This Blog is Moving!!!

We've decided that it's time for this blog to change its address and focus.  With the pending arrival of our new baby and more posts about our day-to-day activities than Andrew-specific themes, we decided to go a little more generic.  Our new blog is located at http://sdryans.blogspot.com.

All future posts will be at that site, so please update your bookmarks and/or feed readers to the new URL.

Pregnancy/Willow Update

Today marks Week 24 (out of 40). There's not much news at this point, but no news is good news. D's last couple of doctor visits have been uneventful (there wasn't even an ultrasound at the last one). But, I thought I'd take the opportunity to take a couple of pictures.

Willow hates to have her picture taken....she runs away any time I point the camera at her. Even when D picks her up, she starts to wriggle and try to get away.

Here's a close-up of Willow's new scar. They took the stitches out last week and it's healing pretty well. Hopefully, in time, it'll be a memory like her other two scars (from her spay and her back surgery). She's pretty much back to 100%, though we had a little scare with an allergic reaction last week.

And here's mommy herself. Tummies always pop a little earlier with subsequent pregnancies, but she still hasn't gained any weight since she got pregnant.

Eleven Kids is Too Many

A couple of weeks ago, D and I took eleven of her students to Phoenix for a National High School Journalism Convention.  It was four days (Thursday-Sunday) of sessions about everything from layout to Student Press Law to writing good headlines to font and color choices.  There are also some great keynote speeches, this year from Aaron Brown (former CNN anchor) and Mary Beth Tinker (primary figure in student press law).  Thousands of students come every year, and this is the second year D has brought some of hers to the event....last year's convention was in Anaheim.  It's an opportunity for the younger writers and editors (no seniors) to prepare for next year's newspaper class, gather some great ideas, and sharpen their skills.

Last year, there were only seven or eight kids, and it was a simple drive up the 5 freeway to Anaheim....this year, we had to wrangle eleven kids all the way to Phoenix.  Carlsbad-->carpool to airport parking-->shuttle to the airport-->Southwest flight to Phoenix-->bus to the transit station-->light rail to downtown-->walk to the hotel.  They were all very well-behaved and we got several compliments from the flight crew, other passengers, and people in the airport.  Still, it made me realize that some people have eleven kids, and I cannot imagine how they do it....it was like herding cats at times.

Once we were there, we kept to the area around the hotel and didn't venture out more than a couple of blocks for dinners.  For the most part, journalism students tend to be more mature than the average high schooler, so they are actually pretty entertaining to hang out with.  It didn't even make me feel that old....I can somehow still relate to 14-17 year-olds.  All in all, it was a very fun extended weekend, though I was trapped in the hotel room working most of the time (even on Saturday and Sunday).  D's already trying to figure out how to get a bunch of students to Portland (Oregon) next spring, while also managing an eight-month-old baby.

And now for the EXCITING PART!  The convention is geared toward the advisors just as much as it is toward the students.  There are sessions for advisors on many of the same subjects, as well as advisor-specific topics.  In addition, this conference is one of the few times per year that JEA (the Journalism Education Association) offers their certification program.  There are stringent requirements for advisors that include years of teaching and either continuing education credits or a rigorous written exam.  This year D took the test, and we just found out yesterday that she passed!  She is now officially a Certified Journalism Educator, accredited by the most prominent organization in the industry.  I'm all kinds of proud and excited for her, as she really enjoys teaching journalism and this is a great recognition of her skill.

Happy Birthday Willow!

Today is Willow's sixth birthday.  She was born on Easter Sunday, 2003, and she's been a wonderful part of our family ever since.  Unfortunately, she also likes to be the center of attention, and sometimes her medical issues can overshadow anything else that's going on.  So here's an update.


Almost a month ago, on the day we found out that the baby is a girl, we came home and Willow was limping.  It was hard to tell what was going on exactly, but we'd already been through the trauma of one back surgery, and we knew that the earlier she was looked at, the better.  We took her into the vet and they examined her, but she was back to almost-normal by the time we got there.  The vet couldn't see any obvious signs of anything, so we couldn't tell whether it was arthritis, a sprain/strain, or a new back problem.  She said that an X-ray likely wouldn't show any back problems very clearly, so we took her home and hoped she got better.  For a few days after that, we noticed her limping every now and then, and we kept her confined to a small area in the living room (and gave her some anti-inflammatories).


