If you're looking for pictures of Angelina Jolie Breastfeeding...

Wrong website.

Not that I mind, you can enjoy the lovely photos of our Angelina jolie (i.e. 'beautiful'), but I suspect this is not what you were looking for.

Ever since the picture of her came out in W breastfeeding one of her twins (which you can hardly tell) I've gotten lots of hits from people searching "angelina and boobs" on google.

But since I'm on the topic, kudos to her for breastfeeding her twins, and dang I wish I looked that gorgeous while nursing Angelina. I usually looked a wreck, and all Fredo's attempts to take a glowing picture of us nursing make my lack of sleep and exhaustion far too obvious. Ah well, it was worth it!

"Chauss-sock"

We're raising Angelina bilingual:Frederic speaks in French and I speak in English.

But sometimes she's mono-lingual and speaks Franglais, like when talking about socks and shoes. She knows the French words: chaussettes and chaussure, and the English versions, but lately she's been saying "chauss-sock" and "chauss-shoe."

We shouldn't let her, but it's too cute.

As for her speaking, she had been behind for some time. At 18 months we (ok, I) were a little concerned that she wasn't speaking at the appropriate level. The early-childhood intervention evaluators, however, found she was only 1-2 months behind so not in need of therapy. A few months later her developmental specialist said the same thing: she understood very well, but was a bit behind. No worries, this is common with a bilingual kid in the early days. Her language development has improved over the last 6 months or so, but it really took off last week.

That's what spending a week with Nanny will do.....the kid is talking non-stop. And clearly too. She skipped over mere words and sentences and went straight to monologues.

4 hour long monologues.

It's still mostly in English, but she does speak more and more French. The wonder is now, should Fredo insist on her speaking in French to him?

As for us, and what prompted this post - there's a blogger Fned doing a 'group' blog post about bilingual families. Given Frederic and I met in the US (at a German Biergarten) and since my language skills are fuddled at best (I was saying "Sawat di Ka" and "Khap khun ka" at Mexican restaurants in San Antonio... (Thai for hello and thank you) and throwing in some odd britishisms and spanish words, we've always spoken in English to each other.

My French? What French? I've tried, but my brain is full of Spanish and occasional Thai - at least that's my excuse. I keep saying once we move I'll immerse myself in it then I'll learn. However, I have learned quite a lot since Angelina was born, since he speaks to her only in French. Of course, the words I learn are not exactly for intellectual conversation: "Arrêt!" "Ça suffi! (don't know the ending for suffi-) ... and anyway, you get the idea. We try to watch cartoons/kids films in French to give us both more exposure, which seems to be working. I can sing "J'suis la carte" and "We did it!" (tho I can't spell the latter - "Çe ganard?")...Fans of Dora will understand.

Of course, if we move to Germany next year as hoped, that will throw a whole new kink into things. Great for Angelina, who will learn German in school/playground and continue English with Maman and French with Papa. More work for me though! At least I've studied the basics of German before and can read it a bit, so with effort should be able to learn, but that still means I haven't learned French.....

I've just been reading other blogs of couples who started in one language and eventually progressed to another. It's hard for me to imagine ever being fluent enough in any language to speak it as my primary language. Then I see Frederic - he claims he doesn't speak German, but having gone to university in Bern, she speaks it just fine. And I remember his English when I first met him - excellent, but a little off (and very cute) and now he's basically fluent (still with the cute accent). And though my Thai was hardly fluent or even close to it, there were times I could rattle off a price negotiation at the market, so I guess it's possible for French too. And maybe German. And Spanish. And Karen.

I would love to be able to sit with people anywhere in the world and converse in their native tongue. Fortunately, I've experienced enough of the former to know you can always find a way to converse, especially if a gin and tonic (or beer, or wine...) is involved.

I wish I was born a polyglot.

Maybe Angelina will become one.

Happy Birthday Martina!

In the Spring we happened to be in California for Cousin Camille's birthday. This time our visit coincided with cousin Martina's birthday (10!). Angelina could not have had more fun.

See that move at the end, jumping up and landing on her bum? Well, she thinks she can do that anywhere, including on Nanny's living room FLOOR - i.e., concrete slab. Ouch! She kept doing it, I'd tell her to stop, but she'd do it again. I can't believe her back wasn't hurting. Now at least she does it on the bed.

California Dreaming

More pictures Here

"We did it! We did it! Yes yes we did it!"

"We did it! We did it! Yes yes we did it!"
As Dora the Explorer sings when she and her friends help save the world with her spirit of friendship, cooperation, perseverance, hope, and believing they can. Angelina and I dance around singing this refrain with Dora.

