sittercity.com, and we've posted a notice in our building.) It would certainly be easier to snag someone if we knew for sure if this was going to be just one month or for the whole school year.) I don't think it's really feasible to have Darren work from home as Henry requires too much attention and he wouldn't have enough time to get his work done. (He's a computer programmer.)

A look back

Sometimes it's good to remember the choices we made.*



* not Christie & I, of course. I mean "we" in the general sense.

It's a woman, baby!

Wow, in a surprise move McCain has picked a woman to be his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska. I've been thinking about what this might possibly mean and came up with this:

• McCain thinks Clinton supporters didn't so much like Clinton as the idea of a woman running
• McCain is trying to show his pseudo-progressive side
• McCain is hoping his choice will steal some of Obama's thunder (it won't but he'll hope it will)
• McCain is betting the introduction of a relatively young woman to the ticket will counter the "he's too old" attacks
• McCain is trying to prove that his race and choice also has historical significance

By all accounts, Ms. Palin seems like a nice conservative, a self-proclaimed "average soccer mom," and this announcement will probably end up giving McCain a much-needed boost. But if Palin truly feels that playing second fiddle is the same as conducting the orchestra, she's sorely mistaken. I like Obama campaign's response: "Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency."

A note on Washington drivers

Washington drivers suck.* Apparently these folks don't have the same rules regarding fast lane usage as everyone else in the United States of America. Inevitably, when you reach a long line o' cars in the fast lane while traveling on I-5 (north or south) and the cars aren't moving as fast as you would expect given that they are driving in the fast lane (read: far left lane), it is because a Washington driver is at the front of the line poking along at 65 mph. This in and of itself isn't the worst part. There are times we all hop to the fast lane, forget ourselves, and accidentally allow our speed to decrease. What makes the Washington driver reach such a high level of suckitude is that he refuses to get over when you come up behind him and he has an opening in the slower moving lane to his right. No. The Washington driver continues to poke along oblivious to the line of cars forming behind him.

*I write this knowing full well that some day this blog may be discovered by someone reviewing applications for admittance into the Bar and that I may have to answer for my comments regarding Washington drivers in front of a review board.

Hooray for Obama

Home

Before leaving the hospital we met with the dietitian, and after getting Henry home, I went to the store to buy groceries for Mission Feed Baby 2008. Henry needs to eat and he needs to eat a lot to make up for lost calories. At this point, our dietitian didn't balk when we jokingly talked about giving Henry a stick of butter. We are now operating from the place where if he'll eat it, we'll feed it to him. He devoured some chicken we got a few nights back but when I tried for a repeat performance tonight, he halfheartedly ate a couple bites and then brought the evasive techniques he uses into play - shaking head, pushing back, and turning away from the offensive food being offered. The only reason he didn't also swat at the spoon (my personal favorite because he inevitably connects with the spoon causing food to go in every conceivable direction) was because I was not using one at the time. He did, however, seem to like the yogurt smoothie we bought. (I later added some of this to his oatmeal cereal and he ate it.) Foods Monsieur Henry gets to try this week include the following:
fish sticks
chicken nuggets
cottage cheese
Fig Newtons
animal crackers
soup
formula (added to his breastmilk to increase caloric intake)

For now we must monitor his temperature. If it goes past the 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit mark, another call to the pediatric hematologist is required. We're hoping that blood work done tomorrow will show that his neutrophil numbers are on the rise.

Course of action

Doc just stopped by to let us know that the second almost expert looked at Henry's bone marrow and we're about as sure as two docs can be that Henry doesn't have anything bad lurking in his marrow. A third doc will review his bone marrow test and sign off on the findings, which we expect will be very good.

Woohoo!

The doc has agreed to take Henry off his current antibiotics and keep him overnight for monitoring. His blood and counts will be checked in the morning but we shouldn't expect great increases in the numbers for a few weeks. If all looks good, we'll be able to leave tomorrow with our on-his-way-to-being-healthy baby boy.

This, of course, means I have to finish my Civ Pro homework tonight.

Preliminary findings

The docs just stopped by to say that their initial review of Henry's bone marrow did not find any obvious signs of leukemia. Phew. The docs were adamant in expressing their non-expert status but they did state they didn't see any "whizz-bang, it's leukemia" clues in Henry's marrow. The hematologists, a.k.a., the experts, will look things over tomorrow morning. Also, Henry's marrow is producing neutrophils normally. Where they are going we aren't quite sure. His levels still aren't where they'd like them to be so Henry has one more night at the hospital.

I will be returning to law school. Darr will go into the office but is planning on leaving fairly early in order to be at the hospital to receive any news. Grandma Glynn is on her way - should be in a plane somewhere over Washington right now- and will be on hand to help watch Henry this week.

Which brings us to the next issue. Does anyone know someone they'd recommend for daycare in the Sellwood/Portland area? The YMCA might be too big of an outfit for Henry to return to until his immune system is back up and running.

No news is good news

Henry's bone marrow test is done and we are now waiting for results. When the gang of peds doctors came through this morning on rounds they did mention, much to our relief, that Henry is not presenting like someone with leukemia. Woot!

Monsieur Henry was a super champ when it came time to get sedated for his procedure this afternoon. He was napping in my arms and the anesthesiologist was like "this may sting and wake him up but he's going to get immediately droopy in your arms when I push this." Like dead-to-the-world droopy. Henry went under without waking up and stayed that way until after the procedure was over. (It took about 25 minutes.) As he was waking up he was a bit rummy and quite hungry. He drank a lot of milk and then started to tentatively play with his toys. He was particularly excited by the appearance of a new dragon from his best pal Miss E.B. (I'm quite sure he's named the dragon Beowulf.)

We send our thanks to everyone who has sent us well wishes and healthy vibes for Henry. And many thanks in particular to the following folks - Brother Nick, Megan, and Miss Amelia Jane for agreeing to watch Beauty the wonder dog for us; to Sara, Josh, and Noodle for bringing us a bag o' goodies yesterday and lunch today; to Sara, Megan, and Tanya for the gift certificate to Delivered Dish (the food we can have delivered is much better than the stuff available at the cafeteria); and to Ms. A, Miss E.B., and Brian for introducing Henry to Beowulf and dropping off chocolates for us. I'll be sure to eat my share so Henry gets chocolate-flavored milks from mom.

The oncology ward

The Oncology ward is sterile in a way that other areas of the hospital are not. Flowers are not permitted. Hand washing stations are everywhere, including just inside the entrance doors. HEPA filtered air flows through the entire floor. It is remarkably quiet. The occasional slip of noise escapes individual rooms as you walk the corridor. The doors to these rooms are decorated with scrapbooked posters that introduce the family member who is fighting cancer within. It is clear many of the patients here have been residents for a long time. There is a family kitchen and a playroom stocked with toys for the younger kids and books for children of all ages. The rooms are comfortable. There is a computer (Apple - woot!), a television (with cable channels), and a small cd player. The nurses are caring, efficient, and respectful. Not once has someone entered our room without first knocking, even when the door was partially open. The doctors are kept abreast of the patients in the ward. Just this afternoon, while taking Henry for a bit of a walk around the facility (confined to the 10th floor), we met a doctor we hadn't seen before and she already knew Henry's name and his current issue (neutropenia).

I've met and chatted with two other moms since we arrived. One has a son who has been in the ward for just over a year. His last day is next Tuesday. A small party is being planned for tomorrow night. This mom is eager to talk about her son's condition. She openly expressed a wish to meet other moms who had children with the same soft tissue cancer her son was fighting. The other has a son who was only recently diagnosed. He is getting a bone marrow transplant next week. This mom is quiet, reserved, and has the look of someone who is still suffering from shock. Her other son is an exact match so by all rights, this transplant should go smoothly.

Hospital pictorial

Amazing Adventures: Making Friends

Admitted

Henry's last white cell blood count was down to 420* so at about five o'clock this evening Henry was admitted to the hospital and we were moved to the oncology floor at Doernbecher. As I type this Henry is sleeping after having just received another dose of what the doctor referred to as "giant antibiotics." We have not yet heard any results from the cultures that were done yesterday morning shortly after we arrived at the hospital, and we probably won't know anything about those until sometime mid-afternoon tomorrow. As Darr mentioned previously, we're in limbo, waiting. For now, we appreciate all of the caring and supportive comments and e-mails we've received. As does Monsieur Henry who we hope is on the mend.

*Go ahead, bring on the jokes about pot. You know you want to.

Think of a number well above 500 but below 8000

We're back at the hospital and Henry has had more blood drawn for testing. Their going to count the white blood cells again to determine the next course of action. Henry is currently nursing like a bandit and trying to get some sleep. If he were to write a list of things he intensely dislikes, being held down by nurses trying to take his blood and having an I.V. inserted into his arm would currently be tied at the top of the list, followed closely by fevers and their unknown causes.

On a side note, we've got a new nickname to add to the list...Neutropenia Boy.

Worried about the unknown

Here at life at the condo, we're worried about our little man. We're playing the waiting game, thinking good thoughts until we figure out what's going on with him. I saw this paragraph and it really reflected what we're looking at:

The Large Hadron, you may remember, is the 17-mile-long particle accelerator being built near Geneva. Once it’s up and running, its designers believe it will take particle physics research to a whole new level. Its critics think it may create a black hole that will swallow up the universe. This is what is known as a wide range of possibilities. (src)

eek!

Dude, where's my neutrophils?

You might be asking yourself, "What in tarnation is a neutrophil?" If you had asked me last week I wouldn't have known the answer. A neutrophil is a type of white blood cell - there are several other white blood cell types. Neutrophils are essential in protecting the body against disease and infections. Neutrophils account for 50 to 70 percent of white blood cells and the normal range of a neutrophil count is 1500 to 8000.

On Wednesday, Henry's blood count was all wonky. The neutrophil count was dangerously low, as in nearly undetectable. (We learned later the count was 183.) At best, the cause was a rampant infection. We were advised to pull Henry from daycare immediately. With his current stats, he would not be able to fight off infection. The doctor referred us to OHSU Doernbecher Hospital so Henry could get a bone marrow test. Fuck.

We had to take Henry to the hospital this morning after he spiked a fever of 101+. While there he was poked, prodded, probed. It was an experience of things Henry did not enjoy. Blood being drawn. A catheter being inserted. Antibiotics being administered via an I.V. I have to say our lil' man is a trooper though. He cried but only when things hurt and once those things stopped, he'd quiet down and sit nicely while all of this weird, unknown stuff took place around him.

The encouraging news is that Henry's neutrophil count has increased to 600, which happens to pass the critical mark of 500. Woot! And, on the food front, Henry ate four ice cubes worth of apricot puree, stew, and lots of Blind Onion pizza crust, black olives, and a good portion of a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting from Baker & Spice. (Note to parents: The sausage used on Blind Onion's pizza is too spicy for babies.) Plus, he spent the better part of his time at the hospital partaking in some serious comfort nursing. He probably consumed more calories today than he has all week.

The most extremely sucky parts of this past week include when I called the hematology/oncology department at Doernbecher to schedule his bone marrow test and the guy asked: "Oh, is he getting chemo with that?" like he was wondering if I wanted a side of fries to go with my order. And, when being admitted into the E.R., the woman mentioned Henry's "bone marrow transplant."

It sucks when your kid is sick.

If it can't be Hillary

Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden. Please let it be Biden.

Anxiously awaiting the e-mail with news of Obama's VP pick.

