And It's All Quiet Again...

Mom, hope you had a safe and uneventful flight back home. Please call us when you get the chance. Thanks for everything. Our home is no longer in order as we expected just minutes after your absence. Or, rather, the usual "order" has been restored. But thanks anyways for everything you always seem to do and provide for us. It is very, very quiet now at home as you can imagine. Probably also because Ethan is not feeling too well, though he is the most lively of us three (Kelly not feeling too great either, and me, well, blogging away -- really what else to do?). I've read all of Ethan's favorite books to him already and his bedtime routine is looming. Our NetFlix is in ("The Holiday) so maybe we'll watch that once Ethan is put to bed - IF he gets put to bed on his own, and IF Kelly does not fall too tired or sleepy in the process.

Calling on anyone who wants to come up and visit us? I know the Lakhanis are thinking of seeing us some time in June and our BC trip in July is but 6 weeks away. Looking forward to that (though not the flight with Noomsie!) :-P

I often wonder why we put ourselves so far away from everyone. Sigh.

OK, maybe I'll try out the treadmill for once.

The Month Of May, Mother's Day & Memorial Day

How exciting! May is just 'round the corner (tomorrow!). And hopefully this means consistently warm and gradually, hot, temperatures. Last night was hopefully the last cold night for the next few months. It got down to about 35F, just above freezing. There was a "frost advisory" and so I had to move back all of my house plants which I purposely brought all out since we'd been enjoying 70s and even a day or two in the 80s the past week or more.

It took a lot of work to bring them all back in, and although starting today already the warmer temperature begins, I think I will wait until this weekend to bring all the plants out again, and do some gardening for the first time this season/year.

Actually, I had planned to do some gardening last weekend, but it rained a lot (which I will never complain about again, given last summer's drought). A bush/shrub on the side of our home that has really grown out of control (i.e. I have not pruned since we moved in) fell over (presumably because the roots were so shallow still and it had grown so quickly?? and wind pushed it over?) and I had to do a rescue operation to get the plant upright. Hopefully it will strengthen it's roots and thrive again. So nice. Not sure what type of plant, but it produces TONS of white flowers that are so over fragrant (smells kinda like Jasmine??) .. so much for being a gardening enthusiast when I don't actually know any of the names of the plants I have around the house.

So anyways, May, May ...

Mom is coming to visit on the 10th. Yipee!!! Will celebrate Mother's Day in Blue Ridge. There's a quaint little "Victorian" style lunch place we discovered a couple of weeks ago that we would like to take Ma and Tita Flong (my auntie, mom's sister) for lunch.

And of course Mom will be staying through the Memorial Day long weekend. Kelly is on call that weekend, so we have to plan something local, but at least we can spend time together. Perhaps another excursion on the lake with our canoe? Speaking of which, the lake (Blue Ridge) is soooooooooooo full and looking picturesque. Just this morning it was "glassy", completely smooth surface reflecting all the trees and docks and boats, and because last night was near freezing, there was a mysterious "fog" rising from reflective surface .. I wish I had taken a picture.

A conference for me (18-21st) in Arlington (VA) will mean I will be away while Ma and Kelly and Ethan will be together. I have this CRCP exam to take (stands for Clinical Research Contracts Professional ???). Wish me luck. When was the last time I took an "exam"? This conference is for business professionals in the clinical research/pharmaceutical industry, and since I jumped straight to work without any previous knowledge or training of how to negotatiate budgets and contracts, I figured it would be nice to supplement the experience I have now gained, with some formal understanding of the process. Who knows, I may learn a thing or two on how to increase revenue for our company.

Life Saving Stuff

It has taken a long time, I know. And even still only a sampling was posted. But Kelly did a good job to finally get some (photos) on Facebook.

Another week has come and gone. All in all it has been quite an eventful week! Let me recall:

(1) Kelly saved a baby's life
(2) Ethan's been chatting up a storm with his classmates and knows about 20 words (does not speak them all, but can point or demonstrate understanding) - most if not all Chinese words
(3) I've secured nearly (cough) $1.3M in contracts for our research company (in the first quarter of 2008) and met with Ray to re-negotiate my employment contract

Blue Lips

Kelly was to round on a baby at the hospital after work one day. Quite routine really. On our way to pick up Ethan from Linda's place, I dropped Kelly off at the hospital, planning as we normally do to then pick her up once I got Ethan. I get a call from Kelly saying she will be a "couple of hours at least" and to just go home with Ethan and pick her up later in the evening.

As it turns out, an 8-hour old baby boy born that day had a congenital heart defect called Something Something (medical terminology). Kelly first noticed the newborn had slightly blue lips. Asked the nurse in charge if she had noticed the baby's lips, the nurse replied "Oh, they are just slightly bruised". Not content with the nurse's reply, and wanting to err on the side of caution, Kelly ordered a few "pulse ox" tests to be done. Basically, leads are connected to a finger or a toe that measures the blood oxygen level of the baby. For a newborn, blood oxygen level is normally at 95% or greater. Baby Boy was at 74% and fell as low as 54%. Some other medical insight that Kelly knows confirmed her initial instincts that this baby may have a heart defect (which is very common apparently).

