Quote of the Day

From this morning's episode of Music and the Spoken Word:

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat."

-Theodore Roosevelt

This Conversation Never Actually Happened

I stopped at the local Red Box on the way to the hospital the other night to return a movie that Nancy had rented. When I arrived, there was a guy at the Box with his son picking out a movie. As I got out of the car, this SUV flew off the street into the parking lot and came to a sudden stop across rather than in the nearest available parking spot. The driver leapt from his seat, leaving the car running with a passenger inside. Seeing there was already someone there, he took up a spot as close to the machine as propriety would allow—and then began inching his way, none too subtly, closer to where the man and his son stood trying to pick out their video.

I remained where I was, anticipating a confrontation but determined not to let this guy bully me out of my place in line. As the fellow and his son continued to look through their choices, the other guy took out his phone and said to no one in particular, “I’m gonna check and see if I have any codes.”

About this time the man and his son made their selections and waited patiently as the Box delivered their two videos. They turned and left, and without hesitation I made my way to the box—in front of the other guy. He seemed none too happy and asked, “What makes you think you get to go first?”

“Four things,” I said. “One, I was here first. I know this because I was actually getting out of my car while you were still parking.

“Two, it’ll take me thirty seconds to return this video. You don’t even know what you’re doing yet if you’re still checking your phone for promo codes.

“Three, you don’t get to go first just because you stand closest to the Box. What are you, six? How about a little privacy?

“And four, that is the worst parking job I have ever seen, and living in Utah for the past twenty years, that’s saying something. I can only assume that your passenger’s name is Katrina, because that parking job is a disaster.

“Now, in the thirty seconds I’ve just spent explaining this to you, I could have been done and gone already, and you could be choosing your movies. So just let me get on with it, and don’t bother me anymore, please.”

And with that, I returned my video in silence.

Ewwww

Last night I was in the bathroom at the hospital when I heard someone come in and use the stall next to mine.

I didn't hear him flush--or wash his hands.

I sure hope he wasn't somebody who's taking care of our baby.

News from the World of Sophia

Sophia is three weeks old today!

Alas, she's still in the hospital—the third hospital, actually. She started having seizures about 12 hours after she was born. At first the doctors and nurses thought it was a reflux reaction, but overnight observation after her second day led them to transfer her to a bigger hospital for more thorough tests. They had her on antibiotics and phenobarbital (an anticonvulsant) for a couple of days and the seizures stopped, so they stopped the meds. Sophia began feeding by mouth around this time, too. She'd had difficulty with either breastfeeding or bottle feeding because the medication made her lethargic, so feeding on her own was a big step. It was beginning to look like we could take her home soon. Unfortunately, after about four days, the seizures started again. They put her back on the meds and began running tests again.

As far as the tests go, she's had the gamut: MRI, CT scan, blood work, EEG, and a lumbar puncture, among others. She's also had what they call a video EEG; this involves not only hooking her up to all kinds of sensors and electrodes, but recording video of her reactions and general behavior. It's a 24-hour process, and during that time, she must be disturbed as little as possible. That means, among other things, no holding by parents. Nancy was pretty shaken up when this happened, especially because the hospital hadn't informed us exactly when they were going to start the procedure. So when Nancy showed up at the hospital only to be told she couldn't hold Sophia that day, it was really for her.

Anyway, they transferred Sophia to the local Children's Hospital yesterday so that she could get more direct contact with the pediatric neurologists. Their plan, once the holiday weekend is over, is to run another battery of tests, including things they weren't set up to do at the other (second) hospital. They took a blood sample yesterday; Monday's schedule includes another lumbar puncture and possibly another round of video EEG. They have a lot more experience dealing with this sort of thing here, and they have a lot more resources to help them do it. So we're optimistic they'll finally be able to nail down the problem and determine why she continues to have the seizures.

