Trick-or-treat!

Halloween!

Will's second Halloween was a busy, full day.

This morning, Paul and I joined Will at school. He wore his bumblebee costume from last year (it was 80 today, too warm for the alligator) and joined his classmates: a fisherman, some pirates, a few witches, butterfly, ladybug, cow, and a lion. We played with the kids, watched as they "trick-or-treated" with the older kids ("older" as in more than 3 years old), who distributed homemade cookies, candies, bubbles, and other little toys into the 2-year old kids' bags. Paul couldn't resist and gave in to Will's asking for candy (this is because Paul reasoned he should eat at least half of whatever Will was to have) and once we were sure we had the kids all hyped up on sugar, we parents left. It was fun! (We are embarrassed to report that we forgot both the camera and Paul's juggling supplies. *sigh*)

Tonight, after dinner at Reginelli's compliments of Grandpa George, we took Will to Avenger Field, which lies between Children's Hospital and Audubon Zoo. This is usually where the Zoo holds "Boo-in-the-Zoo," an annual event held on Halloween that is very popular. The Zoo teamed up with the Hospital to provide an event there this year, totally free! There was a ton of fun things: a long stream of "houses" where kindly folks handed out candy to trick-or-treaters from tiny holes carved into the facades; hot dogs, hamburgers, frostys, and drinks; baseball and football tosses; live music; a haystack with scarecrow; kick-ball field; face painting; and about a dozen different games with prizes for kids.

Will was tired from his long day (starting at 5am!) but still had a great time. He ran around the kick-ball field with other toddlers, danced a bit to the music, played a ball-toss game, and trick-or-treated. Trick-or-treating is going to take some practice. Will couldn't resist wanting to stop after every score and eat his loot. We would point to our wrists and say "we'll have a treat in 5 minutes!" which was enough to distract him until we got to the next station. We ran into one of my professors with his family, which was also a fun surprise! It was nice to see so many kids and families back in the city.

It is really good to be home and we are so happy we were here to enjoy Halloween!

Will plays one of the ball games -- he won some witches' fingers!

Will and Daddy check out the haystacks and scarecrow!

Will trick-or-treats at the booths at the Peek-A-Boo Halloween Festival at Children's Hospital 

Good morning!

Daylight savings time sucks for parents. How hard do we parents have to work? Why must everything be difficult for us... daycare, failing schools, ridiculous work week, terrible vacation, worse benefits, no flexibility, and the joke of "family" leave... aren't these enough? Apparently not, because we are also faced with the pain-in-the-butt task of yanking our kids on and off schedules for Daylight savings.

Did I mention that I'm cranky because my kid woke up an hour early today? At 5:22, we were awoken by a very happy, very awake monkey. Paul, delighted to find that the swimmers worked through the night, brought him to bed with us to see if we could lull him back down to sleep.

So there we were. Nestled in the warm bed, Will tucked between us, smiling to ourselves thinking that it just might work... another 30 minutes of sleep could be ours. And then, slowly, we became aware of a warm wet sensation spreading through the sheets....

"Holly," it was Paul whose brain first put it together, "we have a leak."

And we did. I stripped the bed (hooray -- it didn't get through the liner) as Paul washed Will down and put on another swimmer and pjs. (We had to save his real diaper for school.) The rest of the morning went fine, other than the fact that we all (Will included) are now exhausted from the early morning wake-up.

Night-night update

I was wrong in my last post. I've just discovered that Will is NOT fast asleep in his crib, tucked in wearing his Lil' Swimmer and firetruck PJs. He is awake, lying in his crib, singing softly to himself: "ee-ei-ee-ei-oh!" (Think "Old MacDonald.")

Sometimes, the ooey-gooey cuddly super-sweet parts of motherhood, the parts that make you gag in sappy movies, the stuff you tease yourself for crying over... sometimes, even I have to admit that all that stuff is totally true. There are times when my heart just swells up so much that I wonder how it will hold it all without bursting.

"We have a problem."

And with those words I prepared my husband for terrible news.

We are out of diapers. Completely, one-hundred percent, totally. Out. Of. Diapers.

In just about any other place in the U.S., this would not be too much a problem. Someone just hops in the car and drives to an open grocery, 7-11, whatever. But that is not a possibility in the city of New Orleans, where Winn Dixie is only open from 9-5 and enjoys the status of "only game in town." Neighbors with toddlers? We tried; they're out for the night. And so here we are.

