Family Without Borders

A Style All Her Own

2012-01-24T16:00:00.001-06:00

Today was "Free Dress" day at school. Some people call it "Dress down Day" because they kids don't have to wear their uniforms.

Angelina, however, does not quite get the term "Dress Down." Free Dress = wear a special dress. She tried to wear her Christmas red velvet with faux fur collar dress, but we managed to convince her otherwise. Instead, we talked her into the burgundy velvet + taffeta dress. of course, it is always topped by a red bow.

She refuses to cut her hair, or to brush it, so the red bow serves to hold it back. Just a little.

Clearly, she has her own style.

In other news, we received official word that she's been recommended for the school district's "Gift/Talented Education Program." This means our suspicions have been correct: she is already smarter than her parents.

On Lenaïc news, he still won't say "mommy", but he showed me his red car and said "Lite-ning" (Lightening McQueen)

A Time to Reflect

2011-12-31T08:58:00.000-06:00

It's that time again, end of the year. Time to think about all that's happened this year, and all we hope the next year to be.

I think we should be feeling like this was a bad year, and we're glad to see the back side of it. Getting 2 cancer diagnoses is enough to ruin any year.

But as I look back on the past year, I see only what good it brought us. Yes, two major surgeries for Frédéric, recovery time, medical expenses, worry, fear.

But it also brought us strength.

Strength in ourselves and as a family.

It brought us tears and laughter.

It brought pain and joy.

It brought hope.

It brought friends.

It brought us community. Without hesitation, our "village" stepped in to help before even being asked. The year has taught us how wonderful our lives really are, how lucky we are to be surrounded by so much love and support.

Not just here, locally, but amongst our friends and family around the world.

Goodbye to 2011. As always, we're lucky in our bad luck.

And so it began...

2011-12-09T08:51:00.002-06:00

Two years ago today, the Wild Man of Devine Street was BORN. So calm and peaceful, so easy going....we were in for a surprise.

He is anything but calm, but that's what we love about him! Happy, crazy, laughing, mischievous, full of spirit. That is Lenaïc.

Happy Birthday Monkey Boy!

First baby tooth lost! 5 yrs, 4 months, 24 days old.

2011-11-27T12:11:00.000-06:00

Introducing Chico Chocolate Allegrini

2011-11-27T10:37:00.000-06:00

In October, our friends discovered this little pup, maybe 4 weeks old at most, sitting on their porch. Best guess is he was dumped, as he was too small to have ventured there on his own. After a week or so of looking for a home, I said we'd foster him, maybe adopt. Wasn't really looking for a dog now, but given the strays around here, figured sooner or later one would follow us home. This guy was just too sweet to ignore.

I took him to the vet the next day, started on vaccinations, de-worming, all the while saying "I'm not sure we'll be keeping him, but he needs to have all his shots." "Fostering" lasted all of about 24 hours. I think there was a small window we could have given him away, but after that, Angelina was already attached and Lenaic not far behind. She named him "Chico" (pronounced with a heavy Spanish accent 'CHEEEE- CO"). We tried offering new names, but no. She was set on Chico. She did decide to give him a middle name "Chocolate."

Like 90% of strays here, he had worms. Angelina being my daughter, she was fascinated by the worms. Once given medication, he pooped them out. She insisted she had to "see the poop" so she could check out the worms. On one occasion I picked it up before she saw it and she was so upset "Mommy! No fair! You're not supposed to pick up the poop before I see it! That's not nice!" Glad to know she's not grossed out by much....

And now, a month later, he's home for good. Even Chakapu tolerates him. Or rather, she sits in front of his crate at night and taunts him...

2011-11-18T16:54:00.000-06:00

Angelina this morning: "When's Papa going to be back?" (we were at his hotel when he went to work)
Me : "Very late tonight."
A: " But just one person has to take care of two kids"
Me: "But that's what I do everyday!"
A:"I know, but then it gets hard for you. "

The Wisdom of Her 5 Years

2011-11-16T20:58:00.000-06:00

Tonight Angelina talked to me about friendships as she was describing her day at school with various kids. She named a few kids she played with and said,

"I like ____, and ____, and ____, but they're not my BEST friends. That's because it's not nice to make someone your BEST friend."

I interject "Why not? Don't you want to have a close friend?"

Her answer:
" Yes, but if only one person is your best friend, the other person who's not the best friend feels bad and left out. Then what if the two friends fight? Then the other friends feel bad too. No, it's better to be friends with everyone, then everyone can be happy and have love. Because I have love. Because I am a Lovable Me.*"

(*We've been reading the series of Lovable Me books.)

While there's something to be said for having 1-2 close friends, and I hope she finds that over time, I must admit I like that my child is more inclusive than exclusive. That she wants to love everyone, and make sure everyone feels loved. That everyone she meets is a potential friend, and that everyone should feel welcome in her world.

Cancer Survivor, Super Dad

2011-10-17T18:43:00.000-05:00

It was only 7 months ago Frédéric received his first cancer diagnosis, quickly followed by the second cancer.

Today, so far, he's cancer free, and being Super Dad.

Camping Again, More Friends, and Lost Maples

2011-10-16T20:59:00.001-05:00

Believe it or not, we get seasons here in Texas. It's not quite New England Leaf Peeping, but we try. Lost Maples State Natural Area has a unique combination, allowing wonderful Maples to grow.

In theory, they change colors to beautiful golds, reds, yellows....but we were a tad early (and the drought probably has had an effect). So only a few colors, but still a wonderful camping trip with good friends.

For more pictures (minus Fredo's night sky photos, ask him for those directly), go to HERE

Camping With Friends, and Why I Love Lavaca

2011-10-05T16:07:00.001-05:00

The kids love camping. And even better is camping with friends!

Our neighborhood group "KWAKs" (King William Area Kids...I like to call the parent component "SAPs" - Southtown Area Parents) decided to take a group camping trip. Thanks to our good friend Jen Morey for coordinating. about 15 families descended upon Mo Ranch, a lovely place on the Guadalupe River, about 2 hours away.

Among the highlights of canoeing and playing in the river,

was the giant slide

And lots of food, drink, and general good times. To see pictures, click HERE

Life is All About Chocolate

2011-09-22T23:31:00.000-05:00

Frédéric is on travel again, this time to Switzerland. Angelina was VERY teary this morning, but managed to pull away eventually. When picking her up, her teacher asked what kind of work Frédéric did. I told her space science. She said "Oh, I thought it was something to do with buying chocolate. Angelina told everyone today her daddy had to go to Switzerland to buy chocolate."

On other quotable quotes:

Angelina:"Lenaïc loves me SOOOOO much! He loves me more than anything!" This is true, he's so excited when he sees her and always wants to be with her.

After thinking awhile, she said, "Lenaïc loves me, but you know what he loves even more than me? A boob." (yes, trying to wean,but it's not going very well)

And Classic Lenaïc. give him a beer and he's set:

Our First Rocket Launch!

2011-09-20T21:17:00.001-05:00

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 BLAST OFF!

ok, so they said "Lift Off" instead of "Blast off," but we yelled BLAST OFF.

I'm very late in sharing this. In August, we all joined Frederic and the Juno Launch Team to see, live and in person and up close, our very first rocket launch.

Juno is a project Frédéric and his colleagues have been working on for awhile. The instrument will go to "unlock the secrets of Jupiter" http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/overview/index.html

To say it was exciting would be an understatement. We were at Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was hot and humid. As "Special Guests" of NASA (along with a few thousand other scientists and their families and friends), we had access to a special viewing area. We listened to the control room over loud speakers. As the lift off window approached, we kept hearing "5 more minutes," and at one point "recommend waiting as long as possible." As the technical problem was resolved, another problem arose - a person in a boat was in the water nearby! They got him away. The window was just over an hour. If it didn't go off Aug 5, we'd come back the next day, and the next, and the next. Fortunately, we didn't have to.

Finally they said "4 minute countdown ready." Then assorted systems checks followed each by "Go. Go. Go. Go....." until finally 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 and we have LIFT OFF!"

If I was a kid seeing it for the first time, I'd be so hooked on space science I'd want to do nothing else. And so it is, Angelina has declared she will be an astronaut (even though this rocket carried no humans) .

And just to add to the cool factor, that night, we were invited to a special party at "The Beach house." This is in a restricted area and only accessible by special pass (they took us all on buses). An amazing stretch of beach. The house is where the astronauts would spend time just before launch. It happened to be very near the launch pad, so we could see the after effects of the launch (lots of charred stuff).

For more pictures: HERE

The Mad Scientist

2011-08-29T21:44:00.000-05:00

Tonight, Angelina kept saying "I'm doing something." It was clearly meant to be a science experiment of sorts.

Then she spilled all over the floor, making me slip. As I was cursing under my breath, I was trying to embrace her scientific curiosity.

The Frédéric asked her what she was doing.

Her response: "I'm making a disaster!"

First Week of School

2011-08-25T23:31:00.001-05:00

4 days in to Angelina's first week of school and so far I have learned I've totally underestimated my daughter. I know she's bright and confident, but I also know she's a bit hesitant, sometimes overwhelmed, and let's face it, a new big school can be scary. Throw in the teacher speaking 100% in a language she barely understands (Spanish - what little she knows is from her one week Spanish camp in July), and I expected her to beg not to go to school, to cry, to not want to leave.

As you can see, not an issue. She woke up extra early Monday morning, then had too much time to kill, so we put on a Backyardigans episode. However, we had to leave before it was done. She initially asked to stay until then end then asked "Oh? Is it time to go to Bonham?" When I said yes, she quickly turned it off and ran out the door.

We had to stop her so we could take some First Day of School pictures.

And one of the reasons she's so excited about Bonham, is that it means going to school with her "big brother and big sister" aka neighbors Wiley and Felice.

When we arrived, she ran up the steps. Again I had to pull her back so we could get a picture!

She came out of school at the end of the day arm in arm with her new best buddy, Ava, bursting with Spanish words. She's in a dual-language immersion program, where in Kindergarten the teacher speaks 100% Spanish. Someone does come in with some English here and there, but mainly it's Spanish. She struggled a bit with Spanish camp this summer, so I figured she'd have a hard time when school started. Not so, she's loving the Spanish, and though she doesn't understand everything, she says "I just look at the teacher and try to figure out what she's saying." And she does!

Each day she's so excited to go to school, and so happy when I pick her up, if a bit tired. She's quickly making new friends and loving walking to school which is just around the corner from our house. I am sure sooner or later the exhaustion will come out and it won't all be a piece of cake, but for the first week, I am so impressed and very proud of how well she has handled this transition.

btw - the schools in our district all have "uniforms", all the bottoms (pants/shorts/skirts/jumpers) have to be khaki color with some specifications on style and shirts white or the school's color, in our case green. There are pros and cons to uniforms, but Angelina loves it - as far as she's concerned, it's all part of being a big kid and going to the "big" school. Also means we have a dresser full of clothes she'll only wear on weekends...

