Fiona's Feline Friend

Erick's parents are in the Grand Canyon for a week, so we are cat-sitting our ex-cat, Miko. As many of you will remember, Miko was my cat before Erick and I were married, and she continued to live with us until Fiona arrived. At that point, Erick's parents took her in, so that she could be the center of attention in their house rather than having to share her space with an attention-grabbing baby.

So now, Miko and Fiona are together for the first time. Fiona is obsessed with Miko. We have spent much of the past 5 days in this activity:

As you will note in the photo above, while Fiona is in hot pursuit of Miko, Miko is beating a hasty retreat. That's right: unfortunately, Miko has not reciprocated Fiona's affection. However, by Friday Miko was beginning to show signs of grudging tolerance:
And today, we really turned a corner. Miko did not show signs of distress when in close proximity to Fiona. Fiona, who tends to be very aggressive in her loving, started off on the wrong foot:
But after a couple of lessons in proper petting, she picked it right up:
And all was snuggly:

The First Tooth!

Over the past week, Fiona's first tooth came in, and a second tooth is following close behind. All I can say is: THANK GOD, because it has been like living with a foreign dictator in the house for the past couple of weeks! Teething has made Fiona quite grumpy which, combined with her strongly-emerging personality, means that we often find ourselves the target of shouted commands that we can't understand.

Lest you think this is an idle analogy, here is Fiona:And here is Benito Mussolini:

It was challenging to capture a decent photo of Fiona's new dental accessories, because it is increasingly difficult to get Fiona to stand still. Nowadays she is mostly doing this:
Or this (note the blur):

We are very tired lately!

Fiona and the Fall of Man...

This weekend, we took Fiona apple picking. This is something Erick & I used to enjoy in New York, pre-Fiona, but we haven't had a chance to go apple picking in California -- until yesterday. Our destination was Gabriel Farm, a small family-run operation in Sonoma County. The Fuji and Golden Delicious were in prime picking condition, and we brought home about 12 pounds. We had some help from Fiona, who loved trying to yank the apples off the trees.
Although she's only just getting in her first tooth, she knew exactly what to do with an apple.

Sunday in the Park with Fiona

Last Sunday, we took Fiona to Tilden Park -- a beautiful park that is conveniently located up the street from us. Because we were experiencing a typical September California heatwave, we took advantage of the cooling-down opportunity offered by Lake Anza. Fiona has become quite a water-baby of late; she relishes her baths and has discovered the joy of splashing. Needless to say, she loved exploring Lake Anza.
Sufficiently refreshed, we headed over to the Little Farm. (Tilden Park has created a little farm complete with a variety of barnyard animals for children to enjoy, and it has become one of Fiona's favorite spots). It's very challenging to get photos that include both Fiona and the animal she's watching (if babies don't always cooperatively pose for photos, animals are even worse!), but here she is watching some cows:
and here is Fiona with the rear end of a sheep:

As you can see, it was all we could do to keep her from jumping into the pens! So then, it was time for her to face the beast....That's right: Goats.
I'm delighted to report that Fiona seemed to have no recollection of her earlier goat trauma. I'm sure that early experience is now firmly locked in her subconscious, only to emerge several decades down the road when she ends up in therapy for generalized anxiety issues.

Books and Such....

Only a short time ago, we were concerned that Fiona might never like books. She was unable to sit through an entire story without attempting to eat the book in question. I am delighted to report that this trend has lately reversed: Fiona appears to have developed a sincere love for books in their customary form -- it has been weeks since she attempted to stick one in her mouth. As happy as we are with this development, it is not without its consequences. For instance, the other week Fiona's Grandmommy gave her a book about dogs (titled, appropriately, DOG). This book has become an instant favorite. Fiona demands that we read it morning, noon, and night. I have read Fiona this book 10 times in succession. I can quote this book by heart, and believe me, it is no great piece of literature.Over the past couple of days, Fiona has also developed a strange obsession with our Bible. While we certainly aren't displeased by this, we suspect it has more to do with the crinkly pages than with the content.In other news, Fiona has had several nice experiences over the past week. She met Erick's friend from Tanzania, Jullu.
She attended a 1-year-old Birthday party for her friend Constance. Here she is with Constance (far right) and Cameron (center) enjoying a communal Cheerios-fest.This morning, Fiona danced with her Daddy to some snappy jazz on the radio. She seems to have enjoyed it.