Callie's 2nd Christmas

I honestly don't know where to begin with this one. This is probably going to be a very rambly post, but I just need to get it all out!
Bill and I spent a lot of time and energy leading up to Christmas deciding what we wanted to share with our little girl in terms of Christmas traditions. We decided on Christmas Eve with my family  and tamales (as our usual tradition) and Christmas morning with just the three of us. Christmas afternoon/evening has always been with Bill's family in Morgan Hill.
So we were getting our tamale dinner all set up in the dining room on Christmas Eve when I heard it. The bark. Milo's bark that is usually reserved for attacking raccoons. Most of what happened next is a blur. But I know that I raced into the living room and started yelling something, probably Milo's name. And I saw my baby girl crying and scared. And that is saying something for Miss Callie, she is rarely scared. She is my tough chick. Over the next 24 hours I would learn just how tough she really is! I scooped her up and saw the blood. And cue the freak out. It was just starting to appear but there were at least 3 bite marks on her face from our normally very mellow beagle that we have had as our companion for the last 10 years. I took her into the kitchen and we tried to stop the bleeding with some towels and water to no avail. The blood just wouldn't stop. I was really trying to keep it together but I guess its kind of impossible when your child is bleeding!
So we hurriedly pulled a few things together, blew out candles, grabbed a blanket for Callie, more towels to mop up the blood for the car ride and we were off to the ER. I was so grateful for Bill's calm demeanor and thinking through the whole episode and for my mom's steady hand to keep me calm as well because I was pretty much a wreck. She kept my breathing even so I wouldn't pass out.
We brought Callie to the car and I wanted so badly to just hold her instead of putting her in the carseat, but we did put her in the seat since there were no bites on her arms of legs that would be pinched in the buckles. I think if it had just been me and Bill in the car I wouldn't have put her in the seat.
It was the longest car ride of my life. She screamed the entire way while we kept trying to stop the bleeding in the car. It slowed down a little by the time we got there. I can honestly say I have never been so damned scared in my entire life. There is no way to adequately describe what it feels like to be a mother and see your child's blood on your clothes and running down her face. And knowing that I was pretty much powerless to help her was awful. I don't even know how I put one foot in front of the other to get her to the hospital. So much of all of this is a blur but I think a lot of that has to do with all of the adrenaline that was pumping throughout my body.
When we walked into the ER it was empty except for a dad and his son. I knew it was bad when the receptionist was moving and talking so fast. Usually when we go to the ER they are methodically slow. They got our information and then we moved over to the nurse station which was an excercise in incredible pain and stupidity, as usual. Lots of questions, which is fine, I understand you need to know if we've given her any medications, blah blah. But come on, I was surprised we all had shoes on and found car keys with how panicked we all were. But the worst part was when they tried to weigh her. She had been screaming constantly since we left the house and now I was supposed to lay her down on a scale with blood dripping into her eyes? Didn't work at all, of course. And all of her screaming was opening up the cuts even more. So they had the big ole pregnant lady get on the scale with her daughter then pass her off to daddy and subtract the weight to figure out Callie's weight.
Finally we were whisked into our room where Callie was still screaming at the top of her lungs. I tried so hard to calm her down, singing, rocking, telling her it would be ok, that I was sorry, anything I could think of. Of course nothing worked and I just cried because I was so helpless and she was so scared and in pain.
An EMT named Michael Dunn ( who was absolutly amazing) came in and explained what they were going to have to do. He was incredibly sympathetic and had the perfect demeanor for the situation. He explained that normally they don't stitch up dog bites because of bacteria but these bites were so deep they didn't have a choice. The doctor also came in and started talking to me about scars and quite honestly I thought to myself "I really don't give a fuck if she has scars, I just want her to feel better and for the bleeding to stop!" And come on, a kid like Callie? The girl is going to have scars one way or another!
They both left for a while and Callie finally passed out. Sweet relief for us all. I was glad that her body was resting. Bill and I started talking about whether I could handle being in the room since they were going to have to strap her down and I knew that if she could see/hear me and not get to me it would just make it harder for the doctor and the EMT to do what they needed to do. Also we were worried that the stress and adrenaline would put me in early labor. When the EMT came back they put Callie's arms into a pillow case and basically put her in a swaddle. Luckily she was still sleeping while they were doing this. Then came the pappoose and the velcro restraints over her legs and chest.
That's when I left to go meet with my parents in the waiting room. It was absolute agony being in that room while I knew that Callie was screaming for me. One of the funny things that happened was that when I walked out into the waiting room where my parents were what was showing on all of the tvs? The Sound of Music, one of the movies that I was named for.
After a while ( I have no idea how much time passed while we were at the ER) the EMT came to get me since they had finished. My baby girl looked so tired you almost wouldn't have recognized her. I don't think there is anything or anyone that could have stopped me from taking her out of Bill's arms. And we both cried and cried. I must have told her how sorry I was a gazillion times by the time the night was over. Bill got the discharge instructions and I rocked Callie like she was a newborn. Then another odd/funny thing happened. There had been a very young baby in the ER that had been crying most of the time we were there. All of a sudden Callie tried to leap out of my arms yelling "Baby! Baby!" Like she was saying "Someone help the baby!" I only hope she will be that protective of her baby sister.
We were so happy to leave it was amazing. When I carried her out to the waiting room where my parents were waiting she yelled out "Amma Amma!" for my mom and leaped into her arms. For the zillionth time, I was so glad my mom was there with us. We got her back into the car seat and headed home. I just leaned my head against the carseat and stared at her and thought "Oh my god. Its over. She's ok. I can't believe she is ok." As we drove I tried to remember if the dog was still in the house. Would he just be sleeping on the couch like nothing had happened? If he was in the house would he come after her again? Luckily in all the commotion before we left the house Bill, the ever level headed one, had put him outside.
I was a little worried about how she would react when she got home. Would she be scared? But nope. It was business as usual. Time for snuggles and Finding Nemo. She laid on my belly and chest and watched her favorite movie and I held her and didn't think I would ever be able to let her go.
Her face looked horrible. She pretty much looked like she had been mauled by a wild animal. There were 6 punctures and bites that they had to stitch up. One was on her eyelid. It is an absolute miracle that there seems to be no damage to the eye itself. One of her eyelids is still swollen shut but it is improving. We had to keep ointment on the stitches and try to keep the closed eyelid dry because the puncture on her lid drains right into the corner of her eye so it looks like she cries blood. Cleaning out her eye and keeping the ointment on is horrible of course, but we gotta do it.
When Nemo was over we wanted to try to keep our bedtime ritual so it was time to read. And of course she wanted to read Go Dog Go. Bill read to her while I cried because I know that we cannot in good faith keep our dog that has been our friend and companion for 10 years. Milo was scratching at the door the whole time we were reading. He might never go after her again but we just can't take that chance. I don't think he is a bad dog. I know that if he REALLY wanted to hurt her he would have gone for her neck and we would have lost her. I think he hit his limit with a toddler's poking and prodding and having food in front of his face. I really hope that we can find a good home for him. I can't even think about most of that decision yet, but I know it has to be done. So if any of you readers knows someone who doesn't have kids and that would like an older, mellow lovable full bred beagle please let me know. We are broken hearted over the whole situation. 
We talked a lot about it after Callie went to sleep, taking stock of just how lucky we were. Bill told me what it was like in the room while they were stitching her up. I felt so guilty that I wasn't there but we both agreed it was the right decision. Bill had to help hold her down and just kept talking to her to try to calm her down. I am so glad that Bill could be there for our girl, even if I couldn't. He is my rock and I know I wouldn't have gotten through this without him holding me and Callie while she screamed and I cried. Just feeling his hand on my shoulder steadied me more than I thought possible. We also talked about the fact that we can't keep Milo. The more I thought about him, the more I told myself "You can't think about this. You have to get rid of him. You can't possibly take the chance that this could happen again. So just stop and do what you need to do."

