Madonna, Thanksgiving and Miracles

Detroit, Michigan
is where Joe and I went to see Madonna in her "Sticky & Sweet" tour. We asked Itzel to babysit and we got on the road a little early to have dinner before the show. We had great food and Mojitos (well, Joe had a margarita) at Vicente's, downtown and just a few blocks from Ford Field. The vibe was fun and I wish we'd had another drink before leaving, especially since Madonna didn't come on for another hour after we got the stadium.


Dinner & Drinks


The seats weren't bad and it didn't look like it would be that far away...


but you could barely see her with the naked eye. Good thing the screens were big.

In any case it was a fun show and though we got home around 2AM and I got about 4 hours of sleep before work, it was a great Christmas gift!

Thanksgiving at the Bongornos'
Chris, Naomi and Nora, invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner and we happily accepted. We made carrot/sweet potato puree, butternut squash bisque, oyster stew, broccoli supreme and the Big Girls made cookies. The hosts and other guests provided yummy turkey, including deep fried turkey, among other wonderful goodies.

Baby Nora is busy growing and is walking quite well. Sofia had a nice time playing with Nora and her toys. Fiona crawled around...and we all ate and drank.


Joe read the girls a book before he fell asleep after dinner.


Check out Fiona's adorable outfit.

Oh! How could I forget!? Joe and I joined Chris and Jim to run the Turkey Trot that morning. It was a 5 mile run and it wasn't pretty. Not for me, anyway. Joe said he felt great and probably could have run faster than he did. I did well, considering, and placed 6th in my age division (out of 141).

Big Girl Bed
Over that weekend we also moved out Sofia's crib and moved in a "big girl" bed.




Sofia loves it!

Sofia's adapted very well. She slept all night, as usual, and hasn't left her room until we come down. I don't even think she gets out of bed until we come in.


The girls share some pillow talk.

Miracle on W. 47th St.
Our block club decided to host Santa this year and invited all to visit W. 47th St. They encouraged everyone to decorate their homes, provided some lights and ribbons, arranged for parking, coerced a neighbor to be Santa and his wife as Mrs. Claus and several other neighbors ran around as elves and a scary reindeer.


Shot of the street.

The Barcelona clan came over to explore this winter wonderland and thankfully it was a cute affair. The night was beautiful; albeit cold, but it snowed lightly and there was no wind. Carolers were gathered in front of a house complete with a bonfire and hot chocolate that they shared.


Sofia wasn't thrilled with Santa, but she didn't cry or protest. She got a Raven's Bear for her troubles.


Edie on Santa's lap.


There was also a Talking Tree that seemed to concern the girls.


Surprisingly Sofia didn't run away when it started talking, but she didn't seem thrilled.


The guys carolling with our girls.

Sofia's swim class
Sofia started "swim class" at our local Y. She goes on Saturdays with Daddy and she really seems to like it.





And finally...


a cute shot of Fiona crawling under her exersaucer

Poop Drama

Apparently due to the introduction of solids, Fiona has had some gastrointestinal challenges…namely not pooping. This started on Sunday, but what was most disturbing is that she would tense up, turn red and scream whenever she tried pooping. It was heartbreaking, so after giving her prunes and trying to massage her stomach, I took her to the doctor on Tuesday. Her doctor recommended suppositories, more prunes and juice. By Friday, after my trip to Florida, I took her back and she suggested there might be a bowel obstruction.

I proceeded to take her in for x-rays and a lot of waiting. The x-rays were inconclusive, but showed a “suspicious” shadow. By the way, Fiona hated the x-rays. Although three of them were lying down, for which I had to hold her down, one was in a plastic casing that surrounded her torso and kept her arms up over her head. It was awful to see her in that contraption and not be able to console her while she screamed and cried. Thankfully it only took a few minutes.

After the x-rays her doctor told me to take Fiona to the ER at the Cleveland Clinic and see a pediatric gastroenterologist, if in fact there was a bowel obstruction, in which case they would have to operate immediately. I dragged Joe out of work to go with me because I knew it would be a long, painful wait. Surprisingly we were registered right away, but then began waiting for the doctor. After his quick 5 minute overview, we were told to get an ultrasound. And waited. And waited. After the ultrasound, which Fiona hated, the doctor said she was fine and it was simply constipation. We then waited for several hours to see the original doctor again and in the end a pediatric gastroenterologist. That doctor gave poor Fiona an enema, but not much happened. We were told to give her laxatives over the weekend and thus began the Poop Watch.


Fiona in her little hospital gown; she was the hit of the ER. Nurses kept peeking in to smile and coo and she got a couple of stuffed dolls and a book out of it.

Ally & Sara’s Whirlwind Visit
Given Fiona’s drama, Allison and Sara delayed their trip until we knew that Fiona wouldn’t have to go into the doctor or hospital over the weekend. The Girls arrived around 2AM and Fiona was awake to greet them.

Aside from the poop issue, Fiona’s a very good sport and generally smiles and is quite mellow.


Ally & Sara pose with Fiona

Saturday afternoon we went to Bar Cento for some great gourmet pizza and then popped into the West Side Market as part of a “must see” on the tourist trail.


The fries were great too!

We broke my cardinal rule of Sofia getting her daily nap to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and paid for it when she turned into the Tasmanian Devil. She insisted in running around the museum while we tried to corral her back into the stroller.


Sara & Sofia before the devil appeared



Scary!
Fiona started coughing one afternoon and I thought she might have swallowed wrong, but after a few moments I realized she was choking on something. It was my worst fear and I was terrified, but I wasn’t sure whether she really was choking or would cough it up. Nonetheless I was scared and Sara suggested I lay her face down on my leg and slap her back. I handed Fiona to her and she did it while I put my finger in her mouth trying to get it out. Turned out to be a piece of tape from the back of one of Sofia’s art pieces that was taped to a kitchen wall. Awful! Thanks Sara for saving Fiona’s life!

