Today we went swimming for the first time! Open swim hour in what was essentially a huge bath tub, i.e. water was warm! Rosa seemed to really love it and started kicking right away. We even dunked her head underwater which she seemed more or less fine with (only had a sourpuss face for a few seconds). She even made friends with the lifeguard. Showing off, I guess. One friends joked that she must have a thing for people in uniform, though I refuse to entertain any such idea! Daddy was sad to miss her first debut in the water so we had a friend film for us. It's a little hard to see but at one point she flashes a smile. Takes after Ba Ngoai, OngBa Co, and her cousins who love the water!
I left Rosa to play on the playmat in her room while I grabbed her diaper bag from the car. When I came back...surprise! She's lying on her stomach! I turned away for a second and...surprise part 2! She's back on her back. After further investigation, she wanted her stuffed pig badly enough to turn once on her belly (but not again, at least not with me watching) but will gladly go from tummy to back with little resistance. Yikes! She's already on the (slow) move!
We've had an eventful and long spring break. Mike said yesterday that we did a good job of making one week feel like a month. In a good way. Here is a photo and video journal of our week.
Saturday: spent the day in the East Bay. First, in Livermore to visit the Avos . Then we drove through Oakland and visited O, Y, and baby R at their new house. R is clearly very comfy, and Rosa is taking notes. Ate at Spettro, Mike's favorite Oakland spot.
Sunday: Met about a dozen other baby families at the Almaden Lake Park for a picnic and bocce ball day. The bocce game going on was a real nail biter.
Monday: Story time outside at Los Gatos Library. It was a beautiful afternoon.
Tuesday: Counted leaves on the maple. Set up Rosa's room, full with foam play mat, ideal for tummy time and drooling.
Wednesday: Had dinner and a sleepover with Vavô and Vavó. Looking awesome in the morning, showing off her spoon skills. Auntie G and A came by to visit, too.
Later on Wednesday: Had dinner with H and C and baby P. This was the first time they seemed to actually notice each other and had a conversation! By the end, Rosa seemed more grumpy, but P found it all very amusing...!
Thursday AM: Woke up early and got pho for breakfast. Rosa wanted in on the action.
Thursday evening: Rosa slept the whole 3 hours down to San Luis Obispo and missed the beautiful views of the valleys and a pit stop to A&W where we discovered cheese curds. SLO has an amazing farmer's market every Thursday so we walked around the downtown. Rosa was fascinated by all the lights, colors, and smells. Smells included piping hot grilled corn on the cob. After we grabbed pizza at Woodstock's then walked back up the hill to the hotel. Rosa was pretty exhausted from all the excitement and ended up sleeping a 6 hour stretch!
Friday: After an early breakfast followed by a family cat nap, we headed to Avila Beach. The sun was blazing, the wind pretty fierce, and adrenaline pumping. We get to introduce Rosa to the ocean! One hiccup: Our amazing napping baby decided the beach was perfect conditions for some shut eye. So we played catch with the football and read on the sand. When it finally got too hot for us we decided to break the cardinal rule for sleeping babies, and woke her up. Nothing like the Pacific Ocean to wake you up!
On the drive back home we drove on Route 1 long the coast and stopped by Morro Bay. It was wiiindy!
Now we're back, enjoying life at home. It's been such a relaxing and fun week. It was also a great time for Mike and Rosa to deepen their connection. Rosa now looks around for her dad and flashes a great big smile when she finds him.
After much hard work (and much drool) Rosa rolled herself onto her back! And I saw it this time! The moment I offered to help she said "No Mommy! I can do it myself!"
She didn't seem as excited as I was. At some point we want Rosa to know that from great struggle comes great success, so this is just the beginning!
Yesterday Rosa and I spent the day in Livermore with family and friends. Not surprisingly, Rosa got a lot of love, hugs, and most of all, kisses from Vavó, Vavô, Auntie G, cousins A and A, and tios and tias. She was putting on quite the show for everyone, flashing her million dollar smiles. She loves to be with people...so much so that she won't sleep. So she got a little grumpy and was out like a light the moment we got in the car. Too much excitement!
Deep in the hundred acre woods is a magical place called Uvas Canyon. We just discovered it today and totally fell in love. The winding road that led us to the canyon ran alongside the rushing water of the creek. The parks was pretty quiet, with a handful of other adventurers. The hiking isn't extreme by any means...in fact, we only ended up walking only a couple miles total. But the best part was the waterfalls. The water was so clean, the air so fresh. Mike and Rosa were brave enough to stick their feet in. Rosa's eyes darted around to all the new sights, smells, and sounds (especially the roaring water). There seem to be cabins and a communal rec area... summer getaway, perhaps? Any takers?
