tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273735092024-03-23T10:56:05.027-07:00Spasms of the Right BrainRandom thoughts, stories and photos of cycling, life, etc.Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.comBlogger296125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-75698330414916151512010-03-05T09:49:00.000-08:002010-03-12T11:09:49.406-08:00Times They Are A-Changing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEsIc5PY1uMH4Zqi6OmkpZxRNLmZkaOCbJtPyL6hgR0LA-IbTwPJBHsyp2mEQRn2pULf7JCMWRfK9YeGeOdFtPz6LZbtqVDGbJgE7nvCfB99e3egaet8X8MstQIZ3Qy4uqQ2X/s1600-h/DSC_0219.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEsIc5PY1uMH4Zqi6OmkpZxRNLmZkaOCbJtPyL6hgR0LA-IbTwPJBHsyp2mEQRn2pULf7JCMWRfK9YeGeOdFtPz6LZbtqVDGbJgE7nvCfB99e3egaet8X8MstQIZ3Qy4uqQ2X/s320/DSC_0219.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447816601229340914" /></a><br /><div>As Egan begins his 10th month, the Boals/Krasnow household is undergoing some changes. Waist-high objects have become Egan's Disneyland. Dive into mom's knitting bag to tangle myself in the yarn? Absolutely. Hang from the kitchen table? No problem! Need a magazine off the couch? Got it! Attempt to hoist myself out of the pack-n-plan by throwing a leg over the side? Don't mind if I do. </div><div><br /></div><div>Playing games with Morgan remains his favorite past time and she's able to always find just the thing to make him squeal in delight.</div><div><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/v9YkQexnaJg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/v9YkQexnaJg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqXrxnJ_z9c6FgARB_2syEadnEi4W0VP2Hy1Ef92vn9zlDtrFis-cA2eQE0gk4qasBntNZOp4RuuiFyWr7HpKfRbFlzbEfANXOr5lT98EpeqLzDHFkQlYXhVDhqF8zkyPK-iz/s1600-h/IMG_0496.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaqXrxnJ_z9c6FgARB_2syEadnEi4W0VP2Hy1Ef92vn9zlDtrFis-cA2eQE0gk4qasBntNZOp4RuuiFyWr7HpKfRbFlzbEfANXOr5lT98EpeqLzDHFkQlYXhVDhqF8zkyPK-iz/s320/IMG_0496.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447822397204935026" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>Egan loves to move and explore and is extremely curious and fearless. At any given moment, he can be found kissing himself in the mirror, chasing the dog around the house, or playing hide-and-go-seek with one of us, wrapped in a sleeping bag. While out buying chocolates on Valentine's Day, Egan discovered a helium balloon in the shop and was fascinated by it. We bought one and he spent much of the afternoon exploring its mysterious behaviors.</div><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GtIIaaYjt20&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GtIIaaYjt20&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />We've found that showers are even more fun then baths. Egan will crawl right into the shower with one of us, so now morning showers have become routine before I head off to work. He'll sit on the ground, splashing around in the water run-off and filling his bath toys with the warm water. He loves to curl around our chest like a koala bear while we take him under the stream of shower water and isn't phased at all by the water raining down on him. Tangling himself in the big towels after his shower isn't so bad either!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvcsGM9yqHz-r3lbWAMXELbNbNmBwalGwnBqjf7oGWWO-jf7OCXDAwiYf0f7NJB2v-YQGitE0g8KCBmLgap3h30GPDr9Yad4bDPjfUZAtkwwwZ2co-ZG6QWeiNJXucKMfNkTq/s1600-h/IMG_0480.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 287px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMvcsGM9yqHz-r3lbWAMXELbNbNmBwalGwnBqjf7oGWWO-jf7OCXDAwiYf0f7NJB2v-YQGitE0g8KCBmLgap3h30GPDr9Yad4bDPjfUZAtkwwwZ2co-ZG6QWeiNJXucKMfNkTq/s320/IMG_0480.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447816615660834082" /></a><br /><br />At the moment, he's definitely most interested in activities which involve movement. He won't sit still for long with a single toy, but he loves banging things together, and learning how to make different types of objects move.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiby4sW_JstFv3zAf58hTqsitNF8ToGATqBINrBl0w7p2awPe4BzMw5HrQXyqiG7PZLpdoQtgb271bYDlGlQHWCYh59NmeySMi3HBXKjYyBKmpnCZJtc7jpeDLVYqVuDA9dHD6Z/s1600-h/DSC_0179.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiby4sW_JstFv3zAf58hTqsitNF8ToGATqBINrBl0w7p2awPe4BzMw5HrQXyqiG7PZLpdoQtgb271bYDlGlQHWCYh59NmeySMi3HBXKjYyBKmpnCZJtc7jpeDLVYqVuDA9dHD6Z/s320/DSC_0179.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447815481004248258" /></a><br /><br />And for those of you wondering about teeth...he has 6! The two bottom ones have been joined by 4 on the top and yes, he definitely knows how to use them.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1vJhnL32nx7cqL7zTMcD4yKbvTdLy3tMIcJMb5FibL8wagbc3zGo7NBrqLhveovOXaUHwHoMRQ0EmCm1Q-Jl7B07EJZaYnc92WVvhtxKJcVScOPC75zNh0zJRD43HBHlMnFo/s1600-h/DSC_0205.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx1vJhnL32nx7cqL7zTMcD4yKbvTdLy3tMIcJMb5FibL8wagbc3zGo7NBrqLhveovOXaUHwHoMRQ0EmCm1Q-Jl7B07EJZaYnc92WVvhtxKJcVScOPC75zNh0zJRD43HBHlMnFo/s320/DSC_0205.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447815487021005954" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNr86_ctBHK5h6ZTuk84oZDUDnMK03sRj3z_HSIp-gY1JWKmwo9b5xBm41XadsEBFb_F2sm8FV051yaAE4Jt1w5n2-Hr_afIW-hCJzk2nbvLGMxNPhHoQFAxBpzFE1aR9xrLw6/s1600-h/DSC_0164.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNr86_ctBHK5h6ZTuk84oZDUDnMK03sRj3z_HSIp-gY1JWKmwo9b5xBm41XadsEBFb_F2sm8FV051yaAE4Jt1w5n2-Hr_afIW-hCJzk2nbvLGMxNPhHoQFAxBpzFE1aR9xrLw6/s320/DSC_0164.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447815468825680242" /></a><br />This spring, we've been spending a lot of time working in our garden. Inspired by the film <span style="font-weight:bold;">Food Inc.</span>, we have tried to change our eating habits to consume as much organic, locally produced food as possible. In addition to the raised beds which we have behind our garage, we converted about 1/3 of our back yard into vegetable garden plots. The yard is currently covered in cardboard and newspaper to kill off the grass and weeds, and will soon be turned into mulch and ready for a summer planting. Additionally, we planted 3 fruit trees to mark Egan's first year and Morgan's teen years. This fig tree (bare root, between Egan and me) is for Egan, and on the other side of our yard is a persimmon tree for Morgan and an apple tree. Additionally, we purchased a chest-freezer for our garage and purchased half a pig and entire steer from a local, Marin farm which we are sharing with a group of friends.<div><br /></div><div>When not growing our own food and brewing our own beer, we still love our great local bars, and so does Egan. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkLycf441nzVz8-gm0nU-XxhTQly-NYFHRVs4kUIn1kDGEkkYqVLCvZIESS7gupzG3OfD6mEyN_diho0GvjGn1wiye2U8ba3VSs54dNZxIKqni9NmAp1qcMeuIW8pSmKUquKX/s1600-h/IMG_0481.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUkLycf441nzVz8-gm0nU-XxhTQly-NYFHRVs4kUIn1kDGEkkYqVLCvZIESS7gupzG3OfD6mEyN_diho0GvjGn1wiye2U8ba3VSs54dNZxIKqni9NmAp1qcMeuIW8pSmKUquKX/s320/IMG_0481.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447822384879227346" /></a><br />French fries are a welcome treat and Egan can hang at a bar as long as the fries are good for mushing on the table.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_8KcICZKoOkDXlbAY88ialkw5p-81dvHZU9iMNq8nDs2HxP9oz4QH_lOXjzw38P-M-bDy1Snxj2inNN37T77MJy_f6Gd3rBezw-_aEasFAXi5J_IBlyGZF82HEx2mwGycUJb/s1600-h/clover.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij_8KcICZKoOkDXlbAY88ialkw5p-81dvHZU9iMNq8nDs2HxP9oz4QH_lOXjzw38P-M-bDy1Snxj2inNN37T77MJy_f6Gd3rBezw-_aEasFAXi5J_IBlyGZF82HEx2mwGycUJb/s320/clover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447825254026721074" /></a> We're all pretty convinced that Egan has said his first "word." His inspiration to crawl was to chase the dog around the house, and it has also been his inspiration to climb. From this photo, it's only a matter of seconds before Egan climbs onto Clover's back, and that never seems to have a graceful ending. And this love for Clover has inspired a word of sorts. Whenever Egan sees Clover, or a dog on the street, or a dog in a book, he starts panting, just like she does. We like to insert the 'woof-woof' after the panting, but Egan like's his dog sounds just so.<br /><br /></div><div>It's hard to believe that Egan's first birthday is coming in less then 2 months. The days at my school seem to tick away endlessly sometimes (spring with 8th graders definitely isn't my favorite time of year), and yet, those same days simultaneously move so incredibly fast in Egan's life. It's funny how that works.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuAdQrwc-kmp4UXtvH9rz96UIDpzQ_num9a-9dSv8WFlg1wctA8WxS6tXoyQuvQAZfebS7zChE5mVatIQj9aPjZ1StU7CcEUvl1l1TRA_tqqRSXb7Etw22LR4wFAyiIFsWfc1/s1600-h/IMG_0520.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuAdQrwc-kmp4UXtvH9rz96UIDpzQ_num9a-9dSv8WFlg1wctA8WxS6tXoyQuvQAZfebS7zChE5mVatIQj9aPjZ1StU7CcEUvl1l1TRA_tqqRSXb7Etw22LR4wFAyiIFsWfc1/s320/IMG_0520.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447816608145215586" /></a></div>Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-64273557166903069822010-01-14T20:17:00.000-08:002010-01-14T22:01:22.158-08:00Man on the Run<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayH-6rivnHwnAwz_XoZLCt2oVapERNhpTgP-Y6P6DTxJh19jCc1aArpzZsx0w9kCBbDnnszh4g5f9KS3ubL6BgDkbewuiXRfQ4ELyg4WRBYZqaPUQ53qLzeI58pZ3vwC_YmJZ/s1600-h/IMG_0410.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayH-6rivnHwnAwz_XoZLCt2oVapERNhpTgP-Y6P6DTxJh19jCc1aArpzZsx0w9kCBbDnnszh4g5f9KS3ubL6BgDkbewuiXRfQ4ELyg4WRBYZqaPUQ53qLzeI58pZ3vwC_YmJZ/s320/IMG_0410.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426825315295226306" border="0" /></a>The Little Man is mobile! After 8 months of stationary viewing, Egan is officially on the move. He'll happily show off his crawling technique to anyone who waves a crisp newspaper or a box of cheerios in front of him. Although he prefers the commando crawl for its stealth and speed, he'll get up on his hands and knees for the right price, namely some large object that he can lift up and dump out on his head. But his favorite place to crawl is right into Clover's warm embrace.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NHmsHw60IT8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NHmsHw60IT8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Those of you who know Clover, our Bernese Mountain dog, may not believe that she is quite gentile and mellow with Egan (she's a huge spaz when guests come over), but she takes his 'abuse' in stride. When she gets tired of him grabbing handfuls of her hair or poking her in the eye, she calmly gets up and moves to the other side of the room. You can guess where Egan goes next.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFteXA_G8RXO2hAYeHxXcGmAitgX_M8UJasW6hmvxTLHrimGjRrMfJ2kZ6roV3xLPcPOn0lFc2KDTgrzHKXcWs-bka8Q-x9fZOVyadNqJ5n657fohFi-Qd-JxZquKo9oBPbfCf/s1600-h/Card+Option+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFteXA_G8RXO2hAYeHxXcGmAitgX_M8UJasW6hmvxTLHrimGjRrMfJ2kZ6roV3xLPcPOn0lFc2KDTgrzHKXcWs-bka8Q-x9fZOVyadNqJ5n657fohFi-Qd-JxZquKo9oBPbfCf/s320/Card+Option+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426821940986056498" border="0" /></a>Over the holidays, Egan had his first sleepover with Granny Lu and Grandpa Ry. They stayed with him while Mike and I went to Half Moon Bay (alone) for the night. Egan took it all in stride, never crying, and after sorting out who's who with a few hard stares at Granny Lu when he woke up in the morning, he decided that all was well. Meanwhile, Mike and I did some fabulous mountain biking, ate too many desserts, and saw elephant seals and sea otters on the beach across the road from our hotel. Morgan spent Christmas with her mom this year, but when she returned to our house, we traveled south to San Diego for a visit with Grandma Jo, Aunt Jenny, and cousins Wyatt and Troy. We had plenty of laughs and Egan jealously watched his sister and cousins playing laser tag, thinking that it looked like a pretty cool place to show off his commando crawl.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2s8uWFLo4SAHPhGIJhIaaEvYqaAAIxsBshOcg9uIbaJ4qICssuFy2cfAJo5K0BMev0rzFv2hDFyY-9ARlhiO1glWgxplVaCrZDOUqBBi9TFwP3pKxLxRoQKcSXG7ebR6qpgd/s1600-h/IMG_0416.