As for Lenaïc, he doesn't know it yet. but he's enjoying a more routine day with sister gone from 8-3:10. But he's oh so happy when she's home.

First Day of School!

2011-08-21T21:33:00.000-05:00

I am wondering how this little baby is suddenly old enough to start Kindergarten tomorrow.

I blinked, and FIVE years passed. If I blink again she'll be off to prom.
It still seems like yesterday we were praying she'd make it through her first 12 hours alive.

And on my one first day of school, Sept 1974. I tried to show her this picture, to show her Mommy also had a first day, and she didn't recognize me.

Quotable Quotes and Rockets

2011-07-30T20:53:00.000-05:00

Our lives have been revolving around space lately.

Last week Angelina and her School Coop buddies went to the Scobee Planetarium on a field trip. This past week, she attended Space Camp where she learned all about the solar system, rockets, planets and then some.

And it's good timing, as one of Frederic's missions, Juno, is about to launch next week. And we get to see it in person, by special invitation from NASA! Angelina can't wait, and I'm pretty excited too.

After a week at Space Camp, she's an expert. She asked me to draw some planets. When she saw the one with rings, she asked what it was. I said "Sa-TURN" she said "No Mommy. That is not right, it is Sa-DURN. D-D-D DURN."

We'll be going to Cocoa Beach, FL to watch the launch. Today she asked "What language do they speak in Florida?" (so she could practice, she's had a week in Spanish camp as well).

Whenever we travel, she wants to know how many airplanes it takes to get somewhere. Today she asked "I want to go to Mars. How many airplanes does it take to get to Mars?....Oh wait, it's not an airplane, it's a ROCKET!!!!"

For more on Juno, click JUNO.

Homebirth on NPR

2011-07-25T21:28:00.001-05:00

Just a small plug - if you missed the Diane Rehm show today, you can listen online -

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-07-25/ina-may-gaskin-birth-matters-midwifes-manifesta?page=1

to Ina May Gaskin, THE midwifery expert.

Lemonade for a Cause

2011-07-24T09:19:00.002-05:00

102F in the shade. What better than a little lemonade and cookies?

Angelina and her friend Maddie (with help from Maddie's mom), set up a lemonade stand outside Maddie's house in King William. They decided they wanted to donate the proceeds to the no-kill Animal Shelter.They also had a sign up "Free for the homeless," but alas, they didn't have many homeless walk by.

They earned $25 for the shelter! And had a blast doing it.

What a way to celebrate turning 5!

2011-07-13T22:54:00.006-05:00

A trip to California!

Angelina's 5th birthday turned into a birthday vacation:

Day 1:
Pool time with Hannah and Martina (cousin Matthew arrived later)

Horseback riding with Hannah

Day 2:
More pool time, followed by grunion hunting....for those who have never heard of grunion or why one would "hunt" them, they are little sardine like fish. They come ashore to lay eggs and for a few months of the year, you can catch them. But only with your bare hands. No nets, no hooks. And they come during the night. So at 9pm off she went with Papa, Uncle Chris, Nanny and her cousins to the beach to catch some grunion. She loved it.

Day 3: off to Big Bear Lake and Uncle Bruce and Aunt "Doretta's" cabin...
Day 4: Turn 5!!! Complete with Dragon cake

And a ride on the "taco" on the lake. At first she didn't want to ride the tube when we went out with Uncle Bruce. Later, when Uncle Chris arrived and took the kids out again without Frédéric and I, they convinced her to try. And in customary fashion, she didn't want to get off.

Day 5: 4th of July with friends

Day 6: Learning to rock climb with cousin Justin. She loves the climbing wall at the park, so Justin, an avid rock climber and home from college for the summer, offered to take her to his climbing gym. Martina, Hannah, and Matthew came too. Camille did as well but having had surgery that day to remove a rod from her arm, she avoided the climbing. Of course, at first Angelina was afraid to try. Then she did and there was no stopping her.

And more pool time

Day 7: Off to Pismo Beach! Wanting a little "family" holiday, we headed up the coast to Pismo Beach. Beautiful!

Day 8: Searching for shells, crabs, and clams in Pismo Dunes

Day 9: hiking the sand dunes south of Pismo, followed by blackberry, raspberry, and strawberry picking near Lake Cachuma.

Day 10: More fun in the pool....

And then home.

for more pictures, click HERE. Pay particular attention to the water slide photos.

Celebrating Angelina's 5th Birthday

2011-06-27T22:06:00.005-05:00

Angelina has been asking, oh, since December, when her birthday party would be. I explained July. When is that? "When it gets hot again." Only it's been hotter than hell since April. She's been to tons of birthday parties all year, and has been not so patiently waiting for her own. In the past week, every morning she'd wake saying "Is today my party?"

Finally, FINALLY, the day of the party arrived!

Her actual birthdate is July 3, but because that's usually a holiday weekend, we've been having her party early. This year, we celebrated June 26, which also happens to be our Swiss Wedding Anniversary (7 years!).

Invited were all the kids in her class, a bunch of neighborhood playmates, assorted other friends with kids. Turned out to be quite the shindig!

Angelina is absolutely obsessed with an out of production PBS show, Dragon Tales (we watch on Netflix). I'm not good with theme birthday parties, but I thought I'd try...

This year we have our pool up (3ft x 15ft), kiddie pool for the little guys, trampoline, and thanks to our wonderful neighbor Fredo, who initially asked me months ago if we'd be having a party because he really wanted to hire a pony (he knew a guy...), pony rides. All this turning our house into quite the Fun House.

And having heard my Dad say enough times that no matter how many adults are around during a party, someone must be lifeguard, I took it to heart and asked our neighborhood teen/housesitter to act as lifeguard during the party. Best decision ever. even though it's only 3 ft deep, with 15+ kids playing in it it can get a bit crazy, and it'd be hard for parents to really watch, esp. if they also have a younger kid around.

The ponies were a huge hit, once the kids got over the shock. I didn't tell anyone, including most of the parents, so it was a surprise for all. The kids were more surprised than excited at first, but then they loved it. Most got to have multiple rides.

Then back to the pool.

Then the piñata.

Then singing Happy Birthday.

And back to the pool.

A great party!

Quotable Quotes

2011-06-21T10:00:00.001-05:00

"Mommy, can I have salsa? It has to be hot." (says the girl who lives on plain pasta with cheese.)
"I want to breathe fire!"
and she ate it, with crackers and lots of water..

No, this is not an announcement.
Angelina "Mommy, do you think it's a sister?"
Me "HUH?"
A: "The baby in your belly, is it a baby sister? You have a big belly." (as she pats my belly)
Me: "No, sweetie, there's no baby in my belly, that's just fat."
A: "Well, you and Papa need to get working on it."

Having made some art project, Angelina presents it to Papa.
Frederic: "What is it?"
Angelina: "I don't know, but would you mind liking it?"

Angelina: "Can we paint the house today?"
Me: "You can paint your play house."
Angelina: "No, that's already pretty. We have to paint the big house. It needs to have a rainbow painted on to make it beautiful."
Think the historic commission will ok a rainbow? This is Lavaca afterall...

A: "We need to buy Papa a race car so he can drive really fast."
Me: "Who's going to buy it."
A: "Us."
Me "Who has the money for it?"
A: "I know! We can ask Maya. She has lots of money!" (Maya is one of her friends. Later she mentioned something about lots of coins, guessing Maya has a piggy bank?)

‎6PM. Angelina, lips blue and shivering from being in the pool for the better part of 4 hours, "Mommy, after I take a bath [chattering teeth], can I go back in the pool?" Yes, she's my kid.

Angelina: "It hasn't rained in a loooong time. The water machine must be broken."

Daylight Savings Time! Angelina: "The sun is not down, it isn't night time yet."

Angelina "So when are we going to get a puppy?"
Me "Puppies are a lot of work. We have to walk it, and we have to train it to go poop outside, then pick up the poop."
Angelina "I know an idea! Chakapu [our cat] can help! the puppy can use the kitty potty [litter box]! Chakapu would be really happy to help the puppy!"

"I want a new book. It's called 'Mommy Turns Into a Monster.'"

"Mommy, today I'm going to be good and sweet."

"Guess what Mommy! Switzerland is out of chocolate...do you know why? Because I ate it all!"

"Mommy, for my birthday, I want a surprise party! Can you plan a surprise for me? And I want a big cake, and Zoe (her friend) will be inside, and then come out and everyone will say 'SURPRISE!'"

"I want to be a global Traveler. I want to save the world!"
"Est-ce que you have the poi'eau?"
"I want to be a clown." Then a few days later, "I want to be a clown so I can be in the circus!"

So attached to Papa

2011-06-20T22:32:00.002-05:00

This morning, as we were leaving for school co-op*, Angelina started crying. It wasn't the temper tantrum type cry but rather a sad, sweet cry. Finally, between sniffles she sobs "Papa forgot to give me a hug goodbye this morning."

I thought by the time I picked her up this afternoon she'd forgotten about that....about 3pm, when she asked what I was doing and I told her I was sending an email to Papa to ask him something, she said "Then you have to tell him he forgot to give me a hug."

An hour later...she's going to the neighbor Felice's house to play, she said "I have to tell Felice Papa didn't give me a hug this morning and I'm so sad."

Finally, Papa is home, she's busy playing in the pool and forgets all about him. Until dinner time and she says, almost in tears "Papa, you didn't give me a hug today!"

Funny thing is, he did give a hug and a kiss!

Sibling Fun

2011-06-17T21:21:00.005-05:00

Lenaïc's favourite thing is to push stuff around. If it has wheels, all the better (better for our floors, too). Fortunately, Angelina's favourite thing is to ride and be pushed.

They make a good team.

Cancer Free!

2011-06-11T21:54:00.003-05:00

It's official.

Frédéric had his first post-op blood work and CT scan. AFP normal! CT scan, normal!
If the lymph node dissection hadn't removed all the cancer, his blood markers would be increasing by now. They're not, so his testicular cancer is gone. The CT scan results also suggest the kidney cancer is gone.

Of course he'll have to continue close surveillance (blood work every 6 weeks, CT scan in 6 months - will probably be chest x-ray then CT scan of other regions). Having had it once, he's at increased risk to have it again. But at this time, it looks like the decision NOT to do chemo was the right one (thanks Dr. Einhorn at Indiana Univeristy!)

On the recovery front, he's pretty much back to normal too. He got an infection in the incision which was pretty painful and yucky for awhile, but that was resolved with oral antibiotics (thankfully! was worried for awhile it'd required IV/hospital). He's been cycling with us, building a fence, playing in the pool. All things a summer should be!

Stacking

2011-06-05T21:08:00.001-05:00

Little Monsters

2011-06-05T20:51:00.003-05:00

When they're too quiet, you know something is up

2011-05-24T09:59:00.002-05:00

Frédéric was watching Lenaïc the other day and was wondering why he was so quiet. He came out to this....