Baby boy gets rushed to another hospital in TN that has a pediatric cardiology unit with surgeons and other specialists on board. Taken away by a helicopter, baby boy was given oxygen and monitored closely and parents were very worried and sad (understandably).

That evening, baby was stabilized and the attending physician calls Kelly to congratulate her on her insight, intuition and quick action.

Long road still for baby boy, but there is no doubt, remove Kelly from this story this particular evening and baby boy would not survive.

All other events (for us this week) really pale in comparison now, no? Hahaha ..

Well, sufficeth to say Ethan and Dad are progressing, too, thank you. And that's all we'll share for that. For now.

Happy Mother's Day

To ALL mothers everywhere: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

This morning, Ethan and I prepared "breakfast in bed" for Kelly, while she got some much needed extra zzzzz's. We made pancakes with a mango glaze sauce (that we made from scratch) and eggs (with solid whites but runny yolks) and of course English breakfast tea (Earl Grey) with milk and a bit of sugar. We drew "hearts" with ketchup over the eggs, and whipping cream over the pancakes. It kinda worked, though the hearts ran (or "bled") by the time Kelly saw them, and by that time they had resembled a shape nothing like what we had drawn originally.

Then later we all went to the Durham Baha'i Center for what was a tribute to mother's and also the end of the year for children's classes, and so every class gave their final presentations. The kindergarten/preschool age (3/4 years old) really impressed me, and well, thereafter, you kinda expect a lot more don't you? Maybe not, or perhaps this year's 3 and 4 year olds were just so fantastic none of the older classes really quite lived up to that same level. One girl recited a prayer that was very long indeed, and she chanted it sort of like a song, and her voice was just so cute.

Well anyways, Happy Day to all mother's out there!

Weekend With Ethan: Photo Series

Here are some pictures of Ethan. Can't really type a whole entry just now. Hope you enjoy the multitude of "gummy smiles". Oh, and we've started to feed Ethan solids - stage 1 food: rice cereal! Yummmmy. A separate blog entry on this newest Ethan milestone for sure. To come!

Mom's Birthday!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MA!

I hope everyone's doing well and that y'all are going to go out some place for a birthday meal! Wish we could have been there with you guys.

Here's sending you our biggest birthday HUG :-)

Love,

Kelly, Max and Ethan

Full House

The girls are in town! I picked up my sister Sharon and my nieces Carmel and Ellie Nur from the airport. Well, actually, I met them only briefly at the airport and then again at Avis car rental. I brought two car seats for the girls. Who knew all the car seats we had sitting unused at home would come perfectly handy like this!

It was my first time seeing Ellie baby and gosh such a noomie. She is already so full of character and active, and such a smile and happy face on her :-D And my dear Carmel of course, I was so happy to see her. The last time Carmel was in Durham with us was for our wedding. She was 8 months old and our flower girl. Now, she is young lady of 2 and a half years, with a brilliant and creative mind and a curiosity for life.

We got home safely, unpacked our stuff, and commenced the fun. Carmel was quick to the aquarium. She loves fishies you see. I later found out that her favourite "animals" are BUGS - particularly spiders. OK, so she loves invertebrates, arachnids and the like. Hey, her favourite colour is PINK. I knew that, and saw that coming. We had a wonderful discussion of our likes and interests. In the future we will likely see a certain Dr. Carmel, PhD DVM, naturalist and veterinarian and spider enthusiast.

Shar, Ellie and I went out for some shopping. We went to Whole Foods to get some organic food stuff and then some clothes shopping for the girls and Ethan and back home.

It is colder today and even started to drizzle by the time we got home. Kelly is studying for step 3 (USMLE) - at least I hope she managed some studying with the girls and the house abuzz with movement and frenzy.

Mom cooked some khoresh for dinner and burbur chacha for dessert.

With the kids asleep, Shar, Kelly, Mom and I wound down with snacks and good banter on life, family, children, careers, and America's Next Top Model (who's going to win it next week??).

Action packed day. Completely, and utterly, pooped.

Round 2

Well thank heavens for moms. Just two days after Kelly's mom returned home, my mom is here with us for another couple of months. And boy am I grateful for the help! THANK YOU, again, moms. It should be another learning experience for all of us, as Ethan acquires new 'developmental milestones'.



We used the Amby hammock, and Ethan seems to like it (although he was fed and dozy-eyed before we placed him in the sleep-aid aparatus). Here are some pics Kelly took of him in the Amby.

Oh, and Ah Ma, I used your "sayings" to help me this afternoon when Ethan was fussing and it worked! I said, "sayang, sayang, ungah, ungah, sayang..." :-D I repeated this several times while rocking him of course, and I think your Hokkien/Singaporean (??) sayings have some how stuck to him.

Amby Baby

[Ethan, 10 weeks old, cuddling up to his mama]

So far so good. I've been at home with Ethan for a day and a half, and it has been tough. But I am still not completely broken. I can do this! And, Mom, thank you for the Amby hammock! We received the ambybaby.com package as expected on 11/30 and I assembled it that night. Actually, that was just last night wasn't it? So much for space and time - out the window! I am on Ethan Time these days.

He is sleeping soundly (for now) so I will make this short just in case he wakes up.

In a few hours, Ethan and I (and maybe Kelly if she gets off work early enough) will make our way to RDU to pick up mom from the airport.

Thank You, Mummy!

[Ethan, 1 month old]

Kelly's mom has been with us since Ethan was just a few days old. And now, her selfless services as Grandma will be returning back to Singapore. There is not a lot we can say, really, to convey just how grateful we are to have had so much help. I can hardly believe two months has gone by already. During this time, Ethan's weight has increased from just under 5 pounds, to nearly 11 pounds. His head control is getting better and he can follow moving objects from side to side. He can smile, and even give a laughter here and there - not entirely sure the latter is voluntary or simply a product of passing gas. :-)

In any case, Kelly, Ethan and I would still like to say Thank You for the many things you have done which include but are not limited to:

. singing to Ethan
. praying with Ethan
. talking to Ethan
. "running" with Ethan
. consoling Ethan
. bathing Ethan
. loving Ethan
. feeding Ethan
. burping Ethan
. changing Ethan
. laundry
. cloth diapers
. cooking yummy foods
. sago pudding
. burbur chacha
. char koay teow

Hopefully we can all be together in Singapore again this summer, where Ethan can play and have some male bonding time with his two cousins: Junn and Ryu.

Big Bird

My parents left this morning, and so last night to celebrate Thanksgiving early, mom cooked us a traditional turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Thanks, Ma, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone!

Khoresh-e-Bademjan

My favourite dish :-)

Now that my mom and dad are here with us, it is my mom's turn to break in the pots and pans and stove and create some magic Iranian-style. Well, not entirely sure my mom's cooking is purely persian, or if some influence of her chinese and/or filipino ethnicities are coming through in her culinary works, but her persian cooking, specifically her khoresh-e-bademjan, is second to none. And since she always cooks as if to feed an army, I enjoy left-overs upon left-overs of this eggplant stuff.

And last night, my mom cooked ghormeh sabzi - a stew that includes red kidney beans, meat (can be chicken, beef, lamb, etc..), lots of parsley, leeks, and dried fenugreek and lemons. The meat can be seasoned with salt and pepper and a bit of turmeric before all the other ingredients listed are added. And also the dish can be made with tomato paste, apparently, although I've never tried it made that way before.

So, my dad tells us it is his turn to cook, and since we are invited to the Nourani Family's home for dinner tomorrow night, it will have to be for lunch, or for dinner the day after. My dad will be making either fesenjoon (a peanutty, pommegranate stew) or islambuli-pollo (tomato rice dish with meat and green beans). We shall see, although my dad is with his spices as he is a hammer, quite heavy-handed. But always one to prove the doubters, I should ere on the side of believing in his cooking abilities. :-)

Sushi and Cheesecake Factory Birthday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!


For dinner we went to Shiki Sushi. We ordered the usual sampling of sushi stuff: vegetable tempura, nigiri (shrimp, egg, tuna, salmon, crab stick), California roll, Eel roll, fried tofu, etc...



For dessert we had strawberry cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. We tried to select a cake that was least rich and contained fresh fruit, and was lighter than most other cheesecakes from TCF - which are known for being very rich and dense. (Mom prefers lighter cakes). FYI - the strawberry cheesecake is no less rich! :-)



Well time to resign ourselves to vegetate on the couch and digest all this wonderful, rich, grub.

6 Hours To Weigh-In...

Just fed Ethan, changed a poopy diaper, and burped the little guy. In a few hours, Ethan will be weighed. We are hoping to be near or at 3kg (his last doctor's visit he weighed in at 2415g). Tomorrow (actually today now) is also Kelly's Mom's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!! We will be sure to celebrate some way. We'll have to save Merlion for when Dad is here (in one week!) but I'm sure we can figure some other place to go for a meal, or some other plan entirely. Anyways, sleep is precious, and Ethan has just dozed back to sleep in Kelly's arms - need to put BOTH to bed - and get some shut-eye myself :-p (until Ethan's next feeding in approximately 2 hours that is). ;?)

Vanilla Sky

After three days of rain - or at least really really cloudy weather - we finally found time to get out, albeit a bit late and the sun was already setting. Conditions were not ideal to take any pictures of Ethan, Kelly and mom, but I did manage to capture a couple pictures of the sunset over our subdivision.

Tomorrow should be even better weather-wise, and hopefully we can get out again. Kelly, Mom and Ethan did manage to walk about 2 miles or so down the American Tobacco Trail to a shopping center near by, and after walking with them part way, I returned home to fetch the car and Ethan's car seat and met them at the shopping center.

In about one week, Dad will be joining us :-) Ethan can't wait to meet his grandpa!!

The North Carolina State Fair is coming soon (October 13-22nd). If possible, when Dad is here (Oct 20th), we shall make a trip of it, and partake on some jumbo turkey legs (aka caveman-size hunks of meat), ribbon fries, and of course the ever famous deep-fried twinkies :-)