Comments (3)

By nahum, July 30, 2009 10:56 AM

I’m so proud of the Little Prince.  Yesterday was his surgery to correct his Hydrocoele.  He handled it like a champion…never cried once, very patient, followed all the doctors instructions…very stoic.  Both my wife and I handled everything well also…at least on the outside.  It is very emotional to have your child go through any kind of hardship.  The Hydocoele corrective surgery is considered “minor”, but having the Little Prince be put under and cut on is scary none the less.

I am one of those who is wary of hospitals.  It always seems like a patient goes in for one problem and comes out with another.  My mother’s heart valve replacement surgery was followed by nearly 10 days of complications.  They tried one thing, yield a problem; they tried this drug, yield this effect; try another drug, another issue…and the cycle went on for days.  Thankfully, she is home and recovering slowly.  So with this recent drama, I was on edge all day yesterday with the Little Prince…and guess what?  We took the Little Prince in for one issue and left with another.

So we get up at the crack of dawn to take the Little Prince to the hospital.  Good thing Laviyah’s emah (mother) offered to drive us.  She also stayed the day to offer her support.  [Thanks ma, I love you and appreciate you being there for us.] We get to the hospital, get a room assigned, talk to eight billion doctors, answer the same questions eight billion times and wait around for about 3 hours.  Thankfully there was a little TV so the Little Prince could watch PBS Kids and we all had books to keep our minds occupied.  Only if we knew it was going to be 20 degrees inside the hospital we could have dressed for the winter.  But the nurses provided warm blankets for my wife and mother-in-law, so they remained cozy and left the hospital with some nice parting gifts…well, at least the girls thought the blankets were gifts.

It is getting close to surgery time.  The Little Prince puts on his gown and we take the booty hanging out photo for future leverage and impromptu embarrassment in front of his girlfriends.   I asked the Anesthesiologist if I could go with the Little Prince while they put him under.  I was allowed to, however, I was informed of the following.  When a child gets put asleep you may see his eyes roll up to the back of his head, he may gurgle, his limbs may quiver.  Is he going to get surgery or an exorcism? I guess they forewarn parents to be prepared and don’t freak out or I guess I would have gotten sedated as well.  I’m a laid back guy so I wasn’t concerned about seeing the Little Prince’s head turn 360 degrees.

OK, so I’m all ready.  Off to see the Little Prince fall asleep and give him some last minutes of comfort.  We were told the procedure should last no more than 45 minutes.  We were led to the waiting room and wait to hear from the doctor.  Since it was even colder in the waiting room, we decided to go across the street and get a little lunch.  We had some Mediterranean from Nesh!.  It was decent, not the best falafel and hummus I have eaten, but very fresh and light.   The Baba Ganoush, however, was very tasty.  I enjoyed that the best. We’re full and warmed up. Time to head back and get our little boy.
We arrive back to the waiting room about 5 minutes before the surgeon comes to give us the “post-op talk”. Just like the movies – she walked into the waiting room in her surgery gear looking a bit disheveled. She didn’t look like she spent 6 hours in intense surgery, more like she slowly jogged the 100 yards from the operating room.

I wanted to hear – everything went well, you can see your son in a few minutes.

Instead, we heard, the surgery went well, but…………….

But what!!!! Well, there was a complication. The surgery for the Hydrocoele went great, but the adhesive that was placed over the Little Prince’s eyes caused an allergic reaction, so his eyes are swollen. OK, not so bad. Let’s go check on him.

WTF!!! Now I don’t curse, but WTF! This is my little boy. I trust you to solve one issue, not let him get knocked out by Mike Tyson! The doctor tried to prepare us for the allergic reaction, but I was taking aback when I saw my little man. Taking aback is putting it lightly. When we walked into the recovery room, the Little Prince was surrounded by about 5 nurses all looking at him in astonishment. As we approached, everybody disbanded. It was like we caught them whispering behind our backs so they all tried to get out of the way unnoticed. Nice try, but I caught ya’ll. But why that reaction from professionals? It turns, out that they never had this reaction before. Never. The Anesthesiologist apologized with the statement – well, I’ll be honest. I never had this happen before. The eye adhesive is hypoallergenic, so I don’t know what caused this reaction. Everyone else joined suit – the doctor, the other doctor, the resident, the other resident, the nurse, the other nurse. All apologized with the “this is new, never happened before spiel.”

All I heard was – you’re gonna be here a lot longer while we figure out what went wrong. Great, a half a day outing just turned into an all day adventure. Yeah!!! They had to put immobilizers on his arms because he kept trying to rub his eyes. So we get to spend the next few hours in the hospital with the Little Prince looking so pathetic. Now the line up proceeds…the Allergist, the Ophthalmologist, the Chief Anesthesiologist, and endless doctors and nurses.

All the while, The Little Prince got thirsty, then hungry. We saved him some hummus and pita, which he happily devoured. After about 3 hours, it was determined there is no damage to his eyes or internal organs; nobody knows how this occurred; take some prescriptions for extra strength Benydryl and steroids; and if the swelling persists for more than 48 hours, bring him back so we can not figure out what’s wrong some more.

