We are figuring out this city and starting to settle in a bit. We've been to the neighborhood/city where our new house is, Cote-St-Luc (CSL), and have signed Micah up for swimming lessons, swim team, and nursery camp! We also bought a CSL Fun Card which gives us access to many of the park and rec facilities for free! We don't move into our new house until July 9th, but it's nice to be able to get to know some people before then. Micah's swim lessons and swim team start on Saturday so hopefully we'll start to make some friends! It would be nice to have someone to invite over on Micah's 4th birthday (July 17th).
We have also decided on a preschool for Micah: Curzon Preschool in Montreal Ouest. It's a small co-op school that's mostly in English, but there is one French teacher who speaks to the kids mostly in French. One perk that I'm excited about is that they do ice skating in the winter for gym!
Let's see, what else have we done? We have signed our mortgage and gotten all of our back accounts up and running. Tomorrow we will go to apply for the Quebec provincial health insurance. Also, with help from the free grocery shopping service at the hotel, we have a kitchen stocked enough for lunch and dinner (the hotel provides breakfast everyday) so we don't have to eat out all the time. What a relief!
Honestly, with two little kids (one being just a wee two-month-old!) I don't get to do what I want...ever. But, you might be wondering, what am I looking forward to doing when the time is right? I am looking forward to visiting Atwater Market, which is right down the street from our hotel. Also, I am looking forward to going to Ikea with Junia (when Micah is at camp) to scope out the furniture we will need: new bedroom furniture for Micah and a couch for the living room. The current owners are leaving the master bedroom furniture. So nice!
We are surviving in temporary housing quite well, all things considered. We are living in a small one bedroom place until July 9th. I have managed to organize our things well enough, and to rearrange the furniture to make it seem bigger than it looked when we first walked in. Even so, I am counting down the days. We are about to open a bottle of wine to celebrate getting halfway through the first week. It might seem silly to do this, but honestly, it's the little things that help get us through. :-)
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Montreal Day 1
We have survived our first full day in Montreal! We cleared the contents of our truck through customs where we found out that upright baby walkers are illegal in Canada. But since they had to confiscate that AND we had two little kids, they gave us a break and cleared our car without inspecting it. So, we also retrieved our car from the moving company warehouse and returned our rental car to the airport. (Oh! You may be wondering how we got to our hotel from the airport since we completely filled both of my parents care going to the airport in Madison. We called Zelko Zilik, another prof in Brett's dept at McGill, and he met us in a minivan and drove most of our luggage to our hotel so that we could rent a smaller car. So kind!) We also went to the underground city again and bought Micah a little Air Canada plane. We also got a Bell Canada cell phone plan and new smart phone! Woo! I'm so excited to learn how to use my new smart phone! We made it back to the hotel by 7:45pm to put the kids to bed. Tomorrow (hopefully) won't be as busy.
In addition to all of this, we had two major successes. 1) Brett successfully navigated us from the airport to our hotel without a GPS and without accidentally sending us back to the airport to start over (which happened yesterday). 2) I successfully navigated us to the toy store without completely overshooting it and having to backtrack a whole city block (which happened the last time we went there). Yay!
In addition to all of this, we had two major successes. 1) Brett successfully navigated us from the airport to our hotel without a GPS and without accidentally sending us back to the airport to start over (which happened yesterday). 2) I successfully navigated us to the toy store without completely overshooting it and having to backtrack a whole city block (which happened the last time we went there). Yay!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Camping!
We FINALLY went camping with Micah for the first time. It was a lot of fun and Micah really enjoyed himself. The first thing he did when we got there was unpack. ;-)
The weather was nice, but it did get pretty cold at night. Roasting marshmallows by the fire helped with the cold.
The campsite had an apple tree. For dinner the first night we cut up some apples to go with our vegetables and that was tasty! In addition to this, we also found blackberry and black raspberry bushes with berries! We also saw a bear, deer, rabbits, four different kinds of big caterpillars, and a large rattlesnake! The rattlesnake slithered through our campsite. It was the last day while we were eating lunch and had everything packed up. It didn't pay any attention to us and didn't even rattle, but I was still scared. Once it left, I said, "Oh my goodness!" and Micah said, "That was SO cool!" hahaha!
