We decided to come home for treatment. I consulted with two world-class doctors in Boston yesterday. They agreed on diagnosis and treatment: surgery. Neither thinks it is cancer. Both think the prognosis depends on whether the tumor is intact, or whether it has leaked. One was more self-assured, the other more cautious. Both are considered top doctors. But, one is going on vacation next week, which kind of tipped the scales.
The one who is here is the one I was more comfortable with, anyway. He was more careful, less cocky...it's so hard to choose, really, but I was comfortable with him. The condition is really rare--a few thousand cases a year in the U.S., and he sees maybe 10 cases a year. The other doctor sees 3-6 cases a year, so he's a bit more experienced. His hospital sees maybe 70 cases a year like mine.
So anyway, long story short, I'm having surgery on Tuesday. The pathology will take a week. We'll be here for a minimum of two weeks. We won't really know much about prognosis or further treatment until after the surgery. I am sad, and scared, but trying to stay positive and hope for the best. I just want to be here for my girls, today, and Christmas Day, and always.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Monday, December 16, 2013
Damn
When we left off in mid-November, I had a lovely spring in my step and all appeared right with the world. If only that had lasted. . .
The pain in my side persisted, and so back to the doctor I went. I went to a different doctor this time, because I wasn't so confident in the prior one(s) (primary care or gastroenterologist). This one prescribed a CT scan, purely as a precaution. I was hopeful it would be okay. I was pretty sure it would be okay--I had that CT scan 18 months ago for the kidney stones, and it didn't show anything weird. I might have even had one last summer (I think I did, in fact), when my liver values were all wonky. Today as I was sitting at my desk at work, I received the results from the hospital via email. I went flying to my doctor's office when I saw the results. Unfortunately, there is something there that shouldn't be.
We don't know exactly what it is yet, but it appears to be a rare kind of tumor on my appendix. It could be benign, or it could be. . .worse. Googling it is just freaking me out, because according to google, even if it's benign, if it's complex, it can have a chance of turning malignant. So. . .yeah. I'm freaking out. I have two little kids. This cannot be happening.
Right now we are trying to figure out what to do. I don't want to have surgery here. It's not that they can't do it, but it's complicated, and I just don't want to deal with this in Spanish. I don't want to be sick and in pain and trying to explain myself in another language. I could easily transfer my care to Miami, which is logistically close and easy to set up. Or, I could go "home," to my mother's or to another relative's house. Each location presents its challenges, though, including economic ones. I don't know how long I'll be gone, or what this will entail. If we don't go to a place where we have family, T can't come with me, because who will watch the kids? Or he could come with me, but not be with me. And I don't even know when we will be going, because I don't know if I need surgery imminently, or whether it can wait until after Christmas.
I am trying to make the most of every moment with the girls this holiday season. We are doing advent crafts/projects/fun every day, and it is so much fun. I am so, so scared of what is going on with my health, and what this will mean. I hope that once again, it will be simple and easy and not serious. I feel like I have had so many health problems since SB's birth 20 months ago--shingles, kidney stones, wonky liver values, and now this. I'm ready to be healthy and happy. I want to focus on my girls and my family, and not be worrying about health stuff. Especially right now, when they are at such awesome, fun ages. Especially now, during the holidays.
The pain in my side persisted, and so back to the doctor I went. I went to a different doctor this time, because I wasn't so confident in the prior one(s) (primary care or gastroenterologist). This one prescribed a CT scan, purely as a precaution. I was hopeful it would be okay. I was pretty sure it would be okay--I had that CT scan 18 months ago for the kidney stones, and it didn't show anything weird. I might have even had one last summer (I think I did, in fact), when my liver values were all wonky. Today as I was sitting at my desk at work, I received the results from the hospital via email. I went flying to my doctor's office when I saw the results. Unfortunately, there is something there that shouldn't be.
We don't know exactly what it is yet, but it appears to be a rare kind of tumor on my appendix. It could be benign, or it could be. . .worse. Googling it is just freaking me out, because according to google, even if it's benign, if it's complex, it can have a chance of turning malignant. So. . .yeah. I'm freaking out. I have two little kids. This cannot be happening.