Who me? Who could resist such a look?

And a playdate with our old friend Ann, now with a little one of her own!

An Outing with Papa

2011-05-17T21:02:00.004-05:00

Feeling a bit overwhelmed lately, rushing from one thing to another, I decided I just wasn't up for a hike this weekend and really wanted to stay home and clean our house after last week's party. I know, lame, but I needed some "me" time. Frédéric has been feeling better, so said he'd take the kids on a secret outing in lieu of our planned Enchanted Rock hike.

He wouldn't tell me where they went, it was a secret. But I found these pictures on the camera! Looks like it was fun. For all the pics, Click HERE

To Chemo or Not to Chemo?

2011-05-13T21:29:00.007-05:00

That is the question.

I think we know the answer.

So far, Frédéric's surgery recovery has gone very well. He looks good despite losing some weight (which he could not afford to lose), and is getting around. Still getting worn out and his body's not back to full speed, but he's progressing nicely.

The scary thing about cancer is it's like a weed. You see a small weed in your lawn and you pull it. You think you got the roots, you hope it didn't seed before. And you wait. Or you bash the lawn with chemicals to kill all potential weeds, killing a lot of good stuff in the process. Sometimes you know it's already full of weeds and you have to go at it. Other times, you wait and see. The trick is to catch it again before it gets out of control.

Did the surgery get it all? Probably. Is probably good enough?

Today we saw his local oncologist. Let me backtrack. I'd said before we'd be consulting with the expert team at Indiana University. These folks are the world reknown experts in testicular cancer. They're pretty incredible - send them a bullet report of all labs/scans/reports, the head guru sends back, within 24 hours, his comments and/or recommendations. (Amazingly fast, though knowing how fast my own inbox used to fill up and emails got buried, I see why he responds immediately). In any case, his recommendation came back : Surveillance instead of chemo.

What is Surveillance?
For 1-2 years:
*Blood tests monthly at first then every two months to look for 3 key markers: AFP, LDH, HCG.
*CT scans every 3 months
After 2 yrs: check ups every 6 months

The type of tumor Frédéric had is generally detectable with these markers. That he had an elevated AFP suggests if the cancer has indeed metastasized, it'll become elevated again (so far it's come down to normal range). CT scan will show any tumors, and will be needed for the kidney cancer follow-up anyway.

There are indeed some risks to relying on surveillance:
1. Non-compliance. Patient feels better after awhile, stops going in for checks...we know that is not going to happen (esp as my former job involved assuring patients complied with treatment for TB, I am no stranger to getting patients to comply ;-))

2. Not catching the metastasis, if there is any, soon enough. However this surveillance schedule should be more than adequate to do so. And if it has metastasized, chemo will then become necessary.

So back to our local oncologist. I had forwarded him the information from the Indiana University team so he could review it. He said his initial suggestion was to be chemo (2x BEP or 6 weeks). He said given the metastasis to the perinodal space, he's at Stage II and this would be the standard recommendation. However, he didn't disagree with the IU team. Also, what the pathologist found was all of 2mm, VERY small, so it's entirely possible the RPLND surgery removed it all. In short, he said though this wasn't necessarily his recommendation, he'd feel comfortable with a decision to rely on surveillance, if that's what Frédéric chose. Now we could get a few more opinions, but it won't matter much. It's not like we'll take the majority rules route.

So together with this oncologist, we worked out the above schedule for surveillance. For now. He has a few weeks to make a final decision, but choosing not to have chemo, at this point, is no greater risk than actually having the chemo. And in fact is less, given the risks of chemo.

If he chooses not to, we recognize that they may find cancer later, he may need 3-4 rounds instead of two. But maybe not.

As for the kidney cancer, he needs surveillance for that, but the CT scans will address that. One note is that he'll be evaluated for Van Hippel-Lindau disorder, which is a very rare hereditary disease which basically shows up as two or more tumors in locations which would be very unusual otherwise - like a kidney tumor in a 39 yr old (the testicular cancer is not unusual in his age group, but having that + kidney cancer is). This won't make any real difference in treatment, but will indicate if he has a genetic predisposition to it, and give us some guidance for our kids' need for future testing.

I wish I could say this was a relief. However, in some ways it prolongs the worry. But even if he did have chemo, he'd still have to do 5 years of surveillance anyway. And I at least would still worry, because that's what I do.

So.

We can't yet say he's cancer free. We don't know for sure that chemo will never be necessary. For now, it looks like we'll rely on prevention and surveillance, unless things change.

And again, how grateful I am to this incredible support group we have - here in SA as well as around the world. These last 2 months have not been easy, but you all have made it so much more bearable, and have made our kids very happy.

And after all that today, we treated ourselves to lunch at Il Sogno :)

How does one resist such a face?

2011-05-11T16:09:00.001-05:00

The plus side of Frédéric's cancer is that while recovering from surgery, he's been home for a few weeks. While he can't do a lot with the kids, during the day while Angelina is at school, he has a lot of one-on-one time with Lenaïc.

And what a great party it was!

2011-05-08T13:21:00.003-05:00

Despite there being about a million events happening May 7, a wonderful group of friends (and their kids) turned out for Frédéric's birthday celebration Saturday.

Happy 40th Birthday Frédéric!

2011-05-07T00:01:00.001-05:00

That fabulous husband of mine turns 40 today. And what a way to celebrate: recovering from cancer surgery. But celebrate he will. He says he's up for a party so that's what we're doing - a big party!

Overall, he's recovering well. Sore, worn out after a couple of hours of being out and about, but generally improving. We're not sure yet about the next steps regarding chemo. There's a good possibility he won't have it, but we won't know for sure til next week. For now, he's trying to get his body back and all his insides back into place.

Happy Birthday My Love! May we celebrate 40 more!

Mini-Me

2011-05-05T23:15:00.003-05:00

He has Frédéric's upper lip, but otherwise, Lenaïc is my own Mini-Me.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), he also acts just like me....
The kid NEVER stops. Like ever. Even when sleeping he moves constantly. And tho his vocalizations aren't exactly understandable yet, he talks CONSTANTLY. Even more than Angelina, if you can believe it.

He runs around the house with his hands behind his back so I won't try to hold it. He wants to run free (preferably naked), unhindered by Mommy. but man can he laugh! Angelina will get him started and the two of them just crack up laughing. We still can't figure out what they are laughing about, but it doesn't end.

If only I still had such energy...

Leave it to the chickens

2011-05-02T17:39:00.002-05:00

Dog Days of Summer....April in Texas

2011-05-01T12:06:00.004-05:00

There's nothing like sharing a paleta with a friend.

A paleta is a "Latin American ice pop, usually made from fresh fruit." Angelina, of course, chooses chocolate. My favourites are mango and papaya but they have cream, so Lenaïc and I now settle for watermelon, or sandia.

One of the true joys of a San Antonio Summer is the Paleta man cycling by, tinkling his little bell. We have a favourite guy - he used to be here all the time, then disappeared for a few years. Now he's back, remembers us, stopped by to say hi. I guess we were good customers. He speaks no English and my Spanish leaves a lot to be desired, be we managed to communicate. He knew us well when I was still pregnant with Angelina, so it was fun to see his face when he saw the almost 5 yr old running about.

Lenaïc got his first taste, and liked it.

A Day at the Zoo

2011-04-29T22:56:00.005-05:00

Frédéric Update: his recovery is progressing ok. He was feeling awful early in the week, then hit a turning point. Finally improving, but taking it slow.

Fridays are when I pick up Angelina before lunch, and ideally go out and do something fun. Weather was pretty nice today, so decided to go to the zoo. But really, we didn't go for animals. The zoo has a Tiny Tots area with a "riverbank." It's a great area - sand, little "river", fun stuff to play in. Loads easier than going to the real river with 2 kids, and we see a few monkeys and birds on the way. Since we weren't planning to really walk around the zoo, Frederic decided to join us. All he had to do was walk to the area, sit. It wore him out, but we were really glad he was there. One bonus to all this, he's been spending more time with the kids, seeing all their antics.

In the end his incision started leaking and he was pretty worn out, but the kids had fun in the "river." For more pics, go HERE

My Husband the Medical Oddity

2011-04-27T19:21:00.005-05:00

First News – Frédéric is home. He was discharged from the hospital on Sunday. They told him his initial recovery was faster than expected. Alas, further recovery will take some time. When they take all your insides out, put them on your chest, cut more, put them all back, it takes awhile for everything to get back into place. He’s doing alright, just in pain and nauseated and losing weight. Hopefully that will improve with time. He's taking walks around the house to try to jingle everything back into place. The doctor said to plan for 3-4 weeks recovery time.

Second News – Good News and Not So Good News
As expected, the kidney tumor really was from the kidney – not metastasis from the testicular cancer. This is good. They removed a wide margin around the tumor, leaving half the kidney. The pathology report indicated this was sufficient to consider the cancer completely removed. And though he’s now at a slightly (5%) increased risk for kidney cancer in that same kidney, they’ll consider the kidney cancer cured.

The other part of the surgery was the lymph node dissection (RPLND) related to the testicular cancer. TC usually goes into the nodes first, so removing them and evaluating them helps both to potentially remove the cancer and determine if it’s spread. Ideally, if it’s in 2 or less nodes, surgery should be sufficient along with surveillance, so no chemo. Initially 2 nodes had been enlarged, which was the cause for concern. They removed 29 nodes overall. All negative for cancer! Hooray! That’s the good news.

The not so good news – they found cancerous cells in the tissue between the nodes and in the vein. So the nodes are clear of cancer, but the tissue is not. This is strange. Apparently, having only the lymph nodes affected or the lymph nodes + tissue affected is typical. Having only the space in between the nodes affected is not. You oncologists and pathologists may have more info, but in a quick review of the literature I couldn’t find any info on this type of situation and the urologist found it very odd.

What does that mean now? We don’t know yet, but probably chemo. Possibly two rounds instead of the more usual 3-4, and maybe 2 drugs instead of 3. However the standard drug for testicular cancer is Cisplatin, which is toxic to the kidney. Though they managed to save half the kidney, his kidneys are weakened and they are at increased risk for kidney problems. So over the next couple of weeks we’ll be making the round of oncologists locally, and his info has been sent to the testicular cancer experts at Indiana University (incidentally where my sister happens to be on faculty, in a different department). Fortunately his case isn’t severe, just unusual, requiring some thinking outside the box in terms of next steps. They don’t want chemo starting until he’s completely recovered from the surgery and his kidney function is as close to normal as possible. Oh, and it’d help if he could hold down some food so he can put some weight back on…

Thank you all again for your wonderful support, help, thoughts, meditations, and prayers. All are very welcome and appreciated. You’ve all made this experience go much more smoothly.

