Happy Halloween

Gabriel takes Halloween seriously every year and we always dress up, thanks to him. This year, we were both video game characters (Nico from Grand Theft Auto IV and Chun-Li from Street Fighter) and Cyrus was a banana. We went to a party for a few hours and enjoyed all the funny costumes.

-Shirin

"What is on my head?"

Yes, my dear, you are a banana. Shout out to Uncle Casey aka The Man In The Banana Suit

Cutsies.

Chun-li is gonna get you!

Niko, the Russian guy in Grand Theft Auto.

Mr Banana.

Hi-yah!

At the party, Cyrus met a dog with the same costume as him. How embarrassing.

Some dressed up friends from school.

Videos as per the request of my sis

Here are three from today. Tita needs her Cyrus fix.

Fear-mongering against vaccines

As with all things, Jon Stewart says it best:

Diagnostic Pathology

I'm on another laboratory rotation right now. There are pros and cons to it. Cons include not doing clinical stuff with animals, taking written tests, and sometimes dealing with gross stuff (like right now), while pros include having a 9-5 job and not having in-patients to deal with. I also like the topics (Anatomic and Clinical Pathology), which are very pertinent despite not involving live animals.

Right now, I am learning to do autopsies on dead pets and farm animals. It's a necessary skill for any veterinarian to have, in case we need to do one after a patient dies, and we can't figure out why. We collect tissues from their organs and send them in for biopsy, as well as looking grossly (macroscopically) at all the internal organs.
In some ways, I feel like a detective, piecing together this animal's history and medical conditions that could have lead to their demise. Oftentimes, we get a very sparse history from the referring vet and have to start almost from square zero. So far, we've had more confusing cases than straight-forward ones, but they have been interesting and we have had a variety of species: dogs, cats, alpacas, cows, horses, goats, and birds.

I'm pretty sure I don't want to be an Anatomic Pathologist in my future career, but this two week rotation is certainly helpful for my skill set and for studying for boards. I'm reacquainting myself with anatomy that I haven't seen since freshman year. After this week, I'm very excited to report that I will be on a week of vacation (1 of 3 weeks we get off over these 14 months) and will be picking up my sister from the ATL airport and heading home to Rock Hill for my family's early Thanksgiving celebration. We'll be home for a week with Cyrus (Gabriel can't come, sniff sniff), and then will head back to Athens for the return of real life and my next clinical rotation, Community Practice.

-Shirin

Cyrus videos from this weekend

Animal noises



More animal noises and talking to Cyrus.



Playing on our bed and squishing the poor little kitten (he's just fine).



Pushing around his little baby rocking chair.



Trying to catch and blow bubbles with Daddy.

No more crib for the big boy

Two nights ago, after we put Cyrus to bed, we heard him banging on something in his room around 9:30 PM. We couldn't figure out what was going on, and when we realized it was him banging on his door, we rushed in to make sure he was OK. Not only was he fine, albeit mad for being locking inside his dark room for 15 minutes (sniff, sniff), he was totally awake and ready to play. It took us a long time to get him to fall asleep again (reading books in our bed til he nodded off) and carry him to his crib. Guess who showed back up at our bed at 1 AM? Yep, our little good-sleeping baby. Just walked up to our bed and was wide-awake again. Thankfully, Gabriel got up with him so I could sleep, but the poor hubby was up with the little boy for over 2 hours! And, he only went back to sleep by sleeping ON TOP of Gabriel in our bed. He woke back up before 6 AM and was wide awake, so I got up early that morning.
Those of you who have seen us deal with Cyrus, know that the only real problem we've ever had with him has been sleeping issues. But, with a lot of work and training, he has been sleeping well and through the night for almost a year. I guess it's time for us to adjust to the newest sleeping adventure...no more crib! Since he is clearly able to climb out now (Gabriel saw him do it at 1 AM that morning), it's more safe for him not to have that tall side up on the crib anymore. So, he's got a daybed now. The first night, he slept on his mattress on the floor (before we changed his crib to the daybed) and now he sleeps on his bed like a big boy. He still hasn't totally adjusted, though, and went to sleep on his floor last night. Guess we have to start the bedtime training course all over again. Just when we thought he was totally set for nice easy nights of sleeping! Luckily, since that first night, he's been sleeping through the night again, but he's been hard to put to bed at night and waking up before 6 AM. Whew...it's so hard to be a parent.
-Shirin

Standing with the kitten Erik on his floor mattress where he'd slept the night before.

Pounce!

Helping Daddy take apart the crib.

Bye bye, little baby crib. Hello, big boy bed.

Practicing lying on it.

Helping Daddy build up his triceps.

Jumping on the bed is fun, no matter what kind of bed it is.

And what was I doing while all the carpentry and playing was going on?

Serving as a pillow for baby Erik and watching the boys.

Tired mommy.

A sucker for the strays.

Well, I've always been a sucker for sad animals. So...last week when a dog showed up outside my complex, I took her around the neighborhood to find her owner and kept her at my friend's house when there was no owner to be found. Then, I took her to the pound in case the owner was looking for her there. When no owner showed up, I didn't know what to do with her and didn't want her to be euthanized, so I sent out a bunch of e-mails which finally resulted in a foster home and a rescue agency popping up to help take care of her. So...problem solved; whew!

But, then...wait, just as I was done solving the lost dog problem, I stumbled upon a kitten that was turned into the vet school by someone who found him on campus. So, now that little kitten is home with me. He's our first foster cat in about a year, but he should get a home very quickly and won't stay for long. He's a sweet little tabby kitten that demands love constantly. I'm sure he'll have multiple people wanting to take him.

Hopefully, little Erik's story will end as well as the doggie's did. (I never named the dog, but the neighbor kid named this kitten Erik). He is going to be a Campus Cat, like all our other fosters, so he will get neutered by them and they will advertise him as well. We're actually really enjoying having a kitten/feline back in our house right now. It's been so long without one. He's curled up on my lap as I write this and he's really delicious.

-Shirin

Lucky to have videos

Since last night I accidentally dropped my video camera, the Flip, into the bathtub while washing Cyrus, I thought there would be no more Cyrus videos in the near future. But, luckily, tonight the camera turned on and I uploaded the videos I took last night.
Since Cyrus went to Rock Hill last weekend, Gabriel says he's been "Mr Super Happy Baby." We are very happy about that. Here he is in action.

-Shirin

Jumping in his crib and playing with Gabriel.



Playing on the bed with Gabriel and identifying all his body parts.

LEAF Fall 09

Hello! I am just back from LEAF this Sunday night, after a lot of good times with friends and a lot of shivering in the frigid NC mountains. Beth and I went Friday night, arriving at the campground just in time for dusk and the rain. Luckily, there were a lot of people there already who saved us a spot and helped get our tent up before everything got too wet. We were able to go down to the main festival to hear one of my favorite bands, The Cowboy Junkies, play at the main tent (covered from the rain). Because I'm a grandma (so says Barney), we went back up to the tent for bed after the show and did pretty well staying dry in the rain all night. The next day the rain let up, but the temperatures dropped even more and we huddled in our big coats and hats all day. We were still able to check out some shows and a poetry slam. We also went off-site for a few hours to see Sarah's wedding location, which was just down the road from Warren Wilson College, where I went to school freshman year of college. We came back in time for Sarah's birthday cake and potluck to happen and then went back down to the festival for the musical highlight of the festival, a band called Zap Mama. They were awesome and we enjoyed the show immensely. Saturday night I was just as much as a grandma, but we didn't fair as well overnight in our tent and woke up cold and shivering throughout the night. Man...we're lucky we all have central heating these days. Sunday was much warmer with the sun out, although we still needed jackets. Sarah and I did Zumba aerobics in the morning, which got our blood flowing and then spent the rest of the day meandering around the festival.

It was a lot of fun and I'm glad Beth and I went. Next May, I plan to try to go with Gabriel and Cyrus, who were visiting my parents for the weekend (click here to see them on my mom's blog).

-Shirin

Ahhh...getting out of our wet tent Saturday morning.

Making breakfast on Beth's little stove.

Our campground.

Saskia and Sohail drinking coffee first thing in the morning. Some of Sarah's friends brought their camper, which we all used for it's roof, table, and stove. Very nice.

This is the brave mama who brought her cute 9 month old to LEAF with her. She's the one with the camper, so it was probably a little warmer for them.

I think we all were about to exchange gifts for birthdays and engagements. Sarah already got one gift, which is the wine bottle in her hand.

Saskia, Sohail, and Beth walking around LEAF. The camp we use is actually a boy's camp in the summer (see the slide in the background that shoots someone into the lake).

This is the land/farm where Sarah and Barney will get married next summer. Her mom and brother were in Asheville and met us there to check the place out.

The ceremony is supposed to happen by the river, but because it was raining the day we went, the wedding was being held in a tent on the pasture. It was a great Plan B for rainy days. Notice the horse and carriage driving by with the bride in it.

There she goes to say, "I do." Look at those rain clouds overhead...it actually makes the scene so beautiful.

Sarah and Barney got their pictures taken at LEAF as a present from their friend Lindsey. They took it very seriously.

Sarah also had something else to celebrate this weekend...her thirtieth birthday. Here's Barney giving her the jewelry someone got her to wear at her surprise birthday potluck.

Sarah is loved by many and got a chocolate raspberry cake and the happy birthday song sung to her right in the middle of our campsite.

Old college buddies enjoying the potluck. We had a great spread for camping. Barney had made lentils, Saskia made chili, Kathy (another friend) made corn bread, and I made Asian slaw, to name a few items.

This is Zap Mama. They were awesome. The lead singer is a Belgian/African woman with a lot of energy and style. I loved her.

This morning, Beth and I went to the Warren Wilson Folk Choir at LEAF. I didn't even remember I was wearing my WWC hoodie until I saw this picture.

LEAF!!!

For those of you unfamiliar with LEAF, it is a music festival that I have gone to for several years. It stands for Lake Eden Arts Festival, and it is held outside of Asheville twice a year. I used to go a lot when I was single, but after getting married and starting vet school, I've only been once and that was before vet school started. Anyway, it is time again to put LEAF back into my life. I really love it, because it involves many things I enjoy and need in my life: nature, camping, music, dancing, food, and friends. I have several college friends that go more than I do, and I will be meeting some of them there. I am also bringing a rookie LEAF-goer with me...Beth! It's right up her alley, and I wanted to share this wonderful weekend with her. I tried to get Gabriel to come too, but he declined. He went once and really liked it, but he didn't want to pay for it right now. So, I'm without the baby and husband this weekend. I thought I'd be a little relieved to have the time to myself, and I actually am, but I am also feeling loss and sadness without them. They left tonight to stay in Rock Hill with my parents, so that my parents can help with the baby and Gabriel can see them and his RH friends.
Beth and I leave tomorrow afternoon for our weekend of camping in the COLD North Carolina mountains. We joked that we will be huddling together in out tent for warmth, but I don't really think it's gonna be a joke when it's 30 degrees outside. My childless (and well-meaning) friends really wanted me to bring Cyrus this year and I seriously considered it. It's is a family-oriented festival and there are lots of awesome things for kids to do. But, he is still pretty unpredictable in new places, especially at bed time, and I just couldn't subject a whole field of campers to a screaming baby at 5 AM. He'll be a LEAF kid one day for sure, but not this LEAF.
Here are some pictures from previous LEAFs so you can get a feel for what we are in for tomorrow.
-Shirin

Sarah and Barney are hearty LEAF-goers. They basically never miss one.

A picture of some musicians on the main stage.

A event at the children's section. They had to eat the doughnut without using their hands. Some kids got it and some just used their hands and ate a doughnut. It was hilarious.

They also have some alternative healing arts people who do massage and such. This naked-ish guy was about to walk on the back of the guy on the ground. Funny.

In the main hall for a poetry slam.

The first LEAF we went to, Sarah and I volunteered instead of paying for our tickets and we bartended. It was super-fun.

Here is Barney in the red hat. He always volunteers as well, and he was in charge of the children's bubble-machine (giggle, giggle).

A group of my friends who went one year. Deena and Mindy are the girls on the right and Joel and Kathy are on the left. That was a fun time. And such a beautiful place to camp for a weekend.

Last weekend

We were lucky enough to have Gabriel's parents visit last week/weekend for a joint birthday celebration for me and G's dad. We also did a lot of eating, playing with Cyrus, and chatting about life. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it a lot.
-Shirin

Before the Beals arrived, Cyrus played ball with the neighborhood kids.

"Throw!"

A baby surrounded by admirers after his grandparents arrived.

At Panera's with the family. Gene was feeding the little baby bird.

Outside of Cold Stone Creamery. Cyrus had his first few bites of ice cream ever. He liked it well enough, but we all tried not to encourage him to eat much and he just took a few bits from his relatives cones. You can see the half-eaten apple in my hand (which he ate too, but wasn't as excited about as the ice cream).

I love my sweetheart.

Saturday morning, Gabriel and I went to the farmer's market before his parents came over. Here are my boys listening to a great fiddle-players tunes and eating a potato and pea empanada.

Look, Daddy! I found the plant Sumac (the Persian spice) comes from. Cool! This is the spice Persians put on their kabobs.

Gene's boys waiting for him to arrive Saturday evening for his surprise cake and card. Bren, Gabriel, and I all lit the candles as soon as we heard him come in, but then I accidentally blew half of them out and we had to relight them. It wasn't smooth at all.

Gene was still happy and got his birthday song.

"Where's the ball?"