Right now we are trying to figure out what to do. I don't want to have surgery here. It's not that they can't do it, but it's complicated, and I just don't want to deal with this in Spanish. I don't want to be sick and in pain and trying to explain myself in another language. I could easily transfer my care to Miami, which is logistically close and easy to set up. Or, I could go "home," to my mother's or to another relative's house. Each location presents its challenges, though, including economic ones. I don't know how long I'll be gone, or what this will entail. If we don't go to a place where we have family, T can't come with me, because who will watch the kids? Or he could come with me, but not be with me. And I don't even know when we will be going, because I don't know if I need surgery imminently, or whether it can wait until after Christmas.
I am trying to make the most of every moment with the girls this holiday season. We are doing advent crafts/projects/fun every day, and it is so much fun. I am so, so scared of what is going on with my health, and what this will mean. I hope that once again, it will be simple and easy and not serious. I feel like I have had so many health problems since SB's birth 20 months ago--shingles, kidney stones, wonky liver values, and now this. I'm ready to be healthy and happy. I want to focus on my girls and my family, and not be worrying about health stuff. Especially right now, when they are at such awesome, fun ages. Especially now, during the holidays.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Happy Long Weekend
As I sit here, the girls are giggling in their bedroom, fighting sleep, and the playroom is a tangled mess of toys. The smell of freshly baked sugar cookies hangs in the air, and I am the good kind of exhausted. It has been such a nice weekend.
Where to start? Well, I've been feeling rotten lately, and was stressed out about it. I can't recall if I mentioned, but three of us caught a parasite a few weeks ago (Hurray!). (Miss M is going through what I call her "White Phase," and eating only things like toast and Kix and apples and macaroni and cheese; the good news was she was hence spared the infection--but I digress). For a week, I couldn't eat without running for the bathroom. As yet another a side note, I am officially at my minimum weight, the one at which my smallest clothes fit and I start to worry. At first I thought it was food poisoning, but it got worse over time, rather than better. So anyway, off I went to the doctor, I got diagnosed, we all took medication and we got better. But, I think it in turn caused some other problems for me. Which is a long way of saying that I had an ultrasound on Saturday to check on all things abdominal. I had been pretty worried about it, but it came out just fine, and so by noon time on Saturday, I was feeling considerably lighter. My GI specialist had also prescribed a medication that seems to be helping with the odd pain I've been having in my right side.
So, spring back in my step, we then headed off Saturday afternoon for our first road trip out of town. After a bit of time, the girls fell asleep, and smug that the girls were peacefully napping and we were navigating the city just fine (it goes on forever and takes a million years to drive out of), T. and I fell into easy conversation. Miles and miles slipped by, and suddenly I realized that we were on entirely the wrong road and utterly not where we were supposed to be, and the traffic was horrendous. Ah, well. It took us another 45 minutes to get sorted, and the girls woke up in the meantime and were entirely unhappy about the fact we weren't "there" yet. It took us about two and a half hours to get to the starting point of the hike we had planned, rather than the hour we'd expected.
But it was fun to see other parts of the city, and the scenery was stunning once we left town. As we approached the cloud forest where we were going hiking, the mists started coming in, and by the time we arrived at the parking lot near the trail head, we couldn't see 10 feet in front of the car. But, once we started the hike, in the cloud forest, it was clearer, and the clouds receded and came in any number of times during our hike. Every time they parted, the views of the mountains were just stunning. It was pretty amazing. Which was a good thing, because it was a much tougher hike than expected--3+ miles of steep, slippery downhill hiking.
Miss M did a most amazing job on the hike. She did the entire thing herself, without complaining. It was a blast. She told me at one point that I was her best friend, and I just melted. We had so much fun talking and hiking. T had SB with him, and Miss M was my hiking partner (although we stayed close together), and we talked the whole way. There were fun things for her to see, too, like a burro in the bushes, and 4 llamas on the trail as we came around a corner, and countless horses, just roaming free.
She is obsessed with "caballos." It was a stream of "can I feed it. . .can I pet it. . .can I bring it home with me" once she spotted the first one. It was pretty adorable.