Callie slept off and on through the night although I only slept about 4 hours. All I could see was her bloody face, crying out for me. I bolted out of bed everytime she cried. We ended up having a very mellow Christmas Day at home with my parents and Bill's parents came by as well. All in all it ended up being a nice day for all of us, even if a little bittersweet. We are so incredibly lucky that our baby girl is ok. The whole experience probably took at least 5 years off of our lives but we are definitely counting our blessings today. So hug your babies tight! They are the most precious things we have!

Hockey and Kids

Advice for about-to-be moms

I have two good friends who are due for the first babies in the next few weeks. Which of course makes me think of Callie's birth and my journey since that fateful day.
It's a little funny to think back on it and remember what a wreck I was! We took so many classes. Most months we had at least one class that took up a whole day or weekend. Mostly because I was so freaked out about birth. I think largely because we don't normally talk about it, unless you are hearing horror stories. Or maybe those are just the ones that stick in our memories. For whatever reason, we don't talk about the process all that much unless you are about to go through it.
Looking back, I'm not sure that I would change what we did, I  met an amazing teacher: Heather Ward who helped me tremendously. Seriously, if you are expecting, go to her website. She is amazing. She said something that really stuck with me. She was talking about when you've reached your limit with a newborn. The screaming won't stop. You're exhausted and you feel like you're going to snap. She said: "Put the baby down in a safe place, like a crib. Pour yourself a glass of wine and go outside for a few minutes. Scream at the top of your lungs if you need to. " The thing I remember the most is that she said "WHEN this happens. Not if. It will." It definitely scared me, that word: when. I am totally the person that would normally say "Nah, not me. I can handle it." But she wouldn't let me. And I am eternally grateful for that. It was one of the few times I could tell myself, I am not alone. Heather told me this would happen so its ok.
A class that I wish I would've taken but didn't was a class on baby massage. It might sound silly but it really helped Callie when she was colicky. Luckily I found a dvd at the library on the subject and a very generous friend, Megan, who came over to show me one on one how to do it.
I wish I would've taken fewer classes on the birth process. The classes that our midwives taught covered everything I needed to know, I just didn't realize it at the time!
The bottom line is, about-to-be mamas, you just need to surround yourself with a good team. I was so lucky that I had a dream team. I had my husband, my doula, Tara Gomez ,my midwife Bethany Monte and my mom. Oh ya, and Milo, my dog. He wouldn't leave my side the whole day. It was oddly comforting to have that warmth near my feet as I braced against each contraction. If you have people around you that you are second guessing, that you might feel embarrassed around (about gee I don't know...being really naked!), or that you just don't trust, your labor will be much longer and harder. I was so worried that I wouldn't be able to handle the pain or that my head would get in the way of what my body needed to do. Ends up I didn't need to worry. Sure birth is painful. But it is one day and it comes and goes. I had Bill and Tara there to hold my hand and tell me what to do and to make me eat.
Mamas: food is so important before you go to the hospital! Eat as many good carbs as you can when labor first starts. You won't feel like it later. In the later stages of labor, my favorite things to eat were honey sticks (they are amazing! the perfect burst of energy and very easy to eat) and high water content fruit like honeydew. I remember in the middle of the day Bill made me some gnocchi and it was really tough to eat but I am glad I did because I didn't really eat again until 2am when we were settled in our recovery room and I had almost passed out white as a ghost on the floor of the delivery room after losing too much blood.
Sleep. I really wish I had gone back to sleep after labor had started at 5am. But I was too excited. So if your labor starts in the middle of the night or early morning, get some more sleep because you are going to need all your energy. I remember in the midwives' class they said when labor starts in the middle of the night let your husband sleep. I'm pretty sure I rolled my eyes. I thought to myself, "What the hell? I have to feel contractions and water breaking and he gets to take a nap? Puhleaze." But they were right. You are going to be leaning on your partner, both literally and figuratively, more than you can imagine. You will be in probably the weakest state of mind of your entire life and you will need them at their best.
Stay home as long as you can. I am so glad I was able to labor most of my time at home, in my comfort zone. The minute you go into the hospital your stress level goes up and strangers are coming and going and you may have some make you feel about how long it is taking or that you're trying to avoid drugs and c sections. Obviously, the drawback at home is if you really want drugs you most likely won't have them there. And clearly, if you are struggling and you would feel better and safer in the hospital then GO!
When you get to the hospital, make friends with your nurses. Screw the doctor. He/she is going to come in at the very end of your labor, when the head is crowning, you know, when it is practically over. The nurses, however, are with you the whole time and you want them on your side. Our midwives had suggested bribery and we complied! We brought cakes and brownies baked by my amazing mom. We had amazing nurses and they were incredibly helpful and attentive and not pushy at all.
Also while in the hospital, make sure you pack some food/snacks for dad. When we got to our room at 2am we were both famished. Sure they bring meals for mama but nothing for dad, unless you want to pay. So we had lots of snacks in our hospital bag, I thought to get me through labor but it ended up being dinner for Bill. Also if you are going to have people visit you in the hospital ask them to bring a burrito or pizza or something for daddy. I will always remember when my mom was on her way to see us in the hospital, Bill called her and said "I will give you a million dollars if you bring me a burrito from Mondo Burrito." Poor guy was desperate!
And a word on visitors, you may want to limit it to the absolute minimum. You are going to be so tired and sore you might not feel like talking/seeing many people. Save the visits for when you get home and settled and you are more rested. Plus, you've got nurses coming in at all hours to check your bleeding, replace ice bags, work on breast feeding, give you medication and god knows what else.
Dads: rub her back if she is comfortable with it and don't be shy about it. However, some mamas in labor don't want to be touched at all and if that is the case, back away slowly. But in my case, I had nothing but back labor because Callie was facing backwards. It is the worst back pain I have every experienced. But Bill and Tara switched off grinding their fists and elbows into my lower back and it saved me. My midwife told me later that the location of my tattoo on my lower back was the perfect placement, she said it was like a bullseye! So spend some time BEFORE you go into labor figuring out what feels good and what doesn't. It is worth the time, especially for you dads so you don't get your head bitten off anymore than necessary:)
Take pictures. That was something that Tara did for us and I am so grateful. Some of my absolute favorite pictures are the ones she took just after Callie was born. When I want to hold on to that first feeling of meeting her I just look at the pictures. There was an amazing photo of Bill and I both looking at Callie for the first time and it will reduce me to tears everytime.