The moon was really bright when we went to bed so we couldn't really see the constellations well. But one night Micah woke in the middle of the night to "run to the potty". The moon was gone by then and he was terrified of the dark so all three of us went to the bathroom together. The one good thing about that 2am trek to the bathroom was the BEAUTIFUL view of all of the constellations. Living in the city, we haven't really seen them in a long time so that was a real treat.
We went on a hike that was supposed to take us to a waterfall, but because of the drought, everyone who passed us on the way back said that it was really a trickle into a puddle. Since the hike was completely downhill leaving us with the prospect of going all the way back up the hill, we turned around before getting to the end. The view was beautiful.
Afterward, my pregnant body was pooped! And so was Micah. I got a chance to sit and read while Brett the Eagle Scout prepared lunch. I recommend always taking an Eagle Scout on your camping trips. ;-)
All in all it was a fun time!
The weather was nice, but it did get pretty cold at night. Roasting marshmallows by the fire helped with the cold.
The campsite had an apple tree. For dinner the first night we cut up some apples to go with our vegetables and that was tasty! In addition to this, we also found blackberry and black raspberry bushes with berries! We also saw a bear, deer, rabbits, four different kinds of big caterpillars, and a large rattlesnake! The rattlesnake slithered through our campsite. It was the last day while we were eating lunch and had everything packed up. It didn't pay any attention to us and didn't even rattle, but I was still scared. Once it left, I said, "Oh my goodness!" and Micah said, "That was SO cool!" hahaha!
The moon was really bright when we went to bed so we couldn't really see the constellations well. But one night Micah woke in the middle of the night to "run to the potty". The moon was gone by then and he was terrified of the dark so all three of us went to the bathroom together. The one good thing about that 2am trek to the bathroom was the BEAUTIFUL view of all of the constellations. Living in the city, we haven't really seen them in a long time so that was a real treat.
We went on a hike that was supposed to take us to a waterfall, but because of the drought, everyone who passed us on the way back said that it was really a trickle into a puddle. Since the hike was completely downhill leaving us with the prospect of going all the way back up the hill, we turned around before getting to the end. The view was beautiful.
Afterward, my pregnant body was pooped! And so was Micah. I got a chance to sit and read while Brett the Eagle Scout prepared lunch. I recommend always taking an Eagle Scout on your camping trips. ;-)
All in all it was a fun time!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Nürnberg
The next day I left for Nürnberg by train: I had a presentation to give at a nearby University. I arrived early in the afternoon, dropped my things at my hotel, and ran off to explore the Altstadt or old city.
Old Nürnberg is surrounded by an incredible wall. I can't believe the view of it I had from my hotel room:
On my return flight, I sat next to a gentleman who remarked that Europe is filled with churches, any of which, were they located in the US, would be national treasures. Nürnberg is no exception.
St. James the Less, in Jakobplatz. I attended an English-language service here (Episcopal) on Sunday night.
St. Lorenz.
And others.
This particular church has a special place in my heart. Or my stomach, depending on your perspective.
The reason is that it overlooks the Bratwursthausle where I had dinner my first night in Nürnberg. The waitstaff was ... unappreciative ... of the fact I was American. However, the sausage, beer, potato salad, and pretzel (with mustard!) were fantastic.
Like Dresden, Nürnberg is situated on a river (the Pegnitz).
Nürnberg is also home to a remarkable fountain, dating to 1385 (the original is now in a museum, pictured is a replica).
And so ended my adventure in Germany! Nürnberg is definitely a city I'd like to return to when we can all go and see some of the sites, for instance, the Playmobil theme park and Train Museum!
Old Nürnberg is surrounded by an incredible wall. I can't believe the view of it I had from my hotel room:
On my return flight, I sat next to a gentleman who remarked that Europe is filled with churches, any of which, were they located in the US, would be national treasures. Nürnberg is no exception.