Yes We Can. Yes We Did.

Yes We Will. For now, we start.

I want Angelina to grow up in a world of hope. A world of promise. Believing that any thing is possible, and when things are wrong, she can work to change them to make them better for all people.

I've voted in 6 presidential elections now. I was supposed to outgrow my youthful idealism by the time I left college. Certainly I was supposed to leave it behind when I left my 20s. No way was I supposed to be carrying it with me as I approach my 40s.

It's not going anywhere. It was validated last night.

And my hope is that Angelina can carry that positive outlook with her as well. I hope she has a reason to.

I've never been a hugely patriotic sort. As I've wandered the world I've tried not to announce my nationality, though I have tried to represent my country well, quietly, my accent giving me away. But this morning, I am Proud to be an American.

Now it's time to go Save the World with Dora. Thank you America, for making us believe.

(and Thank you to Ohio, land of my forefathers)

Sandy Eggo

Here we are in lovely San Diego. Weather couldn't be more perfect, nor apparently can Angelina. At least when she's with Nanny. The Dr. Jekel and Ms. Hyde *I* have the pleasure of knowing doesn't exist with Nanny. She's a perfect Angel Nanny says. Couldn't be more lovely. Eats all her food,puts on her sweater, HOLDS NANNY's HAND AS SHE WALKS ACROSS THE STREET!!! you get the idea. Mom almost didn't believe my stories til I returned from my meeting. ooops. Apparently my presence brings out Ms Hyde. When I appear, the tantrums start, the screaming, the grouchiness. I disappear, and she's all Miss Angelic Angelina.

Nanny did discover the pleasures of sand, however. Angelina and sand. Well, let's just say she's never seen sand she didn't want to cover herself in. Especially when combined with water. And there's the slide. How many times can one child go down a slide?! Apparently, the answer is infinite. And then, we have the Merry-go-round. Today Nanny took her to Seaport Village. First, my warnings to beware stores with nick-nacks as she'll take everything off the shelves which of course she NEVER did with Nanny, then Nanny spotted the Merry-go-Round. HAHAHA! Maman had the last laugh. I had called her earlier and all was well. I called her later, after the Merry-go-Round, and Round, and round, and ROUND. Mom answered saying "Get this child to STOP!" Four times on the Merry-go-round. I was impressed she managed to stop her at 4. Of course, Nanny almost puking must have done it....

(pictures to come)

Cousins! Nanny! Opa! Oh My!

Angelina is in HEAVEN! She is having so much fun.

I had to go to San Diego to present a paper at a conference, so took advantage of the time and location and brought Angelina along to visit her cousins. Oh my what fun she is having! Started with a horrendous flight (4 hour delay in Dallas, which meant a boarding time of MIDNIGHT), Angelina acted like it was just another party, as chipper and happy as can be. So really, it was only horrendous for Maman who just wanted to sleep. The other passengers were saying "If she can be so happy, I have no reason to complain!"

Then we spent Saturday with Cousins and More cousins! Well, first, it was get to know "Opa." She was tired when he picked us up and it took awhile for her to warm up to him, but after he'd dropped us off at 1:30 am local time and we finally were going to bed, she saw the door and said "Bye Opa! Have a good day!" And for the next 36 hours, whenever she'd see the door she'd say "Opa?" and look for him.

When we woke up Saturday morning far too early, she heard noises outside the room and said "I'm coming Papa!" I explained it wasn't Papa, he was home in Texas. So she said "I'm coming Opa!" I said no, it was Nanny! "I'm coming Nanny!"

On to the cousins. We met Camille, Kyle, Hannah, Martina, and Matthew at the park, and her entourage began. Let's just say there were arguments over who got to be with Angelina. Everywhere she walked, her cousins followed. She's going to be a little too used to this Princess thing. She charmed them all. Matthew had gotten some balloons for the girls (well, he took them from a birthday party which had already left). Angelina of course let go of her's. Her response? "Bye bye balloon!" as she waved it up into the sky.

She had a blast. Could not have been happier. There are of course her aunts and uncles, who also dote on her, but they just don't seem to have the same special something the cousins have.

But there are the bubbles. Aunt Loretta and Uncle Bruce had the jacuzzi on saturday night, tempting little Angelina (whose Maman did NOT want to go in). When we left, she said "Bye Bye Bubbles." and All. The. Way. Home. "Bye Bye Bubbles." Bubbles. Bye Bye. Bubbles. Bubbles. More Bubbles. I think she just likes to say "bubbles."