For you medical types, the exact wording on the final path report is:
"the lymph nodes are negative for tumor, however, in the perinodal lymph-vascular spaces metastatic embryonal carcinoma is identified, 2mm at greatest dimension."

A visit with Papa

2011-04-24T08:57:00.002-05:00

Progress

2011-04-22T10:40:00.003-05:00

Frederic is up and walking around. It wasn't easy, but he pushed himself to move.

The doctors described his surgery as "We had to take all your organs out, put them on your chest, then move them back in again. So they're all jumbled around." Walking helps get everything back in place, so he needs to move. Angelina helped :)

Surgeons and Smiles

2011-04-20T22:36:00.004-05:00

(Forgive the repost from Facebook and email...it's been a long day!)

Happiness is....seeing your husband's surgeons walk out of the operating room with big smiles on their faces. And they hugged me. I love these guys!

All in all, Frederic's surgery today went very well. A little more than
5 hours, they managed to save the better part of the kidney, removing
the tumor completely. Though we won't have final word until the
pathology report comes in, the pathologist who was in the surgery said
he was pretty convinced it was a kidney-specific tumor. That's a good
thing, as it means it's not metastasis from the testicular cancer and
treatable completely by removing it.

Next they went on to the lymph node dissection, which also went very
well. They were very grateful he's so thin, making it much easier for
them to see everything clearly and work quickly. Again we'll have to
wait for the final pathology report (7 days), but from their
observations, they think at most one node may have testicular cancer
(this is good).

The nurse kindly reported to me every hour during surgery how it was
going. Frederic handled it all very well. He's worn out and feeling a
little cruddy tonight, but a visit from the two munchkins cheered him up
(and if you can believe it, Angelina *sat still* in a chair in the
hospital room while visiting). Recovery will take awhile and he has
multiple tubes sticking out of him, but the first (or I guess the
second) hurdle has been overcome.

Thanks again to all for your prayers and thoughts, and help. Two
families took our kids for the day, and meals have been arriving for
which we're all very grateful!

A Big Day Ahead

2011-04-19T21:50:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow, April 20, is a big day for all of us. See, last month Frédéric was diagnosed with cancer. The Big C. Not just one, but two. He found a growth in his testicle, and after a few doctors visits, a cancerous growth was confirmed. Within days he was whisked in to surgery to have it removed.

When Angelina was born, and in NICU, we often said "We're lucky in our bad luck." Well, We're still lucky in our bad luck. Cancer is never good, but if you're going to have it, might as well have one that has a 90-95% cure rate. The pathology on the tumor eventually came back as stage IB cancer. Not as good as IA, but way better than II or III.

Alas, it was not as simple as that. In a CT scan following surgery to see if the testicular cancer (TC) had metastasized, a second tumor was found. On the kidney. TC goes like this: testicle -->lymph nodes ---> abdomen/lungs ---> brain and then maybe, just maybe, kidney. Basically TC never goes to the kidney unless the whole body is affected. Which, in Frederic's case, it's not. That is clear from all the exams. So, this looks like a totally independent, second primary tumor on his kidney. What are the chances of that? Almost none. None of the 20 or so doctors who've reviewed his case locally had ever seen this, and they were all so amazed that they were all calling their med school buddies to see if any of them had seen it. All no. I did eventually find one person in NY who'd had a similar situation. So he's not the ONLY one, but he's still a medical oddity. I'm waiting to see it written up as a case review in the Journal of Urology sometime in the near future.

Anyway, so We're Lucky in Our Bad Luck Part II. Here's the deal. Kidney tumors are very slow growing. Often they're not found until they're in stage II and showing symptoms. Cure rate is still good at 80%, but they're not susceptible to chemotherapy or radiation, only surgical removal. So finding it early is key. And this was found early. Thanks to the testicular cancer. They never would have looked for a kidney tumor without the TC. So, in a way, testicular cancer saved him. At this point, the kidney tumor looks to be in Stage I as well, with an excellent prognosis.

Wed, April 20, Frédéric will go back into surgery for 6+ hours for two things: partial (hopefully) nephrectomy where they'll remove the tumor and try to save at least part of the kidney. They will also do an RPLND - retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, which will remove the lymph nodes nearest the testicle, most likely affected by the testicular tumor. While two kidneys aren't absolutely necessary, if he does end up needing chemo for the TC (hopefully not), the drugs are toxic to the kidney, so he needs as much kidney function as possible. The surgeons are the best, and we all feel positive he'll have a very positive outcome.

As for Angelina, she's aware Papa has to have an operation, and she's ready to "help" him get better. She doesn't seem too scared, but after the last surgery she didn't want to leave his side. This is a bigger one, and he'll be in hospital recovering for awhile. She's already prepared to "scrub up" when she goes into visit him (like we told her we had to do when she was a baby in NICU).

And on the "Why I love Lavaca" front, well, it's not just Lavaca, but our whole extended community here, the outpouring of love, concern, HELP, is just beyond belief. So many friends have stepped forward to help with the kids,prepare meals, go grocery shopping for us, even come over at 5am to stay with the kids so I can take Frederic to the hospital. We are so blessed to have such incredible support locally. We are also so blessed to have such worldwide support: friends and family across the globe have been amazing. I love that masses are being said for Frederic in a little village church in Ireland as well as in Oxnard, CA. That prayers and good thoughts are being sent to us from every continent.

While Cancer is scary, Frédéric is stronger and will kick cancer's butt! With a little help from our friends.

Swimming

2011-04-19T21:32:00.003-05:00

One thing is for certain, our children are part fish. They LOVE the water. So it was high time we had swimming lessons. Angelina started last summer in CA, then continued on here with San Antonio Swim Academy. She has her moments of not wanting to go (really, she just doesn't like being *taught*), but her current teacher, Mr. Ryan, is excellent. This past year she's learned to do a lot in the water and is really confident now. I still don't trust her to swim alone without a life jacket in the river or a lake, but she can swim in a pool pretty well!

Lenaïc also started lessons in January. He loves it, except when he has to go on his back. Months later he still hates that. His favourite game is throwing the toy and swimming towards it (with Mommy's help). he loves this so much he tries to do it whenever he sees water, even if he's not swimming. We've had to miss a few classes lately due to illnesses (mine and his), but hopefully next week we'll be back on track.

Today, Frédéric was home early so he decided to join us. Angelina loved showing off her technique and we finally have some PICTURES.

Viva Fiesta!

2011-04-17T12:22:00.002-05:00

For 10 days every April, San Antonio is transformed. Ok, not really transformed, since San Antonio is pretty much Fiesta City all year long. But in April it's different (FIESTA), and it's too hard to explain. You just have to come here to experience it.
.

This year, we have a lot going on so we skipped most Fiesta events. However, we took advantage of our friends' downtown apartment to watch two parades we'd never seen: Battle of Flowers, which is the event that started it all, and the Flambeau Night parade. We also participated in the one event we always hit (partly because it's basically in our neighborhood): the King William Parade and Fair.

The King William Parade is a funky, mismatched, anything goes parade reflective of the neighborhood. For the past few years the King William Area Kids (KWAKs) have had a neighborhood float the kids help decorate and ride, while the Southtown Area Parents (SAPs) walk behind. As we waited to start, the parade was delayed. Finally learned there was a house fire along the parade route. Organizers quickly re-routed the parade, got spectators moving, and off we went. For pictures of the pre-parade float decorating, set up, parade, and post parties, click HERE.

Spring in Texas

2011-04-11T11:04:00.003-05:00

As Frédéric's 40th birthday is approaching, he decided he wanted a new camera. I didn't even bother to try getting it myself. I told him to find one he liked and that was his present.

The pictures are incredible, however because the files were so big, I haven't been able to load any for awhile. I finally learned how to make them smaller, so here they are!

click here.

Camping!

2011-04-11T10:54:00.006-05:00

Our kids LOVE camping. Nothing can be more fun than setting up the tent and hiking with Papa (and Mommy too, but Papa is key here...).

Now Angelina is convinced camping = S'nores (aka S'mores - those marshmallow/chocolate/graham cracker things). I hate marshmallows (or as Angelina says "Shmarshmallows"), but she begged and begged and begged....it wasn't camping if there were no "S'nores." So I relented and brought stuff along. Turns out she didn't actually want the s'mores, just the marshmallow.

And camping isn't camping without a sleeping bag, even if it's 80F (27C) at night. She insisted on zipping her sleeping bag up all the way. I had to wait til she slept then unzip it, as she was already soaking from sweat. Fortunately, it cooled off after midnight.

So this past weekend we decided to skip Fiesta and head out to Garner State Park.

The Frio River runs through the park, and as the name suggests, it's usually cold. But as it was in the 90sF in the afternoons, the water felt perfect.

After a long hike...

For more pictures, click HERE

Apparently, I'm second rate

2011-03-26T21:16:00.003-05:00

While putting Angelina to bed (normally Papa does this), she asks me "Mommy, do you want to stay 2 minutes, or 5 minutes?"

I say "5 minutes."

She responds, ever so sweetly "Mommy, I like you, but I like Papa best, so how about you stay 2 minutes?"

Lenaïc's Motto

2011-03-19T09:06:00.002-05:00

Let no stone be unturned, no cupboard left unexplored....

How did my little baby become a Big Boy?!

2011-03-13T22:55:00.000-05:00

And then there's Chocolate Girl...

Hours of Fun

2011-03-06T21:39:00.003-06:00

When we go to California, Angelina spends hours jumping on Uncle Chris's trampoline. HOURS. She loves jumping. Loves those places with bouncy castles. She's full of energy. Now, thanks to our neighbors, we now have a trampoline (they didn't want it, we did). Frederic had to take it apart and re-assemble, but it's been well worth. She spends at least 1-2 hours/day jumping (depending on what time we get home from school, some days it's more).

Alas, it hasn't seemed to diminish her energy.

Toddler + Gardening = A lot of dirt

2011-02-21T23:03:00.004-06:00

At least it's organic...

And good thing we use rain barrels (to make up for all the water we use hosing down dirty kids)

It's spring in Texas and that means gardening. Gardening with a toddler, well, that means dirt. And laundry. and more dirt. I honestly can't complain though, I am glad my kids aren't afraid to get a little dirty. Or a lot.

Wednesday Follow-up:
Today I was clearing out another garden bed, and I dumped a bunch of the dirt into a big pile. Lenaïc thought he discovered Heaven and immediately DOVE in. Big Time. Seriously. You have never seen a kid so happy. I laughed, and went back to raking the garden bed. Then I saw them. Ants. FIRE ANTS. LOADS OF THEM. Inititally my thought was about how to deal with them in the garden (I've already got them in one of my compost bins). And then "Holy Crap! If they're here, they're in the dirt Lenaïc is now half-buried in."