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2s8uWFLo4SAHPhGIJhIaaEvYqaAAIxsBshOcg9uIbaJ4qICssuFy2cfAJo5K0BMev0rzFv2hDFyY-9ARlhiO1glWgxplVaCrZDOUqBBi9TFwP3pKxLxRoQKcSXG7ebR6qpgd/s320/IMG_0416.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426820185267600226" border="0" /></a><br />Mike has rekindled an old love for beer brewing and Egan has tagged along for several batches. Under Egan's watchful eye, he's made a Trappist Ale, an Amber, and a Stout. In a matter of days they'll be bottling the next batch: an IPA. We plan to have a Paris-Roubaix party in April with more than enough of Mike's beer to go around, so mark the date on your calendars.<br /><br /><br />Our first trip with Egan on the bike had to be <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmu1t4LgaMKtPW6O_uziMnCoNDmAQQ6_rKnLi0ycycFygZocIAm5YW9sx0Sxfxee-lJS3U6mSjSt5Q1ErGZtXdA0qWnvLyX6G2c0oDszhKvPvo7yjH4dAV6sTndcPho8t41oN/s1600-h/IMG_2154.JPG"><img style="margin: 10pt 10px 10px 10pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmu1t4LgaMKtPW6O_uziMnCoNDmAQQ6_rKnLi0ycycFygZocIAm5YW9sx0Sxfxee-lJS3U6mSjSt5Q1ErGZtXdA0qWnvLyX6G2c0oDszhKvPvo7yjH4dAV6sTndcPho8t41oN/s320/IMG_2154.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426823183185871378" border="0" /></a>aborted when we tried on his helmet and found it to be quite big. We've since found an infant helmet and we'll be taking him out on the bike any day now. How to cart the 30 pound trailer and the 20 pound boy up the steep east bay hills is an enigma we still haven't solved, but<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLY4G1IumqKDhOcTjWuUd4jKSSbcTQKRwA1o6HYAGZrzBYYo1IkuB_KMt-wY6PxfVuowTgOOl0GQ9BHONuH8nRSTGLK2A-EXbMOyjH2N9Ob4F_3w5ctsHL1WspHDQJOJwXsmBr/s1600-h/IMG_2153.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLY4G1IumqKDhOcTjWuUd4jKSSbcTQKRwA1o6HYAGZrzBYYo1IkuB_KMt-wY6PxfVuowTgOOl0GQ9BHONuH8nRSTGLK2A-EXbMOyjH2N9Ob4F_3w5ctsHL1WspHDQJOJwXsmBr/s320/IMG_2153.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426824787152034674" border="0" /></a> by our next blog post we'll be filled with stories, I'm sure. In the meantime, we'll leave you with one final video, uncut, unedited, just raw crawling footage.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-765fyEEnTs&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-765fyEEnTs&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-66420472884872962632009-12-03T19:14:00.000-08:002009-12-03T21:23:06.705-08:00It's gonna be a Green Christmas...<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411214948628239138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IhtG9Qn-KicLgDLiMfYj_DRiBiXhtHc-3NzhhZbcX_C5JWkRHB9kf2BPJHw6Ys6536297On4rpO0uSbAuXNd_YAPd89ZXX_iujCMCFvQl_vHF0pjtsnG3wyBPQWEc1TCKa7S/s320/IMG_0053.JPG" /> Would you believe me if I told you that Egan really loves kale? This boy can eat! Each new food that Egan eats allows us a chance to see what tremendous expressions he'll come up with.<br /></div><br /><div></div><div>Actually, kale has become a regular part of his afternoon meal, and he no longer needs it mixed with yogurt in order to enjoy it. In fact, he likes it a lot more than his big sister does! Egan now eats two meals of solid food a day and all 3 of us, Morgan, Mike and I love feeding him as his expressions continue to be priceless. For breakfast, he eats a combination of brown rice and millet with yogurt and fruit and for his afternoon meal he eats a meat with two veggies. Not to be outdone by his sister, he tried tri-tip for the first time earlier this week and it was a hit. Now if we could just figure out how to get him clean once he no longer fits in the washing machine:<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411246509321869922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoHRPDWwdgc1zPY_uQUAJ0wy5slNByWVYHIg3CuWXTcXTX6Ka7NPep5foTeSy3Sb6zga90eAqW6Y_rJkfGbd14LIQmhHw-e8RGMZ7NVzNfBj-9FQ3ijz9XtMaw_QtzpC3bPkqg/s320/IMG_0436.JPG" /></div><br /><br /><div>I missed the 6 month post, so this post marks Egan's 7 month birthday. A lot has happened in the past two months.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0UbeHMOhBLyK_-3_kdAAkpdsnKZHiA1_WUPZgaaivzV74xfzV3Rqk06lOYsNQkj9kv_a2dd9aUfZNPmp2c4Noh1y-szP1ZEnbGyk6YkhP_eylQlZLSctvTpgoS0rMXshIYvX/s1600-h/DSC_0083.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 187px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 253px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411217751687399362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc0UbeHMOhBLyK_-3_kdAAkpdsnKZHiA1_WUPZgaaivzV74xfzV3Rqk06lOYsNQkj9kv_a2dd9aUfZNPmp2c4Noh1y-szP1ZEnbGyk6YkhP_eylQlZLSctvTpgoS0rMXshIYvX/s320/DSC_0083.JPG" /></a> Egan got to meet his Grandpa Fred (Mike's dad) who came out from Texas and had great fun entertaining him. We learned that Grandpa Fred has a knack for getting Egan to fall asleep and we loved watching him sooth Egan to sleep on his shoulder. Grandpa Fred also loves to bake bread and he experimented with using the leftover barley from beer Mike had brewed to make barley bread.</div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZUCfRAc7ALnnqUBER52lkvSEnYL6m3OM5-6XALebXeEZWcFWtvVnBrjH3Z1aJcbN3gPbol9JpdyeVXTU8hC_6RqWuQQTKJ88LfSLzfZ6GXx9l9TCArZojTAgOvjRc3AuZyKs/s1600-h/DSC_0331.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 214px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411220719284517282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZUCfRAc7ALnnqUBER52lkvSEnYL6m3OM5-6XALebXeEZWcFWtvVnBrjH3Z1aJcbN3gPbol9JpdyeVXTU8hC_6RqWuQQTKJ88LfSLzfZ6GXx9l9TCArZojTAgOvjRc3AuZyKs/s320/DSC_0331.JPG" /></a>We have also had two visits from the Krasnow clan over these past two months. In October, my parents, brother, and sister-in-law came out to celebrate my mom's 65th birthday. We rented a house in Healdsburg which was quite idyllic. The house was on a vineyard, with grape vines, pear and olive trees, and incredible sunrises all outside our yard. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Chx9aJuHgkN6PFTtcjE0avtEM5aTQLjYtpUFivWSRvqhQaqGcYZRj6F_4qJwZwJk3AB5JLiSEbPv4mcbSxIusgLA0VayygkGqANN4QqLaDDnYefwlju6K2Cf_28zDqHtG4Io/s1600-h/DSC_0334.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 214px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411221845637593618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Chx9aJuHgkN6PFTtcjE0avtEM5aTQLjYtpUFivWSRvqhQaqGcYZRj6F_4qJwZwJk3AB5JLiSEbPv4mcbSxIusgLA0VayygkGqANN4QqLaDDnYefwlju6K2Cf_28zDqHtG4Io/s320/DSC_0334.JPG" /></a>We were all in heaven, especially Mike and I who took early morning bike rides up steep hills while the rest of the family vied for Egan's attention. After watching <em>Austin Powers,</em> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxFLPYFRuWzQIVS1yM-jsTGPWKQiAmhctbOR4C9HaSJgQ7hffYotFO3sc87uujyCGY3kdiyFQZDVZOHj7nx8j-7tZLEebg4m5MJqKsPxX6762B3n7VDtF9VPI_oUogqFRg9y5/s1600-h/DSC_0329.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 296px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 169px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411225487410870386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxFLPYFRuWzQIVS1yM-jsTGPWKQiAmhctbOR4C9HaSJgQ7hffYotFO3sc87uujyCGY3kdiyFQZDVZOHj7nx8j-7tZLEebg4m5MJqKsPxX6762B3n7VDtF9VPI_oUogqFRg9y5/s320/DSC_0329.JPG" /></a>Morgan was eager to watch the original James Bond movies so we spent each evening curled up on the couch together laughing at the 1960s stagecraft. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKFFqBPVURQL3yJaXPubjCE0-nqL55KVbd4oSN_Y1i4QAiKeXDm-2sbgVVPw_9jUZy2Z1Rsd06zFKHRhsV6N0vNmoQuaDMjIvQ3EBPNwhxZoSUH0gXeAntsox6hVbi6teUfBi/s1600-h/DSC_0371.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 322px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 199px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411223976113883058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKFFqBPVURQL3yJaXPubjCE0-nqL55KVbd4oSN_Y1i4QAiKeXDm-2sbgVVPw_9jUZy2Z1Rsd06zFKHRhsV6N0vNmoQuaDMjIvQ3EBPNwhxZoSUH0gXeAntsox6hVbi6teUfBi/s320/DSC_0371.JPG" /></a>For my mom's birthday celebration, we hired a chef to cook for <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-74zrt6Zu4RKI4C8OelopISTyd3dsUDuK0s0AlhxzuEVQUGI77LURtR4NwEcQ3t4mZBq4n6NX_Ta08B0Pe8wJeme49cIPa4ofjQ0DcTHL8y97Hn8rp2V73fvl_2oqfesYHgL2/s1600-h/DSC_0354.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 294px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 176px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411223256291536626" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-74zrt6Zu4RKI4C8OelopISTyd3dsUDuK0s0AlhxzuEVQUGI77LURtR4NwEcQ3t4mZBq4n6NX_Ta08B0Pe8wJeme49cIPa4ofjQ0DcTHL8y97Hn8rp2V73fvl_2oqfesYHgL2/s320/DSC_0354.JPG" /></a>us at the house. So, after putting Egan to bed, we had an amazing meal, beginning out on the deck overlooking the vineyards, and ending with incredible dessert wine and chocolate souffle. What a treat!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><div>And there's even one more family visit to share (yes, it has been a busy two months)! Morgan invited my grandmother, Granny, out to her school for grandparents day. Granny (Eleanor after whom Little E is named) graduated from Mills College in 1936. Morgan's new middle school is located on the Mills campus and Morgan invited Granny so that she could come see how Mills has <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4nof9fUO8wV3a8CmbhSrUh97HAYFS_kqax5sjVZJ9Gob-QBaQkeevHxjIkTGJFj3h8SxaM0DXwhV97xrtq56PXoB-3Nc8SuSOFpcQ9V62TjLRa2v8MIPhUOOhGeEOsFQAX4T/s1600-h/IMG_2102.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 219px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 265px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411236664953297330" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH4nof9fUO8wV3a8CmbhSrUh97HAYFS_kqax5sjVZJ9Gob-QBaQkeevHxjIkTGJFj3h8SxaM0DXwhV97xrtq56PXoB-3Nc8SuSOFpcQ9V62TjLRa2v8MIPhUOOhGeEOsFQAX4T/s320/IMG_2102.JPG" /></a>changed and to speak to her classmates about what Mills was like in the 1930s. Granny got to speak to the entire 6th grade class about her time at Mills and attended school with Morgan for grandparents day the following day. It was an incredibly special event for us all and something we will always cherish.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><p>When not hanging out with Boals and Krasnow families, Egan loves playing with his friends. He's fascinated by older kids (you know, those grown-up 9-month-olds), and although he still can't crawl, he has recently realized that other babies can. He intently watches older babies, trying to imitate them. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411218949058203458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfeeC6Bteio9DDIuCnymITaJ5rpu2zqOR7Qa2E_YbnnohVBHovN2F0xhGCyq5ddv3sUFHzExNrDpn1Q1Psto5JfWpZMCXfh8DLwDXqEtOJuMTd6-RZNXaLlvlkcyJjJXkS5ZD/s320/Egan+and+Adele.jpg" />Actually, Egan intently watches most everything and we love how curious he is. His temperament remains extremely mellow and he has become a fascinated observer whenever he hears a new sound or discovers a new toy to play with. Recently, he has discovered that he can move himself from one place to another. Although he can't yet crawl, he can rotate himself 180 degrees, scoot backwards on the floor, and lean over in any direction while sitting up to grab a toy and then steady himself again while sitting. </p><p>And, as of one week ago, he has a tooth! Morgan, Mike and I bet on whether or not he'd have a tooth before we left for Chicago for Thanksgiving. Morgan was the only one who thought he would. Egan, never missing an opportunity to please his sister, sprouted his first tooth just in time and Morgan discovered it while we waited in the Oakland airport for our flight.<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411238487643484274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKHy9hx24At0HjM879BS7KlcIpi8zoNIbHxz95PExXc5kCZWY62AmwfEAoGnSAeGlVJ-D34gAYWXyaH9_FMgtOoo97wo7oeOzTb1t5uVU_eJ3NoBAMYRioN0h0lpGo0MKKAC9h/s320/DSC_0376.JPG" />As the holidays approach, Morgan is eager to celebrate Egan's first Christmas and Hanukkah with him. Egan will be attending many holiday parties and eagerly awaits his New Years trip to San Diego to visit with his Grandma Jo, Aunt Jenny, and cousins Wyatt and Troy. </p></div></div><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>Happy Holidays!