Featured – Page 4 – Haughtypenguin Blog

January 4, 2012January 12, 2012

Mr Mom

Today I was blessed with the opportunity to watch Vivi the whole day by myself. I think this may be the first time. The other times I had the day off, GrandMa (my mommy) still came over to watch Vivi, while MommyMD went to work. Otherwise, I’d only be left alone for 1-2hrs most while MommyMD went off to do other stuff. I dont think she trusts me to handle her. HAH! Well I did it (so far) today, and will do so tomorrow and then for a whole week later on this month. I can just say, I can not wait for GrandMa to come back. Luckily for us GrandMa is gracious enough to offer her services to watch Vivi during the weekday. Not only does this save a butload on nanny/daycare, but she’s getting the best care around! I mean look at me! hmmm… maybe not the best example.

I digress.

ViviBear in the Carrier — Vivienne in the Carrier

I figured I’d take the opportunity to blog about this day as well. I was able to do the morning routine which consists of: Wake up, take her to the toilet (where she proceeded to plop #2 down), feed her the formula, then the baby food (which by the way she does not like raisin granola). Back to the toilet for any residual. Then to play. I was hoping she would take her morning nap, but the sleepy lids never came. Maybe she was having too much fun, who knows. I was able to get some cleaning done (take the the Xmas trees). but I had to carry her around in the Bjorn like carrier (it’s not a Baby Bjorn, but some other brand from japan).

It worked well and I got side track playing the PS3 in the basement. luckily she fell asleep on my back. I tried to put her in the crib to sleep afterward (this is aroudn 11am) but I woke her up and she was replenished with energy. Would not go back to sleep…

I figured I would just have to entertain her for the time being. I was trying to use the computer to write a few emails, but she was becoming rather unruley. She kept grabbing my hands to move them away so she could use the keyboard. It got to the point where I could do nothing, so I just set her on the ground. Down there she proceeded to climb all over the place and try to open all of Mom’s desk drawers. Well this is no good. I did not want to risk her little fingers getting smashed, so I had to place her in the playpen.

While caged up, she became rather vociferous. It’s actually amusing to see her try to climb out. Well she cant climb vertically very well yet, so she just rams her face into the mesh netting. It is rather comical, but sad at the same time. I finally decided to take her to the basement and sit her in the swing.

She seemed rather happy in the swing, and was giggling, so I took the opportunity to take another stab at playing video games. After about 10 minutes I looked back and she was passed out. She drooled all over her hand and her shirt as well. I was able to take her upstairs and into her crib. Finally she slept for about 20 minutes before waking up again and demanding the world.

Well. mom came home and started to interrogate me about the day and the adventures with the ViviBear. i.e. what time was her last meal, how much did she sleep. Apparently I forgot to give her 3-4pm feed. Slipped my mind somehow. I was so sure I did, but Mommy likes to keep a log of all naps, input and output from the ViviBear, and according to the log, I guess I did forget (woops). That might have been why she was getting unruley around this time.

Well tomorrow I get to do round 2. We shall see how that goes. I give mad props to all the stay at home moms and dads out there. Taking care of a child (while trying to do stuff around the house or anything else for that matter) is difficult to say the least. I would say is harder than any job I could imagine. I complain yet my efforts and accomplishments of today pale to comparison to Mommy, and GrandMa and likely to all other caretakers out there.

Vivi, I love you, but whoah you are one energetic and demanding baby.

Time for round 2. Right on track. Luckily Mommy is coming back earlier from work today. Did the morning routine already and actually got her to take her morning nap (just now 940am). Now lets see how much I can get done before she wakes up again, or will I get tangled in the world wide web. Lets hope I get something done.

December 15, 2011January 21, 2012

Welcome Baby Lee!

New Baby Lee in the house! Your modeling/basketball career starts today!

December 14, 2011December 14, 2011

Why o why do you not want to sleep?

When I first heard about this book, I thought, wow that is clever. It is apparently written by a parent for parents. It was apparently was intended for a later release, but a leaked PDF gotout on the internet, and it became insanely popular, sovthey decided to release it earlier (so i have read online). I immediately wanted to buy the book, but couldn’t really justify the purchase. I ended up buying it for a friend, who by the way will altogether baby girl to the world tomorrow 12/15/11.

IMAG0918 — Looks are deceiving, she is not sleeping. She's just closing her eyes from the flash

When Vivibear came along, she slept fairly well through the night as well, so it didnt really apply. Well hqve things changed a bit over the past week. Not sure what is going on, maybe she is made I was posting pictures of her poo online, but she is now waking up mult times throughout the knight, and wont fall asleep without a fight. Maybe this is a normal phase in growing up, but at 5am, when i got to get up in 2 hrs I really want to ask Why the F*K wont you go to sleep.

I have to admit, the brunt of the night time sleepless baby care is performed by “the boss.” Many a morning/night I continue sleeping as the wails of the babe go answered by the matriarch. I really cant complain much considering we are lucky to have Nai Nai (Grandma) here during the weekday to watchover this cute yet unruly chic. EItherway, lack of sleep still sucks. I dont think I have been sleep deprived like this since being on call intern year. Instead of catering the requests of a 37 year old asking for pain medicine, or something to help them sleep in the middle of the night, I have to answer to the demands of a 7 month 3 week old who will not sleep. She’s pretty darn cute though so you have to forgive her.

I just wonder what things will be like in the next few years. She will start talking (back), and walking (running away), as if to “cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.” [i think that works right?]

I can already foresee myself facing off with this face in many future confrontations.

All I have to say is bring it! ~~Your cute glare has no affect~~, okay you can have it…

p.s. Vivienne, just keep in mind I do have pictures of your poo, as well as you dressed up in a penguin outfit, and I will show them to any future boyfriends to be.

As far as a review of the book:

Short read. Unlikely will you find yourself reading this aloud to your child, unless you want to curse are your baby aloud. You get the gist of the whole book in the first page, but it does hold o, so true throughout the sleepless nights.

Conclusion: worth buying as a gift.

December 11, 2011December 11, 2011

Poop(ing)! So satisfying yet so smelly.

So “the boss” has had Vivibear using the baby bjorn toilet for a while now. When we tell other people that we are using a toilet to let Vivi do her business, a common response is “it’s too early to potty train,” “you guys are crazy,” “you are going to cause anxiety issues in the future.” Well thing is we are not “potty training” perse, more so just utilizing our understanding human nature and trying to conserve money on diapers. She cant tell us when she needs to do her business, nor do we expect her to.

The basic concept of what goes in must come out applies. There is the gastro-colic reflex that is innate in animals, where when you eat, you will want to poop. Same idea behind house breaking a pet. When we feed vivi, she is likely to poop within 10 minutes or so. Also when she farts or starts to grimmace, we know she likely will need to poop. Nowadays, she poops about once a day, so it’s easier to gauge.
Another thing we (“the boss” does I suppose I should say) do is set her on the toiler each time she wakes up from a nap, because she likely will need to pee.
When “the boss” is around we really dont have any poop/pee diapers, so now while at home Vivi is using cloth diapers.

Bombs in the Baby Bjorn — Censored-Deuce

Well since “the boss” has been battling a virus of sorts, I was tasked with entertaining and tending to the ViviBear. I will admit my participation with child-rearing is below 50% as of late, but today I got my first Pee and Poop in the baby toilet today! Now this may seem like a trivial accomplishment, but grandma, and mum have had success with this toileting. I felt like I was missing out.
I will admit I did try to cheat. I figured if I pressed on her bladder a few time I could encourage her to pee faster, and I also tried some (OMM) Manipulation, namely mesenteric lift. Who knows if this really helped, but hey, she still plopped down! [boy it stinks, but I guess it is not supposed to smell like roses]. Now I took a photo of this, and was told if I post it, she will be embarassed for the rest of her life. I disagree. I dont think she will remember. Heck, I have taken pictures of my own and am proud of the caliber I can produce. I think she will be happy to have this documented. Shall I post? ~~[i posted it]~~ By the behest of the boss, any potential damaging images had to be removed. I opted to censor them instead. I guess this is for the good of my future relationship with my daughter. I mean, would you really be mad at your dad for pooping up your #2 for the world to see when you were 7 months old?

Penguin Poop Seat — Penguins do everything! Even train you to poo!

On another note, we have been using this BabyBjorn toilet for a while now, but we still have to clean the commode after use. With pee, it was easy. fill with water and pour into the regular toilet, and flush. With the #2, the residual residue is just nasty. I figured it would be time to bring out the Penguin Toilet Cap. We had this on our baby registry and our friend Dr. K, (aka Melen Cantelope) was nice enough to get it for us. Now this rocks. Well maybe kinda creepy. It sings and plays music to encourage “potty time.”