 

Sure there were a few in there that were not fit for public consumption, but that's ok. That's why we love digital, right? I'm not sure I would've liked having video but if you think you would, go for it. 
But my most important piece of advice: let it go. Relax. Women's bodies have been doing this for, uh, well. Forever! We are literally built for it. You can do this. Stress will delay your labor and since the average for the first baby is 24 hours of labor, delay is not preferable:) You are strong enough and focused enough. You are amazing and your son or daughter is so lucky to have you for a mama.

2nd Time Around

I get asked a lot, "So how is it the second time around?" referring of course, to my second pregnancy. Well, the first trimester was a lot more challenging the second time around. When you have a toddler around you don't have the luxury of taking a nap when you want to. I had a lot more nausea this time as well.
But I would say after the first trimester was over, things have been much simpler this time around. For some reason the time seems to go faster, maybe because I am trying to keep up with a very active toddler. I am also a lot more relaxed about the dos and don'ts. I'm not as worried about eating the wrong foods. Now that's not to say that I'm eating pickles for breakfast. Quite the opposite. Because I don't want junk in the house for Callie to eat, I don't tend to eat it either. But I don't freak out at having a little bit of deli meat (I just can't say no to salami for some reason!) or soft cheese. Is it a risk? Of course. But not the biggest in the world. I am careful about where I am getting said foods.

Another nice thing is not being so freaked out about the big day. The first time around with Callie, I was totally petrified of labor and birth. So much so, that I spent far more time reading and researching about labor than I did about actually being a mom! I managed to get through a 16 hour labor with no drugs or interventions of any kind so I feel pretty confident that we will be ok. And I generally know what to expect, which is what was so frightening the last time, the unexpected, the uncontrolled. I think a large part of that comfort with the unknown and unplanned is because, although it took a while to get it through my head, so much of early motherhood is about letting go of control. I know that my body knows what to do and it will tell me if something is wrong.

I am also MUCH more active this time around. Probably because I'm not working full time, so I have the time to go for walks and runs. I have been doing 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons during this pregnancy so my weight has stayed down, even though I look just as big I am about 10 pounds lighter than I was at this point in my first pregnancy. I do get a fair amount of grief about doing these races. "Is it safe?" "Doesn't it hurt the baby?" "How can you run with a belly?" Good lord people. Calm down. It is safe.  I wear a heart rate monitor to make sure my heart rate doesn't go about 165-170. I carry A LOT of water. On my long walks I carry instant ice packs to keep my body temperature down and plenty of food. I have consulted my doctor and personal trainer. I'm not running the entire race. I walk most of it, but every 1/4-1/2 mile I jog for 30-45 seconds. And as for how do you run with a belly? Pretty much the same way anyone else does. One foot in front of the other. I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I cross the finish line and I'm not going to stop unless my body tells me to. The other reason I am much more active is because I have a VERY active toddler to keep up with.

Another difference I have noted is that I showed much earlier (like, immediately) but then my belly slowed down. This baby is much less active than Callie was. I don't feel her kick much at all. Unlike Callie who I started to feel around 18 weeks and she never stopped! The only time I have felt this baby kick is during Sharks games (I think she is a fan!) and after a workout. I am hopeful that this means she will be more mellow than her big sister. Time will tell!

Minestrone Experiment

Yesterday I got a craving. I know, I know. Pregnant lady with a craving? Weird, right? But I figure a craving for minestrone is a pretty healthy one! I had been thinking about our friend Wendy who is an AMAZING cook. We had dinner at their house well over a year ago, maybe even 2, (for the record, we have gotten together with them more recently as well) when she made the most amazing minestrone I have ever had. And let me tell you, I have had a lot of minestrone! I have even tried making it once or twice, but it was never memorable. I think one of my mistakes was using big pieces of pasta that just ended up soaking up the soup and that is no fun! Or it would end up too watery without much flavor.
Minestrone is kind of an amazing soup because it is different everywhere you go. Some people use pesto. Some use a beef base, some veggie, tomato, or bean. Some use cabbage, pasta and special vegetables. I knew I didn't want cabbage in it. I just don't like my leafy greens wilting away in my soup.
Needless to say, beyond that, I didn't really know where to start, so I went to the source and emailed my minestrone muse, Wendy. She gave me some good tips.  She recommended to start by sweating onions, carrots, celery with garlic, peppers and zuccini in olive oil. Then she adds stock, peeled tomatoes, a rind of parmesan (aha! the secret ingredient!), bay leaf, fresh thyme and oregano. She then said to simmer, season and add white beans, green beans. I thought her most interesting piece of advice was to not add inappropriate vegetables. I definitely kept that in mind when I went to the store. I had come across some recipes that called for butternut squash and things like that, that I had never seen in minestrone before. Then you can add pasta at the end.

I felt well armed and ready to hit the store. I tried to imagine Wendy standing over me and saying "No inappropriate vegetables!" So I bypassed the squash and the asparagus, especially since I am making some chili crusted tofu with asparagus later in the week anyway. Unfortunately they were out of green beans and Callie isn't really a fan of bell peppers, so I left the store without those particular items.