An Energy Plan we can believe in

Check out the stuff that happens energy plan

It gives us something to fight about!

Our clever little man

Ingenuity from Christie on Vimeo.

Testing

Henry saw the doc again today and she said he looks good developmentally - she also suspects he'll be walking soon, and that his current menu sounds about right. After taking some more measurements and plotting them on the growth chart, she ordered further tests to help us identify what, if anything, is wrong with Monsieur Henry. Upon checking his ears, she did notice the lil' guy was suffering from an ear infection. How do you know that your kid has one of those if he's not terribly fussy? He hasn't been tugging on his ears or leaning his head any weird way. 'Bout the only "change" we've noticed with his behavior is that he's taken a little longer to get to sleep at night but, um, when has that not been the case? Sleeping good, sleeping not so good. The pattern is that there is no pattern. We'll try to be more vigilant. On the upside, Henry is already eating yogurt and the pharmacist told me that that will help with the nasty side effect of the antibiotics he was prescribed. (Nasty = diarrhea. Ewww.) We've been advised not to start Henry on juice as the extra calories are empty calories and not likely to help at all. And the doc would like us to wait on introducing whole milk as apparently that can lead to anemia because it leeches iron out of your system. The test results should be ready later this week, and in two weeks we'll take him back for another weigh in. Until then, we'll be offering everything under the sun we know he likes to coax him into eating more.

Memory Lane (2003)

Watch it a few times in quick succession. Comments?

Parsing Truth

This is about Prez. Bush's talk about troop withdrawals from Iraq based on “time horizons”. (It's not a time table!, time tables are bad, m'kay)

Jon Stewart noted it's, “named after something that no matter how long you head towards it, you never quite reach it”.

Sigh.

4 ounces

We took Henry into the doc's office this morning for his weight check. In the past month he gained four ounces. Four. That's it. Even though he's been consuming everything we can think of that should have put the weight on. Darr surmised in the car ride to daycare, somewhat facetiously I think, that perhaps our bodies are so accustomed to high fructose corn syrup that Henry can't grow off nutritious, healthy foods. We're meeting with the doctor tomorrow to discuss what to do next.

Miss Amelia J, Future phrenologist extraordinaire

Month Ten

Dear Henry,

In two days you will be ten months old. We'll be heading to the doc's office next week to ensure Project Weight Gain 2008 is working and that you are gaining as much as you should be for someone your age. You certainly feel heavier. It must be the fat-laden menu we have developed for you. Gone are the days when you would snack on fruits and vegetables alone. Now, you are also consuming large quantities of cheese - Tillamook Medium Cheddar is your current favorite, and inordinate amounts of Greek yogurt - you prefer honey yogurt to the fig and pomegranate varieties. Just this morning you enjoyed your first buttermilk pancakes, sans syrup of course. The dog remains somewhat annoyed by your presence but you're earning points by accidentally-on-purpose dropping the occasional piece of food on the floor, which we allow Beauty the wonder dog to pick up once dinner is over and we've left the table.You are more curious and more mobile than you were a month ago and we expect this trend to continue until you're about eighty or so. Yeah, eighty years old is when we predict you'll start to slow down. For now, we've noticed that you are steadier on your feet when you pull yourself up. Your crawl would likely break the current land speed record. You sashay across the room so confidently, and with great determination when you see something you want to acquire. The introduction of and more abundant use of the bear crawl has us believing you'll be walking soon. This both scares and thrills us. Our lil' man walking...where are your big feet going to take you?Your hair has grown long enough to start hanging in your eyes, which means your first haircut will be sooner rather than later. We'll have to find a suitable barber as I refuse to take you to the weird lady that cuts your dad's hair. (Although, if we were guaranteed to get the gentleman who works at that barbershop, I'd be okay with that.) Truth be told, I'm excited about locating a kid-friendly establishment that offers those cool car chairs for you to sit in. Part of me wants to believe the miniature car seat would enthrall you to the point of introspection, thereby allowing the hair stylist to cut the hair of a calm and centered baby. But part of me thinks the sight of the car and the presence of a faux steering wheel would excite you. Excitement and scissors don't mix. They especially don't mix when alcohol is involved. Consider that a lesson for the future. (This was in no way meant to imply that folks cutting hair at these types of establishments are alcoholics.)We traveled to southern Utah with our good friend, and most patient of drivers, Ms. Ann. You were a surprisingly good baby considering two days before we left you were at the doctor's office and diagnosed with strider cough. You were shot full of steroids to reduce the swelling around your vocal chords. We dubbed you "snot rocket" because your nose leaked (and is still leaking) an alarming amount of gross baby snot. Ewww, son. There was much coughing, extremely long car rides, and we had some difficulty finding organic anything but we did okay. You dined on homemade chow (carrots, potatoes, etc.) and tried your first marshmallow 'cuz, hey! It's your vacation, too. Sleeping was challenging but you were a champ. My biggest complaint would be that you consistently turned sideways in bed so that no matter where you were situated when you fell asleep, you were always hogging the bed, leaving only a sliver on the side for me, when I came in the room to join you. That and I was constantly waking up at every real and imagined sound to check that you had not fallen off the extremely high bed. A fall from that height would not have been something you would have appreciated.I had great fear there would be trouble on the plane, that you would be the most problematic child ever to fly or that Delta would kick me off the plane and leave me stranded somewhere for breastfeeding you during takeoff. I worried for nothing because you were perfect and Delta behaved commendably. I won't say the crew was overjoyed to see yet another baby on the plane but they hadn't already pegged you as an evil flier baby either. I even got a few smiles from the rather stoic stewardesses when they were coming by with their carts of goodies.Getting you to sleep at home is working well. There are, and I presume will continue to be, those nights when you just have a hard time going down no matter what we try. I would guess those days are either days when teething is the major cause of disruption or days when we have completely missed your sleep cues and pushed you beyond your limits. For all of the other nights, though, our routine is simple and uninspired - dinner, light play, bathtime, reading and nursing, placement in crib. Any initial resistance is inevitably felled by your own desire to sleep.
At times it seems so silly to try and track your advances when you are busy changing every second. You are constantly growing and learning and trying and failing and trying again. You give new meaning to the word incredible.

