Fog & Frost

[morning view from our deck]

Chilly! This morning's drive was quite cold. With the temperature hovering just above the freezing mark, and a dense blanket of fog covering most of my drive to Ethan's daycare and then to work, it was sllllloooooooowww going. Still, there were points along the drive when the elevation change put us above the fog and you could see how the dense condensation settled over low-lying vallies. Pretty scenic! But this also means that the warm weather is now fully and truly behind us. We outfitted Ethan with a jacket and a hat (the kind that has the floppy coverings for his ears). The boy is seriously cute.

33 Days To Singapore

Woo hoo! The countdown is most certainly on. Though we may be making plans for the weekend, Hallowe'en even, or maybe for the Thanksgiving holiday, our sights are truly set on the land of milk and honey, of koi fish and orchids, of dim sum, satays, char koay teow, and oodles of noodles. And oh yea, not to mention, family :-p Of course, the main purpose for our trip is family - a big reunion in fact - and Ethan's first international trip and first visit to see his cousins Junnoske and Ryunoske. What a sight that will be to see the three boys playing (more like fighting, crying, teasing...).

But before then, there are many things to look forward to. Actually, just this past weekend, we had a marriage workshop retreat hosted by the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Cherokee County (about an hour away from us). They were in need of a place to hold a workshop retreat on marriage and we said, "Come on to our home!". It was a great meeting. A gathering of friends. And on a much needed topic too, since these days, marriage seems not to last all that long, and approximately 67% or two-thirds result in divorce (and the Baha'i stats are on par if not slightly worse). So we all need to work in maintaining this "divinely ordained institution", this "fortress for well-being". (quoted from the Baha'i Faith)

And tonight, after work, is Susan's baby shower. Baby Miller is due in about a month. Can't wait for Ethan to have another playmate.

We are soon hanging out with the Teskes and then Thanksgiving. We are still without a plan for Thanksgiving. We may go to Nashville or back to Durham or stay in Blue Ridge if friends wanted to make a trip to see us. We don't know yet.

And Kelly and my third year wedding anniversary is coming up (ahem). Just thought I'd make that very clear - November 21st, 2007. Being the day before Thanksgiving, we may be celebrating our anniversary "on the road".

Toddlerhood

Life has been so hectic and irregular recently that I totally forgot to blog about Ethan entering into toddlerhood!

That's right. Ethan is officially walking or toddling around the house :-D It has been about two weeks now since he took his first steps. Quite honestly, one of the proudest moments of being a parent. It is just such an accomplishment, walking, that one forgets ('since everyone eventually learns to walk') how much goes on to learning to first walk.

We have managed to capture on video some of Ethan's early steps, though the videos are a bit dark, and I don't know when I will have time to post them on my blog. (YouTube has just been very unreliable lately for me). We also have so many pictures --- AHHHHHHHHHHHHH -- that I wish to post, but sadly, our camera has now reached the end of its life, and so I will have to wait, patiently, until mom and sis send us a CD of all the pictures we took over the past 6 weeks.

Besides watching with so much pride as a father, my son walking about everywhere he wishes, Ethan has developed other skills equally satisfying (if not more so than walking) to any parent. He can hold his own sippie cup/bottle and even feed himself a Cheerio every now and again. There is something so satisfying beholding my son as he drinks water, for example, with such delight and intensity, and pauses when he wants, and continues when he wants.

Ethan is also teething more. He now has 6 teeth - 3 up, 3 down - with a seventh and perhaps eighth whitie poking through his gums.

Kelly is letting him go up the stairs now, supervised of course. With each step nearly half his height, it is cute watching this determined little man tackle each, and with a great big smile on his face.

Some things to come which, as parents, we don't necessarily wish our child develop too soon are the abilities to run, and climb furniture (or other high places). But those are next! :-D

High Octane Parenting

These past few days have been fun and exciting, though the frazzeling effects of having three cousins under the age of 4 explore their world -- a space, which, many a times seems not quite big enough for them all -- will linger still for a few days more.

Today, our world will return to quiet mountain living. Ethan started with daycare this morning at Linda Gray's home. Kelly and I are hopeful that this situation will be better for Ethan than Kaleidoscope was, since the ratio of caregiver to infant will be essentially 1:2 (compared to the 1:6 State imposed ratio of public childcare facilities) and so he will be receiving more of the attention that he needs (and should be getting).