</strong></span></p></div>Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-47346788826073756742009-10-13T20:48:00.000-07:002009-10-14T14:50:51.523-07:00Goat Milk Yogurt FacialToday's post marks Egan's 5 month birthday and his introduction to solid food. If you're up for the minutia of this past month, keep reading, because I feel like I can go on and on about how our little man has grown up this month.<br /><br />This month has brought a lot of firsts.<br /><br />First time going running with mom:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-GKZNP3H7o3UFXv1lkrqHDyrV1duU6HADHo0c5BH1eKjid0GLnWQYpRFLdSrwiaaqGySE4v6BuEi9VneYyEv3UIvSve7EfbHUO7nYTZBpjDcHu5hLt4rK9aOdj5K4_lt78mX/s1600-h/IMG_0311.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 143px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 169px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392306008613906226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-GKZNP3H7o3UFXv1lkrqHDyrV1duU6HADHo0c5BH1eKjid0GLnWQYpRFLdSrwiaaqGySE4v6BuEi9VneYyEv3UIvSve7EfbHUO7nYTZBpjDcHu5hLt4rK9aOdj5K4_lt78mX/s320/IMG_0311.JPG" /></a><br /><br />First wedding:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbzS2zzTNrqheZRIbcPhHnzyhds_GU4LTcdK0uHfFNmzaBpqT9f_3k5sFEzqBfpV5RHadY8DcMAISk7a05lzYVxMBMUu7K89To5LdM9mSXANoqa2zfYMlwaqFOqYtaQCqBhw-/s1600-h/IMG_0331.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 180px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 238px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392306013750009426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbzS2zzTNrqheZRIbcPhHnzyhds_GU4LTcdK0uHfFNmzaBpqT9f_3k5sFEzqBfpV5RHadY8DcMAISk7a05lzYVxMBMUu7K89To5LdM9mSXANoqa2zfYMlwaqFOqYtaQCqBhw-/s320/IMG_0331.JPG" /></a><br /><br />First wedding reception and getting passed around the dinner table:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L8SdGb5gRvTgLgnqz0zk4NQih2aCTNXGdCLSsOsxgpu_8kEyeKyy1vGObjoexbtoJcDz5M7YI-FEOv7Km6fFHWe8qtaJsz4cZ2ALb85UfOK9st72APTmeBL4JZci0d2inP-_/s1600-h/IMG_0274.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392306905078618258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L8SdGb5gRvTgLgnqz0zk4NQih2aCTNXGdCLSsOsxgpu_8kEyeKyy1vGObjoexbtoJcDz5M7YI-FEOv7Km6fFHWe8qtaJsz4cZ2ALb85UfOK9st72APTmeBL4JZci0d2inP-_/s320/IMG_0274.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And, before divulging Egan's <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jLgQV-s0CjH__qC4-sdrIisZfI4kbeVACEVTIDA1pRPU2C0phU3i3DiNq4cSwrr7wL_YUh-p1R7a_29OrzneMWaQe31c0XG1GA4jf7blkB8vc7-REyRjTlIhpfk6SidiLMPA/s1600-h/IMG_0366.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 189px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 266px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392306018706477106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2jLgQV-s0CjH__qC4-sdrIisZfI4kbeVACEVTIDA1pRPU2C0phU3i3DiNq4cSwrr7wL_YUh-p1R7a_29OrzneMWaQe31c0XG1GA4jf7blkB8vc7-REyRjTlIhpfk6SidiLMPA/s320/IMG_0366.JPG" /></a>first foods, I must divulge his best kept secret: his uncontrollable giggles. Normally, these giggles come only for Morgan, Egan's big sissy, but every once in a while, he'll let loose for mom or dad.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vLHLjBF22KA&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vLHLjBF22KA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The big day came about a week ago when Egan got to eat sweet potatoes as his first solid food. Although serving rice cereal seems to be customary, our pediatrician recommended starting with vegetables and fruits as they provide more nutrients and can be mixed with yogurt to give a protein source. Why now? Well...after a few weeks of very restless sleeping (on Egan's part), where he went from sleeping 6-8 hours without eating to only 2-3 hours, we decided that his increased night-time hunger could possibly be met by additional meals during the day. He was 5 months old, right in the middle of the 4-6 month range which all doctors seem to recommend.<br /><br />Egan has been eating solid food for a week and a half and has already had sweet potatoes, avocado, bananas, goat milk yogurt, poached apples, and poached pears. Again, we seem to have swayed from the conventional wisdom of serving 1 food for several days to check for allergies before introducing a new food. Neither Mike nor I have any allergies and I guess we're eager to turn Egan into a foodie, just like Morgan and us.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/k5A97WS09DM&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/k5A97WS09DM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />We're making all of our own food and have high hopes of growing much of it ourselves as we're planting fruit trees this fall and nearly doubling the size of our current vegetable plots. We also wash our own diapers which I think firmly upends us from our Midwestern roots and establishes us as true Berkeley parents.<br /><br />Egan is now an avid roller-overer, easily turning from his back to his belly. Unfortunately, he then gets stuck on his belly and after 2-3 minutes, hates it as he can't figure out how to get back into his back. Mastering a few yoga poses on his belly, like cobra, has been fun to watch, but once he pushes himself up onto his hands, he's not sure where to go from there and that trick usually ends with him smashing his face back onto the rug and crying out for someone to flip him over. Although crawling still feels a ways away, we're excited for him to be a bit more mobile as it will allow him more independence in getting to the things he wants. What he really wants is Clover, our dog, and he flails his arms in front of him so we'll pick him up and let him 'chase' Clover around the house. This game usually ends with Egan getting a fistful of Clover's fur, but every one in a while, he times his reach just right and grabs at Clover's outstretched tongue. Now that's a sight to see!<br /><br />In addition to this wickedly exciting life with mom, dad and sissy, Egan loves to hang out with his buddies, all of whom he has been biking with since I was 3 months pregnant. They're preparing themselves for the catwalk which we're sure they'll be ready for in another month or two:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qK7lMpWpgvA&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qK7lMpWpgvA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />This weekend, my parents, brother, and sister-in-law, are coming out to celebrate my mom's birthday. Hopefully, between now and Friday, we can teach him to sing happy birthday, but for now, it's just babbles without any regular consonant sounds.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhirdSbZpKDPzHlA5nLueragTSYKicxclartzLggyawl74MtAds87FlKcLUhEx4lLNjqwquTr4b0580z5zS8vh8rXY9gcIACWTc-10ItNpSNr7EHjQ0spoNBrLiInvN_uiH6m/s1600-h/IMG_0270.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392308891876994802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhhirdSbZpKDPzHlA5nLueragTSYKicxclartzLggyawl74MtAds87FlKcLUhEx4lLNjqwquTr4b0580z5zS8vh8rXY9gcIACWTc-10ItNpSNr7EHjQ0spoNBrLiInvN_uiH6m/s320/IMG_0270.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSBygWjE7kUXAWtHPuJOyF99JFaLXa5GGR3kZk0m_ynVDopebbiKdvdWclz2G_q7EKGA2Z8cdpzF5ORZCcB4Hm0zFwzPoIXkeKRIbaQKKVP3eG8IE5dQmFpLIrujDAOzSTDDF/s1600-h/IMG_0279.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392309276097551090" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBSBygWjE7kUXAWtHPuJOyF99JFaLXa5GGR3kZk0m_ynVDopebbiKdvdWclz2G_q7EKGA2Z8cdpzF5ORZCcB4Hm0zFwzPoIXkeKRIbaQKKVP3eG8IE5dQmFpLIrujDAOzSTDDF/s320/IMG_0279.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mhBSM-A_mGSmb6xWWN2fSN8WC3lPnNXOLY_rAwJJ5Yx_e-ZfNZ2GSB7RYUfAc9NNEU1sJMyosIwJv6I9yfYvWFBLxYvXmw4J2kwFVgXt__9ugH30QTDKD5IsD2bqWWf0trhs/s1600-h/IMG_0365.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392572657579086578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mhBSM-A_mGSmb6xWWN2fSN8WC3lPnNXOLY_rAwJJ5Yx_e-ZfNZ2GSB7RYUfAc9NNEU1sJMyosIwJv6I9yfYvWFBLxYvXmw4J2kwFVgXt__9ugH30QTDKD5IsD2bqWWf0trhs/s320/IMG_0365.JPG" /></a><param value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qK7lMpWpgvA&hl=en&fs=1" name="movie"></param><param value="true" name="allowFullScreen"></param><param value="always" name="allowscriptaccess"></param>Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-8145370981251134672009-09-09T20:21:00.001-07:002009-09-09T21:17:24.787-07:00Real Men Wear Speedos<div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379678122986878898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyyIkLNdNPNVDE6nMpk-HGffEUIyrJC8Bah7LrLiBSMYA9ebhC0QtF9EahT-GigAJDb-UspcZbqUi6PVGJWPb57Wc7cjQY5TyTTYGKRgi6ZTEyZ2cCvTLS-X92RQYHfRLzsTH/s320/IMG_0305.JPG" /> Although Egan officially turned 4 months 3 days ago, it seems fitting that the math teacher who authors these posts is writing on 09/09/09. What a cool date! </div><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2-snMSiJ1-ULLcCU2ON9vCwRg8PoTulPogSvcUGwXB50jJZcB4tdmgkOuJUQXtmPdorB8mA5WQV2vvBPSPiD0FUG0PyKqpkvZNYOSQz1OtSsQl8qk6nHAd69_I4mm00fsBlo/s1600-h/IMG_0307.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379678562732121426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC2-snMSiJ1-ULLcCU2ON9vCwRg8PoTulPogSvcUGwXB50jJZcB4tdmgkOuJUQXtmPdorB8mA5WQV2vvBPSPiD0FUG0PyKqpkvZNYOSQz1OtSsQl8qk6nHAd69_I4mm00fsBlo/s320/IMG_0307.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqJ9ZyRxQViDJsz_PIz8rWfSAJH107klyHitX72ObHkMPyNqd6QDkYje_I8K-rfBn7k5dO8FZZnc3xWkFrrQHWG_iaovoreSGX9wW8LOehEu4C5t3PN12yYh36t7DabC_qKRO/s1600-h/my+new+exersaucer!.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 192px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379679917803993282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqJ9ZyRxQViDJsz_PIz8rWfSAJH107klyHitX72ObHkMPyNqd6QDkYje_I8K-rfBn7k5dO8FZZnc3xWkFrrQHWG_iaovoreSGX9wW8LOehEu4C5t3PN12yYh36t7DabC_qKRO/s320/my+new+exersaucer!.jpg" /></a>Over the last month, it feels like Egan has grown up a lot. Our Little Buddah is definitely developing into a curious guy and it has been so much fun. When we last spoke (at 3 months old), Egan would occasionally grab onto a toy, if you dangled it in front of him for long enough and made enough goofy noises to make it seem really attractive. Now, he'll gingerly grab at anything you put near him and will look all over the room if you move something which he was just holding onto to see if he can find where it ended up. He reaches out for objects with one hand, and steadies them into his grasp with the other. Ultimately, everything ends up in his mouth, where all tenderness ends and he has rightfully earned his new nickname of 'Piranha Boy." Morgan got an early lesson in hickies this evening as Egan demonstrated step-by-step how one is crafted on mom's arm. </div><br /><div>About 2 weeks ago, Egan discovered his feet. While he was napping (or so we thought), Mike walked into his room to grab the laundry hamper. He discovered that Egan was awake, holding his feet, and rocking side to side in his crib. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379681073674422882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSX1AOpNB29LVGXmFT74_fVSb5roJetZOw4d_YaFcsfr9ojIixDFM5Z439hVCRYduEaJ7a9w_qfr_oCR0Hvjoa0cm-nSQ66SelHMZUme0iNETyAg8kVLCXTLpH1-6rPyDFCRc/s320/IMG_0187.JPG" />Soon thereafter, he learned how to roll from his back to his front which of course delighted his parents and sister.</div><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/awgo-aW0brU&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/awgo-aW0brU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><div>For those of you who haven't seen the original rolling video, here he is about a month ago when he first rolled from his front to his back. Believe it or not, this feat has yet to be repeated, as it seems it was just a fluke, where he happened to get enough fabric in his crib from the rug to pull him over.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZXA5zqciilc&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZXA5zqciilc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gZdFIdgLjZYZS5za6m6CV_CdT_ZpAhMWTSnDCLcFM2niT_TRGPoGVQTBDzfrErJOkdx6esURurysZIpu_epiEFlKv1hsMRGBlz75BLHmD953rxhbl9maqLTKmDsLSFkN27Ap/s1600-h/morgan+and+egan+at+strawberry+canyon.