Baby Pics!

Sorry for the delay, everyone! Without further ado, introducing baby Parvez!








mom and baby continue to do fine. Here's a selection from the first 1000 or so pics I've already taken. Parents are en route from our home town as we speak. He has been exceptionally calm throughout today. He looks about, whimpers occasionally, and rarely cries.

Fingers crossed that this disposition keeps! Expect more pics once the family starts to arrive...

It's a Boy! (we already knew that!)

Tahera and baby are doing fine. 6lbs 15oz, born @ 3:01am. And he's lanky like his old man!

pics to come, patience everyone!

It's Time!!!

Greetings, and good morning from Magee Women's Hospital! It's April 23rd at 12:30 am, and I am sitting bedside in the Labor and Delivery Wing, awaiting the imminent arrival of our son, [insert name here].

Monday morning Tahera began to have infrequent mild contractions, which steadily progressed throughout the day. By very early Tuesday morning we were both up and her contractions were happening every ~10-15 minutes. We both suspected that a certain someone's birthday was going to be very soon, so I took paternity leave and accompanied T to her scheduled OB appointment. By that time, we were up to roughly every 8-10 minutes, and they were noticably stronger. The doctor noted that it could be any time, but it was also possible that she could continue this way for another week.

Well, as anyone who knows Tahera will attest she's pretty big on sticking to schedule. No more than 3 hours after her appointment, her contractions had progressed to under every 5 minutes, and we headed off to the hospital!

So far things have been progressing quite steadily. It was a pretty uncomfortable for T until she got her epidural, but since then, smooth sailing (she even let me take that picture!). Immediate family have all been contacted, and we're expecting the Parvez and Ejaz clans to descend upon Western PA starting tomorrow AM.

She's still got a little ways to go, but we're expecting him to be along any hour now. (for you doctor-types, she's +1, 8cm, 100%)

Thanks for checking in, and stay tuned for more updates!

Slow Day

So yeah, Long time no post. Lots of things have been happening here at Casa di Parvez. Since it's a slow day on the Neurology service, it seems like a good time to do an update.

Delivery 2008

Yes folks, as of Wednesday of last week, our little peanut had served a full term as the incumbent baby in Tahera's belly. The votes have been cast and it's unanimous: We'd like to see our little buddy make a graceful exit from "office." However, he stubbornly refuses to even give the slightest suggestion of wanting to come out. When we talk about it, he gets angry, undoubtedly pouts, and then gives his opinion on the matter by kicking Tahera squarely in the liver. He then elbows her navel for good measure. I sense it won't be this week either, but hey, you never know.

The baby's room is ( (still) essentially) done. The window seat only needs 3 front pieces mounted with finishing nails, and a coat of white paint, and presto. It's certainly at the point I can comfortably call "Parvez Done," which helps to explain why the last hour of work is taking so long to be embarked upon. We'll get there. Maybe even tonight, if I ever get out of work.

Otherwise, We seem to have all the baby essentials. Carseat? Check. Stroller? Check. Co-Sleeper? Check. Crib? Check. stuffed animals, books, bottles, binkies, burp cloths, rattles, socks, shoes, helmets, parachutes, x-ray specs? Freakin CHECK. Sanity? well... so far so good, but that'll probably be the first thing to go.

Tahera has been busily preparing final details regarding our trip to Magee Women's Hospital. For all interested parties, expect to find some pertinent information (directions, etc) coming your way very soon.

When the time comes for the actual delivery, I'll be sure to have plenty of techie-techie on hand, as I'm sure peanut can't wait to get started with that stuff (he is a Parvez, after all). The hospital has internet access, so I plan on blogging frequent updates while we're there for all you viewers at home.

Work

Like I said above, I started the first of 2 months of Neurology a week ago. It's interesting, and certainly it's a change of pace (I am here typing this, after all..). The days themselves are longer, but it hasn't been quite as strenuous as my last 3 months of Family Medicine were.

I have a month of medical care for psychiatric patients back at WPIC in May, then Neuro again, then I'm done with 1st year! WPIC has a pretty generous paternity leave policy, and I've saved up some vacation time, so I'm going to get to have a fair bit of quality time with our son after he's born.

