Treasure cabinet

Someone's becoming more mischievous. Not only is she opening cabinets, she decided to climb the stove today. It was a pretty hilarious site until I realized she could topple over. She loves to get into things. It's like digging for treasure. Notice her excited breathing.

Babies and wine tasting

Today we headed south toward Santa Cruz with another mama and baby friend to visit my friend who works at the Bargetto winery. He was awesome, walking us through the whole process from vine to wine. We tasted different stages from grape juice to the finished product. Rosie wasn't quite herself today and decided to cry most of the way down instead of napping, which made for a tough visit, but she was a trooper. Maybe teeth are trying to cut through because she was clearly uncomfortable and unhappy for most of the afternoon. I guess she was the one that needed a glass of wine! Would have probably helped with the teething :) But the visit was still very enjoyable. Our friend S was quite knowledgeable and kind to take time out to give us a tour.

Here's a pic of us in the tasting room. My friend was taking the pic with baby in hand (P was trying to work the camera, I guess).



Bonus shot from earlier in the day: look who learned to open cabinets! Baby-proofing continues.

Under the sea

On a whim Rosie and I went to a nearby mall where they have a kid area. It was super fun! Rosie could move around pretty freely since everything was soft and padded (imagine everything being made of bouncy ball rubber). The only hazard: toddlers! While Rosie loved crawling and climbing freely, she was most mesmerized by the other kids and would go chasing after them. Here she is scoping out the scene...

...from a starfish...


...then from a manta ray...!



I wanted to capture video of her climbing (quick like Mowgli!) but I couldn't manage to do that and spot her at the same time. Next time!

Half Moon Bay

Rosie and Mommy took a spontaneous trip to Half Moon Bay today. It was sunny, a bit windy, and very sandy! Rosie was once again mesmerized by the sand and kept bending over to lick it (she may have learned that from her cousin L in CT over the summer!) and would periodically try to shove a handful in her mouth when I looked away.















She napped very well on the way home. And it want until later that evening that we found her secret stash of sand...in her diaper!

zucchini baby

Here's Rosie at our friends' house. They have a great garden that, among many other veggies, this monster zucchini!



This morning Daddy-O did some major work on our side yard with the help of Cousin M and Cousin A. Then they were able to spend the day with us at our friends' BBQ. It was a productive and beautiful day.

1st piñata and slam dunk

We are at the tail end of an eventful day. First was a BBQ at a friend's house with other babies. Then we hit the road to Oakland for Baby R's 1 year birthday party. Rosie was having a blast meeting new people and playing with other babies' toys. She got to participate in her first piñata (she came close to breaking it, I swear!).



And then did some Air Jordan moves.



She didn't want to let go of the ball so maybe she'll try football or rugby next.

We're on our way now to Livermore to visit the Vavôs for dinner. Full day!

Stroller model

Bug, sprig and meat

A smattering of fun pics.

In the park with her bug friend:





Excited about a leafy sprig:





New York steak for dinner!

10 month birthday

Happy birthday Rosa!

Here are the things she is currently "into":

• Waving. Rosie LOVES to wave to people! (See the end of this video.) No surprise since she's become quite the ham when it comes to getting attention from others.
  
• Teeth! She's got her two bottom teeth poking out (zoom in on picture...we swear they're there!)
• Scavenger. Using her keen eye sight, this baby can spot a speck from across the room and tests their origin by putting them, of course, in her mouth.
• Thespian in the making. Rosie has widened her repertoire of hand gestures and is often seen dramatically reaching for someone in the distance.
• Cheese and chicken-lover. Nuff said.
• Cackle. We often catch Rosie exploring and on the verge of causing mischief. When she does this she always looks back, smiles, and lets out a "ceh ceh ceh" cackle.
  
• Evel Knievel Jr.. Rosie still loves to soar through the air with her Daddy-O, all the while laughing up a storm.
• On the Go. This baby loves to move (especially if she's nearing naptime). She is still commando-crawling (belly on the ground) and is quite speedy with it. She likes to stand whenever possible, and has learned to climb stairs. She is so on the go that she's begun to strongly protest when we put her in her stroller/carseat. Luckily it only last about 15 seconds, as if she remembers that she doesn't mind it after all.
• Such a good laugher. Rosie's laughter gets sweeter and sweeter each day. Today she and Mommy were playing on the bed and were cracking jokes and laughing at each other. She seemed so grown up, as if she understood Mama's funny stories.
  
• Peek-A-Boo. Once the peek-a-booEE, now the peek-a-booER. She likes to put the blanket over her face and hide:

Two months more until the big One. We are so lucky to have such a happy, radiant baby.

Snapshot 9.20.11

Piggyback rides?! Just the other day we had to hold Rosie's head up for her.



Mike says this pic looks more like Gary Coleman than Rosie.

Snapshot 9.19.11

Fist bump with Daddy-o while gnawing on broccoli.