*pictures will have to wait til I return
** Her "Daddy" thing is getting funny. She was calling every man in the airport "Daddy!" The looks on their faces when they heard her were priceless.

Angelina Ballerina?

No, It's Angelina Astronaut!
She's getting ready to be just like Papa!




"Houston, We have a problem. Maman and Papa want me to go to bed!"





















As luck would have it, I happened into a Museum in Austin this weekend and saw this. Almost didn't get it but my colleague convinced me. Turns out it was a good choice. She loved it and wouldn't take it off. She put it on Sunday morning, and as that was the day we were headed to the IBEX launch party, it couldn't have been more appropriate.

The Onion

This is Angelina's site and I promise not to get political, despite the current election, but oh my Lord I can not stop laughing. I love The Onion (for those who don't know it, it's a satirical newspaper - equal opportunity satire). To see why I'm laughing, read here.

No matter which way your politics go, you have to admit it's funny. And in my case, oh so true :)

"Daddy!"

Just for the record, Fredo is called "Papa," not "Daddy," so there's no confusion. "Daddy" is Rick's name. Rick, our next door neighbor, aka Wiley and Felice's Daddy. I guess she figures his name is Daddy since that's what they call him, so Daddy it is. It is too sweet. I think Rick likes it too :)

However, he may not be alone. The other day at Bubblehead, she was happily playing with Albert, one of the owners and a new Dad himself. Just as we were leaving she said "Bye Daddy!" I think he almost shed a tear.

As for Mommy - I am both "Mommy" and "Maman." I think I heard her call Angela (Wiley and Felice's Mommy) "Mommy" recently. I don't mind too much, since I figure as far as she's concerned we just have the same name. But she seemed to hesitate just after she said it, like that didn't sound right and I haven't heard her do it again.

Well, we do believe It Takes a Village. Too bad I can't share Mommy duties when she's screaming at 2am....

No More Dresses for Awhile....

Today Angelina was in one of her many cute dresses. When I picked her up from daycare she was in pants and a top. Usually that means she's had a blow-out poop.

Not today. The babysitter said she had to change her because she wouldn't leave her dress down. She kept lifting it up and twirling around, and when she sat, she'd pull it all the way up.

Not unusual behaviour in a 2 yr old, but she said her refusal to stop along with the other kids all making a fuss, and well, she'd rather Angelina didn't wear dresses for awhile.....

Why am I not surprised? She can't leave her clothes on as it is.

"There Are No Strangers, Only New Friends"

I am convinced that is Angelina's motto. She takes her "Social Butterfly" tendency to a new art level. This kid has no hesitation whatsoever to walk up to new people - kids or adults, take their hand, show them around, and within 2 minutes make them laugh and smile. They're usually so enamored of her they can't leave.

A couple of weeks ago we went to an outdoor diner place. As we sat with the grownups, she saw some kids playing. Boys, about 8-10 yrs old. She walked up, "caught" the nerf football they were throwing and threw it back. Now, I'd have expected boys that age to get annoyed by this little squirt interrupting their game. Nope! They included her right in. Then another kid joined, and another. Credit to the boys for being so wonderful and sweet. And when the boys went off to eat, she just grabbed the nearest adult and started playing.

I'm thrilled she's so friendly.

And also a bit terrified.

I have to watch her like a hawk, because she'll go off with anyone, provided she thinks it'll be fun. I'm not sure she'd understand the concept of "Stranger Danger." I'm not sure I want to teach her that concept. I love that she sees all people as friends. Somehow I have to find a happy medium - teach her she can't go off with everyone, but she can be nice to everyone.....

She has this amazing ability to be the life of the party, without demanding the center of attention (most of the time). I don't exactly know how she does it. She's just herself. I mean, she seems ok if you're not looking at her, as long as you're having fun. But if you're not, she'll pull you into the fray. Happy, laughing, singing. She doesn't seem to have that "Look at ME!" attitude (well, she does with Maman and Papa, but not in a group). Rather, it's more along the lines of "Come join us, let's have some FUN!"

Where'd she get this? And will she be the same with with a sibling?!

[I usually start off apologizing to the older kids or the adults whose play she interrupts, but 9 times out of 10, they're happy to have her. She doesn't need to be the center of attention, she just wants to be there with them. To be one of them. To be part of the party. Occasionally there's a kid not so interested in playing with her, and that's the hardest. But more for me than for her. She generally just keeps playing and being sweet. I hope she never loses that]

Sac à dos, Sac à dos

I think maybe she's channeling Star Trek with the head gear....