Love,
Mom

Monsieur Henry learns the art of sharing

How to Win Friends and Influence Dogs from Christie on Vimeo.

Here we go again?

I'm not a history buff, but any comments about this?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/opinion/15krugman.html

Can there really be a World War III?

Jumping on eggs without breaking them

Grumble, grumble

Read this article on Slate earlier this evening and I'm still seething. The Democrats have a new platform for abortion. The old mantra of keeping abortions "safe, legal and rare," is being replaced:

"The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right."

Sounds good. I absolutely stand behind that. I firmly believe in a woman's right to choose.

Then I read further and come upon this:

"With the release of the new platform, and so long as the Obama campaign doesn't cast the platform into purgatory and pick an anti-abortion candidate—like Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine—for vice president..."

I'm totally writing in Hillary's name on the ballot if that jack off [read: Obama] picks an anti-abortion a-hole for his running mate.

UPDATE: Sat., August 16, 7:43pm -

From the Associated Press - In an interview with megachurch minister Rick Warren [I'm annoyed this guy gets to have access to the candidates] Obama "restated his support for legalized abortion," and said he "would limit abortions in the late stages of pregnancy if there are exceptions for the mother's health".

Phew.

Henry 300

Henry - 300 days old

1. Monsieur Henry was born 300 days ago.
2. Henry weighs approximately 17 pounds, in his diapers.
3. And measures nearly 29 inches tall.
4. Henry is still quite loquacious.
5. He's increased his vocabulary to include "ma ma".
6. And something that sounds suspiciously like "ball".
7. He is also starting to wave.
8. Minus any actual waving - he just puts his hand up in acknowledgment.
9. Henry grows more charming every day.
10. He has really long eyelashes.
11. And a great smile.
12. But his laugh is a favorite of mine.
13. Because it's all tinkly and cute.
14. He is quite ticklish if you get him at the right time.
15. Under his armpits is a prime tickle spot.
16. So is near the inside of his thighs.
17. He often makes up his own mind about whether or not something is funny.
18. You can almost see him thinking things over.
19. Henry's gaze is intense.
20. When he wants to look at something, he really studies it.
21. He's been the star of several home movies.
22. One of them features his new best bud, Miss Avery.
23. He still enjoys a good ride in the sling.
24. For hanging out at the house, he prefers the Peanut Shell sling.
25. Where you can sit on his mom's hip and be a part of the action.
26. He loves to hang out with mom.
27. Sometimes his mom lets him play in the kitchen cupboards.
28. Particularly the one where the plastic stuff is contained.
29. He will go into the cupboard and pull out the stuff.
30. He can open drawers, too.
31. Which means he can also close said drawers unexpectedly on his little fingers.
32. He hates drawers when they pinch his fingers.
33. His little fingers can grab things.
34. Most things they grab end up in his mouth.
35. The most fun thing to pick up with his fingers are Hippie-Os.
36. Those taste good.
37. He has tried all sorts of foods.
38. Including combined foods like cheesy potatoes with leeks and peas and yams in chicken broth.
39. If he had to pick a favorite, it'd probably be apple and pear sauce with cinnamon and raisins.
40. But he loves blueberries and nectarines.
41. He's eating more cheese and yogurt to try and bulk up.
42. He thinks string cheese is fun.
43. And tasty.
44. Which makes it a pretty good food to consume as far as Henry is concerned.
45. Henry has even tried fish.
46. Walleye from Corbett Fish House.
47. And sole cooked at home.
48. Henry loves fish because it is tasty.
49. He's too skinny so he's eating a lot.
50. Henry is still a breast-fed baby.
51. But he drinks water.
52. He's almost got the sippy cup figured out.
53. But sometimes he tips the cup back too far and too fast.
54. And water floods the front of his shirt and makes him sputter.
55. He's much better drinking through a straw.
56. He learned this skill while on vacation in southern Utah.
57. Henry slept through his first plane ride.
58. He was nursing as the plane taxied down the runway.
59. And snoozing by the time the plane left the ground.
60. He woke up rather refreshed and in another state.
61. Henry does not appreciate rental car infant seats.
62. He particularly dislikes them after a long day in one.
63. He thinks rental car infant seats are better when you can eat string cheese while you sit in them.
64. Henry doesn't mind eating in the car.
65. He's not messy unless he tries to feed himself.
66. He likes to make unexpected grabs for the spoon.
67. Henry is now a champion sitter.
68. He can roll.
69. And flip over.
70. And pull himself up.
71. And crawl.
72. And discover.
73. He likes to eat flowers at the park.
74. And he likes to eat rocks.
75. He tried to eat many rocks while on vacation.
76. He was unhappy every time his mom fished a rock out from his mouth.
77. So he complained.
78. Luckily his attention is still easily diverted.
79. So he doesn't stay mad for long.
80. Henry has touched petrified wood.
81. And gone for a wee hike in the Zion Narrows.
82. Henry appears to like rivers very much.
83. He was very happy while hiking in the water at Zion National Park.
84. But his mom was wary of getting too close to the cliffs at Bryce Canyon.
85. Henry is called an organic baby at daycare.
86. Because he wears brown diapers sans cartoon drawings.
87. And because his mom provides his food.
88. And because he uses hippie bottles.
89. His daycare color is light blue.
90. So all of his things are marked with that color.