We spent the night in an amazing mountain lodge that I will remember and treasure forever. There are just some places in the world that resonate with me, rustic places of stunning beauty where nature is close and comforts are few but no one cares. There have been maybe three or four other places in my life that I feel this way about. . .a place called Mountain Hostel that existed in the Swiss Alps in the mid-90's (it's now a private home, I believe). . .the jungle lodge we stayed in a few years ago in Honduras. . .a cabin in the woods in northern New England. . .a house we rented on an island off the coast of Maine. And now, this place.
We were exhausted when we got there, hungry and with sore legs. The place had stunning views across the valley of the opposing mountains, with clouds hanging there below us. A crowd of horses hung out outside, and were driven to a lower pasture by cowboys on horseback, who kindly let Miss M pet one of the black pony's noses before they took off. We carefully climbed the long stone staircase to the dining room, which turned out to have jaw-dropping views of the sunset and a giant open fireplace in the center of the room. We sat next to a roaring fire, sipping ice cold local beer and drinking in the sunset, as the girls snacked on crackers and giggled away. It was lovely. We drank fresh passionfruit juice at dinner and ate a local chocolate torte and then fell into our bunks, exhausted.
Little SB had fallen asleep at dinner, and when she woke the next morning, I was already awake and staring at her beautiful little face. She had the funniest look on her face upon opening her eyes and seeing the rustic bamboo and hand-hewn beam ceiling, as if to say "WHERE AM I??!" It was priceless. And then she was off.
We came home Sunday morning (just over an hour this way, despite a road closure along the way. . .the cop who came by told us that there had been a death and the road would be closed for "five little hours". . .have to love the Spanish language!). And then we spent the rest of the day getting ready for a party we threw Sunday night. Amazingly, we know so many people here that we couldn't even invite everyone that we know. We had about 20 people here for a cocktail party. SB went to bed at 6:30, and Miss M insisted on putting a dress on over her tshirt and leggings, in order to greet the guests. She was again a rockstar, and mostly stayed in my room and watched cartoons until I finally made her go to bed. It was a really nice night.
And then today, we played and watched movies and cooked sugar cookies, and it was relaxing and delightful. Miss M poured entirely too much colored sugar on the tops of the cookies and they are all kinds of funny colors. While the cookies baked, I remembered that two years ago I bought Miss M a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I suddenly realized that she might really like to read it. So we sat at the kitchen table and started reading, and she loved it. We read 45 pages tonight before I finally made her go to bed. Roald Dahl is one of my favorite childhood authors, and it was really awesome to see how into his story she was, at only three years old. I just loved it.
So, yeah. Good test results. Cloud forest hike. First successful party in our new country. Relaxing day. Joyful book sharing. Amazing weekend.
But it was fun to see other parts of the city, and the scenery was stunning once we left town. As we approached the cloud forest where we were going hiking, the mists started coming in, and by the time we arrived at the parking lot near the trail head, we couldn't see 10 feet in front of the car. But, once we started the hike, in the cloud forest, it was clearer, and the clouds receded and came in any number of times during our hike. Every time they parted, the views of the mountains were just stunning. It was pretty amazing. Which was a good thing, because it was a much tougher hike than expected--3+ miles of steep, slippery downhill hiking.
Miss M did a most amazing job on the hike. She did the entire thing herself, without complaining. It was a blast. She told me at one point that I was her best friend, and I just melted. We had so much fun talking and hiking. T had SB with him, and Miss M was my hiking partner (although we stayed close together), and we talked the whole way. There were fun things for her to see, too, like a burro in the bushes, and 4 llamas on the trail as we came around a corner, and countless horses, just roaming free.
She is obsessed with "caballos." It was a stream of "can I feed it. . .can I pet it. . .can I bring it home with me" once she spotted the first one. It was pretty adorable.
We spent the night in an amazing mountain lodge that I will remember and treasure forever. There are just some places in the world that resonate with me, rustic places of stunning beauty where nature is close and comforts are few but no one cares. There have been maybe three or four other places in my life that I feel this way about. . .a place called Mountain Hostel that existed in the Swiss Alps in the mid-90's (it's now a private home, I believe). . .the jungle lodge we stayed in a few years ago in Honduras. . .a cabin in the woods in northern New England. . .a house we rented on an island off the coast of Maine. And now, this place.
