Baby V

Our bundle of joy, baby V, arrived October 20 at 8pm. She weighed 6 lbs, 9 oz and was 18 inches long. She is a beauty and has a *very* healthy appetite. She certainly has no trouble expressing what she wants and when. She's going to keep us on our toes for the next few decades.

Thank goodness for family. What would we do without them? My parents helped so much during the delivery and kept me distracted while I was waiting for V to arrive (she arrived 8 days late... or we were expecting her 8 days early). My inlaws are here now and helping keep us fed and making sure we get naps/rest. My sister - who has her own newborn baby to take care of - calls and gives me excellent pep-talks.

Anyway, V arrived, we are very happy, and there isn't much time for blogging. If you want recent pictures of the baby, just email me and I'll send you the link to our photos.

Nobel Peace Prize

(CNN) -- Former Vice President Al Gore and the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their work to raise awareness about global warming. (Full article)

Many congratulations to Al Gore and the IPCC! Al Gore, thank you so much for all your work to increase awareness of our climate crisis. IPCC, thank you for building a strong scientific consensus on this unbelievably important issue. Five bucks says the draftAlGore.com movement is going to step up their efforts in the wake of this announcement.

Arrivals in October

Although the little one hasn't made her appearance yet, I am less than a week away from my due date! My parents (aka MaPi, Mami y Papi Brangelina-fied) arrive in a few days to help out with the delivery and taking care of the brand-spanking-new baby. Mostly, I suspect they are going to be making sure B&I get enough to eat and occasionally sleep. I'm hoping to get them to cook some yummy Cuban/Miami food while they are here. Arroz con pollo (saffron rice with chicken), maybe? Chop-chop (a favorite dish from a Miami Haitian-inspired fast food chain, the Chicken Kitchen), please! Tostones (fried green plantains), definitely! Arroz con leche (Cuban rice pudding) for dessert sound like a plan. My mom makes a killer arroz con leche. Mine is pretty good too, but let's face it comfort food is much better when it is cooked by mom.

B's parents arrive later this month and we can switch from Cuban food to French food. I know he is compiling his list of "things to beg my mother to cook for me" (gratin dauphinrois - scalloped potatoes with gruyere cheese - probably tops the list).

We are lucky in that even our father's enjoy cooking. My dad loves to experiment in the kitchen and *he bakes bread*. My dad, however, has an affinity for hot sauce. Don't ever get into a "who can tolerate more heat" contest with him. We've got a brand new bottle of Dave's Insanity Sauce ready for him. This habanero pepper sauce can supposedly can strip the paint of walls. It's so hot, my dad has to cut it down with olive oil. B's dad on the other hand gets props for his crepes and galettes (savory crepes). So decadent and delicious. Nothing like a galette filled with ham, gruyere cheese, mushrooms, and a bit of creme fraiche. I am getting hungry just thinking about them.

Somehow, I predict I won't lose much of my pregnancy weight during this month of visitors. Weird how that happens. The baby will at least get exposed to the best foods from Cuba and France in her first month outside of the womb. Hmm... my sister, brother-in-law, and niece are coming for Thanksgiving. Guess November isn't looking too good either. Thank goodness December isn't known for excessive eating and over-indulgence!

Imagine

Imagine a world where science is valued and funded by governments rather than censored and cherry-picked. Could this actually happen?

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Hillary Clinton on Thursday will vow to make science a high priority if she is elected president, a subject the New York Democrat claims has been neglected by the Bush administration.

Signing an Executive Order that encourages stem cell research and forbids “political appointees from altering or removing scientific conclusions in government publications without any legitimate basis for doing so,” are just two of several changes Clinton will promise to implement under her watch.

On the issue of space exploration, Clinton will guarantee to execute “a balanced strategy of robust human spaceflight, expanded robotic spaceflight, and enhanced space science activities.”

She will outline her scientific agenda before the Carnegie Institute on the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s successful launch of the Sputnik satellite.

– CNN Senior Political Correspondent Candy Crowley