4 month Doctor Visit

Erin had her 4-month wellbaby checkup yesterday.

That's right folks, you see the documentation.  She weighed in at 16# 4 oz, tipping the scales at the 90th percentile. 

Her head 

circumference was 43.5 cm, another 90%. Height was 25 3/4 inches, 85% but who's tracking these things 

anyways?  

She was also administered 5 vaccinations, 1 oral and 4 injected. 

What a trooper.  

Mom and Dad are just happy Lil' E is growing, thriving, and learning new things every day. Erin is just glad she won't be getting any more shots .... until the 6 month visit.

Can I test your meat?

Finally science that actually can impact lives. Wondering about how tasty that steak really will be?  Fear no more, the Meat Meter is here.

Some choice excerpts:

"...not all soft fat is good either..."

and 

"...There's a lot going on in your mouth..."

Is it edible?

Ms. A has a strange habit when, on trips, she purchases odd items from local grocery stores to bring home. Sometimes their suitability for eating comes into question. Foraging through the pantry today yielded this treasure-trove of random, um, ingredients? Pictured: some type of hazelnut paste from Italy, canned mussels in mystery sauce from Spain, something labeled gluten from the local Asian grocery store, also presumably in a seasoning, and fish eggs from I can't remember where.

Looks like an interesting meal is in the near future.

Hagg Lake Trail Run

I participated in my first trail race Saturday morning, a 25K run around Hagg Lake. This race is famous for being incredibly muddy. Temperature on arrival at the lake was 34F, fog just burning off, leaving a clear day.

Goal for the run: have fun. Looking at my pace after the race, I can say mission accomplished.

It was an extremely beautiful morning. We ran through forest, along the lake shore, across a dam overlooking a green valley, through sunny meadows. It was really hard to keep an eye on the muddy footing, the person in front of you, and the view.

Most the course was single track, 12 inches wide. In those sections everyone had to run in single file -- you were just going to go at whatever speed the person in front of you were going.

Aid stations had great food. Running off from each of the two aid stations I had an orange wedge in my mouth, one hand filled with a mix of most of the foods offered: pretzels, trail mix, M&Ms, gummi bears. In the other hand, a GU shot and a cup of 7-up. I love free food.

It hadn't rained in days, so it wasn't the total slog some had feared. However, there was still a good deal of wet and muddy trail, which was fun to run. I only biffed once, but it was a fairly spectacular Superman-style fall.

Thanks to Becky for letting me get her fancy new car dirty.

2028 Olympic Training

Training for the weightlifting competition can never begin too early......

Nap Time!

Soon enough they will all nap together.

A goose?

Apparently mcmillerpdx has been goosed. Not 100% sure what this means but it appears to be a chain-letter type thing. I'm a sucker and the subject is seemingly random enough to be interesting. Kind of a Dada form of chain mail. Here goes nothing.

The rules:

* Look up page 123 in the nearest book

* Look for the 5th sentence

* post the three sentences that follow the 5th sentence on pg. 123.

Nearest book at hand: "Clinical Dermatology, An illustrated Textbook", by Rona M. MacKie, 3rd edition

" A cutaneous infection, usually due to streptococci, but with deeper involvement of the subcutis than in erysipleas. Cellulitis presents as a raised, hot, tender, erythematous area of skin. The organism enters through a cut or abrasion, or pre-existing dermatological disorder such as a leg ulcer."

That was icky. If only I could post the pictures, then everyone would be grossed out. So here is the book I'm currently reading: "What Einstein Told His Chef, 2" by Robert L. Wolke

"The leaves would be a sickly yellow instead of green, because plants use iron in synthesizing chlorophyll. (next page) Plants in general are made up almost entirely of compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - compounds that chemists refer to as organic, with no relation to the word used to designate foods that conform to the USDA's National Organic [Foods] Program. Minerals, on the other had, are the seventeen inorganic chemical elements that are essential nutrients for plants. "

Hmmm. Both seem pretty nerdy. Heavy on the Science, light on the Fiction.

I choose to ignore the implication of "pass-it-on". However, I encourage you fellow bloggers to participate. I'd love to see what other people are currently reading and/or what books people keep in their proximity. Let me know if you post, as I'd like to follow along!