Sharon and the girls are just full of energy and always on the go. Every activity is a learning experience for the girls, and it is non-stop. As a result, the girls get plenty of attention and are thriving with every opportunity to learn something new.

In my last entry I had written how I was curious to see how Ethan would do with his cousins who are older and therefore more mobile and authoritative in their wants and needs. Well, I can say, battle-tested, Ethan is holding up and has probably learned a lot in the short time he spent with his cousins.

But not to forget the grandparents, who are actually doing parenting upon parenting. It has been a blessing having mom for 6 weeks. A hot lunch ready to take to work every day? Can't beat that. Dinner always ready, laundry always prepared, a house always clean. I list all these things to show my gratefulness, and not at all to say these are things I expect. Thank you, Ma!

And Dad? Well I have already devoted a blog entry on the many things you do. But it is obvious, you make our functional world work. Dad installed track lighting in the dining area, and more recently (as of yesterday) completed phase 1 of Ethan's playground. But I cannot list everything you do. I mean, to do so would involve, for example, putting to words such "improvements" as de-mounting the toilet paper holder off the wall, and reinstalling it to give more width to properly fit a large toilet paper roll, since the original builder had obviously only installed the holder for very tiny rolls. And anyone who has ever sat on a toilet bowl knowing there is a full roll of toilet paper on hand, but later finding the roll does not, well, roll, lending it pretty much useless, can attest to the gratitude for having this (the toilet paper roll width) fixed. For this alone *yay*, thanks, Dad!

High octane parenting, and grandparenting, for sure.

Rain, Yes!

This summer will likely go down as the driest, hottest summer in recent years (if not on record!). There's been much talk on the news of Atlanta running out of water! Period. Not low water, or "please do not put your sprinklers on" type of warnings, but no water at all - drinking, shower, toilet (flushing), nada. Lake levels have been so low their banks have been exposed and bare for months. Atlanta's population "boom" has had a lot to contribute to the general amount of water used, but the lack of the wet stuff ALL SUMMER LONG has not helped. But yay, today, it is *gasp* raining. Wet and gray as can be. And I've never been more welcoming of dreary.

More and more leaves are coming down, and trees are starting to hit their peak fall coloration. Tomorrow should be a great day for photo taking. It is expected to be clear (I think) and should be "fresh" as can be with the rains we are receiving just now. With Sharon and the girls arriving late tonight, I cannot wait until tomorrow when we can go out and enjoy the scenery and take some photos.

Elyse is coming too, and an avid kayaker and general outdoorsy type person, I am sure she will want to make the most of her visit here in Blue Ridge.

I am still trying to download pictures from mom's camera. When I do, I should have plenty to share, dating back to Ethan's birthday party to present.

Have a great weekend... y'all :-D

DIY Dad, Family Fun & Feast

I am looking forward to this Friday (and weekend)!!

We are hosting 19-day Feast for the first time since we've moved to Blue Ridge. It will be a particularly special Feast as well, with my parents, sister, nieces and a dear friend from North Carolina, Elyse, visiting us. The house should be abuzz with the kids - the second time the three cousins Carmel, Ellie Nur and Ethan are together - and the presence of familiar faces, should be a fun time.

The last time (which was also the first time) Carmel and Ellie Nur and Ethan were together, we were still living in Durham, and Ethan was around 4 months old. Not very interactive then, I am curious and looking forward to seeing Ethan interact and play with his cousins. Ethan is just starting to walk now, so it should be a test for him to try and keep up to his more mobile relatives. But I am sure he is very much up to the challenge.

We have also made contact with another Baha'i friend who lives in Cheryll Log -- i.e. not that far away from Blue Ridge. So our circle of Baha'i friends (who live nearby) is increasing by one. :-D

In the two days that dad has been with us, he's been put to work (thank God for handy dads, no?). The first day, dad installed "gutter guards" to keep falling leaves from landing and clogging up the gutters. I was actually surprised that such "guards" were not already installed in our gutters - our house being smack in the middle of trees. Nevertheless, my dad did the job better than others who would have less vested interest in doing it, and all in just an hour or so. Other jobs include adding more lighting to the dining area of the house, small odds and ends, storage solutions, yaddi-yaddah. I can only hope to learn and gain some of my dad's knowledge and skill when it comes to maintaininng a household and much much more.

OK back to work..