I was trying to find something to hold Angelina's very fine hair back. Nothing worked, but she found this head band and refused to take it off. As you can see, she has an interesting way of wearing it.





Her other new favourite - "Sac à dos, Sac à dos" That's what Dora sings in French...something about her backpack. Since we're going on a trip soon, I decided to get Angelina her own backpack. Alas, we tried this on, it was too big. Fat chance getting it off her (you should have seen me running around the store chasing her. Dang she's fast!). So I figured she'll have to live with it too big. She walks around with it all day saying "Backpack!"

Oh yeah, I got sick of Caillou (PBS show) - she has a thing for 5 yr old boys...so I got a Dora DVD. Now it's all about "Dora! Babouche!" She watches Dora in French.

Slides and Swings

When Papa is away, we will play!
Fredo went to Germany again, so Angelina and I went to HemisFair Park to play in their wonderful playground. As you can see, she had so much fun.



Little Miss Social Butterfly found friends too. A little girl, not much younger than her wanted to go on the slide. So Angelina said "COme here Baby." Grabbed her hand and showed her how. The mom and grandparents were with her, and it wasn't long before they were ready to take Angelina home with them, convinced she was the sweetest child on earth....

We think she's going to be a gymnast.

A Sign of Brilliance or Just Obstinance?

In an effort to make me feel better (or maybe everyone really believes this), Angelina is brilliant. BRILLIANT! A regular Einstein.

That's the way to explain her, um, strong character.

Of course I convince myself of that. But why is it that strong character only comes through with Papa and Maman? Not with Nana (the babysitter)? And well, she's kind of, sort of,maybe a little bit, just like me at that age....and I can't claim to be brilliant.

She is an angel. AN ANGEL! at daycare. Her babysitter has only had to scold her 2x in the almost 1.5 years she's been there. TWO TIMES! With us? it's "Angelina STOP." STOP!" I SAID STOP RIGHT NOW!" "arrêt!" "ARRêT!" "ARRêT!"

And does she stop what she's doing? Hah! She turns to look at us with this devilish smile and continues on. I'm torn between laughing and crying. Except when it's dangerous.

In parking lots she KNOWS she has to hold my hand. What does she do? She darts away faster than I can respond. It's a slow area, no cars. But of course she takes off when a car is approaching, and she's beside a parked large truck, so the little car moving can't see her. I freeze. If I chase her, she runs faster, into the path of the oncoming car. So we have a 1 minute staring match, my only means to keep her still while the car passes. How many more grey hairs that day?!

I'm beginning to think those kid leashes, er, child safety harness aren't such a bad idea afterall.

End of an Era

No more of the Good Stuff.

That's right. Angelina FINALLY weaned off the breastmilk.

I've hesistated to say it for fear of jinxing myself. She's gone a few days without it before, but always came back. Now it's been about 3 weeks or more since she's last nursed and she hasn't asked for it (altho she still likes to say "Boobies!")

That means we made it to the WHO recommended at least 2 years. Not that the World Health Organization is WHY I continued to nurse for so long. It was just a good marker. My plans to nurse where 'for as long as we BOTH wanted to." I wasn't going to be too bothered if she quit early, and I wasn't going to stretch it out too long if it was becoming a hardship for me.

I stopped pumping at 13 months (which WAS a hardship. Man, I was glad to put that pump away!) But nursing was easy still. And when she had croup at ~17 months, I was sooooo glad I was still nursing as she wouldn't eat anything for a week. And at least as long as she nursed, I knew she could breathe.

Until about 2 years I was ok with it, especially as by then she was only really nursing just before bed. But it started to get old. I was getting tired of it, and she was gnawing more than sucking. I stuck it out a bit longer, trying the "don't offer, don't refuse" method of weaning. Nights when we were out late she'd totally forget, but if we were home, it was first on her mind. The first nights I tried putting her to bed without nursing were AWFUL. She'd scream and point at our nursing chair and say "Nurse! Mommy! Nurse!" I gave in and decided it wasn't worth weaning. So I tried different tactics: I moved the nursing chair out of the room so it wouldn't remind her. I tried a different bed time routine. But my heart broke when she'd beg "Nurse Mommy!" and I figured it didn't bother me that much, so I'd nurse her a bit. We started counting to 20. I told her she had until "20" to finish, and she always did, but I couldn't get away with "Zero".