The Didn't-Go-To-Nashville Side

Well, we did it.  Erin and I survived six days and six nights of just the two of us.  I'll admit it, I was apprehensive of how we would manage.  Surprisingly (or not) we did excellent.  I was completely prepared to whine continually to Brian about bath/bedtime, multiple awakenings at night, prolonged morning routine. But we did fantastic!  Not only did Erin and I get a comfortable rhythm with each other things went so smoothly we went out not once but twice for dessert with our pals Christie and Henry.  Erin slipped, temporarily, back into only one feeding per night, meaning I got more sleep than Brian. Thanks to Caroline I even went on a run one night after Lil' E went to bed. 

That being said Mademoiselle Erin really missed her dad.  In the evening when playing she would pause, look around, search for that thing that was missing.  It was touching and interesting that at four months old she is aware of who are the main people in her life, and can feel their absence so strongly. Needless to say she was overjoyed on Saturday when she saw her dad.  All smiles and laughs and smiles.  

Bearded Ones Beware.....

..... the curious grabbing Erin strikes again!

Nashville, Day 5: Week-long, Expensive, and Out Of Control

Valentine's Day! Let me tell you from experience: this is not an ideal day to be 2,000 miles away from your sweetie. Just FYI. (Hi Ash!)

Nineteen degrees this morning. Up before sunrise to do some sight-seeing. I hit all the attractions that were even multiples of 100: Centennial Park to see the Parthenon, and Bicentennial Mall to see many informative placards. Also, tried to find some good bushes to pee behind. No luck.

On the way to class, discovered that XM does in fact have commercials -- they're the same type of crappy stuff you hear on AM radio. My favorite was an ad for some video tape that promised to teach you "advanced sexual techniques". Holy crap! That caught my attention. What necessarily qualifies as advanced? Is light yoga or stretching required beforehand?

Training fell apart somewhat today -- it was pretty chaotic. Lab work was complicated, slides skipped, chaos reigned in the classroom, the instructor vying for airtime. Of course, it was very amusing to watch. Pretty much just cruised through a good deal of the material: "Well, we're out of time here, let's just move on, shall we?".

Weather after class was gorgeous, 55F, clear, air smelling of oak and dry grass. Parked overlooking a grassy parkway near the hotel, sat on the hood of the Pontiac ManHammer and enjoy a lovely repast of Taco Bell. The windows were rolled down, Van Halen on the XM, sun had just set, leaving a dusky glow on everything. Rockin'. I contemplated growing a mustache.

Back in the room, I tried to read the free hotel copy of USA Today. I'm a big news junkie, but I could really give a crap about most of this fluff. Most amusing was an article about astronauts on page four subtitled "Even tying shoes can be hassle in orbit". It had subsections discussing important space-related issues, entitled as follows:

• "Tying your shoes"
• "Moving from one place to another"
• "Handling electrical cables or other items that tend to coil"
• "Using the bathroom"
  

Very important stuff. I am not making this up.

And, as promised! Tonight there were Balls of Fury. Initially brilliant, finishing quite disappointingly. Wah. Message to my Reno 911 homies: "Good heavens, people!"

Nashville, Day 4: Booze, Broads, And The Sports Bra

It snowed pretty hard Wednesday morning, but only about an inch was on the ground. The air was 22F, it was nice to see the snow blowing out my window. Since it was so cold, I went for a run in the hotel gym before class. I don't travel much, so I don't normally get to use treadmills. However, each time I do, I'm always amazed at the temperature in the hotel gyms. Why are gyms always at 68F? What happens when people exercise? They get hot! What happens when the get hot? They sweat, yo! It's always pleasant to start out the day dehydrated.

The training has been good, but the hands-on stuff is a little disorganized. Or rather, it's organized for last week's class. About every 45 minutes, the instructors say "Um, ahah, uh, this wasn't like that a week ago." and then spend fifteen minutes trying to fix the problem. The lab environment had been changed over the weekend, and the lab-books haven't been updated. The instructors are smart people, though, so at least it's interesting to watch them troubleshoot.

At lunch I talked with a classmate who was from India but grew up in Bahrain. Pretty cool. Only a few more continents and he'll have his World Trivial Pursuit wheel filled in.

With another student, I talked politics. He said that for 2008 he was "hoping we'd get a leader that would be able to make decisions themselves, and not care what the public thought." I asked what he thought had been going on the last eight years or if he'd heard of concept called representative democracy. Zing! Oh, man, I thought I was pretty funny.

Remember the thing in the lab network from Tuesday that kept changing its mind like women? Well, back in class, we learned that VMkernel can change its mind about which virtual processor is bound to which logical processor. As we were told, "VMkernel can change its mind about this every 20 milliseconds, depending on CPU load. Which is not as often as women change their mind, but it's pretty often. Heh heh." So true! So very true!! Testify, brother!

The same instructor later said that a technology called VMotion "is the best thing since the sports bra." Which we all know is pretty great.

There's a lot of talk about alcohol in the class, so I feel at home.

Instructor: "OK, let's talk about some real-world scenarios. So let's say that it's Friday night at 4:45pm, and you're ready to go to the brewpub, and your phone starts ringing because your client's virtual machines are running slow. Now, as I said, you wanted to get to the brewpub. What do you do?"

And:

Instructor: "OK, let's take a break. The day will soon be over and we can get some beers in us, heh heh heh."
Student: "You sure drink a lot."
Instructor: "Yep. You've got to know where the free happy hours are."

After class, I came back to the hotel, temperature in the low twenties, a little ice and snow on the road. In my room, I went online and bought a ticket for the Grand Ole Opry for Friday night. Check! Then I headed out to go downtown in the Pontiac Weewee. XM's stand up comedy station is my new best friend.

Broadway was pretty cool. Old and new shops, bars, lots of neon. Reminded me a dustier 5th Avenue in San Diego. The streets and bars were very empty, but I suppose that's how it goes at 6:30pm on a really cold February night.

I headed into the much-ballyhooed Robert's Western World. It may have been famous, but when I arrived it was just like any other small dive bar, except (a) there was no cigarette smoke (woohoo!), and (b) it was empty save for four white-bread touristy couples in their 80's. I think the "Voted #1 Honky Tonk" advertisements I've seen on the web must also have been published in RV Aficionado.

Anywho, they made me feel at home with cans of PBR and a great cheeseburger. The band there spent 30 minutes setting up, and had only played three songs when the waitress made her way around the bar, telling everyone that they were closing since the sewer was backing up and they needed to fix it. I had wondered what that expanding puddle of water was. Bleck.

So, yeah, I was kicked out of a honky tonk in Nashville. How cool is that?

Happy Valentine's Day

Love, Erin.

Nashville, Day 3: No Country For Old Men

During class today, the instructor was talking about issues we were having with the lab network, and said, "You know, this network is like a woman, it can't make up it's mind!" Now, you know me and how different I think the sexes are, so I was fully like, "Tell me about it, brother!! Testify!"

So, I told you that Monday I was asking questions in class. Tuesday I lost the rest of my shyness and felt no fear in asking the dumbest of questions about the most basic things. My classmates couldn't be more aware of my ignorance if I had jumped up and down on their heads saying, "Blluubb-bbblll-pppppffftt! Duhh, I don't know stuff! Blll-phhht!"

Class wrapped up at six and I headed back to the hotel. I was thirsty from a day of sucking down Diet Cokes ("Now with more diuretics!"). Sadly, the water in Nashville tastes like drinking from a freshly chlorinated geothermal vent. (New tourism slogan: "Nashville is for sulfur and chlorine lovers!")

Now, before you call me a wuss for not drinking this tap water, recall that I have low standards. For instance, on this day I ate at Taco Bell for dinner (mmmm...). (By the way, I'm out $1.86 since I forgot to ask for a receipt for getting reimbursed) . So since I'm obviously not picky about flavor, something must be awfully wrong with the water system in town.

Anywho, that night I was planning to head to downtown Nashville to Robert's after class, but there was this "severe weather advisory", so I stayed in. Locals were really worried about the coming ice and snow. Even so, I still felt guilty and old, because really, I wasn't in the mood for going out anyways. (New tourist slogan: "Tennessee: Old men should just stay in their business parks and be lame.") So in lieu of beer and good music, me and the Pontiac Johnson hit the Taco Bell, then kicked back in the atrium to read a book.

I was enjoying the story, but had to work at diagramming some of the author's sentence structures until I reached hit this exemplar of a sentence:

"That had been during his student years in Albertina, before the ball arranged by Konigsberg's calvalry officers at which he first met Catherine Mahlsdorf and behind the dinner hall's damask curtain had given her the clandestine kiss which deprived him for ever of any desire for the kind of love one pays for."

What the hell ? Simplify, man! You're hurting my brain!

So, fed up, I headed upstairs to watch a movie on the in-house movie network thingy: No Country For Old Men. Give it the Best Picture award, please. It was one of the best films I've seen. I'm glad my better instincts chose that instead of Balls of Fury. Maybe we'll watch some Balls on Wednesday night.

Reading is Good!

Erin asked me to post this for her, as she is not yet very proficient at typing:

"I like books.  I like the pictures.  I like the squiggles that make the words Mommy reads to me.  I like turning the pages...."

"... I also like eating books.  Each page is so tasty.  I like books!"

Nashville, Day 2: Back To School

Monday morning I woke up at 6:30 AM CST, 4:30 AM PST. Ugh. Note to self: the body needs more sleep.

I head to the VMWare training. It's a cold morning, and the Pontiac Lingam is chilly. The VMWare training turns out to be really interesting. It assumes that the student knows very little. I'm surrounded by systems administrators and network engineers, but the class is designed well enough for me to keep up. Actually, my lack of knowledge is kind of a blessing, as I can ask the questions no one else wants to ask, since it's hard for me to make myself look more ignorant than I am. I'm nerdily surprised at how other students will let confusing or contradictory information go without questioning it. Yeah, that's right: I'm that guy: "Excuse me, John. Excuse me? Yes. I have another question. Thank you." John: "(Sigh)"

My partner for the class's lab work is Jared. He's really good at answering all my questions about networking, storage, and Nashville. Also (super bonus) is able to say "I don't know. Let's go see what Wikipedia says."

At lunch, to prevent the same level of cabin fever that I suffered two years ago on-site at VISA, I dashed out after lunch for a drive in the twenty minutes left before class. Blue skies, cold, wisps of white cirrus. Cute neighborhoods -- no fences, bricked houses, deciduous trees. I serendipitously passed a liquor store at my turn-around point, so I went in to see if I could find a good bourbon I hadn't heard of before. The ladies behind the counter were so funny, so ready to pontificate about the best bourbon to be had. They recommended "Bullitt", which I have heard of, and am a bit wary of since it seems so heavily marketed. "No, really, we're fancy bourbon. Don't let the taste fool you -- just look at the price tag for proof." However, in the spirit of cross-Mississippi comradery, I bought a bottle. We'll try a taste test tonight and get back to you with the results.

After the full day of training, I get back to the hotel. I put on my running clothes and head downstairs. As I'm getting out of the elevator, who do I see but our two VMWare instructors, enjoying the free booze at the Embassy Suite's complementary happy hour. Now, I know for a fact that they're not rooming here, they're staying down the road at the Marriott. It's like these savvy road warriors / Zen masters have unasked the question of "What does it mean to be guests of a hotel?" or "Who really owns beer?". They have much to teach. I am humbled.

So, back to running. You've heard of the tourism slogan "Virginia is for lovers"? They should have a similar slogan for Tennessee, but it would likely say something like "Tennessee is not for runners" or "Tennessee: Have a Death Wish?" Running last night was total suicide. First off, it's bleeding cold, and I've forgotten my gloves. Half way in to the run my dignity was overruled by my better judgment and I took off my wet and stinky socks, and put them over my frozen hands like gloves, and put my bare feet back in my shoes. I had to be extra careful not to wipe my nose with my hands -- once was enough to learn me. Second, there are no sidewalks anywhere and very few street lights. So, it's pitch black, freezing, stinky socks on my hands, and every few seconds I have to jump off the roadway into some bushes to avoid being killed by passing cars. What a great way to relax after a long day, yeah?

So, I cut the run short and drove to Backyard Burger, which a local had recommended: "It's just like a burger you'd make at home." I was, as always, skeptical but receptive to this potentially life-changing experience. At the drive through, I had to wait five minutes for an order for the car in front me to be processed. My order took seven minutes. Seriously. They should have a slogan, "Backyard Burger: I hope you're not in a rush." However, it was just fine because (a) I wasn't in class, (b) I wasn't freezing cold any more, (c) my hands no longer had smelly socks on them, and (d) I was listening to some great XM stations in my Pontiac Phallus.

My Backyard Burger was simply outstanding. I actually had to take a photo of the burger before I ate it since I wanted to have proof to back up my claim that it was the only fast-food burger I've had that looked its stupid picture on the menu. If it takes twelve minutes to have it prepared, so be it. It was delicious, and I was very, very happy. Sadly I left my camera's USB cable at home, so you won't be able to see the deliciousness.

So, full of burger, I headed downstairs for a little pool-time before bed. I relaxed with a book in the spa and took a few laps in the pool. I had the place to myself. Back in the spa, these two young women in string bikinis got in the spa. They turn on the comically-strong jets and started discussing high heels. Now, it probably says something about both my rock-solid fidelity and, sadly, the crotchetiness of my advancing age, but I got annoyed and headed upstairs. "I'm trying to read, here, people!"

Then, the testing of "Bullitt". It is tasty and smooth, but way too high proof for the flavor (90 proof) -- it burns the nose. I must shamefully admit that I had to add a little water to cut it. Now I know I'm getting older.

A call to Ashleigh reveals that Erin is anxious to start moving. She's on her hands, belly, and knees, rocking back and forth. Lordy, I'm gone a single day, and I'm already missing Erin excitement. I talk it over with Erin, and ask her to hold off a few more days until I return. Let's hope she ignores me.

Nashville, Day 1: Planes, Monorails, and Rental Cars

So there I am, six hours into my eleven-hour day of airplanes and airports, running at breakneck speed through Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, from my two-hour-late flight, attempting to make a connecting flight to Nashville.

The funny thing about DFW is that it is entirely symmetrical -- each hundred yards looks exactly like the hundred yards before it. I hop on the inter-terminal train thingy, and when I get off, I'm momentarily disoriented to see no change in the terminal outside the train, as if I had entered an elevator, felt it move, had the doors open, only to find I hadn't gone anywhere.

After that little existential quandry, I race to the gate, where I find that my flight did indeed leave an hour ago, and that the polite but misinformed gate attendant back in the other terminal who told me that my flight was currently boarding was either cruel or decided I looked like I could use the exercise.

Waiting for the next flight, I call ahead to the car rental place in Nashville, only to be told that they will be closed by the time I arrive. However, they tell me they'll hook me up with a car at the National rental place (which stays open later) for the same rate. I love Tennesseans.

Anywho, I get my last flight, and, once in Nashville, easily get the new rental car. It's a Pontiac Genitals, which is really lame, but it comes with satellite radio, which after listening to the cool stations I decide I really like.

I drive to the Embassy Suites, trying to stay warm in a car that had been chilled to 26F by the lovely southern weather. Google maps directs me on some crazy circuitous route involving only back roads. I check in with the nicest man in the world, who is wearing a very amusing Cosby sweater.

I head up stairs, drop off my bags, weary, and open the little "welcome to our hotel" binder to find out when the bar closes: 12 midnight. My watch shows 11:48 PM. Sweet. So, I dash down to the lounge, only to come out of the elevator as the bar staff are locking the door to the bar. Balls!

Now I'm weary, aggravated, but also on a mission. I ask the Cosby-sweatered check-in person where I could find a convenience store. He gives me directions to a gas station store, but then says in a disapproving manner, "But, it depends on what type of ... item you're looking for." with a politely distant but disapproving head tilt. "Tylenol," I lie. "Oh, well then," he says, obviously encouraged that I was not in fact seeking alcohol, "you'll definitely want to go to Wallgreens."

He proceeded to give me directions to the store, and I pretended that I would in fact go there, and pick up said Tylenol, instead of what I really did, which was to drive to the "Mercado" attached to the nearest gas station to pick up a 24 ounce can of Budweiser.

And now, after the difficulties of the day, I'm here in the privacy of my own sweet-ass suite (seriously, it's got two rooms, each with its own flatscreen TV), getting ready for the week of VMWare classes that start tomorrow, enjoying the King of Beers in my underpants. God Bless America.

Hints of Spring

The Vernal Equinox is still 39 days away, but like every good movie the previews are shown long before the release.  Already there are signs of flowers, sunshine and better weather.

Flocks of playful, chattering birds snacking on the purple berries:

Tulip bulb shoots emerging from otherwise barren, muddy earth:

Daffodils ready to pop open:

Won't be long now!

Caffeine Sneak Attack

Dateline Portland, 6:30 AM

Ms A: "Hey, you know what? Erin is going to be four months old next week."

Brian (a little groggily to Little E): "Wow, Erin! I'm going to have to say to people 'I love my four-year-old daughter!'"

Ms A: "You mean four-month-old daughter."

Brian (still groggy): "Oh, yeah, crap. (pause) We're in that awkward time of the morning where the caffeine has been ingested, but hasn't yet hit the blood stream."

Ms A (quietly to Erin, opening bra): "Okay, little one. Time for snacks."

Brian (wildly): "Yeah, heh-heh, BOOB SNACKS!!"

(pause, thinking)

Brian: "Okay, maybe the caffeine actually has kicked in."

Look Out, Diamond Dave!

So, Erin's newest vocal joy is screeching. Gone are the days of "ah-goo" and "boooo". That's for babies.

Erin (very pleased with herself): "Aiiiiiiiiiii!!!! Aaaa-nahhiiiiii!! Aaaaiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!"
Brian to Ms. A: "Hm. So, is that 'soprano'? Or 'mezzo-soprano'?"
Ms. A: "More like 'death metal'."

Caky frosted goodness

Has anyone else noticed the recent surge in cupcake purveyors?  it seems every corner now has a cupcake shop; the fragrance of warm cake and sugar tempts the nose at every turn.  Well, after taking Erin on an outing with Monsieur Henry to get cupcakes at one local haunt, I thought, "this can't be that difficult".   So here you have it. Peanut butter cupcakes with chocolate frosting.  Not professional looking, but excellent with a glass of cold milk or cup of strong coffee, your choice. 

Baking is not Ms. A's strong suit: the precision demanded in measuring is too reminiscent of work.  And this proved to be no exception.  A near disaster was averted when the melted chocolate for the frosting seized.  But it pulled through with delicious results.  Now for that coffee....

The family that jogs together....

Sunday are long-day runs for Brian and Ms. A, and now that Erin's neck is stable she can come too!  (With utmost gratitude to the givers of a wonderful jog-stroller).  After bundling the E up and giving her toys she and Ms. A set out for a jaunt. 

This was her second time out.  The first was a breeze - she admired the vistas along the trail then was gently rocked into a nap and the 5 miles whizzed by for her, ensuring her mom got her sweat on.  Today not so much.  The pair only made it 3, but it was very much enjoyed by half of the pair. Here they are post-run. Note the happy, red mom and the babe who is still not sure about the whole endeavor (although she still is a cheetah):

Further, Brian and friend Becky got a chance to have a pre-season pace-check, and had a great time.  Let's hear it for running!

Incredibly, at this race we all took first place in our divisions.  Woot!

Friday Night, Date Night!

Holy crap!  We just had a totally enjoyable evening with Ms. E.

We got take out from Vindalho, who apparently are the same fine people to bring us Lauro, both within walking distance of our house. The Pork Vindalho was, in Ms. A's words "freakin' huge" and quite delicious.  Paired with the moutain of meat was the Saag Paneer Masala.  Yummers.  Really flavorful without the usual, uh, you know, over-richness that you sometimes get with Indian food.   As after every meal, Brian lamely proclaimed, "You know... this really could have been spicier."

Then, we made a fire.  Ms. E loved the fire.  Normally we're scrambling around, trying to find a way to keep our little lady happy until bathtime (7pm).  She's been up for a good part of the day, and like her pappy, gets a little cranky. 

However, with the fire, it was like TV without the commercials, and Ms. A and I know how much our little lady likes TV.  (A lot, that's the unspoken answer, people).  I think that's exactly how I'll explain it to Ms. E.  "You see, sweetie, fire is like TV.  You know TV, right?  Well, it's just like TV without the commercials.  And you can burn yourself, so... careful!"  

Anywho, she was totally entranced, relaxed and happy.  Due to the pleasant heat from the fire, we stripped her down to her diaper -- something we have done maybe three times since she was born. The middle of winter, snow arriving in the hills overnight, and our little baby finally gets to roll around unclothed, feel hands on her skin, and have us feel her skin on ours.

She's currently the total Slobber Queen.  She doesn't need anything even close to her mouth.  Give her four minutes and she'll be totally covered in drool.  Ms. A says (only half in jest) "I think that's why she doesn't pee as much as I think she should."

OK.  Ms. E is bathed, fed, and asleep.  Now it's time for a little mommy and daddy time.  Yup, you know what that means! The new House, M.D.!  Woot!