About two weeks later, it was time for us to head Down South for D's Spring Break (more on that to come), but we wanted to make sure she had assistance nearby if she needed it.  We boarded her at the vet for five days, and there were no reports of any problems when we got home.  That night and into the next day, however, we noticed that she was going to the bathroom quite a bit.  It got progressively worse, until she was going every ten or fifteen minutes.  At some point she gave up trying to go in her litter box and went right in front of us, which is her way of saying that something isn't feeling right.  We noticed that there was blood in her urine, and suspected a bladder infection.


We took her back to the vet and they gave her an ultrasound and an X-ray.  The X-ray confirmed what the doctor suspected from the ultrasound....she had bladder stones.  Bladder stones are similar to what can occur in human kidneys/bladders/etc, and are often triggered by a pH imbalance caused by a local infection.  They are literal stones made of various minerals, and the precise chemical makeup of the stone can point to a course of preventative action...some require a special diet, while others won't come back as long as there isn't another infection.  However, the initial course of treatment for both types of stones is surgery to remove them.


We were headed to Phoenix the next day (more to come on that as well), so I left her at the vet's overnight.  The next morning, she had surgery to remove her two stones.  They sent one to a lab in Minnesota for analysis, and saved the other one as a souvenir for us.  They stitched her back up and kept an eye on her for the next 24 hours or so, but she did fabulously through the whole thing.  She was okay with the anesthesia, she did well in recovery, and the vet staff that watched her over the next few days had nothing but wonderful things to say about her.  She was boarded through the weekend, and we picked her up last night.


She's on a long course of antibiotics for the infection, but of course they take time to work.  She was going to the bathroom pretty frequently last night, and the vet said it could be up to a week until she's back to normal.  That said, there was no blood in her urine and she seems to be feeling a lot better in general.  We're hoping that the limping we saw a month ago was simply discomfort from the two huge stones rattling around in her bladder.  I can only imagine how uncomfortable that must feel, and I wouldn't blame her for limping all over the place.


So, the end result (so far) is that Willow's doing well, she's very excited that we're home and not going anywhere for a while, and she's patiently waiting for the antibiotics to kick in so she can get back to 100%.  Hopefully this is our fair share of dog drama for a couple of years, as surgery/anesthesia/boarding/medication is NOT a cheap prospect, and pet insurance doesn't cover this type of major procedure.  I believe we've spent more on Willow's medical problems than we spent on the multi-million dollar care that Andrew received during five months in the NICU....isn't that ridiculous?


Anyway.....happy birthday to Willow....may she live a long, full, less-expensive-than-she-has-been-recently life.

Sorting

D is sitting on the floor in the living room, going through all of the clothes and accessories that we got for Andrew.  They've been sitting in plastic tubs in the room we've picked as the nursery.  She's sorting out the ones that could still be appropriate for a girl and the other ones that might be a little gender-specific.  We'll pack all that up and save it for baby #3.

There's a lot of beige, yellow, and green stuff that we can still use, but D is worried about putting a baby in blue before she's old enough to be distinguishable as a girl.  Of course that doesn't mean she needs an entirely pink wardrobe.  We kept out the "I Love Bugs" shirt and the vine-climbing monkey outfit, but we put away the "Future Quarterback" shirt, at least until they create the WNFL.

Almost all of our big, nice blankets, especially the handmade heirlooms, are very blue.  We'll still use them when we're around the house, but they could be confusing in public.  We have very few normal, cotton, swaddling blankets, and I know we're going to need more burp cloths as well.....that's advice we've gotten from every parent we've ever met.  However, we've got plenty of socks.  They are darn cute, too.  We're also thoroughly covered in the classic book department; I love that our families know all the coolest books!

CDH Awareness Day

Yesterday (March 31) was CDH Awareness Day.  Consider yourselves aware.

Amendment

An update to the last post:

1. I'm adding "Diva" and "Drama Queen" to the list....thanks to Jen for the tip. I'm sure there will be others as we run across them, and I'm already hearing grumbling from people who are looking for these outfits just to spite me. :)
2. I don't really have a problem with "Angel." It's mostly with "Daddy's Little Angel." Though she certainly will be my little angel/brat/mild-mannered-superhero-in-disguise, her clothing shouldn't be designed to compliment me.
3. Also added to the list after perusing some clothing sites: "Born to Shop," "Heartbreaker," "I Make Boys Cry," and "Does my butt look big in this diaper?"
4. Willow seems to be feeling better. I still think something's wrong, but it's definitely not as pronounced as it was, and I'm willing to hope/believe it's something less serious than another back injury. We're still keeping her confined to the living room and taking anti-inflammatories, so hopefully she'll be back at 100% soon.

