BFMV 2008...continued...

First off, thanks to all for your best wishes and for thinking of Zelda.
Second...things I absolutely love about southern California: Trader Joes, Rockin' Kid Shop in Eagle Rock, 6 kiwis for $1.69, the green, green grass, the beautifully appointed renovation of Huntington Hospital - so glamorous, so stucco, so well landscaped...there's more...

DAY 5 - BEACH, we headed out early to go down to Venice Beach, call friends, swim in the ocean, visit galleries, etc. A perfect day despite the fact that Zelda has now learned how to throw a perfect tantrum - kicking, screaming, uncontrollable agony for all involved. The water was lovely, the beach was sandy - it was everywhere: in their ears, in their hair, in their diapers, in their P-suits (the word that Creed has designated for bathing suits!) Creed loved the ocean, Zelda not so much. I love the ocean, Evan not so much, as witnessed below from his beach attire.
We love the galleries on Main: Urban Country and Obsolete. If Urban Country is well- edited, then Obsolete is sheer opera. So inspirational...we hit Abbott Kinney for a bit of shopping and ate french fries on the 'boardwalk' - such as it is.


Speaking of tantrums, that evening I discovered a huge hematoma looking bruise on my shin with an engorged, swollen vein popping out. Evan was afraid of a blood clot or at worst, an aneurism that would kill me and leave him alone to raise 2 hellacious toddlers. He made me walk across the street to the ER and when asked what had happened I could only recall Zelda perhaps kicking me with legs flying as I removed her from her beloved swing. Four hours spent in the ER was not very glamourous...

DAY 6 - DOWNTOWN to Robertson to do retail research, we visited Lisa Kline, Kitson and Zelda's preferred shopping destination of Chanel. As we strolled past The Ivy, coming up on the entrance of the Chanel boutique, Zelda made a deliberate turn to enter on her own. It was quiet (no one is shopping these days) and she was greeted by the sales associate who stated "This girl knows what she likes..." Oh, her tastes are expensive! She then proceded to enjoy the music while babbling and smiling with the sales girls and checking out the marble steps and black and white lacquer interior of the beautiful shop. The girls loved her and offered to babysit while I went next store for lunch. Needless to say, la petite Z had found her niche and I see double C's in our future!
We then checked out the Museum of Neon Art downtown and several galleries.
The evening turned out to be quite fabulous. Thanks to the good friend, Jacqueline, of my fabulous friend, Stephen Moser, we found childcare so we could attend a chic little cocktail party in Malibu. We dropped the twins off with the wonderful Jacqueline, her family and babysitter so we could make the drive to the sea. It was a very generous and gracious offer that gave Evan and me some alone time.
The occasion was a surprise 40th birthday party for Evan's cousin, Michael, thrown by his partner, Sean. The two are quite the jetsetters and although they live in Vegas, the party was in a fancy little Malibu home with a view to die for and a guest list to match. We met a head designer for Versace and her partner who's an editor for Italian Vogue, the creative director for Bally, Oprah's decorator and home makeover guru, a producer from Extreme Home Makeover, a wild LA psychic, and an actress who I adore who's been on the Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who. Oh, and there were others from Milan, Hong Kong, London, Dallas, LA, Vegas and of course, Austin...

DAY 7 - DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENTS and a checkup for Zelda filled the morning...we then headed off to Fullerton, near Anaheim to visit my cousin Charlotte and her 'water pool'. Creed was in heaven. Zelda enjoyed climbing her stairs and was introduced to the music of The Beach Boys. It was wonderful to have a home cooked meal and to catch up on family news.
That evening continued with a bit more fabulousness for Evan. He was able to attend the after-birthday party for Michael with a smaller cast of characters at the swanky Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. I stayed home in our little room at the RMH and the twins I watched the Olympics. Lots more 'water pool" excitement as Michael Phelps won more gold medals!

DAY 8 - ROSE BOWL FLEA MARKET was our early morning destination. The twins are antique show/flea market veterans at this point so we got them some snacks & bottles of water while Evan and I looked for that special 'orphan' (that item that everyone else neglects but you fall in love with and take home) among the vast acreage of treasures. It was hot, hot, hot and we headed back to RMH to nap. Our last afternoon was spent in downtown Pasadena. If only there was a way we could afford to live and work in this glorious little city, we would buy this building, live up in the loft/studio space and open a gallery below:


DAY 9 - HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN JIGGETY JIG...superstars at LAX

Zelda's vacation...

"Exam under anesthesia both eyes. Fundus photos. Fluorescein engiography both eyes. Possible Pars Plana vitrectomy w/ membrane peeling either eye."

So, we leave for California on Sunday. Her exam is on Monday. Just keep the Z-bomb in your thoughts. I know she'll be fine but it still sucks.