91. Including the little Tupperware bowls for his food.
92. He likes to play with his food bowls when the lids are on tight.
93. Henry has finished three paintings at daycare.
94. His mom thinks they are masterpieces but they aren't for sale.
95. Henry has his own blog.
96. And he can turn the pages of books.
97. But he doesn't always turn them in the right order.
98. For Henry, this does not affect the outcome of the story too much.
99. Henry's currently listening to Rufus M. before bedtime, if his mom is reading.
100. If dad is reading, Henry's listening to Proust.
101. Henry is wearing nine month clothes.
102. And some twelve months clothes.
103. And a few rather large six months pieces.
104. His feet are growing.
105. Henry is crawling so much he is scuffing his knees.
106. His mom wishes they made baby knee pads.
107. He is also bruising his legs.
108. His doctor said this is normal.
109. Henry loves his doctor.
110. His doctor may be his first older woman crush.
111. He likes to reach out to touch her hair.
112. Henry has his feet and hand prints taken when he was six months old.
113. His hands and feet are bigger now.
114. Henry likes to go to the park.
115. And he doesn't mind picking up Beaut's slobbery dog ball.
116. Henry had his first stew the other day.
117. And he appears to like beef.
118. So now his parents are sure that he is theirs.
119. But they weren't seriously doubting it after the whole birth experience.
120. Henry switched daycare and now gets to see Miss Erin B. every day.
121. Miss E.B. was the first baby to see Henry after he was born.
122. Henry is getting better at going to bed. <insert knock on wood here>
123. His parents hope this trend continues.
124. Sometimes he still wakes up to have some milks in the nighttime.
125. His parents don't mind giving him some.
126. Because, again, he is very skinny.
127. One those nights if he doesn't go right back to sleep, his mom will sometimes bring him into bed.
128. Henry still enjoys cosleeping with his parents.
129. He's good at sharing the bed.
130. He has a few toys in his crib - his doll, two dinosaurs, a lamb, and his woobie.
131. Henry is drawn to balls and cars.
132. His parents aren't sure where this interest comes from.
133. He also is very interested in technologies.
134. Like his parents' cell phones.
135. And his mom's iPod.
136. He has watched a cartoon on the iPod while getting his diaper changed.
137. But he didn't use headphones and couldn't hear anything.
138. Distracting Henry with technological toys is a way to keep him still long enough to fasten a clean diaper.
139. So Henry doesn't go racing through the condo with an exposed bottom.
140. Henry believes it is fun to pull on the leaves of the plant in the living room.
141. His mom does not find this behavior to be funny.
142. But he laughs at her when she tells him so.
143. And then tries to pull different leaves.
144. This may be an indication of what is coming as Henry gets older.
145. But Henry's parents hope for the best.
146. Pretty soon, Henry will be dropped off and picked up from daycare by his pops.
147. This will make Henry's mom sad but he'll get to see her when she gets home from school.
148. Henry has three pairs of shoes.
149. The other day he met his shoe twin at a store called Little Urbanites in the Pearl.
150. A younger baby was in a store wearing the same Resident Alien shoes that Henry was wearing.
151. Henry knows his shoes are cool because they sport an alien and a spaceship.
152. His other shoes have velcro bottoms and came from Noodle's mom.
153. These are Henry's "hippie" shoes.
154. His trendy shoes are called Oliver and are brown with green and yellow stripes.
155. But he won't be able to wear these much longer as his feet are growing.
156. Seemingly larger every day.
157. Which means that Henry's parents should expect a rather healthy shoe bill in the future.
158. Or they should just consider letting him run barefoot everywhere.
159. Henry has taken swimming lessons.
160. He didn't mind the water so much.
161. Or the other babies in his class.
162. But he disliked going under water.
163. And being handed off to the instructor.
164. Who always put him under water.
165. Henry left the country once to visit his father's homeland, downtown Canada.
166. Someday Henry will realize his mom is making fun of his pops when she says "downtown Canada."
167. Henry loves the animals in his house.
168. And Mabel loves him.
169. But Ellie keeps her distance.
170. And Beauty ignores him completely whenever possible.
171. Henry crawls on Beauty's bed to say 'hi'.
172. This action usually causes Beauty to get up and leave.
173. Unless Henry's parents force her to stay and be subjected to his petting.
174. Which is really more like an out of control slapping.
175. That is relatively harmless given Henry's size.
176. Henry has had his picture taken at least once a day every day since he was born.
177. His parents plan on continuing this for as long as they can.
178. Often they forget until Henry has gone to bed, so they have to get a shot of him sleeping.
179. Henry does not normally wake up at the sound of the camera.
180. And he doesn't usually wake up from the flash either.
181. When he is awake and his parents are holding a camera, Henry will often reach for the camera.
182. He's very comfortable having his picture taken.
183. There are more pictures of Henry around the house than anyone else.
184. Henry likes to look at the pictures.
185. He also likes to read books.
186. His unique way of reading books involves turning the book upside down.
187. He's learning how to turn the pages all on his own.
188. And he's starting to study the illustrations.
189. He's interested in the sign books that have pictures of other babies.
190. Henry loves the Mona Lisa art we have in the bathroom.