Luckily, we had some swimming diapers from the trip to Duck. This really was a lucky turn of events, since we normally keep all swimmers at my Mom's house. So, Will is fast asleep for the night in his firetruck PJs and a Lil' Swimmer. A good save, but they are made to contain, not to absorb. Good heavens, please let us have a dry night.

We double-lucked out when I remembered my emergency diaper stashed in the car. This is extra-good news since we now don't have to endure the embarrassment of having to take Will to school in a swimmer and beg them for a diaper. (He'll be in school before the store opens.) Phew.

Our house! I cleaned up the front bed last weekend, moving around the plants that were still alive and doing what I could to save others. Then planted new flowers around the old(er) ones. Alex mulched it for me and then helped Paul to do one of my dream wish-list items... they took out the mangled bushes from the front! (These unsightly bushes were uneven and patchy, they pulled them out and evened out the brick work in the front!) I still can't believe that they did it... it was *not* on Paul's radar and it was definitely a nice surprise made on my behalf. Yesterday, George (Paul's Dad) and I put new boston ferns in the hanging baskets. The old ones did not fare the storm well and had to be replaced. Unfortunately, these aren't the nice and full nursery variety, but the $6 Lowe's variety! They aren't quite as striking as our previous bunch but should grow in well. I also added some dianthus and mums to the porch steps and side urn. Viola! A cleaned up post-Katrina front yard. (Just don't ask us about the back... yikes!)  

What should Will be for Halloween??

We're tabling birthday discussions temporarily to decide on the pending holiday... Halloween!

Our options:
1. The bumblebee (picture below)
2. The alligator (picture below)
3. I spend the weekend trying to find an open store to find something else. (I was thinking of looking for overalls and a flannel shirt, putting freckles on his face with washable marker, and calling him a farmer...?)

Thoughts?

Will as a bumble-bee. This is Will's costume from last year. It ended up being much too hot to wear and he was miserable. I think he spent about 15 minutes in it before we took pity and stripped him down to his diaper (it was 90 that evening!) This year has been cooler so the temperature doesn't worry me as much. Also, it fits very well... which is crazy since it's sized for kids 3-12 months! 

Will as an alligator. This costume belongs to William (son of friends Alex and Margaret) and is technically about 3 sizes too big. But, it seems to fit okay. Will isn't thrilled by the hat part. It's very warm, so if the day is too warm it won't work. But if it's a chilly night, this one may be it? 

Approaching Birthday Time...!

Will's 2nd birthday is approaching (November 21st). We had originally thought to hold a small party at the Zoo (you can rent the carousel and surrounding area for 90 minutes for kids' parties with rides). But, since the Zoo is not open, we're having to rethink.

Problems:
- Our house is very small.
- While we have a nice backyard, it's a mess. Even if it is clean, it won't be fenced. Even if our fence is fixed, there is no way our neighbor's fence (which is fallen over to expose their totally gross green-algae-mosquito-breeding-pool) will be fixed.
- The party will be mostly an adult party with a few playmates for Will. (Unless we asked his class to come, in which case, there would be even more adults and about 6 more kids.)

Anyone have ideas?

Peru Planning

With comps on the horizon for December, planning for Peru has begun in earnest. I signed up to an Lima-based expat mailing list and sent out a "seeking housesitting/rental" announcement and within a few hours had great leads... including referrals for pediatricians and OBs! The best news so far: the availability of a 3-bedroom Miraflores house where a family of three lives (including a 2-year old girl!). They will be out of the country for January and February and are willing to sublet to us at a reduced rate. (Hooray!) Paul and I have to talk more about it, but this sounds perfect... great location, high speed internet already set up, walk to parks, shopping, and amenities.

An interesting tidbit from one of the parents who responded: each child in Lima has a nanny. If you have three children, you have three nannies. The pay from expat families? Around $200-250 a month.

The next issue: we need tickets. The problem: flying in early January breaks all the frequent flyer rules, it's about 50,000 miles per ticket -- I checked this morning and it will take 157,000 miles for the three of us to fly via frequent flyer. (Otherwise, it is about $1000 per person for three of us.) There is no way we can get enough rent out of our house to cover that. So... Mom? No Christmas shopping this year! How about frequent flyer tickets for Christmas???

