V at the park

Milestones Meets Mourning

I think every parents enjoys seeing their child grow, mature and learn. Everyday both kids do new things, say new things and grow emotionally, mentally and physically. Veronica is wonderful big sister, she dotes on her brother and makes him laugh with her antics. Her role as the baby in the family is ending. She takes her job as a big sister seriously as she reminds to put a bib on her brother before he eats, as she hands me his diaper for diaper changes and as she runs little 'baby' errands for her dad and I. So many parts of me are sad to see babyhood go and toddlerhood here to stay.

Baby is hungry.

Hmm, I am a bit hungry too. This fake milk is not bad.

I think I better give more milk to the baby.

Here you go baby, nite nite.

Look at the smile on this little guy. He is not a baby anymore and has graduated to crawling. With two teeth now, he enjoys gnawing on soft fruit and mushy vegetables.

Here are the teeth, close up.

Finally Some Sunshine

Luckily for us it has been a warm week. The kids got a chance to play in the baby pool on the terrace and we have been for walk upon walk in the sunshine. Both Veronica and Lorenzo still have their tans from Guam and everyone comments on what great coloring they have. In this photo, Lorenzo's head is huge, in fact he is almost as large as Veronica.

He is still a bit chubby in the wrists and thighs but all in all he is thinning out and beginning to move around a lot more. He is a good eater and likes all the pappa I make with the exception of millet porridge.

Tia and I took some time for ourselves and went canoeing last Saturday. We chatted and looked at all the wildlife in Lake Washington.

This heron was so busy preening itself that it barely noticed as Tia and I glided by on the canoe.

Someday this little girl is either going to be a mechanic or and engineer, how she loves gears, light and moving engine parts.

Happy Fathers Day

This post is a week late because we decided to celebrate Fathers Day again this past Sunday. On the original Fathers Day Deme's car was broken into and the thieves took his bike helmet, gym bag, daddy diaper bag, tom tom navigator, zune music player, smart phone and even some random lotto tickets. We discovered all this after brunch and for the rest of the day he was in quite a funk. Anyways, we went to dim sum yesterday and I gave him his Fathers Day cards and gifts from the kids. Everything was well received and he did not have a horrible scowl in his face all day like he did last week.

This is a cute photo of Lorenzo and his dad. Deme got him a baseball cap and it makes him look like a big boy. Since he has two teeth coming in he has been a bit cranky but all in all he is great spirits almost all the time. Are these guys father and son? Lorenzo looks adopted.

Lorenzo likes to eat just as much as Veronica, he does well with many different vegetables and fruits but is partial to spinach, chard and pears.

I am hardly ever in front of the camera but a few friends have been wondering what I have been up to. My days are busy with both kids and now that Tia is here with her as well. I try to find some time for myself everyday but I must say that is rare.

Decorating Completed!

I have been looking for something to place above the children's bed for quite a while but did not want to hang artwork there since I am deathly afraid and earthquake would cause it to fall onto of the kids. We found a perfect solution, decals! They are easy to apply and they are removable and can be re-used. Lorenzo got trees and birds above his bed.

Veronica loves flowers and trees so I placed some whimsical decals above her head and out of her reach so she will not be able to peel them off the wall.

Veronica had her second fall last week at the park and ended up with scratches on her nose. She cried a bit when it happened but stopped when I picked her up. I was very glad to see it did not bleed and that night bath time was not a hassle.

We are so lucky to have a room dedicated to the children's toys. We spend a lot of time in the toy room listening to music, reading books and playing with all the various toys I find for the kids. It keeps the mess isolated and makes my clean up job easier.

V and her farm animals

This is too cute. Turn up the volume to hear all that she has to say.

More Kid Cuteness

Lorenzo is sitting up perfectly and can stay that way for quite a while but still he has not really begun crawling yet.

Both the kids love to read and are memorized by vivid photographs and drawings.

Once in a while Veronica will let me put pony tails in her hair but the occasions are rare.

Isn't she cute?

7 and 20 Months Old

My sister Tia is here for the summer and a great help with the kids. We have lots of fun things in mind for the entire family to do once the weather warms up a bit more (it is 60 and rainy today. Yuck!)

What can I say about the kids' milestones. Lorenzo has two bottom teeth that are just about to erupt from his gums and he is very cranky these days. For the past two weeks he has been moany and very clingy, wanting to be held all the time. I guess this is the constitution of a normal baby but my babies have been very in dependant often without much need for me at all except when they are hungry or need a diaper change. Having him call out for me at every occasion really tests me as a mother since I am not used to dropping everything to run to the aid of a bored child. I do feel quite sorry for his poor jaw and read somewhere that babies that are teething are in constant and chronic pain. When I remind myself of this then I really do drop everything to aid the poor little fella.

Veronica is nearing two and the dreaded terrible twos. This morning she woke up happy and joyous but when she encountered her first emotional obstacle of the day, she melted this triple cream cheese left out too long at room temp. Lately, she has been having 10-20 meltdowns a day. I know she is not sleep deprived since she still takes 2 naps a day, usually 1-1.5 hours each and goes down for the entire night. She is a stubborn one, when she wants something, there is no going back. Also I have been reading that when a toddler sets up something in their minds eye, any deviation from that set image can be earth shattering. Luckily, she is easily distracted with food, books, and promises of computer time. (She is absolutely obsessed with the Sprog Baby site.) We try and try to negotiate and work around the emotional fragility, at best we ignore all the tantrums until she is ready to negotiate like a 2 year old.

Lots of people tell me that the kids do not look alike but in this photo, I think that they do.

Veronica has such delicate features but we think she will be a tomboy just like I was when I was a kid.

She has been making us laugh constantly with her antics and funny faces.

Lorenzo Laughs

Flamingos at the Zoo

The entire family went to the zoo last weekend to see the new flamingo exhibit. There were crowds galore and enough sunshine for Veronica to wear her new sunglasses.

The flamingos were very sleepy and did not look up much to give us photo opportunities. Still they were a unique addition to the zoo, the real attraction was a tiny baby gorilla just weeks old.