The plan as of now is this: I'm taking a week off starting when peanut signals he's ready to move into a larger living space (complete with window seat!). Subsequently, I'm going to return to work for a few weeks, then take another 2 weeks off. I'm figuring on there being a fair amount of people staying with us in the immediate post-partum period, and as the crowd starts to dwindle, I'll be starting my 2 weeks off and can pick up the slack.

Even though the header of this paragraph is work, as you can see, there's more important things on my mind at the moment.

What else? (Welcome Matt!)

Aside from all of the above, T and I have had time to go on a few adventures lately. Matt Oldfield, a dear friend of ours from HHDS, has taken the plunge and joined the ranks of Western Pennsylvania. He's taken a job here in Pittsburgh and we're proud to now call him "Neighbor", (even if he still lives like 35 minutes away). This past weekend, we took him to one of our favorite greasy spoons here in the 'burgh. De Luca's Restaurant is "Home of the Best Breakfast" in the city. The food is delicious, portions are huge, the service prompt, and the atmosphere... Did I mention how good the food was? Ok, so it's kind of a hole in the wall, but whatever, good eats is good eats.

We welcome Matt to the City of Bridges, and look forward to many fun and carefree days ahead, that is, of course, until his Bundle(s) of Joy arrive sometime next fall! Then we look forward to playdates, and many future apologies to the Oldfield family for the horrid words my kid is surely going to teach theirs.

Ok. Pager's going off. Time to get back to work!

Miss You

Zipper AND a button. Soon.

Sharing is Caring

Tagged by S with the following instructions:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open it at page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence/ phrase.
4. Blog the next four sentences/ phrases together with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig your shelves for that very special or intellectual book.
6. Pass it forward to six friends

This is HILARIOUS:

"If you were to have nude portraits taken periodically during your pregnancy, you'd see your breasts grow, your nipples get larger and darker, and your whole decolletage move farther south. Your breasts may even develop stretch marks. Your breasts will stay voluptuous during your pregnancy and for as long as your breastfeed. Then, after weening (and even if you don't breastfeed at all), they'll be flatter and less pert than before."

S, still embarrassed about the Weight Watchers Cookbook???

I'd love to pass this along, but don't have 6 friends who blog. Even if I did, I don't think they'd admit to being my friend after this little gem.

Checkup Time!

Tomorrow is 34 Weeks!!! Horray for Peanut!! (and T, of course!)

4 Things

Yikes! Our computer totally crashed. Totally. Two whole days without internet access. Scary times.

S, I love your tag! Here goes:

Four jobs I've had

Clerk at my mom's health food store

Suckering people into applying for a Sears credit card

Coffee shop girl

Director for middle school enrichment program

Four places I've lived

Horseheads, NY

Binghamton, NY

Buffalo, NY

Pittsburgh, PA

Four places I've been on vacation

France

Barbados

Mexico

Maui

Four of my favorite foods

Chocolate

Aziza's Thanksgiving Dinner

My dad's shrimp biryani

Cheescake Factory's Godiva Brownie Sundae

Four places I'd rather be

At a spa

Crane Beach, Barbados

Shopping

Outdoor cafe

Peanut will SO be getting one of these.

But if he doesn't like Spiderman-- Wait... That's just crazy-talk.

Jazz Hands!

Just when I thought I couldn't be more excited about being a dad...

I see this.

Coolest. Toy. Ever.

The Sweetest Thing

We received the cutest V-Day card from Mom and Dad Ejaz. I just have to share.

Surprise Package

Hmmm. A package...

I'm liking where this is going

Beautious

and delicious!



Thanks Pika!

Nursery Update

Peanut's nursery has been turned into shambles. You can draw your own conclusions.

Whole Foods

It's a beautiful thing. I have to smile every time I walk through those doors. Everything is just so pretty. I paid a visit early this morning. "Good Morning", the produce boy greeted me as he stacked nectarines in a perfect pyramid. "Good Morning", I replied... and actually meant it. He looked really happy to be surrounded by all that whole foodiness.
I'm not even 10 steps in the door and already distracted by the striped orchid bouquets. I have to remind myself 'Resident's salary. I'm here for the cat.'
The only bad thing about Whole Foods is that I can't afford to do all my shopping there. So I only grab the cat food today and get in the express line; the nine items or less line. The lady in front of me manages to rack up a bill of $90. I didn't see how many items she had, but best case scenario would make it an average $10 for each item! Yikes. I'll be sticking to toothpaste and cat food for awhile.