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 242px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379678567037062082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gZdFIdgLjZYZS5za6m6CV_CdT_ZpAhMWTSnDCLcFM2niT_TRGPoGVQTBDzfrErJOkdx6esURurysZIpu_epiEFlKv1hsMRGBlz75BLHmD953rxhbl9maqLTKmDsLSFkN27Ap/s320/morgan+and+egan+at+strawberry+canyon.jpg" /></a></div><div>School started up for me and Morgan two weeks ago and it feels like we've settled into a really nice routine. I am teaching only 40% this year which comes out to 3 days a week from about 10:30-3:00. Having the mornings home with Egan is so fun as it's when he's most playful and silly. Mike is able to get out and ride in the mornings and soon, we'll be able to ride together as Egan is almost big enough to ride in the bike trailer (well, it's more that he has almost lost his bobble head and can handle the road bumps). Mike is caring for Egan while I am at school and I think they spend the entire day cracking each other up as I seem to regularly come home to two giggling boys. Today Mike put Egan on the phone while I was at work and he smiled and smiled while looking around to figure out where mom's voice was coming from. Too funny. I'm riding or running most afternoons after work and am looking forward to starting to bring Egan along. Maybe that will be the big news of next month's post...<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 242px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379678117725803042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYO__KB49eISNdIXj7iqqkPpB_FrmK_UtAXWhlFJsYVnwyPbBV61SFCObP2hJU8m3AQdG8ytJxHTa3leKzk25EAiyuDjs_Y8m9l3GB2oCKm8c-JCEtz_2aph0AKK0IyRLNcizp/s320/IMG_0304.JPG" /><br /></div>Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-27678768567241088222009-08-06T19:43:00.000-07:002009-08-06T21:41:59.333-07:00Hump Day and Egan at 3 months!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgch5mcqmt-k-4hqsJQmmRdkEoUknZP1npr82wtGgOS7BhP1VWcgwGPChtk1sglDYvb_7Y_3CSf6xx8tt_9kxGkTEtw-myQZfBX_BGzRgkxTpf4Pf7MWzBriLBlJ-8oTQ9tGac_/s1600-h/IMG_0296.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367073015452253490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgch5mcqmt-k-4hqsJQmmRdkEoUknZP1npr82wtGgOS7BhP1VWcgwGPChtk1sglDYvb_7Y_3CSf6xx8tt_9kxGkTEtw-myQZfBX_BGzRgkxTpf4Pf7MWzBriLBlJ-8oTQ9tGac_/s320/IMG_0296.JPG" /></a> Hump day came on a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaK3LM274kt9hO-nTSr3RUNhjrHaYzNcZS_RKcOwgnJ5V5ZdqmrLhGa2CE4mt5-RWLYLA8YMWPnMymSgHd7JfBwFSGrDaZuMoCNR1_kQxnp0NvAaXGtmRURWHUDjRP-Zqb_0J3/s1600-h/20090714_0118.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367070531056249842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaK3LM274kt9hO-nTSr3RUNhjrHaYzNcZS_RKcOwgnJ5V5ZdqmrLhGa2CE4mt5-RWLYLA8YMWPnMymSgHd7JfBwFSGrDaZuMoCNR1_kQxnp0NvAaXGtmRURWHUDjRP-Zqb_0J3/s320/20090714_0118.JPG" /></a>Tuesday, just two weeks ago, when Mike came home from the hospital after his pituitary tumor was removed. We're officially over the hump and so thrilled to have the rest of the summer for time with our family.<br /><br /><div>Egan continues to be a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6nneUVTImxSJKHFU1thPU6d9IHuQNABoGe5BBtjtriULWg_JcfpGJlGdykYRCiOaNPD3Tc1PtsLJzvMbW97TYdKvFz2s2_vgks9c02p8ipwNP8mzQoolsnw0QXacw7Fk-4UJ/s1600-h/20090716_0126.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367070535776694530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA6nneUVTImxSJKHFU1thPU6d9IHuQNABoGe5BBtjtriULWg_JcfpGJlGdykYRCiOaNPD3Tc1PtsLJzvMbW97TYdKvFz2s2_vgks9c02p8ipwNP8mzQoolsnw0QXacw7Fk-4UJ/s320/20090716_0126.JPG" /></a>very mellow baby. We're pretty convinced that he knows that with all of Mike's health hurdles this year, we really needed to catch a break somewhere. In the last month he has come to life, smiling a ton (he loves to do it at 4am when he hears me come into his room to feed him which is both a blessing and curse as it's becoming harder to get him back to sleep at that hour), laughing, and babbling. Although he has found his voice, he forgets how to use it just as quickly and cracks us up as he has all the right facial expressions for a hysterical laugh, but nothing comes out. He is enraptured by having stories read to him, especially by Mike, and equally enraptured when Morgan sticks his feet in his mouth. He still has no idea how to get them there on his own, so he is always memorized when she does it for him and then bursts out laughing at her.</div><br /><div>Not surprisingly, Morgan is the most wonderful big sister to Egan. She is both incredibly nurturing and quite meticulous in her care of him. Egan lights up when he hears her voice as she comes into the room and she has ways of making him smile and laugh that only work for her. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367073008683336722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCoctMyE_FwUpZ_zYDCC2qkjAniulLcJtV5Pu3IX0cx5xtdbYNsCLCh8PTnP1XNgZY8-XQwcpXexikCto4IeF5WX3gDAD9EybeHlHJU8t_Lk86Dq_9lxtQApe3uf1GAiHSX09/s320/IMG_0294.JPG" /></div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmi98nf25dPs3M8RaHFyQ23pyeS79pNdQBffnLd8n-sidMx5oitdwu6Jrgu-7OjM1v9i0yXeLZfgxOg8XMuh7KjLmGBbnxBwae-zEqKZDn0tQLHdcYhoq4su-wmMUMRwzaGDN/s1600-h/Meeting+Family+in+Evanston+054.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367071623355395202" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgmi98nf25dPs3M8RaHFyQ23pyeS79pNdQBffnLd8n-sidMx5oitdwu6Jrgu-7OjM1v9i0yXeLZfgxOg8XMuh7KjLmGBbnxBwae-zEqKZDn0tQLHdcYhoq4su-wmMUMRwzaGDN/s320/Meeting+Family+in+Evanston+054.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In July, I went to Evanston so that Egan could meet his two great grandmothers. Here he's surrounded by 3 generations of family: his mama, his grandparents, Grandpa Ry and Granny Lu, and his great-grandmothers, Granny and Grandma Lil. One of the greatest joys of parenthood so far was watching each of them, both in their mid 90s, spring to life when he was around, enraptured by his smiles and his joyful utterances. Watching how Egan makes so many people around him so happy has been an unexpected surprise, but one which I cherish.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367071619693104274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlbE9HWzyOJCfZz1VICkn9zteU-5sffkbGgIJqD8mZAHy0cXtteXAEazVKrLdk8aD5tihXx73uTVnsDQD02KYcK5WfEwH_SHm24lvEv_UoGs_aZvapRGABsnntle8Nm7AJaVPM/s320/IMG_0281.JPG" />He and I continue to go to baby yoga and baby massage each week (which, as you can see, he adores so much that he'll do me the favor of sleeping during the second half of class when the mamas get to do yoga without their babes), while also spending time with my mom's groups. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU65KobHwJWzTO-zsB_j9srJ6JEa3IygVbV9Aa8MVMuxhDhP0bn2REaSVXH8CJolLWg3k-aZAsoKQza59wmgExskG8qnM0zxejWUJYgol0EnkysjJYghyphenhypheniSBJ9Yx6DmDuUXmKR/s1600-h/IMG_0270.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367071154877670034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU65KobHwJWzTO-zsB_j9srJ6JEa3IygVbV9Aa8MVMuxhDhP0bn2REaSVXH8CJolLWg3k-aZAsoKQza59wmgExskG8qnM0zxejWUJYgol0EnkysjJYghyphenhypheniSBJ9Yx6DmDuUXmKR/s320/IMG_0270.JPG" /></a>Egan already has many suitors to choose from which must be at least partially due to all the slick outfits he has been given by friends and family.<br /><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Only a few more months until our bobble-head son is ready to ride in the bike-trailer. And then, watch out Berkeley!</div>Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-82708464241060182632009-07-19T21:00:00.000-07:002009-07-19T21:10:13.971-07:00Silver Lining?<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefKOGLVOsbJc0L_6VA7KyX_tZamlPmPUPYQjRlF_HHBI_rBwZiG6t6bpYRNB_TdLT8JVJz4vjH2gjygY89wRFwibFdH-awS2VWQNE_0oKYLlL365EXBEKvMMci8e8c8zzzcDw/s1600-h/cloud.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 180px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 173px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360064745153975458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefKOGLVOsbJc0L_6VA7KyX_tZamlPmPUPYQjRlF_HHBI_rBwZiG6t6bpYRNB_TdLT8JVJz4vjH2gjygY89wRFwibFdH-awS2VWQNE_0oKYLlL365EXBEKvMMci8e8c8zzzcDw/s200/cloud.jpg" /></a>If you had told me back in that first week of March that my crash would have a silver lining I would have been highly skeptical. It was hard to imagine anything good coming from the broken bones, abrasions, aches and pains. Even now as I write this, knowing all I’m about to share, I’m not sure silver is the color I would choose to describe the ‘treasure’ that March 1st cloud concealed.<br /><br />The first hint that there would be more to this story came in the initial radiology report: patient appears to have an enlarged pituitary gland, follow up testing should be pursued to evaluate further (or something like that). I asked my doctor about it and he said it was a common condition which for most people didn’t cause problems and we should focus on the issues at hand. That same week a second CT scan confirmed the enlarged sella but again I was told it was probably nothing to worry about. While I didn’t worry too much I did enough research to be aware of the issues and it remained in the back of my mind.<br /><br />In May, after I was moderately healed and Egan had arrived, I pursued that ‘follow up testing’. I still wasn’t concerned. I wasn’t feeling any symptoms and expected the tests to show a condition that I might have to watch in the years to come. Unfortunately, my concern took a quantum step up midway through my MRI when the radiologist asked me 'Do you get a lot of headaches?'<br /><br />Tumor is not a word you ever really want to hear your doctor say. At least until they discover the ‘male sexual enhancement tumor’ or the ‘detachable fat burning tumor’. ‘Benign tumor’ is obviously a better combination of words than ‘malignant tumor or cancer’ but benign tumor inside your head is not a happy combination. So, needless to say, I was less than thrilled when I heard my doctor say I had a Macro Pituitary Adenoma (tumor).<br /><br /><a href="http://images.medicinenet.com/images/illustrations/pituitary_gland.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 195px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 239px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://images.medicinenet.com/images/illustrations/pituitary_gland.jpg" /></a><br />A quick geography/physiology lesson for those of you unfamiliar with the pituitary gland. It resides in your head, almost the geometric center of your head. While it isn’t technically part of your brain this may be one of those cases that can be added to ‘horse shoes’ and ‘hand grenades’ on the list of situations where close counts. Zooming in, the pituitary gland resides at the base of your brain as a protrusion off the hypothalamus. It sits on a small bone called the sella, just below the optic chiasm and between the left and right carotid arteries. At first glance, not the easiest place to swing a scalpel. The pituitary gland is the link between the nervous system and the endocrine system and is responsible for regulating hormone production, a relatively important task in the functioning of the human body.<br /><br />As it turns out, pituitary tumors are fairly common. Studies have found that as many as one in five adults have a pituitary tumor. Fortunately, most don’t cause any problems and go unnoticed. The tumors that do get noticed usually cause problems in several ways. They can interfere with hormone production which may or may not be severe enough to warrant treatment. They can put pressure on or displace the optic chiasm, causing vision loss. They can also put pressure on the carotid arteries and possibly cause a rupture and hemorrhaging in your skull (should be avoided if possible).<br /><br />So, getting back to my situation, my Macro Pituitary Adenoma is about the size of a large cherry tomato. The tumor has displaced my pituitary gland and probably inhibited some hormone production. Luckily, I have not noticed any symptoms. My vision has tested fine. My hormone levels are almost normal and my carotid arteries are still intact. But the tumor has already displaced my optic nerves and is very close to the carotid artery on the left. So, if it hadn’t been for my bike accident I may not have discovered this tumor until it was much more difficult to remove. This early discovery probably warrants the designation ‘silver lining’. However, they still need to go in and get this thing out so at the moment the silver looks a bit tarnished.