BIG NEWS

Well, actually she is quite tiny. Introducing Eleanor Daly Nguyen!

She is mostly called Baby Vy ("vee") (but you may also call her Eleanor, no nickname) and I've only seen her on Skype but she is so so so so so cute. Her hair sticks up! It is already completely clear that Hanh is a phenomenal mother and has everything under control. (But I'm still sad I can't help her a bit -- like with baking brownies and watching the baby for her at night so she can get a bit of sleep.)

July 17, 2011

6 lbs., 12 oz.

18 inches long

(Sorry this post is so late. I have been meaning to do it, but forgetting to ask Hanh for permission.)

This time tomorrow...

we'll be four hours into our nine hour flight to Seattle. Today I went to the grocery store and bought lots of snacks (some of them unhealthy, but none of them too sugar-filled), and then I went to the toy store to buy little junk toys to keep them occupied. Unfortunately, our neighborhood toy store doesn't really do junk (could've used a Hamley's) and so I ended up with three small things that should keep my children occupied for about 45 seconds.

But here's the thing: I can do anything for nine hours. I really can. (But Eli will owe me big time.) And, luckily, Lib's wedding is going to be reaaaally fun and make this ordeal totally worth it. PHEW!

I'll let you know how it goes in exchange for all the positive energy you can send my way tomorrow.

PS: I met a baby Lulu's age today at the playground and I'm positive he has some sort of dwarfism. (No idea if that's a word.) He was ADORABLE, one of the cutest kids I've ever met.

Introducing...

MANDY! (Mandy is our new nanny!) There she is, holding Lulu. We went to Mandy's for lunch on Sunday. She lives with Alina, who has been our babysitter since we moved here, and Alina's brother. And huge bonus: Alina's parents and niece are visiting from Romania. SO, we had delicious Romanian food for lunch!

Tommy and Daria, Alina's niece:

Lulu with Alina's mother:
And, Lizzie with Alina's brother John who Lulu loves almost as much as she loves Eli (and certainly more than she loves me):

(I realize there is no picture of Alina here, which is due to technical difficulties. Next time!!)

Cutie Pie

Riots, Liz Lemon, and Inside the Actor's Studio

Many of you have been asking me about the riots. Until today, there had been no rioting in Fulham, but I just received a text message from our gym that it will close early today due to events in the area. I have no idea what that means, but I asked Mandy to be careful if she takes the kids out. We'll see. All I know is that I'm not going to the gym tonight and I'm irritated.

Do any of you ever find yourselves at work, laughing at something Liz Lemon said on the episode of 30 Rock you watched the night before? It's getting a little embarrassing. And I'm not sure the British think Liz Lemon is quite as funny as I do.

One final random thought. I really love "Inside the Actor's Studio." I love James Lipton (have you seen the episode where he is interviewed on the show by Dave Chappelle?) -- he's such a good sport, especially when he gets the crazy folks on there. But the best part of the show is deciding which actors I actually like. For example, I used to love Sarah Jessica Parker, but in her interview she was uninteresting and a little bit dumb-sounding. (And I should interject here that since moving to London, two people have asked me if I've ever been told that I look like Sarah Jessica Parker? And then they quickly say, "I mean that in a good way!" Which is my favorite part of the exchange, so now I wait for it.) But last night, we saw part of Jodie Foster and all of Jennifer Aniston and I was relatively impressed by both. We need to clarify that I'm not at all interested in what they have to say about the actual acting process (that's why Laura Linney was a bit boring -- she also seemed sort of snotty to me), just in their childhoods, education, and funny stories that I have no other way of knowing and I especially like the funny stories that involve other famous people. Eli pretends he doesn't like "Inside the Actor's Studio", but he actually does.

Finally, poor Tommy woke up at nine pm last night, vomited up everything he'd eaten during the day, and then slept through the night. He seems a bit less energetic than normal, but is otherwise okay. Cross your fingers that he's tip-top on Saturday for our trip.

What's new, you ask?

Well, mostly, we're dealing with hand, foot and mouth. It all began on Wednesday night, when Tommy woke up at nine and didn't go back to sleep until two. I noticed that his feet had a bunch of bumps on them -- sort of like bug bites -- and couldn't understand why he would have something like that only on his feet. So, and remember, it was late and I was tired, I decided that he must have walked in something that (severely) irritated his feet. Had I been a bit more with it, I might have considered the fact that he seemed to feel awful in addition to the bumps.

(And let's pause here to explain that when one googles "foot rash" one does not get any links to hand, foot and mouth. Friends, one gets links to articles about athlete's foot. Perhaps a search for "foot rash young child" may have turned up something helpful, but I lack attention to detail once it's, say, ten pm.)

The next morning, he still had the bumps, but he seemed okay, though -- and this is where I failed to put things together -- he said he had a sore throat. But I also had a sore throat -- sometimes that happens when I've slept just four hours -- and so I thought we were all coming down with a cold.

Also on Thursday morning, he said that it hurt in his mouth and pointed to what I assumed was a canker sore.

I am such an idiot, really.

He woke up this morning and the bumps had blistered and I still took him to swimming lessons because I am such an idiot.

Finally, as I was drying him off, I thought: ohmigod my kids have hand, foot and mouth.

Oh, did I not tell you about the two blisters on Lizzie's right foot which I attributed to sweaty feet in crocs even though that has never happened to her before?

I know, I know. Idiot. I called Eli on our walk home because we were due to have a playdate and when Eli, after about forty-five seconds (while he consulted the above website) sighed and said I'd better call the pediatrician, I knew we were in trouble.

(Another pause: our pediatrician is on vacation until August 18.)

So, I think Tommy is through the worst of it but that Lizzie might still have a sleepless night in her future (please no).

The good news: (1) it happened this week, instead of next week when we're supposed to go to the US, (2) it only lasts 7-10 days, and (3) adults rarely get it.

The bad news: I am an idiot.

Have a great weekend.

Pictures from the sandpit

A dazzling smile for Daddy: