The Californians are Officially Cold


it's cold!
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

It's October 3 and we are all cold. It's in the 50s. We have a long, long winter ahead. We have radiators in our apartment but are a little unclear on how to turn them on. And when I say we, I really mean Telfer needs to figure out how to turn them on. We will adjust.

In other news, my parents arrive today. They are staying for one week and since this is not only Cate's first birthday, but Mom & Dad's first visit to NYC, we have a lot to celebrate. I haven't told them yet, but tonight they are going to babysit while we go to a Brandi Carlile concert! Cate will be asleep but still…a little bit of a dirty trick. I will make them dinner and open a nice bottle of wine to soften the blow.

On the Move

The weather has been spectacular here this weekend. Telfer was on call on Sunday but never got called in and then got Monday off to recover from his difficult call. Ah. So nice. We went to Central Park twice, to the farmer's market, made good food, played with our girl, and separately got out a little bit. Telfer watched Monday night football down at the pub and I went to Bryant Park and had lunch outside by MYSELF. So nice. 

I try not to post too many videos of Cate because not everyone wants to see her every little move BUT! She is crawling, making lots of noise and puckish facial expressions:

Tricky

With the timing of the move to NYC, I missed Cate's nine-month well-baby checkup. Finally, I got the insurance information straight, picked a nearby doctor from the provider list, made an appointment, and me being me, showed up about 10 minutes early to the appointment. And we waited and we waited. THREE HOURS LATER we finally saw the doctor, FOUR hours later we left the very crowded clinic. By the time we left, Cate was exhausted, we were both hungry, and I was upset. 

When the doctor saw Cate, she immediately told me that Cate was anemic and even had a little heart murmur due to the anemia. And I freaked out. She hasn't been nursing so well and isn't a huge fan of the sippy cup but I was feeding her yogurt and cheese and milk when I could get her to drink. Doctor's advice: feed her spinach soup and cottage cheese. Um… I called to get the blood test results two days later: Cate totally does NOT have anemia. Telfer and Chris listened to her heart – no heart murmur. Do you think we are going to a new doctor next time? YES! Talk about getting a first-time mother worked up…

Apparently, the "good" doctors around here don't take insurance at all. You pay out of pocket and then file your insurance claim later. Now I find this out…If this is the most traumatizing thing that happens in NYC this year, I think I can deal.

At least I got these photos out of the situation:

dr. dad 1
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.


dr. dad 2
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.


dr. dad 3
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

Mid-September


cate loves her auntie eleanor
Originally uploaded by telfandrea.

This is officially my favorite time of the year. The air has this crispness to it and the afternoon light is, well, just beautiful. Cate's summer dresses are being replaced by pants and socks on our morning walks with Henry. The Riverside Park trees are just barely, barely turning color. Last Thursday it rained and I gleefully made my first pot of soup (sweet potato, lentil, and coconut curry).

I have been a little silent the last couple of weeks. When I get overwhelmed with personal correspondence (email! facebook! blog stuff! real letters!) I tend to not do ANYTHING. Bad! I am digging out this week. What do I do instead? Read, of course! And I have been reading such good stuff lately. Telfer and I are rereading Harry Potter again. Just started Goblet of Fire yesterday. Recommend: Lorrie Moore's A Gate at the Stairs (college girl story, love her words) and Tracy Kidder's Strength is What Remains (true-story: Burundi man escapes genocide for NYC).

Chris and Mendy stayed with us during the Labor Day weekend on their way back from Greece and Israel – very fun. Notable: We went to Our Town (very moving and, nothing against high school productions, but this was one of those plays that affected me more as an adult, with adult actors – kind of obvious).

Eleanor is living about a 10-15 minute walk from us but we see her most days. She needs to study and likes our apartment and this pretty much equals free babysitting (Cate still goes to bed at 7:00 PM). This is one of my most favorite things about living here: our daughter gets to spend a lot of time with one of her aunts (who happens to be one of my most favorite people). So special.