And what are you doing for your vacation?...

Cha-ching...

Something I just learned...did you know that both current Canadian and Mexican series of banknotes have raised symbols - known as tactile markings - for easy identification by the blind or visually impaired? European currency uses different sizes and colors. It's only US currency that is lame...No matter how organized a blind person in America may be by folding their bills and such, they still must initially depend on a seeing person to distinguish between the differing amounts of the bills. Get with the program, America!

I am looking forward to that commemorative Louis Braille coin however. And it will have braille on it. I think it will be out by the 200th anniversary of his birthday in January.

UPDATE: Stay tuned for our 3rd Annual Big Fat Medical Vacation...that is, we'll be heading to Los Angeles for the yearly eye doctor visit in August. Zelda needs to see her retinologist. California here we come...

The inmates were running the prison.

So, upon our return to the RMH after our weekend in Vegas, we were moved to a slighty bigger room - at least we could fit in 2 porta-cribs! Our daily routine consisted of waking up - whenever! - our Texas schedule went out the window suffering from time difference + lack of our beloved nanny's time clock + living together in one room. We took our breakfast downstairs in the kitchen, thanks to these chairs: Phil & Ted's Me Too! (highly recommended for jet-setting toddlers). They can accomodate up to 35 lbs of toddler but fold up flat, weigh less then 2 lbs and can easily be packed into a suitcase. I really appreciate good design.
Dining out even for a quick lunch is difficult with twins at this age...i.e. there is no "You eat while I walk the kid around the patio". It basically consists of shoving the food in your mouth while you each monitor one twin who is ready to explode at any moment. I really do think that it's just the age - but I will add that Zelda definately has a harder time of sitting still for no reason. Nothing to look at for entertainment. Once she's done, she's done. Up and out. Things to do... So our meals, when not taking day trips, were all eaten at the RMH.

Segway into the inmates: have you ever smelled chicken legs boiled beyond belief then sauteed in cheap corn oil in an old frying pan at say, midnight?! Our first room was up the stairs from the kitchen and I had to sleep with a pillow over my nose. Why are these people cooking at midnight? Why is a child bouncing a basketball in the bathroom at 9pm when my baby is recovering from surgery? Why is a mom vacuuming at 10pm? - actually 9:58pm, I think she knew the rules. Our second room was a bit more private and we gracefully settled into putting the twins to sleep at night and then feigning sleep on the bed near them since they knew we were there. When they finally were asleep we would pop in our latest Blockbuster DVD and try to keep our eyes open long enough to make it to the credits.

Despite my bitching and the disorganization of our accomodations during this particular trip, I must say that we love the Ronald McDonald House organization. This was our 3rd trip staying out in their Pasadena location. Evan spent a month there when Zelda was 3 months old and living in the NICU at Huntington Hospital while I lived at RMH in Houston for 3 1/2 months. Their generosity, hospitality and support for families with children dealing with medical issues is without compare. By the time we had left Pasadena, we had met families with a child suffering from bone cancer, a little girl with facial dysplasia, a 12 year old boy with paralysis from a gunshot wound to the head and his dad who were the only survivng members of their family killed by bandits in Honduras and a couple whose baby, with an immune disorder, lived inside the hospital in a sealed environment. All of us are families from different economic and cultural backgrounds that are linked by out-of-control medical bills and travel away from home, and yet wanting the very best for our children.

Evan and I are so very, very lucky that Creed and Zelda continue to grow and thrive.

Our big fat, Medical Vacation....

Whew! What a trip: take 2 highly opinionated, creative, active adults and put them with 2 crazy, learning-to-do-everything toddlers and shake 'em all up. Put them in one room at the Ronald McDonald House in Pasadena, California for over 2 weeks and intersperse their stay with medical appointments, a surgery and a procedure and what do you get? Almost but not quite murder...

It was wild but we did have some fun.
Upon arriving, we were checked into our 10' x 10' square room at RMH. It had 1 double bed - that's it for 4 of us. "There must be something wrong!", I assumed, "I called ahead"! But there was literally no room at the Inn for several days so we hunkered down and snuggled up. Zelda slept in a Pak n'Play and well, Creed: he slept in the closet! We made him a little pallet of blankets and after he would fall asleep on our chests at night, we would move him into his little hidey-hole and just leave the door ajar until morning. Of course under the circumstances, he was only 2 feet from our bed so we could see him as he slept. After the first night, the New Jersey in me came out and I immediately put in for a room change. This was not acceptable!