We were exhausted when we got there, hungry and with sore legs. The place had stunning views across the valley of the opposing mountains, with clouds hanging there below us. A crowd of horses hung out outside, and were driven to a lower pasture by cowboys on horseback, who kindly let Miss M pet one of the black pony's noses before they took off. We carefully climbed the long stone staircase to the dining room, which turned out to have jaw-dropping views of the sunset and a giant open fireplace in the center of the room. We sat next to a roaring fire, sipping ice cold local beer and drinking in the sunset, as the girls snacked on crackers and giggled away. It was lovely. We drank fresh passionfruit juice at dinner and ate a local chocolate torte and then fell into our bunks, exhausted.
Little SB had fallen asleep at dinner, and when she woke the next morning, I was already awake and staring at her beautiful little face. She had the funniest look on her face upon opening her eyes and seeing the rustic bamboo and hand-hewn beam ceiling, as if to say "WHERE AM I??!" It was priceless. And then she was off.
We came home Sunday morning (just over an hour this way, despite a road closure along the way. . .the cop who came by told us that there had been a death and the road would be closed for "five little hours". . .have to love the Spanish language!). And then we spent the rest of the day getting ready for a party we threw Sunday night. Amazingly, we know so many people here that we couldn't even invite everyone that we know. We had about 20 people here for a cocktail party. SB went to bed at 6:30, and Miss M insisted on putting a dress on over her tshirt and leggings, in order to greet the guests. She was again a rockstar, and mostly stayed in my room and watched cartoons until I finally made her go to bed. It was a really nice night.
And then today, we played and watched movies and cooked sugar cookies, and it was relaxing and delightful. Miss M poured entirely too much colored sugar on the tops of the cookies and they are all kinds of funny colors. While the cookies baked, I remembered that two years ago I bought Miss M a copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I suddenly realized that she might really like to read it. So we sat at the kitchen table and started reading, and she loved it. We read 45 pages tonight before I finally made her go to bed. Roald Dahl is one of my favorite childhood authors, and it was really awesome to see how into his story she was, at only three years old. I just loved it.
So, yeah. Good test results. Cloud forest hike. First successful party in our new country. Relaxing day. Joyful book sharing. Amazing weekend.
The Things People Say
My almost-4 year old informed my husband this morning, as she was getting dressed, that "everyone says I'm going to be beautiful." She said it matter-of-factly, as she explained why she needed to wear a "pretty dress."
What kind of thing is that for a little kid to internalize? It's true. . .people do say it all the time. She has delicate features and coloring that people consider pretty. I consider her pretty, too. But I want her to value her intelligence, her internal strength, her ability to be kind, and a million other INTERNAL things. The fact that she's cognizant enough of the external stuff at this age is. . .kind of scary to me. It's frightening, the messages that society sends to little girls.
What kind of thing is that for a little kid to internalize? It's true. . .people do say it all the time. She has delicate features and coloring that people consider pretty. I consider her pretty, too. But I want her to value her intelligence, her internal strength, her ability to be kind, and a million other INTERNAL things. The fact that she's cognizant enough of the external stuff at this age is. . .kind of scary to me. It's frightening, the messages that society sends to little girls.
Monday, November 4, 2013
The Word List
I read that a child who is SB's age (almost 20 months) should have between 10 and 50 words. So naturally, that made me wonder how many words SB actually has, because it seems like we've had a language explosion and she is talking a LOT:
Spanish:
Gracias
Hola
Agua
Libro
English:
Ball
Shoe
Yogurt
Water
Mama
Daddy
Sister
Book
Milk
Binky
Pooh
I can't do it.
Where is _____
Up
Hi
Mickey Mouse
Thank you
Please
Doll
Help
More
Grapes
Pasta
Pizza
Sip
Apple juice
Poop
Come
Hot
Coffee
Cheers
Cup
No
Yes
Why? (clearly, she has an older sister)
Shirt
Catch
Baby
Cow
Horse
Hair
Hand
What happened (used in perfect context, like when the National Zoo panda cam disappeared while we were watching it)
Hug
Foot
Belly
Medicine (she's teething,and appears to appreciate pain relief!)