191. If you say "Where's Mona?", Henry will reach his arm out in her direction.
192. And when he sees Mona, he gets a huge grin on his face.
193. Henry has had several colds.
194. And a couple of fevers.
195. And he once had to get a shot of steroids to help with his cough.
196. Henry doesn't watch a lot of t.v.
197. Henry goes to sleep on his back but usually turns over to sleep on his stomach.
198. He also likes to sleep on his side.
199. Henry sits at the table to eat dinner with his parents nearly every night.
200. Henry is a sloppy eater.
201. Henry enjoys picking blackberries with his pops.
202. Because his pops feeds him berries.
203. And he thinks berries taste good.
204. Sometimes those berries miss Henry's mouth and end up staining the front of his shirt.
205. Henry likes water.
206. He's never had juice.
207. He takes fluoride to help prevent cavities.
208. Henry has gone to the zoo.
209. And the Bridgeport Village theatres.
210. And downtown Canada.
211. And southern Utah.
212. He likes to travel.
213. He still enjoys going for rides in his stroller.
214. And playing with Beauty the wonder dog at the park next door.
215. His mom occasionally talks to Henry in French.
216. And that makes him laugh.
217. Because her French isn't very good and Henry thinks the accent is funny.
218. Henry takes his old clothes to a local consignment shop.
219. And his mom puts the money he makes into his piggy bank.
220. So far he's earned nearly $100.
221. Henry is saving for college.
222. Because Henry's parents hope he will go to college someday.
223. They plan on helping him pay.
224. As long as he keeps his grades up.
225. Henry laughs at his dad's funny noises.
226. He thinks his pops is a comedian.
227. He bats away the spoon when he's done eating.
228. He isn't signing yet but his parents expect him to start soon.
229. Henry's mom still thinks his first sign will be the sign for kitty.
230. Henry often falls asleep with Mabel in the crib.
231. He's getting better at going to sleep by himself.
232. But sometimes he still cries.
233. And he definitely prefers to have milk before bedtime.
234. His mom sings 'You are my Sunshine' to him as a lullaby.
235. Henry listened to 'The Tale of Despereaux' and 'My Side of the Mountain' and 'The End of the Beginning'.
236. Henry's next bedtime story will be 'Beyond the Deepwoods'.
237. And after that he'll get to listen to his first Hardy Boys book.
238. Henry can crawl very fast.
239. He likes to stop and check to make sure you are either watching him.
240. Or following him.
241. He moves with purpose, particularly when he sees something he wants to get.
242. Like the dog's water bowl.
243. Or the cat's tail.
244. Henry occasionally helps his mom in the kitchen.
245. Most of his help centers around emptying out the cupboard containing the plastic dishes.
246. He also enjoys the loud sounds he can make by banging lids he finds in the lids drawer.
247. But Henry is removed from the kitchen whenever his parents need to open the oven.
248. Henry has his own Chuckit dog toy.
249. Because the dog's toy was too gross for him to play with.
250. He even has his own tennis ball that goes with it.
251. Henry doesn't realize why this is confusing to the dog because he thinks pretty much everything is his.
252. Henry has gone on a couple of rides in the Burley trailer.
253. He hates his helmet.
254. And always tries to take it off.
255. So his parents only ride on the trail by their house because there is no danger of meeting cars on it.
256. Henry is old enough to sit on his retro chair.
257. And he also sits in his Adirondack chair.
258. His parents plan on buying him a beanbag chair next.
259. Henry is getting stronger every day.
260. His mom is teaching him to brush his teeth.
261. Although he doesn't quite understand the concept of brushing.
262. He normally just chews on the toothbrush bristles.
263. Henry would sleep sideways on the bed if his parents would let him.
264. Henry likes music.
265. And sometimes will smile when his parents dance with him.
266. Henry prefers to stand in his highchair.
267. When he's done eating his Hippie-Os he often scoots them onto the floor where the dog can get them.
268. Henry is not afraid to give Beauty a treat.
269. But he only does it when his parents are nearby.
270. When Henry has a cold, his parents call him a 'snot rocket'.
271. Henry gets to see his doc next week to check his weight.
272. He appears to be gaining weight.
273. But it's hard to know for sure until his weight is actually taken.
274. Henry gets to look at stars beamed on the ceiling at night.
275. He takes baths more than showers.
276. His favorite bath toy right now is the watering can his grandparents from Montana got him.
277. He learned how to blow bubbles with a straw.
278. And he's recently started dipping his face into the bath water to blow bubbles.
279. Henry uses Burt's Bees bubble bath.
280. It makes him smell good.
281. Henry doesn't mind shopping with his mom as long as she keeps moving at a reasonable pace.
282. He doesn't like to stand still for too long.
283. Henry kicks off his blankets at night.
284. Henry can be very loud.
285. Or very quiet.
286. He likes to babble in the car.
287. Occasionally he can see his mom through the mirror in the backseat.
288. This makes him smile.
289. Henry thinks keys are yummy.
290. He also likes whipped cream and ice cream - pretty much the entire cream family.
291. Henry finds freeze-dried fruit to be weird but tasty.
292. Henry needs a haircut.
293. Henry wears a lot of orange and brown clothing.
294. Henry likes the house to be set at 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
295. Otherwise it's too hot for him.
296. And being too hot makes Henry cranky.
297. He enjoys unrolling rolls of toilet paper.
298. Henry loves his pops.
299. And his mom.
300. And he is loved by them.

