Baby Buchkina

Update

2011-09-18T21:06:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the long lull without any posts. The pace at work has picked up quite a bit for both myself and Ilya and we haven't had much time for blogging. Check out the new site for an update. As our new blog is searchable through the web, it now has a password: lightupshoes. If you can see this, you are welcome to access it! From this point our old site will not automatically be updated with new posts.

Photo Montage!

2011-06-17T19:49:00.001-05:00

I found this neat website called Pummelvision that can take all of your photos from select photo-sharing websites and make a video by putting them to music. This is what it did with all of my Facebook photos.

20 weeks

2011-06-14T20:12:00.001-05:00

It's that awkward stage where my old pants don't fit anymore but my maternity pants are still falling down...halfway there! I am growing more each day and the little kicks and jabs are much more frequent.

Fermented

2011-06-06T22:46:00.001-05:00

We usually have a jar of something fermenting on the counter...but this week I may have gone too far. Kombucha, beet kvass, mint chutney, cranberry chutney, lemon preserves, gingered carrots, and pickled grape leaves are all currently in the works. Now to find space to store it all in the fridge!

Rhubarb Craze

2011-06-04T10:38:00.001-05:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

Between our garden and our spring CSA share, we've had to find some new recipes in order to use all of our rhubarb - and there's still more to be harvested. Whew! So far we've made rhubarb pie, rhubarb muffins, rhubarb jam, and rhubarb salsa.

A move, of sorts...

2011-05-22T17:31:00.001-05:00

The combination of crazy work schedules and the relative complexity of posting to Blogger has prevented us from blogging as much as we would like over the last year or so. I often end up posting photos and videos to Facebook instead because it is just SO MUCH EASIER. We know, however, that not all of our readers have Facebook accounts, and would like to see us post more on the blog. But with Blogger (unfortunately), it usually takes at least an hour to write even very simple posts, especially with pictures or video, because the html code always seems to need adjusting, or the picture size isn't correct, or the video encoding doesn't work properly, etc. Therefore, in the interest of making blogging easier for us, we are considering moving this blog to http://buchkins.posterous.com. Posterous is similar to Blogger, but lets you submit posts and upload video, pictures, and other media by e-mail from anywhere (even your phone) and takes care of all the formatting for you. So far, we like it a lot. So head over to the new site and check it out - and let us know what you think!

some pictures of people I know...

2011-05-16T22:26:00.003-05:00

... can be seen here

What can I do?

2011-05-15T21:05:00.003-05:00

Ilya reminded me of this 1970s classic today...it was and still is very popular in Russia not just because it is a great song by a legendary rock band, but also because the main refrain sounds strikingly similar to the Russian phrase "vodki naidu," which means "I'll go find some vodka." Go ahead - try singing it with your best Russian accent. :)

A Knitting Frenzy...

2011-05-04T21:30:00.011-05:00

...in the middle of residency...

...after a long hiatus...

...can only mean one thing!

I'm 14 weeks along! :)

Buchkins in NOLA

2011-05-03T15:37:00.015-05:00

Last week we drove down to New Orleans for a family vacation! Several of my colleagues and I met there for a conference and Ilya and Masha came along for the fun. Masha was a trooper in the car for 15 hours each way. Ilya and Masha had a great time at the aquarium, insectarium, and on a ferry ride while I was at the conference. Here are some photos from the trip:

Masha loved the aquarium!

She wasn't scared of the sharks.

Her new favorite frozen yogurt is pinkberry (ours too - delicious!)

Mmmmmmmmmm...

We were lucky to be there the same week as Jazz Fest and got to see several live Jazz concerts. Masha is a fan!

I got away from the conference to come to the zoo, too!

But apparently it was nap time and most of the animals were sleeping.

On the last day we strolled through Jackson Square in the French Quarter and feasted on boiled crawfish.

Yum.

Masha decided after all of this that she wouldn't mind being a Southerner after all. :)

For the Love of Raisins

2010-11-13T19:54:00.003-06:00

On Thursday we took Masha to the doctor. She wasn't complaining of anything in particular, but we thought it might be a good idea to have her checked out after she pulled something black and sticky out of her ear and said, "Look Mom, a raisin!"

I took a look inside with my otoscope, and saw (what else) another raisin, fairly deep in the canal. After Ilya got home that night, we tag-teamed holding the otoscope and taking turns with different tweezers. Finally, Ilya managed to get the raisin out. The whole family cheered. We gave Masha the treat we had promised her for laying still and waiting patiently while we performed the necessary extraction.

After some coaxing, we got her to lay down again just to check and make sure that all was clear. I looked inside and saw...

Another raisin. WAY DEEP DOWN in the canal.

"Masha!! How many raisins did you put in there?!"

"Three!" she answered, grinning from ear to ear.

Of course. Why didn't we just ask in the first place?

So off we went to the clinic. It took 4 people to hold her down while the doctor pulled out not just one, but TWO more raisins.

Saturday Morning Conversation with a Two-Year-Old

2010-08-18T11:02:00.009-05:00

Masha is starting to pick up some choice phrases at daycare. Some of them are hilarious, and some of them...not so much. To illustrate, I give you a typical Saturday morning scene.

I like how the robot voice makes me sound all exasperated, when usually I'm just trying to keep a straight face so she doesn't hear me giggle. :)

Some explanatory notes:

Masha sometimes doesn't sleep all the way through the night - probably twice per week, she wakes up from about 2-4 am and wants to play. Whenever she does sleep through the night, she proudly proclaims it in the morning, and uses it as leverage for the whole day. (On the weekend when we say, "Masha, it's time to get ready for your nap," she always answers "No, Mom, I slept at night!")
She always says the neighbor's dog is "ruffing," not barking, no matter how often we correct her.
Ilya often refers to me as "wife" in Russian, instead of Julia (sounds normal in Russian, not in English). Picking up on this, Masha has started calling me "wife" as well, so we had to explain that my name is Julia, not Wife, and clarify that I am Papa's wife, he is my husband, we are her parents, and she is our daughter.

show me where it hurts

2010-08-14T23:14:00.004-05:00

the other day Masha runs in circles with other kids, and - naturally - falls at some point, starts crying, comes to me. i sure hug her, and since i did not see how she fell, my first concern is to find out the extent of the damage... it went like this:
- Masha, are you hurt?
- Yeeeeeaaaaa.... (crying)
- Can you show me where it hurts?
- Over there!!! (and she starts walking, pointing to the spot where she fell)
=)

Stuff Masha Says

2010-01-13T19:41:00.004-06:00

Masha is talking a lot these days, and every day there is at least one new phrase that seems to come out of nowhere, flabbergast us and crack us up all at the same time. Today at breakfast, she dropped her spoon on the floor. When Ilya brought her a new one, she said "Thank you very much," which she has said to him several times before. But this time he didn't answer right away, and after awhile she corrected herself and said, "Spasibo" (thank you in Russian). Yesterday as our Russian nanny Olga was leaving, Masha waved and said "Do svidaniye!" (very formal and adult way to say "good-bye" in Russian) followed by "Schastlivo!" (less formal but still very adult way to say "good-bye" or "take care"). On another recent occasion, she was drinking water from a plastic cup and proceeded to spill it on the floor. She looked down at the water pooled around her legs and said, "Oh! Masha is swimming."

Shameless Plug for Nutrition Research

2010-01-13T10:34:00.009-06:00

One of the great perks of doing a residency at a university-affiliated hospital is the ability to do clinical research! I am currently working on a research project on chronic disease and nutrition with my colleagues in the Department of Family Medicine and a physician at the VA Hospital, Dr. Terry Wahls. She has had a remarkable transformation in her own health over the last 2 years due to intensive nutrition. You can read about her story here and find more information on her website at www.terrywahls.com. I highly recommend attending one or more of her lectures in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City this spring , regardless of whether you suffer from any chronic medical condition. They are very informative, and if you attend, you can participate in my research!

On a separate note, some of you have requested that we share some of our own recipes, so I will be posting those in the side column in the near future.

Christmas Colors

2009-12-28T23:09:00.005-06:00

Happy Holidays, everyone! We had a lovely Christmas here. I am on a lighter rotation this month and was able to take a week of vacation between Christmas and New Years, so we have just been hanging out at home. Masha had lots of fun on Christmas and loved opening her gifts. Sadly we somehow managed not to take a single photo of any of it. But here she is the next morning in her new red PJs drinking a green kale smoothie to keep the holiday mood going.