Study Notes: Day One

Today was my first true day of studying. It went pretty well, I got to cross three things off my study list:

- Finish answering Econometrics section from June comps
- Email answers to Paul (a professor) for review/suggestions
- Type out notes from meeting with Carl (my committee chair) and send for review and comments

It took me longer than I thought it would to get my head around the material. Granted, econometrics is among the toughest stuff on comps and the section that doctoral students spend the most time stressing over. I started out by reading my early responses to questions and thinking, "Wow, this sounds really good. But I wonder what she is talking about?" It was sort of like nudging my brain out from hibernation. (A stuffy head, victim of the excess NOLA dust, did not help.) A few things I'd really like to sort out:

- What exactly is the estimation procedure with a truncated model?
- A really, really, really clear explanation of the differences between sample selection bias and endogeneity -- (with reference to the sampling problems cited in my paper on low birth weight and violence in Peru)

and finally,

- Why is my child obsessed with knocking heads? ouch.

Will's Drop Off: Day Three

He cried when I opened the door to take him out. I said, "Will, you get to play with all your friends again today! Isn't that exciting?" He said, "no."

I brought him to the classroom, hung up his lunch in his cubby, and tried to get him interested in a puzzle. No dice. He was only interested in being in my lap or arms. Other kids -- including "Nate" from the other day -- came in crying and needed comfort from the teachers. I didn't want to leave Will until one of them were free (him crying without being held by someone is more than I can handle). So we waited and tried to play a bit. When things calmed down, one of the teachers took him and he started to cry for me. I am sure that things were fine by the time I got back to the car.

Maybe we should try Paul dropping him off at school and see if it's any different? Mommy separation is pretty rough.

Surprise!

Will opens his "s'prize" from Nana and Grandpa Wisneskey. Grandpa Wisneskey arrived today to help us in our cleanup efforts -- and help keep Will occupied in the afternoon hours so that I can maximize study time! 

Pictures from Lakeview

West End Blvd, Lakeview.

Alex's first floor. Cleaned out, but still wet. Waiting for insurance companies, engineers, and the city to determine its (and their) fate.

The stuff of people's lives fill the trash and debris. 

Lights may be down and out, but the signs are everywhere! 

A restaurant in flooded Lakeview. 

Tour boat on West End Blvd, a few blocks from the Marina. 

Dump site for tree and yard waste, to be mulched. This particular pile (on West End Blvd in Lakeview) runs for almost a mile. Backhoes travel up the sides to dump loads to the top and are lost in the volume of debris. 

Typical view of a street on the north side of the city. Debris, silt, dirt, and everything gray -- broken up only by the multitude of signs dotting the corners. 

Debris pile in Lakeview. This pile runs 2-4 stories high for at least a mile. 

Will's Second Day at School

We all survived yesterday. Most miracously, I managed to do so without having to be bailed out of jail for taking out some jerky parents. When we picked up Will, he was waiting with other kids lined up in the hallway, lunch box in hand. The run up to the door one-by-one, when they are called, as their parents arrive. Adorable. The teachers said Will, "was an angel... loving, friendly, helpful, and full of hugs." That's my little man!

Today. More tears at drop off. Fortunately, another parent was there, put her arm around me as we walked out and said, "It's okay, we've ALL been there and COMPLETELY are with you on this!" Now that is great parental support!

Will's First Day of School: The Drop Off

When Will and I walked into University Montessori School at 8:15 this morning, he was very excited. He was saying "Play! Play!", bouncing happily in my arms, thrilled with the memory of our visit last week when he played outside with the other kids. We met the second teacher in his classroom, visited the other kids left earlier as part of the "afterhours" care program (which starts at 7:30) and then went into Will's classroom with the new teacher to get oriented. Will was very at home, chose a puzzle, brought it to a table, and sat down to play. He was very content and completely ignored me while I talked to the teacher. Finally, I turned to leave -- this is when Will finally noticed me. Damn. The crying started, I stayed, and he calmed down. I left again, but just to the office located one room away from Will's classroom. On my way, I opened the front door for another first-day student, 2 1/2 year old "Nate" (not his real name) and his parents. At the same time, Will ran out of the classroom calling "Mommy!" So, I ushered Will back in the room with Nate, all the while being extra friendly to Nate and introducing him to Will. Nate promptly takes Will's puzzle away from him, his parents (rather than explain the concept of sharing), turn to me and say, "Nate really doesn't understanding sharing." I brush it off with a smile, "that's okay." And watch with pride as Will, pleasant as ever, ignores this rudeness and simply begins playing with another puzzle.

When I go to leave, Will begins to cry again. This time, we decide I should just let it go -- he'll be fine in a few minutes. I go to the office and wait to turn in our enrollment forms, listening to Will in the next room cry for me. It's hard. But, it doesn't last all that long and is clearly handled well by the staff. As it's nearing the end, I see Nate's parents walk past the office door on their way out and hear Nate's dad say, "Well, that went well, except for that KID who won't stop CRYING."