<br /><br />Monday morning Dr. K is going to polish it up for me. Sometime around 7 I will undergo transsphenoidal surgery to resect my adenoma. Luckily for me Dr. K performs these surgeries 3 or 4 times a week with very few complications.<br /><br />Stay tuned, we’ll keep you posted. </div>Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-26787808220030030142009-07-03T21:07:00.000-07:002009-07-03T21:55:33.253-07:008 weeks of love<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gGmh_no2z5MlUpixyvpwpxhDJ9vLZGADlaVswwB-Z41M2MMsA2jLE8LKsAemw7u0lglVz627qUQ-4Mc3gRCTqHXPDNzZL5C0MOYSnD97n7hAUlRpmH6XjlgbOwhvj6IrLoYe/s1600-h/with+uncle+ray+7+weeks9.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354458581924219794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gGmh_no2z5MlUpixyvpwpxhDJ9vLZGADlaVswwB-Z41M2MMsA2jLE8LKsAemw7u0lglVz627qUQ-4Mc3gRCTqHXPDNzZL5C0MOYSnD97n7hAUlRpmH6XjlgbOwhvj6IrLoYe/s320/with+uncle+ray+7+weeks9.jpg" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354454964582965922" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihpoZBErA1y6efZRSeMilsKdco7bGQPhxEfyoacy-9aZ_VFkZOwhPLhZV8UFcVcKUM6yWZWTpdxcpV5J0fAmK6iDuq3zltT9wuOip1cMlo5uQ_t0sJ29cdmlLzGNkrw3MSf57U/s320/IMG_0171.JPG" border="0" />It's hard to believe that Egan turned 8 weeks old this week. He's no longer the floppy newborn which he was a few weeks ago. He almost holding his head up which is really fun to see. Many of his friends of the same age can already hold theirs up, but we figure that he will take a bit longer as he's just so much bigger than they are! He's in the 95th percentile in height and weight. At 6 weeks he weighed 12 pounds 15 ounces and was 23.5 inches long. We figure he now weighs about 14 pounds.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2HuA4GRrDrdLJDEPSokG8XeZq8lG50CvlpBYuPcVuUedCZbBf4c-sqaY1qr-QFkmtuLCS0alhHAjRm68dFf1ddfWNgAGuE-ON8EpxRnSjx4y-milfK0agq3KthgeM9u7HWI54/s1600-h/IMG_0160.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354454946917203218" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2HuA4GRrDrdLJDEPSokG8XeZq8lG50CvlpBYuPcVuUedCZbBf4c-sqaY1qr-QFkmtuLCS0alhHAjRm68dFf1ddfWNgAGuE-ON8EpxRnSjx4y-milfK0agq3KthgeM9u7HWI54/s320/IMG_0160.JPG" border="0" /></a>The great news about him being a big baby is that he's a great sleeper. We give him a bath each night before bed and he often conks out right there in the bathroom. For the past 2 weeks he has slept 6 or 7 hours straight. Just our luck, he'll start waking up more now that I wrote this, but as far as I can tell, he can't read yet, so I'm hoping he won't catch wind of this post. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU7_u41I-cIGD_wYejqBydGCegSlQGeK5eCjSNRFGhdHlD9dLAcmLf5zEqCHqLuQF7TeiQj0H6RhJwFQzVzWIKSsUDIKkoVTmwoiWEBuWnTC_GeOQRi0VmkWt67Vot1gA0zTG/s1600-h/IMG_0232.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354452330479320706" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRU7_u41I-cIGD_wYejqBydGCegSlQGeK5eCjSNRFGhdHlD9dLAcmLf5zEqCHqLuQF7TeiQj0H6RhJwFQzVzWIKSsUDIKkoVTmwoiWEBuWnTC_GeOQRi0VmkWt67Vot1gA0zTG/s320/IMG_0232.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Our favorite weekly activity is post-natal yoga. It's really a baby spa, disguised in a yoga studio. We do 'yoga' together for 30 minutes, followed by baby massage. Being in a room with 15 naked babies is really something else. It feels so Berkeley and I love it! For the last hour of class, there are baby holders who whisk your baby away and bounce him to sleep while you do yoga. The whole experience is pure heaven.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_B_KWj7N-yY1Kps2aFMiz5xXF9-wuJmXOulNYkOuI51P3QE8p0NDq3oWehyeRpfK1R5pv9nNxxoAdfouQzKJKbb5w_ueeCos8vF7LEhSRl630A2NXu5HKXqHonoZ0YKvyVCj/s1600-h/IMG_0243.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354459506035856498" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_B_KWj7N-yY1Kps2aFMiz5xXF9-wuJmXOulNYkOuI51P3QE8p0NDq3oWehyeRpfK1R5pv9nNxxoAdfouQzKJKbb5w_ueeCos8vF7LEhSRl630A2NXu5HKXqHonoZ0YKvyVCj/s320/IMG_0243.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Although neither Mike nor I are bike racing right now, we have gone to watch a few races. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPxElonZ1XchGDtYqBZc9wcmq5J7CnNfKIXiNtCokuqzvxXC1hV8MxVSVY-pf5Cw4-Fphs393_QnLu3vNHuX-MBQxhm6YaUbOvUssoSCjk8dDEVcbM3o2MDljHEuNdj7wwlHY/s1600-h/IMG_0153.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354452320516727218" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPxElonZ1XchGDtYqBZc9wcmq5J7CnNfKIXiNtCokuqzvxXC1hV8MxVSVY-pf5Cw4-Fphs393_QnLu3vNHuX-MBQxhm6YaUbOvUssoSCjk8dDEVcbM3o2MDljHEuNdj7wwlHY/s320/IMG_0153.JPG" border="0" /></a>One of our teammates gave Egan his own Metromint dots to wear and he wears them proudly at each race he attends. </div><br /><br /><br /><div>In other news, we have a bassinet which originally belonged to my grandmother (Eleanor, after whom Egan is named). She used it with her 3 children, including my mother, and it was later used for some of the grandchildren of my generation. We had hoped to use it for Egan, but learned that it was painted with lead paint. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsT9R_eR6ljwFw0akSZXXzhzixNwZyZRNA_IYXIhyphenhyphenN9vfgRvaU7gglRMRlinS7dtb4W4IjhJf3yc-tiZNJhvVSL-3bk5V8_Hgq_wt37V3z0fC2hHpRvF8OvOMdKBGA-AgvyWoO/s1600-h/IMG_0217.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354452324720643378" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsT9R_eR6ljwFw0akSZXXzhzixNwZyZRNA_IYXIhyphenhyphenN9vfgRvaU7gglRMRlinS7dtb4W4IjhJf3yc-tiZNJhvVSL-3bk5V8_Hgq_wt37V3z0fC2hHpRvF8OvOMdKBGA-AgvyWoO/s320/IMG_0217.JPG" border="0" /></a>So, Mike, Morgan and I are restoring it for this generation of great grandchildren. We repainted it and are now working on sewing a cover for it. Morgan plans to embroider the cover and we're making a photo album of the restoration to send keep with it for future generations. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKV_W-_NXlElGchY9XcjO85ee__uoczAjhvu5ydlxx5pSr69feteCC1UCJ8kr2Dz6HJ0s7FxwgmnDSwstFiQZJD-S8s-DzH7cEaISviFvSWEjnCudlfoqKb6il9qs3lpNnoYW/s1600-h/IMG_0218.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354457122683356946" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTKV_W-_NXlElGchY9XcjO85ee__uoczAjhvu5ydlxx5pSr69feteCC1UCJ8kr2Dz6HJ0s7FxwgmnDSwstFiQZJD-S8s-DzH7cEaISviFvSWEjnCudlfoqKb6il9qs3lpNnoYW/s320/IMG_0218.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3po171zf-H8sgBoIe1CwUKaNDWdjP_ubtbKSt8FcsGS0DcXj9KWAD6CgDqquF_D74mK5Wz2pNNDtKqM8cqSirJp3Xov0Wox0B_O1I3IGeqlHlosz2djoFbWzjBD30OqSySAr/s1600-h/IMG_0236.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354457127255896722" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit3po171zf-H8sgBoIe1CwUKaNDWdjP_ubtbKSt8FcsGS0DcXj9KWAD6CgDqquF_D74mK5Wz2pNNDtKqM8cqSirJp3Xov0Wox0B_O1I3IGeqlHlosz2djoFbWzjBD30OqSySAr/s320/IMG_0236.JPG" border="0" /></a>Unfortunately, Egan is already too long to sleep in it, but we plan to have him play in it before we pass it onto whomever is the next family member to have a baby. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJ3VPJ1_wPpLR6kNpMlqqlw_8YliyLTpjcElGVfAzvDN_cnNcmhe7G9-xsYqbSqMJJ8AitYH0kfDaINHVwznMl2i7L9oftIBuPPonaBybPCpzX61ccm0P9mrwm12Iyu3_JmQw/s1600-h/with+uncle+ray+7+weks+3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354454959683410962" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 241px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTJ3VPJ1_wPpLR6kNpMlqqlw_8YliyLTpjcElGVfAzvDN_cnNcmhe7G9-xsYqbSqMJJ8AitYH0kfDaINHVwznMl2i7L9oftIBuPPonaBybPCpzX61ccm0P9mrwm12Iyu3_JmQw/s320/with+uncle+ray+7+weks+3.jpg" border="0" /></a>Morgan is an amazing big sister. She absolutely adores Egan and has become quite confident with him. Watching he fall in love with him has been such a joy for Mike and me. If you need an amazing babysitter for your infant, she's ready!<br /><br />We'll try to post photos and updates on Egan more frequently throughout the summer. Until then, Egan says, "Rock On!" <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354459233755080626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOSS2vv8rTfdX38sCi2pgUkXtlQc48WOerrDrzMHAjSvo-iCgrd7n-RMQsEul5MPZ9bwze3QDfmlmftS4Rdr1p4iZmFHLiYz0B2Ys9_ovhDxHBdDmlzO8WjDoaO08qXpZ5mTsE/s320/photo.jpg" border="0" /> </div>Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-30560528972491586132009-04-01T15:06:00.000-07:002009-06-13T22:55:50.635-07:00A Quick Peek BackNow that a few months have passed and I can turn my head without pain I thought I would take a quick look back at my crash. I’ve been meaning to sit down and write this for a while and thought I should record my thoughts before life moves too far down the road.<br /><br />Here is what I know about what happened. On March 1 I was involved in an accident during a bike race in the Central Valley. Two of my competitors became entangled and caused a chain reaction crash that, from what I hear, took down half the group. I don’t remember any of the crash itself. I’ve learned since that I went over the handle bars at 30 mph and landed on the left side of my face. I’m told I was unconscious for 30-45 seconds. My first memory after the crash is of another competitor leaning over me asking me “Who is the president?” I couldn’t answer. I remember thinking “I know we just changed but I can’t remember who won”. I knew where I was, the name of the race and maybe even the date. I also knew I had been in a crash. At the time I knew I had gone down hard but didn’t think I was too badly injured.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-XkcT_2pBS8ibi4MxneUktGmJtBEAUK-dWzu9XY7slP1fsNRFVo3y9ITmzoqFoFFodpQIRQI0PY1vkadAvWv9IyLnfdBCy6-FyUaLbzXN80hSwA9oI-roRfoJqEvmNjo36y1/s1600-h/IMG_0060.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-XkcT_2pBS8ibi4MxneUktGmJtBEAUK-dWzu9XY7slP1fsNRFVo3y9ITmzoqFoFFodpQIRQI0PY1vkadAvWv9IyLnfdBCy6-FyUaLbzXN80hSwA9oI-roRfoJqEvmNjo36y1/s320/IMG_0060.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347055948080150210" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZbGNG_GKojJUqC8FkWh_ZVIROnQ2cybnXeFfCgQMvBChl3E7RghP1N-dVhREcIcged7RNYKsX53aFK6Wx0hNhR20pBijCXfn855JBgqWufP7Oh0LTXL4NB51s0U9VvwZBBC-/s1600-h/IMG_0016.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZbGNG_GKojJUqC8FkWh_ZVIROnQ2cybnXeFfCgQMvBChl3E7RghP1N-dVhREcIcged7RNYKsX53aFK6Wx0hNhR20pBijCXfn855JBgqWufP7Oh0LTXL4NB51s0U9VvwZBBC-/s320/IMG_0016.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347055953576885634" /></a><br />If you’ve never crashed your bike while riding fast you’re lucky. My favorite description comes from local cycling guru Michael Hernandez in <br /><a href="http://vanderhoot.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html">this post</a><br /><blockquote> <br /><em>"well, it's like this ~ get in your car and find yourself a nice quite country road. Bring the speed up to around 30mph. Keep it steady at 30, maybe click on the 'cruise control' if you've got it, ok?<br /><br />now, roll down your window, peep your head out the car and look down at the passing pavement. Look at all those jagged little crushed rocks and sand-papery surfaces. Ok, got used to the speed? Then open up your door ... don't be afraid. Open up your door and lean out a bit (keep that speed up!). Now slowly reach a hand down toward the road zipping by underneath. Think about it, just for an instant ... reach out and touch that road. Go ahead, try it. Reach out and touch it.<br /><br />and just when you're about to touch the road? in that moment of concentration where your fingers are dangling between the edge of safety and dangerous contact ...<br /><br />have somebody push your ass out of the car."</em><br /></blockquote><br /><br />So there I was, lying on the pavement after ‘having my ass pushed out of the car’. While I wasn’t too concerned about my injuries, those who were treating me were. I was strapped to a back board, shuttled by ambulance to an open space, loaded into a helicopter and flown to the trauma center at Mercy Medical Center in Merced. There I was scanned, stitched, braced and sent home with my slightly traumatized but heroic pregnant wife.<br /><br />At the hospital they told me I had broken a bone at the base of my skull called the occipital condyle. Over the next three days I would learn that I also broke my cheek bone (zygomatic arch) and had compressed my T8 vertebra. The following few months were an exercise in pain management.