So here are the ingredients I worked with:
2 cans of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 potato (that might be considered inappropriate, but I can't say no to potatoes in soup!)
minced garlic
olive oil
carrots
peeled tomatoes ( I was pressed for time so I bought ones in a can even though I had some in the garden. I know...I feel ashamed)
zucchini
salt
1/2 - 2/3 cup white wine (I opted for Grgich Hills Fume Blanc since Whole Foods had it in a half bottle)
bay leaf
Parmesan cheese rind
herbs from the garden (since I forgot to buy herbs at the store!): basil, sage, oregano, rosemary

And here is what I did.

Heated up some olive oil in a big pot and added crushed garlic. Then added the vegetables: potato, carrots, zucchini and salt. Cooked them for about 5 minutes. While the vegetables were cooking, I cut up my tomatoes. I quartered them. Next time I think I would cut them even smaller. The chunks just ended up too big. I also took half of my beans and blended them with 1/2 cup of water to make a bean paste to help thicken the soup. Once your vegetables are softening and getting nice and sweaty, I added the wine. It might be because I'm pregnant and I can't really drink, but OH MY GOD. It smelled amazing! Then I added the herbs, beans, bean paste, tomatoes, Parmesan rind and some chicken broth. I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for about 25-30 minutes. Near the end I added some orzo. Once the pasta was cooked enough we took it off the stove, chilled some for callie and ate. We served it with a couple of pieces of olive oil and rosemary bread.

So here is my verdict.
This was definitely my best attempt so far. I am not quite convinced in my minestrone abilities quite yet. Of course by the time we packed away the leftovers for lunches, the orzo had swelled to about 3 times its size. Ugh. I know by the time I have it for lunch today there won't be much liquid left. I might opt out of pasta completely next time. Or cook it separately and ahead of time instead of in the soup.
I also think I would cook the vegetables longer. They were cooked well, but the carrots were still a bit crunchy and it was a little distracting from the rest of the soup. I think I would add more tomatoes next time as well. I do like the tomatoey taste in minestrone.
The nice thing about the soup was that you really got to taste the vegetables, but I think I need more seasoning next time. Maybe some pepper and some other italian herbs like marjoram? I don't know. The thickness at the time was very nice with the bean paste.
Its still a work in progress, but I think it was a good start! Thank you Wendy!!

Callie's Verdict
Callie loooved the beans and the pasta and not much else:) She did go for a couple of pieces of zucchini but definitely not the carrots. I think they probably weren't soft enough for her liking.

*Sadly, I did not think to take pictures of this one. Oh well. Sorry folks!*

Getting a taste of being a workin mama!

So for the last two weeks, I have been working almost everyday as a substitute at my old school. Now, obviously, as a stay at home mom I "work" everyday but you know what I mean!
It definitely has been tough. When the alarm went off the first couple of days, it didn't bother me. But by the 4th or 5th day? Groan.
Luckily, Bill has been able to drop Callie off at our day care in the mornings, so I didn't have to work that into my morning schedule. Otherwise I probably would have to get up at 5, not 6!
But by the time I am done for the day I am definitely excited to see my girl. I do think about her throughout the day, when I get some down time. By the time I get her home, I am pretty much toast. It is exhausting. I am used to the physical exhaustion of dealing with a toddler all day, but the mental exhaustion from work and being "on" all day is really tough. There usually is some downtime when I stay at home with Callie while she naps, but usually by the time I pick her up she has already napped so I am out of luck! There has definitely been a fair amount of Elmo watching going on in the early evenings when we have both had it!
I am not at my best with Callie by the time  Bill gets home, to be sure. And forget making dinner! There has been quite a bit of takeout and leftovers in our house lately. This week I am trying to be better about it, but its hard. The good news is that after this week I just have some sporadic sub dates planned in october and one in november.
So hats off to you workin mamas. I don't know how you do it! And I don't even have to worry about grading with being a sub. It makes me glad that I decided not to go back full time after all! The break from toddler craziness is nice though. And it has been wonderful to be able to spend time with my friends, people that I don't necessarily get to see very often. And it is so wonderful to be able to have uninterrupted conversations! What a luxury!
It is definitely giving me a lot to think about for our plans for next year.

Fresh Tomato Soup Recipe

Here we go again! Another recipe. Oh Shush.

I had a bunch of tomatoes laying around from our tomato plants (duh. what other kind of plant would they be from?) and I was worried they would go bad. And come on, let's be honest, you can only eat so much salad with cherry tomatoes on top! Plus a friend had posted pictures of her tomato soup and it just sounded sooo good and comforting. Especially after a fun filled day in Santa Cruz, some home cooked comfort food just sounded perfect. After looking online for a few recipes, I discovered that we had everything we would need at home and started tinkering. So unusual to not have to go to the store, but a very welcome sensation!

So here it is.

About 2 pounds of tomatoes (any combination: cherry, slicing tomatoes, heirlooms, whatever)
Herbs from the garden: sage, rosemary, basil, tiny bit of mint
2 bay leaves
garlic
chicken broth
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup olive oil
salt, pepper

Take your tomatoes and wash, core and cut them in half. If you are throwing some cherry tomatoes in the mix (like I did), I would leave them whole, otherwise they end up getting stuck to the baking sheet. Arrange tomatoes on a baking sheet. You could also add some sliced yellow onion, if you like that sort of thing, but I have a toddler that hates onions, and I'm not a huge fan either. Add crushed garlic (you could also use whole cloves if that's what you have on hand), 1/2 cup olive oil, salt and pepper and toss. Bake in a 450 oven for 25-30 minutes until they are carmelized. (If tomato skins bother you, you could probably remove them after waiting a bit, but I found that most of the skins got blended into the soup anyway).

Roasted Tomatoes! It really is a shame the internet isn't scratch n sniff. Cuz...damn. It smelled awesome!

Put tomatoes and their juices into a stockpot with butter and herbs. Just about cover the mixture with chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30-40 minutes. Use your stick blender to make it smooth. You could add cream to it at the end, but it was pretty creamy all on its own, but its up to you! Next time, I might add a little splash of red wine to give it a little something extra, but it was great as it was. Maybe a little shaved parmesan on top would be good too!