St. James the Less, in Jakobplatz. I attended an English-language service here (Episcopal) on Sunday night.
St. Lorenz.
And others.
This particular church has a special place in my heart. Or my stomach, depending on your perspective.
The reason is that it overlooks the Bratwursthausle where I had dinner my first night in Nürnberg. The waitstaff was ... unappreciative ... of the fact I was American. However, the sausage, beer, potato salad, and pretzel (with mustard!) were fantastic.
Like Dresden, Nürnberg is situated on a river (the Pegnitz).
Nürnberg is also home to a remarkable fountain, dating to 1385 (the original is now in a museum, pictured is a replica).
And so ended my adventure in Germany! Nürnberg is definitely a city I'd like to return to when we can all go and see some of the sites, for instance, the Playmobil theme park and Train Museum!
Another day in Dresden
My next chance to go out into the city was the following Friday, after my conference was over. I hadn't had a chance to go shopping for goodies for Sarina or Micah yet, and so it was time to see what I could find before leaving for Nürnberg the next day.
It wasn't a terribly nice day out: it was cold, windy and rainy. I started out by walking along the opposite of the Elbe from my convention center. I came across the spot from which the artist Canaletto captured the view of Dresden back in 1748.
Things look a bit different 250 years later, though some features of the painting remain.
It wasn't a terribly nice day out: it was cold, windy and rainy. I started out by walking along the opposite of the Elbe from my convention center. I came across the spot from which the artist Canaletto captured the view of Dresden back in 1748.
Things look a bit different 250 years later, though some features of the painting remain.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Greetings from Dresden
I'm in Germany this week. Back in September, I submitted a paper which was accepted for presentation and publication. This was great news, of course, as this was the first time I've been able to publish results from my dissertation. On Sunday, I started traveling, from Charlottesville, VA to Dresden, Germany-- over 4000 miles!
My trip started out quite well, with a free airline ticket! Apparently the flight from Charlottesville to Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC, was ''overweight.'' I checked in, I was asked if I wanted a free ticket in exchange for taking a cab instead (and of course, United paid for the cab, too).
I had a nice cab ride, and got to Washington about the same time I would have if I had flown.
Next up was my 8 hour flight to Frankfurt. I arrived in Frankfurt just after 7 AM local time (6 times zones different from EST), somehow needed to be able to stay up the whole day to beat my jet lag.
I finally arrived in Dresden at 10:30 AM local time, and by early afternoon had collected my conference things and eaten lunch. It was time to walk around a bit to try to stay awake.
The convention center (congress center, as they are called in Europe) is right on the Elbe river.
Snow? Yeah. It's been cold, ha.
I walked along the river toward the old city center. The architecture is quite different from what I'm used to in the US. There are a lot of statues.
Statues on the museum,
and statues on the church,
and some gold statues someplace else.
During World War II, Dresden was (without cause, it is alleged), firebombed by the US and I'm told that the old city was essentially leveled. Then started in 1989 and over 20 years, different parts of the old city were rebuilt from photographs. A stunning example of the restoration is the Frauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady. This was all that was left standing after the war: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frauenkirche_Dresden_1991.jpg.
This fragment still stands in front of the restored church, as a reminder of the war that brought its destruction. The church now looks spectacular.
The stained stones are from the original church, stones gathered from the rubble.
After my walk in the cold, I still needed to take a nap to get through the rest of the day. There was a reception in the evening and the conference proper started the next day. It's Thursday now, and the conference is over. If the weather cooperates, I'll go walking around a bit more in the city tomorrow. On Saturday I take a train to Nürnberg.
My trip started out quite well, with a free airline ticket! Apparently the flight from Charlottesville to Dulles International Airport in Washington, DC, was ''overweight.'' I checked in, I was asked if I wanted a free ticket in exchange for taking a cab instead (and of course, United paid for the cab, too).
I had a nice cab ride, and got to Washington about the same time I would have if I had flown.
Next up was my 8 hour flight to Frankfurt. I arrived in Frankfurt just after 7 AM local time (6 times zones different from EST), somehow needed to be able to stay up the whole day to beat my jet lag.
