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.

Fiona Congratulates President-Elect Obama!

Actually, Fiona does not yet realize that she was alive during an historic election, because the election results came in after her bedtime. However, she does feel very grateful to live in the United States, where she will have the right to vote (in 18 years), to speak freely (once she can speak), and to assemble (once she can walk a little better). And, if this country can elect an African American President, imagine the possibilities for a half-Chinese, quarter-Italian, and quarter-Anglo Saxon!

However, Fiona is a political realist. She tends to disparage partisan politics, as she feels that they often cause division over petty issues. She believes that the ultimate solutions to much of what ails our society are not to be found in politics. But of course, it's still important to vote and be engaged! And she is full of hope for the future.

She Walks the Line...

Our girl officially started walking this weekend. While she's not exactly running around the house yet, she can walk halfway across a room with some conviction!

Lately, perhaps due to this newfound locomotion, all Fiona wants to do is go outside. This has been challenging (for all of us) given that it's been almost continuously raining for the past 5 days! We look forward to dry-er weather tomorrow.

Fiona's First Halloween

For her first Halloween, Fiona dressed as a pumpkin -- a costume on loan from some friends of ours, that she has been excited about wearing for a month now!
We attended a Halloween party at our friends Steve and Emily's house (their son, Luther, is 7 months old), along with several other babies. Fiona had a fantastic time! The lineup is below -- the other 3 babies are dressed as a fork, knife, and spoon. Fiona, as the only food item, seems oddly unconcerned around all that cutlery. She's more focused on removing her pumpkin hat, which never stayed on her head longer than 2 seconds.There were older children at the party as well. Fiona spent some time hanging out with Emilio "Hulk" Aldaz, gazing longingly at his candy and dreaming of Halloweens to come....
Although she didn't get any candy, in a nod to her Italian roots Fiona ate her first lasagna at the party. It was a HUGE success. We didn't get any photos because we were too busy laughing at her unabashed gluttony. So I'll close with a photo of Fiona helping me make a birthday card for Emily (whose birthday is also on Halloween). Fiona is just starting to realize that there are uses for crayons outside of her mouth.
Happy Halloween, everyone!