And what does perfectly with tomato soup? Grilled cheese, of course! We had some left over bread from the other day, so we got out the panini press (one of my best uses of $20 at target ever) and grilled up some sandwiches with some yummy sage cheddar cheese we had bought at the farmers market a while back with some tomato slices. And voila! Perfect comfort meal.

Now the real test. Would the picky toddler eat it? Thankfully yes!

Thanks for the soup mama!

Callie's 15 month appointment

Today we had Callie's 15 month doctor appointment, even though she is practically 16 months old. But we are off a month, because we came in late for our 12 month appointment.
Anyway, we go in and this appointment is with a nurse practitioner. Who was TOTALLY amazed by Callie. On so many levels! She first of all, couldn't believe that she was so active. I almost laughed when she asked if she had tried running yet. Tried? Are you kidding me? This kid could probably join a peewee track team! Not to mention jumping...
She asked how many words she says, so we ran through the list. Mama, Dada, Amma (Grandma), bubble, nose, bath, dog, more (her personal favorite, of course), duck. I"m sure there are more, but those are the most common ones she says. The nurse said it is normal for them to have 3-6 words, so we are fine there.
She did find a little bit of a clogged ear, so we may be heading towards our first ear infection, but we are going to watch it and see. She was shocked that Callie had never been on any medication or antibiotics.
Her growth and length all checked out about the same. 40-50% in length and weight and 80% in head size. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Damn that girl has a huge head!! And I would know! Anyway, the nurse left and our usual vaccination nurse came in. I expected Callie to recognize her and start crying but she didn't. That came later! She stuck Callie with the two needles and of course started to wail. All of a sudden she looked up at the nurse and started SCREAMING full on "BYE BYE BYE BYE!" Then she said her word for door which basically sounds like "doh". So I think in her own way, Callie was saying, "Hey biotch! There's the door! Get out!" I have no doubt that if I hadn't been holding her in my lap she would have ran to the door and shut it in her face!
We walked out and she cheerfully said "bye bye" to everyone as we left and promptly passed out in the backseat of the car.

Names are So Important!

So yesterday I was at Babies R Us. I know...Again?! Yes, again. But this time I got to go without the toddler, which is a totally different experience. And when it was all over I was quite glad that she was playing with grandma. So there I was walking around BRU and all of a sudden out of nowhere a boy that I would guess was around 6 or 7 with a killer  spiked mohawk came careening around the corner (in the store, mind you) on a bicycle! Said bicycle had Toys R Us tags on it, so he was apparently taking it for an extended test drive. I was glad Callie wasn't with me, because we probably would have been run over! It got so bad an employee had to track down the mom (who was pregnant with baby #2) and tell her to control her kid because it was dangerous. Duh. I was pretty close in proximity to her, so I watched to see what she did. When she all of a sudden BELLOWS, and I mean really yells her son's name. And it was just one of those a-ha moments when I thought to myself, "Wow. Names really are very telling." Ok. Enough with the suspense. She yelled at the top of her lungs : "DAMIEN! STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" Awesome. I almost fell over it was so perfect.

Callie's 1st Trip To Disneyland!

A few weeks ago, we made a trip down to disneyland and san diego to visit with Bill's parents. We made the drive down to Anaheim, albeit slowly. She was great the first three hours to our normal stop, Kettleman City. She was fussing just as we approached. So we stopped, ate and let her run around for about an hour. She was very excited at all the dogs to see!
A few miles later, an alert came on the car that our tire pressure was "deflated." Ugh. As Callie would say "UH-OH! UH-OH!" And of course as luck would have it we were right smack in the middle of nowhere. No gas stations for 13 miles. We hoped that it was just the Audi people being ultra conservative and that we weren't going to have a blowout at any second. We drove nice and slow, with Callie fussing in the back. And finally made it to a rest stop. When Bill checked the pressure, one tire was something like 2 psi lower than the rest. Good lord. So we filled it up and reset it on the audi controls and we were on our way. Callie was pretty much a mess the rest of the drive, so Bill sat in the back with her and I drove to LA. We even had to bring out the big guns.

Callie playing Baby Piano

I was so happy when we arrived at our hotel!! Of course at midnight there is a huge line to check in, but after a while we got our keys and we were off for our "real" adventure since Callie has NEVER done well sleeping away from home. But we were trying something new this time. We made our bed bug check after our last adventure in Alameda and happily we found no tenants. The room I had found had a small room off to the side, so that was our something new! I had hypothesized that if we had a space where she couldn't see us (like at home) she would go to sleep and stay asleep. And it worked like a charm! Thank god! She slept 7 hours straight. I couldn't believe it! In the morning, Bill's parents met us at the hotel and we headed over to Disneyland.
We stopped for some food at La Brea Bakery. Some fruit for Callie and a couple of sandwiches for us. Then we went in!

We walked around for a bit to get our bearings. The minute we walked under Sleeping Beauty's Castle, Callie was making all kind of noises in the stroller. 

You can already see how excited she is in the stroller!

Oohing and Ahhing all over the place! She was so excited! I'm surprised we were able to keep her in the stroller at all!

I am way too cool for the likes of you

The lines were pretty long in Fantasy Land so we opted for Its A Small World. The line was short and we knew we would be on a nice long ride in the shade!

Going on our first ride!

She loved it! There was so much to look at.

Mom! Are you seeing this? This is amazing!!

It was all too much!

So much in fact, that after the ride she promptly passed out. I was relieved! I was worried that she would be so overstimulated that she wouldn't nap all day and be a big mess.

We took the opportunity to go to The Mad Hatter to get her her 1st mouse ears.

At least I looked cute in her ears!

I knew she would never wear them, while conscious, anyway. I bought them more as a souvenir to put in her room.
We walked around a bit more and ended up in line for Pirates. Callie was still asleep at this point. I was praying that she would wake up before the ride actually started. Waking up on that first little drop on the ride might be a little jarring! Luckily she woke up just as we sat down in the boat. She loved the ride! She grabbed on to me a little tighter than normal on the first drop, but beyond that, she had no trouble at all. After the ride, we had lunch reservations at The Blue Bayou, the restaurant that overlooks the ride. For years and years, Bill and I have tried to get reservations. This time around I called a week ahead of time!

Callie enjoying her Mac and Cheese at The Blue Bayou

A hat?! You know how I feel about hats, woman!

After lunch we walked over to The Haunted Mansion, but Callie wasn't really a fan. She gripped onto me like a barnacle! I think it was the voice in the doom buggy that freaked her out, since she couldn't see who was talking. Oh well. Maybe in a few years.