Snapshot 9.18.11

Cupertino, outside dim sum


Old Town Los Gatos

Blown away

Had a nice day today. After sleeping in we headed to Livermore for a friend's birthday BBQ. On the way there we decided to see what a baby in a convertible might look like. Apparently something like this (full with baby toupee-looking hairdo):

Afterward we stopped by Auntie's house. We took a walk by the creek and their old neighborhood. At the house Rosie got lots of love from Auntie, cousin A, and Uncle G as we chatted by the fire on their side yard.



Cousin A found a new Rosie favorite: red cup! She was all giggles.

Snapshot 9.16.11

The cool of Fall is descending, but the sun's warmth still makes Rosie smile.

Snapshot 9.15.11

Curious baby. She almost got stuck with her legs in the air like Pooh Bear in the rabbit hole but she managed to find the ground.

Snapshot 9.14.11

With Gertrude the Goat

1. "Reunited and it feels so good!" Gertie was lost in the closet for a few weeks.


2. Taking turns grooming each other


3. Catching up on lost time.

Snapshot 9.13.11

Sorting through the mail. This is her mishievious look.

Snapshot 9.12.11

A 3-parter!

1. Woke up in what
I like to call duck-mode (lips!) She looks like a grumpy teenager.



2. Met up with friends. Apparently her friend D loves her cheeks too.



3. Eating salmon for the first time! She loooved it!

whole foods: the new Disneyland

A while back the three of us had some fun at Whole Foods (who doesn't?!). One lady was especially excited about being there.

Tough lady

The budding teeth have brought along with them a little fever. Early this morning Rosie woke up feverish so we brought her to bed with us. She was in very good spirits but had some trouble settling back to sleep. Finally, after tossing and turning, we got up and drew her a bath to help cool her down. There was a lot of laughter in the tub.

Rosie was a trooper all day. She hasn't been any fissure than usual, just warm and a little restless. But she went down for sleep easily and has been sleeping peaceful while we ended the night watching The Man Who Knew Too Little (that Bill Murray is too funny!).

Good night!

Two snapshots

We forgot to blog yesterday! Whoopsy. So here are two nuggets to enjoy:

Yesterday: fun with corn on the cob. She enjoyed it so much she wanted to share with Daddy-o



Tonight: first toothbrushing experience! We put a dab of Earth's Best natural toothpaste in a gum brush. She seemed to enjoy it! But again, why wouldn't she. She puts everything in reach in her mouth!

Mama in the classroom

It's official! I (Vi mama) will be going back into the classroom starting mid-October. I will be working half-time at my old school in my old grade (1st). It's a great opportunity because I can work just the mornings and be out by noon. So I get to be Teacher Vi and Mommy Vi.

Tonight we made an appearance at Back To School Night so the families could meet us.



I feel very lucky because Ba Ngoai will be coming out for a long visit, which means Rosie will be with her when I first go back to work. I know we can now rest easy that she will be in the best loving hands!! We will need to find child care for after Ba Ngoai leaves but already have promising leads.

I've already shed some tears knowing this first stage with my baby will be coming to an end, but am also very excited to be able to get back into teaching AND still have most of the day with Rosie. I feel so lucky!

Milestone: teeth!

This morning, in true Rosa style, she put something in her mouth that wasn't supposed to be there (it may have been a bug) and after fishing it out I noticed something rub against my finger. Something hard and pokey. Teeth! I tried to get a peek at it but she was playing pretty good defense. But they are for sure there, poised and ready to make an appearance.

Here is Rosie napping today. He went for a 3 hour stretch!



And then this afternoon we went to the park to play with friends.

Uncle, Auntie, Cousin in SF

Spent the day with Uncle M, Auntie A, and BabyZ in SF. What a treat! We went to Turtle Tower for lunch then walked around the Mission. We got tasty ice cream at Humphry Slowcombe and played Farkel at a coffee shop. We ended our evening grabbing burritos at El Farolito and dining with friends.



The food was tasty, but even sweeter was the company. We love spending time with Uncle and Auntie. We've been spoiled with monthly visits this summer. It is hard to accept that we won't see them until next February! And by then there will be a new cousin/nephew!!

Snapshot 9.4.11

Started the day with a walk and had to bundle up before the clouds burned off about 20 minutes later



Spent the day with the Vavós. Had tasty lunch and took a dip in the pool! Then practiced climbing on the stairs.

Spontaneity up north

After a restful morning we headed up to Oakland for the day. First stop was the Lake Merritt farmer's market, one of our favorite East Bay pastimes. We walked around noshing on tasty fruit samples (this baby loves peaches) and managed to walk away with only avocados.



Then we met up with some good friends for Ethiopian lunch.



(she shoots she scores!)

After lunch we drove to Jack London square on a whim and saw someone running to catch the ferry so we followed and jumped aboard! Rosie's first time on a boat!



(Oakland cranes)


(sunny and windy!)


(approaching SF and its glorious fog)

Stars were aligned for us today because we managed a private, 5 minute bonus trip on the ferry. Then we walked around the wharves, got a clam chowder bread bowl, and took Rosie on her first MUNI ride on the F train back to the ferry building.



(waiting for the ferry with an octopus)

As per usual Rosie was a ham and made friends with everyone around. It was a beautiful day with a beautiful ending on the bay!