Well, then I had a miscarriage (yes, again - officially I've been pregnant four times, which is weird). Anyway, I was in such physical pain for a week or so that I just couldn't handle nursing and had to say no. Frederic did his best to distract her, and fortunately that was the beginning of the end. I'm not sure when it finally ended, I just realized the other day it's been a few weeks without her asking.


No complaints from me. Some women get rather emotional when their kid gives it up. But me, I'm ok with it. I don't regret nursing so long, (which isn't that long when you consider other primates), nor do I regret stopping when we did.

From the kid whom we weren't sure would ever nurse, to the toddler who was so engrossed,the way to get her out of the tub (which she refused to do), was to lift my top.

She was worse than a 14 year old boy for awhile.

Now, she seems to have forgotten what they're for. And that's ok.


Of course, we'll be taking a flight in a few weeks and I wonder if I'll regret weaning, since that was always the way to keep her calm and quiet on the plane!

"All done!"

I walked back into the kitchen to a shout of "All done Mommy!"

I look.

Half a box of cereal on the table, Angelina proudly holding up the empty box. At least it's not a bucket of tar....that time will come no doubt.

"Are you doing something you shouldn't be doing?"

"Yes."

At least she's honest.

It's weird how things hit you

I've been living and breathing Gustav then Ike lately, as part of my job with the state government. For the most part, it's interesting. Not quite exciting anymore - too many times doing this now to be exciting - but it's still all fascinating to see this huge response in action.

Ike has been tricky, he keeps changing course and we keep chasing him, trying to evacuate people out of harms way. Normally you have a few days, but those we evacuated a day ago are now headed back while we evacuate another area. San Antonio looks to be out of harm's way now, but the same region that got evacuated for Gustav is now facing down Ike with less than 24 hours warning.

But what got to me, what really hit me, was the evacuation of the NICU in Galveston to SA. I wasn't involved directly in that evacuation, and had a lot of other issues to attend to, I just heard it going on here and there, but it brought me back to 2 years ago. Watching Angelina in NICU, staying by her side as she fought for her life, I just can't even imagine how it'd be if we'd had to evacuate, if she had to go on an ambulance or a plane to be transported far away. It's for their safety, and it's a good thing, I just can't imagine how hard it must be for those parents right now.

On the positive side, everyone in this state is working very very hard to make sure no lives are lost to Ike, well, at least not here.

Ike vs. Angelina - which Hurricane would win?

That dot at 2pm Sat is San Antonio. Ike is on his way. I've been busy working in the emergency operations center dealing with evacuations from the coast - and a constant shift in Ike's path, so we don't know where to evacuate. Of course the plan to evacuate the coast to San Antonio is interesting, given Ike's current path....

Time to get all that stuff out in the yard put away!

But sometimes Hurricanes are good luck, at least for us. The last time we had two hurricanes in a row (Katrina then Rita), Angelina was um, "created" ;). Perhaps that explains why she's her own little Category 4 Hurricane.

On a more serious note, Haiti and Cuba need a break. Fay, Hanna, Gustav, now Ike. I'm trying to figure out the best way to help, since we can't go there physically and do much. So many aid organizations, just need to find the right one.

"No Singing, No Dancing, No Laughing, Nor Cries

The house becomes quiet when Angelina, er, Cherise shuts her eyes...."


Those of you who know my oldest brother Tim's Night Before Christmas at the Rohr's poem, know this phrase well. I will admit it was pretty accurate. It appears the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. Angelina LOVES to dance. I mean LOVES it. Music is on (or even if it's not) and she's boogie-ing. Her dance still used to be shaking her head (kind of like Mommy's 80s headbanger dancing?). Now it consists of twirling in circles.



And there's the Singing. And the Laughing.
Oh, and don't forget the Crying*....Really. She does that too.


She LOOKS like all her genes came from her Papa, but when you see her in action, you know she has SOME of my genes.

Unfortunately for me.

Karma, ya know.....


But she's not a carbon copy, she's her own unique person.


*there's a picture of me about Angelina's age with my brother Chris (6 years older) in our old kitchen on Big Dalton. I am screaming my head off and he's just staring at me. I am sure he's responsible for making me cry. Everytime Angelina gets into her full throttle cry I think of that picture, because though she looks like Fredo 99% of the time, that look when she's screaming is all me.

Lovely.

I am learning to be proud that she has inherited her 'spiritedness' from me.

Summer lovin, had me a blast....

And why I love Lavaca Part XXXVI

And more on Hurricane Angelina.

