Pumpkin Season

It's pumpkin season in our house, which means that I've been baking up a storm with the canned pumpkin I still have left over from last Thanksgiving. This morning, I whipped up a batch of pumpkin white chocolate chip muffins. They smell pretty great and they look even better! I think this is part of the whole "nesting" thing - I've been desperately working on cleaning out the pantry. I'm dying to do the fridge next, but I'm waiting until after the Chagim are over before I really tackle that space. 

Shabbat was very, very nice. We ate Friday night dinner by friends from our childbirth education class and it went so well, that time flew and before we knew it, it was shot time! I invited them back for Succot lunch as I felt there was still so much to talk about, and they are just a really nice couple, so I'm looking forward to them coming. Granted, now I have to plan my menu, but I'm hoping it won't take too much out of me.

Sadly, Pidgeon caught the bad cold that is going around Jerusalem. I thought he might have picked it up at the Medical Center last Thursday, during my blood test, but then his Mom called to tell us both her and Pidgeon's Father are ill with bad colds. I spent Shabbos day nursing him, or at least trying to nurse him back to health. Fortunately, he is really a good patient. He's content just being miserable in his bed with either a comic book or his laptop for company. I made sure he ate well, and that he was staying hydrated. After Shabbos, I took his temperature and he had a fever, so there was just no way he could go to work. He called his boss and offered to go into the office to pick up his laptop so he could catch up on work at home. She was more than willing to take him up on the offer and so, Saturday night, we drove to his office to collect the laptop. It was pretty deserted at the office and there are a lot of stairs in the mountain, I literally said a perek of Tehillim as I walked down to his office because I thought I would g-d forbid fall. Fortunately, I made it without incident and about 20 minutes after we got there, we headed home.

We turned back the clocks at Midnight and Pidgeon crashed while I waited up until after Shabbos in the States to check in with the family.  It was nice catching up, and letting them know that we're now only 6 hours a part, and then I too crashed.

Yesterday was very busy, with Pidgeon not feeling any better and I had a few work deadlines. So, I spent the morning making sure he ate and kept his strength up, and then I spent three hours researching and writing a press release for my client. Because Pidgeon wasn't feeling any better, we called the Medical Center and got him an appointment with the on-call physician. Since I also had my 33rd week appointment with Dr. Yanai at the Medical Center, it worked out very nicely. 

The on call Dr. at the Medical Center examined Pidgeon and basically told him that he has a bad cold and the only thing he can prescribe for that is his sympathies. He did write a few scrips for some anti-congestions and cough medicine, but Pidgeon decided not to fill them. Since Dr. Yanai was running an hour late, we decided to drive over to Pidgeon's Aunt and Uncles house and relax there until our appointment.  

Baby Update

I was so excited to see the baby on the ultrasound, I can't even tell you! Its been an entire month since our last appointment and the baby grew so nicely! Right now, the baby is T"G 4.5 pounds and everything that was supposed to grow and develop has been on track with the way the baby has been developing thus far.  The only glitch is that this baby is still in breech position and, since I'm in my 33rd week, now is the time to try to turn the baby before I go into labor. Dr. Yanai tried to turn the baby right then and there, which was pretty painful with the pressing down on my very hard and taut tummy, and since I take the Clexane she had to be careful with how much she tried to do on the table. It's funny, but this baby is so stubborn! The baby had been kicking me and moving ALL day long and, as soon as I hopped up on the table for the ultrasound, would you believe the babes was fast asleep. Right now, the baby's position is both transverse (head is on the left side of my stomach instead of down towards my crotch) and "sandwiched" which means that the legs are over the head. But, there's PLENTY of room to move in there - the baby just doesn't want to.

We made another appointment for after the Chagim and Dr. Yanai says that, if the baby doesn't turn by then, we have to go to the hospital to have them do it. I would have to stop taking the Clexane shot for 24 hours in advance and then be admitted.