What's for Dinner?

Even with millions of recipes from cuisines around world available online, sometimes I just don't know what to make for dinner. When nothing else strikes my fancy, I turn to pizza. I'm always in the mood for pizza and love this simple dough recipe from Wolfgang Puck.

Ingredients:
1 package active dry or fresh yeast
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water (105º F to 115º F)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Method:
1. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in 1/4 cup of the warm water.
2. In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, yeast mixture, and the remaining 3/4 cup of water and mix on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes. (The pizza dough can also be made in a food processor. Dissolve the yeast as above. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse once or twice, add the remaining ingredients, and process until the dough begins to form a ball.)3. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand 2 or 3 minutes longer. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. (When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled.)
4. Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500º F.
5. Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4 or 5 times. Then on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
6. To prepare each pizza, dip the ball of dough into flour, shake off the excess flour, place the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface, and start to stretch the dough. Press down on the center, spreading the dough into an 8-inch circle, with outer border a little thicker than the inner circle. If you find this difficult to do, use a small rolling pin to roll out the dough. Lightly brush the inner circle of the dough with oil and arrange the toppings of your choice over the inner circle.

This pizza is topped with garlic, spinach, ricotta and mozzarella.


Hubby approves.

Pretty in Fuschia?

Ok S, here it is. You can't get the full poof effect from the photo, but it was the only one I could find. There was major crinoline under that toule and therefore some serious spinning took place that night. A lot of thought went into this whole get-up. My nails, lips, and hair sparklies all matched my dress. A vision. And for the record, I did not go to prom with my husband's best friend.

Lust

Sweet Tooth

I've never thought twice about my diet, but maybe I should start. This past weekend I had 3 brownie sundaes.

Monday it was blueberry muffins



Today it's blondies

Who knows what tomorrow brings. Maybe a wedding cake?

Go Big Blue

While Riz was on call this weekend, I ventured to Fredonia, NY to watch Medina's cheer competition. I must be getting old because she had me gasping with every stunt, toss, and pose. I don't think I breathed the whole time she was out there. It's fuzzy, but that's her on top. I think she's thrilled, but then again I was making the same face.

I prefer her much better this way. Boppin around on solid ground.

Admiring her poise. Great job, babe! I wish I had that much pep.

Earth to Riz

Rizwan unabashedly blissful in the sexy-talking massage chair at the Sharper Image

Riz and T go green

That's Riz and the other T in our life posing in their matching green attire. This past weekend the Halls made the drive from Buffalo in white-out conditions (pretty much doubling their driving time) to visit us in Pittsburgh. Most pics of the weekend were taken with the film camera so hopefully we'll get those up soon.
It was a short visit but we packed in it with mucho fun things (IKEA!!!) despite the chilly temps. Always great to see old pals. Come see us again when the weather is a bit more predictable. Maybe we'll have seen Spinny Top by then.

And that's a wrap!

One weekend call down, a ton more to go!

The 6:30 show is entirely different from the 11:30 show...

For one nite only!

"Potato Crusted Cod, feat. Steamed Carrots, Mashed Potatos, and Beefgravy"

12 hours, 20 minutes and counting...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...

"Beefaroni"

::sigh:: 19 hours, 45 minutes On Call to go...

Nursery Update

We're making progress! We (Riz has) painted the room...twice. Turns out I didn't like the first shade of green after all. Whoopsie. We're now working on a window seat. Lofty ideas.

It's Hill-Billy Time!

Tahera's car would be past inspection starting 1/2008, so immediate action had to be taken. However, as it's still rockin the NYS plates, this is easier said than done. Where can the average Western NY expatriate find an inspection shop that's open on New Year's Eve within reasonable driving distance with spaces available? 3 words:

Babcock's Tire Shop. Oh yeah, and bring your banjo.