Homer No More

Well, it looks like we're going to have to come up with a better nickname, because IT'S A GIRL!!! We had our appointment this morning, and everything looks great. We were able to clearly see a diaphragm, a well-formed heart, a solid palate, the appropriate brain formation, and all the necessary limbs. The tech was also positive on the gender, though mistakes have happened before.

To celebrate our healthy little girl, we took an impromptu trip to Babies 'R' Us, where we bought a cute little outfit and added just a couple of things to our registry. We have to take an inventory of what we have left over from Andrew and figure out how much of that stuff is non-gender-specific enough to work for a girl.

Of course, having a girl brings up a whole host of new issues that I haven't had to deal with to this point....I was already avoiding the risque outfits in the store. I know that sounds strange, but why do they make see-through blouses for 3-month olds? A girl will also require some new ground rules, so here's my first attempt:

• No shirts/outfits that say "Princess," "Angel," or "Flirt," even when used in conjunction with "Daddy's little..." or "Mommy's little..."
• Please no Disney princess stuff yet....she'll have plenty of time to destroy her self-image and construct a skewed view of romance and relationships when she's older
• Girls can wear colors other than pink....be creative

That said, we're very excited and have shed our share of tears today....thank you all for caring and we'll keep you updated on her progress.

PS- We somehow find it difficult to go through a whole day with only good news. When we got back to the house after the appointment, Willow was walking with a terrible limp. We took her to the vet and got her checked out, but they were unable to ascertain exactly what was wrong. Of course Willow was acting a bit better when we got there, but the vet was still able to see the limp. She responded well to all of the tests for range of motion, hip/shoulder/tendon issues, etc., and they don't think a cervical X-ray will be able to show much of anything. The options for what's wrong at this point include soft tissue damage (a sprain or strain in a muscle), an arthritis-related deficit, or a new problem with her back (this time in her cervical/neck area). We obviously hope the last one isn't the case, but we'll be keeping a close eye on her. We got some anti-inflammatories and will be keeping Willow inactive for the next seven days. She's currently in a pen in our living room, whining at us to get out....hopefully our concern for her condition will outweigh our sympathy for her pouting.

My Cousin Vinnie

No, it's not just a movie any more. My cousin Vinnie is at UCLA and recently raced in the 2009 UCSD Tritonman Triathlon. It was only his second triathlon, but he had a great race and managed to beat his previous time by a full minute. Here are a series of videos I took during the race.

There are eight that will play in a row:

1. The mass start of all the collegiate men.
2. The first few guys coming out of the water.
3. Vinnie coming out of the water and headed for the bike.
4. Vinnie running his bike out to the course to start the ride.
5. Vinnie riding by after his first of three laps.
6. Vinnie coming in for the bike-to-run transition.
7. Vinnie heading out on the run.
8. Vinnie coming across the finish line

Is It Wednesday Yet?

The ultrasound is tomorrow, and we are both nervous and excited.  We have two doctor's appointments and two meetings with landscapers, so it'll be a busy day.  I'll definitely post tomorrow night, though, to let everyone know about the gender.  Can't wait!

Update

A quick post with the latest on the baby....

Everything's going well so far. We've had one more ultrasound since my last post, and Homer still looks good, though he doesn't seem to like being poked in the head with an ultrasound wand. Here's the picture from that checkup:

This is the first picture we've gotten that's head-on, and it makes the baby look a bit like a Klingon (or an alien). It's perfectly normal....nothing to worry about.

We go in next week (on Wednesday) for our 18-week ultrasound. This is known as the "anatomy" checkup, because almost all of the basics should be developing and can be seen in the scan. They'll be able to check for the major organs and limbs, including the diaphragm. Though we're being cautious with everything about this pregnancy, obviously CDH is foremost in our minds, and we're looking forward to seeing the lungs, heart, and digestive tract where they're supposed to be. There's also a good chance we'll be able to determine the gender, so check back here next Thursday for the news. For those of you that are uncomfortable calling a potential girl Homer, how does Casita ("little house" in Spanish) sound?

On a sad note, my Yia-Yia's best friend passed away last Friday. She was much too young and the circumstances were really unfortunate...she was in the hospital for a broken ankle and deteriorated quickly and unexpectedly. She was always incredibly loving and supportive of her friends and family, and I include myself among the latter. She was asking about D and the baby up to the day she passed away, and we're all going to miss her terribly.

Our Little Tidbit

I mentioned there was a fun tidbit coming along.....here it is!