A Dose Of Traffic

This past weekend was spent in the big city of Atlanta. With Kelly preparing for her boards (currently sitting the exam actually) and dad's flight arriving early in the morning, we stayed the night in Atlanta. We stayed with Jessalyn, Kelly's friend and colleague from Duke who is a pediatrician and Kelly's study partner for the weekend. Jessalyn, husband Kevin, and 4-month old baby girl, Annabeth, were just a pleasure to be around. They were very gracious hosts to allow all of Ethan, mom, Kelly and I to 'crash' their lovely home for a night. We made our way through some typical Atlanta grid lock to places like IKEA, chinatown, Ponce de Leon street and areas nearby Emory. Quite a fun and scenic drive, with enormous (palacial) old brick homes and beautiful parks and green spaces. Traffic aside, there are so many pluses to being in a big city - nearby shopping, plethora of eateries. Oh ya, we ate dim sum at Oriental Pearl (? or something like that) which was tastey. We got our asian grocery fix at Dinho's and so we are set for another few weeks before we make our way down to the city again. At IKEA we bought some storage solutions for our shoes. Hmm.. that's about it. Kelly should be having her lunch break on day one of two of her peds board exam in an hour or so. I hope the exam is going well so far, Honey!

OK, back to budgets...

Peds Boards

We are spending this weekend in Atlanta. Ethan, mom, Kelly and I are driving down tomorrow (Saturday) and returning Sunday. Dad arrives on Sunday and we'll pick him up from the airport and spend the afternoon together in the big city. Kelly will stay behind for Monday and Tuesday, for her pediatrics board exam which is sat over two days.

Kelly has been studying now for a few weeks/months. I am sure she will be very relieved once this is all over with. GOOD LUCK, HONEY! I am sure you will do very well.

And since she is double specialized/trained in both internal medicine and pediatrics, in order to be board certified in internal medicine she will have to sit the IM board exam which is next year (August 2008).

But first things first.

The peds boards are more demanding also, being a two-day exam (the IM boards "just" one day).

In Atlanta, we hope to do some shopping (IKEA, asian grocery stores, etc..) and eating out, and perhaps meet up with some friends if we can get our act together and coordinate everything.

Only a couple more days to go, Honey. You can do it!

Opportunity Missed

Yesterday at work I was told there was an investigators meeting in Key Biscayne, Florida, with accommodation at the Ritz-Carlton hotel! All expenses paid. Unfortunately, my first business trip was not to be, since the dates coincide exactly to when my sister and family are coming to visit. It is no one's fault. Just really bad timing. We secured the accounts to participate in this study a little too late, and so the fax for registration for this meeting came the day it was also due. I had a couple hours to decide: miss family, or miss a great opportunity to learn, network, and see the sights of KB. I chose family. I told Ray I want 'dibs' on the next meeting, though, knowing me, it will be local (probably in Atlanta or some place near) and certainly not anywhere as fancy as the Ritz. Nah...

Casual Fridays

Today is Friday, and at work they observe casual dress on the last day of every week. To be safe, I did not wear jeans, but did wear a polo shirt instead of a button shirt and tie. It is only my first week, and so I figured I would dress the part well and be on my best professional attire -- that is, until my coworkers really get to know me over time (joking, as if anyone could be fooled, I've been waiting to have a shirt-and-tie-type-of-work for so long, something not expected in the arena of academic research).

So, yea, my first week of work! I can't believe it has already been one week. Well, I did start on Tuesday. But sure feels good to come up to a weekend having been productive. I've managed to organize all our active contracts into one binder -- and if you knew the amount of paperwork I needed to sift through to get all this into one place, you would be impressed I did this in the time that I did (essentialy over just two days). Moreover, I managed to compile some budget data for '06 and what we have so far for '07. I may have to go back to '05 and even '04 (or earlier) to really get the accounts up to date. Thereafter, all new and incoming grants we successfully acquire should be easier to maintain as they will have started on my watch from day one. But still, paperwork inevitably get mixed up from time to time, but this should be a far better situation I feel, when I have some control over things.

Looking forward to the weekend! We are likely going to Dawsonville to the outlet shops while mom is still in town for another few weeks. Oh, and must remember to blog about my fig tree, which, FYI, is currently taller than me!

Have a great weekend everyone!

