2015

So since last time I wrote we moved to the suburbs of Chicago. It's cold.

If you're looking for a toddler (and adult) approved recipe - Martha Stewart's "lighter sesame chicken" recipe was a hit. I didn't measure anything and it still turned out fine. Mine was also a lot less "light" than the recipe intended due to the white rice and extra breading/frying oil. Oh well.

http://www.marthastewart.com/313256/lighter-sesame-chicken

This broccoli potato cheese soup recipe was a hit too.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/potato-broccoli-and-cheese-soup/

I added carrots and served it with costco pretzel rolls and butter. So actually I don't know for sure if the soup was good, but pretzel rolls and butter are a definite winner.

Currently watching:
The Mindy Project
Empire
Scandal
How to Get Away with Murder

I watch them all on hulu while running on my treadmill. Pure joy.

I made this big announcement to Wil that we were finally going to watch "The Wire". For the third time I watched the pilot and then couldn't bring myself to watch the second episode. What is wrong with me?

Currently Reading:
One more thing: Stories and Other Stories by B.J. Novak
The Real Food Cookbook by Nina Planck

One of my New Year resolutions was to read more paper books instead of Kindle books so that Raf knows that I'm occasionally reading and not just having screen time.

I have to download some apps and/or do some sort of magic to upload pictures so unfortunately you'll have to refer to my facebook/instagram/email blasts to see Rafi being hilarious and adorable.

Ok, well, good blog entry. Another New Year resolution is to write at least weekly.

-E

Keep on keepin' on

5 month update:

Rafi is starting to enjoy his toys. His favorites are the O-ball products.  I’m excited for when he can sit up on his own and really play with them. We tried the bumbo which is a chair that helps babies sit up on their own before they can physically do it independently, but unfortunately Rafi didn’t seem to enjoy it – plus his cloth diaper made it really tight squeeze into that thing.

Our house is a menagerie. Every surface is littered with elephants, monkeys, and giraffes.

He is obsessed with his toes. He’s learned how to pull off his socks so that he can access his feet.  I’m glad he isn’t walking yet or his sucking on his toes would be more disgusting than darling.

Still loves his bounceroo.

Still loves music and being sung to.

Still loves screens and tries his best to sneak TV time.

He can recognize the saline drops and starts squirming and screaming the second they appear.

He’s not liking books yet, but I’ll keep trying.

As for Rafi’s parents…

I’m doing an awesome rotation in surgical oncology and I’m learning a lot! I’ll be doing this clinical rotation through the end of April and then I’ll be starting my final rotation learning about kidney transplantation in June/July in San Diego! After that I’ll take my boards to be a certified Acute Care Nurse Practitioner! I’m really excited for my summer in San Diego and overwhelmingly excited to be almost done with school.

Wil has been traveling all over the nation attending medical school interviews. Still no final decision on where he’ll attend, but it’s getting closer!

Happy New Year

Hello everyone! Happy New Year! This past month has passed exceedingly quickly in a veritable storm of med school interviews, school, work, clinicals, and diapers so it's time for another update.

I've been working at the hospital on a cardiac unit, and have been doing clinical hours for my Nurse Practitioner degree in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit. I have some races coming up, but to be honest running isn't a priority right now. When I get home from the hospital I want to be with Wil and Rafi and I jealously guard the small amount of sleep that I am able to carve out. I hope that when Rafi starts eating solid foods in a few months my schedule will loosen up a bit, and I'll be able to start running more because I do miss it and I do want a PR in 2014!

Wil is working at a middle school, taking two classes, and traveling for med school interviews. He's been really impressed by some of the places that he's seen, and we're both excited to see where we end up!

Rafael (the main person of interest around here) has become noisier and more active than ever. 

He's discovered his hands which means he can play with toys and stick everything that he comes in contact with into his mouth. Also, he loves to stand and bounce. He has a brand new jumparoo courtesy of Aunt Betty and he LOVES it.

Trying out some different toys at a friend's house.

So life is busy right now. There just aren't enough hours in the day. But it's an exciting time. We're both really happy with what we're doing and with what we're working to do next, and doing it all together is the absolute best part of all.

Family picture in December.

Rafi at three months

So, it turns out that I'm not much of a blogger.

Anyway my boy is three months old already! 

Hiya!

He's a really happy kid and is starting to get a totally fun personality already.

His likes include:

Music and singing

Lights (this includes screens and he's always trying to sneak TV time)

Being outside

Being carried in his sling or wrap

Being cuddled sideways

Driving

Eating

Bathtime with daddy

His dislikes include:

Being read to (I hope this changes because I love reading and we own so many books)

When the car stops moving

Sitting down (he's getting better about this now and is willing to sit on my lap for a little while, but not when he gets cranky)

Hats

It's hard to believe that he's gone from that:

To this:

And we're excited to see what comes next!

How Rafi got his name.

Our Sweet Baby

How we chose our baby name:

My main requirement was that I wanted a family name. I have been adamant about choosing a family name since way before we even thought about having a baby. To me, a family name seems a very special way of linking the future to the past. I love history, and I love the idea of our lives being connected with those who came before and those who came after. I think the idea of us all being connected is what gives meaning to life.

Other considerations included the fact that I didn’t want the baby to share one of our first initials (I don’t know why this was important to me at the time, it just was) and that I didn’t want it to be overly popular. I scoured the SSA website to be sure that our potential names didn’t pop up in the top 100. I also checked the “change in popularity” pages to be sure our names weren’t headed for a sudden popularity surge.

Wil didn’t have requirements, but he liked the idea of the baby having an international name. We want our baby to be a global citizen. We hope that he has the opportunity and inclination to travel the world. We wanted him to have a name that would be recognizable in many different countries.  Additionally, Wil and I come from different backgrounds, and our baby is going to grow up with grandparents of different religions and different cultures. Our baby is a mix of a lot of good things, and we wanted a name that represented that. The name we picked is sort of Italian and sort of Latin and sort of Jewish. It’s got references in pop culture, and references in history. It’s a name that can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, yet hopefully is unique enough that our baby can put his own stamp on the name.

Wil also wanted a name that was easy to pronounce and sounded good for an adult and a professional.

Finally, the name just had to sound right to both of us.  We both had to think “that’s our baby’s name”.

And so we picked Rafael David.

Rafael was the name of my great-grandfather who moved to the United States from Russia in the early 1900s. He gained citizenship by serving in the United States military in World War I and then became a carpenter. He was the father to my maternal grandfather – Paul Amber.

David is the name of Wil’s Maternal Grandfather who Wil has always had a special relationship with. He served in World War II and then attended Tufts. He eventually achieved his doctorate and became a school principle. 

We are proud to have named our son after these two brave, hardworking, and interesting men.

At hospital with our tiny little guy.

Welcome to our family, Rafi. We love you so much.

Ahoy!

Hello internet!

Baby shower in La Jolla, CA.

We're starting this blog so that our friends and family can keep up with us and baby ALF. It's rough being so far away from our loved ones (especially while going through so many big life changes), so this is a good way to stay connected and to prevent everyone on facebook from hating us because I thoroughly intend to post billions of photos of my son and I need an outlet.  Sorry, but you've been warned. Enter at your own risk.

We promise we won't really name our child ALF.
Although the name is growing on me...
It turns out it is actually a very popular name in England,
and if the royal couple names their son Alfred I will feel as though I started a trend.

Right now we're incredibly boring. 

I'm working full time as a med-surg nurse and taking classes part time for my Nurse Practitioner degree. I work, study, and eat for two. It keeps me pretty busy.

Wil is studying for his MCAT which he takes on Saturday and then starts work as an educational assistant at a middle school on Monday. He'll also be taking night classes. 

That's all I have to report at the moment.
-Eva