The rest of this week was lovely. After deciding I would write more, I went to work refreshed and revived. Not sure why since I didn't sleep late or go to bed early, but hey, I'll take it in whatever form it comes. I was able to get all of my current tasks completed including some really hefty test creation for one of my awesome students. I got to meet with other PIs on our research team (thanks Dr G for taking me) and see some of the new directions are studies may be going. Yesterday, I created the sound files and got them all finished, combined and sent off. I've found some of these new studies (with cortical responses) to be fascinating. I'm still pondering the PhD...pondering. And each time I go through these meetings, I become inspired to ask more questions and find the answers. I hope our next grant application gets approved so we can actually answer them. Now I think I need to create about 2 or 3 IRB applications. IRB=bane of my existence.

Yesterday, I was doing my normal lunch break, panning through various news sources and found a story about a blogging mom. I read the article and was just intrigued. This woman eloquently shares her story about having a baby with Down Syndrome and how she instantly knew it the second she saw her. I looked through her blog. She named her Nella. Of course, my first thought is "how does she pronounce it?" because I think the munchkin's name has caught on. Anyway, I decided to look through some past blogs and I found her birth story. I read it and my heart just opened. It poured out the sorrow, the support, the joy, the grief as though it had been my own experience. I know that I cannot even begin to imagine what that would be like, that instant when you see this precious little one you've been waiting for and realizing that she's perfect, but in a different way. To have to grieve the loss of the baby you thought you'd have for the one you're holding in your arms. Just...wow. The name of her blog is called Enjoying the Small Things a name she had before this experience. I've added her to my list of blogs to follow and look forward to reading her future posts.

Today was good. Work was slow. I had the chance to teach one of my new students a few things, some for the second (or third) time but it helps me think. Dinner tonight was soooo good. Munchkin and I went to Targ`et after work as I am on the hunt for an Easter Bonnet. Thus far, I have had no luck finding one for someone over 6 months but younger than 3 years. Ugh. Still, I look even though I know I will probably have to make one for her. Ooh, maybe I could check Etsy again...
Anyway, back to dinner. She and I got home at almost 6 o'clock so I plied her with honey-nut chex while I prepped the food for dinner. By the time Matt got home, I had put the butter in the pan and just turned it on. It hadn't even melted yet (yesssss). So he decided to take us out to dinner at a new restaurant. It's like Kobe (from home) and good. Oh, so good. We ordered teppanyaki scallops (me), orange roughy (Matt) and hibachi shrimp (munchkin). First, we got soup. I tried the clear, with happy memories of mushrooms and scallions floating in broth, and Matt ordered Miso. At least this way we would know which was better. We both shared with munchkin and she emphatically kept asking for "More, More." She liked mine until she tried Matt's Miso soup, then I was chopped liver. I have to admit, that stuff was oh-so delicious. My kid is definitely developing quite the pallet. Then we had salads. Some delicious mix between the ginger salad dressing and shrimp sauce topped the standard lettuce carrots and slice of cucumber and tomato. That really grabbed her attention and she ate a half piece of lettuce preferring the carrots and cucumber. Then our dinner arrived. I was nearly full, but it looked amazing. Let me say, the munchkin serving is enough for an adult, but she hit it hard. First, a giant scoop of rice, then veggies. She worked her way through zucchini, onions, carrots, broccoli and then she found the shrimp and never looked back. I think, given the chance, she would have eaten all of it (probably a 1/2 pound) and wouldn't think of touching the pieces I cut up for her. No, no. She had to have the whole piece to bite and tear herself. I think she ate at least 7 or 8 pieces. This kid is a diamond in the rough. She does not eat fish sticks. She does not eat breaded shrimp. Give her broiled, sauteed, even grilled and it's off the plate and into her mouth in nanoseconds. Give it to her breaded and fried and you'd think I was offering castor oil. No, thank you. So she ate half of the plate. Okay, Matt stole a few pieces but not many. You should have seen the look she gave him. Then they brought dessert what they called a Japanese yogurt. It tasted like a mix of melted lime sherbet, orange sherbet and something else. It was good. All 3 of us got one. Matt took a sip, but because he was stuffed passed on the rest. Neala had a straw in hers and, in true comic fashion, sucked the whole thing down in no time flat. Her eyes lit up when she saw she had another. This time, we let her try to drink it from the glass (it's a funky shot glass I think). This was almost as good but the temptation of the straw may have been too much and she got distracted. One the straw was broken, the drink was gone, complete with head tilted as far back as it can go, glass clinched in her teeth. So yes, we'll be going back again. It may not be soon since we're getting better about cooking "real" dinners every night, but this was a nice, welcome and delicious break. They even changed the TV to the sweet 16 for us. Now that's a classy place.