But then we hit her absolute favorite ride of the whole day. Well, ride is a bit much. It was the Enchanted Tiki Room. She went bananas! She was so excited when the birds started. She was squirming all over the place, so I put her down and kept my arms around her waist so she wouldn't take off. And what did she do? She started clapping and wooping louder than I had ever seen her! It was like she had just heard THE most amazing song in the world and just had to show everyone. It was hilarious.

After that, we went back over to Fantasyland to hit a couple of rides there before we had dinner reservations with some friends in Downtown Disney.

In line in Fantasy Land with the Grand Dude

It is funny going on those rides as an adult because they are so abbreviated! If you had never seen the disney movies they were based on you would have no idea what was going on!
We hit up Daddy's favorite, Peter Pan's Flight in addition to Snow White and Alice in Wonderland. We had planned to come back after dinner, but Daddy and Callie were toast by then, so we started our drive back to San Diego to stay with Bill's parents for a few days. But that will be another post:)

Callie's 1st Trip To The County Faire

I took Callie to the County Faire this week with some other moms and babies. I hadn't been to the faire in YEARS! Friday was "kids day" apparently so we went on friday. Admission was free, luckily. When we walked in we were greeted with this sight, a monster school bus that you could take rides in for $5.

Monster School Bus

The guy running it tried to get us to go on, but we said no thank you. And once we saw him drive it, I was very glad we said no! He was driving crazy and fishtailing all over the place!

Once all the moms and babies were together and ready to go we started exploring. We went to see the big animals (after one of the moms got a temporary glitter tattoo. And no. That mom was not me.). Callie was sooo excited! She really hadn't seen these types of animals up close before. She saw some cows. When we walked up and saw a sheep she all of a sudden yelps "Baa!" I couldn't believe it! We had been working on animal sounds, but I hadn't even told her what type of animal it was.

Baa!

As we walked around the rest of the hall looking at goats she was walking up to all of them and yelling "Baa! Baa! Baa!"

Baa!Baa!Baa!

It was pretty darn adorable. She certainly wasn't shy about walking up to the animals and try to pet them. Shocking that she would be so forward, I know. Where is that sarcasm font ?

Afterwards we walked around some more and saw bunnies, chickens, roosters, turkeys and everything in between.
We walked over to the rides to see if there was anything for the little ones but there wasn't really anything. There was however a big sign that read: "NO PREGNANT OR INTOXICATED PEOPLE!" That made me laugh a little, since those two groups normally don't really go together. There were probably 6 or 8 rides, if that and 4 or 5 carnival games.

And that ladies and gentlemen was the extent of the Santa Clara County Faire.

I stopped to get a frozen watermelon drink that Callie and I could share and overheard one of the 4 vendors at the whole faire saying that the faire didn't want to have to pay for the police presence anymore at the faire (there were always gang problems on the weekends) so they are keeping it small. Kinda sad.
As we walked around some more we headed back to the entrance where the pony rides were. I thought, that would be fun for Callie since she is starting to get a little crazy about horses. I was all set when I saw the price. $6! For a pony ride? That probably lasts all of 30 seconds?  They also had a tiny petting zoo that they were charging $8 for. So no pony ride.

 After that we headed towards the car. It was at this point that I took a look in the stroller.

And...done!

Clearly I had found the faire underwhelming but not Callie! She was out! Some of the moms are talking about hitting up the Sonoma Faire, which apparently is still a good size. So we will see! But all in all, Callie had an amazing time, and that's whats important, after all. Will we go next year? Uhh...probably not. But I will most likely leave that up to the girl who clearly had the most fun:)

Butternut Squash Soup

I know, I know. Its another recipe. Someday I will have another type of entry, but today is not that day!
Tonight's experiment turned out very nicely.



Here is what you need:
Container of already cut up butternut squash
2 fuji apples, peeled and cubed
ginger
celery
italian seasoning
garlic
salt, pepper
butter
chicken broth
cream cheese
pinch of cayenne pepper

Started out by roasting the squash at 400 for half an hour with a little butter, pepper, salt, garlic turning once. After that's done, take a saucepan and put squash, apples, celery, ginger, italian seasoning and a pinch of cayenne pepper in it. Cook for a few minutes until it gets nice and hot. Pour in enough chicken broth to just cover it. Bring to a boil, let it simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 6-8 ounces of cream cheese and puree with a stick blender. We ate this all up with some garlic bread and it was delicious!! It would be really good with some kind of crostini on top, but I just topped it with a bit of shredded parmesan.

See Jane Run Half Marathon

Here it is by the numbers:
Distance? 13.1 miles
Time? 3 hours 53 minutes
Packets of Gu? 2
Shot Bloks? 6 
Water: not enough
Blisters? NONE! Thank you Road Runner!

It was an awesome weekend all in all. Bill and I headed up to Oakland on Saturday because the Marriot had a deal on hotel rooms and a shuttle to the race. So we took the deal, although it ended up not being such a deal. We hung out in Rockridge for the day. Hit up our favorite spots: Zachary's Pizza, Bittersweet. Also hit up the race "expo". So did not deserve the term expo. 3 booths does not an expo make. After all that we went to our hotel. It was a nice room, or so we thought. Cue the threatening music.
We hung out while Callie was hopefully burning off some energy and getting used to the room. Wrongo. We set up her peapod tent and started the bedtime ritual. But it was not to be. She screamed bloody murder the second the lights went out. And of course she used this as the first opporunity to work in MAMA MAMA MAMA into her screams. I was toast. So we brought her into the bed and she slept a little but we did not us because she spent her "sleep" grabbing (I'm sure she would say massaging) my throat and kicking Bill in the face. At one point I grabbed a top sheet and tried to sleep on the couch. That lasted about 5 minutes if that, because she started screaming immediately. A restful night to be sure. All in all I would venture to say that we got about 4 hours of sleep. When the clock said 5, I decided to say fuck it, lets just get up. I took a bath to try to relax my muscles since I was already tired and I hadn't even started the race yet. Got dressed and packed up. Bill was in the shower when I saw it.