Did I ever mention my absolutely fear of hospitals? I'm petrified. I hate everything about the hospital except for the comfortable scrubs I wear to sleep at night. I really don't want to have to go to the hospital to have them try to turn the baby, so I've been doing research on exercises I can do at home to try to turn the baby in the next 3 weeks. Pidgeon got a big laugh last night as I laid on the bed, my feet against the wall, with my hips off the bed (was hard to do, I am so out of shape and heavy) while singing Turn, turn, turn.

I don't think it helped, almost immediately after I was done with those exercises, I was rewarded with a swift kick in the same place I've been kicked for the past few weeks. I'm thinking about trying swimming next, apparently the gravity shift while swimming is supposed to help to. I wonder if taking a bath would be just as good?

Poor Pidgeon, he woke this morning feeling even lousier than yesterday but he had to go to the office. I hadn't heard from him all morning and, just as I was about to call him, the phone rang from a number I didn't recognize. It was Pidgeon. Calling from the office. To let me know that he dropped his cell in the toilet and that he was miserable. 

Oy.

I think I'll make him a treat for dinner so that he'll feel a bit better when he comes home. If not, we're going to the book store tonight to pick up something I have on hold, and I'll just buy him a comic book.

Well, I'm off to try to get some writing done. I have three stories left to go on my thesis and boy so I want to get one of them started before this month is over!

Yom Tov from Baka!

Bulldozer Rampage in Jerusalem

Another terror attack today in Jerusalem. We're in shock that it was a bulldozer. These vehicles are ubiquitous in Jerusalem! There's at least one on every block, you drive next to them in the streets and on the highway. And today, a bulldozer driver, decided to kill Israelis with the vehicle he was using to build the Jerusalem monorail.

Bastard.

He smashed cars and upturned buses! BUSES people! Actual buses were flipped like pancakes. We were at a bris when the carnage began and heard about it as we left and raced to our 1:00 p.m. Dr.'s appointment. In the short drive from Hechal Shlomo (we were at a lovely bris) to the Medical Center, we passed by 3 bulldozers. I wasn't thrilled to see so many, especially in light of this news.

 

This put Pidgeon in a really somber mood, and I was pretty down too. When we finished with the Dr., we raced home and turned on the TV to watch the footage. To say I will have nightmares is putting it mildly. The media kept replaying, over and over, the "neutralization" of the terrorist. The first time I saw the footage, I wasn't expecting to be able to see so clearly how the soldiers and police officers killed the terrorist. I actually flinched when it happened. I got numbed to it later on, after I saw it for the 100th time. There was no love lost though when I heard the reports about the dead.

Two of the women murdered were members of Pidgeon's parents shul. One of the women was a friend of Pidgeon's parents. Horrible. We were unable to go to the funeral because it was at 10:30 p.m. and I have to do my shot at 11:00 p.m. I wish we could have gone though, I felt it's important for us to pay our respects even though I personally never met her. We'll try to P"G pay a shiva visit.

And, as usual when terrorist attacks happen in Israel, I stayed glued to whatever media source I could find for additional information. A number of news stations showed a member of Magen David Adom who's in Pidgeon's family. We saw him take charge of the baby that was pulled out of the wreckage of a vehicle, alive B"H, although her Mother didn't make it. Awful.

My parents tracked us down at the Dr. when they heard the reports. Good thing they had Pidgeon's cell phone as my was on vibrate from the bris and I didn't hear it in my cavernous bag. Fortunately, Gaby was able to allay their fears and I promised to call them when I got home. I spent a lot of time fielding other calls and SMSes from loves ones who were concerned. I really appreciated that so many people - both in Tel Aviv and the States - tracked us down to make sure we were okay. B"H, we are both physically okay. Mentally,well, that's another story.

Here's hoping for a much better day tomorrow, with only news of Smachot.

Sushi and Alcohol

I'm started to have cravings. Actually, to be more precise, I've always had cravings but now happens to be the first time I can't indulge my cravings. You see, all I want these days is a well chilled Extra Dirty Ketel One martini. With lots of dirty and at least 4 giant olives. Unfortunately, pregnancy means no alcohol what so ever. Even worse, I've yet to find a bartender in Israel who knows what I'm talking about when I ask for a dirty martini. It's all really sad, which is why my freezer is stocked with 3 bottles of Ketel One and I have some nice vermouth in our liquor cabinet. Never been opened. I'm waiting until the baby comes, when I will P"G make myself the drink I've been craving to toast our little one. Now I just need to do some research on breastfeeding and alcohol.

