Farewells (Part 3) - Shelly's Graduation Party

Clearly, our initial reluctance to write a blog about our kid has worn off, given the frequency of our updates. The jig is up: we're actually having fun doing this. Thank you all for being so supportive as we embrace the fact that we are the kind of parents who keep a blog about their baby!

As a disclaimer, though, there's been a lot to document over the past few days; our lives are not typically so event-filled. Today was yet another shindig: Erick's cousin Shelly just graduated from the SFSU nursing program (yay Shelly!), so Fiona attended a celebration in Foster City with her West Coast family. Photos attached, including one of Grandmommy feeding her carrots. (The kid can EAT). Check out Fiona (not that you have much choice): that is the face of someone secure in the knowledge that the world revolves around her. We have 17.5 years (optimistically) to disabuse her of this idea. Oy.

Needless to say, Fiona had a great time. Later in the day, she got kicked out of the nursery at church for squalling and then attempted to rip off the face of a friend's baby in her excitement at seeing another munchkin. Nobody's perfect.

Farewells (Part 2) and SAUSAGE!

We're trying to take advantage of our last few days of perfect weather (before we spend the rest of the summer in air-conditioned interiors, fleeing the East Coast heat & humidity). So we went to a BBQ in the park with our community group from Christ Church of Berkeley. Fiona is now eating a variety of "solid" foods (watery rice cereal, sweet potatoes, mashed bananas, applesauce, etc.), but she is fascinated with all manner of "grown-up" food. At this BBQ, there was a LOT of sausage. Some chicken, steak, and burgers, but mostly sausage. We were wondering how Fiona would feel about sausage. See for yourself. Exhibit A is Fiona trying to charm our friends Jack and Sandra into forking over some sausage by pulling the pouty lips/big eyes. Exhibit B is Fiona being much less polite with her father.

Apart from basic greed, there is another level to these photos. Those of you with eagle eyes might note that Fiona is wearing her "Berkeley, CA" onesie. Grabbing shamelessly at large sausages is not generally an activity associated with the ethos of Berkeley. This leads us to believe that, at 6.5 months, Fiona already has a fine sense of irony and is, therefore, a genius. We'll keep you posted.

TECHNICAL NOTE: Several of you brought it to my attention that you couldn't comment on this blog without a password. I've now changed that setting, so go ahead and comment away!

Babies and Dogs and Economists (Oh My!)

This blog may appear to have veered from its stated purpose, since we're not even ON the East Coast yet. However, any good journey must begin with a series of farewells. Yesterday, Erick took his big-deal Field Exam (probably the last exam he will ever have to take). To celebrate, and say goodbye to friends for the summer, we went over to his classmate Kelly's house. Kelly and her partner Dani have an amazingly kind and patient dog named Trout. Fiona had never interacted with a dog at close range before. At first she wasn't sure what to make of Trout. As you can see, she very quickly warmed to the experience! We are now expecting a dog to be one of the first (of many) things she asks us for, once she can speak.

Vietnamese Hat

Our friend Jenny is leaving for Vietnam today to spend the summer doing research on poultry (seriously). Last year, when Jenny got back from Vietnam, she brought Fiona (who was still in utero and referred to only as "kiddo") this great hat. So, in honor of Jenny, Fiona has donned the hat to wish Jenny a wonderful trip. Not knowing Vietnamese, Fiona resorted to the colonial language: "Bon Voyage, Jenny! Bring me back a chicken. Or a pony."

In other news, over the past two days Fiona has learned how to squeal in delight. She's delighted a lot. She sounds like a pterodactyl on the offensive. Just in time for the plane trip.

Pre-packing

We decided to (reluctantly) keep a blog of Fiona's first visit to the East Coast. Reluctantly, because it's hard to imagine that many people will care, apart from Fiona's grandparents and Lauren, who suggested the blog in the first place. But, hey, we'll be on the East Coast for 2 months, which means that there are people we won't see for quite some time who might want a little Fiona fix every now and then. Far be it from us to deprive you! For those who think it's pitiful to keep a blog about a 6-month old (ourselves included), maybe we'll throw in some Erick & Faith news as well.

So, the thought for the day is: packing. We don't leave for another 5 days, and already we have a 3-page packing list. Guess which Gong requires the most stuff? The kid weighs 13 pounds and is making us take 10 times her body weight in luggage. She's very excited about the trip, though, if her recent oubursts of delighted squealing are any indication!