<br /><br />I happy to say now that I’m mostly recovered. My back still gets tired but it’s getting stronger every day. I’m able to ride my bike again and enjoy getting out on the road.<br /><br />After the pain meds wore off and I had time to reflect, I was initially curious about the crash itself. I wondered what I could have done to avoid it. I wondered why this time I hadn’t been able to ‘roll with the punches’ when I had avoided serious injury in the past.<br /><br />After my curiosity about the actual event was satisfied I began to think about what might have been. I thought about other riders who hadn’t been so lucky. I thought about track fixture Joe Fineman who is still in the hospital after crashing only a week or two after my accident. I thought about our friend Pat Currant who was killed by a car one summer day after a series of crashes during spring races. While my neck and back were painful I consider myself lucky to be walking and breathing.<br /><br />Ultimately I had to consider why I was willing to take such risks as part of my hobby. I ride and race my bike to stay physically fit. It seems counter productive to participate in a hobby that could easily result in critical injury. Since my crash I’ve found myself paying more attention to local race accidents. It seems almost weekly I hear a story of serious injury. It has definitely made me pause. Bike racing is fun but it isn’t worth missing a single day with a daughter or son. Cycling brought my wife and I together but racing isn’t worth missing a future with her. So my crash has lead to a great deal of soul searching about the future of bike racing in this family. I will race again. I have already raced two time trials since my crash. I love bike racing and I would hate for my last race to be the one which I can’t remember ending. But rest assured that my future in bike racing will have a different look than it has in the past.<br /><br />Be safe out there.Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-44205377163948216712009-02-09T09:35:00.001-08:002009-02-09T09:43:22.921-08:00Cherry Pie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0DQwy49dbsIqJ8v8O5vi2ZQPfVxhVpGWc64jHCn2f8j_0LYyb9mw43vShxJJfYjCT5-07lVv51EgE6i2P3e25bKc8aVsnYqQaHuSx9lEwSf4fQM4qizRdbBMlFL9-aUh3nFh/s1600-h/DSC_0065.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 207px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0DQwy49dbsIqJ8v8O5vi2ZQPfVxhVpGWc64jHCn2f8j_0LYyb9mw43vShxJJfYjCT5-07lVv51EgE6i2P3e25bKc8aVsnYqQaHuSx9lEwSf4fQM4qizRdbBMlFL9-aUh3nFh/s320/DSC_0065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300853698986125938" border="0" /></a> I headed up to Napa yesterday morning to watch a few of the early races. I was planning to come back for the afternoon's Star Studded Extravaganza but homework help got in the way. Turns out all the EuroStars stayed home leaving our local heroes to slug it out.<br /><br />There are a few pics from the day <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85807980@N00/">here</a>.Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-47962735753982286482009-02-01T19:11:00.000-08:002009-02-01T19:31:48.659-08:00Sleeping through the nightI am at week 28 of my pregnancy.<br /><div></div><br /><div>For several weeks, I had horrible calf, shin and foot cramps which woke me up throughout the night, in addition to nerve pain in my heel. All of this seemed due to circulation issues related to the dramatic increase in blood volume one has at this stage of pregnancy.</div><br /><div></div><div>I experimented with all sorts of things, from regular midnight trips to the foam roller, to compression socks, to calcium/magnesium pills, to Mike's fabulous foot and calve massages, to sleeping with my feel elevated. Each helped in its own unique way, but no combination of these treatments seemed to completely alleviate the problem.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1JhOAmdpsGl88G_Y3NB_lEQ0cKUD-SoIrSoFwEkQGRpCnChvbIS8gjaCdE1phqh5dgnY_pTyiDREDbThjyEQpsgWx44h2oD9MgQ8xRC-GFdb0glBRynU1nj9pYJwcG3Y7cTq/s1600-h/healdsberg+27+weeks.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298035856811224786" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 180px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1JhOAmdpsGl88G_Y3NB_lEQ0cKUD-SoIrSoFwEkQGRpCnChvbIS8gjaCdE1phqh5dgnY_pTyiDREDbThjyEQpsgWx44h2oD9MgQ8xRC-GFdb0glBRynU1nj9pYJwcG3Y7cTq/s400/healdsberg+27+weeks.jpg" border="0" /></a>Having biked all 7 days of the past week (130 miles this week!) and not once waking up in the middle of the night, I am now convinced that biking is the miracle cure.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Ok, you doubt me. You're thinking placebo effect. But I swear, it's the cure. This weekend was the minty team camp at the Kloverdale KOA. In addition to karaoke, <a href="http://www.jaystudios.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;">Jay's super-pro photo shoot</span></a>, and lots of laughs, I hung in on a 50 mile ride today, which included a whole lot more time in zones 3-4 than I had done in many moons. By "a whole lot more" I mean only that my 10min. max power was in zone 3/4, not that any significant among of time was there. But the little guy and I did hit 670 watts at some point hanging on to a city-line sprint which, at +30pounds and +6.5 months if of pregnancy felt pretty damn good.</div><br /><div></div><div>Once constant question which comes up again and again is whether it's safe to have my HR rise above 140 beats per minute which seems to be the internet's conventional wisdom. <a href="http://www.acbsp.com/Position%20Paper%20-%20Pregnancy.htm"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff0000;">This article</span> </a>is the most comprehensive one I've found yet which responds to this issue and encourages women to use the Borg rating for perceived exertion over a flat HR number. </div><br /><div></div><div>My HR did hit 189 for a brief moment today (I swear I sat up after that!), and the little guy is kicking like crazy at the moment, so I'm assuming that all is well and both he and mom just need a good night's sleep! Luckily, the sleeping seems to be going well this week.</div>Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-55770093427972715832009-01-22T18:57:00.000-08:002009-01-22T19:07:38.310-08:00Not in my backyard...From Monday's SF Chronicle:<br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">" Emotions are running high in usually placid Piedmont over where hundreds of children should attend classes while an elementary school undergoes seismic reconstruction.</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"> When school administrators proposed busing kids a few miles down the hill, out of the tony enclave and into Emeryville, you'd have thought they had committed treason.</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"> A group of "concerned Piedmont parents" took out a half-page ad in the town paper railing against the move and noting that 24 registered sex offenders live within a mile of the Emeryville school.</span><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"> "If a Piedmont student or teacher is assaulted (or worse) at the Emeryville campus and the Piedmont School District is sued...what additional liability does the school's legal counsel thing that Piedmont's taxpayers would bear?" the ad in the Piedmont Post asked."</span><br /><br />As a public school teacher myself, nothing gets my blood boiling more than the assumption that safety issues are more important for your own kids, than other families children. If the Emeryville schools aren't safe enough for Piedmont kids, then why aren't Piedmont parents up in arms about the Emeryville kids who have no choice but to attend these schools? <br /><br />Chew on that one.Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-87857783309037436852009-01-17T19:01:00.000-08:002009-01-17T19:19:18.466-08:00near the close of my 2nd trimester<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tDublK6Q8qhyphenhyphen1FHEYA6xN9SK6qehmlwXLfX7TAgbFUcWNblSve6BsKIUEXVIVv9Mt65zKNtpPM88mOkn59KKl5s7h6MJfN1cWsiDc2zCWIMe1iY0VKg0QcZwk6UIp1wfhyv1/s1600-h/xcountry+ski.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292467441348763906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0tDublK6Q8qhyphenhyphen1FHEYA6xN9SK6qehmlwXLfX7TAgbFUcWNblSve6BsKIUEXVIVv9Mt65zKNtpPM88mOkn59KKl5s7h6MJfN1cWsiDc2zCWIMe1iY0VKg0QcZwk6UIp1wfhyv1/s320/xcountry+ski.jpg" border="0" /></a> 25 = number of weeks pregnant<br /><br /><br />30 = number of pounds gained<br /><br /><br />1= number of times I fell while cross country skiing last weekend and wondered if a fall on icy snow was a very good idea<br /><br /><br />1= number of times I've woken up in the morning with a pulled muscle as the result of a midnight charlie-horses<br /><br /><br />4=number of east bay pregnant bike racers i currently have to bike with<br /><br /><div align="center">1,713= number of miles i've biked with our little Buddah</div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292466265466156850" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0pYH0Nkgf8-ShHwiofTssxiAC91peYG0mQSjavjhngkNcQHZfNKFMVXwH07yfKZo-DvGueJb3IZQslnZua_gzqXx1mw-VyW2EBbA6nmrzMhPy7mS7RAyqyuCniAUIpHd7FWu/s320/ali+24+weeks.jpg" border="0" />Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-44635345363960417502009-01-08T17:23:00.000-08:002009-01-08T18:00:06.879-08:00There's A Buzz In The Air...A couple of us here are getting pretty excited about the upcoming weekend. We're headed up the hill to celebrate a friends 40th and get in a little snow time. We're happy for the old man but the birthday's not what's causing the buzz (sorry C). Little M is excited because we're bringing her best friend and she can't believe she gets to spend the whole weekend with her. "It's like a three day sleepover" she exclaimed on the way home from school today.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVYwl26zvrjJ34UbHxkmOP3_aai1vko4Kl9kx6uE8WO1XcqMkyUlGya8yyMkTh5HgE3bPJo3mXy2oyyjs0Eko3qoxvJRuraumLSXa9JyC9gcwUDNpl9yGnwufTQy4kkYJHVsv/s1600-h/IMG_0033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTVYwl26zvrjJ34UbHxkmOP3_aai1vko4Kl9kx6uE8WO1XcqMkyUlGya8yyMkTh5HgE3bPJo3mXy2oyyjs0Eko3qoxvJRuraumLSXa9JyC9gcwUDNpl9yGnwufTQy4kkYJHVsv/s320/IMG_0033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289103391170345026" border="0" /></a><br />I'm jazzed because I get to strap on the boards for the first time in over two years. Long time readers know I like to skate. Before winter training for cycling it's what I did most weekends in the season of short days (in fact I have as many pairs of XC skis as I do bikes). I learned to ski late in life and enjoy coasting down hill now and then but I didn't really get the ski bug until I started skating. In my mind it's the perfect combination of quiet snowy solitude and exercise. You can noodle along and enjoy the evergreens if you're feeling pensive. On the other hand, you can shift it in gear sending your heart rate through the top of your head and searing your legs and lungs while you grind up a hill. Stepping over the top you tuck and run, blasting down the hill and swooping around corners at speeds you're pretty sure aren't safe (kinda like cycling now that you mention it). Over the years the trudge up the hill starts to wear on you and when Little M started school we were stuck in traffic with all the other snow nuts. So I opted for the convenience of triathlon and cycling but I still love to skate and now I can hardly wait.Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-80683424552779524572009-01-07T20:12:00.001-08:002009-01-07T20:26:21.978-08:00I Likes me Some Family Dinner TimeIs it just me, or did 2009 welcome in the year of the door-to-door solicitor?<br /><br /><br />We have LITERALLY had someone ring our doorbell every night this week between the hours of 6:00-7:00, asking for a donation to their cause: Peace Action Group; Young Democrats; students trying to raise money for college by selling magazines. It's all for a good cause, but after giving 8+ hours a day to molding 13-year-old mathematical minds of our angelic Berkeley youth, I just don't feel like I need to give after-hours as well. I give in a lot of ways, both financially and of my time. But damned if I'll give my time or money at 6:30pm in the middle of dinner. <br /><br /><br />EVERY NIGHT? I'm not sure how much longer I can take this. So, if you'd like to ask for my time or money, I'm all ears, but don't mess with my dinner, please.