Turning Latinese, I think I'm turning Latinese, I really think so

My first legal Latin*...

expressio unius (a.k.a. expressio unius est exclusio alterius) - to express one thing, at least in a statute, is to exclude other things that have not been mentioned

ejusdem generis - of the same genus or class, applies to catch-all words after an enumerated list


*In the future vocab words and all things legal may be mentioned here but will link to my law blog to keep this blog from becoming a boring recounting of my life as a law student.

I don't normally like Herbert all that much

But he's got a good op-ed piece in the NY Times today about offshore drilling. It breaks my heart that "63 percent of respondents to an ABC News poll...want the embargo on new offshore drilling to be lifted by the federal government." How dumb are people?

"Public officials should be disabusing the electorate of its delusions, not encouraging them. The widespread mistaken notions about the potential impact of offshore drilling on gasoline prices reminds me of the large percentages of Americans who were encouraged to believe, and did believe — erroneously — that Iraq and Saddam Hussein had something to do with the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001."

Doctor's orders

My doc is advising me to DRINK BEER. This afternoon I received a call from my doc's office and the nurse I spoke with advised me that my doc wants me to try drinking beer with a high quantity of brewer's yeast to help increase the milk supply. I guess if you were wondering why I like my current doctor that mystery is pretty much solved now, eh? So, does anyone know of a specific beer that has a lot of brewer's yeast I should be consuming?

On a side note, I'm also taking Fenugreek tablets three times a day and am going to try consuming oatmeal for breakfast to see if that helps.

I'll be happy if I can continue for Henry's first year but my goal is to hit the two year mark. I remember a time, pre-baby, when the thought of a kid who was walking on his own who was breastfeeding sort of freaked me out. I used to think that was weird. I don't anymore. There's some agency in the U.S. that recommends one year - which agency escapes me right now...CDC? AAP? But the World Health Organization recommends continuing to breastfeed your child beyond two years, if possible.

Recipe Corner: Blackberry Crisp

Darr and I currently subscribe to two cooking magazines: Cook's Illustrated and Saveur. I'm a huge fan of the folks at Cook's Illustrated and usually try one or two of the recipes from each issue when I'm in the baking mood. Saveur, on the other hand, often has these crazy recipes that I am less inclined to attempt. But who can overlook a blackberry crisp recipe when blackberries are in season? Answer: Not me. Last weekend it was blackberry pie, this weekend it's blackberry crisp. Next weekend it's blackberry apple cake. Mmmm...blackberries...

Ingredients:
6 cups blackberries, stemmed and rinsed
4 tbls granulated sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tbls flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 cup rolled oats
8 tbls unsalted cold butter, cut into small pieces
pinch salt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Put berries, sugar, and 2 tbls of the flour into a large bowl and toss gently to combine. Transfer berry mixture to a 9" pie plate and set aside.

Combine remaining flour, brown sugar, oats, butter, and salt into a medium mixing bowl. Use a pastry cutter to work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle topping evenly over the berries.

Put the pie plate on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake crisp until berries are bubbling and topping is golden brown, about one hour. Cool on wire rack. Serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if you like.

Serves 4 to 6

Nectarines

New Skill #738

Straw bubbles from Christie on Vimeo.

Boy outfit #1

Awhile ago our mom friend over at Noodle's Adventures posted pictures of her daughter's cute outfits and, as I was pregnant with the boy who would become Henry at the time, I lamented my inability to follow suit - boy clothes suck. I am now happy to report that through vigorous and exhaustive shopping efforts I have come up with more than a few items that I absolutely adore on Huck. This morning as I dressed Huck for daycare I realized that the outfit I was putting on is one of my current favorites. It still does not have any pink or flowers but it does portray a high level of cuteitude.

A little light reading before leaving for daycare.

I've heard other moms express the same sentiment so I'm including a shopping guide.

1. shirt - Le Petit Bateau, purchased at Henny Penny
2. pants - Tea, purchased at Spoiled Rotten
3. socks - Trumpette, purchased at Spoiled Rotten
4. shoes - See Kai Run, purchased at Segal's for Children

What happens when the economy sucks?

You end up being the only patrons inside the restaurant on a Wednesday evening. Okay, there were two sets of folks outside who were eating but, yeah, this place was dead. The upside (or downside depending on how you like to be treated when dining) is that we had the complete attention of our server - so much so that he was commenting on our conversation from where he stood at the bar. I met moms Ms. A and Ms. A (from McMiller PDX fame and from The Wagners Five fame respectively) on Wednesday for dessert and drinks. Apparently I have not been doing my dessert homework as I've only got a few places I know of that are actual dessert places that stay open into the wee hours of the night (read: 8pm). If you live in the Portland area and have a favorite, must-try dessert spot of your own, I'd love to hear from you.

Anyway, nearing the end of our little dessert venture, I convinced the other moms - yeah right, like a lot of arm pulling was required for this one - that we should do a shot to round out the evening. If you have not tried chartreuse yet, I highly recommend you do so. It went down smooth and made me feel nice and relaxed.

On a side note, Darr and I took Henry to Rimsky's this evening. Very good desserts. The bathroom is a wee bit freaky, though. If you happen to try this dessert place for yourself, make sure you don't miss it. And look for the eyes on the way up.

Pump, pump, pump all day long

Disclaimer: This post discusses boobs. If you are offended by boobs or do not wish to know about my boobs in particular cease reading now.

So, I was pumping the old boobs this morning to get some milks for the kid. Normally I don't take too many precautions. I don't lock the front door - it's a secure building - I don't draw the drapes - neighbors who can see in are never home and even if they were what they could glimpse through the trees between their homes and mine would hardly be entertaining. But sometimes the unexpected happens and you realize that, as you sit on the couch attached to the breast pump which sort of makes you look like one of those dairy cows, there are two men on a type of construction crane slowly passing by the patio outside on their way up to another floor. (Note: Our patio is directly above the opening to the underground parking so we don't normally see too many people in front of our patio. They'd have to be able to walk on air to get there.) Thankfully I was able to move the shirt down a bit to cover what was worth covering. Lesson learned. In the future, I shall check for cranes before settling down on the couch to pump.

What's in store

It is Monday morning, and when I walk into the central building, I can feel my stomach clench. For the next five days I will assume that I am somewhat less intelligent than anyone around me. At most moments I'll suspect that the privilege I enjoy was conferred as some kind of peculiar hoax. I will be certain that no matter what I do, I will not do it well enough; and when I fail, I know that I will burn with shame. By Friday my nerves will be so brittle from sleeplessness and pressure and intellectual fatigue that I will not be certain I can make it through the day...Lately, I seem to be drinking a little every night. I do not have the time to read a novel or a magazine, and I am so far removed from the news of world events that I often feel as if I've fallen off the dark side of the planet. I am distracted at most times and have difficulty keeping up a conversation...At random instants, I am likely to be stricken with acute feelings of panic, depression, indefinite need, and the pep talks and irony I practice on myself only seem to make it worse.

