Visitors

The Gongs will all be moving to a new place in Berkeley this Saturday, so we're currently living amidst the boxes and preoccupied by packing and address forwarding and the like. I am so tired that I can't think of anything witty to say, but the photos keep piling up and the fun events keep flying by, so I need to keep up! Therefore, with very little fanfare, I present to you the following photos and commentary:

We've been truly blessed to have had several special visitors over the past month. First came Dahna and Sarah, college friends from DC (you may recall our visit to their great apartment over the summer). Fiona was so wired after a morning with these fun ladies that this is the best group photo we could pull off:

Then came Jon and Joy Channell and their sweet new baby, Kate. I was Joy's "mentor" (quotes added because she's way more mature than I am!) when she was on staff with the Navigators in NYC, pre-marriage and -baby. Jon & Joy live in Tuscaloosa, AL now, so it was really special to see them in the Bay Area! Fiona and Kate bonded over their hand-chewing techniques.

And then came Nana and Boom. Fiona had a blast with them (and vice versa!), and they were incredibly helpful to our whole family during a crazy weekend that included a major Project Peace fundraiser and the beginning of moving logistics. They did a LOT of fun things with Fiona, many of which I didn't capture -- unfortunately, the ones I did capture all seem to be focused on eating/drinking, but we did more than that! I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Fiona still asks about them every day.

Mothers Day

I know that Mothers Day is the cause of much angst in our society, what with all the expectations and emotions that it entails. It's certainly the cause of much anxiety in my husband, who's always afraid that he'll "mess it up." But I have to say, my 2nd Mothers Day was absolutely perfect!

It started with brunch at Cafe Cacao: chocolate-banana pancakes. Yum! As you can see, Fiona was ready to dig in to my stack, but I did manage to get a few bites.
Then it was off to Children's Fairyland, a great little park right on Oakland's Lake Merritt. This was our first visit -- first of many to come, I'm sure. The 1950s-era park is set up with various scenarios from fairy tales and nursery rhymes, and Fiona loved every minute of it.

Navigating the card maze from Alice in Wonderland:

On the merry-go-round:


In the "crooked house":

She had so much fun, this is what she looked like when she woke up from her nap later that afternoon:
You'll recognize that hairstyle as a "classic Erick."
So, there you have it. A great Mothers Day, the highlight of which was just getting to enjoy time together with my husband and daughter.

Whirlwind update....

Alright, mea culpa (again!) for being a delinquent post-er! Much is going on at Casa Gong these days: 10 weeks until the arrival of Kiddo 2, Erick's winding up his 3rd year at Cal, I just helped throw a major fundraiser for Project Peace, and we have started to pack for our move (to another place in Berkeley) at the end of this month! And, of course, Fiona has had a VEEEERRRY eventful month. Some random highlights:

Our ex-cat (Miko) came to stay with us while Grandmommy and Granddaddy were away. For the first time, Fiona is actually LARGER than Miko, which totally changed the power dynamic. Fiona started out gently....
...which quickly changed to some major bossing-around ("Noooo! Down!" whenever Miko jumps on the dining room table), and the realization that maybe, just maybe, she could actually LIFT Miko.
Suffice it to say that Miko has been acting out a bit lately, and will be happy to return home to Foster City this week!

Fiona has continued her obsession with large shoes.

A major change, however, has been her attitude towards goats! Those of you who followed this blog last summer may recall that Fiona was showing the makings of a full-fledged goat phobia. Well, I'm delighted to inform you that on recent visits to the Tilden Park Little Farm, Fiona has allowed herself to get within a celery-stick's distance of large, aggressive goats. We celebrate her ability to conquer her fear!

More to follow soon -- really!