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!

Oakland Zoo Redux

It's been a busy season here at the Gong homestead, so yesterday we decided to block out for an afternoon of Family Fun. We chose the Oakland Zoo as our destination, because A) it's always been a big hit with Fiona, and B) we now have a family membership, so it's all free!!

Since this was about the 5th time we'd been to the Oakland Zoo (which is a very small zoo), we decided to try something different and take Fiona for a ride on the steam train. She was interested, but not hugely enthusiastic. If I might presume to interpret her expression and body language: "Okay, this is interesting...it's like a car ride, but I can see more of the scenery and I don't have to sit in a car seat. But I still have to sit. Why is there so much sitting? ARGH!"As we were sitting in the steam train, Fiona spied the Sky Tram. This is essentially a chair lift that runs high in the air over the zoo. Fiona went nuts, pointing and grunting with determination. So, after the steam train ride was over, we thought we'd give her a treat and go for a ride on the Sky Tram. This turned out to be a horrible mistake.It all started off so well. She was fascinated by the cables and by how high off the ground we were. We had some fantastic views of the animals. And then, I believe this is what happened:
"Wow, this is pretty cool! We're high off the ground and I have a great view of the people and animals. But...hang on a minute, you mean I just have to SIT here? This is just like that steam train thing -- it's all just sitting! Forget that, I'm gonna break free and go hang out with those buffalo!"

In other words, Fiona became wiggly, very very wiggly. Wiggly on the steam train is one thing; wiggly 50 feet above a lion's habitat is quite another. Once our heartrates returned to normal, Erick and I agreed that it will be several years before we venture on the Sky Tram again.

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

Last Sunday we drove up to Sonoma for the afternoon to visit Peterson's Farm, which happens to boast a pick-your-own-pumpkin patch. It also boasts a small menagerie of farm animals. (Given Fiona's spastic enthusiasm for animals, we tend to plan our outings around the certainty that there will be some form of animal sighting; that way, even if the main event is a bust, we know Fiona will be happy!)

Fiona chased the farm cat....
She saw her first live horse up close....
She watched some bees making honey....And she was fascinated by the noisy geese....
Although the pumpkin pickings were fairly slim at this late date, there were plenty of small pumpkins to choose from. Fiona was delighted!

In other news, Fiona has just begun climbing stairs. The only option at our single-story house are the steps that go to our front door, which means that Fiona is always flithy afterwards. But, as you can see, she is very proud of her new skill! I'd even venture to say that she's proclaimed herself #1.

Uncle Wes & Auntie Kristin's Visit!

This Saturday, Fiona spent the day with her Uncle Wesley and Aunt Kristin, who were in town visiting from Irvine. (Of course, we forgot our camera for most of the visit, so I have stolen these photos from Kristin!) It had been a while since Fiona had seen her favorite (and only!) Uncle and Auntie, and at first she was a little confused because Uncle Wes looks kind of like her Daddy.
But she quickly figured things out and got comfortable.

We went to the Little Farm at Tilden Park, which is becoming Fiona's weekly stomping ground. She never gets tired of looking at barnyard animals.
THEN, we drove over to the Merry-Go-Round in Tilden, which was decorated for Halloween as a "Scary-Go-Round." Fiona wasn't frightened at all -- on the contrary, she demanded a ride. Uncle Wes and Auntie Kristin were happy to oblige. It was difficult to get a clear photo, because once it gets going, that Merry-Go-Round is FAST. Fiona seemed to enjoy herself - more than Uncle Wes, at least, who was looking a little green by the end of the ride!

Mom & Dad's Day Out!

In a stunning departure from almost 180 days of continuous Fiona coverage, I have decided to provide an update on the other two members of the Gong family. This past Saturday, Erick and I actually spent an entire day (roughly 10 am - 6 pm) together without Fiona! Using our typical logic, we decided to spend our one day off from the exhausting demands of parenting by taking a 10-mile hike.

We went to Point Reyes, a national seashore in Marin County that we'd wanted to visit for a while. Our hike began in the piney woods...
...and ended on a magnificent stretch of almost-deserted, unspoiled beach.

Feeling very virtuous after this long hike, we stopped off for Lappert's Ice Cream in Sausalito (Both ice creams are not mine. Just the bigger one.) It was a beautiful, wonderful day. But of course, we really really missed Fiona. Fiona, meanwhile, was enjoying the undivided attention of her adoring grandparents.

And, just for fun, here's a photo in which Fiona is clearly thinking, "THESE are my parents?"