O the joys of being a parent.

Vivi you’ll forgive me one day right?

Penguin Potty Topper

December 11, 2011

Michael Crichton continues to publish in the afterlife

Micro — Unfinished Book by Michael Chrichton, Co-Authored by Richard Preston

I happened to be perusing facebook, and to the corner of my eye I catch in big white letters “Michael Chrichton.” What is this? I ask myself. It appears there is another book by my favorite author of all time, Michael Chrichton (rest his soul). He unfortunately passed away from throat cancer in in 2008.

I was always inspired by the fact he went to medical school at Harvard, and went on to write novels. I would say one of my favorite books has to be Jurassic Park (I read the book before there was ever a hint of a movie), Congo, and Sphere. While I was in China a few years ago, I noticed a book on the shelves of the Beijing Airport shop by Michael Crichton, Pirate Latitudes. Mind you this was after he had passed, and I have read all his books, so I was skeptical, yet intrigued. Being in China who knows what you are buying. The cover said something about “never released” blah blah blah. I felt the book was a fun read, and the last book by Crichton i would get to enjoy.

Now I see this. Apparently this book was partially finished. Crichton had 1/3 of the manuscript done, with notes/research outlines etc. More info can be found here on the Crichton website. I do not know how I feel about some co-author finishing his book. I think I would feel that the story would not be authentic. Then again I have not read it yet, and it may be great. Now when will I have time to purchase and read it? To get an electronic version, or to buy a paperback to add to my collection. I think I can wait.

Are there any other Crichton fans out there? Many times I feel like I am alone on this one. I cant get “the boss” to read any of his books.

Anyone read this one yet?

Speaking of Jurassic Park, I never had a chance to watch the movie in theaters. I remember when it came out it was the first movie that I remember that had lines wrapping around the theater just to get in. Now I had an opportunity to watch it, and was going with my little cousin to watch it. He insisted that we watch Last Action Hero. Reflecting back, the movie is not the worst (that would have to be The Thin Red Line). At the time I was not very happy since I got to miss out on the hoopla. I remember arguing with my cousing about which movie to watch, but he insisted on Schwarzenegger. I finally go to see the movie when it came out on VHS though (yes VHS). Fun fact.

Gotta go clean bottles/baby food up. Outtie like a belly button.

December 9, 2011

Perils of wearing contacts and not thinking – oh how it burns

I switch from contact solutions, generally going with just the Optifree Replenish (no rub) solutions. It’s the one “the boss” likes to use. It cleans your contacts fairly well. Sometimes just to save some money, I will use the generic brands, which seem to work just as well. Using no rub brands get the protein and other crud off the lenses. I am sure we are still supposed to clean/rub the lenses clean, but it says no rub, so i no rub. I am also supposed to switch out my contacts every month (I think) yet I dont. I think I have the same ones in for the past… 3 months now. I have yet to get any nasty fungal/bacterial infections. I am sure my optho/opto friends would smack me for this for sure. I just hate paying for contacts.

The most recent shopping excursion I opted to go with the Clear Care solutions. This one uses the nifty little cage with some sort of catlyst on the bottom. You put the solution in the container, drop the cage/contacts in and watch the bubbles. I believe this is supposed to help dissolve all proteins and what not. You have to let it sit for 6 hrs though to make sure all the solution has reacted and is no longer… basic? or maybe acid. Dont know.

Well apparently on the Clear Care website it has hydrogen peroxide:

“Clear Care^® uses hydrogen peroxide that penetrates the lens and kills germs and bacteria for strong disinfection and deep cleaning.
Hydrogen peroxide is part of the Clear Care^®Triple-Action cleaning process. After the hydrogen peroxide provides deep cleaning, a built-in surfactant loosens dirt, debris and deposits. Finally, bubbling action enhances surface protein removal…”

I mean I’ve read the instructions before, so I knew this. Never really had a chance to see what it felt like until today. I woke up this morning a little more tired than usual since I had a ViviBear keep me up all night. Either way, I put one contact in, and then the second. I felt like I needed to clean the next one, so I grabbed my nearest solution. As soon as I put it in my- HOLY SH- it hurt like hell. O! the burning, the burning. From what I remember basic burns in the eye are worse than acid, because it keeps dissolving away at your eye, while acid burns will cauterize and stop melting everything away. Suffice it to say I did rinse my eyes out for about 2 minutes, but now knowing this stuff has Hydrogen Peroxide… meh. My eye is fine. I am seeing fine. Doesn’t really hurt, but I can feel my f-up this morning still.