 

 

I assume that these are somewhat self-explanatory, but here are the details:

• D is currently 12 weeks pregnant, which puts the due date at August 22
• It's too early to know the gender, but so far it seems to be healthy and on-track
• D has been feeling tired and nauseous (mostly at night), but hasn't had any major medical issues
• The timing of this pregnancy was unexpected....though very, very welcome
• We've been slow to publicize our news, as it's still early and we've learned from past experience that anything can happen....we're still being very cautious and trying not to get too excited
• The next step is an anatomy ultrasound at 18 weeks, in late March
• We will be finding out the gender, and we will be telling people
• We will not be telling anyone the name (not that we've decided anything), so don't ask

I've code-named this baby Homer, as we intend to actually bring this one home with us.  I'll probably also default to male pronouns (to go with the name).  However, I can guarantee that won't be the final choice, and I can only hope that the baby doesn't develop a complex if it happens to be a girl.

That's it for now.  I'll provide updates along the way....thanks for reading!

PS- Let me know in the comments if you need an interpretation of either of the sonogram pictures.

Upstairs

I went around and took the rest of the house pictures today. These cover the upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms. Here's a preview:

The pictures have been added at the end of the gallery, so if you've already seen the downstairs, just start in the middle.

More fun tidbits coming soon.

Long-Awaited Pictures

I finally posted some pictures of the house, with all of our stuff in it. I took a bunch of shots this weekend, but still only got to the downstairs, so I'm going to do this in two parts. Here's a link to the first set.

There are captions, but they're mostly self-explanatory. Here's one to get you started:

PS- Keep checking the blog this week. I'll have more pictures and some other fun tidbits.

Shipping!

This blog has been woefully neglected recently, which I plan to rectify shortly.  However, I just want to pass along this bit of information, of which I am very proud.  My book is out!  I REALLY don't expect anybody reading this to buy it....please don't waste your money on something that will serve only as a cure for insomnia....but I think it will be a very valuable resource to our customers.

I've wanted to write a book for as long as I can remember, though I always thought it would be a novel.  I have conceded the fact that I'm not creative enough to come up with a salesworthy fiction plot, but I'm overjoyed that I finally got the opportunity to get something published.

Okay, that's enough self-promotion for one day.  Thanks for listening!

Finally Settled In

Well, I've finally found a few minutes for an update.  The last month has been incredibly busy, but we accomplished a ton:

• The condo is empty, clean, re-carpeted, and generally fixed up.  It's in better shape than it was when we moved in four years ago, and we handed the keys over to our new renters on Monday.
• The new house is done, moved-into, and mostly furnished.  We managed to scrounge up extra furniture from family attics and garages, and it feels like we were at two or three stores a night for two weeks straight, getting everything ready for our first visitors.
• We had 11 people down for a very successful Thanksgiving.  It was a collaborative process....we provided the house and groceries and the family provided the cooking expertise and execution.  It was great to see them and we managed to find room for everyone.
• D's been working full time, then coming home and unpacking/straightening/etc for weeks.  Grades were due on Tuesday so the Thanksgiving weekend contained some serious grading time as well.
• I've been working mostly within an hour's drive of home, so I've been able to contribute at night as well....lots of car trips from the condo to the new house with various boxes of "stuff" (read: crap).
• The book is completely done and has been turned over to production.  We're now starting the marketing phase of the project, where we have to convince people to buy the 960-page technical book we've written about a very specific product.  Fortunately, that doesn't take as much time as writing, so I might start to have some nights free again.

So, the gist is that we're mostly settled and the house is presentable.  The immediate result of that is a gathering this Saturday for the USC-UCLA game on our big new TV (our old one broke two days before we moved).  Anyone reading this blog, living in Southern California, and known to at least one of us is welcome to join in the festivities.  Call us for details.  Speaking of calling, our new neighborhood has very little cell phone reception, so we will be forced to use our home phone more often than we would like.  If you don't have our new number and want it, email me.

I still plan to take pictures (and maybe video) of the new house and post them here, especially now that all the furniture is in.  However, several of our Thanksgiving visitors mentioned that the pictures don't really do it justice, and I tend to agree.  Even after you see the pictures, it's much better to experience it in person.  So, it is at this point that I would like to introduce our new Open Door Policy.

J&D's Open Door Policy

Our new open door policy has its roots in a few key principles:

1. We are lucky enough to have a huge new house, with lots of room for visitors and very few permanent residents (2).
   
2. We love our family and friends, which include those of you that read this blog.
3. We would love for our family and friends to come visit us in this huge new house, and we have both the capacity and the desire to make it happen.

