Discharge Day

We were discharged early from the hospital today, which was a surprise, but an outcome that we preferred. The team of nurses, doctors, and support staff at Sacramento's Sutter Memorial High Risk OB team were fantastic. If one has a choice in selecting medical services, these folks are caring professionals, and I would recommend them to anyone in the area. For what its worth they are also the local crisis center for a number of surrounding counties, and have a NICU level III unit. I'm thankful we didn't need any of those services.

The girls all swaddled up and cosseted in their "boppies" which are C shaped pillows. I wonder if someone has patented the concept.

This is Ilsa in her going home outfit; apparently its traditional to wear fancy outfits for the hospital departure and photos. Of course upon arrival home, the girls get changed right back into puke proof attire.

This is Meribel, flaunting her going home outfit too. As an added perk, it came with a yellow hat. The other one had a hat too, but it got lost in all the kidparaphernalia we were issued.

One handy use for this pillow is for feeding, where the munchkin can be supported just with this, and fed easily. I fed both of them at once placing them side by side. They are hungry little hippos, and I've already had to run out for a (strangely expensive) formula resupply.

Before they discharge you from the OB unit, the nurses inspect your car seats, as well as the car. We passed, and are now all set to play bumper cars with oncoming traffic. When we got home, one of the cats came over and took an exploratory sniff of each basket, but then fled when the crying started. Both have been sulking upstairs ever since, uneasy about change they don't believe in.

Todays big development...

...was learning how to suck thumbs. Their entire hands are about the size of our adult thumbs, and they will cheerfully try to gnaw on a pinkie if they can.

The birth certificate registrar also came around today to get their offical details, and we received the temporary paperwork for the pair. In a few weeks, they will be issued official social security numbers, and be inducted into the ranks of future American taxpayers. We thought about it for a little bit, but it doesn't seem practical/feasible for them to obtain anything other than a US passport.

Footwarmers

The girls were given foot warmers this morning, to keep their tiny toes warm.  Which I suppose made them happy, until the nurse took blood samples from those same feet, in order to run 20+ tests that the state requires.  Apparently these tests catch 750 or so cases of preventable diseases in the half million or so babies born in the state each year.  So after they had the blood drawn they raised a squalling storm.

 

One of their grandmothers is over now, soothing the children.  Sorry no pictures of Jenn as she is wearing a ridiculous pink pajama that she thinks makes her look like the Easter bunny...so the paparazzi were brushed aside.

Obligatory baby pix

This is Meribel, after a tasty lunch of Enfamil.

This is Ilsa, snoozing after getting her diaper changed.

My mom can hold one of them, as long as they are not wriggling around.

Their mother can wrangle both of them. That SLR camera's picture quality is a lot better than my battered point & shoot Canon.

Jenn is feeling much better today. The first hours after the surgery were painful and nausea filled. We were given cards today that stated both passed mandated hearing tests. Apparently they put small headphones on them, as well as a brain wave monitor, and measure the response from playing sounds. By the time the girls are teenagers, I suspect they will not be listening to their parents though.

Our girl(s) Friday

Our twin girls arrived at noon, on this Good Friday.  Their names and details are:

Ilsa Courchevel Ohlsson Rao

11:56 am, April 2, 2010

5 lbs, 11 oz

18.5 in

  

Meribel Grace Ohlsson Rao

11:57am, April 2, 2010

6 lbs

18.9 in

Mother and girls are fine, but tired.  We'll be at the hospital for several days so it will be hard to reach us so please don't be alarmed if it takes a little while to get back to you.

 

Arv & Jenn

A busy weekend

We did all kinds of things this weekend

• Set up the nursery, including Dr. Seuss decals on the walls
• Donated older clothes and electronics
• Had brunch with my mom
• Visited a new church, St Pauls in Elmhurst, which is nearby, and seems nice
• Went to one of the better fish mongers (Fin's) here
• Baked a swedish braided roll (see the picture)
• Prepared for guests tomorrow, which means the cats got evicted from one of their favorite snoozing zones.
• Rode my bike to Corti Bros to pick up a veal roast

The weather has been perfect.  I'm hoping to get some skiing in midweek.