I rushed over to pull him away, screaming. Not because he had ant bites, because he was mad to be denied his dirt heaven. I moved a bunch of dirt looking for ants. Didn't see any at first, almost let him keep playing, thinking I must have just skimmed the top. Then I saw them. Tons of them. So I had to distract a screaming Lenaïc fighting to get back to his dirt pile. We opted instead to wash the new (to us) trampoline. bouncing on that made him forget the dirt. More on the trampoline later.

Playtime

2011-02-14T21:11:00.004-06:00

I think I'm going to get rid of all toys in the house.
All we really need is -
*boxes - all kinds, great for sleeping, hiding, using as a house for animals...
*tupperware/plastic containers - great for stacking, throwing, discovering (what's hidden in the cupboard?)
*metal lids for pots - great for making noise, er, music
*trash cans with lids - great for opening and hiding toys
*large plastic bins - great for sitting in while your friend pulls you across the yard
*rocks - many many uses
*buckets - great for filling with water (from the rain barrels) and all Mommy's landscaping rocks
*sticks - uses too numerous to count
*recycle bin with lots of newspaper and carboard - great for taking out and throwing around the room

furniture, blankets, and pillows...

And Friends

Kids' imaginations are endless

When there's a will to play, there's always a way....

2011-02-10T21:35:00.002-06:00

Ok, so we did put a stop to it and said she couldn't play with the furniture like this, but I confess to being rather impressed with her creativity!

SNOW DAY!!!!

2011-02-05T13:18:00.004-06:00

You Northerners and Swiss will laugh, but yes indeed, San Antonio had a Snow Day yesterday! It doesn't happen often, and it was really little more than a dusting of snow. Mostly the problem is the ice. This city has zero equipment to deal with snow/ice, and 99% of the drivers have no clue how to drive in it. Not to mention many kids don't really have appropriate clothing (so waiting for a school bus in 20F is not really safe). So it's easier just to shut down the city for a day.

As it turned out, the 2 days leading up to it were colder than the actual snow day. While it never got much above freezing, it was a glorious sunny day. Knowing many of Angelina's friends would be stuck at home, we decided to have an Open House - most could walk here, so no driving required. Over the course of the day we had about 12 kids beginning at 8:30 until 5pm.

They tried "skating" on the street using plastic bags, and were hoping to sled but given the only slope was the edge of the driveway, that didn't go anywhere.

Mostly, they just played with the ice and snow.

And this being San Antonio, just a few days before we were wearing shorts, riding our bikes to the park.

The Lullabye of the New Age Hippie Mother

2011-01-31T20:47:00.003-06:00

So by now, everyone has read Amy Chua's excerpt from her book, or at least a commentary on, or many comments about The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. This blog isn't really a "MommyBlog" in the vein of most. This is just a family site to share our kids, but sometimes, I find I need to say more. I don't really want to give this book yet more coverage, but I am not one to keep quiet - and it's not like anyone reading is going to go out and buy the book...

Though, as I understand, the book is about the whole arc of discovering parenting and not really as bad as the Wall St Journal excerpt made it seem, the premise, that a "successful" child = one who is top in their class and tops at music (preferably the violin or piano - I guess guitar or drums are not acceptable) is what disturbs me even more than the parenting style. See, many of us are outraged at what appears to border on child abuse. But then, many mainstream articles have suggested maybe we're outraged because she was right. Maybe, we western (US) parents really are just too lazy to put the effort into raising our kids, are too scared to push them to get straight As, too hesitant to deny frivolous things like playdates, sports, crafts and fun.

But again, why is the measure of success getting all As? Leaving aside the issue that only one person can be top of the class, so if we all expected our kids to be perfect, many of us would be disappointed and have kids who view themselves as failures.

Yes, I want my kids to do well in school. I want them to excel at the things they try. But more importantly, I want them to love learning. I want them to work hard at it because the challenge is fun and exciting. I want my kid to continue to come home saying "Mommy! I know things!" because she learned new stuff in school that day as opposed to "Mommy! I need to get 100%!" or pulling out her hair in stress saying "I need to do better than Jane/Tommy/every-other-kid."

I want them to be just as happy picking up the drums as a violin (ok, maybe not the drums...is there a quiet musical instrument?) or kicking a soccer ball or twirling like a ballerina or whatever excites them. I want them to be willing to try any activity they think is fun (legal and appropriate of course). Gymnastics? Ballet? Swimming? Diving? Soccer? T-ball? Football? Creative writing? Crafts? Painting? Building? Yes!

Maybe they'll choose one and become the best. Or maybe they'll be second best. Or maybe they'll just do it and have fun and move on to the next thing.

Some might think this will make them non-commital in life, never settling on one thing. But I don't think so. That's pretty much what I did, and at various points in my life, excelled at whatever activity I put my heart into. No, I never became an Olympic diver nor am I likely to win a Nobel Prize, but to date, I've had a pretty dang good life and am pretty happy with all I've done.

Am I willing to push my kids? Yes. I hope, however, that we have the intuition to recognize when they need to be pushed, and when they just need support. If any of my teachers/coaches/parents had called me "garbage" (as Chua does) or threatened to destroy all my toys, or forced me to practice with no water/bathroom breaks, I'd have learned to hate the activity (and to be honest, Angelina can go about 10x longer without a bathroom break than I can).

Negative reinforcement doesn't work. For me. And I don't think it'll work for my kids. Indeed, I have found it takes far more energy to pay attention to them, to learn to understand what it is will motivate them. Much easier to scream and yell and demand, but far more negative emotional energy than any of us wants to live with and it doesn't really work.

I'm pretty sure my kids will be successful in life, because the foundation is one of happiness and love of learning. And most importantly, a love of life and people.

You know you're a parent when....

2011-01-21T21:48:00.002-06:00

You accept "gifts" without question...

Laying in bed, nursing Lenaïc to sleep (who, by the way, has already puked on me twice, thanks to a tummy bug acquired from Wednesday's playgroup)....Angelina crawls into bed next to us.

"Goodnight Mommy."
"Goodnight Sweetpea."
"Here you go Mommy" as she puts something into my fingers - I can't tell what, I feel nothing. I think it's some imaginary magic wand or something (she has quite the imagination....and I'm reading Harry Potter)
I continue to swirl my fingers around to see if there's something actually there.

Angelina whispers, sweetly, "Mommy. It's my booger."

Holiday Recap

2011-01-14T17:59:00.007-06:00

Finally getting around to uploading some pictures. If you haven't received our holiday card, it's because I never got around to sending them, and here's why... Frédéric had his annual meeting in San Francisco, and another meeting in Switzerland, so we decided to make it a round the world (or at least two continents and one ocean) trip and join him.

We all flew to So Cal together, then he flew up to SF while Angelina, Lenaïc and I stayed with the family for a week. Lots of outings with cousins: beach, Christmas play, Hannah's horse show, walk to see the over-the-top Christmas lights on Thoroughbred in Rancho Cucamonga, picking out and decorating a Christmas tree for Uncle Chris and family, decorating Aunt Loretta and Uncle Bruce's tree, ice skating, playing with cousins....ending on Sat with a family birthday party for Lenaïc, which special guests of honor: Chip and Trisha (Chip is my old diving coach whom I've known since I was 6!). (For pictures see HERE)

Lenaïc was a little grouchy at his birthday party, and a few hours later I learned why. When we woke him at 3:30am to leave for the airport for our 6am flight, he had a temp of 102.7F! Fortunately, a little tylenol brought it down and no more fever after that - Phew!

Then the LOOOOOONG flight to Geneva. Stop in Denver, Stop in Washington Dulles, then overnight flight to Geneva. Apparently, Lenaïc didn't get the memo that overnight flights = sleep. he was feeling fine so not fussy, but so not interested in sleeping. We'd beeen lucky as Angelina has always been a really good (read sleeps a lot) flier. Lenaïc, on the other hand, must have thought this was the party flight. Lucky for us, the flight attendants loved him and were happy to have him join them in the galley and played games with him for a few hours while the rest of the plane slept. Unfortunately, not me. Still, I can't complain too much as he hardly cried.

After a visit with Granpapa, we headed off to Bern so Frederic could work while I played with the kids. We took a lot of walks, and Angelina had an art class at the Paul Klee Museum which was very cool! Then back to L'Abergement for sledding, ice skating, visiting cousins and friends, Christmas parties, New Year Parties, and more! For more pictures, see HERE

Ice Skating!

2011-01-09T13:07:00.003-06:00

It was a holiday of winter sports: Sledding and Ice Skating (no skiing just yet). Trying to figure out what to do on a cold and rainy Friday afternoon in California, cousin Kyle came up with the great idea to go ice skating! Angelina had never been but I'd been wanting to take her.
Along came Hannah, Camille, and Martina (Kyle decided it was no fun with all girls). Nanny came along to watch Lenaïc while I skated and showed off my Dorothy Hamill-era spirals (and became dizzy...there's a reason I didn't last long in figure skating).

Angelina took to it right away and couldn't wait to go again once we got to Switzerland. There's a wonderful lake, Lac de Joux> where we went ice skating 3 years ago and Angelina learned to walk. But it was just too cold, so we decided to stay a little closer to home and go to an indoor rink. We went twice, first with the Gloor Family and a few days later with the Allegrini cousins. By the 3rd time, she was doing really well! Still needing help with the cone, but a lot more confident.

Lenaïc was satisfied to ice skate while in Papa's arms.

Embrace the Mess!

2011-01-09T09:44:00.005-06:00

Thise article in the New York Times struck a cord with me.
And no, it's not just an excuse to be messy. Kids really do need space and time to be free. To make up games, to create their own stories, to turn a box, some tupperware, cans, you name it into whatever their imagination decides.

Last night Angelina made a "slide" out of the couch cushions. Realizing it wasn't sturdy enough for her to slide down, she decided it was perfect for her many stuffed animals. So along they came, and "hid" under the remaining cushions.

And of course there's Lenaïc who likes to play the "let's discover what's in the back of the cupboard/bottom of the drawer" game which requires emptying out their contents completely.

While I'd like to have a little less mess, at least there's the Clean Up Song. Clean Up, Clean up, everybody clean up. Let's work together, everyone do their share."

"There's water under the snow!"

2011-01-09T09:34:00.003-06:00

Snow Snow everywhere! We arrived in Switzerland following a couple of weeks of snowstorms. Fortunately, the storms were mostly over by the time we landed, so no flight delays.

What we found instead was a winter wonderland. Even more so when it snowed again on Christmas Eve, and then the day after Christmas was spectacularly sunny and gorgeous, so we had this view while sledding on the hill outside Granpapa's house.

Angelina LOVED sledding. Every day. EVERY day. Even when it hadn't snowed again and the snow was so thin we were sledding on grass, she asked for more sledding. Who can blame her? How fun is it to ride fast down a hill?

She even loved it when she crashed, burying her face in the snow she exclaimed "There's water under the snow!"