I finally arrived in Dresden at 10:30 AM local time, and by early afternoon had collected my conference things and eaten lunch. It was time to walk around a bit to try to stay awake.
The convention center (congress center, as they are called in Europe) is right on the Elbe river.
Snow? Yeah. It's been cold, ha.
I walked along the river toward the old city center. The architecture is quite different from what I'm used to in the US. There are a lot of statues.
Statues on the museum,
and statues on the church,
and some gold statues someplace else.
During World War II, Dresden was (without cause, it is alleged), firebombed by the US and I'm told that the old city was essentially leveled. Then started in 1989 and over 20 years, different parts of the old city were rebuilt from photographs. A stunning example of the restoration is the Frauenkirche, or Church of Our Lady. This was all that was left standing after the war: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Frauenkirche_Dresden_1991.jpg.
This fragment still stands in front of the restored church, as a reminder of the war that brought its destruction. The church now looks spectacular.
The stained stones are from the original church, stones gathered from the rubble.
After my walk in the cold, I still needed to take a nap to get through the rest of the day. There was a reception in the evening and the conference proper started the next day. It's Thursday now, and the conference is over. If the weather cooperates, I'll go walking around a bit more in the city tomorrow. On Saturday I take a train to Nürnberg.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
First Play Date in C'ville
Micah had his first play date in C'ville yesterday morning. It was very fun and went really well. I talked to Micah about sharing with John in the few days leading up to the play date. We had a very funny conversation the night before John came over:
Sarina: John's coming over tomorrow.
Micah: No John!
Sarina: Well, John's coming and you need to be nice to him. You need to share your trains.
Micah: No! No share trains with John!
Sarina: OK, well, we don't have to talk about it.
Micah continues to play with his really long train. Then, I think he decided to practice sharing...
Micah: Here Mommy. Here's an engine for you.
He hands me an engine.
Sarina: Wow Micah! That is so nice of you!
Micah: Yeah, that's generous!
Literally, that's what he said! I laughed and told him that I was proud of him for using such a big word. Micah smiled proudly, then he got pensive and said...
Micah: I have really sharp teeth.
My ears perked up. I wanted to know where he was going with this train of thought (especially since I had just finished reading Dracula!), but Brett came home at that moment and interrupted the conversation. I told Brett about Micah using generous in a sentence and we both told him how proud we were of him. Then...
Micah: I have really sharp teeth.
Sarina gently takes Micah by the arms: Micah, you cannot bite John.
Micah says quietly, as if it is a big revelation and somewhat of a blow to his plans: Oh, not bite John.
Sarina: Teeth are for eating, not for biting.
Micah: Oh, teeth for eating.
Sarina: No biting.
Micah: No biting.
LOL! So apparently, Micah, in his two-year-old mind, decided that if John did anything Micah didn't like that he would just bite him! That is so hilarious! Who thinks of that?! Apparently 2-year-olds in their best, most rational logic think of that.
The next day, John and his Mom came over. We had a lovely time. Micah never even thought about biting John as far as I can tell. He did a great job sharing and was very kind. Brett had made two identical train tracks that overlapped so that each boy could have his own track. I was impressed with Micah because John chose some of Micah's favorite train cars and engines to play with, but Micah didn't say anything about it. He just made a smaller train than usual.
The minute John and his Mom left, Micah said, "It's time for play with John's trains!" And he ran back into the play room. LOL!
Sarina: John's coming over tomorrow.
Micah: No John!
Sarina: Well, John's coming and you need to be nice to him. You need to share your trains.
Micah: No! No share trains with John!
Sarina: OK, well, we don't have to talk about it.
Micah continues to play with his really long train. Then, I think he decided to practice sharing...
Micah: Here Mommy. Here's an engine for you.
He hands me an engine.
Sarina: Wow Micah! That is so nice of you!
Micah: Yeah, that's generous!
Literally, that's what he said! I laughed and told him that I was proud of him for using such a big word. Micah smiled proudly, then he got pensive and said...