You know how when you were in school, you felt like when you hung around the cool people, you're cool by default? Well, I feel cool living next to my neighbors. They're the ones behind the Slab Cinema. They used to screen public domain films on the 'slab' at La Tuna outdoors in summer. Very cool. Except, well, we never made it...I loved the concept, a weeknight was just hard, especially after Hurricane Angelina crashed onto our shores.

This year, the city asked Rick and Angela to team up to show films at HemisFair Park. Ok, so that's not officially in our neighborhood, but it's close enough to walk. Last night they showed Grease.

Who doesn't remember dancing around singing "Go Greased Lightnin', Your burning up the quarter mile. Greased Lightnin' Go Greased Lightnin'
Go Greased Lightnin'!?" My cousin and I used to sing out the whole film.

Well, I wasn't alone. Tons of people turned out to see the film (apparently ~350), and after "Summer Lovin" people cheered. Had I been in back, I would have been dancing and singing along.

Which leads me to our little Hurricane. We almost didn't go because at dinner earlier to say goodbye to Manda, Angelina was going a bit crazy. We didn't last long and headed home. On the way home she saw Wiley and Felice at the Park getting ready for the film, and well, that's that. The little hellion turned into a happy child ready to party after all.

As soon as "Summer Lovin'" started, she was dancing. And then she could NOT stop dancing! Her favorite must have been the dance scene in the gym - "Born to Hand Jive" she was twirling and jumping all over the place. Alas, she got a little too close to the projector for about the 10th time, and I decided it was time to leave so we didn't get to see the whole thing.

We're going to have to start finding a babysitter for Thursday night, so we can go more often to "Movies by Moonlight" aka "the new slab". And not to worry, the old classics will be back, though I feel like such a pop culture kid getting so excited about Grease.

Summer dreams ripped at the seams,
bu-ut oh, those su--uh-ummer nighhhhts....

Dolly, Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine....Angelina

Guess which one is NOT a Hurricane in 2008?

So far, only Josephine....




Hurricanes have been keeping me busy of late. What do hurricanes have to do with public health and communicable diseases you ask? Well, as we learned after Katrina, A LOT. Fortunately the Texas coast hasn't been hit too hard, though Dolly wasn't pretty. Dolly also spun a tornado which touched down a couple of miles from our house. I feel for those in the Caribbean, one major storm after another.

As for the Cat 5 Hurricane who hits every DAY on Devine St, sometimes I think we should evacuate, but she's so darn cute we just ride out the storm.

Giddyup!

Not quite a real horse, but Papa is a good substitute!

The Rock Pile is So Much Fun

She wants to share it with Chakapu (that's who she's calling)

Fountains

Angelina's Favourite thing: Running through water.



A couple of weeks ago we met Wiley, Felice, and their 2 cousins at HemisFair. Angelina was, of course, in Heaven.

Nana and Tia

Angelina has taken to calling her daycare provider (a wonderful 'older' - as in she has a grown daughter - woman) "Nana." I have no idea where that came from, nor does she. Angelina just started saying it, but we all like it. I've heard other kids call their babysitters 'mommy' which kind of freaked me out. And though "Nana" is close to "Nanny" (my mom's grandma-moniker), it's distinct enough that there's no confusion. And "Nana" likes being called that too. The other day as we arrived and I rang the doorbell, Angelina knocked on the door shouting "Nana! Nana!" When it opened, Angelina had to show her the tissue in her hand. "Look Nana!" This has become a daily ritual. Angelina must have something in her hands to show Nana when we arrive...

Then there's "Tia." For a short time, the babysitter had a helper there, a younger woman named Mary. For some reason - and no one seems to know why - Angelina started calling her "Tia." All well and good. But I've noticed now that whenever we are around other youngish women (and by young I mean not grandmothers), she calls them "Tia." It's actually pretty sweet. I like the fact that she thinks of everyone as her 'auntie,' especially as she doesn't get to see her biological aunties very often.

Then there are the boys... that same morning she was so focused on showing "Nana" the tissue, she caught a glimpse of Noah sitting down and she could care less about Maman or Nana. She yelled NOAH! and went racing over. Noah is the almost 5 yr old who is sweet and quiet and shy and probably has no clue why this 2 yr old girl thinks he's the bees knees. His only competition is Wiley. As it is when we approach the house, she shouts "Noah!" Poor kid doesn't know what hit him. She loves all the kids there, and talks about them a lot, but Noah is the one we hear about most. Poor Wiley, he thought he was the favourite! He still is, when he's present...(and showing her bad habits like using the rock pile as a slide!)