As for Lenaïc, I think I can safely say he had fun crawling in the snow. We weren't brace enough to go downhill on the sled with him, so he had to content himself with playing in it.

One thing is for certain, these Allegrini kids live life FULLY.

"All My Cousins"

2011-01-02T12:56:00.002-06:00

Not technically cousins, but Angelina believes that all kids in Switzerland are her cousins. My kid is definitely not exclusive. These are some of Frederic's dearest friends, 2 of whom are his godchildren. Angelina is convinced they are her cousins and there's no explaining otherwise. So cousins they are!

Holidays with Family

2010-12-26T05:56:00.002-06:00

Quotable Quotes 2010

2010-12-24T17:14:00.005-06:00

Christmas Eve "Santa has a ranch...in the ocean."

Christmas Eve Morning "It's snowing!!! That means we can open presents now!"

on the flight to Switzerland (and again in the car on the way to her cousins' house): "Papa, don't tell Mael and Gilles I pick my nose."

On a very sunny 88F December day in California, after putting up the Christmas tree: "When is it going to snow? If it's Christmas it has to snow!"

On one of our flights: "I'm not very good at sleeping but my eyes are good at closing."

On Lenaïc's birthday:
Me: "We're going to have a little party on Lenaïc's actual birthday, just you, L, Papa, and Mommy."
Angelina: "No! I want a BIG party!"
Me: "We already had the big party."
Angelina: "We need ANOTHER big party! I only like BIG parties. Not little parties!"
Yup, she may look identical to an Allegrini, but she definitely inherited the Rohr ...and Beltran genes.

Dec 2
Angelina "Mommy, I want a baby sister."
Me "Well, what if you get a baby brother instead?"
A: "no, I want a sister, like Dora. "
me: "I'm not sure I can promise a baby sister."
A (brimming with excitement): "I know! Papa can help you!"

Nov 30 "Mommy, I don't love any boys. I just love Wiley and Angus."

Nov 24 Mommy! It's raining leaves!"

Nov 20 Angelina fell and busted her lip. Papa offered chocolate to make it all better. 30 minutes later, in a very sad voice "Mommy, my lip still hurts. Can I have more chocolate?" I told her if it continues to hurt, carrots will make it better. Funny, it's all fine now.

Nov 14 Angelina diligently reading the safety instructions (her 4th plane is as many days). Attendant shows her the O2 mask and thinking Angelina is worried says "Don't worry, in my 26 yrs we haven't had to use this." Angelina responds "Can we land on the water? I want to use the life jacket and slide!"

Nov 10 You can take the girl out of Southtown, but....
In California, I ask "Angelina, would you like to go to the playground?"
Angelina responds with excitement "Oh! We're going to Friendly Spot?!"

Upon seeing that I'd framed her artwork (a series of sitck figures with funny heads), Angelina announced "Can you write the title on it: 'The Many Faces of Angelina'?"

Nov 2 "Mommy, I'm still a little bit sick."
"What's wrong?"
"I had too much candy the other day." she says with her mouth full of chocolate...

"Mommy, there's no milk left, only shakes."

Oct 16 "Don't call me Angelina. You have to call me Spicy Sparkle."

And the next day:
Angelina: "Just call me Spicy."
Me: "Not Spicy Sparkle?"
Angelina: "No. I'm just Spicy."

Angelina: "Mommy, does your bed only fit 3 people?"
Me: "Yes, honey."
Angelina: "You need a bigger bed for all kids to fit."

on Chalk it Up day in San Antonio Angelina: "What time is it? It's Chalking the Street time!"

Heard on the way to school today:
(1)"Mommy, what animals eat their poop?"
(2) Passing Ft Sam Army barracks*: "Mommy, is that where princesses get married?"
(3) "Mermaids don't live in castles."

"Papa will fix it, he can fix anything!"

"Mommy, I need a big brother. "
"Wylie's not really my brother. He's Felice's brother. I have a little brother but I need a BIG brother."

"Mommy, I'm going to teach you French so you can talk to Papa."
"Thanks Angelina, you speak French well. What are some words to know?"
"Chocolat!"

Angelina: "Mommy, I want to go Waterboarding!"
Me: "Waterboarding? What's that?" (not something most kids ask for...)
Angelina: "You know! Skateboarding on the water!" (aka surfing)

My California Girl, in distress: "Mommy! The sun is gone! Where is the sun? Suuuuun! Come back Sun! Mommy needs you to help dry the laundry!" (she's also energy conscious as well as sun-worshipping) then "I know! Let's go on an airplane to get closer to the sun! Suuuuun! You're not being very nice, we need you to come back!"

On her birthday, July 3, 2010: "Mommy, my name is not Angelina, you have to call me 'Princess.'"

Angelina: "Those DUDES are being bad! The dudes need to go in time out!"
(following me complaining "Come on Dude!" about someone blocking the intersection)

Happy Birthday Little Monster!

2010-12-09T07:41:00.003-06:00

One year ago today (not until about 10pm), this little creature entered our lives and changed it forever. For the better.

Happy Birthday Lenaïc! Thanks for choosing us to be your family!

And some One Year stats, as of Dec 10: 29in tall, 22lbs 12 oz. Short and fat!

How does a year go by so fast?

2010-12-08T20:44:00.004-06:00

And when did my tiny little baby become a monster toddler?

One year old. ONE. How did that happen so fast? It was just yesterday I was sitting here 38 weeks pregnant, trying to finish things up and hoping the little one held off at least until the due date of Dec 25. He decided this place was just too much fun he needed to join the fray early, on Dec 9. And now he's ONE.

If I was a more organized mom I'd have some cool slide show of his first year, but since we're still editing years 1-4 of Angelina's video in addition to Lenaïc's first year, that's going to have to wait.

It's been an incredible year for all of us. Angelina has learned to love (and hate) being a big sister (but mostly love). We've learned to handle 2 kids -ok, so we haven't really figured that out, but we're trying. Lenaïc went from struggling to gain weight in his first few weeks of life to bursting off the charts (he's in 18 month clothes now and some of those are already too small). He zooms all over the house on his hands and feet (he crawls too, but he has this funky yoga position he likes on his feet instead of knees, and "walks" all over like that, even better if he has two small cups in his hands). He pulls up. He likes pushing things as he "walks." He hasn't figured out words yet but has his own way of talking. He loves Chakapu (our cat) and big sister Angelina, he loves parties and friends. He loves Mommy and Papa - the look on his face when Papa walks into the room is enough to melt the hardest heart. (He is happy to see mommy, too, but I'm convinced he just sees me as a meal source)

He likes to "help" unload the dishwasher, though we've taught him to "help" by closing the door instead. He likes to unload every cabinet in the house, but I can't fix that yet. He likes balls and cups and plastic containers. He LOVES lids. Metal lids, who needs cymbals when you can use Mommy's pots?

He is full of laughter and love. Even when he's cranky, all we have to do is sing a silly song or clap our hands and he starts to laugh.

The old poem clearly didn't have it right for Lenaïc. He's a Wednesday Child. Woe is the farthest thing from his existence.

Happy Birthday my Brightness of the Sun. You and your sister make this world a better place for all of us.

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath Day
Is bonny and blithe and good and gay.[1]

Let the Fiestas Begin!

2010-12-06T10:01:00.003-06:00

Me: "We're going to have a little party on Lenaïc's actual birthday, just you, L, Papa, and Mommy."
Angelina: "No! I want a BIG party!"
Me: "We already had the big party."
Angelina: "We need ANOTHER big party! I only like BIG parties. Not little parties!"
Yup, she may look identical to an Allegrini, but she definitely inherited the Rohr and Beltran genes.

Festivities have begun with a birthday party this past Saturday for all our San Antonio friends.

Next up, a California celebration!

My awesome Husband

2010-11-26T10:07:00.001-06:00

Latest house project, or why I've been a single parent for awhile.....Frédéric has been working every weekend for the past few months on my birthday present. To see it,go HERE

A Whole New World to Explore

2010-11-14T08:29:00.005-06:00

A quick 4 day trip to Nanny's house and how many cupboards can a little boy empty?

There was also the drawer with the DVDs/videos, but I missed that picture.

Of course, as we know this is usual behaviour at home:

More CA pics to come.

Halloween Fun

2010-11-01T16:51:00.008-05:00

I've always been sort of so-so on Halloween. It's fun once you get into it, and I've certainly hosted my share of Halloween parties, but my lack of a creative gene has meant feeling less than enthused about costumes.

This year, Angelina wanted to be Tinkerbell. In my "now-I'm a Stay At Home Mom I must be a domestic goddess" mode, I decided to make her costume. I like to sew, I am tolerable at it, but just barely. Weeks of work and more than double the cost of buying a cheap Target Tinkerbell costume, and I didn't take pictures! (I am sure someone did, so hopefully I can post soon)

All that focus on Tinkerbell I neglected Lenaïc's costume. Fortunately Babies-R-Us had all of ONE costume left, on clearance, in his size (sort of...it was a bit small but worked long enough for a picture).

This turned into weeks of Halloween activities. First, the KWAKs (King William Area Kids) Pumpkin Carving and Dia De los Muertos party last week. Anyone who still thinks there aren't any kids living downtown needs to show up to one of these events: kids galore! Again my lack of artistic skills show, so I turned over pumpkin carving to our neighbor Rick, who used Angelina's drawing on the pumpkin to cut. Turning out pretty impressive! Alas, that pumpkin didn't survive our 80F+ week so Frédéric and Angelina carved another one on Halloween Day.

And then came the costume parties. On Saturday, a boy from Angelina's class was hosting a party (or rather, his parents were). btw - we love this new school and the families there! Angelina has been talking about this boy A LOT, so it was nice to meet his family, as well as many other kids and their parents. Dragging her home was not easy. Angelina never wants to leave a party.

And then came Halloween Night. In years past, our neighborhood had been inner-city ghetto. Not a nice place to be, esp. for kids. Which follows that few kids did trick or treating. Our first few years here, we rarely had any kids come by and so we hadn't bothered to take Angelina out here either. Last year we went to King William, the next 'hood over, which was fun, but overwhelming: Truckloads of kids, many teens looking pretty scary, streets with far too much traffic. So this year, a neighbor who happens to be the mother of two of Angelina's playmates suggested we bring Halloween back to Lavaca. And so we did.

Coordinating with a handful of other families with small kids who preferred to trick or treat in Lavaca, we assured a critical mass of kids and a critical number of houses to give out candy.
We started with a pre-party at our house - a chance for the kids to check out each other's costumes,

for the littlest ones to have some Halloween fun, and to fill them up on healthy dinner and snacks (carrots, apples) before heading out into the 'hood for candy. Turned out great! In addition to our pre-assigned houses, we came across many others handing out treats who were surprised to see so many kids, and happy for it. Also happened upon a number of other kids out, so we didn't single-handedly bring Halloween back to Lavaca, but we put in a pretty strong effort!