We checked in with Dr Tawansy who delighted in seeing the progress of the twins. Zelda smiled, did her little 'River Dance' steps while Creed charged around his office. Zelda's surgery was scheduled for the next day. It went off without a hitch. He performed a vitrectomy to clean a hemorrhage out of her left eye. Theoretically, her left eye is her 'bad eye' with little chance of vision. The retina was never properly formed and there is little or no vascularization. We have the surgeries to keep her eyes healthy. They seem to be growing despite her micro-opthalmia and Dr Tawansy was able to measure her eyes, photograph them and estimate an appropriate prescription for some new spectacles. Luckily her retinas have remained re-attached (she had retinal re attachments performed last summer). The most difficult part of this most recent surgery was her waking up from the anesthesia - it was harder than ever. She was miserably writhing, crying, trying to rip out her IV and refusing to eat. Of course, you are not allowed to leave the hospital after a day surgery until the child can drink something and Zelda simply refused. I think it's a toddler thing. Creed had a similar reaction this time as well - and never before, in all of their surgeries, have they ever reacted like this. The poor little pumpkins!

We decided to drive to Las Vegas for Memorial Day weekend and stay with Michael & Sean. Michael is Evan's cousin and he lives in an amazing house in an old Vegas neighborhood called the Scotch 80's. They have done a gorgeous job remodeling this over 5000sq ft house and they are excellent hosts. Evan had a few contacts to make - he sold 2 vintage neon signs as home decor - so it was both business and pleasure. We spent a lovely day at the Turnberry Country Club and the twins enjoyed swimming in a very chic and extremely warm swimming pool. Evan & I enjoyed margaritas! The road trip/traffic was hell on the highway from LA to Vegas and back as it was the holiday weekend. Notable sights along the way included: the Converse sneaker outlet in Primm, NV where they twins aquired their first pair of All Stars, the aging "lot lizards" (that would be prostitutes) in Barstow, and the Alien Jerky shop (I loved the combination of selling beef jerky with a Roswell twist) in another little town whose name I have forgotten.

Back to RMH, safe and sound after a long weekend, we readied for another week of day trips around the LA area and visits with Dr Tawansy. (to be continued...)

Promises, promises...

We have been back from California for almost a week now and I promise that I'll update tomorrow. For now I'll leave you with a few highlights of our "medical vacation" - that's what I'm calling it since the twins officially only had 2 procedures as outpatients and the rest of the time was spent entertaining the toddlers and trying not to kill each other. So, think: dr's appointments, eye surgery, Memorial Day weekend in Vegas, more dr's appts, Rockin' Baby Shop, downtown Pasadena, thai food, antique shops, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, the Watts Towers, the LA County Museum, Fred Segal, Kidspace, Applegate Gallery, Santa Barbara, eye procedures, lots of movies rented from Blockbuster, lots of Pirate Booty, avocados and meals in the kitchen at the Ronald McDonald House.

California here we come...

Do you remember that episode of "I Love Lucy" where Ricky & Lucy, Fred & Ethel drive cross-country in a convertible? Ricky gets a job in Hollywood and of course, they all go with him. They've have all kinds of adventures along the way. I loved that series. Am I showing my age?

Anyway, we're off to California - Pasadena to be exact - on Wednesday. Another schlep through the airport with the twins but at least we'll have a direct flight to LAX. We're getting pretty good at this travel-with-toddlers thing. Once there, we'll rent a car and settle into the Ronald McDonald House in Pasadena. We've stayed there twice before. Evan spent a month there with Zelda while she was still in the NICU and having her first eye surgeries. Then last summer, the 4 of us spent 2 weeks out there so that both twins could have exams and surgeries. Our eye doctor of choice is Dr Khaled Tawansy (of course recommended by the Oracle) who has experience dealing with toxo kids as well as ROP - that's retinopathy of prematurity, for all of you non-preemie parents out there. Zelda will hopefully have outpatient surgery as well as exams to be fitted for some new little spectacles. Creed will be examined as well - possibly under sedation - and will be fitted for some stylin' new glasses. I'll go into the surgeries later and spare you the details for now. Just please, wish us luck - or more specifically the eyes of our tiny toddlers.

Pasadena promises to be sunny and temperate. It's a lovely town filled with mid-century sprawling homes with lush gardens of the most gorgeous flowers and greenery. Each time we go, I try and imagine us living there. If only...
When not in hospitals and appointments we'll spend our days visiting museums, galleries, the beach and eating Thai food at our favorite Pasadena restaurant. We'll have mojitos at the Hotel Figueroa and eat steak at the Original Pantry. There's a Dan Flavin expo at the LA County Museum and a gallery in Santa Monica is interested in Evan's work. The RMcHouse has a lovely lawn and Zelda has a new bathing suit. My plan is by the time we return home, the twins will be proficient in drinking from cups on their own. Not sippy cups, mind you! Creed is well on his way, hence the bathing suit attire for la petite Z.

So off we go, I'll try and update from there.