A red bug crawling on the top sheet of the bed. Shit. Bedbug.  I trapped it under a waterglass to make sure. We checked some pictures and info online to be sure. We frantically started checking everything! This was soooo what we needed. I couldn't find anymore in the bed and there were no blood spots or bites on us that we could find. We suspect that the culprit was the couch. It was a red couch so it was tough to see if there were bedbugs there but I did find a dead one sitting on the top of the couch.
Bill went downstairs to tell the employee and to ask for big plastic bags to seal all of our stuff in. When he told the guy working there all he volunteered was to switch our room. When Bill came back up I was livid! When I was traveling abroad and we found bedbugs, they immediately comped our rooms and got to work helping us. So I was pissed. That's when I decided to take a picture of our little friend for proof when I sent them a nasty email and a negative review on tripadvisor. We finished packing up and headed downstairs. A different employee was there this time and she obviously was more in charge:) She immediately comped our room and gave us the line that they had never had this happen before. Ya, ok, big giant hotel chain, we totally believe that one. Buh Bye.

I was ecstatic at getting in the car and putting a few miles between us and the hotel. We parked and hit up a cafe because I wasn't about to walk up to the race and find that they were out of food. Callie and I had some yogurt and some banana bread and I had a soy latte. We met up with our peeps and relayed our adventures. Then we started stretching and getting ready! I will be honest, I was really looking forward to being away from the screaming babe for a while! Freedom! :)
We had been looking at weather reports for the day for a while. The day before they had been predicting hail! Sure wasn't looking forward to that. It would be highly motivating however. Luckily the weather totally worked out. There was a nice cool marine layer and some sunshine as well. The course was a nice view, but not a nice smell! We were walking by salt marshes and bird sanctuaries. But it was mostly flat which was a plus. We did really well for the first few miles.

At some of the stops they had gu for us. I had never tried it before, but I know its really popular with runners and bikers so I gave it a shot. The first I tried was blackberry. And in a word: YUCK! It was a bit like eating some of those jam or jelly packages they have at diners after its been heated in the microwave for a while. Gross. At a later stop I tried the chocolate one and it was much better. I also had some Cliff Shot Bloks with me which I prefer. What's not to like about margarita flavored energy chews?
I did struggle with my camel bak. I bought a smaller one this time around because I ended up getting burns under my arms from the last one that was too wide. So this time I  bought one designed for running and for women. Only problem? It only holds 50 ounces of water, which is not enough, I learned. So add a new camelbak to my list for my next race. I am also thinking about packing some "real" food in my pack. I could have definitely used part of a bagel or a banana or something.
We stopped a couple of times to stretch and get shoes straightened out and the like. It was right around mile 10 when it got really tough. We were definitely tired. I tried to minimize the amount of gu and shot bloks I was taking since I was out of water and they can dehydrate you. My hip was started to throb as were my knees. It was at that point that all we do is fantasize about our after race meal, plopping down in the grass at the finish line and getting our glass of champagne. At about mile 11 we weren't talking much anymore. All of our energy had to be focused on putting one foot in front of the other.  At about 12.5 we could see the tents! Paradise in sight!

Are we there yet?

Just before the finish line we saw our families. We were so happy to see them! Callie was waving and Bill was beaming. They all were encouraging us in their own way.

Almost There!

And then we crossed it! Felt so good!! We got our finishing medal and collapsed on the grass. We had made it just under our goal. Our goal was to finish in 4 hours and we beat it by 7 minutes!

Finish Line!

We made it!

We went to get our champagne glass only to discover they stopped pouring at noon. What time was it? 12:05.  So pissed. Jane's whole selling point is the chocolate and champagne at the finish line. Melted chocolate and an empty glass. So we took off, slowly, to go get some food.  Joints were definitely starting to tighten up, especially the back of my knees and my hips. My post race meal didn't really do enough for me. By the time we got home I was still feeling pretty weak and needed more protein. So we went to Tlaquepaque and that really hit the spot. The beans and cheese and carbs were what I needed. And a few sips of Bill's chavela definitely sealed the deal. So now I know what my post race dream meal is: al pasto super taco. Delicious!
I feel really good about what we accomplished. We have 3 more half marathons on the docket. But I am very glad that the next one isn't until the end of August!
I expected that my body would be pretty wreaked after doing 13 miles but I bounced back surprisingly well. Much better than after the Avon Walk a few years ago. I was a mess for weeks! It was really just the next day that I was wiped out. So I think I am training much better this time around! Maybe Callie is my good luck charm:)

Going back

I found out last week that I got my 1 section of US History for next year. I am beyond excited! I think it will be the perfect balance. I will still get to be with Callie for most of the day and then teach 1 class during 6th period (1-2pm on most days), stay during 7th to grade papers and meet with kids and then go home. I won't have to work at all on Tuesdays.  I think it will be a nice break without being too overwhelming. I talked to my principal about the specifics the other day and found out I wouldn't have to be there for early wednesday morning collaborations and I would be sharing a classroom with my previous (and brief) student teacher and friend who usually coaches 6th and 7th period anyway. It was perfect! I know that it won't be perfect all the time, but I am excited to have something else in my day. I will get to reconnect to my love of history and teaching. I have definitely missed connecting to my students and my friends at work.
I only told work that I was interested after my mom decided to open an at home day care business. It was a total game changer for me. Here is someone that I trust COMPLETELY and without reservation with my daughter. I don't have to worry that she will be in unfamiliar surroundings or with strangers.
Here is her website if you are interested or if you have friends or family that are looking for childcare or tutoring services.

Can we still be friends?