This girl and her older men....

Queen of the Mountain

In addition to our dirt and mulch pile, we now have a crushed limestone pile. It's being used for our foundation perimeter, but for now, it's a new place to play.

I blame Wiley for teaching her this....she has so much fun, but the end result is a diaper full of rocks and her body covered in dust. The first time they did it, I had slathered all 3 kids (Wiley, Felice, and Angelina) with sunscreen. So not only were they covered, it was sticky! She's having a blast though.

An Angel in Our Midst

Or maybe the devil in disguise?

Ok, so she's no devil, but she is a big stinker! She is SUCH the party girl. We had two evening parties this weekend (Happy Birthday Cory and Rich!) and even though it was well past her bedtime both nights, she was in her GLORY. This child was just happy as can be, running around, laughing, talking to everyone, sharing her toys, being the life of the party. Rich's parents (who've only seen her once before seeing her 2x this weekend) commented on what an Angel she is. Prachet claims she never cries because he's never seen her cry. Everyone at both parties was convinced she's just always the happiest kid ever.

She is.

Sometimes.

I knew we'd pay for it Sunday...well, Saturday afternoon too. I think it's just because she's bored when it's only us. No audience. During the day she's Miss Cranky Pants. And then there's the much needed nap...usually requiring much crying before she finally konks out. But in the evening, at a party? She's the Star!

The Birthday That Never Ends

Angelina is going to start thinking that every day comes with a present to open! Thanks to family and friends scattered across the world, for awhile there, a new cadeau was arriving almost daily!

This one came from the Etoy Allegrini Cousins. Actually, this is a mix of two - Charlotte aux Fraises (ie Strawberry Shortcake) and another cute skirt and top. I couldn't get her to wear the right combination though she insisted on putting it on immediately.

Merci Tonton Philippe, Taunte Sophie, Megane, Mael, and Gilles!





And here she is just having fun -

More fun for the Party Girl

It's been a month of parties. Last week was Wiley's birthday party at one of the bouncy castle places. Oh wow. Angelina was in HEAVEN. She was insane. She kept running up the HUGE slides. She couldn't get up the ladders on her own, so other kids had to help her, then she'd fling herself down. She went up the biggest slides there. She had a constant smile on her face she was having so much fun. I neglected to bring my camera, so you have to take my word for it.

Yesterday was Lily's Little Mermaid birthday at a pool. Angelina's other favourite activity is being in water. So you can only imagine how happy she was. At first we went to the big pool. We held her, but she doesn't quite understand that she can't float yet. She kept pushing us away, trying to swim. Then we went over to the wading pool where she played with Felice. That was much easier!



The hard part was getting her out, but cake made her happy.


Next up was a going away party for Ann and Garth who are leaving us for Portland. Angelina of course had a wonderful time being the only kid there and hence, belle of the ball. She's going to really miss Ann and Garth, just like the rest of us!

"Remain seated until Maman has turned off the seatbelt sign"

"REMAIN SEATED!!!!"
"PUT THAT SEATBELT BACK ON!!!"
"Do NOT. I mean NOT take that seatbelt off!"

Heard by Maman and sometimes Papa when driving 70mph down the freeway....

We have two carseats which apparently aren't childproof. I asked folks about a car seat that a 2 year old could not unlatch, and they said ours must be faulty, because no 2 year old can unlatch a car seat. Wrong. They're both highly rated safety-wise in Europe (which has more stringent standards than the US).

They're great seats.

Except Angelina can unlatch them. I thought we'd finally gotten her to stop, although she's like an airline passenger when a plane lands, the wheels barely touch ground and the seatbelts pop off. With Angelina, I just barely come to a stop - car is still running but we're in front of the house - and off comes the belt. I could handle that, except that today she yet again took off the seatbelt in a massive rain storm while on the freeway...

A wet weekend

No, it didn't rain again. Angelina spent the weekend all wet. On Saturday we walked to Main Plaza, where they were doing a puppet show. Angelina loved it! She couldn't follow it, but she loved seeing the puppets and kept saying "Look Wiley!" (our neighbor Wiley was sitting next to her).

Then the fountains...Main Plaza has just been redone with lots of fountains, which just welcomes kids. Angelina had tons of fun with Wiley and Felice playing in the water (and ripping off all her clothes....I told Fredo just to say we're European).

Sunday was a work day for Maman, so she joined in for awhile -. Finally she can stop trying to use MY wheelbarrow now she has her own. Best 99 cents we've ever spent (Goodwill)!