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288773925784758418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 277px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6b7hn6My0UkJ6qYLrLQmfOLiAUSYPzOJR3609JzPUAzEgXMvWntUV7hYRFCJBap8PTa6OE9oVnPXxhyphenhyphenWbWcQwKLSwVa-d6g4TVV4w6Yj6bzr3w4liUOSYVqtomSTF3ckvihIJ/s320/solicitors.jpg" border="0" />Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-5146974609985849782009-01-05T10:46:00.000-08:002009-01-05T11:04:00.682-08:00Boys on Bikes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1zkGYbJc4n-1VzGn6Yhh9uJkydDNn28oSQMZ_dVImMfW2w39hgW_i7yyHiVza8LyBdZaxVy5et3aHcL1U3RjnaD5tW3M7y13yQ3RvyqeviAGMDbE90Vef2oWzMbeuJmOI8kP/s1600-h/IMG_0031.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1zkGYbJc4n-1VzGn6Yhh9uJkydDNn28oSQMZ_dVImMfW2w39hgW_i7yyHiVza8LyBdZaxVy5et3aHcL1U3RjnaD5tW3M7y13yQ3RvyqeviAGMDbE90Vef2oWzMbeuJmOI8kP/s320/IMG_0031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287886112813894210" border="0" /></a><br />The Metromint Men's team held their annual camp this weekend. Eighteen of us made the trek down to a quiet little region of the state near the tiny town (intersection really) of Lockwood. The roads were great; quiet, smooth and beautiful.<span style=""> </span>On Day 1 we put in some big miles with lots of climbing during a trek through Fort Hunter Liggett out to the coast and back.<span style=""> </span>Day 2 was a flatter tour southeast of Paso Robles with the normal boy shenanigans.<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>The weather was cool but clear (yes that's frost on my saddle).<br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">This was my first Men’s Camp and it was a blast!<span style=""> </span>I’m looking forward to All Team Camp in a few weeks.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVc64Wcgky6_dJghlBi5I-mWoGkjrsMruqx81bZ8449guSqQqSiJRjoHjxiBkbFxXB_rfgldcF71KN3zUCyYfRcowavCXG-CP-sfW0r2v2hsf9mD2ZvFsBLVZyNgQXsoiELKjS/s1600-h/IMG_0026.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVc64Wcgky6_dJghlBi5I-mWoGkjrsMruqx81bZ8449guSqQqSiJRjoHjxiBkbFxXB_rfgldcF71KN3zUCyYfRcowavCXG-CP-sfW0r2v2hsf9mD2ZvFsBLVZyNgQXsoiELKjS/s320/IMG_0026.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287886120343564434" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I still have some work to do before I’m on form but the boys in dots are going to have some weapons this year…brace yourselves ;).</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OK0cMdbH7fg9OYLA3biNawB1Niahugs9WH2FZOdwpYTM_yfROEVRH53w6Yu_fYXnQKk5apsbC8G5-eXg1UE_UJt8bLgcP0uCNtdY_Fjm97zLCl69DBiXz9OapY-zimhQpb6P/s1600-h/IMG_0023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8OK0cMdbH7fg9OYLA3biNawB1Niahugs9WH2FZOdwpYTM_yfROEVRH53w6Yu_fYXnQKk5apsbC8G5-eXg1UE_UJt8bLgcP0uCNtdY_Fjm97zLCl69DBiXz9OapY-zimhQpb6P/s320/IMG_0023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287886158553638722" border="0" /></a><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-48434788801999710622008-12-28T19:50:00.000-08:002008-12-28T20:52:17.729-08:00Bellas and BelliesI owe a huge thanks to Erika and Linda for inviting me out to the Bella ride today. I learned a great lesson in the power of the group ride. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285069984340425682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1PWUKtwLo_BWSEYV6E00_LTF-BXn4HoxPfkxC9L-g0Dt0L9YJc4jNn-TpQNPnmsMu0rd-kkrTwJWUWluK6qnmx6-Xx1R9dBmH9b5wtrsP0RdUbjj89GAKtO6OMSJT8qK-Yf6M/s320/bella+group+ride.bmp" border="0" />Flashback to yesterday: Mike and I head out for a ride. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5RyYEWbnwg92VN1LyEpt_LI6klAUhYeYgDt8qfG2w8y-r8JhreOpOuvHk1wmAmHXmzK1gKpbLjhbeX1HncpzVpDnzfRDnH_v7puF90P0-N0y8eNaNXG1LRJ8nDoJJQ-n0uuF/s1600-h/CapAmericaCycling.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285055615728002610" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 187px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 162px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix5RyYEWbnwg92VN1LyEpt_LI6klAUhYeYgDt8qfG2w8y-r8JhreOpOuvHk1wmAmHXmzK1gKpbLjhbeX1HncpzVpDnzfRDnH_v7puF90P0-N0y8eNaNXG1LRJ8nDoJJQ-n0uuF/s320/CapAmericaCycling.gif" border="0" /></a>I turn around at the top of Tunnel Road (5 miles from home) feeling fat and depressed that my belly has gotten so big that riding the road bike cuts off circulation in my legs. I ride home alone, lamenting the fact that this might be the last ride on my beloved Moots for the remaining 4 months of pregnancy.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><div><div><div></div><br /><br /><div>A few hours later , in swoops Mike (from aformentioned ride), decla<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHuC069NgEPfAzte-S909i3O1bQgJuyUCKITr11ZmAhXdhZ5ulq23c1VpICsLYrnLMIqUH-iR815obUUttCUIgyxTFDEB427vuOkP2DWOmIMxE-3yo7kmekAhaThme97Hjm8fL/s1600-h/P6R-X_handlebars_1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285057853119516226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 134px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHuC069NgEPfAzte-S909i3O1bQgJuyUCKITr11ZmAhXdhZ5ulq23c1VpICsLYrnLMIqUH-iR815obUUttCUIgyxTFDEB427vuOkP2DWOmIMxE-3yo7kmekAhaThme97Hjm8fL/s200/P6R-X_handlebars_1.jpg" border="0" /></a>ring that the Moots is ready to rumble on tomorrow's Velo Bella group ride. Mike has added spacers, flipped the stem, and tilted the handlebars up towards the heavens, allowing me to sit upright while I ride. Although it didn't look like this handlebar attachment, it felt about the same.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>So, today, I was a new woman and clicked away 55 miles with a crew of fabulous Bellas and Left Coast women. I think I have about 3 weeks left with this current upright setup, and then I might have to hang her up and become friends with my new mountain bike.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div>Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-60024788506890982012008-12-14T11:25:00.001-08:002008-12-14T17:18:41.699-08:00Coffee TalkI'm midway through my pregnancy. Our little Buddah is kicking regularly, even as I type this post. These daily reminders that he's healthy and growing are a thrill and Mike and I have already started 'watching' baby TV, meaning that we sit in silence with our hands on my belly, entertained by our little guy's actions.<br /><div></div><br /><div>The second trimester has been a breeze so far. My only complaint is that I sure could use a few more gears on the bike to get my extra 24 pounds up the steeper climbs. I did my first mama group ride yesterday with Taitt and Emily, both of whom are due within a few weeks of me. It was a blast.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>One additional perk of the second trimester, is that coffee is starting to sound appealing again. Although I have been pregnant for 21 weeks, today was only my 3rd cup of coffee. It's freezing cold and raining and a good cup-o-Joe at Cole, along with some real cream, sounded like a great way to start this lazy Sunday. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>You cannot imagine my surprise, when I discovered <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/14/BA8A14K4NI.DTL&hw=sonya+parker&sn=001&sc=1000">this article </a>on the cover of today's SF <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi4awEhnoOT4qyBuX0UgH2ZJsv5HPiwFZFSs1KOweXLz-1C9hZsoLar9DQ7vvdzBP3EKJDMlSq4tSVKZE6VYoAqtiUCe1XHAPFY0985Pbymy4uPi_S8yHNvGUzUXJr7bBIXjr/s1600-h/simon+new+home.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279734795635769410" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 253px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGi4awEhnoOT4qyBuX0UgH2ZJsv5HPiwFZFSs1KOweXLz-1C9hZsoLar9DQ7vvdzBP3EKJDMlSq4tSVKZE6VYoAqtiUCe1XHAPFY0985Pbymy4uPi_S8yHNvGUzUXJr7bBIXjr/s320/simon+new+home.jpg" border="0" /></a>Chronicle. Simeon, the boy pictured with his mother, enrolled in my pre-algebra class last May. He was living in a shelter and had missed the entire year of school up until that point. His mother was eager to get materials for him to study at home. Simeon shined, not just in math class, but in English where he was students' favorite choice to read Shakespeare aloud because of his gift for intonation and making the books come alive. He was my student again this year in algebra until his sudden departure at the end of October. His mother stopped by the office to return his textbooks, but we never knew why she had moved him to another school. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Coffee mug in hand, rain crackling on the Cole Coffee awning, it was a great morning to read the SF Chronicle and discover that there's a happy ending to his departure from my school.</div>Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-48319814919056603322008-12-01T09:04:00.000-08:002008-12-01T09:22:32.982-08:00Kickin' on the CoastWe spent the weekend up on the Sonoma Coast. We found a little house overlooking the water and surrounded by good rides. We took along enough of the kitchen and 'wine cellar' to assure we could fully participate in the season of gluttony. Then for four days we<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-BuZZUxTAp6_6nU5tDZ511q0wf_JddMmnmGJSfbNHtjgQTbJDLzOTtfVfzqNKxTyFScZpgE0US3qGL1Xy05KbR4EX1LtMp0yUO3kU1J3yAcaJASjThiFzB9RDpHcxxq5WwtJ/s1600-h/IMG_0013.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 172px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha-BuZZUxTAp6_6nU5tDZ511q0wf_JddMmnmGJSfbNHtjgQTbJDLzOTtfVfzqNKxTyFScZpgE0US3qGL1Xy05KbR4EX1LtMp0yUO3kU1J3yAcaJASjThiFzB9RDpHcxxq5WwtJ/s320/IMG_0013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274872212326878370" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">rode<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNWigjQFT9_IpgnxFq3pEcyZA_BWMT0I_7xbx3oicFF-FB4JRjOYnsfnivdQusQU60G8maHagFK867Et7h8ifvrQB8ol8_-JKJkehrChdhCc4tPZUYU3jZeiYVqSgXKmayiOk/s1600-h/DSC_0048.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNWigjQFT9_IpgnxFq3pEcyZA_BWMT0I_7xbx3oicFF-FB4JRjOYnsfnivdQusQU60G8maHagFK867Et7h8ifvrQB8ol8_-JKJkehrChdhCc4tPZUYU3jZeiYVqSgXKmayiOk/s320/DSC_0048.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274872203805281234" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">and ate<br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaVRW9CyB2h84Vtnz7VPGsaXV77G8_SgFtwk_Fe3HyJa-om7TguBh5YLThFeZ-neJWXD2QDZnBhRIIgRAQMC0zqq3oG2SF-7i7gMPzhvibyFhs1MMSE-JThi3jjGCmJz2BrmF/s1600-h/IMG_0015.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 141px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaVRW9CyB2h84Vtnz7VPGsaXV77G8_SgFtwk_Fe3HyJa-om7TguBh5YLThFeZ-neJWXD2QDZnBhRIIgRAQMC0zqq3oG2SF-7i7gMPzhvibyFhs1MMSE-JThi3jjGCmJz2BrmF/s320/IMG_0015.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274872197645663954" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">and rode<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXlpZfbIxcaYESup3F4aFKaoiHcM6-M_3Pp0CQDzcUahnVyj4fmnitZ_4cYvev1ca3sbejgoC2NETDAxX0vPLp7A7rI6akLmTnw1LB86fvicfEY2NKWPiWdmKcesW9o8ExJmm/s1600-h/DSC_0061.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXlpZfbIxcaYESup3F4aFKaoiHcM6-M_3Pp0CQDzcUahnVyj4fmnitZ_4cYvev1ca3sbejgoC2NETDAxX0vPLp7A7rI6akLmTnw1LB86fvicfEY2NKWPiWdmKcesW9o8ExJmm/s320/DSC_0061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274872195933404466" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">and ate<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUqShB5SGPY4NGvsaXpu51Mhyphenhyphenccfg-PWnxQSTW59cQInGss6_aHq9pZFEl2EtJ6VF4VNMzwtA43rcYZxy4mQ1ze5aWgDkHSnYcL9C59BVX7toyuB78hMwH9p9upLfeYwPG21y/s1600-h/DSC_0058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 164px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAUqShB5SGPY4NGvsaXpu51Mhyphenhyphenccfg-PWnxQSTW59cQInGss6_aHq9pZFEl2EtJ6VF4VNMzwtA43rcYZxy4mQ1ze5aWgDkHSnYcL9C59BVX7toyuB78hMwH9p9upLfeYwPG21y/s320/DSC_0058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274872188505536658" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">and recovered.