1-Year Doctor's Visit

Ethan's birthday now a week or so old, he has his 12-month well-child doctor's visit tomorrow at 10:30am. I will be taking the morning off to bring Ethan to the clinic for his appointment. He will get his official weight and height then, as well as many (4 or 5?) immunizations then too. Poor, Noomz. He *knows* when he is about to get an injection too. It may be the cool alcohol swab on his thighs, or even before, when his pants and/or onesie come off. He knows. And boy does he let you know. Humongous droplets of tears, and the most sad cry. I'll be sure to give him extra support and hugs and kisses to get through them all.

Ethan has been enjoying having his gran around. With Kelly and I both at work today for the first time, gran had Ethan all to herself and I bet they had a lot of fun. Noomz is actually changing a lot, and developing so quickly, you can hardly point them all out and say, "Hey, did he just do/say that? Yay!"

He still does not trust his balance well enough to walk, though he is racing through the furniture -- I mean holding on just barely with one hand while cruising very quickly and pushing all the furniture that he can move. He even tests his balance, or forgets he is doing so, one way or the other, and actually stands alone or takes a step or two now.

Speech-wise, well, he seems to be learning more chinese than english. He says "pa-pa", "ma-ma", "deng" (points to the light), and gran claims he's said "toes" and "hello" also. I had noomsie videotaped saying "Allah'u'Abha" when he was only 3-months old though this has yet to be fully repeated :-D

He's been eating well, and then not that well, but on the whole pretty good. He is starting to eat foods we eat (i.e. not just ones specially prepared for him but thicker, chunkier foods seasoned to our/adult liking). And he seems to really like the experience of all the new flavours.

Another tooth or two are poking through his gums, bringing his total "nubbin" count to around 6 (maybe 5 and one not quite poked through yet).

Oh geez, I am a working dad now. I can't be blogging on and on. Must sleep.

Budgets, Contracts, Grants

All confidential stuff!! Hmm.. how can I write this entry in a way to depict what I did today and what my job entails...?

OK, so my first day on the job was pretty laid back. I did the usual admin stuff: (1) payroll, (2) confidentiality agreement, (3) organize desk space and work surroundings, (4) set up computer connection, (5) telephone/direct line, (6) work email address, (7) medical insurance paperwork, etc.. etc..

I met with Ray to discuss plans and what I can get a start on right away and more long term goals. The immediate thing was to learn how the grants all work: how different study grants are applied for, how the billing/payment works, relationship between CROs (clinical research organizations)-pharmaceutical companies (or sponsors)-institution/investigator/site, how patients get erolled (inclusion/exclusion criteria), etc.. etc..

By the end of my first day, I am now pretty familiar with what a standard grant/agreement/protocol looks like. Over the next few days I will be learning a whole lot more, when I get to create my own spreadsheet/system of organizing the various budgets (monies received, etc..), a system for keeping track of all active grants, and also to inform more physicians in the practice (Kelly too!) of what we (the research folks) are doing so that we can enroll more qualified patients in to studies, and thus increase and build this fledgling enterprise.

Ooohhh, it just sounds too exciting. I think I've been craving a challenge like this for some time: refine my management skills (or if any, acquire some more... hee hee), learn a bit of the industry of pharmaceutical science/clinical trials, and get a general sense of business type applications -- i.e. getting as far away from basic science research as humanly possible :-D

That is not all accurate actually, since part of many/all contracts I've seen (today anyway) include clauses for intellectual property and publications. And I for one would like to keep up my skills and experience in writing manuscripts for publications, and this would also be a viable way to get our company name (River Birch Research Alliance, LLC) into the wider scientific community and thus more grants.

More learning. Yay!

My First 26 Minutes At Work (So Far)...

A year and a few minutes later, I am back at a workplace! I am at my new job. Day one. A meeting is taking everyone's time right now, and leaving me to myself for the meantime. I will meet with Dr. Tidman after their conference meeting is over, to hash out a few things that I will be doing I'm sure. I feel a bit out of pace, what with everyone having something to do, some place to be, someone to see. We'll see how robust (or not) my day ends up :-D

Mom is with Ethan at home. Kelly and I carpooled to work together. It was super foggy on the road.

Sparky dug some dirt out of my fig tree's pot, and left this huge mess on the deck. At least I think it was Sparky. It could easily have been this other nocturnal friend - namely this racoon who has been frequenting Sparky's new crib. I hope mom can fix up the mess when Ethan is napping, and cover some of the fig tree's exposed roots as a result. I would have done so myself, but, well, I am all dressed for work!

More later...