Micah: I have really sharp teeth.
My ears perked up. I wanted to know where he was going with this train of thought (especially since I had just finished reading Dracula!), but Brett came home at that moment and interrupted the conversation. I told Brett about Micah using generous in a sentence and we both told him how proud we were of him. Then...
Micah: I have really sharp teeth.
Sarina gently takes Micah by the arms: Micah, you cannot bite John.
Micah says quietly, as if it is a big revelation and somewhat of a blow to his plans: Oh, not bite John.
Sarina: Teeth are for eating, not for biting.
Micah: Oh, teeth for eating.
Sarina: No biting.
Micah: No biting.
LOL! So apparently, Micah, in his two-year-old mind, decided that if John did anything Micah didn't like that he would just bite him! That is so hilarious! Who thinks of that?! Apparently 2-year-olds in their best, most rational logic think of that.
The next day, John and his Mom came over. We had a lovely time. Micah never even thought about biting John as far as I can tell. He did a great job sharing and was very kind. Brett had made two identical train tracks that overlapped so that each boy could have his own track. I was impressed with Micah because John chose some of Micah's favorite train cars and engines to play with, but Micah didn't say anything about it. He just made a smaller train than usual.
The minute John and his Mom left, Micah said, "It's time for play with John's trains!" And he ran back into the play room. LOL!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Trip to the Park
Micah and I went to the park for 2 hours today. It was the first warm day here in a long time. We spent most of our time on a muddy trail and playing with sticks in a creek. We talked about how water flows from high to low and that it flows in currents just like Marlin and Dori rode in Finding Nemo (the EAC, dude). Also, that the current gets faster when the water goes through a narrower space because the same volume has to go through that smaller space so it just goes faster. Micah said, "Water goes like finding Nemo and a train and goes choo-choo!" My translation: "Water goes in a current like in finding Nemo. It goes fast like a train. It goes choo-choo!"
On the way to the car he found a huge puddle that he had to stomp around in. My only consolation was that this helped clean off some of the inch-thick red mud covering the bottom 1/3 of his boots. He was so covered in mud and water that I had to strip him down to his diaper and shirt before I put him in his car seat (I had to take off his pants, socks, boots, and jacket).
This is an improvement over the last time we went to the same park. Last time he was playing in a huge boggy puddle and fell in...twice! That time he had to ride home in just his diaper. It was a cold day and I worried about getting pulled over and having to explain to a police officer why my son was just in his diaper with his clothes in the trunk. Of course I didn't get pulled over. When we got home Micah went straight in the bath. :-)
On the way to the car he found a huge puddle that he had to stomp around in. My only consolation was that this helped clean off some of the inch-thick red mud covering the bottom 1/3 of his boots. He was so covered in mud and water that I had to strip him down to his diaper and shirt before I put him in his car seat (I had to take off his pants, socks, boots, and jacket).
This is an improvement over the last time we went to the same park. Last time he was playing in a huge boggy puddle and fell in...twice! That time he had to ride home in just his diaper. It was a cold day and I worried about getting pulled over and having to explain to a police officer why my son was just in his diaper with his clothes in the trunk. Of course I didn't get pulled over. When we got home Micah went straight in the bath. :-)
Thursday, December 24, 2009
I Have a Husband
I will try to remember the gist of the most recent conversation we had with Micah because it was absolutely hilarious!
Brett: "Am I going to Barracks Rd. by myself? That's the impression that I'm getting."
Sarina: "Well, Honey-Husband I do need to go to the grocery store..."
Micah: "I have a husband and go to luh li-bary."
[pause; laugh]
Brett: "You don't have a husband."
Micah: "No, Micah have a husband."
[Sarina laughing.]
Brett: "You don't have a husband. You have a Daddy."
Micah: "No! Micah have a husband in luh el-vator. And press the green button and go to luh li-bary."
hahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahaha! Micah is hilarious!
Brett: "Am I going to Barracks Rd. by myself? That's the impression that I'm getting."
Sarina: "Well, Honey-Husband I do need to go to the grocery store..."
Micah: "I have a husband and go to luh li-bary."
[pause; laugh]
Brett: "You don't have a husband."
Micah: "No, Micah have a husband."
[Sarina laughing.]
Brett: "You don't have a husband. You have a Daddy."
Micah: "No! Micah have a husband in luh el-vator. And press the green button and go to luh li-bary."
hahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahaha! Micah is hilarious!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Whoa, snow!
We're experiencing a major snow storm in Charlottesville. I honestly don't remember when I saw it snow this much. I think we've gotten at least two feet, but it's honestly hard to tell. Naturally Micah and I went outside to play.
First, we had to figure out how to get outside. This wasn't trivial, as a fair amount of snow fell right in front of our door.
At first Micah didn't really know what to do. The snow was up to his waist, and at times higher!
He had a fun time trying to follow me on paths I created. We rolled down the hill in the backyard, and I of course had fun putting in whatever large snowbanks I could find. Micah also got buried a couple of times.
We don't own a shovel. Ha! And we weren't going to make it to the store today to buy one. I started clearing some snow using our plastic garbage can, and piled it all up in one spot.
Sarina suggested using the lid of the garbage can to sled down it.
Later on, we borrowed a neighbor's shovel to try to dig out a bit. This was hard (and I'm still not done) because by this time we had stomped a lot of the snow down.
Micah, of course, wanted to use the shovel too, so I got stuck with a blue shovel from his sand box, which we had extracted earlier.
I think we played for about two hours, and we were both soaked by the time we went in for lunch. It's still snowing out. I don't know that we'll get out to play again today, but if the weather is nice tomorrow and our clothes are dry, I think we'll be out again.
First, we had to figure out how to get outside. This wasn't trivial, as a fair amount of snow fell right in front of our door.
At first Micah didn't really know what to do. The snow was up to his waist, and at times higher!
He had a fun time trying to follow me on paths I created. We rolled down the hill in the backyard, and I of course had fun putting in whatever large snowbanks I could find. Micah also got buried a couple of times.
We don't own a shovel. Ha! And we weren't going to make it to the store today to buy one. I started clearing some snow using our plastic garbage can, and piled it all up in one spot.
Sarina suggested using the lid of the garbage can to sled down it.
Later on, we borrowed a neighbor's shovel to try to dig out a bit. This was hard (and I'm still not done) because by this time we had stomped a lot of the snow down.
Micah, of course, wanted to use the shovel too, so I got stuck with a blue shovel from his sand box, which we had extracted earlier.
I think we played for about two hours, and we were both soaked by the time we went in for lunch. It's still snowing out. I don't know that we'll get out to play again today, but if the weather is nice tomorrow and our clothes are dry, I think we'll be out again.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
First snow in Charlottesville
When we woke up this morning, it was raining. It's rained a lot here since we moved. However, by the time Micah was done eating breakfast (Sarina and I had barely started), something had changed: it was snowing.
Immediately, Micah wanted to go outside. So we did, and had a lot of fun. We made snow balls, threw them on the ground, and stomped on them. We also splashed in a cold, muddy puddle.
My fingers started getting cold from taking off my gloves to take pictures. I suggested that in a little while, we should go inside to have hot chocolate.
Immediately, Micah wanted to go inside. So we did, and had a lot of fun then, too.
The snow will all melt tomorrow, but I'm grateful for it while it's here.
Immediately, Micah wanted to go outside. So we did, and had a lot of fun. We made snow balls, threw them on the ground, and stomped on them. We also splashed in a cold, muddy puddle.
My fingers started getting cold from taking off my gloves to take pictures. I suggested that in a little while, we should go inside to have hot chocolate.
Immediately, Micah wanted to go inside. So we did, and had a lot of fun then, too.
The snow will all melt tomorrow, but I'm grateful for it while it's here.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Recent Events
I want to update you all on recent events in our lives. I was recently pregnant and went in for an 18 week prenatal appointment where we discovered that our baby had died. Rachel Elizabeth was born still on September 5, 2009.