Which brings us to the rules:

1. If you're in the area, stop on by!  It doesn't matter if you've seen the house, not seen the house, or couldn't care less about the house.  We want to see you, so come by and be our guest.
2. It doesn't matter where you live.  If you're in the general area (up to and including all of Southern California), feel free to visit.  Family from Michigan/Iowa/Texas/Alabama/Greece/Italy/elsewhere? In California to spend time with Mickey Mouse at Disneyland?  Come on by! Friends from SD running errands in North County?  Get over here!  Family from LA/OC/NorCal that happen to be driving south?  Keep driving and come see us!
3. We don't need that much notice.  Some of you know that I often work from home, and occasionally I will take conference calls and get some work done in my pajamas on the couch.  That means I need about a 20 minute heads-up (max!) and I'm good to go.  Give us a call and if we're here, you're welcome.
4. Two minutes, two hours, two days.  If you can just stop by and say hi, that's great.  If you can spend some time here, that's even better.  If you need a place to crash for the weekend, absolutely.  If you're one of the people we really like, you can practically move in.  However, be sure you're one of those people before you ask, because kicking you out will just be embarrassing for us both.  :)
5. Bring a friend.  If you have friends or family that are coming with you and that we know (or would want to know), bring them along.  At the moment we can sleep 10-12 comfortably with zero notice and without resorting to couches.  Our room rates are reasonable and you'll find them very competitive with other hotels in the area.  Just kidding!

J&D B&B reserves the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason.  The terms and conditions of this Open Door Policy may change at any time....for instance, when D wakes up tomorrow morning and sees that I've just invited half the nation to come live with us indefinitely.

I don't know if we'll have time to have a formal housewarming get-together before the holidays, but we'd definitely like to have one at some point.  If you can't make it for the USC-UCLA game this Saturday, then start thinking about free weekends in January.

Another Crappy Anniversary

On this not particularly fun day, I'm sticking with the theory that any anniversary, good or bad, is just another day.  Thank you all for your emails and comments.

We're keeping plenty busy with our frantic "pack, move, unpack" cycle repeating itself each day after work.  There are still boxes all over the place, but it's starting to look like a nice home.  I'll post pictures when we're done.

Crazy Busy

Hola!  Apologies for the three-week blog hiatus just as things were getting interesting with the house.  The transaction is complete, we picked up the keys on Wednesday, and we're moving the furniture over on Sunday.  In our spare time, we're packing, moving small stuff, working long hours at our day jobs, finalizing my book for production, updating our utilities, and generally trying to spend any money we have left on various things that will make our lives easier in the new house (big new bed, sheets, towels, etc).  D's been absolutely wonderful and has taken the lead on the packing.  I'm slacking, but trying to tear myself away from the book long enough to help a bit.

It's going to continue to be busy until after Turkey Day, as we have to finish the move, host 11 people for Thanksgiving, prep our condo for tenants, etc.  I don't know when I'll get new pictures up....it probably won't be until after everything is moved in, so don't hold your breath.  When we're all settled, I'll make the big announcement and we'll start planning a housewarming party so that everyone can see the new digs.  Hope everyone out there is doing well; sorry if I've neglected your calls/emails/blogs lately.  I also hope that the fire department is making headway on the fire near my parents' house.

More when I have more time....I promise!

Holy Cow!

I snuck over to the house on Friday to try and peek in the window, expecting that they'd be about halfway through grouting the tile floor. Instead, they were almost completely done with everything, including the carpet!

Except for the refrigerator, the kitchen is totally done - the tile is in and all the hardware is on the cabinets.

The tile runs down the hall from the entryway toward the family room. It's still mostly covered by paper in this shot. The carpet looks different depending on your vantage point and the amount of light it's getting. The stairs look much darker than the dining room in this shot, but it's the exact same color.

D's enjoying the carpet in the family room.

A closer shot of the tile. It has lots of different shades of gray and blue and beige (and more).

Flooring Phase 1

We got to go inside yesterday, so I was able to take some interior pictures. The tile work is just getting started and the carpet is still a few days away, but the linoleum is in place. We decided not to upgrade the bathroom areas and put in tile....who wants to clean grout?

The upstairs guest bathroom.

The master bathroom.

The laundry room (we got to keep the cabinets).

The flooring isn't done here yet, but I wanted to get a shot of the built-in desk and cabinets at the top of the stairs. They're still waiting for hardware, but they look great!