Over the past couple of days I have been wondering to myself if people who are parents and people who are child free can REALLY remain friends over the long term. What sparked this questioning? What else? Facebook! I won't go too much into specifics but one of my friends had posted about trying to reconnect with an old friend and all she wanted to talk about was her kid. It bothered me more than I expected it to. I think maybe the subsequent responses bothered me more than anything. Most of them were choruses of "Ya! Gimme a break! Talk about your cat all day, but kids? No thanks!" Or even more upsetting were the moms that said they just don't talk about their kids to people who don't have kids. That seemed really sad to me. That is a HUUUUUGE part of your life and who you are and you won't share it? I'm not saying proselytize, but you can't cut that part off of your identity.
I spent most of the day thinking about it and of course I had to respond:) I was proud of myself that I didn't just react and say "Wow. Baby haters." This is what I said: "It's tough when you can't relate, but kids take up a LOT of our time, if you do it right, that is ! whether it's a job, hobby or something else that consumes a great deal of your time, energy, sweat and love that's what you talk about, right? Hope you can find somewhere in between to connect!"
To some extent, motherhood or parenthood in general is all encompassing. There are no sick days, no lunch breaks, no paycheck so sometimes we just need to share our day. Because isn't that what you do with friends? Sometimes we just need to vent. I have tried not to vent to my friends that don't have kids. Because I have been on the other side of that and what do you say? "Sorry, hope it gets better soon?" There is no frame of reference. 
So it made me wonder.  Can the two groups stay friends? Or do we just go through the motions? And is it a gender thing? Do men drop friends because they have kids? Or is it just women? Is it about competition or betrayal?
I totally understand why moms suddenly drop their child free friends and just hang out with other moms. Sometimes it is just easier. We all have the same frame of reference and you don't have to worry that you are talking too much about your kid or how frustrated you are. It is helpful to get ideas and sympathy from someone who has been in the trenches. I have noticed that it has been some of my non kid friends that got upset when they would ask "So do you love every minute of being a mom?" and I would respond, "No." In my defense, they always seemed to ask on a particularly bad day. But who loves every minute of anything? Job, husband, house, whatever. We all have times when we would rather not deal with it.
But diversity is important too. Our group of friends is fairly diverse and I think that has always been a strength. We have friends that grew up privileged and those that didn't. Teachers, engineers and a lot in between. 
I have tried to stay in contact with my friends from before Callie (BC). But it is hard. They work all day. By the time they are done with work, we are trying to finish up our day too and its right about the time that Callie becomes psycho and its hard to find time to connect. I have had to do a lot of my connecting on facebook and through email. I tried to visit work every couple of weeks to say hi and maybe remind them that we haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Because I have seen first hadn how one of our friends at work went on maternity leave and it was out of sight out of mind. 
Sometimes it felt very one sided and isolating. We didn't get many invites to get togethers, drinks or dinners. I'm sure they thought we had too much going on or it would be too hard for us to get out of the house. But it would have been nice to be asked. 
There were exceptions of course. Our best friends kept us in the loop and that's why they are our best friends! 


But is it just delaying the inevitable? Will they resent me for talking about Callie? Will I resent them for not asking?
Maybe it just depends on the friendship. Maybe the distance between kids and no kids is just exacerbating the distance that was already there in the first place. What's the answer? I have no idea. But I sure as hell am not going to cut off a big part of who I am to make someone feel more comfortable.  It would be like not talking about your job if that is something you love and is important to you. Or a spouse. Or a vacation. Or anything else that you care about. It just seems odd to leave it out.
Am I going to talk about diapers ? No way! And I think that topic is the one that scares a lot of child free people. 
Am I going to try to lecture them on why they should have kids? Hell no. I was one of them at one point, saying, "Nope. No kids. No thanks." Having Callie has been amazing, incredible and crazy all at the same time. It is not for everyone, that is for sure!
It definitely is interesting because I feel like I have occupied both sides of the issue. I have been dropped because I didn't have kids and I have been dropped because I do have kids. 
So what do you do? Just be yourself I guess and whoever sticks around are the ones you keep forever.

She Is Beautiful 10K

The Diaper Vipers participated in the She Is Beautiful 10K in Santa Cruz today. We arrived a little early so we could pick up our bibs and hang out with the girls and our families before we took off.  One of the dads took all of the pictures you will see here. Some very nice shots! Thanks Aaron and Priscilla for the pictures!

Getting Ready To Go!

The gang's all here!

Callie just hung out while Mama busted her butt!

Callie trying to figure out her shadow!

Fran and I crossing the finish line to our cheering squad!

All done!

It was a gorgeous day ! A really beautiful walk along west cliff drive in SC. Our time was much better this time! We finished 6.1 miles in 1 hour 40 minutes. Not too shabby! When we started my shins felt like they were on fire but I pushed through and just kept drinking my water. And on the note of hydration, thank goodness I brought my camelbak because the whole water situation at the race was pretty bad. As in...they were out of water when we were walking back! After about mile 1.5, my shins felt fine. I stretched out my hips a lot more this time before we started and it worked! No hip pain. So I will need to work on some stretches for my shins.

But I am really happy with our time. I just hope I can stay on that timing for our half marathon! We will find out in two weeks when we do the See Jane Run Half Marathon in Alameda on June 5th. But  that will have to wait. Tomorrow I get a pedicure for my poor thrashed feet! Can't wait! I haven't had one since... oh...hmmm...oh ya, since before Callie was born!! I'm way overdue I'd say...

First Trip To Happy Hollow

Callie and I had our first trip together to Happy Hollow yesterday. We went with another mom/baby friend. I was a beautiful day! Perfect weather. I used to go there all the time when I was a little girl and it was amazing how, even though the park has been remodeled, the memories came flooding back.

Callie Meets The Goats

Like when we saw the goats! I remembered all the times I would feed the goats and an instance where my brother had a not so nice meeting with some goats. I will leave it at that. Callie seemed to think they were a bit like big dogs. She kept petting them the way she pets Milo. One of them licked her arm and she didn't care too much for that! 
We took a ride on Danny the Dragon which she loved! I was afraid she might get scared in the tunnel, but she did just fine.

First ride on Danny the Dragon

The carousel....not so much.

On the carousel before the freak out

She was good at first but when she started going up and down I think it was messing with her equilibrium a bit. I kept trying to play it up and cheering and saying Weeeee! But no. My little miss was not having it. She was squirming trying to get to me, so I took her out of the belt and we just stood on the carousel until the end of the ride. The funny thing was that whenever she could see the carousel for the rest of the day she would point at it and squeal like she wanted to go on it again.

After we were done with the carousel we walked around and saw some animals. She liked the tortoise. She started racing him! Guess who won? She would run ahead of him and then stop to look back at his progress. Repeat 4 more times. Eventually she gave up.

Racing the Tortoise

Then we found the sand pit! It just kills me how much this girl loves brooms. She was so happy!

What a mess! This is going to take forever!

It was at this point in the day that our friends had to take off. Callie was still doing ok so we wandered around a bit and saw some more animals. I must admit some of the enclosures don't really seem adequate for the bigger animals, like the jaguar. We kept walking until I noticed a cut out of a bumble bee. La de da...Next sign. The Bee Barn. Nope, absolutely not. There were huge bee hives. I have learned from previous experiences and I was not going to tempt fate! No need to experiment with my epi pen today! So we turned around and high tailed it out of there. I had wondered why it didn't seem like there were many bees buzzing around such a big park. Now I know! 

We wandered into the gift shop hoping to find something for dada, but nothing really jumped out at me. But I definitely think when she gets older she will need a Danny the Dragon tshirt:)