Great Cantonese

As I have mentioned before, we have been pleasantly surprised by the great Asian food we have found locally. We went the other night to New Canton, with some NYC friends who were visiting and I think the quality of the food was just as good as we would expect in either NYC or SF's Chinatown. Tonight we stopped in at a place called Bistro 33, after more classes at the hospital, and I was surprised to see that they had full bottles of Veuve Cliquot NV off their list for only $45. That's only a few bucks more than where it wholesales for, but Champagne has taken a real beating during this great recession.

I've just been swamped with things recently, so have not time to post snippets, but we are getting the last bits arranged prior to new arrivals. We have come up with a short list of names and are down to finalizing that.

More San Francisco Trip Pictures

These are pictures from Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, and the marina in Sausalito.  We got the one weekend of good weather in two months, and crammed a number of things into the weekend.

Fwd: San Francisco Trip Pictures

 

Toothless Tigers

It looks like all cats teeth had to go, on both of Nik and Zam.  There are going to be some very cranky animals when they return home. We had hoped they would be able to save a few.  They are quite old, but hopefully this will give them several more years, without the constant pain of toothaches.

Cats @ the Vets again

They are having extensive teeth extraction done, and we are hoping that Nikolai will be left with some.  But for now, it is not looking good.

 

 

La Folie in SF: Amazing

We just had dinner at La Folie, which was 3 hours long but worth the time and money. Fantastic haute cuisine French -- especially the seafood -- and a great place to mark a special occasion.

Going out at night will be much harder in a few weeks!

--
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A breezy day in San Francisco

We spent this afternoon down on the Embarcadero, enjoying the sun and wind. We stopped for a bowl of chowder and then some very messy roasted crabs. The seagulls are out in force alternating between begging and stealing chunks of sourdough bread. J bought some lilac bath salts and hopes to enjoy them tonight at the Palace hotel.

It is fun playing tourist locally.

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More Keystone & Breckenridge pictures

Here are the links for the photos Yuji uploaded:

Keystone and Breckenridge

His camera seems to have much more pixel density than my old one.

I am thinking of upgrading to a newer Canon.

Dinner at Kolani's

We had an excellent dinner at Kolani's -- a Hawaiian sushi fusion restaurant. It was the first great sushi I've had since getting out to the West Coast. They also did a version of Nobu's roast cod, although it was done with sea bass, but still it was great. It was superb...and priced at that level too. Afterwards we went for a stroll around the ice rink, which was cheerfully lit up at night.

I also enjoyed some time up at Heavenly Valley, which was bright and clear, but could use fresh snow. (The trail to the right is looking down Comet on the NV side) I'm not sure why, but the general quality of the skiers/riders there is much worse than most ski areas I've been to. It's not only ability (or lack of) but also just general cluelessness about conduct, lift lines, etiquette etc.

One thing cool about Sacramento

has been the spectrum and quality of Vietnamese restaurants. I guess in the 20 years I've been gone, there has been plenty of Southeast asian immigration so there are a wide range of Vietnamese specialty grocery stores and restaurants. I've had some great bowls of soup, as well as barbecue recently as well. It's quite different from Chinese, Thai, Japanese etc.

Many of these are just as good as Pho Pasteur and Nha Trang in NYC.

Last day at Breckendridge

We had a great last day at Breckenridge, enjoying the peak 9 area, and after getting our ski legs moving to the steeper slopes of peak 10. I just stuck to the runs down the main ridge/spine of the peak, but some of the group ventured off to try the narrower chutes down the sides.





That night we went out for sushi at Mountain Flying Fish in Breckenridge. It was ok, but in general unless you're in Whistler or Tahoe, getting sushi in the mountains is not a great plan.



