02/23/10 Our Family

February 25, 2010 by Jen.

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02/22/10 Aunties Visit

February 22, 2010 by Jen.

We had a lovely weekend visiting with Megan and Katie. Juliana hit the 6 lb mark last week, and she continues to demand food regularly. She has even started growing out of her preemie-sized clothing. Amazing!

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Happy Holidays!

December 27, 2009 by Jen.

Juliana had a lovely visit with her family on Christmas Day. She was thrilled to put on her Christmas outfit (a gift from Aunt Megan) and pose for her photo shoot.

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12/17/09 Update and More Pics

December 17, 2009 by Jen.

When we walked in to see Juliana today the nurse and resident were beaming. (We really appreciate how much the doctors and nurses get excited over our baby’s milestones. They are all very supportive of us!) Juliana had just been moved from CPAP to nasal cannula. This little oxygen tube has prongs that go into her nostrils. However, they had to cut off the ends of the prongs because her nose is still so small. She had a few bradycardias throughout the day and some desaturations, but they think she will do okay with this new oxygen delivery system. She may switch back and forth between the CPAP and nasal cannula for the next few days. We’ll see. Her Fentanyl is slowly decreasing and her feeds have gone up to 6 ml/hour now, with additional calories. Her TPN (the intravenous nutrients that we call “Baby Gatorade”) will be discontinued tonight and she will begin to receive all of her nutrition from the breast milk. That’s a big step! She may also have her PICC line removed tomorrow, if she continues to do well with her feeds. She seems to be gaining about an ounce every day or so; the breast milk is really doing its work. She now weighs 2 lb, 9 oz.

We also continue to be very excited over her stools. She had two more today without suppository help. It’s great to know that her stomach and intestines are processing everything properly.

I (Jen) got to hold Juliana for about two hours, during which time she looked around wide-eyed and then settled in for a long nap. She seemed to be very comfortable, and we both really enjoyed the snuggle time. Near the end of her nap the Howes got to come in and see her for a bit, so that was a nice end to the day.

Juliana likes to open her eyes and look around (often while waving her arms), especially during her cares when the lights are bright. Here are some photos of her awake time today and yesterday. (Hint: click on the small photos to view larger size.)

And a very special thanks to our visiting photographer Stephen Herr for the following photos:

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Our Little Beauty

December 12, 2009 by Jen.

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The first half . . .

September 30, 2009 by Jen.

I know you’ve all been waiting for an update for a long time. Sorry! Been busy. hahaha.

The dramatic side-by-side comparison of the last 20 weeks:

The progression:

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Visiting Baby Zach

May 10, 2009 by Jen.

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Paul and Alita and Zach in April. Zach is the sweetest baby, and Paul and Alita are fantastic parents. I had a lovely time relaxing with them. Alita and Zach and I had many great walks in the gorgeous weather.

Highlights:

–holding Zach lots and lots
–long, lovely walks in different parks with Zach and Alita
–eating a lot of yummy food
–relaxing all day and talking with Alita
–delicious dinner at Italian restaurant
–fun poker night with all the Irish friends
–watching football with Paul
–again, holding Zach lots and lots

I miss you guys and can’t wait to see you soon!

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Dumbarton Oaks

April 11, 2009 by Jen.

On Sabbath, April 4, I spent a lovely afternoon in Georgetown with the Howes and Karen Williams. Dumbarton Oaks, under the auspices of Harvard University, is a lovely manor house and grounds with cherry blossoms and gardens for wandering in. The house includes a research library and solarium. It was a fantastic day: beautiful weather, gorgeous gardens, and the great company of some of my favorite people in the world!

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Making Waves in San Francisco

March 12, 2009 by Jen.

(that’s the title of our convention)

My adventure to San Francisco began with a conversation on the plane with a man who is presenting at the conference. Can I just say that I think English teachers are among the most friendly, empathetic, and intelligent people out there? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we are constantly reading others’ thoughts and words (essays, stories, poetry, etc.) and striving to respond in constructive, supportive, and valuable ways. I think this translates into our relationships with others. Or, conversely, perhaps English teachers choose this profession because they get to do in writing what they are already enjoying doing in their relationships. In any case, everyone I’ve met here (including on the plane and the shuttle to the hotel) has been very friendly, open, and accepting. I love the combination of the hippie element and the professional. Many English teachers encompass both elements simultaneously.

So, my first day ended up being sight-seeing day because I hadn’t prepaid for the workshops on Wednesday. Here’s what I saw:

Cable Car
Fisherman’s Wharf
Ghirardelli Square
Golden Gate bridge, east side in the morning
Sea Lions
Alcatraz (from a distance)
Chinatown
TransAmerica Tower
Saw the crookedest street from afar
City Lights Bookshop (where Allen Ginsburg first performed his famous Beat poem “Howl” and where I purchased that poem and a book of haiku by Jack Kerouac that are quite stunning)
Golden Gate park, including the Japanese Tea Garden and the Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Pacific Ocean: Jen loves the beach
Land’s End Cliff walk at sunset
Cliff Side: gorgeous homes in prestigious neighborhood right on the cliffside
Golden Gate Bridge from the west at sunset
Greens: famous vegetarian restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf looking out at the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge

I am still sore from the all-day speed walk-a-thon, but it was worth every minute. Gorgeous weather!

Jen rides the cable car!

Gorgeous old houses in cool neighborhoods.

The city.

Fisherman’s Wharf

Ghirardelli Square

The Golden Gate Bridge, east side, morning view

Walking on the bridge

The sea lions at Pier 39

Chinatown

The City Lights Bookstore, where Kerouac and Ginsberg were regular attendees of Beat poetry readings

Kerouac’s haiku do not have the traditional 5-7-5 syllabic structure.

Cherry Blossoms in the Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park

Bamboo Trees in the Arboretum, Golden Gate Park

Pacific Ocean!

Under the bridge

On Thursday and Friday I attended several different seminars that focused on:
–re-invigorating traditional research assignments
–the potential classroom and writing uses of Myspace and Facebook
–the pros and cons of the 5-paragraph essay structure
–collaborations between college and high school English departments to make the transition easier for students
–what to teach during the senior year so that students will be ready for college writing
–teaching dual credit courses: the challenges and rewards
–listening to Dave Eggers talk about war writing (he is very cool)
–how to use satire and parody like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to teach students critical thinking skills

I have been making lists of ideas from these awesome conferences. Presenters are from colleges around the country, both community colleges and prestigious universities, such as one of my presenters from M.I.T. I always get great ideas from discussions with others, and I always appreciate the moments of validation for things that I’m already doing right.

So far, this convention has been very edifying. I hope to attend it again in the future!

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Ten Rules for Happy Living from Jen and Alita’s Childhood

March 2, 2009 by Jen.

Okay, so I made a really dorky video for Alita’s baby shower. If you’d like to watch it, click on the link.

Jen ♥s Alita

Jen’s video for Alita.

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