20 min after we returned home from her delivery, we unexpectedly rushed Micah to the ER at Children's Hospital for severe croup with strider. He was admitted for three days. On the third day we were discharged and that afternoon went to a funeral home to make decisions about Rachel's remains. A couple of days later we left for Wisconsin to bury her. Rachel was buried on September 14th.
We are now back in Pittsburgh. However, we are scheduled to move to Charlottesville, VA on October 26th so that Brett can start a new job as a post-doc at the University of Virginia on Nov. 2nd.
Given all the trauma we have been through and the stress of moving very soon afterward we are doing OK. We take each day one at a time, sometimes moment to moment. The most amazing thing about this experience has been God's presence with us. Psalm 23:4 has been true for us, that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we should fear no evil for God is with us. It is amazing to feel God's love and care in the midst of a nightmare. It doesn't mean that we don't have questions for God or sometimes feel angry with God, but it does mean that we have a very strong sense that God did not abandon us even though we have suffered a terrible loss. And even though we wonder why God didn't save Rachel, we know that God was with Rachel as she died and that Rachel is with God now. That gives us great hope and is a great comfort. We are terribly sad not to be able to raise Rachel and to show her our love in this life, but we are so glad that one day we will see her again. Even though I want to live this life to the fullest and die old, I am looking forward to the day when I will see my daughter again, hear her voice for the first time, and have the opportunity to get to know her.
20 min after we returned home from her delivery, we unexpectedly rushed Micah to the ER at Children's Hospital for severe croup with strider. He was admitted for three days. On the third day we were discharged and that afternoon went to a funeral home to make decisions about Rachel's remains. A couple of days later we left for Wisconsin to bury her. Rachel was buried on September 14th.
We are now back in Pittsburgh. However, we are scheduled to move to Charlottesville, VA on October 26th so that Brett can start a new job as a post-doc at the University of Virginia on Nov. 2nd.
Given all the trauma we have been through and the stress of moving very soon afterward we are doing OK. We take each day one at a time, sometimes moment to moment. The most amazing thing about this experience has been God's presence with us. Psalm 23:4 has been true for us, that even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we should fear no evil for God is with us. It is amazing to feel God's love and care in the midst of a nightmare. It doesn't mean that we don't have questions for God or sometimes feel angry with God, but it does mean that we have a very strong sense that God did not abandon us even though we have suffered a terrible loss. And even though we wonder why God didn't save Rachel, we know that God was with Rachel as she died and that Rachel is with God now. That gives us great hope and is a great comfort. We are terribly sad not to be able to raise Rachel and to show her our love in this life, but we are so glad that one day we will see her again. Even though I want to live this life to the fullest and die old, I am looking forward to the day when I will see my daughter again, hear her voice for the first time, and have the opportunity to get to know her.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Cutting Mushrooms
The following is an article that I wrote for the Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library newsletter. They only got a picture, but you get a video!
After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and having my husband tell me about The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan we have been convicted as a family that in order to be good stewards of our bodies and the earth we should eat local and organic food as much as possible. However, cooking from scratch and using fresh produce takes a long time. I didn’t want to spend all that time alone in the kitchen and not include my one-year-old son, Micah. So I found some ways for him to enjoy the process with me.
Micah can’t use knives or the stove, but he wants to cook. He loves having a job and he’s more likely to eat things he’s helped with. His favorite activity in the kitchen is cutting mushrooms. Whole Foods sells local organic mushrooms all year round. We use Pampered Chef’s Egg Slicer Plus to make this a group activity. I strap him in his booster seat with the egg slicer ready to go on his tray. I push him next to the table and put the fry pan right on the edge of the table next to Micah. Then I get rinsing. Each time a mushroom is ready to be cut I put it in the egg slicer for him, then go back to rinsing. Meanwhile, Micah expertly presses the top down, squeals, “AH HA!” and pries the mushroom pieces out of the slicer and puts them in the pan. When the mushrooms are done, I let him down, chop up some onion, fry it all together in butter and serve!