Yah. That's right. The jerk bad-mouthed my kid. I said nothing (they didn't see me sitting in the office), mostly because I could only think of two things to say:

1. "Thanks for being such a compassionate parent!"
2. "At least MY kid knows how to SHARE."

I kept my mouth shut, figuring that saying either one of those things was not a way to start off Will's first day at school -- and our first day in this program we'd really like to stay in.

Looters: Local Thugs or Middle-aged Guys from Vermont?

While Paul and Alex were here working on cleaning up Alex's house (see posts from October 5th) they took a walk around our neighborhood and came across this guy stealing a stoplight. They confronted him. He cursed and threatened them, but when he saw they weren't kidding (and at the pleading of a woman inside the car) he stormed off and drove away. His car has Vermont plates ("NVRM1ND"). What a jerk.

FEMA ignores pre-Katrina warnings from lone NOLA employee

From The Times Picayune:

WASHINGTON -- Immediately before and after Hurricane Katrina hit the New Orleans area, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's lone official in the city e-mailed agency leaders warning of a desperate need for medical help, oxygen canisters, even food and water.

Marty Bahamonde, a FEMA public affairs official with 12 years of experience in disaster areas, on Thursday told a Senate panel investigating the disaster that for reasons he still can't quite comprehend, most of his pleas for help got little or no response.

His testimony, and the printouts of his e-mails to FEMA colleagues, give the clearest indication to date of the chaotic federal response to the disaster. They also directly contradict statements by former FEMA Director Michael Brown that he wasn't aware of the grave conditions in the city for days after the hurricane, as well as his claim in recent House testimony that he had assembled a team of FEMA officials, including doctors, before Katrina made landfall.

"There was only one (FEMA) person there, and that was me," Bahamonde said.

A Sept. 3 e-mail to a FEMA colleague seemed to sum up his assessment of the Katrina relief efforts: "The leadership from top down in our agency is unprepared and out of touch. But while I am horrified at some of the cluelessness and self-concern that persists, I try to focus on those that have put their lives on hold to help those they have never met and never will," he said.

---

Read the full article here.

A hello from Wales!

Paul received a surpise message from the owner of the Travel Bug we brought to Cafe du Monde from our first geocache find. Following the system, Paul posted the photos to the geocache site regarding the Bug. The owner, who lives in Cardiff, Wales, must have checked it out... then sent a friendly note wishing us well in re-building our city and lives and thanked us for the fun beignet-filled photos with the tea house. It was a wonderful surprise from across the ocean and made our day!

Yet another reason why today is a great day.

This day is getting better and better!

Adventures in the Rebuilding City

Today was a great day. We found a school for Will!! He loved (cried when we left), the facility is beautiful, the staff nice, and (best of all) they have an opening and he'll start on Monday!! This is just about the most wonderful news we've had in a long time. It's at University Montessori, the program runs from 8:30-2:30 (you can come as early as 7:30 and leave as late as 5:30 for an extra $4.50 an hour) and includes snacks, you pack lunch everyday but Friday (pizza day). It will cost us $225/week -- $75/week more than what we are currently paying, but for twice the hours. (We forget... are we putting money aside for Will's college fund or pre-school fund?)

While Will took his afternoon nap, I braved Winn-Dixie... and found it surprisingly pleasant! I must have timed it right -- I had no wait, shelves were mostly stocked (got everything on my list except tofu), and it was clean and clear.

Then -- we took a drive downtown to be a part of Cafe du Monde's re-opening. It was wonderful (how can Cafe du Monde ever not be?) and we had fun with Will. We also took our travel bug, the "Tea Bug." Travel bugs travel through special caches (we're talking geocaching again) and go around the country. You take pictures with them in various places or in certain specific activities (for example, you take the "swinging Goofy" bug swing dancing) and you log the activity with a picture and send it to the geocache sight. Our Tea Bug started in the UK and likes to visit tea and coffee houses -- so we took it to Cafe du Monde on this historic re-opening!

We then enjoyed a leisurely walk around the Quarter and returned home. Pictures from our city tour and outings today are below.

'nuf said! 

Devil in a bikini outside a local children's clothing store. 

Wal-Mart shopping carts -- about 20 blocks from the looted Wal-Mart. 

Cafe du Monde -- October 19! 

Our travel bug! Poised with beignets and iced coffee (the beignets were for Paul and Will... I blissed out on the coffee... decaf, of course!) Cafe du Monde!

The travel bug!

Will goes crazy on beignets!