I am a law student in my first year at the law, and there are many moments when I am simply a mess.
--Scott Turow, One L

Project Urban Babies and and what's with the quotes, folks?

Miss Avery and Megan were kind enough to meet Henry and I in the Pearl to begin what promises to be a very cute baby project. Miss Avery is a few months behind Henry but growing like a weed and is so frickin' adorable you can't hardly stand it. Per usual, the babies got along splendidly, even during simultaneous diaper changes in the sun and a rather vigorous photo shoot around the area. Here's a pic of the two yutes together. Yes, Henry's shirt does say "Mmmm...boobies..."
Typing about words with quotes around them, this book I'm reading to prep for school is crazy with the quotation marks. Observe...

Judicial decisions sometimes will refer to a single statute, for example, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, as "the Act." A comprehensive statute on a single broad subject may be called a "code."
...
Appellate courts also exercise some review over the judgments that trial courts make about "facts," that is, determinations about what "happened" or "occurred" that serve as the basis for the application of the legal rules we call the "law."
...
These decisions are called "mandatory" or "binding" precedents. "Precedents" means the prior case law and "mandatory" and "binding" mean that the court must follow these decisions.

Seriously? I believe these quotation marks to be "superfluous" and "unnecessary" to the study and practice of "the law."

Recipe Corner: Blackberry Pie

husband + baby + blackberry field = mom making pie

I'm sort of cheating and just giving you the filling part of the recipe. Odds are you have a good pie crust recipe already. (If you don't, let me know and I'll point you in the right direction.) This was my first lattice-top pie ever and it turned out surprisingly well, if I can take a moment to pat myself on the back. <insert moment of back patting here> All the recipes I found online called for a lot more sugar. I preferred to have a pie with a touch more tartness that I could then curb with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:
6 cups blackberries
3/4 cup sugar (plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling on pie crust)
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Directions:
Place baking sheet in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Toss berries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and butter together. Let stand, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Pour berry mixture into pie crust and top with remaining dough, using the lattice-top if so desired. Roll up and crimp edge. Brush top of crust with egg white and sprinkle over with sugar.

Bake on hot baking sheet (to catch any and all juices) until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, approximately one hour. (Check pie after 45 minutes. If edge of crust is browning too quickly, cover edge with foil or pie crust shield and continue baking. Cool completely on a rack before serving.

Blast from the past

This works for me on so many levels:

1. It pokes some fun at CNN
2. Lots of hair
3. Wayne's World
4. The Scorpions
5. Canada

Rhetorical Questions

One of the best rhetorical questions ever in life:

Do you want me to make a pie?

Yes please!

I feel like baking

I want to spend the entire day in the kitchen. I won't, of course, but I'd like to. For now, we'll just have to settle for munching on the brownies I made earlier. And, if we get motivated, we'll go down to the river where there is an abundance of blackberries ripe for picking and get enough for me to make a blackberry pie. It'll be a first for me. I've never made blackberry pie before. Do I dare go it alone sans recipe? I'm guessing I would need a touch of sugar (perhaps a quarter cup?) and maybe some lemon zest, a tablespoon or two of flour, and lots of berries. Big heaping piles of berries. Oh, and we'll also need some heavy cream and milk so I can make homemade ice cream. Because you can't have pie without ice cream. I know there are some people who eat pie without ice cream but they are eating pie wrong. And now, I've got to go make us some grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Maybe it's the weather. It's easier to stand in a hot kitchen when it's relatively cold outside.

You know, that kid

Darr: What's his name is going to be listening to Nellie the Elephant when he walks to school.

I'd like to point out that "what's his name" is Henry. Jeez.

Flight home

What I initially thought would be a difficult and problematic flight home turned out to be easy. Monsieur Henry was a bit out of sorts when we first boarded the plane. He's learned he can twist and bend and arch and twirl his way out of my grasp, a talent that is not appreciated when we're in a full plane about to take off and he's supposed to be sitting securely in my lap. He got a bit vocal and a tremendous fear that he would be the worst baby ever to fly took over. I have to admit I feel a bit lost when he reaches that level of fussiness. Thank goodness the boobs retain their magical powers. Henry latched on and was asleep shortly after takeoff. He remained that way until our plane touched down in Portland. I should point out that at no time did I have any trouble with any of the Delta employees for nursing Henry.

Pops was waiting for us inside the terminal and Henry was overjoyed to see him. He kept reaching his hand out - we think this is his version of waving hello - and smiling at his dad. Once home, as I was busy putting stuff away, starting laundry, emptying the dishwasher, etc., we had the following conversation:

Darr: Did you have a fun and relaxing time?

Me: <Thinking about Henry's teething fussiness, his intense car seat hatred, my bout of insomnia, illnesses of both Henry and myself, etc.> It was fun. But relaxing? No. It was not relaxing.

It's hard to be a good traveling companion when you just want to crawl under the covers and sleep for four days straight. It is even more challenging when you add a baby to the equation. Henry is quite mobile and becoming more independent every day he's on the planet. Both of these changes require constant vigilance as he now has his own desires he wants to fulfill (e.g., getting his hands on the dog bowls) and the means to carry out his diabolical plans (e.g., crawl across anything and everything to reach dog bowls). Here's hoping my friendship with Ann is still intact. She had to put up with quite a bit this past week. Many thanks to her for her driving prowess. While we chatted quite a bit, as two women are wont to do, she still allowed me plenty of time to read so I was able to finish one of my recommended readings and start the third book. I can attribute part of my future success at law school to her for helping me prep for my first year.

I wish I could figure out how to do this without adding a post

It's like cheating. Here's a post, but really it's only a post because I can't figure out how to change the banner without posting the new banner and linking to it. Argh.