Then it was pool time - you'd think she was ready for the beach!

After a break and a nap, Wiley and Felice came over and it was pool time again. It's so fun to watch them.


Wiley is basically like a big brother to Angelina - I think sometimes it's easier when it's not your real sister :) He's so great with her, and she does EVERYTHING he does! I wonder how long before that starts to drive him crazy?

That's her in the back, hiding with Wiley while Felice poses for us.

She's Definitely Swiss

Little Miss Chocolate!

I sometimes think my in-laws are testing my mothering abilities (just kidding Marcel!)

GranPapa Marcel very kindly sent Angelina a great boat for her birthday. As she loves water, and anything to put in water, she was very very excited to see it."Oh COOL!" she says. But it was heavy. It wasn't obvious to me there was something in it, or even that it opened, but it was to her. "Open! Open!" she said. So I picked it up and studied it and finally figured out how to open it. Inside? CHOCOLATE. Lots of it. She immediately grabs as much as she can and tries to hide it from me. I manage to get all but one piece away, which she shoves in her mouth.

She was happy enough while she ate it. Then it was gone and she wanted more. MORE MORE MORE!!!! Welcome Terrible Twos Tantrum. Maman had to be tough. No more chocolate, no matter how much she screamed. Of course Fredo isn't here so lucky me I get to deal with it. I managed to hide it, and eventually, after more screaming, she forgot about it. Or so I thought. She happily played for 20 mins, sweet as can be, only to try to sneak more chocolate again.....

She said "Merci GranPapa!"

The Birthday Girl!

Angelina gets what seems like a week of parties....

She first had presents with us in the morning.

Then a little party at daycare.
Then a cake and celebration with Maman and Papa in the evening.

July 4 a BBQ at Ann and Garth's, which wasn't in her honor but she manages to be the star anyway (and she did open one present there from Kurt and Cory).

Then on July 5 (which happens to be Grace in Dublin's birthday!) she had her very own big special party. She had So Much Fun. I don't think she realized everyone was there in her honor. The kids all played in the kiddie pool, and then the bigger ones in the Dunk Tank (thanks Rick & Angela). Angelina LOVED this thing. No she didn't sit and get dunked. She's too small to even go in, but she insisted and being her birthday party I gave in. We had to hold her to the side as she was trying to swim around....she thinks she's a fish!

We had a piñata (is that Oscar the Grouch or the Cookie Monster?) which was so big I just had to fill it with tons of candy. It was so heavy Fredo worried the branch would snap.




And of course, singing Happy Birthday. It was at this point when she realized she really was the Star. All the attention was on her, and she was just amazed. I can't fully express how incredible she looked when she realized everyone was singing for her. Her eyes lit up even more than usual and she was so happy!

Happy Birthday!

Two years ago today, it was the best day of our lives, then the worst day, and then eventually the best day again.

I don't know if it's the same for other NICU parents, or for all parents. We both find ourselves overwhelmed with emotion on our child's birthday. Is it because we remember that day? So hopeful, then so terrifying? Or does everyone feel this?

It's amazing to us that she went from this:

To this:















It's difficult to think of that day. It started off with so much anticipation and promise, only to end with terrifying fear that we may lose her. But really, something inside us told us we wouldn't lose her. That she was tough, and would pull through. Thanks to a wonderful midwife, Holly, whose years of experience in delivering babies and with laboring moms told her Angelina was going to need some extra help, even though once we got to hospital, all signs were stable and normal. Thanks to a wonderful OB on call, Dr Bryant, who was patient and kind and proactive and not afraid to do what she thought best. Thanks to a wonderful neonatalogist, Dr. Hilliard, who told us "Don't even think of an ECMO when others mentioned it, and told me to just keep pumping milk, that it was the best thing for her once we could take her off the IV. Thanks to the wonderful lactation consultant who held my hand (and boob) to get the milk going. Thanks to a wonderful team at Christus who kept her alive in those first dark hours. Thanks to all our family and friends around the world, both real life and online, and the many many people whom we've never met but who prayed, wished us well, shared kind thoughts and supported us through those terrifying days.



Thanks to all, she is here today.

Celebrating her 2nd birthday.

Full of life and smiles and cheers and cries and screams and laughter. Angelina has all of that.

She already lives life fully.

Completely.

Sometimes much to our dismay.

I wouldn't change anything for the world.

But I'd also never go back to July 3, 2006. Or rather, July 4th at about 2am. No. I don't want to relive that. Instead, we'll live each day, as Angelina teaches us to.

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea.