Fiona's Christmas Crush

This might well be the last post on this blog for quite some time, since tomorrow we embark on the first leg of our trip across the country to spend Christmas with Fiona's grandparents in Northern Virginia. So, I'll try to make it worth your while!

Today we attended a Christmas party/carol sing at the home of our friends Steve and Emily. All of us had a wonderful, festive time. Particularly amusing were the interactions between Fiona and the son of our hosts, Luther. Luther is about 2 months younger than Fiona, and they have met quite a few times before. But at this age, every meeting is like the first time.

So Luther and Fiona were re-introduced.
Luther attempted to express him warm feelings towards Fiona, who sadly did not seem inclined to return his affection.

It was only once Fiona realized that Luther shared her passion for chair-banging and yelling that the relationship seemed to gain some footing.

The two continued to bond over an attempt to steal a pack of apple juice right from under our noses.

Ain't love grand?

Fiona and both of her parents wish you a joyful Christmas!

Fiona's First Christmas Party

This past Saturday, we attended a Christmas shindig at the home of our friends Willis and Lauren (you might remember that they visited us this Fall with their children Carter and Aspen). Fiona had the time of her life. Willis and Lauren live in a large house in San Ramon filled with various toys, which afforded Fiona plenty of room for running around in endless circles.

One of the highlights of the event was a Secret Santa gift exchange. Fiona had a large package....

which turned out to be a large stuffed giraffe!

Perfect for a little girl to ride on.

At the end of the evening, we gathered all the children together for a photo shoot. Fiona, the youngest child there, was given over to the custody of a couple of "big girls." All seemed fine at first....
...but the big girls couldn't hold Fiona back.
In the end she was standing in front of the whole group, awash in a sea a flashbulbs, very pleased with all the attention "she" was getting.

A Little Update

Fiona had an eventful holiday weekend, about which I will post shortly. However, I wanted to spend a moment reflecting on the highlights of the past week, including some of Fiona's new skills.

The most important thing is that we have had Miko the cat back with us for 2 weeks while Fiona's Gong Grandparents were on vacation. Miko and Fiona seem to be getting along better this go-round (translation: Fiona still chases Miko around the house all day long in an effort to pat her, but Miko has become far more tolerant of the shrieking baby). As evidenced by this photo:

A recent trend is that Fiona likes hanging out on her parents' bed. In the absence of a cat to torment, she's content with just dancing.

We've also noticed that Fiona seems to have formed some object attachments. Particularly to objects in her crib. In fact, her crib is now such a fun place to hang out that lately Fiona has not been in a rush to exit it after her naps. When her parents insist that she rejoin the land of the living, this is what happens:

Fiona Takes a Hike

As this past weekend was beautiful and crisp, on Sunday we decided to take a family outing to China Camp State Park. This is a large park in San Rafael along the San Pablo Bay, and it includes the preserved site of a shrimp-fishing camp once populated by Fiona's Asian ancestors.

She enjoyed exploring the old fishing equipment.
Then, Erick strapped her on his back for a hike. This was, I am ashamed to say, Fiona's first real hike - somehow we never made it out for a hike with her over the past year. Which is too bad, because it would have been easier to do when she weighed less than 20 lbs.
Nonetheless, she seemed to enjoy the experience.

Back home, we decorated our Christmas tree. As you can see, it is the perfect Fiona-sized tree, and thus far they are peacefully coexisting. She particularly loves the lights on the tree, and spent most of this evening circling the tree, pointing, and saying "dee!"

Finally, it is getting cold here in the Bay Area -- down into the 40s at night, which may not seem like a big deal to you hardened East Coasters, but it can feel pretty bitter when your house has no insulation whatsoever. The cold also means that we get to bundle Fiona up into her puffiest clothes. For your entertainment, here she is all prepared for our evening stroll. She's laying immobile on the carpet, brought down by a winter jacket. Erick pointed out that, if we dressed her like this more often, we'd be much less exhausted.

