The Kids and The Science Center

We took the kids to the Science Center for some interactive fun.


Tia tries to get the attention of a 220 million year old dinosaur.


Tia plays Tic-Tac-Toe with the robot and they tie.


Tiny girl on a giant chair just like Alice in Wonderland.


Another pose with the dinosaurs.


Giordano tries to look cool with a dinosaur.


Giordano does look cool with the dinosaur.


Boys and water cannons, what could be more fun?


Here Giordano beats the robot at Tic-Tic-Toe and he's proud of it.

Veronica CRAWLS!

Finally she's got the hang of it!

Lotsa New Photos

Veronica is growing so fast, I am taking every opportunity to take new photos of her. Yesterday we went to a BBQ and afterwards she had a relaxing bath before bed. (click on the photos to make them larger.)


Deme thinks I will let her ride a moto when she is older.


He had her doing wheelies on the tricycle.


I know she will be tom boy like I was.

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She loves the bath and now insists on sitting up in the bathtub.


She is now 30 inches long and too big for her baby bathtub.


When we take her out of the bath, she cries and protests she loves it so much.

A Day at the Park

We try to get out everyday. When Veronica naps, Tia does puzzles, colors, plays on the computer, practices guitar, and just hangs out. She is really fun to have around and is up for just about anything.


This is Tia's second completed puzzle. I helped her a bit but she is capable of doing it on her own too.


We visited the Volunteer Park conservatory and got a chance to see some wonderful plants. Tia was enamored with the carnivorous plants.


Tia is a great auntie and loves to help me with Veronica.

A Fun Day Out

I am trying to fill Tia's day with fun and structure. She has a math workbook that she is supposed to finish by the end of the summer. (From her school.) I bought her another math workbook along with and English one. She likes to read and picked out a few books at Barnes and Noble on her own. I believe summer vacation should be fun but kids' brains should not turn to mush over the 2-3 month break. So far we have had a fun balance of berry picking, swimming, reading, waking, art and puzzle doing.

Veronica is really into making faces at Tia, Deme and myself. She tries hard to get our attention with her antics but I also think she is just discovering that her mouth and tongue are for more than eating.

This girl really loves to swing and be outdoors. She just glows when we head off to the park.

Tia at the playground.

Tia snaps this photo of Veronica and I taking a rest.

There is a Cantonese Buddhist temple near our apartment building and this morning we took a walk around the neighborhood and decided to stop by to check it out and to take some photos.

Tia and Big Trees

Tia loves the outdoors. Yesterday she went to the park with Veronica and I and was in awe of all the big trees. She wanted to climb up a small hill and then back down again, twice. Today she went swimming in the pool at our apartment complex. She met another girl her age and they hit it off wonderfully. We hope to see her again sometime soon.


Tia says she looks like and ant compared to the trees.

Pottery Painting

My 11 year old sister Tia arrived in Seattle two days ago. This was her first time traveling alone and she did great. Her only complaints: a very turbulent ride from Tokyo to Seattle and the usual terrible airplane food. Her first requested outing was to the dog park, I think she misses her puppy mocha. The the next day, Kentra and Tia went pottery painting. Tia chose a tea pot and Kentra chose a soap dish.

Both of us are excited to have Tia experience things she would not be able to on Guam. She is keeping a little diary at my insistence and writing in it every other day. I am having her jot down notes about all the new things she has seen and done thus far.



They both look very serious as they work on their pieces.

Father's Day 2007

I got Demetrio a Diaper Dude diaper bag all properly outfitted and now he is ready to tackle and outing with Veronica solo. We also took him out to a Father's Day Brunch and a tiny shopping trip. (He walked away with two shirts he has been wanting.)

Deme has really been a great dad to Veronica, he helps when I need him too and is quick to keep an eye on her if I want to dig around in my garden or get some extra sleep in the morning. We love and appreciate all that he does! Are you ready for Sprog #2?


Veronica gets some lunch while we wait for our food. She looks like a hungry little birdie. Now she is fully capable of sitting in a restaurant high chair. This girl is amazing and so is her daddy!


She also tries to grab all the adult silverware in the hopes of getting some more mature fare.

Happy Veronica

Yesterday we spent part of the afternoon at the park with Jane, Sophia and Thomas. Veronica loves swinging, eating grass and watching other kids play.


I make fresh baby food about once a week. Before going to bed, Veronica had a new batch made with millet, yellow squash, sweet potatoes and carrots. (all organic too!) She loves to eat just like mommy and papa.

V 8 months and 1 week old

Today I went in for my 16 week doctors appt. (No ultrasound this time) I borrowed a glucose monitor from a friend and from the reading I got yesterday, I am afraid I have gestational diabetes again. I will have to do a formal blood test next week to verify my suspicions. Sprog 2 is healthy with a heartbeat of 160 beats per minute. I am feeling fine and looking forward to finding out if we are having a boy or a girl at the 20 week ultrasound. (I did have a dream I am having a girl.)

Veronica is doing well and just on the cusp of crawling. In three weeks she will have hew 9 month pediatric visit. I am not looking forward to her having more immunizations. She is getting cuter and cuter ever day day, see for yourself.


Here is her serious look. Most of the time she is smiley but once in a while she looks like she is really concerned.

Like Father, Like Daughter

Yesterday was a lazy Sunday. Deme watched the Grand Prix on TV and tried to explain all the nuances of Formula 1 racing to Veronica. After the race he tries to explain how to play Solitaire on his cell phone. Maybe by the time she graduates with her MBA she will outrank him at Microsoft.

Laurie's Baby Shower

I have a great friend named Laurie G. who is expecting her first child. She is totally excited as is her partner T. (a MS friend of Deme's.) We look forward to lots of play dates in the future as Veronica will be 9 months older than Baby Boy and Sprog 2 will be 5-6 months younger. We wish you the best Laurie! Have a quick and easy birth and we will be there to help you with the recovery.


Our first family photo in a long time. We met up with quite a few friends and Veronica got a lot of cuddles and attention.


Demetrio is showing his NorthWest side with Teva sandals and long shorts, even when the temps. are cool. He was the only man at the baby shower. We had no idea it was a "girls only" party. Joking aside, he was a great sport and took great care of Veronica while I ate and socialized.

***We are not sure who took the photos but whoever you are, "Thanks"

More Melon Eating and She's Finally Sitting Up

Veronica is very interested in everything that we eat. She loves fruits and we use this to give her larger pieces of fresh fruits and cooked vegetables.


Giving her pieces of food always calms her down. If she's fussy, a large peeled carrot will keep her busy for a good 20 minutes.


This week she is finally sitting up on her own. She back is still a bit wobbly but she tries very hard to balance herself. Once in a while she falls backwards with a hard thump and cries but luckily we have carpet.

V Tries to Crawl

See Veronica's Tooth

 

 

Cute Swim Photos

I look like a beached whale but Veronica is as cute as can be in her new bathing suit.


Deme was so proud of Veronica as she kicked, splashed and squealed with delight at the sight of other kids playing in the pool.


I think she is a water baby just like her mommy and all her mommy's sisters.

Veronica Swims for the First Time

V swims with papa



V swims with mom

Our Baby Girl is Almost 8 Months Old

She is so chubby in some areas, she has cleavage.

She cannot crawl forward yet but she can move backwards and we found her wedged underneath the couch several times.

Her favorite "restricted" area in the entire house is under the coffee table. She is obsessed with my laptop battery pack and tries to get it in her mouth at every opportunity.

She is not standing on her own but she can lean on things and often she manages to raid her toy chest.