There is good news in all of this. First, the seizures aren't severe. Her breathing and heartbeat remain strong during the episodes, so the risk of long-term damage is minimal. Second, with all the tests, the doctors have been able to eliminate several of the more worrisome potential causes: tumors, intracranial swelling, infection, and the like. At this point, they think the cause of the seizures is most likely either metabolic (which they may be able to treat with medicines or supplements) or developmental (which she may just have to grow out of). Part of the reason for tomorrow's lumbar puncture is to check neurotransmitter levels to help clarify those options.

So the most recent update is this: Sophia is now on phenobarbital, Keppra (another antiseizure medication), occasional Ativan (yet another antiseizure med), vitamin B6, and a B6 derivative called folonic acid. As of this evening, she's had only one seizure in the last 48 hours and is taking almost all of her milk by mouth. She's maintaining body temperature and has been moved out of a warmer unit and into a standard hospital crib. Overall, she's doing pretty well. If she continues to eat well and doesn't have any more serious events, we may be able to bring her home soon and treat the seizures on an outpatient basis.

We are hopeful.

--

By the way, here are three more pictures. The first two were taken today, the third, a few days ago. Enjoy!

Closing Things Out for MMIX

We had hoped to have Sophia home by now, but it looks like she'll be in the NICU until at least Monday, the day I go back to school. I'm working on a summary of our experiences so far in this regard; I hope to have it posted in the next day or two.

Until then, let me wish you a Happy New Year, loyal reader(s). I hope that 2009 treated you well, and I hope that 2010 will be even better!

Holiday Awesomeness!

For this year's Christmas season, I offered my students an opportunity to earn a little extra credit. The assignment was Chemistry Carols—in other words, some chemistry-related lyrics set to a recognizable holiday tune. Oh, and to get full credit, they had to perform it in front of the class. I got a lot of interesting submissions, but this one, from one of my AP students, was the best.

The Twelve Days of Chemistry

On the twelfth day of AP Chem, Mr. M gave to me:
* A twelve page chapter test,
* Eleven pounds of flash cards,
* Ten tiny test tubes,
* Nine moles of magnesium,
* Eight graduated cylinders,
* Seven nerdy jokes,
* Six grams of iron,
* Five hours of homework,
* Four little beakers,
* Three sexy aprons,
* Two unbalanced equations,
* And a pop quiz arbitrarily.

Even though she didn't perform it in class, she's getting full credit.

Borrowed from Facebook

This was a meme quiz that Lord Mhoram did on Facebook. So I decided to do it too...and then I decided to re-post it here.

If You Could, Would You:

Throw a chair at Barack Obama?
No. And anyone who answered "Yes" should have a chair thrown at them. Even if you don't like him, have a little respect for the office...and for a fellow human being.

Cancel NASA?
No. I'd actually increase their budget. I think what NASA does is important.

Run for president?
No, thank you. I don't need that kind of grief.

Eat the world's largest pizza?
Yes! (Not the whole thing, of course.)

Marry someone just because they're rich?
No. I've seen what happens to people who do. I don't like it.

Own a gun?
Why not? It's my right as an American citizen! :)

Run over an IRS representative?
No. See "Throw a chair" above.

Throw up on your worst enemy?
I don't have a "worst enemy".

Steal $100 from your parents?
I don't need to. My parents are very generous; we'd only need to ask.

Kill someone you hate?
No. Killing and hatred are both bad.

Destroy a type of species? If so, what would it be?
Yes. How about the virus that causes the common cold? I think we could all live without that one.

Make it snow forever?
No. If I wanted perpetual snow, I'd move to Antarctica.

Be a member of PETA?
Absolutely not.

Murder a celebrity you hate? If so, who?
No. See "Killing and hated are both bad" above.

Donate half your life savings to the homeless?
Sure. Twenty bucks isn't that big a deal.

Go back in time? If so, to what year?
I'd like to go back and see the debut performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. It's a pretty cool story.

Rather have no friends, or no family?
My family are among my best friends, so there's no way to give a meaningful answer to this question.

Just a random question: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Wherever Nancy and Sophia are.