Through all of this, the Little Prince didn’t cry once and kept his composure very well. He was a little irritated with the arm immobilizers, but enjoyed me serving and feeding him. He started getting a little annoyed at the last couple of doctor’s visits and therefore less cooperative. But hey, wouldn’t you be if you went to sleep with a smooth face and woke up looking like Gerry Cooney.

All is better today. The swelling has gone down tremendously. His scar from the surgery is fine. The Little Prince will spend the day watching movies and being waited on and his 8 hour hospital adventure may only remain a glimpse of a memory.

Comments (0)

By laviyah, July 28, 2009 1:06 AM

We’ve got lots in store for you. Just wanted to check in and give you a quick update. I wanted to say something cool to excuse my absence, like I was at blogher or visiting Pioneerwoman at her ranch and introducing her to our brand of vegan cookin’. Oh well, that wasn’t the case. We have been busy though and we haven’t forgotten you. This week baby boy will go into surgery. Someone please hold my hand? I can’t stand the thought of my baby getting sliced open, even if they say it is a simple procedure.

In the meantime we want to give you a little preview of what’s to come:

Mushroom Lasagna

Taco Salad

Yellow Rice

Linguini with Pesto

Minced Kale Salad

Hummus

Peanut Butter Granola

Asian Noodles

We are just scratchin’ the surface. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Stay tuned.

No animals were harmed in the making of the above dishes.
With Love,
Laviyah

Comments (2)

By laviyah, July 17, 2009 8:16 PM

A major milestone was reached yesterday.  My baby younger sister Azania  turned 30.  July is a very interesting month for me because all three of my biological sisters are born in the month of July and I stand alone in the month of August.  My other sister Emily turns 21 this month and that is yet another milestone among birthdays. 

Anyway, my sister had a wonderful surprise party yesterday with friends and family in attendance.  I wasn’t in attendance for obvious reasons and my mother well she has become a slave.  She’ll deny it, but these days I have to drag her away so she can enjoy life.

My sister had a marvelous time and she will never ever forget this birthday.  She even got to wear a couture dress!  Her boyfriend and best-friend planned the soiree and she told me this morning that her day was just perfect!

I’m not a middle child, so I have less of a hankering than my middle sister to be the center of attention.  When we were growing up, I never imagined that we could be such good friends, and that we would need each other so much, that we would call each other every other day or every day or every hour if need be or that I would cry when she surprised me at my wedding. 

There were many days I wanted to push her down the stairs, ring her neck.  As little sisters go, she was probably on the naughty list for a very long time.  She wore my clothes without asking, she purposely embarrassed me in front of my boyfriends, she was a tattletale, a showoff, a knowitall a busybody!  That was the shortlist!  As a woman, she is strong, resilient, talented, intelligent, opinionated, beautiful and intuitive.

Angola, our baby sister was in on the surprise and made her amazing lasagna.  People talk about her lasagna for days!  Angola celebrated her birthday on the 5th and as a single mom, she is most like our mother.  She is finding her way in the world and raising a child all on her own.  Angola wasn’t half as annoying as Azania growing up.  I always had a soft spot for her anyway, she was always my gorgeous chinky eyed scrawny baby sister.  Scrawny no longer and curvy as ever, she is the most giving, sweetest woman you will ever know, did I mention that she is beautiful too!  We all are.  I must say mom, that you did good!

Anyway, my baby sister Emily will turn 21 very shortly and she is the only sister that I don’t know very well.  Unfortunately, my biological father, although he has fathered three children, has only raised two.  To the annoyance of my grandmother (my father’s mother), he has not been very involved in my life, nor has he had me involved in his.  This past May I promised my grandmother that I would reach out to my sister Emily and bring her in to the fold.  We have done OK communicating online, it’s just that yesterday reminded me how swiftly time passes by, so I think I will write my sister a note and invite her to the big city when I make my next trip to NYC.  We’ll see what happens.

Happy Birthday to all of my little sisters!

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By laviyah, July 16, 2009 10:45 PM

For those of you that have been reading about my baby son’s condition, he is scheduled for his outpatient procedure on the 29th.  We met with the surgeon today and she was straightforward and open with us.  Of course my little boy was oblivious and was more interested in playing with the toy on the wall.

Walking into the hospital, he appears like such a tiny little thing.  It’s all a novelty to him, just one big adventure.  Now, when we leave the house, he asks if we are going to the doctor, because he had so much fun the last time!

I am just thankful and grateful that he is a healthy child.  I know there are parents sitting in hospitals wishing that they were just there for a bump and a bruise.  Walking up to the hospital I said a silent prayer for parents of children with serious illnesses, that they have the strength to cope, to be strong for their babies, to have hope.

Although it is important that he get this procedure, I also know that there are far worse things than fluid leaking into my babies little sack.