Grass-Fed

2009-12-28T22:04:00.008-06:00

Masha recently rediscovered her cow costume from Halloween laying in a pile of clean laundry and insisted on wearing it around the house. We said that if she was going to be a cow, she would have to eat some greens...and she didn't seem to mind.

No corn-fed cows here!

Ninety nine bottles of...

2009-11-26T02:51:00.004-06:00

Washed hair yesterday... You know how the shampoo bottle when it is almost empty and it comes out of there painfully slow but there is still enough in it for one or two times so you don't want to throw it away. At that point you turn it upside down, but it still comes out too slow, so you open another bottle because you don't have time to wait for it. And you gonna finish that first bottle when you not in any hurry. And then few weeks later the second bottle gets to the same almost-empty point, and you start the third bottle... So I counted yesterday, together with conditioner we have seven of them now. -- Ilya

20 Months Old!

2009-09-16T01:31:00.008-05:00

Sorry we never seem to post here anymore! We'll try to be better, promise! Masha is 20 months old now and doing fun new things every day. Most of them are more fun to watch than to read about, so I'll try to update you all primarily with videos. She talks quite a bit and recently started combining 2 words to make phrases. (My favorite is when she says "Silly Masha!" after she does something she knows is funny.) Recently we started learning basic ASL with DVDs from the library. Here are some of her favorite signs. (Unfortunately we had a hard time getting her to look at the camera for this.)

And here she is riding her rocking horse and saying one of her other favorite words:

Family plans to build laundry shoot

2009-08-01T14:16:00.004-05:00

With two parents working full-time and taking care of a toddler, the ecosystem of our household is changing. The latest effect was observed around our pile of clothes waiting for the Laundry Day. The pile has long ago outgrown the basket, and then the second basket, then the closet where the baskets were kept. But couple days ago Julia noticed that now when you want to throw a garment into the pile, you have to toss it up. This is new experience. I am thinking about finally building a laundry shoot. No, not the traditional kind that lets you drop your clothes into a laundry room. More like snow-blower, one that would pick them from the floor and shoot them up the top of the pile.

How to talk to big ones

2009-06-19T09:45:00.004-05:00

Hi,
I want to share my observations and tips on communicating with the big ones (also called "adults", which can at times be misleading).

0. They like it when you talk. Even if they don't get a thing, it usually comes through as something amusing for them, and you get credits. I dunno, I have had a good experience so far.

1. Before you initiate a conversation, know what you want; stick to the topic from the moment of engagement through the end of conversation (more on this later).

2. Fall back to crying. By the time they expect you to talk, they are sure used to crying and therefore react adequately. This is also universal technique for changing a subject. When crying, remember to be bearable - no need to scream or be nasty.

3. First words. I recommend "Mo" and "No". (The former is usually spelled as "more" which is obviously redundant.) This actually covers a lot of ground. I don't like being dramatic, but the reality is: if you get these right, you survive in the "adult" world.

4. Signs. Popular for some reason, and can be seen as cute. But not nearly as useful as words. Require eye contact, and because of this are actually inferior to all forms of sounds. Really, the only sign I use is for "Mo": it comes useful when your mouth is full with food, and you do not want it to become empty before you can request next portion of it.

5. What next? Use common sense. Learn what they call your favorite food and toys. Remember: the more specific you can get, the more control you have in the conversation.

A note regarding number 1: It is OK to change your mind in the middle of conversation, but know that your chance of being understood declines. In this case, it is better to disengage and start from beginning (see number 2).

Good luck & Love you all,
Masha

Crossword Key

2009-01-11T23:54:00.008-06:00

A follow-up to our 2008 annual bulletin (PDF), here is the crossword key.

Learning the Ropes

2009-01-08T21:36:00.012-06:00

Today was my first real (non-orientation) day at work, and I'm happy to say it went relatively well! Saturday will be my first night on call, and Monday will be my first day in the clinic.

read/hide the rest...

Walking - Part 2!

2008-12-21T13:03:00.003-06:00

Finally! The video you've all (ahem...Micah's) been waiting for. We've been pretty sick around here lately, but today all of us are feeling a lot better and I managed to catch this clip of Masha walking across the room. Yay!

Walking

2008-12-14T16:27:00.003-06:00

Masha is walking! Masha is walking!

She's not super steady yet, but she can get from point A to point B without falling. Now if we can just teach her to keep her shoes on, we'll be set. Videos to follow...