The Rohr-Allegini Cloning Experiment

2010-10-26T13:45:00.005-05:00

We are scientists afterall, so perhaps it's not shocking we'd conduct our own little experiment with cloning and genetics.

At least, that is how it woul appear...

(Lenaïc has straight hair like my brother Albert instead of my curls, otherwise, he's a clone)

Genetics Experiment

2010-10-25T23:33:00.001-05:00

2010-10-19T12:50:00.002-05:00

The Birthday Model

2010-10-06T21:51:00.004-05:00

Ok, so it has been awhile since Angelina had a birthday, but we finally got her to pose a bit in the presents from GranPapa Marcel and Granmaman Josiane in Switzerland.

And today she wanted to make a cake with flowers, just because.

She definitely has a style all her own!

The Many Faces of Lenaïc

2010-10-06T21:43:00.002-05:00

Learning to crawl comes with its downside: everything that can be pulled down, will be pulled down. When I inevitably yell "Lenaïc! No!" he looks up at me with the cutest grin as if to say "Who? me?"

And then there's food. I confess, I have given up feeding him with a spoon. He much prefers to feed himself. It's all part of learning right?

Bear with me while I try to figure out a better way to show multiple photos (these tiles didn't come out so well, the original pics are better)

2010-10-01T22:09:00.003-05:00

Who me? What could I be up to?

See? Nothing there!

Ummmmm, caught?

Oh well, it tastes GOOD!

Wait, maybe not so good.

hahahaha! Gotcha!

Camping!

2010-10-01T21:55:00.003-05:00

We have discovered the joy of Family Camping. Despite backpacking for much of my adult life, I feel like a newbie when it comes to car camping. Especially with kids. Angelina loves camping. LOVES it. She is so excited to help Papa set up the tent and she asks to go all the time. We’ve been trying to make use of our State Parks Pass, so this weekend we checked out Colorado Bend State Park.

It took us 3.5 hours on a Friday night to get there, no short trek. The last 25 miles we drove into the sunset in the middle of nowhere, with spectacular views. The final 10 miles in the dark on a gravel path. It all felt so isolated, until we made it to the campground bustling with people. A nice area for camping near the Colorado River, but camping in Texas is so different from the west or the northeast. I guess it’s due to fewer trees, as when I’ve been car camping elsewhere, the campsites tend to be spaced out a bit with lots of trees in between. Here it’s like a big field with the occasional tree. No real privacy. Fortunately when you have kids, that can be a good thing.

We hiked to Gorman Falls (previously open only by tour guide, now anyone can hike it). An easy path until the very end when you have to scamper down very steep rocks. With two kids. It was well worth it, as the falls were stunning and so different than anything I’d seen in Texas:deep green moss covering rocks is not a common sight in this arid land.

When we got back to the campground, we discovered something most appealing: two families of kids had set up two spaces over from us. Angelina has never met a kid with whom she didn’t want to play. So in a matter of minutes she wandered over, introduced herself, and asked if she could join the 2 6 year old girls, 3 yr old girl and 3 yr old boy.

Later we took what we thought was a short walk to the end of the campground but turned into a 1.5 mile walk (that’s what happens when you don’t look at the map closely) to a spring-fed pool. Whoa! This was amazing. The pictures should tell it all.

Happy Birthday Ruby!

2010-10-01T21:53:00.001-05:00

Angelina has a lovely little friend named Ruby who just turned 4. And thanks to neighbor Felice, she has a new princess dress. Though princesses were not the theme of the party, Angelina was insistent that she MUST dress up in a pretty dress for Ruby’s birthday. We love Ruby!

Learning to Crawl

2010-09-29T21:11:00.002-05:00

When we were in California in August, Lenaïc was just starting to make efforts at crawling. He’d do this funny yoga stretch with the front leg bent and the back leg stretched behind him as he inched forward like an inchworm. Into September (at almost 9 months) he made more efforts at crawling, advancing to an army crawl. By mid-September he’s become a full-fledged crawler.

This is a new experience for us since Angelina never crawled. She was mobile, scooting everywhere on her bum, but her mobility was a bit more limited. Lenaïc, on the other hand, now has access to a whole new world of doors to open, CDs to pull off shelves, books to reach (and rip apart), cat food to eat, splinters to get in his hand (thanks to unfinished wood floors)….

A Day At the Beach

2010-09-29T21:05:00.003-05:00

I’m a little behind on my blog posts, so it’s time to catch up. We didn’t want to brave the crowds by going away on Labor Day Weekend, but decided a trip to the beach was worth it. Although Texas beaches don’t quite match up to California beaches, at least we have *a* beach, and the water is warmer. Almost too warm.

For more photos, click HERE

What Every SwinG Needs: A Laughing Child

2010-09-12T22:20:00.004-05:00

California Dreaming

2010-09-02T12:56:00.007-05:00

Now I finally have some pictures to post, more on our trip. click HERE

I finished work on July 30. The next day Angelina, Lenaïc and I flew to CA. Yes, me alone with two kids. Other people do it, surely I could too? Well, fortunately, both kids are pretty good fliers and it wasn't that difficult (not that I want to do it again anytime soon).

What followed was two weeks of non-stop parties: Uncle Chris and Aunt Debbie's pool with the big slide and trampoline, Aunt Loretta and Uncle Bruce's pool, Aunt Loretta's "cabin" in Big Bear (can you call it a cabin if it's bigger than your house?), Nanny's house, Corona del Mar Beach, Santa Barbara, Hiking up Mt Baldy, daily swimming lessons, and lots and lots of cousin-time.

If it looks like Angelina spent all her time in her bathing suit, that's because she did. She took a little breack for Lenaïc's baptism to wear a dress, but brought along her goggles to the church just in case (more on the baptism in another post). She lived in her bathing suit, not unlike we did as kids every summer.

The best part? Playing with cousins, aunts and uncles, and Nanny and Opa every day for more than 2 weeks. Alas, now she associates cousins with a pool, as when she skyped with Maël and Gilles upon returning home she asked "do they have a pool?"

There are more pics from Big Bear on facebook, I'll try to post a link here soon, so check back.

More pictures

2010-08-31T21:10:00.001-05:00

For those not on facebook, here's the link for the Beach photos. Goleta Beach
More CA photos to come!

Someone is missing Papa

2010-08-26T21:27:00.002-05:00

Frédéric has been gone since Sunday.

Angelina has handled it better than usual, but still not easy. Tonight, after a crisis about something I couldn't figure out, she finally cried "I want Papa!" and then it was clear.

I managed to distract her with a trip to Friendly Spot (or rather, Lily and Wilson and a few other kids did the distracting). Then to bed.

Angelina: "Mommy, Papa needs to come home and sleep in his bed."
Me: "Honey, he's in Sweden right now but he'll be home tomorrow to sleep in his bed."
Angelina: "He's in Sweden? But he can't sleep! he doesn't have his bed! He really really really needs to sleep in *his* bed!"
Me: "I'm sure he has a bed in Sweden."
Angelina: "No Mommy. There are no beds in Sweden. He has to come home to sleep!"

And there you have it. There are no beds in Sweden.

But then, she's always been a Daddy's girl, even from a couple of weeks old:

A college reunion!

2010-08-23T22:16:00.002-05:00

And lucky for me I went to college in a gorgeous place: Santa Barbara. I can't believe I haven't been back in about 15 years or so. Now I've visited again, I wonder why I ever left. University ON the beach. Who could ask for more?

Thanks to facebook I've reconnected with some old college friends. One, Hyun, I credit for getting me through my first year at UCSB. See, he was the only one on our floor with a computer in 1987. Many a night my roomate Jen and I sat up in Hyun's room writing papers on a PC with a dot matrix printer.

Hyun still lives in SB with a wonderful wife and two of the cutest kids ever. He's also a great photographer. You need to check back for the rest of the photos (they're too big, so I need to do some work to manipulate them so I can post them, though they are on facebook already). But here are a few:

2.5 weeks in California = a lot to tell. So check back for more stories and pictures.

Starting a New Life

2010-07-27T16:46:00.004-05:00

or at least the Next Phase in my life.

Since I was about 15, I've never not worked (i.e. had some sort of paycheck coming in), except a few months here and there during transitions. As of August 1, 2010, I will be officially unemployed. Fortunately, by choice. And by "employed" I just mean some sort of organization giving me a regular paycheck and me being responsible to some boss. I will still be employed, only now I won't have a regular paycheck (unless you count Frédéric's) and I'll be responsible only to two munchkins demanding my time and attention. Yup, just call me "Dr. Mom."

I suppose I should be a little scared, and I was initially when, despite thinking about this for the past few years, we finally looked to it as a real possibility. But really, I'm just excited. I know many people manage to work full time, raise kids, take them to all sorts of events, volunteer for boards, etc etc. Me? I can barely find time to make it to and from work. Between the demands of both our jobs, something had to give, and I was all too happy to give my job back :)

I like what I do - I still occasionally convinced myself I was out saving the world from infectious diseases - but I'm tired, and the day to day minutia is just not worth the time away from the family. I want to be able to do all the little things I can barely manage now, and then some. I feel really fortunate that this is even an option. Frédéric's job is pretty demanding and requires lots of travel. Until now, we've been coordinating it ok, but it's a challenge. My not working will ease up the pressure on him a bit too, although I've made no guarantees of a home cooked meal on a nightly basis (now, he cooks about 75% of the time).

As for my many many years earning an MPH and then a PhD? Some may say I'm "throwing it all away." Not really. My student years, though trying at times, were not a means to an end. I didn't sacrifice anything really for the hope of something greater at the end (ok, I did sacrifice a larger paycheck, but working in non-profit wasn't exactly a windfall either). No, those years of graduate school were, in hindsight, wonderful years of exploration and opportunity and enlightenment. While doing my research, I got to work on 3 other continents and an isthmus (or whatever Central America is considered). I met and learned from an amazing assortment of people. I am definitely a richer human being for the experience (if not richer in my checkbook...). It was all worth it, and I would do it again.

I'm sure being a Stay-At-Home-Parent will have a similar impact: full of wonder and exploration and enlightenment. Just in a smaller package, though some might say Angelina and Lenaïc have personalities which are not exactly "small." Rather, they are larger than life. There's a whole new world to explore. I'm ready!

Two Peas in a Pod

2010-07-22T11:37:00.003-05:00

Nothing's better than sharing a treat with a friend!

And don't forget little brother.

Happy Home-Day Angelina

2010-07-20T15:21:00.002-05:00

We had two weddings (June 26 in Switzerland and Aug 7 in San Antonio), so we get to celebrate our anniversary twice. Angelina was only born once, but she also has a second "birthday" or rather, "home day." When she was born, the doctors weren't so sure she'd even go home. It didn't take her long to prove them wrong, and 4 years ago today, at 17 days old, we brought her home

We will forever be grateful to her fabulous neonatalogist who was our biggest supporter: when the nurses insisted she bottlefeed (and not breastfeed), despite her refusing the bottle, he stepped in, wrote medical orders not only to let me breastfeed but to let me room in with her. And while some of the nursing staff (mostly fabulous, but a few really difficult ones) resisted, the doc said "Take her home!" And we did.

So July 20th is her other birthday, of sorts.

Happy Birthday Angelina!

2010-07-03T12:23:00.002-05:00

Four years ago our adventure began. Our bright eyed angel came into our world and everything changed. Hurricane Angelina continues to fill our days with laughter and love (and a few other emotions too). She's teaching us humility, and love.

Happy Birthday Pucinette!

The Friendly Spot

2010-07-02T15:47:00.004-05:00

Or What I love about Lavaca part XXIV

Late last fall, a new watering hole opened in our neighborhood. Actually, technically it's not Lavca but King William, which with Lavaca = Southtown. The Friendly Spot is the perfect place for this 'hood. It's an ice house, otherwise known as a bar. But why so special? It has a playground. A playground in a bar you say? Well, in England, a playground at a pub is not that unusual. Indeed, the local watering hole is also the local community gathering spot, and with community comes kids.

Since it opened, despite the freezing winter, The Friendly Spot has become the center of the neighborhood. It's simple, outdoor bars, big shady pecan trees, lots of room for kids to run and a fenced playground. As one of the owners has a 5 year old and one on the way, this was genius. A place for kids to play and parents to socialize. With good food too. At any time, you can wander over and you're bound to see a neighbor or other kids for yours to join in play. Very important when you have an uber-social 4 year old desperate for other kids.

A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed The Friendly Spot with our good friend Dawn who came to town with her daughter Lily, born a month after Lenaïc, to see her sister Amy and her new nephew Kenny.

Parties

2010-07-02T12:29:00.005-05:00

Angelina turns 4 this year! To avoid the holiday weekend, we celebrated last week, which, coincidentally, was our 6th wedding anniversary. We were happy to share it though.

Angelina has been looking forward to her birthday for about a year now. She's asked often "When's MY birthday?" and she was practicing singing "Happy Birthday to me" for weeks.

Since we belong to the Clan of "The More the Merrier," we invited everyone: School friends, neighborhood friends, dance friends, parents' friends. I had no idea how many would finally show up. As usual, we had a great crowd and a lot of fun. And a special treat, my friend Monica from Switzerland was in San Antonio visiting one of her other friends (who was 40 weeks pregnant) with her two kids, Elliot and Ivy.

It was hot as can be, but that didn't stop kids from jumping to their hearts' content.

Or moving to the pool to cool down.

Angelina took the notion of "Birthday suit" to heart: before I knew it she'd ripped off ALL her clothes and jumped in the little pool. Other kids followed suit, although most managed to leave some clothing on.

Lenaïc, for his part, has clearly inherited the party gene. He was happy all day, letting everyone carry him and play with him.

And the birthday celebrations continue.....today I brought cupcakes to her school so she could celebrate with her friends there. She was telling everyone she turned 4 last week at her party. When I explained her birthday was actually tomorrow and she'd have another celebration at school today, she said "So I will turn FIVE now?! Yeah! I get to be FIVE!"

Six Months!

2010-06-24T17:15:00.003-05:00

Where did the past 6 months go?

How is it my little guy, so slow to gain in the first two weeks of life all the powers that be fretted about a possible "FTT" (failure to thrive), suddenly 6 months old?

He rolls over. he sits up. And never seems to stop moving. When I had my 20 week ultrasound, the technician said she'd never seen a baby so active. Having spent the past 3+ years with our Happy Hurricane Angelina, we thought "no baby can be more active than her."

We were wrong. Lenaïc is in constant motion. He hasn't managed to crawl yet, but he kicks and squirms so much I have no doubt he'll find some way to move on his own soon.

He laughs. And laughs some more. And more. He pretty much never stops smiling.

And whom does he smile the most at?

Big sister Angelina.

At his 6 month appointment yesterday (really 6 months + 2 weeks):
18.6lbs (8.4kg) 75th%
26in (66cm) 50th%
All on mommy's milk

Alligators and Camping

2010-06-07T15:11:00.002-05:00

So I know it’s been awhile since I’ve updated. By the time I finish nursing Lenaïc to sleep, prepare his bottles and diapers for the next day, clean the kitchen, etc…

And then there’s been the World Cup. More on that later….

In our effort to make use of our State Parks annual pass, our new tent, and teach Angelina the joys of the outdoors, a few weeks ago we went camping to Choke Canyon State Park. It was hot. I mean HOT. And HUMID.

But that didn’t stop Angelina from having fun. It’s a nice park with “walk in” tent sites that are only 50 yards from the carpark. This means it’s basically car camping, but without RVs/generators. When we arrived, the first thing I saw was this sign:

Not exactly what you want to see when you have two small children. Now, I love seeing wildlife and normally most creatures don’t scare me. But I have seen alligators up close and I know how fast they can be, and that they’ve been known to snatch small creatures – i.e. kids. However, I figured that if they let us camp that close, it probably just means alligators *exist* but are rarely seen (I didn’t hear until after we returned about my friend who felt an alligator brush up against his tent on another weekend).

Angelina, however, was very keen to see alligators. She kept asking “where are the alligators.” Mommy, on the other hand, was very happy we didn’t see any. What we did see were a ton of birds. There was an amazing variety, but since we were so focused on taking pictures of the kids, we didn’t take any of birds.

We saw our first armadillo! Well, first live one. He was strolling around our tent, cute as can be.

For more pictures, go to CAMPING.

Fun with Friends

2010-05-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

So many stories, where do we start?

Sibling Love

2010-05-28T11:46:00.000-05:00

Two peas in a pod

2010-05-22T22:27:00.004-05:00

Angelina is so in love with her baby brother, she never wants to leave his side. This will be interesting in a few years. You can bet I will remind her of this as she yells "Lenaïc! Leave me alone!"

She often wants to sleep with him.
We don't normally let her, since she has a tendency to move all over the bed and throw her blanket around, and that's not safe for him. However, one morning I let her crawl into bed with us and after I left (checking in on them frequently) she moved over closer to him.

It's very sweet, and it's amazing how much space two very small people can take.

Smiley Buddha

2010-05-06T08:48:00.002-05:00

This picture pretty much shows Lenaïc's personality: Mr Smiley. He is always laughing. Even when sick.

We had an ER trip in the wee hours of Sunday April 25 due to a high fever and some vomitting. The nurse on the 24-hr on call line suggested we bring him in. Through it all, he was smiling. Yes, even with a fever of 103.3F (39.61C) he was smiling. Well, except when the nurse couldn't find the vein in his fat arms and was digging for it.

They didn't identify anything specific, just elevated white blood cells suggesting an infection. After some rocephin and more motrin, fever came down and stayed low-grade all week, so I figured he was getting better.

Then Saturday night hit again. What is it with Saturday nights? Good thing we're not wild partiers.... he woke up near midnight, this time 104.3F (40.17F). I couldn't remember the cut-off for panic...so I called the 24-hour nurse line for guidance. Panic button is 105F, so we took a lukewarm bath and gave some more motrin which brought it down to 102F and no ER trip. And yes, he was still smiling and laughing. Ended up at the pediatrician on Monday who said it looked like an ear infection, so now he's having his first (and hopefully only for a very long time) course of antibiotics. Finally after 2 more days of high fever, it's back down to low grade. Hopefully it stays that way. It's no fun having a sick kid, but he makes it easier by smiling so much. :)

School Fiesta Parade

2010-04-27T22:41:00.005-05:00

Not to be outdone by the Battle of Flowers, Flambeau or King William Parades, Angelina and Lenaïc's school also had a Fiesta Parade.

Each class dressed in different themes. The infants were the "T-birds and Pink Ladies." Angelina's class weren't meant to be hippies, but that's how she looked ;) The classes then walked the parade route and ended up with a big picnic. It was our first school event. Lots of fun for all!

Lenaïc, however, was more interested in a nap...

More Fiesta photos are HERE

Fiesta Fun

2010-04-26T09:03:00.004-05:00

And so ends the 10 day extravaganza that is Fiesta San Antonio. I confess we do comparatively little for Fiesta, but we're still worn out...

For the first time I took Angelina and her "sister" Felice to the Charreada, or Mexican rodeo. We didn't see much of the actual rodeo, but we did see the ladies in pretty dresses with horses "dancing."

And there was the King William Fair. This is an event in which all of Southtown participates. The parade is the best, in my opinion - it's everything goes, from kids in flower costumes to men in drag to everything in between.

This year's Southtown Kids in the Hood float was "Green Gets Down with Southtown" and was all about recycling.

The best part was probably the Float Decorating party at Friendly Spot

Because the next morning all the kids were exhausted.... Still, the parade was fabulous!

More Fiesta pictures HERE

Big Sister

2010-04-16T11:18:00.002-05:00

Occasionally Angelina wants to be like Mommy too. And what does Mommy do with her baby brother 90% of the time? Nurse him.

So what does Angelina want to do? Nurse her brother.

I didn't manage to get pictures of her attempt, as he was a bit too frustrated ;), but I did get lots of snaps just before of her trying to play peak-a-boo.

Papa's Little Girl

2010-04-16T11:15:00.002-05:00

Angelina is SUCH a daddy's girl. Anything Papa does, she has to do too. His normal attire is jeans and a t-shirt. Nice jeans. Nice shirt. But still, jeans and t-shirt. Twice this week he wore a suit (he looks great in a suit, by the way, just weird since it's so not his style).

Angelina, seeing him put on a tie, insists she must have one too.

Alas, she wouldn't pose for me, but she did wear her tie to school all day.

Is this the same baby?

2010-04-13T09:14:00.004-05:00

That's what the pediatrician said when she saw his weight at his 4 month appointment. Yes, he's already 4 months old!

At 48 hours old he was jaundiced and still losing weight.

At 3 weeks old he'd only just regained his birth weight (hope is to regain by 2 weeks). The pediatrician was concerned and we had to go in for multiple weight checks in the first few weeks, and continue breastfeeding on demand. He seemed to catch up, despite some food sensitivity issues: he can't tolerate dairy proteins (even hidden dairy. Do you know how many foods contain dairy in some form? just about ALL!), soy, and it looks like eggs. If I have any of those, it goes into the breastmilk and he gets green mucousy poops, stuffy nose with trouble breathing well, and painful gas as well as a small rash. It takes a couple of weeks to clear it all from his system, but once it does, all is well and normal. Obviously, it's not hurting his weight gain.

As of 9 April 2010:
15.6lbs (7.1kg) 75th%
24 inches (61 cm) 10th%

We call him the "Happy Buddha."

(which also means he appears to have my body so far - short and stocky)