Shades

Shades
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

On Saturday morning we leave for Michigan for two weeks. This is our first major trip since coming home from China, and the packing seems just as daunting. We stopped at Target this evening to pick up a few last minute items for the trip including these cool shades.

Aquarium for an Aquarius

Aquarium for an Aquarius
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Oxford dictionary definition of Aquarius: "a constellaion, traditionally regarded as contained in the figure of a water-carrier." No wonder why Helen was studying this vessel so carefully.

Margaret and I were pleased that Helen enjoyed our favorite all-veggie Vietnamese restaurant. She discovered asparagus this evening, and started screaming for more after eating every single last piece.

Table Talk

Table Talk
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen's favorite seat is underneath the patio table.

It was too hot this afternoon to wear a shirt, which suited Helen just fine.

Yellow Hat

Yellow Hat
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

It's the oldest game in the world -- putting strange things on your head -- but it never fails to amuse Helen (or us, for that matter). Pretty much everything Helen eats these days ends up in her hair. It makes for an interesting hair gel, and is cheaper than Aveda... Thank goodness she enjoys bath time.

The Entertainer

The Entertainer
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Who knows if the piano will be of interest as Helen gets older, but her first experience was delightful. Helen loves anything where she can flex her pointer fingers with precision.

Melody Makers

Melody Makers
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

More music, please!

Chris Nilson shows Helen how to strum a guitar.

Happy Girl

Happy Girl
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Our friends have noticed how much more Helen is smiling these days. She is really coming into her own. Within increased mobility comes confidence, exploration, and pride.

Bubbles

Bubbles II
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

It is rare these days to hear the word "bubble" without it being attached to the Silicon Valley housing market... In this case, watching bubbles burst was actually fun for everyone involved.

Look at the Lemurs!

Look at the Lemurs!
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

While Mama and Baba went to a wedding (our first night away) Helen enjoyed a trip to Happy Hollow with her Grandparents. She loved the zoo, which she slept through last time, and appreciated the kid-sized viewing areas. Grandma & Grandpa confirm that taking care of Helen is definitely a 2-person job!

Double Fisted

Double Fisted
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen has been a good eater from day one, but her increasingly voracious appetite amazes anyone who has the opportunity to witness it first-hand. She will go non-stop for an hour or more, and we have yet to find the one food she doesn't like. Not surprisingly, she has moved up from the 10th to the 25th percentile in weight in the last month.

Helen's First Baseball Game

Helen's First Baseball Game
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

It's only appropriate that Tim accompanied us to Helen's first baseball game since this is where we first met Tim. Mind you, this was back in the day when Tim & Chris both had season tickets and sat for hundreds of games in the same section. I'll never forget the woman who quizzed Chris one night saying, "are you really going to marry that girl who hates baseball?" Helen is Chris' chance to get that right...

Churros

Churros
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Forget apple pie, it's all about baseball and churros. Helen poses for her first foray into our favorite Mexican doughnut.

Beware of Men in Striped Tubes

Beware of Men in Striped Tubes
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen loves crawling through her striped tube (thanks Suz!) but it really threw her when Juan turned it into a costume. She was very amused, and the incident earned one of her throaty giggles.

Tucker however, will probably have nightmares for months...

Los Tios went to Italy and all I got was this T-Shirt

Los Tios went to Italy and all I got was this T-Shirt
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Los Tios are fabulous shoppers which is why we allow them to travel without us these days. They brought back great treasures including this euro-babe t-shirt for Helen. Bright yellow becomes her, don't you think?

New Dads

New Dads
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Today was baby Sam's Red Egg & Ginger Party. Judie put a nice twist on this tradition by having the usual Chinese food banquet at Maggiano's Little Italy. And the red eggs were actually made of chocolate...yum!

This photo captures a moment with Chris & Peter sharing their new dad status with babes in hand.

Sunday Morning and Sleeping In

Sunday Morning and Sleeping In
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Our mornings with Helen usually start around 7 or earlier, so it was a special treat today that Helen slept in until 9:30 a.m.! We were showered with paper read, recycling done, and house clean before we even started our routine with Helen. Ahhhh....

Cool Biker Chick

Cool Biker Chick
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Yep. Kids know when they're cool. It's especially cool to ride on a big girl's bike.

An added cool factor was Helen's squeeky shoes. This is the first time she has worn them since she's been walking on her own, and they produced so much more excitement than before. I now realize that I didn't buy enough in larger sizes...

Jade & Helen's Umbrella Dance

Umbrella Dance II
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Over a year ago, before we even finished our paperwork to send to China, we were fortunate to meet Jade. Her dad is a co-worker of mine. It was our first opportunity to see first-hand how wonderful the whole China experience was.

Today Jade and Helen romped about together, and it was one of those deja vu moments where you realize that you had already envisioned this scene many months ago.

My Godson, The Graduate

My Godson, The Graduate
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Graduation day at Santa Clara High School. Hard to believe that my godson Kristopher managed to sneak in 18 years so quickly. It makes me realize how much we'll need to pay attention with Helen, The time goes by much too fast. I hope we will be as successful as April & Margarito in providing such a warm and loving home. The results speak for themselves.

Park Bench Party

Park Bench Party
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Surely it's a party if Opa/YeYe is here! Our visit went much too quickly -- the only consolation being that we will see each other again in just a couple of weeks when we head to Michigan for the bi-annual Tawas reunion.

Snack Time

Snack Time
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Snack time is pretty much all the time with Helen. Her appetite is as non-stop as her physical activity -- which is surely not coincidental.

Walk-A-Thon

Walk-A-Thon
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Today, Helen put all of her single steps together into a full-fledged walk. Once she knew she could do it there was no stopping her. She walked all day long and then crashed in the middle of dinner. She was asleep by 7pm, a new record for us. She is also picking things up from the ground unassisted, and crawling over and into everything. We did a whole new round of childproofing today as she seems intent to explore every crevice of the house.

Little Deuce Coupe

Little Deuce Coupe
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen was a little nervous about riding in the car by herself, but was more than willing to ride with Anya. Helen is so enamored with older kids.

Happy Hollow with Opa

Happy Hollow with Opa
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Opa arrived on Thursday, and we've been having a grand time ever since. This afternoon Helen had her first outing to Happy Hollow -- the first of many since we now have a family membership. We were joined by Kip, Anne & family.

Baby You Can Drive My Car

Baby You Can Drive My Car
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

What a difference a few weeks make. The last time we were at the mall, Helen stood in the corner for lack of being able to do much else. Now she wants to be a part of the mix, although she started to cry when another child tried to share the front seat with her!

Like a Spring

Like a Spring
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen's Chinese name, Ruquan, translates: like a spring. There are so many times when we marvel at the appropriateness of this name both figuratively in that her personality bubbles over, and literally in that she is so drawn to water.

Helen & Peggy

Helen & Peggy
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen demonstrates her ability to stomp, dance and sway with friend Peggy. She continues to be in a pretty good mood despite the never-ending daycare cold which has us both feeling wheezy.

Caught in the Dog Bowl Again

Caught in the Dog Bowl Again
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

We know that water play is important for kids and that there are all kinds of amazing set-up's one can buy for this purpose. Another option is the garden hose combined with the dog's water bowl. Chula and Tucker seem to be resigning themselves to the fact that nothing of theirs is sacred anymore.

California Evening

California Evening
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen is an official California girl now that she's had her first evening dinner on the deck and dip in the hot tub. She loved the warm (not too hot) water -- so much so that she immediately wanted to go back in after we had all turned into prunes.

Hot Tub Fishing Expedition

Hot Tub Fishing Expedition
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen often uses a small net in her small inflatable tub at home, but fishing in Kip & Anne's hot tub was an adventure on a much grander scale.

Cherrio-Tug-of-War

Cherrio-Tug-of-War
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Finn and big-sister Anya go to daycare with Helen, so when we see each other's families on the weekend, Helen feels comfortable immediately. By the way, Finn won this tug-of-war... Even though he is four months younger, he is bigger and stronger than Helen. He made up for this later by bringing Helen her sippy cup when she was getting fussy. This earned him many "ah's" and kudos from the adults.

Sweet Sixteen

Sweet Sixteen
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen celebrates her 16-month birthday at the Children's Discovery Museum with Baba. We love it when she can meet her insatiable need to climb everything in sight at the CDM.

Family Love

Family Love
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Did we mention how much we love this kid? It's hard to tell sometimes from the looks on our faces, but we sure do have a good time together ;)

Tangled Up in Charmin

Tangled Up in Charmin
Originally uploaded by Chris & Kelly.

Helen has discovered the endless joy that just keeps rolling with a spin of a toilet paper holder. Baba, in his first afternoon of Helen-duty, didn't have the heart to put an end to this amusing scene.