Another way we involve him is by allowing him to put spices in certain dishes. He plops cinnamon sticks and cloves in a pot of apple cider or dumps the measured spices for a soup into the pot. Micah also loves to put the spices in scrambled eggs. His favorite combination is basil and coriander, a strange sounding concoction of my husband’s that is quite good.
From visiting the PTLL, Micah has developed a love of painting. Whenever I make a pie, he “paints” the top crust with water or egg whites and we put the sugar on together. The irony of this particular cooking activity is that now Micah likes the crust the best. He requested an apple pie for about two weeks and I finally gave in. Luckily this happened in the winter when local apples from Dawson’s farm were available at Whole Foods. During his nap I peeled and chopped countless apples by hand, mixed the filling—except the spices which I saved for when Micah awoke. He painted the crust. When the pie was finally finished and ready to serve he ate all the “crust” and left the apples. Oh well!
While cooking from scratch with Micah is healthy and fun, sometimes I’m too tired or there’s just not time. We have sworn off all the fast food burger places and anything else that sells CAFO meat. That doesn’t leave many options. But we have found a few local places that we all enjoy without having to sacrifice our food values:
After reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and having my husband tell me about The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan we have been convicted as a family that in order to be good stewards of our bodies and the earth we should eat local and organic food as much as possible. However, cooking from scratch and using fresh produce takes a long time. I didn’t want to spend all that time alone in the kitchen and not include my one-year-old son, Micah. So I found some ways for him to enjoy the process with me.
Micah can’t use knives or the stove, but he wants to cook. He loves having a job and he’s more likely to eat things he’s helped with. His favorite activity in the kitchen is cutting mushrooms. Whole Foods sells local organic mushrooms all year round. We use Pampered Chef’s Egg Slicer Plus to make this a group activity. I strap him in his booster seat with the egg slicer ready to go on his tray. I push him next to the table and put the fry pan right on the edge of the table next to Micah. Then I get rinsing. Each time a mushroom is ready to be cut I put it in the egg slicer for him, then go back to rinsing. Meanwhile, Micah expertly presses the top down, squeals, “AH HA!” and pries the mushroom pieces out of the slicer and puts them in the pan. When the mushrooms are done, I let him down, chop up some onion, fry it all together in butter and serve!
Another way we involve him is by allowing him to put spices in certain dishes. He plops cinnamon sticks and cloves in a pot of apple cider or dumps the measured spices for a soup into the pot. Micah also loves to put the spices in scrambled eggs. His favorite combination is basil and coriander, a strange sounding concoction of my husband’s that is quite good.
From visiting the PTLL, Micah has developed a love of painting. Whenever I make a pie, he “paints” the top crust with water or egg whites and we put the sugar on together. The irony of this particular cooking activity is that now Micah likes the crust the best. He requested an apple pie for about two weeks and I finally gave in. Luckily this happened in the winter when local apples from Dawson’s farm were available at Whole Foods. During his nap I peeled and chopped countless apples by hand, mixed the filling—except the spices which I saved for when Micah awoke. He painted the crust. When the pie was finally finished and ready to serve he ate all the “crust” and left the apples. Oh well!
While cooking from scratch with Micah is healthy and fun, sometimes I’m too tired or there’s just not time. We have sworn off all the fast food burger places and anything else that sells CAFO meat. That doesn’t leave many options. But we have found a few local places that we all enjoy without having to sacrifice our food values:
- Panera – Kids meals come with a side of Horizon organic yogurt; drinks include organic milk or organic apple juice; all chicken is antibiotic-free; Micah likes the chicken noodle or chicken and wild rice soups.
- Chipotle – Most meat is naturally-raised; Micah likes carnitas “buh-buh-buh-bitos” with black beans, rice, pico de gallo, and guacamole.
- Whole Foods – A great place for a quick hot meal.
- Oh Yeah! – They sell organic ice cream; they make waffles, can add fruit.
- Taza D’Oro – Micah loves steamers (Turner’s local hormone free milk with flavored syrup). He likes them cold, which means they’re not steamed, but who cares! He orders them like this: “code teemer, app-oh teemer!” Only one of the cashiers can understand him!
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