Comments (1)

By laviyah, July 13, 2009 11:40 PM

I found a new love! Well, aside from my husband and children. It’s called vegan caviar. Having never actually tasted caviar, I have nothing to compare this too, however I hope this saves a lot of fish eggs. This vegan caviar is made from seaweed and someone brought it to the vegan meetup and potluck this weekend at Foster Beach. Aside from meeting the wonderful vegans in attendance and the people who tried our cheese and raved about it. The caviar for me was the highlight of the day. My husband had to stop me from eating the last one, because it was love at first bite. Excuse the crumply napkin, this little delight disappeared as soon as I took the picture.

Now if someone could make a vegan lox, then my life would be complete.

Forgive me. I really should have taken more pictures, but how often do we vegans get to eat everything at party? I behaved like a little piggy, trying out all the tasty dishes.

However I did remember something vitally important.

The princess modeling her first bathing suit. Isn’t she cute?

And the little prince had fun too!

Comments (0)

By laviyah, July 9, 2009 4:32 PM

So comforting, so delicious. Don’t you just love potato salad? I guess I was supposed to share this recipe with you before the 4th? Oh well, I’m not really a holiday kind of girl. My eldest was six by the time I decided to make a big deal out of his birthday. Oh, and what a bash it was. So glad that I opted not to have that event at home!

Anyway, you want to know how to make potato salad that will have even your momma asking for the recipe? Yes, my momma happened to drop by and thought that my potato salad was that delicious.

Get a 5 pound bag of red potatoes and boil them in their skins. (I used a little less than a five pound bag.)  Make sure the water is well salted.

Drain the potatoes.

Cube the potatoes. I find that the potatoes are easier to work with if you let them cool off a bit. After cubing, if potatoes are still very warm let them chill in the freezer. That way, they won’t break apart too much when you stir everything together. I don’t know about you, but I like my potato salad chunky, instead of mushy.

Let’s get down to business. Fresh dill, a rib of celery, relish ( I used sweet) and mustard ( I used Horseradish because there was no more yellow).

On top of your cubed chilled potatoes. Add diced celery, onion, 1/4 cup relish and 1 tablespoon mustard.

Grab a handful of dill, chop finely and throw that in.

Spoon in about 2 cups of vegan mayo. Vegenaise will work or you can make your own as I have shared in the eggless salad recipe. Add salt to taste, mix well and serve.

Throw this on a plate with some freshly grilled vegetables and boca burgers and there you have it. Summer on a plate!

No Animals Were Harmed in the Creation of this Dish!
With Love,
Laviyah

Comments (1)

By laviyah, July 8, 2009 10:44 AM

Please make this cake! This cake represents all of what is right in the world. This cake is the answer for everlasting world peace. This is what Marie Antionette meant when she said, “Let them eat cake!” (I know she didn’t really say that.) I’m just sayin’ this cake is that awesome! You will forget all of your problems and you will have a solution for everything! Calculus, no problem! Physics, easy! World Peace, done!

Let’s get started!

I think that’s everything but the kitchen sink!

In a big bowl dump in 1 1/2 cups of flour.

4 Heaping Tablespoons of good quality cocoa

1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 cup of turbinado sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt

In a separate container. Pour in 1 cup of milk and 1 Tablespoon of vinegar.

Add 1 teaspoon of coffee extract and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Trust me on this one.

Then add a 1/2 cup of soy yogurt. I used the plain unsweetened kind.

Add 5 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil. If everything else is cold the Coconut Oil may seize up on you so you may have to warm it first before mixing with cold ingredients. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix with an electric mixer.

Smooth and delicious, but we’re not done.

Add one cup of chocolate chips into the batter and then pour into your greased baking pan. I used a 9 by 12 Pyrex glass dish. I usually use Parchment paper when baking because the cleanup is so easy, but my husband used all my parchment paper. Don’t ask. Bake this cake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a knife stuck in it comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, grab a medium sauce pan. Dump in 3/4 cup of coconut oil. 4 Tablespoons of cocoa, 6 Tablespoons of milk, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 cup of powdered sugar.

Make sure the heat is on low. Please note, the topping is not of my own creation, I tweaked it just a little bit from Pioneer Woman.

Whisk everything together until you get that lovely glossy texture.

Pull your cake out and stab it all over with a fork. There is a reason for this.

Pour the mixture from the saucepan over the warm cake and sprinkle with 1/2 a cup of chopped pecans.

Sexy!

Go make this cake.

Ingredients:

Cake

1.5 cups of flour

4 T cocoa

1 t baking soda

1 cup of sugar

1/2 t salt

5 T coconut oil

1 T vinegar

1 t vanilla extract

1 t coffee extract

1 cup of soy milk

1/2 cup of yogurt

1 cup of chocolate chips

Chocolate Topping

3/4 cup of coconut oil

4 Tablespoon of cocoa

6 T soy milk

1 t vanilla

1 cup of powdered sugar

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

For the cake, mix all of the dry ingredients together. Mix all of the wet ingredients and then add to dry mixture. Mix with an electric mixer. After mixing fold in the chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

For the topping mix everything together in a saucepan except for the nuts. Whisk together on low heat until nice and glossy. Pour over warm cake and add chopped pecans.