It was a great day, and we got a lot of vertical in that last day, probably 20k worth even on the shorter lifts (vertical wise) of Breckenridge. Afterwards we went out looking for souvenirs, which left me underwhelmed, but we found one of the oldest saloons in the west, and stopped for a Silver Bullet.

Jesse posted a host of pictures on Picasa, which is worth the click through.

Breckenridge - two great days so far

We arrived at Breck enridge on Wednesday and took the gondola to peak 7, and from there took the Independence chair to the top. Peak 7's lower half is rolling intermediate runs, while the top is windswept open bowl skiing. We proceeded in a methodical fashion, going from right to left across the mountain: Monte Cristo, Angels Rest, Wirepatch, Pioneer, and then Claimjumper.

After a quick bite at the Sevens patio, and observing the hungry real estate agents peddling timeshares, we went down Northstar to peak 8. We rode the Colorado Super chair a number of times, gliding down Springmeir, Swinger, Powerline, Crescendo, 4 O'Clock, and Spruce. We skied fast, enjoying the soft conditions and low levels of traffic.

Here I am starting down a trail on the top of peak 7; the wind has swept the snow off the trees. On the next day, I went over to peak 9 and zoomed down all the trails there in order: Briar Rose, Cashier, Bonanza, Columbia, Sundown, American, Goldking, and Red Rover. I also went back to 8 and tried Dukes Run which I had missed before.

Here I am coming down a peak 8 trail, that was lower and better wind protected as the snow on the trees is still there. The snow conditions on Thursday improved as the day went on, as a half inch of thick flaked snow fell in the mid 20's temperatures. This made turning easier and the light snow sent people home early, leaving an empty mountain for us as the day went on.

Yuji tried snow boarding, and has made great strides. I started on peak 9, while Yuji picked 7, and after exchanging texts, we met in the middle at peak 8. We took a couple of trails and I could barely keep up with him.

This what peak 9 and 10 look like, at the end of the day.

The infamous shot ski makes an appearance, having traveled from Vermont to California and now to Colorado. After this we went out to the white table cloth chop house, Briar Rose. Dinner was very good, but I've become spoiled by great restaurants after having been in big cities for so long.

We strolled through Breckenridge's charming main street on our way to dinner, and saw their ice sculptures as well as lighted trees. The town is one of the most charming I can recall in ski country: right up there with Gstaad, Zermatt, Aspen etc -- and it all grew up organically rather than as the product of a master plan like Tremblant or Whistler (which are also charming, although not as authentic).

Keystone - the last day

Our last day at Keystone was on Tuesday. We started on the main mountain, warming up on the big Schoolmarm, and then trying the excellent Mozart, followed by Paymaster. Conditions were good, and some of the group went on to try the steep Diamondback trail but I took Mozart again down to LaBonte's cabin where we met up and then did Prospector. Then we took Spillway down to the Outback area. At this point half the group stayed there while some of skied down to the second gondola and took that back to the main mountain, coming down Spring Dipper, Sante Fe, Jacque St James, and Missouri feeding into the big River Run apron.

From there I went to the SureFit boot fitters and had some work done on my new Tecnica boots, while Jesse had his skis sharpened and waxed, which had gotten scuffed on the thinly covered Santa Fe trail. Then we wandered around the pedestrian village looking at the shops, which had very little foot traffic, but lots of sales advertised. I sent a few postcards and bought the obligatory T shirt here.

Keystone was fun, and more challenging that any of us had expected. I recommend it but don't see the particular need to come back any time soon -- the last time I was here was 14 seasons ago. It's a worthy day trip for Breckenridge visitors. Later that evening we played the Verrater card game that Alex gave us many years ago. Its complicated (rules are in German!) but was fun. It's more like a board game than a traditional card game.

A couple inches of fresh snow at Keystone

We woke up this morning to clear skies, sunshine, and a couple inches of fresh snow. It was warmer than yesterday, hitting 30F at mid mountain. After gathering our freshly tuned skis, we hopped on the (now operating) gondola and went to the top of Dercum mountain. From there we took a long cruiser, Mozart, to the Northpeak area. From there we took another lift and run to the Outback area. The runs here, although rated intermediate, were steeper and more challenging that expected. We skied long groomed runs down the face -- Elk Run and Porcupine. They were challenging, and we took a pit stop afterwards, lunching on the deck at the base, while birds hovered about hoping to cadge a Cheetoh crumb or two.

After that we took Prospector down to Lower Mozart and then went back to the top of Dercum. The ski runs on the back parts of the mountain were generally less buffed out and tougher than the front face. Now that we had more snow on the main area, we tried Frenchman's run, which was excellent. As an extra bonus, we hooted and hollered in pidgin French as we raced down the hill. "Pardonez Moi!" The thicker and more Inspector Clouseau the accent...the better. After that we took one more run down Irishman, whose conditions near the bottom made it stressful.
We're having Andy's special turkey chili tonight, along with a pan of my jalapeno cornbread, plus Yuji's excellent salad.

Keystone - A windy day

We had our first ski day at Keystone, Colorado today. The wind was quite strong, and caused the gondola system to be closed. We primarily skied the front face of the Dercum mountain, which was a good way to start the week and get our ski legs. Some of us were using new equipment, which needed to get broken in. The high winds had blown off most of the the last few days fresh snow, so trails without fresh snow making were somewhat crusty and firm. The ski conditions reminded me more of New England than our traditional soft powdery Colorado experiences. It's true that Keystone does not get the great snow that some of the resorts to its west do -- Vail especially -- but it still should have been a little better than what we experienced. The winds at the summit were harsh enough that it made us want to ski the lower parts, but they don't really have a natural way of doing that when the gondola is not running. We're going to hit the hot tub now, while Yuji goes looks for equipment and gets our skis sharpened. I'm hoping a fresh tuneup will help with the conditions.

Vermont artist dies

Stephen Huneck, a well known Vermont folk artist, best remembered for his dog wood cut prints, took his life a few days ago after having to lay off staff.

You'll recognize his dogs Sally and Molly from his books too. I never saw his dog chapel in Vermont but it was reputed to be quite moving.

Heavenly Pictures

Warm conditions at Heavenly

I tried out my new boots on the California side of Heavenly Valley
today. They were good but not as snug as my old ones. So I will have
to get a few adjustments made. The views of the lake are beautiful but
there was a cottony fog settled all over the basin.

Tomorrow I will take gondola over to the Nevada side. This is good
mountain for mid level skiiers.

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Svenksa Smorgasbord

We had everyone over for the usual Swedish smorgasbord dinner for Christmas. I'm probably missing things but we consumed

• herring in mustard sauce
• herring in wine sauce
• herring in cream sauce
• sardines
• gravlax
• salmon pate
• pickled beets
• pickled cucumbers
• carraway akvavit
• saffron akvavit
• prinz korv
• potato sausages
• many kinds of Swedish dry flatbreads
• stuffed grapeleaves (taking the place of stuffed cabbage!)
• Jarlsberg and other Nordic style cheeses
• Goat Cheese and a stinky (very) washed rind cheese
• Swedish meatballs
• Lingonberries
• Johannsson potatoes (some made without anchovies)
• a giant bone in ham
• green beans
• Rutmus (rutabaga and turnip casserole)

I'm forgetting all the stuff for dessert too, but by then everyone was full anyways. I'll post pictures, even though it was done in stages. We had a lot of people over, so that was good too.

Condos booked for Keystone & Breckenridge

As mentioned via email I have booked our housing for the Keystone and Breckenridge trip. You can see the Keystone house here and the Breckenridge one here. Here's the first one we are staying at to the right. And here's the second one below. We went through central reservations and got a much better deal than through individual landlords, which is a break from the purchasing pattern I have used for the last decade. Unusual, but smaller firms have not adapted to the New Normal as well.