FAQ

Some of you have asked about the weather here.  Yes, it gets much hotter than in Alameda, but I don't go out in the afternoon sun.  This morning e and I took a mile-long walk about 8:00.  It was very pleasant, and I would guess the temp was around 70 or so.  Sometimes we spend a few minutes out on the back deck in the shade, watching Oscar cavort in the yard, listening to birds, feeling the breeze.

Do I eat dinner with E and K?  Seldom with both of them.  E cooks several nights each week, making something like a pot of soup or pulled pork that will make lunch and supper for another day or two.  Last night it was a dish of enchiladas, with some chicken left over.  I ate alone while E and K played with e, then E ate while K bathed e.  Little e's bedtime ritual begins about 6, so we're not all free till nearly 8.   Tonight K has softball, so E said we're on our own for supper, leftovers, cereal, eggs, whatever.  But I always have plenty to eat.

Despite the fact that hundreds, possibly thousands, of pictures have been taken of e, you won't see any on this blog.  When Randy and I first discussed doing a blog, he reminded me of the comment from the film "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," that nothing will ever disappear again.  So I have opted not to make e's cute face public, though very few people have been given this blog address directly.  If you want to see her, let me know and I'll email you a picture, or we can get together some weekend when I'm home and you can see as many as you can stand.

Since my charge is to provide stimulation for e and to observe her closely, when she is awake I am with her.  We read, sing, play with her toys, make faces at each other (she has recently discovered her tongue), coo back and forth.  I spend a lot of time on the floor with her, either up in her room or downstairs in the living room where she has a jungle playmat.  I talk a lot, describing what I'm doing, what e is doing, and other small talk.  The past couple of days my right thumb has hurt, so I'm trying to adjust the way I pick her up.

Flying each weekend has not been too hard so far.  Some flights have been delayed, but it seems good to have that time in the airport and plane to make a transition between here and home.

One of the hardest things is leaving Randy home alone.  Sometimes he goes several days without seeing anyone since he works from home.

Finally, e is thriving.  Her physical therapist came Tuesday and after examining e said she was doing just fine.  Next week is E's four-month check-up with her pediatrician; E is eager to see how much e weighs now and how tall she is (though to me height seems less exact at this age).