Meanwhile, I'd love to chase my extra dirty Ketel One martini with a sushi boat from Sushi Bar Rechavia. That would just be the perfect accompaniment to my alcohol. I miss sushi so much! We used to eat it at least once a week in our house, which really hurt our pocket but was so tasty and worthwhile. We had the same order each week. We started with the seaweed salad and then split a boat between us. I always ordered an extra spicy tuna sandwich and sometimes I would get some extra sashimi for Pidgeon since he prefers sashimi to rolls. We polished this off, between us, every week. I'm from the school that you need to eat as much sushi to fill yourself up, as opposed to trying to be dainty and just stick to 2 rolls that we all know does little to satiate the stomach. Shavuot will be very hard for me, as Pidgeon's family (in acknowledgment of their Japanese heritage) always has sushi for dinner. Last year, it was incredible! I stuffed myself silly on all sorts of yummy sushi! Sadly, this year I'm going to have to stick to the cooked fish and spinach/sesame salad (Pidgeon's Aunt's recipe for this is delicious!) and try not to shoot daggers of jealousy at the family indulging in the evening's make-your-own-sushi Shavuot ritual. If Pidgeon can bring me some sushi to the delivery room, I'm all for it! First, we have to figure out where we're going to deliver :)

This week has not been a good week for my tushy. The above photo is not an exaggeration. I had that size needle jabbed into my upper tushy yesterday, and was icing for 2 hours just so I could sit on it. But I digress. 

Friday was a wonderful day! My friend came in from Tel Aviv and we went to see the Orphaned Art of the Holocaust exhibit at the Israel Museum. It was truly incredible. There were two pieces in particular that really, really stood out for me. This one Egon Schiele painting of the ghetto, and the Money painting called Snow at Sunset, which were both really fantastic. It was an extremely well done exhibit and left us both wondering how no one in the Rothchild family has claimed four paintings of their ancestors? The paintings were stunning, naturally, but seemed very out of place as orphaned art. 

After the exhibit, we went to Caffit on Emek for some lunch. As usual, the service was horrendous,  but while we ate a friend of ours walked by the window and invited us for dinner. Since I hadn't even started cooking, I decided to buzz the Pidgeon and we accepted. The meal was really, really interesting. We hadn't been to an all singles meal in quite a while, and the conversation at least on our side of the table was intelligent and stimulating. I was very pleased where we were sitting, especially once I caught some snatches of conversation from the other side. Pidgeon had a good time and we excused ourselves early so we could come home for my shot. That's the hardest part of this daily stomach shot, I need to do is roughly around the same time each day. Since I picked 11:00 p.m. as my shot time, dinner on Friday nights out of the apartment is getting increasingly difficult. We might have to stop accepting invitations for Friday night from now on. We got home only 10 minutes late and, since I had done a ton of walking on Friday, passed our fairly easily. 

I woke on Saturday with pain shooting up from my left foot. It's not new pain, unfortunately, and I was cursing the decision to wear new shoes for the walk on Friday night. My left foot is very sensitive and I get inflammation of the joint at the ball of my foot. It makes it hard to walk on it and, the only cure for the problem is to stay off the foot until the inflammation has time to go away. 

Well, we had a hike ahead of us to get to Pidgeon's parents for lunch, and so I strapped on my New Balances and said a little prayer that the problem shouldn't become exacerbated. The walk was hard, it was hot and up "death hill". They live in Talbiah and, since Pidgeon was davening at Chovevei's 9:30 a.m. minyan, I knew that we had no choice but to trek up Chovevei street. Which, when coming from the Inbal hotel, is "death hill". It's really, really steep. I was wheezing halfways through the bottom half, and there was plenty ahead of me. Finally, we managed to make it to shul, and I took Pidgeon's house keys and went the rest of the way to his folks house. I managed to pour myself some more water before collapsing on one of the beds. I didn't get to sleep, but was able to relax and cool down. I don't know how much longer we're going to be able to do that walk. Although, I do think if I end up going overdue, that I'm going to make Pidgeon walk with me up that hill. It should certainly put me into labor!

We decided to walk home after lunch since I really wanted my bed, and my foot was sore but not too bad so we took it slow. We ended up getting lost in Baka - don't ask - and took a roundabout route home. The good thing is that we discovered a very nice, clean, beautiful park with lots of activities for kids. The bad thing is that it added 10 more minutes to an already long walk. 

Fortunately, I had plenty of time to nap before Shabbos ended, and it was fitful but restful. I spent the night waking up every hour going to the bathroom though, I guess from all the fruit and water I'd been consuming, and so I woke up yesterday at 7:00 a.m. really, really tired. 

Which brings me to the situation at hand. Yesterday, I was feeling really lousy. I was nauseated and tired and my foot was throbbing something awful. Plus, I had the worst headache that didn't go away no matter how much I ate. For some reason, I decided to whip up a bath of Riches Whip from my freezer to go with a strawberry slices snack. About 30 minutes later, the puking began. It was terribly painful. And it was stopping! I went into the kitchen and discovered that the Riches Whip expired in March! That's when I started to panic. Fortunately, this happened towards the end of the day, and Pidgeon came home from work in time to help me out. We called the Medical Center to talk to the Dr. on call and he told us to immediate come in to see him. I ran to puke again while Pidgeon got things ready. My headache was worse and I just couldn't believe what I had done to myself.

We waited a short time before the Dr. saw us and he took my blood pressure, which was B"H normal, but I had a very elevated heart rate. He didn't like the way I looked but didn't want to give me an IV if he didn't have to. He decided, instead, to shoot me with a drug that would take away the nausea so I could rehydrate myself. He left to get the shot and then came back, with the shot concealed. He told me the needle was too big to go anywhere but in my ass. Oy!

I turned around, closed my eyes and clenched Pidgeon's hand. The Dr. said he would count to three and then jab. Unfortunately, he only counted to 1 before jabbing and boy did it hurt! I yelled Jesus C#$^T! and then it was over. Since I take Clexane though, I bleed more than normal people, so he had to put pressure on it to make it stop. That was about as pleasant as the shot itself. He asked us to stay for 20 minutes so he could make sure I didn't have a bad reaction and I took my time sipping a glass of water. 

Pidgeon brought me home and I was a wreck! My parents were calling to see what was going on and so I had to fill them in, while Pidgeon attacked the kitchen to make himself some dinner and cook me some rice. Fortunately, I was able to keep a few spoonfuls down. Within no time, I had to give myself another shot, and I just almost couldn't do it. I'm getting real sick of needles people, and two in one night is just too much for me. But, with Pidgeon's help and support, I was able to do the 11:00 p.m. shot and crawl into bed. Sleep, B"H, was much easier last night. Being dehydrated, while it's very dangerous, at least afforded me a full night's sleep without getting up to use the bathroom.

And so, on this Memorial Day in the US (which I celebrate here in Israel too), I am spending it trying to hydrate and relax. Tomorrow is school and, at this point, I don't think I'm going to make it. Here's hoping that today is a much, much better day than yesterday!

Yom Tov from Baka!

 

Dog Walking Weather

How cute is my in-laws dog? It's 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday and I'm letting her rest a bit more before I strap on my sneaks and take her on a walk through Katamon.  It's perfect dog walking weather today, the sky is partly cloudy and the weather has warmed up a bit. Monday was awful, with torrential downpours that of course I got caught in. I had to take my socks and pants off at the front door because they were soaked, and all I did was literally walk 2 blocks back to the apartment. I, for one, am happy that the rain is over. The walk should do both of us good though, and I'm looking forward to getting some fresh air and exercise. Pidgeon warned me not to walk too far because I don't want to give the dog a heart attack, but I promised to be gentle. 