<br /></div>Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-15040266505488334752008-11-24T15:14:00.000-08:002008-11-24T15:27:34.936-08:00Big Weekend Spills Over...a little.Wow, that was some crazy fun. First it was the Big Game. My grad school buddy scored me a ticket. My first big game in many years and while the atmosphere at Memorial Stadium has changed a bit (fodder for another post) it was great fun. Neither team executed particularly well but The Bears had enough tricks up their sleeves to bring home the 'W'. Nothing like a sea of blue and gold on the field at the end of the Big Game.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WpMP7Uq9HYjMmZ93e9kr5p6w8ak-AVOeMIxdCq82LRMhx_UM7xtTTuReuA4gSjydxb-dVYNJkRnOc-S4swjyzL4wAAlj8nUx6eqw8ELVS0EmgnlqAMrcWJ1Z9Nm50qJSGSgs/s1600-h/IMG_0006.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2WpMP7Uq9HYjMmZ93e9kr5p6w8ak-AVOeMIxdCq82LRMhx_UM7xtTTuReuA4gSjydxb-dVYNJkRnOc-S4swjyzL4wAAlj8nUx6eqw8ELVS0EmgnlqAMrcWJ1Z9Nm50qJSGSgs/s320/IMG_0006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272369288745462978" /></a><br /><br />Then, Sunday was the Big Ride. I'm sad to admit this was my first. About 100 Cal, Stanford and random cyclists gathered in Sproul Plaza early Sunday morning. After ascending Tunnel Road in one big mass groups split off in about 5 different directions for rides of varying intensity and length. I chose to stick with these cross dressing collegiate guys on the long-medium paced ride. We probably averaged a medium pace but most of the time it was either Hammer or wait.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0r8aaEyW6JEehhN1Qmdr-zhNmjLF2PxI6bN_xGdDJ5zyVef1s3bkXU_e3j8eyB6ntqyGj9CrjgVR0vTzt4iQH5K0UzQNkSWvdlWoEl1eFa4d-VmEQthrqYUTlC6Q3EU9Y26M/s1600-h/IMG_0010.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig0r8aaEyW6JEehhN1Qmdr-zhNmjLF2PxI6bN_xGdDJ5zyVef1s3bkXU_e3j8eyB6ntqyGj9CrjgVR0vTzt4iQH5K0UzQNkSWvdlWoEl1eFa4d-VmEQthrqYUTlC6Q3EU9Y26M/s320/IMG_0010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272369297580752162" /></a><br /><br />Finally, today I extended the fun a little and journeyed out to the Tri-Valley area for a flat land spin with the 'G' man. I also brought him his new duds. Damn sexy if you ask me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJiNm1A55SRwfJqnA03TpQAYXOpeDNdcqyGr_SRFqWly40cS-lOrMJgkTapNTD5Nc6rPQGMJT1MpxA6lY7oEo4gUpLTm39g2Etu3dc79eV6sTJUl6yA0WvdCtbIbSZjuzLpYe/s1600-h/IMG_0012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJiNm1A55SRwfJqnA03TpQAYXOpeDNdcqyGr_SRFqWly40cS-lOrMJgkTapNTD5Nc6rPQGMJT1MpxA6lY7oEo4gUpLTm39g2Etu3dc79eV6sTJUl6yA0WvdCtbIbSZjuzLpYe/s320/IMG_0012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272369302574973842" /></a>Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-51958406060100450402008-11-13T21:18:00.000-08:002008-11-13T21:31:27.895-08:00Ultrasound is Megacool<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmgB-9UjjpISnxRWdw7kPvaMyBWiHxU_-ohIn4juLruvAXDAOb_EL797UK62uWA58_wQI4f8dWQl2T1M7x6iSEC-ykTQgDmoa2ejf8VKZOdgjjIGsOCfBDyv5AVXjGUTYQmtH/s1600-h/16+week+ultrasound.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 279px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfmgB-9UjjpISnxRWdw7kPvaMyBWiHxU_-ohIn4juLruvAXDAOb_EL797UK62uWA58_wQI4f8dWQl2T1M7x6iSEC-ykTQgDmoa2ejf8VKZOdgjjIGsOCfBDyv5AVXjGUTYQmtH/s320/16+week+ultrasound.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268380883754346338" border="0" /></a>Yesterday was our first ultrasound appointment. I remember being impressed when Little M was in the oven but I had forgotten how cool it really is. Seeing tiny fingers, toes, heads and hearts on the monitor makes it all very real.<br /><br />It would have been more fun if we were just there for the pictures but Ali had amnio as well. Not a procedure for someone who does not like needles. It was touch and go for a few minutes but she recovered nicely in true Ali fashion. I was amazed at how much fluid they drew. She's taking it as easy as possible for a few days and we're keeping our fingers crossed until the results return.Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-57129411990135446522008-11-09T21:54:00.000-08:002008-11-10T08:06:04.096-08:004.8 is the magic numberI love <a href="http://bethbikes.blogspot.com/">Beth! </a><div><br /><div>But before I divulge the details of my love-affair, let me set the record straight. Yes, I am pregnant. Beginning my 16th week to be exact. In Mike's last post he and Soni both had some vague references to pregnancy which caused more than 1 friend to write an inquisitive email about whether or not they had cracked the code in the blog. </div><br /><div>Now, folks are full of advice when they learn such news. But the ones who amuse me most are the men who try to race me up the hills who DON'T know this news. Beth and I met one of them today. I think I'll ask Metromint & Louie Garneau to print this on the back of my kit to let these men know that they are barking up the wrong tree if they want to take me on. <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266905230825103154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 264px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 192px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTdj0gYRCwDiZIMhZr8YalyXClbOWat9QZWm9FCk-jBpZBNNL8yL4KfNqyxkRLh383nquC0WNH7726JYL9me2JRyQ2cd-aYcTe7JQnJ6rtoWlOQ-GbsiA0YtlAXGirODO4Yk4/s320/week16+pregnant.jpg" border="0" /></div></div><br /><p>This would be good, not just for the guys who enjoy drafting off of my engarlged booty, but those to want to push the pace to see if they can drop me.</p><p>The answer to the second inquiry is a resounding YES.</p><p>Which gets me back to Beth and the title of this blog. Beth was kind enough to ride the 3-Bears with me this afternoon. And when I say "with" I mean she actually tolerated my ever slowing pace, for all 3+ hours. I was quite happy when I looked down at my powermeter on Mama Bear and it proudly displayed 4.8 mph. Did I mention that I'm almost 4 months pregnant? We may not have broken the sound barrier while climbing, but I didn't cough up a lung either. </p><p>When I invited her to ride with me this afternon, she was worried that she was encrouching on date time between Mike and me. Mike always corrects me when I say that 'we' are pregnant. He reminds me that it's really just me. There's no better reminder that 'we' are not pregnant than when I go for a long ride with Mike. He managed to drop me before we even got across town to Spruce. But he's always circling back and would have stayed with us the entire ride were it not for a ticking clock reminding us that Lil M had to be picked up from her friend's at a specific time.</p><p>After our lovely jaunt over the hills, we came home to a fabulous pot pie from BakeSale Betty's. Twas quite an amazing afternoon!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83bBeS8UcaQCXnO3Xi_oBRAarMn8JGn7tocl83c5DHeZopFYRlKOjst6DQ1pewqKPcKBEEAzCzoiq-dHCK1rd5Lgrbsdib__S0SEpIAjshXn6rY-4AkmnHD3-1vG0S5w6rQeF/s1600-h/intro_betty.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266907815950696114" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 179px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 313px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83bBeS8UcaQCXnO3Xi_oBRAarMn8JGn7tocl83c5DHeZopFYRlKOjst6DQ1pewqKPcKBEEAzCzoiq-dHCK1rd5Lgrbsdib__S0SEpIAjshXn6rY-4AkmnHD3-1vG0S5w6rQeF/s320/intro_betty.gif" border="0" /></a></p>Allison Krasnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282443024992281060noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-22861120554840528102008-11-03T20:15:00.000-08:002008-11-03T20:59:29.661-08:00Off Season Ends With Some Wine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZfkOOB67MWeizTCrqqm5WehPUwvjIY1DAtEw8zaV4xp4gZyywrOF9vPCtnTrnGpdtiHcUqKAvG2LUlaLoWae5e-tsXeT0mwBRVzHDMURkYWDPWdcI0D5OC4BEsdc9QVYUDLO/s1600-h/giro2008.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZfkOOB67MWeizTCrqqm5WehPUwvjIY1DAtEw8zaV4xp4gZyywrOF9vPCtnTrnGpdtiHcUqKAvG2LUlaLoWae5e-tsXeT0mwBRVzHDMURkYWDPWdcI0D5OC4BEsdc9QVYUDLO/s200/giro2008.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264661735816609042" border="0" /></a>Yesterday was the last official day of 'off season'. We had plans to meet Soni and Jeff in Lodi for the Giro d Vino but the weather was threatening a rain delay. Fortunately, we woke to clear-ish skies and decent biking weather so we zig-zagged our way through the delta out to the Woodbridge Winery for the start of the ride.<br /><br /><br />Ali was a little nervous about riding 64 miles in her condition but we were assured the route was pancake flat and it was. Ali also tried to temper the pace by being the wine pusher for the day. She isn't drinking but wanted to make sure the rest of us didn't miss a stop or a sip.<br /><br />All in all it was a great day! Nice weather, an easy route, good wine and great company. What more could you ask for?<br /><br />Here are a few photos we took along the way.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">There were crayfish in the puddles along the road.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-GAe7aNlHKzQdmPBOAZkrF2op5m_MmCb_ZZeDw6b6p6reoRCMAmFAL-mwk4RONzP-yiLsPDqdZcn9AYsjPGctIElUM_eRKch0Ta-fIxsP3bQC4UpgYc6D1iwHlpHDkUHaXCr/s1600-h/Photo_110208_002.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-GAe7aNlHKzQdmPBOAZkrF2op5m_MmCb_ZZeDw6b6p6reoRCMAmFAL-mwk4RONzP-yiLsPDqdZcn9AYsjPGctIElUM_eRKch0Ta-fIxsP3bQC4UpgYc6D1iwHlpHDkUHaXCr/s200/Photo_110208_002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264661048296272018" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The winery cat's really know how to relax.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJg6gAJs2I-hgJNCPsIBCbiZPDNkZNpghFQ9xndZwN88-K_Ou-ZPkX8zDasFclxev_Q7q6oOFhRakdGG7vFrrxJc-ZDij3wqNmWPvI49vfW9QehVvXdRJYPJLJYYV-2B6VZgd/s1600-h/Photo_110208_003.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJg6gAJs2I-hgJNCPsIBCbiZPDNkZNpghFQ9xndZwN88-K_Ou-ZPkX8zDasFclxev_Q7q6oOFhRakdGG7vFrrxJc-ZDij3wqNmWPvI49vfW9QehVvXdRJYPJLJYYV-2B6VZgd/s200/Photo_110208_003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264661056938276994" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Bike helmets are an essential part of wine tasting safety.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOxAFkX5q_UD6kheuYMyMKihODJXsCVKjcSvRT5nuY9RnTpv6qB9bRD25mTLRQNMcH6S0qREah8XSef320qwR82p_5x_C6E1lEj9h9aFIY-CIFFV5uAkdRfywnkMkU5sQTd0b/s1600-h/Photo_110208_008.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOxAFkX5q_UD6kheuYMyMKihODJXsCVKjcSvRT5nuY9RnTpv6qB9bRD25mTLRQNMcH6S0qREah8XSef320qwR82p_5x_C6E1lEj9h9aFIY-CIFFV5uAkdRfywnkMkU5sQTd0b/s200/Photo_110208_008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264661058454054178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2xi7zW5bl_qjlw2yHVsVZZLGWpuOvDt2nzDFG6yqVja9IWw2uEufGOuopRaB_DUNohRApwOwksZfze_T8u31Fy_zsm80tHyZ_x7nHCRqWOqk5OliUch3dkRry4nfeGrlGsxS/s1600-h/Photo_110208_009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2xi7zW5bl_qjlw2yHVsVZZLGWpuOvDt2nzDFG6yqVja9IWw2uEufGOuopRaB_DUNohRApwOwksZfze_T8u31Fy_zsm80tHyZ_x7nHCRqWOqk5OliUch3dkRry4nfeGrlGsxS/s200/Photo_110208_009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264661060356355346" border="0" /></a>Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-11575412573557172812008-09-12T10:38:00.001-07:002008-09-12T10:38:54.427-07:00Intense<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tihd3W-YaSc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tihd3W-YaSc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27373509.post-34497290846527496322008-08-28T21:32:00.000-07:002008-08-28T21:46:20.632-07:00Quiet as a Superbowl Sunday<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_HzeJUVcEzSw/SBJ6jQnFIGI/AAAAAAAABe4/dtoSlJbUr9c/DSC_0925-04122008-ERWF13-sm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_HzeJUVcEzSw/SBJ6jQnFIGI/AAAAAAAABe4/dtoSlJbUr9c/DSC_0925-04122008-ERWF13-sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>I was a little worried as we headed out on our ride this evening. The commute traffic can be a little testy and not much fun for riding. As we climbed the hill we found the roads were quiet, almost too quiet. It was like riding on a Superbowl Sunday or Christmas morning only better. We rolled along enjoying the open roads, knowing all the East Bay liberals were glued to the TV watching the half-time show of this political Superbowl (Even the local ice cream hot spot, Ici, was empty this balmy evening.) And when we arrived home we enjoyed dinner and a terrific speech...on Tivo.Merkeley Bikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11723730671798689878noreply@blogger.com1