Tissue
Wipe
It's S! (With her full name, in response to being asked on the phone who is talking)
Eat
Toast
Teeth
Finger
Nose
Remote
Pillow
Toes
Kitty
Arm
Light
Okay, it's taking too long to list all of her words. I have been saying "what is this?" to get her to say things, and even I am surprised at how many things she knows. I would guess she has at least double what I've come up with on this list. And, it's funny how many of her words have to do with food. She's definitely learning he important stuff first!
Spanish:
Gracias
Hola
Agua
Libro
English:
Ball
Shoe
Yogurt
Water
Mama
Daddy
Sister
Book
Milk
Binky
Pooh
I can't do it.
Where is _____
Up
Hi
Mickey Mouse
Thank you
Please
Doll
Help
More
Grapes
Pasta
Pizza
Sip
Apple juice
Poop
Come
Hot
Coffee
Cheers
Cup
No
Yes
Why? (clearly, she has an older sister)
Shirt
Catch
Baby
Cow
Horse
Hair
Hand
What happened (used in perfect context, like when the National Zoo panda cam disappeared while we were watching it)
Hug
Foot
Belly
Medicine (she's teething,and appears to appreciate pain relief!)
Tissue
Wipe
It's S! (With her full name, in response to being asked on the phone who is talking)
Eat
Toast
Teeth
Finger
Nose
Remote
Pillow
Toes
Kitty
Arm
Light
Okay, it's taking too long to list all of her words. I have been saying "what is this?" to get her to say things, and even I am surprised at how many things she knows. I would guess she has at least double what I've come up with on this list. And, it's funny how many of her words have to do with food. She's definitely learning he important stuff first!
Sunday, October 20, 2013
SB at 19 Months
My dearest SB:
Sheesh. I haven't done one of these posts in forever. I can't believe how fast time goes by, as you get bigger and bigger and bigger. You and your sister are so much fun. We are having a blast with the two of you. But I have less and less time to "document," at least if I want to get plenty of quality time with your girls!
Your first words (at around a year) were mommy and daddy, followed quickly by "up." You simply love to be held. When you wake up in the morning, you instantly want to be in someone's arms, and you immediately start screaming until someone comes to get you. It's a bit jarring, my dear, and completely unexpected, since your sister has always simply said "mommy" or "daddy." Still, as soon as we appear, we get big grins, followed by "up." Or, the word you quickly learned had more power than "up": HUG. You beam beautifically, stretch your arms out wide, and yell "hug!" whenever you want to be picked up. . .or get out of your high chair or stroller or crib. And who can say no to that, really?
You eat absolutely everything, except for avocados. You don't necessarily eat very much at any one sitting, or even eat what is in front of you, but you eat a wide variety of foods, and for that I am so thankful. Feeding your sister was always a struggle, and I never have to worry about whether you are sufficiently nourished. You're thin and active, but I know you are getting nutrition.
You still nap for an hour in the morning and the afternoon. We'd like to drop the morning nap, but you are a mess without it.
Your vocabulary is huge. You have loads of works, and some phrases. "Where's mommy?" was an early favorite, which both cracked me up and made me sad. . .the downside to being a working mother. We were playing this morning and a toy went flying, and you said "I'll get it." I was blown away. You know shoes and socks and shirt and milk and cookie and cracker and fish and dog and so very many other words. You are obsessed with Pooh and Mickey Mouse. When Aunt C. sent you a Pooh doll recently, you went absolutely nuts. I have never seen anything like it. You were absolutely screeching, you were so excited. In the morning when you get up, you frequently say "eat," followed by "Pooh," because you like to watch old-school Pooh cartoons while you eat a banana and I make the coffee. Sometimes you'll head for the kitchen, holding up your hand and saying "come." It is soooo cute.
You call Miss M. "sister", rather than by her name. We're not sure why, exactly, but it's awesome. The two of you adore each other, and play well together. At first we were a bit afraid that your sister might get the better of you, due to that two year age difference, but you aren't exactly a shrinking violet. You know just how to get things you want away from her, despite your smaller size. And you don't put up with her being mean to you--you'll drag her around by her hair if you have to. We don't support any violence between the two of you, but we've been happy to see your spunk. You're a kind baby, but you also know how to defend yourself.
And you are soooo kind. You are just such a sweet little baby. You have big grins for everyone, and you still like to snuggle. You love to be held. You love to play. You love everyone and everything around you, and play so well with other children. Daddy and I are always having playdates for you and your sister.
You are also soooo mischievous. We call you the "gazinda," because you get into everything. Daddy went into the kitchen for a few minutes the other day, and you found a blue stamper, the pre-inked kind, somewhere amidst the toys. You managed to get the cover off, and had covered yourself and three pieces of (new) furniture before he discovered you. You had eaten so much of the dye that you pooped blue for two days. It took him forever to clean you, and your fingers were still blue when I got home from work that night. You looked like a little Smurf. We do our best to baby-proof the house and to keep you safe, but I worry about you constantly. You are so fast, and so creative, and so full of it. But I love your little spirit, and I love that you are so willing to try new things. You are not afraid of anything.
And have I mentioned how gorgeous you are? With those big eyes and sweeping lashes and that charming smile. . .you are so lovely.
You have approximately 11 teeth. I say "approximately" because you try to bit when I try to count, and I value my fingers. You have had only three bottom teeth for months, but I can see the fourth one is starting to finally pop through. You've been teething for months, although you are generally in good humor. You chew on everything, though.
You are still wearing 18 month size clothing, although we are moving into the 24 month size right now. You have really thinned out over recent months, I think because your favorite foods are fruits (those tiny South American bananas are your absolute favorite), and yogurt. And you are SO active and unstoppable. It's been that way since you started walking right around your first birthday.
And have I mentioned that you get up at the crack of dawn? You are up at 5 or 5:30 every day. Your room is as black as we can make it, and still. . .you like the morning. Last Saturday you were up at 4:30 for the day! I don't know why your hard wiring has you programmed for early mornings, but you are always the first one up in this house.
So in sum, let me say that we are deeply, deeply in love with you. You are just such a special and happy child, and we look forward to watching you grow.
Love,
Mom
Sheesh. I haven't done one of these posts in forever. I can't believe how fast time goes by, as you get bigger and bigger and bigger. You and your sister are so much fun. We are having a blast with the two of you. But I have less and less time to "document," at least if I want to get plenty of quality time with your girls!
Your first words (at around a year) were mommy and daddy, followed quickly by "up." You simply love to be held. When you wake up in the morning, you instantly want to be in someone's arms, and you immediately start screaming until someone comes to get you. It's a bit jarring, my dear, and completely unexpected, since your sister has always simply said "mommy" or "daddy." Still, as soon as we appear, we get big grins, followed by "up." Or, the word you quickly learned had more power than "up": HUG. You beam beautifically, stretch your arms out wide, and yell "hug!" whenever you want to be picked up. . .or get out of your high chair or stroller or crib. And who can say no to that, really?
You eat absolutely everything, except for avocados. You don't necessarily eat very much at any one sitting, or even eat what is in front of you, but you eat a wide variety of foods, and for that I am so thankful. Feeding your sister was always a struggle, and I never have to worry about whether you are sufficiently nourished. You're thin and active, but I know you are getting nutrition.
You still nap for an hour in the morning and the afternoon. We'd like to drop the morning nap, but you are a mess without it.
Your vocabulary is huge. You have loads of works, and some phrases. "Where's mommy?" was an early favorite, which both cracked me up and made me sad. . .the downside to being a working mother. We were playing this morning and a toy went flying, and you said "I'll get it." I was blown away. You know shoes and socks and shirt and milk and cookie and cracker and fish and dog and so very many other words. You are obsessed with Pooh and Mickey Mouse. When Aunt C. sent you a Pooh doll recently, you went absolutely nuts. I have never seen anything like it. You were absolutely screeching, you were so excited. In the morning when you get up, you frequently say "eat," followed by "Pooh," because you like to watch old-school Pooh cartoons while you eat a banana and I make the coffee. Sometimes you'll head for the kitchen, holding up your hand and saying "come." It is soooo cute.
You call Miss M. "sister", rather than by her name. We're not sure why, exactly, but it's awesome. The two of you adore each other, and play well together. At first we were a bit afraid that your sister might get the better of you, due to that two year age difference, but you aren't exactly a shrinking violet. You know just how to get things you want away from her, despite your smaller size. And you don't put up with her being mean to you--you'll drag her around by her hair if you have to. We don't support any violence between the two of you, but we've been happy to see your spunk. You're a kind baby, but you also know how to defend yourself.
And you are soooo kind. You are just such a sweet little baby. You have big grins for everyone, and you still like to snuggle. You love to be held. You love to play. You love everyone and everything around you, and play so well with other children. Daddy and I are always having playdates for you and your sister.
You are also soooo mischievous. We call you the "gazinda," because you get into everything. Daddy went into the kitchen for a few minutes the other day, and you found a blue stamper, the pre-inked kind, somewhere amidst the toys. You managed to get the cover off, and had covered yourself and three pieces of (new) furniture before he discovered you. You had eaten so much of the dye that you pooped blue for two days. It took him forever to clean you, and your fingers were still blue when I got home from work that night. You looked like a little Smurf. We do our best to baby-proof the house and to keep you safe, but I worry about you constantly. You are so fast, and so creative, and so full of it. But I love your little spirit, and I love that you are so willing to try new things. You are not afraid of anything.
And have I mentioned how gorgeous you are? With those big eyes and sweeping lashes and that charming smile. . .you are so lovely.
You have approximately 11 teeth. I say "approximately" because you try to bit when I try to count, and I value my fingers. You have had only three bottom teeth for months, but I can see the fourth one is starting to finally pop through. You've been teething for months, although you are generally in good humor. You chew on everything, though.
You are still wearing 18 month size clothing, although we are moving into the 24 month size right now. You have really thinned out over recent months, I think because your favorite foods are fruits (those tiny South American bananas are your absolute favorite), and yogurt. And you are SO active and unstoppable. It's been that way since you started walking right around your first birthday.
And have I mentioned that you get up at the crack of dawn? You are up at 5 or 5:30 every day. Your room is as black as we can make it, and still. . .you like the morning. Last Saturday you were up at 4:30 for the day! I don't know why your hard wiring has you programmed for early mornings, but you are always the first one up in this house.
So in sum, let me say that we are deeply, deeply in love with you. You are just such a special and happy child, and we look forward to watching you grow.
Love,
Mom
Saturday, October 19, 2013
In The Kitchen: Tropical Fruit Muffins
1 banana, mashed
1 yellow passionfruit
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, chopped small
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. Baking powder
1/2 t. Ginger
1/4 t. Cloves
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup mora (local blackberries--very sour)
Heat oven to 350F. Chop mora roily, then mix with half the brown sugar. Mix all other ingredients together; add berries. Pour into muffin tins. Makes about 18 muffins. Cook 30-35 minutes.
Postscript: The passionfruit turned out to be a bad idea. I don't like the way the seeds crunch. The muffins could also do without the berries. Next time I'll double the banana and pineapple and drop the cloves, and maybe decrease the cinnamon and increase the ginger. The ginger-banana-pineapple turned out to be a good combination (if only the berries and passionfruit hadn't interrupted!).
1 yellow passionfruit
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, chopped small
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. Baking powder
1/2 t. Ginger
1/4 t. Cloves
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup mora (local blackberries--very sour)
Heat oven to 350F. Chop mora roily, then mix with half the brown sugar. Mix all other ingredients together; add berries. Pour into muffin tins. Makes about 18 muffins. Cook 30-35 minutes.
Postscript: The passionfruit turned out to be a bad idea. I don't like the way the seeds crunch. The muffins could also do without the berries. Next time I'll double the banana and pineapple and drop the cloves, and maybe decrease the cinnamon and increase the ginger. The ginger-banana-pineapple turned out to be a good combination (if only the berries and passionfruit hadn't interrupted!).
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