I'm feeling much, much better today and it shows. I have more energy and the headaches are gone. I'm also down 3 pounds on the scale, so that's tremendous progress. I have my eye Dr. appointment in Modiin on March 13th and I just pray I'll get back down to remission weight (5 pounds to go) so I don't have to deal with medication or another spinal tap. 

I've been feeling very unhappy with my Israeli Dr.'s and I'm at the point where I think I need to find new physicians. I like my family Dr. at the Wolfson Center, and my eye Dr. in Modiin is also terrific, but I really need a neurologist I can rely on. I see both Dr. Bierman's and Professor Reches,  but you practically have to sell your first born to get an immediate appointment with both of them! Professor Reches has two jobs (head of the medical ethics committee in addition to being a neurologist) and Dr. Bierman's is so good that you have to book an appointment MONTHS in advance. I miss my New York neurologist, he was fantastic. If I felt awful, all I had to do was call his office and he would literally call me right back. Once, unfortunately, he called late on a Friday night and I didn't pick up the phone, which caused my ultra-religious Father to go into a rage. Boy, did I learn my lesson about Mechalel Shabbos after that situation.

But, the important thing is that I'm a lot more informed this time around about my condition, than I was when initially diagnosed. I am involving myself in an IIH/PTC study (since there is a lot that just isn't known about this condition) and I joined an MSN group for fellow sufferers and the people who love them.  This has helped calm me down a bit, and I'm listening to their advice and its helping. I just wish there were some sort of support group for IIH/PTC patients in Israel too. I heard that Tel HaShomer Hospital has a pretty good research department, but until I get a Dr. to diagnose that I'm officially out of remission, I'm going to hold off on contacting them for now.

I did start davening again, which is a big deal for me. I'm working on my spirituality and I'm really trying to figure out what will work for me in terms of my relationship with G-d. I also joined this group of couples davening for children, which I found through Janglo, so I added Tehillim to my nightly routine. It's not necessarily "working" right now, but I'm hoping that if I can continue to daven daily, something will change. Do you ever wonder what you're supposed to feel when you daven? I took a Tefila class when I was in Michlalah waaaay back in the day and I just didn't get it. I would look around at my friends and they would daven with such intensity that I just never had.  One of my friends used to sigh heavily after she prayed because it was as intense for her as "running a marathon" and I just never had that. Does that make me spiritually bereft? I never thought I would end up married to a man who davened three times a day. It was one of things that really impressed me when we were dating, how Pidgeon would stop whatever he was doing to make sure he davened Mincha before it was too late. It got me thinking and we once discussed what he got out of Tefila. Who knows, maybe this time around Tefillah will help. 

School yesterday was pretty intense. My eyes were hurting me from lack of sleep and because of the condition, and even though it was cloudy I wished I had brought my sunglasses. Bar Ilan these days is a hopping place and I realized that, from the time I got to the Tachanah to the time I returned and Pidgeon picked me up, I didn't speak to a soul. My friend from class was down in Eilat for the day and I just basically went to class, participated in class discussion, and then left. I don't really know anyone else in the course and I sit in the back and just keep to myself, so I didn't really socialize much. I'm pretty much the type of person whose okay with that, and it was actually really nice being able to do my typical write/observer thing without anyone getting offended when I just take everything all in and am quiet. Pidgeon dropped me off at home and then he went off to work and study and I spent the afternoon relaxing. It was exactly what I needed, especially since I have a potential new client who is going to work me to the bone! What can I do? We need the money so I'm not very picky about work these days. 

So, this morning, while I was doing my usual blog hopping (i.e. read a blog then jump to another blog based on the blog roll) I stumbled upon these two great groups. First, the Kosher Cooking Carnival, which is a great blog post with links to other blog posts with kosher recipes. This makes me VERY happy as Mom and I were just discussing how we need some new kosher recipes. The other one I found was the Haveil Havalim Carnival which is hosted this week by EsserAgaroth. I'm going to check out some more Blog Carnival to see which other great blog roundups they have available. Here's hoping I'll be able to expand my blogroll soon!

Well, the handyman just showed up to switch a million light bulbs in this house (we need one of those industrial sized ladders cause the ceilings are so darn high) so I'm going to go supervise and then take the dog out for her walk.

Yom Tov!

Flambe'

I set my mother-in-law's kitchen on fire last night. 

More on that in a minute.

Pidgeon and I had the most exhausting day yesterday and it started off with an early morning blood test at Wolfson center. The alarm went off at 7:00 a.m. and I jumped out of bed, got Pidgeon moving, and we were underway a few minutes later. Of course, they had some issues finding my veins (happens all the time) but she was quick so we were able to get in and out of there in no time. Since the workers moved our entire living/dining/kitchen into the spare bedroom, we had no place to go and eat breakfast. We decided to stop off at Aroma and eat a quick sandwhich. We had to be back at the apartment, though, to meet with the AC repair guy about the central heat/AC that went on Wednesday night. I was in pretty good spirits when we drove back, a little tired, but still in good spirits.

And then, when Pidgeon parked the car, I got out and literally stepped full on into a pile of dog shit. Pidgeon tried to warm me - yelling watch out but it was too late. I stepped and I stepped with authority, so the shit was all up in the crevices. Needless to say, I threw a bit of a fit outside the apartment and then walked shoeless upstairs. The workers ALL wanted to chat, but I was still having my fit, until the contractor took my shoe and cleaned it off for me. That made me feel a bit better, although I did spend another 30 minutes with Qtips trying to get all the crap off the shoe. I was in a lousy mood for the rest of the morning.

We left at 3:30 p.m. to get haircuts, since we are both very shaggy and dirty individuals. I haven't had a hair cut in 4 months and it was way overdue. We went to Tzvi Michaeli's on Marcus Street and he did a pretty decent job with the haircut, but with all this dry weather, I had no idea that I was going to be the poster child for Static Cling! I kid you  not, I was like the Bride of Frankenstein doing a kids school experiment. Just without the balloon. We went straight to the SuperSol in Talpiot to pick up food for Shabbos and Pidgeon was having a little too much fun with my staticky hair. If you raised a hand near my hair, the strands would just rise and levitate. It was annoying when my bangs wouldn't get off my face, but we did our shopping and raced home to pack.

We moved into Pidgeon's parents house since they are away for Shabbos, and I immediately got to cooking. Probably NOT the best of ideas since I was super tired at this point, but I wanted to get some stuff going. Pidgeon abandoned me to chill out and relax, but Pidgeon's cousin came over so I had someone to talk to. 

And that's when I set the pan on fire. I still have NO idea how the whole thing happened but one minute, I am sauteing potatoes in the pan and then next it's going all flambe' on me. Fortunately, I was very calm, and just took the pan off the fire. It quickly went out with a few shakes. I mean, I have my mother-in-law issues just like everyone else, but I certainly didn't want to burn her kitchen down. Pidgeon's cousin promised to keep the incident a secret, so that's a relief, and I was able to continue cooking food for Shabbos.

I thought we were going to be a lot more people, so I ended up overcooking today. I'm still in the kitchen, been here since 10:00 a.m., and I am finally almost done. The shnitzel is baking nicely, the roasted vegetables are cooling and the onion soup for tonight is still bubbling. Pidgeon left to do some work, so I'm alone in the house, and it's really weird cooking in my in-laws kitchen. It's just this entirely unfamiliar experience, complete with cooking utensils I'm not used to handling and a gas range as opposed to my great electric unit at home. 

BTW - it looks like this Professor strike is finally over and for the first time in 7 months, I'm going to be back in school this week! Too bad I'm really not looking forward to it, especially since the house is in shambled. 

And, it looks like this cold snap won't be breaking anytime soon and my skin is about to flake off. It's so dry the everything is in need of moisture. I'm just hoping my nose doesn't start bleeding in the middle of the night, we're sleeping on white sheets!

Wishing everyone a very good, and warm, Shabbos!