I tried to post this on Thanksgiving but Sam was having some trouble so I couldn't...
I find myself really missing my loved ones during the holiday season... I mostly miss my grandma Nettie... Thanksgiving really has not been the same for me since she had passed 3 years ago. When I was little Thanksgiving would be at Grandma's. It was THE BEST!!! I still can remember every single detail of what she made for our thanksgiving feast and believe me it was a feast... It was a true Sicilian thanksgiving and I have yet to have one better.
Nettie would start out with antipasto on the table. The antipasto consisted of hard chunks of provolone, sopressata(Italian hard salami), tons of olives that were generously sprinkled over 2 small silver trays of raw fennel, roasted peppers that she always made herself, marinated artichoke hearts, tomato and mozzarella balls, Italian marinated vegetable salad, stuffed mushrooms, and a ton of crusty fresh Italian bread. Now my family always got to Grandma's first so I always wanted to help. The house was small so all of the refrigerated items would be kept cold out on the porch...
If anyone dared open up one of her carefully Saran wrapped trays before she opened them up you would get whacked so hard on the knuckles with a wooden spoon that you would feel it for days. And of course this was never considered child abuse... Can you imagine if we did that now...
Next course always consisted of pasta, pasta and more pasta... Usually she would make baked macaroni, but through the years she would change it up a bit and make stuffed shells or manicotti (which she made from scratch). With the pasta was always meatballs, sausage, etc...
The main course of course you had the turkey (which I never ate), mashed sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, mashed potatoes with mozzarella (you haven't lived unless you have tasted these and there was NEVER any left), stuffing (which was a sausage and rice stuffing), stuffed artichokes, cranberry sauce right out of the can, and gravy. No I didn't forget anything... there was never a green veggie served with the main course.
And then there was desert... My cousin Francis always made something and still does called a jello cake. Its really really good, but to be honest I only ever first tasted about 3 years ago and she has been making it for every single holiday since before I was born. Grandma always had roasted chestnuts and fruit on the table and a ton of assorted Italian pastries, pies, cheesecake and some sort of chocolate cake. It was gluttonous...
Holidays have been tough since we had Sam. We usually have them here because with his hectic medical schedule its just so much easier for us to be in the house. This year my parents decided to stay in Florida and we didn't want Sam to be around little kids because we have been having a tough fall/winter season so far. My dad's Aunt and Uncle who so conveniently live down the block invited us over to their apartment for Thanksgiving. My cousin Dorothy was there with her husband Roger and their daughter Samantha and son Aaron. We had such a lovely time and were so grateful to have spent Thanksgiving with family. I made the appetizer course which consisted of my grandmother's stuffed mushrooms and they came out EXACTLY like she use to make them. I was so proud of myself. While I was making them I could hear her telling me what to do and sure enough they tasted identical! My cousin Roger made the main course which was not traditional but delicious nonetheless. He made something called a chulent which is basically everything in one pot slowly cooked for about 24 hours. And my Aunt Sonia, who happens to be the world's greatest baker made some of the most delicious old school Jewish baked goods EVER! I have to learn... she is an amazing cook.
So that was our Thanksgiving and it was very nice. I will try and post more pictures soon and write more about what's going on over here.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Real Halloween Pics
Today we dressed Sam up as Clint Eastwood. Grandma Band made the costume herself, she is very creative. Sam really liked his costume and had fun strolling around the neighborhood.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Has it been that long...
I know, I know, I haven't written in a while, a long while. So what's new???
Sam - Sam has been sick 3 times so far this season with 2 ER visits. ER visits are never fun. One reason being if your in the ER with your baby then chances are he's in pretty bad shape and two, it just sucks being in the ER. It takes forever to get seen, get tests done, get them read, its uncomfortable, G-d only knows what the kid next to you has, etc... However... I was recently asked to join the Family Advisory Board at Maimonides Medical Center and since then we have been treated like VIPs which is nice. This past visit we had a private room with a flat screen TV. Yup in the ER... In a NYC hospital that is HUGE! Sam is on the mend now and seems to be doing much much better. But I have to say every single time my baby gets sick I get the same anxious feeling that I may lose him this time. You might think I'm crazy but the truth is Sam never gets a small cold. When Sam gets sick his lungs give out and he goes into major respiratory compromise which then leads to food intolerance which then leads to dehydration and so on and so forth... I went for 4 days straight with no sleep. I'm not talking an hour here or an hour there, I'm talking not a
f***ing wink for four days. People have tried to tell me to get some rest, but the truth is if my baby ain't breathing I ain't sleeping. Even if I wanted to sleep my mind would not let me.
Scott - Scott's hanging in there. He's been working very hard. In by 7am home by about 10pm. He's a good man to work so had for his family, we're proud of him.
Me - I was off from my course for about 3 weeks because of all the Jewish holidays but now I have class next Sunday and I just cannot get my brain together enough to work on my lecture...
Sam - Sam has been sick 3 times so far this season with 2 ER visits. ER visits are never fun. One reason being if your in the ER with your baby then chances are he's in pretty bad shape and two, it just sucks being in the ER. It takes forever to get seen, get tests done, get them read, its uncomfortable, G-d only knows what the kid next to you has, etc... However... I was recently asked to join the Family Advisory Board at Maimonides Medical Center and since then we have been treated like VIPs which is nice. This past visit we had a private room with a flat screen TV. Yup in the ER... In a NYC hospital that is HUGE! Sam is on the mend now and seems to be doing much much better. But I have to say every single time my baby gets sick I get the same anxious feeling that I may lose him this time. You might think I'm crazy but the truth is Sam never gets a small cold. When Sam gets sick his lungs give out and he goes into major respiratory compromise which then leads to food intolerance which then leads to dehydration and so on and so forth... I went for 4 days straight with no sleep. I'm not talking an hour here or an hour there, I'm talking not a
f***ing wink for four days. People have tried to tell me to get some rest, but the truth is if my baby ain't breathing I ain't sleeping. Even if I wanted to sleep my mind would not let me.
Scott - Scott's hanging in there. He's been working very hard. In by 7am home by about 10pm. He's a good man to work so had for his family, we're proud of him.
Me - I was off from my course for about 3 weeks because of all the Jewish holidays but now I have class next Sunday and I just cannot get my brain together enough to work on my lecture...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Hippotherapy
Scott and I recently started Sammy in Hippotherapy.
What is hippotherapy you say??? Hippotherapy is a treatment that uses the multidimensional movement of the horse; from the Greek word "hippos" which means horse. Specially trained physical, occupational and speech therapists use this medical treatment for clients who have movement dysfunction.
Why the Horse you say??? The horse's walk provides sensory input through movement which is variable, rhythmic and repetitive. The resultant movement responses in the client are similar to human movement patterns of the pelvis while walking. The variability of the horse's gait enables the therapist to grade the degree of sensory input to the client, then use this movement in combination with other clinical treatments to achieve desired results. Physically, hippotherapy can improve balance, posture, mobility and function. Hippotherapy may also affect psychological, cognitive, behavioral and communication functions for clients of all ages. Clients who may benefit from hippotherapy can have a variety of diagnoses: examples include Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Developmental Delay, Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, Autism and Learning or Language Disabilities. However, hippotherapy is not for every client. Each potential client must be evaluated on an individual basis by specially trained health professionals.
And best of all its fun!!! I love horses I have been riding since I was about five and just adore it so to be able to engage Sam in an activity that I also love so much means a lot to me. Scott on the other hand... well let's just say that Scott doesn't like animals too much and he is also allergic to everything, but he's game for anything that will help Sam.
What is hippotherapy you say??? Hippotherapy is a treatment that uses the multidimensional movement of the horse; from the Greek word "hippos" which means horse. Specially trained physical, occupational and speech therapists use this medical treatment for clients who have movement dysfunction.
Why the Horse you say??? The horse's walk provides sensory input through movement which is variable, rhythmic and repetitive. The resultant movement responses in the client are similar to human movement patterns of the pelvis while walking. The variability of the horse's gait enables the therapist to grade the degree of sensory input to the client, then use this movement in combination with other clinical treatments to achieve desired results. Physically, hippotherapy can improve balance, posture, mobility and function. Hippotherapy may also affect psychological, cognitive, behavioral and communication functions for clients of all ages. Clients who may benefit from hippotherapy can have a variety of diagnoses: examples include Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Developmental Delay, Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke, Autism and Learning or Language Disabilities. However, hippotherapy is not for every client. Each potential client must be evaluated on an individual basis by specially trained health professionals.
And best of all its fun!!! I love horses I have been riding since I was about five and just adore it so to be able to engage Sam in an activity that I also love so much means a lot to me. Scott on the other hand... well let's just say that Scott doesn't like animals too much and he is also allergic to everything, but he's game for anything that will help Sam.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
No News is Good News...
Everything is copacetic in Shmuel Dov land, thank G-d. Sam is now part of a research study that is being conducted by one of his pulmonologists. It is very interesting and I will post more about this later as I know the information will help a lot of our friends out there in cyberspace who have little guys like Sammy. Sam also started something called Hippo therapy which is a therapeutic type of horse back riding for children and adults with special needs. Sam likes it a lot.
Scott has been crazzzzzy busy at work as I am sure you can all imagine with the financial world crumbling to the ground. I have not seen him in the past 2 weeks except for on the weekend.
And me... Well,I have just been holding down the fort here in Bensonhurst... I started teaching again last Sunday. I am teaching a different class this semester and I have the same girls that I taught last year. This is their last semester. Some of them seemed happy to see me and some of them gave me the "oh know not her" look... Either way I am happy to be working again. I love teaching...
Scott has been crazzzzzy busy at work as I am sure you can all imagine with the financial world crumbling to the ground. I have not seen him in the past 2 weeks except for on the weekend.
And me... Well,I have just been holding down the fort here in Bensonhurst... I started teaching again last Sunday. I am teaching a different class this semester and I have the same girls that I taught last year. This is their last semester. Some of them seemed happy to see me and some of them gave me the "oh know not her" look... Either way I am happy to be working again. I love teaching...
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