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!

Style Issues...

We were amused a couple of months ago when Fiona began developing some very fixed ideas about style, emerging as a "shoes and purse girl." Well, as it turns out, "ideas" about fashion do not necessarily equate "fashion sense." As evidenced below.

Fiona determined to wear her father's sandals:

And this is what happens when we let Fiona decide what to wear. Please note that, not only is she wearing 3 layers of clothing, but she has topped off her ensemble with 3 bibs that she dug out of her dresser. (And yes, we did let her leave the house like this -- minus the bibs).

Fiona's Happy Easter!

Fiona had a VERY happy Easter.
On Easter Eve, we went to her Grandparents' house in Foster City for an Easter feast with assorted relatives. The festivities also included two large Easter balloons (one of which sang) and some gifts for Fiona. Naturally, we neglected to take pictures of all the fun!

Easter itself consisted mostly of church, which is usually the highlight of Fiona's week since she gets to spend church with her buddies in the nursery. Today, she was THRILLED to be included in some photos with the BIG GIRLS at church in all their Easter finery.
We took some family photos, which clearly show Fiona's elation (as well as her immodesty and refusal to let go of a clear plastic spoon)...
...and because I've had some comments that evidence of Kiddo #2 isn't obvious in recent photos of me, here you go:
Here is Fiona, exhausted by the end of the day, with maracas from one of her Easter gifts from Nana and Boom. She was too pooped to cha-cha.
Happy Easter, everyone!

Visit to Napa & Sonoma, Part II

After a long delay, we resume where we left off with the adventures of our fearless heroine in the wilds of wine country!

The whole family stayed in Santa Rosa. Fiona loved lounging around in the hotel room.

But the next morning, she was clearly ready to start out on her next adventure. Which was to....

...THE PETRIFIED FOREST! Yes, Fiona got to see what is apparently the largest petrified forest in the world (?), created when nearby St. Helena erupted millions of years ago and buried huge redwood trees in ash. She wasn't initially thrilled with the idea that this might be an educational experience...

...but she soon warmed up when she got a load of the huge petrified tree trunks.

Her favorite part was the hiking, which appears to come naturally to her (picking up the walking stick was her own idea).

On our final morning of vacation, we drove over to Bodega Bay for a morning on the beach. Fiona's response proved once again that we have a beach girl!
Tired but happy, we returned to Berkeley. It was a nice trip!

Visit to Napa & Sonoma, Part I

This past week has been Erick's spring break, so we decided to take a family mini-vacation and explore Napa and Sonoma, both beautiful areas that are fairly close by.
Our first stop was Calistoga, which boasts "The Old Faithful of California" -- a geyser that shoots up every 10 minutes or so. Fiona was fascinated by the geyser, but perhaps more fascinated by other attractions at the geyser site, like....
...fainting goats! (While we didn't actually see these goats faint, apparently they will do so in the presence of predators. Supposedly the predators assume they're already dead and leave them alone, although that doesn't seem entirely logical to me).

...llamas!
...and a bamboo maze that our intrepid explorer led us through.

We stayed in the town of Santa Rosa, where Fiona was relieved to see that she was welcome to hang out on a bench outside the coffee shop (having left her cigarettes, pets, and glass elsewhere).
Santa Rosa was the longtime home of Charles Shultz, of Peanuts fame, and is thus filled with Peanuts tributes. Amazing how appealing Snoopy is, even to a child who has no idea who he is!

Our last stop of the day was an inviting park in downtown Santa Rosa. Fiona has recently discovered dandelions, but hasn't quite figured out that blowing them requires some distance between ones lips and the weed itself....

...so she often finishes dandelion encounters looking like this:

We played in the park's playground, which boasted a nifty camel sculpture.
And then it was back to the hotel, at the close of a busy day. More to follow!

A Visit From Nana & Boom!

Last week, Fiona enjoyed a whirlwind visit from Nana and Boom. This was the first time they'd seen each other since Christmas, so there was much catching-up to be done. In fact, it was such a whirlwind that we were horrible about documenting it in photos! Suffice it to say that Fiona, Nana, and Boom thoroughly enjoyed each other's company from the start. We showed them all of Fiona's favorite Berkeley spots and activities.

Fiona was particularly thrilled that the visit offered her a chance to try on new shoes....

...that Nana and Boom brought her some new socks....
...and that she and Nana turn out to have matching hot pink fleece jackets!

Fiona's Fashion, Part 2

Despite her brief stint as a community activist, Fiona's interest in fashion seems to have continued. In fact, it has expanded to include other members of the household -- like Bear-Bear. One morning, Fiona woke up and made it very clear that it was necessary to dress Bear-Bear in her shoes and fleece top. Bear-Bear, being a stuffed animal, was unable to protest.

Fiona has also been experimenting with different types of headgear.

We are delighted that her East Coast Nana and Boom are visiting us for several days, so postings with many shenanigans will likely follow....