Well I still endorse all the products above. Make sure you follow the instructions though. I wish I got paid to say “I doctor _____ endorse this product.”

Maybe one day. Maybe its time for Lasik.

December 8, 2011December 9, 2011

“It doesnt even take the edge off” – why medicine sucks

Is there a Drug to put me out of my Drug Misery? Some days I wish I stayed in engineering. Today wasnt one of the bad days, but you know it is a bad day when you hear a few key terms over and over again:
– “It doesnt even touch the pain”
– “It doesnt even take the edge off”
– “I’m allergic to tylenol, motrin, tramadol, neurontin, lyrica, cymbalta…” (basically all non narcs)

I dont know what it is, but anytime I hear the words “doesnt take the edge off” I immediately am suspicious that someone is trying to pull one over me. This is likely the wrong way to view things, but I cant help it. It’s iteresting how so many people use the same terms, as if they are on a forum talking to eachother to determine set phrases to use. Maybe it’s fairly common vernacular. whatever, doesnt matter.

So I am currently in process of applying for my full DEA (drug enforcement agency) license, and am having second thoughts. Maybe if I dont bother getting a DEA license, I can just tell all patients: sorry I cant prescribe any candy controlled substances, i.e. xanax, percocet, vicodin…
Then I cut out so much future headache. I know this is not reasonable, because sometimes these medications are necessary, and indicated.

If I had to tell myself in the past how many people I would have to interact with that are trying to scam me out of a prescription, I think I’d still be in engineering, or perhaps working at a Putt Putt place. There is a dichotomy between people who are seeking medication: a. those who are addicted/abusing the medication, b. those who are selling them feeding the addiction. If there was no street value for the candy, then I would imagine the problem would not be as rampant, especially in a down economy, but alas supply and demand rule supreme. It sure as heck does not help when you have doctors passing out controlled substances like prostitute fliers in Vegas. (For those who have not been in Vegas, lets use the analogy “like samples at Walmart”… I dont know if that works either)

As it is I am not in this field for the money, but I am definitely not in this field to waste my time with people who lie to me and harass me for medication. I do love the days where I actually feel I have helped people though. That reminds me why I AM in this field.

Maybe I should write a book, “Willy Wonka and the Oxycodone Factory”

December 1, 2011December 1, 2011

Funnel Cake

The Picture may be a little fuzzy, but the funny cake was delicious!

This is my second attempt at making homemade funnelcake, and it worked out better the second time. This was done the day after thanksgiving, and I had a lot of leftover peanut oil (already passed down from my friend, Ed Lee, who also fried his turkeys for turkeyday). Suffice it to say, there was a hint of Turkey flavor, but alas it was yum.

Recipe was obtained from Allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/funnel-cakes/detail.aspx

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ready In: 20 Minutes

Servings: 8

INGREDIENTS:

8 cups vegetable oil for frying

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a deep-fryer, or heavy skillet, heat oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.	In a large bowl, beat milk and eggs together. Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir into the egg mixture until smooth.
3.	While covering the funnel hole with one hand, pour in 1 cup of batter. Start from the center in a swirling motion to make a 6 or 7 inch round. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.

November 30, 2011December 9, 2011

The Clones: O, HEU! MIRABILE DICTU!

I’ve already posted this once on facebook and I think google+, but I will do it yet again. When the ViviBear first came out, she looked like any other wrinkly baby I suppose, but as she soon filled up within the next day, it was obvious who the father was (both thumbs up and at me). Let me tell you now that one of the babies here is Vivienne, and the other one is Moi. You could say all babies look alike anyway, then again you could say all Asians look alike; either way, I’d have to say there is definitely a resemblance.

A lot of people do admit that we share many features now, not just the baby features. Namely the small eyes I suppose, and not all Asians have small eyes. I happen to be in the group that does. My buddy Clement was pleading for a while for me to post comparison photos, so I did.

Here is another:

It should be obvious from the quality 0f the image which is who, but I definitely believe one is cuter. As the years progress I may post some additional comparisons. It may be difficult once she starts wearing dresses though. As it is, when she has a headband on, I can see the resemblance drifting, but I can put on a headband too!

O the joys of having a clone!