Fiona Gives Thanks

Fiona's first "conscious" Thanksgiving was an unqualified hit. We spent it in Foster City with her West Coast Grandmommy and Granddaddy, Uncle Wesley and Auntie Kristin, and her great-aunt, great-uncle, and (great? second? once-removed?) cousins. And, of course, a turkey that weighed more than Fiona (who, at 19.5 lbs, is no wimp)!

Fiona liked the turkey. She liked it a lot.

She ate quite a bit over the course of the weekend, as did we all.

With Thanksgiving behind us, it was now time to look ahead to Christmas. Thus, on Saturday morning we all piled into the car and headed out to Half Moon Bay, home to many "cut-your-own" Christmas tree farms. We settled on Lemu's Farm, mostly because, in addition to Christmas trees, it had animals...

and a train ride...
Although we didn't actually leave with a tree this time, Fiona was clearly attracted to the Charlie Brown variety.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Uncle Wes and Auntie Kristin, Fiona's favorite (and not just because they're the only) aunt and uncle. It was great to see you both!!

Stick a Fork in It....

Not too much bloggable has been happening in the life of Fiona or her parents this past week. We're still recovering from Fiona's birthday partying, and preparing for Thanksgiving. Last year we celebrated Thanksgiving in the hospital with both sets of grandparents; Fiona slept the entire time. This year will be a very different experience. Fiona likes turkey. And potatoes. And, if they're hidden in the potatoes, peas. Here is a picture of Fiona during a recent meal, to inspire you for turkey day. Gobble gobble!

Fiona's First Birthday

Yesterday, Fiona celebrated one year on earth. Despite our attempts to keep things "low key," thanks to our very generous family and friends she woke up to a pile of gifts. Oddly, she seemed to know just what to do. (Proof that we are hardwired for materialism?)

She enjoyed playing with some of her fun new toys from Nana and Boom.

Then we took her to the recently renovated and reopened Academy of Science in San Francisco. This is an amazing place to visit: the sustainably-constructed building houses a mini-rainforest, planetarium, and aquarium. Of course, the aquarium was Fiona's favorite, but the whole experience was a hit. Hopefully these photos will give some idea of her fascination and enthusiasm:

We took a family photo on the Living Roof, which would ordinarily have a nice view of Golden Gate Park were it not for the entirely typical San Francisco fog!

After 4 exhausting hours at the Academy of Science, we headed back home, where Fiona's Grand-Mommy and Grand-Daddy had decorated the house for a princess-themed birthday dinner. And some more gifts....
Because Fiona is a cream cheese fanatic, it seemed only natural that her birthday cake should be a cheesecake. A chocolate cheesecake. This was Fiona's first taste of chocolate. It appeared to be a major hit. The addiction begins....
Fiona fell soundly asleep after this very special day, celebrating a very special first year of life. Soundly asleep, that is, except for occasional yells in response to what we assume were sugar- and caffeine-fueled dreams.

Just to emphasize what a miracle it is to be celebrating this day, here is Fiona exactly one year ago: Thank you all so much for the love and support that you've shown our entire family over the past year. We've been overwhelmed by kindnesses. We're all eagerly looking forward to the coming year!

The Week Ran By....

Fiona has had an eventful, exhausting week, in which she engaged primarily in this activity:


She has also discovered the delights of kitchen towels...


...and oven drawers.

More hijinks to follow on Tuesday, when we will celebrate her (gulp!) 1st Birthday!

Fiona Drops the Ball...Again and Again

Last week, our dear friend Amanda gave Fiona an enormous blue ball. The timing could not have been better. Fiona has combined her new walking skills and her seemingly limitless energy into a new venture: to chase the ball all over the house, pick it up, purposefully drop it, and chase it some more. The photos on this page were all taken in about 30 seconds. I have a feeling that all future photos of Fiona may be blurred....with her face largely obscured by a huge blue ball.