The family caught the flu while en route to New Orleans. Aesha came down first, but it was mild. We flew in Tuesday night and ordered Mexican food since everything around the area was closed. The next day, it was warm and windy out as we taxi'd to AG's work and walked home. Aesha and I walked the Riverwalk while AG worked. By evening we were ready for a good meal. Since Aesha was sick, we couldn't venture too far. Next door to the Wyndham was a cute restaurant and we ordered a dozen oysters, 2lbs of boiled crawfish and two marinis.
The crawfish were small, it was early in the season, but the oysters were delicious. After dinner we walked around for a bit and headed home. That night, my throat was sore and achy. The next day while AG went to work, Aesha and I hung out at home because I was too tired to take her out. She destroyed our room and by the time AG came home at 5ish, I could barely hand her over before passing out. AG took Aesha to French Quarter for a couple of hours and when they returned, I had enough strength to put on some clothes to go out and grab food with them. The Mardi Gras atmosphere was building. The French Quarter was beginning to get filled with revelers and musicians. We ate at Bubba Gumps - not the best choice, but made do since Aesha was being spicy. After dinner we wound our way to Cafe Du Monde and had the best beignets and steamed coffee. At home, my fever started to climb and by the next morning, I was in the 102's. It was Friday and we were ready to leave the hotel to stay for the weekend at the company flat.
During this transition, we lost some baby shoes and AG's bathroom bag. AG had to run out, rent a car and pack everything while I lay huddled in the corner shivering and achy. He got us all packed and in the car, and within 10 minutes we were on the other side of the French Quarter. Once we got to the beautiful flat, it was much bigger and had much needed amentities, like a microwave to heat up milk and a fridge to keep it cold. We stayed there through the evening. AG went out with Aesha to bring back jambalaya and gumbo. I couldn't eat anything. But by nightfall, my fever was starting to break and by morning, I was feeling well enough to call Lacar, a friend from the old days.
Saturday afternoon we met up with Lacar at the French Market and had lunch together. Then we walked all over the French Quarrter. By 5pm, we were near Olivier's, a great restaurant - had a wonderful romantic Valentine's dinner while Aesha slept. After dinner we headed to Canal street hoping to catch Aesha's first Mardi Gras parade. It was a lot of work to keep a 16 month old in her car seat for over an hour while we waited, but it was worth it. She caught tons of beads and had a wonderful time. We had been out all day and couldn't wait to get home.
The next morning was Sunday and AG was feeling really crummy. Aesha and I went out to the French Market so AG could sleep. We returned around 11am, and got packed for our flight at 5pm. By 2pm, we were ready to find that last wonderful meal. Tons of doggies everywhere dressed up for the Dog Parade. Next to the French Market was an outside cafe displaying the signage that they had the best Gumbo in town. Of course we were skeptical, but when we asked the waitress, she confirmed. So we sat and ordered, and it was the best Gumbo I've had. By this time, Mardi Gras was in full swing and the streets were packed with honking cars and people streaming everywhere. AG flagged down a cab, and we headed back to the flat, picked up our baggage and drove straight to the airport. Both AG and Aesha were beginning to show signs of the flu. And when we landed that night at midnight, it was pouring rain in SF. The next few days were a blur as I tried to take care of both, but mostly Aesha since AG slept feverishly most of the time.
In summary, a wonderful trip, but I wish we weren't always so susceptible to sickness. It was tough being sick at the same time, but thankfully, there was a 2 day lag and I was able to recover enough to take care of my family. My cough has lingered for over a week, but I'm feeling the last of it leaving today....
Monday, February 23, 2009
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Happy year of the Ox
I spoke with my good friend KC who moved to Japan. She says in Japan, it's actually the year of the cow. Potatoes, Potaaatoes... I know, but there is a big difference between a cow and an ox; not to mention a water buffalo. I tell people I'm the boar, not the pig. Boars are big, wild; a dangerous intelligent creature to be wary of - whereas the perception of a pig is pure domestication - which would you rather be called?
On the news front, my sister had a baby girl - Phoebe Nguyen born on January 29th at 4:37am weighing in at 7lbs 15 oz. What a monster. I was expecting her to have very little hair, but fortunately for Phoebe, she didn't join the "No Hair" baby club that Aesha chairs. She's a little cutie - you can check out her blog at http://y-tien.blogspot.com/.
What else is new? Aesha is almost weaned. Doesn't mean she doesn't gets mad when I don't give her the nipple. When I'm too tired to negotiate with her, I give her the nipple and within 5 minutes, she asks for the bottle b/c ain't much for her to get. She's been drinking a ton of milk, which is great, but unfortunately, I'm still having to get up every 2 hours to warm the milk in a bottle for her (because no way in hell she's drinking cold milk or even tepid milk. It has to be the right temperature, not too hot, not too cold.) The last two nights have been brutal. The night before, she woke up 5 times and drank 5 bottles of milk. Last night, I couldn't get the bottle warmed up fast enough, and she let me have it for 30 minutes. Finally, I was too exhausted to care and let her cry it out to sleep while holding her. Otherwise, she's been an angel.
More words... Yesterday after swim class, she actually said "water." Other words in her vocabulary: Moooooon; noonooo (noodle), bubba (bubble), dada.... but her favorite word is still no and momma. Momma is used for everything - she says momma when she wants to know where I am, when she wants something to eat, when she wants to be picked up, and when she's dreaming. It's both heart warming and exhausting. During these times when I think about having another, I age 10 more years.
The family is scheduled for our first vacation. We are heading to New Orleans and luckily it just so happens to fall on the weekend before the culmination of Mardi Gras. It's perfect. We will fly in Feb. 10th and leave on the 15th. Mardi Gras festivies begin on the 14th. We'll be there 2 days into it and leave right before the craziness begins. Unfortunately for me, crawfish season doesn't start until March, so my dreams of eating 2lbs of crawfish per sitting won't be fulfilled. I'll have a beignet instead.
On the news front, my sister had a baby girl - Phoebe Nguyen born on January 29th at 4:37am weighing in at 7lbs 15 oz. What a monster. I was expecting her to have very little hair, but fortunately for Phoebe, she didn't join the "No Hair" baby club that Aesha chairs. She's a little cutie - you can check out her blog at http://y-tien.blogspot.com/.
What else is new? Aesha is almost weaned. Doesn't mean she doesn't gets mad when I don't give her the nipple. When I'm too tired to negotiate with her, I give her the nipple and within 5 minutes, she asks for the bottle b/c ain't much for her to get. She's been drinking a ton of milk, which is great, but unfortunately, I'm still having to get up every 2 hours to warm the milk in a bottle for her (because no way in hell she's drinking cold milk or even tepid milk. It has to be the right temperature, not too hot, not too cold.) The last two nights have been brutal. The night before, she woke up 5 times and drank 5 bottles of milk. Last night, I couldn't get the bottle warmed up fast enough, and she let me have it for 30 minutes. Finally, I was too exhausted to care and let her cry it out to sleep while holding her. Otherwise, she's been an angel.
More words... Yesterday after swim class, she actually said "water." Other words in her vocabulary: Moooooon; noonooo (noodle), bubba (bubble), dada.... but her favorite word is still no and momma. Momma is used for everything - she says momma when she wants to know where I am, when she wants something to eat, when she wants to be picked up, and when she's dreaming. It's both heart warming and exhausting. During these times when I think about having another, I age 10 more years.
The family is scheduled for our first vacation. We are heading to New Orleans and luckily it just so happens to fall on the weekend before the culmination of Mardi Gras. It's perfect. We will fly in Feb. 10th and leave on the 15th. Mardi Gras festivies begin on the 14th. We'll be there 2 days into it and leave right before the craziness begins. Unfortunately for me, crawfish season doesn't start until March, so my dreams of eating 2lbs of crawfish per sitting won't be fulfilled. I'll have a beignet instead.
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