After that misadventure, Joe made a great dinner of flank steak and bacon potatoes, and then Ally, Sara and I went to Momocho’s for cucumber margaritas and thereafter ventured to Bounce for some dance music. Our girls loved their visit and hope they come back soon!

Random photos
I took a photo of Fiona showing off a little dress my mom knitted for her. She’s also showing off her two bottom, and sole, teeth.




Itzel & Fiona

Post-Election Ecstasy
I am extremely excited that our girls will spend the first few years of their lives under an Obama administration. Sofia has learned quickly who Obama is (well, at least she recognizes him on TV and can say his name very clearly). I took Tuesday off and it was a BEAUTIFUL day. Warm and sunny…people smiling on the street and proudly sporting their “I Voted” stickers. I spent the day knocking on doors making sure people had voted and encouraged those that hadn’t yet.


Posing with Sofia before I left to knock on doors

When I was leaving that morning I looked back at our home and realized we hadn’t taken any photos. The leaves were a gorgeous yellow and looked great with our pumpkins and scarecrow in the background.


The third floor is our bedroom


A little closer view of our porch

The Bongornos came over after they had worked their neighborhood to watch the election results.


Fiona and Nora shared nicely


Fiona celebrated a little too hard. Actually she just fell asleep in between bites of avocado.

Sisterly Love
Fiona has been quite mobile. She’s been busy crawling and she’s pulling herself up in her crib and using the toy drawer as support, as well as pulling herself up to the family room coffee table and couches. I think she’ll be walking pretty soon. Sofia has been playing more with her, crawling alongside Fiona. Unfortunately there are sparks of jealousy…I came home one day last week and was told Sofia had bitten Fiona on the cheek. You can still see clear impressions of Sofia’s teeth on Fiona’s right cheek. I asked Sofia about it and she just said that Fiona cried and she got a time out.

In any case, here are some cute photos:


We gave the girls their first joint bath last week


Nana Boyd bought the girls matching shirts. Sofia’s says “Big Sisters Rock” and Fiona’s says “Little Sisters Rock”


More cute pics



Ready for another bath

Obama Rocks!

The Boyds joined 79,996 other Barack Obama supporters on Sunday in downtown Cleveland. We snagged some volunteer tickets, and after Sofia's nap, drove five minutes downtown to try and listen to Obama and watch the Boss (Springstein) perform. There were thousands of other people milling in the streets and trying to get into the main area, but unfortunately we were told (last minute) that we couldn't come in with a stroller. We went back to Joe's office to drop off the stroller and headed back, but it was too late. We weren't allowed in so we joined the rest of the masses to watch it all on a screen.


Bruce played on the screen

Despite the 79,000+ people, the W family found us and took a pic of us for posterity.

After an hour or so of standing around the girls were ready to head out.


The crowds in front of us


Sofia had a good view from Daddy's shoulders


Mommy and Fiona couldn't see much from our height

Obama Mama Boyd is excited and nervous about tomorrow. I took the day off on the 4th to help with last minute campaigning.

Halloween Weekend
I imposed my love of Halloween on the girls again by having them wear their costume at the Children's Museum on Friday. Special Halloween activities were planned and I expected a madhouse, but surprisingly it was the least crowded I've ever seen it. The girls had the run of the "Farm" area and Fiona hung out with her posse.


Sofia monkeying around with the chicken.



Sofia also had an opportunity to decorate a cookie with colored frosting and sprinkles. Although I had to stop her from eating it first.

Sofia trick-or-treated and got a little bag of candy, a toothbrush and a scarecrow face to decorate.

That evening, Molly and Will came over to trick-or-treat. Sofia was a little wary of her fellow trick-or-treaters, but when she came home she seemed to have enjoyed it. She ate a kit kat as a reward.

Playdate
On Sunday morning, Sofia had a playdate with a former Goddard classmate. Ali and his parents came over and the kids seemed to have fun. There was good sharing, a game of hide and seek, an instance of holding hands to go down the stairs and a good lunch.


Ali is a big fan of trains.




They took turns "driving" the bus.

Ali's mom made a great squash casserole and a pound cake that Sofia loved.

Other updates
Sofia had her first swimming lesson on Saturday at the new Lakewood Y. Thanks to Alta and her parents for the heads up. Ashley also invited us to visit the new Lakewood Library last week which has a great kids area.


Alta's pretty close to walking and Sofia lent a hand.


Alta wanted to go shopping.

And finally...
Sofia started a "Rhythm and Rhymes" class this morning...can't wait to hear how it went.

Third Annual Halloween Bash

On Sunday we hosted the monthly babysitting co-op meeting and turned it into our Halloween party. Cuddly animals dominated the house; from cows to monkeys to lions and chickens. Creepy crawly spiders and ladybugs also hung around.


Ben & Sofia get reacquainted


Beauty Queen Itzel & Fiona Chicken


Chris and Nora Calf


Emma and Ladybug Cora


Chris & Little Big Will roaring to go!

Sofia had a great time sneaking in more cookies and pretzels than I would typically allow. She also had fun playing with Edie and the other kids. Next year (assuming we're brave enough) should promise to be even "rowdier" since many of this year's non-walkers will be running around by then.

Click here for more photos of other guests

Other Cute photos

Fiona had her first taste of avocado on Friday. She seems to like it. Next we'll do sweet potatoes!




Sofia wanted in on the photo action


As did Joe