Sunday in the park with Julia

On Sunday, Mom and Dad took me to Brookdale Park, which is the huge park in town. All I can say is, wow! They had me try out the swings for the first time (it's much easier than when they were kids; now the swings have harnesses so they just plopped me in). It was so much fun!


Here's what my inaugural trip was like. It doesn't take me long to realize how much I like it:



After just a few minutes, my mind was made up. Swinging is awesome!



And that wasn't all. They also took me to the playground, and while I'm still too young to do all that much on my own, they helped me go down the slide. And then they let me crawl through a big plastic tube that was part of the massive jungle gym. It was weird crawling around in my winter coat, but I still loved it.

Then Babcia and Dido joined us for a bit, and I got to do everything again, from swinging to sliding.


Best of all, Babcia and Dido said we'll be coming back all summer long! How cool is that?!?

Ask Julia: 3/30/08

I had a nice, leisurely weekend with Mom and Dad (we don't have many of those, and apparently we won't be having another one for awhile). And now I'm relaxed, refreshed and ready to tackle some Ask Julia questions. Aunt Rebecca has sent in a bunch of them:

Diana and I just returned from L.A. and the West Coast. You need to ask your dad to take you out there one of these days.
He's actually going out there for work in two weeks. I wish I could go because I'd like to try surfing after my successful swimming lesson last week.

A baby as cute as you should be in the movies, although that would entail a certain amount of work. Just think - you could be a star and get your own star on Hollywood Blvd. Are you interested?
When we were at the mall last week, my parents were approached by someone offering their agent services. Of course, this person approached every baby, which hurt my feelings. But I asked Dad about becoming a star and he said he won't allow it. Apparently he has some horror stories from work.

Let's see. You recently got a passport. Have you been learning Ukranian for your vacation? Maybe you'll be going there for your own vacation.
I don't think so, although there are beaches there. I'm pretty sure we're going somewhere in the Carribean.

Or maybe even the French Riviera? After all, bathing suits with flotation devices should be for ultra cool places. C'est magnifique!
Mom offered to take me to Cannes if Dad ever has to go there for work. He's not going this year, but maybe in the future. I'd love to go, as I hear great things about French fries.

Congratulations on the new tooth. What kind of new foods have you been introduced to now?
Thanks! The tooth has just come in a little bit, so my diet hasn't changed too much. But I did sample stage 3 baby food for the first time this weekend. It requires a little bit of chewing, which might take some time for me to figure out. And those puffs that I talked about Friday are a new addition to my diet as well.



And here are a couple questions from Aunt Paula:

When do you go to swimming lessons?
Babcia takes me on Monday mornings, which means I'll be going again tomorrow. We go to the new Children's YMCA in town. They offer lots of other classes too, so I think I'll be spending a good deal of time there in the coming years.

Are you still going to music appreciation?
You mean Music Together. I'm between semesters right now, but we start up again in other week or two. In the meantime, I'll still feeling the beat...more about that later this week.

Do you have anything planned for the weekend? Or are you just going to rest?
It was a very restful weekend for Mom, Dad and me, but we still made sure to take photos and videos. So you all have lots to look forward to this week. Keep checking back, and be sure to send new questions my way.

Puff Daddy (and Mommy)

Mom and Dad are always trying to get me to try new foods. This week it's yogurt (which is really gross, and very cold!), and last week it was these fruit puffs, which are for babies like me who are just learning to chew. Mom said that they would dissolve in my mouth, but they sure take their sweet time doing so! As you can see in this video, Mom and Dad are trying to teach me to chew on them—apparently they've forgotten that I only have one little tooth!

Camera-shy

This will probably come as a shock after seeing all the photos and videos I post here, but I don't always have a camera at the ready when big things occur in my life. In fact, a few events happened over the past few days that went largely undocumented. That means—gasp!—I'll have to just describe them to you. Here goes:


CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS
Okay, Mom did take a cell phone photo of this one, so we're covered. Dad took me on my first ride Friday, when we went on the carousel at the mall. I have watched the carousel in delight for the past couple months whenever I go to the mall with Babcia and Dido, so Dad decided to take me on it. I was thrilled (though to be honest, no more thrilled than I am watching from the sidelines). Mom waved to me everytime we went around to her, but some of the time I was too busy watching the horses (and, strangely enough, a kangaroo) go up and down behind me. Dad says he'll be taking me on many more rides in the future—ones that are even more exciting than the carousel. I say bring 'em on!

GOOD EGG
Not to be outdone, Mom shared her own first with me on Saturday morning while Dad was still sleeping. We colored Easter eggs together. I was bowled over when the eggs changed colors; then I tried to grab the coloring liquid which did not make Mom very happy.

POOL HALL
Babcia accompanied me Monday to my first swimming lesson, in a 6-12 month class at the Children's YMCA in town. I was a little tense at first but soon enjoyed splashing and kicking my legs. It was just like playing during bathtime. I'm pretty sure this means I'll be ready ro scuba dive when I go on vacation next month.

BERRY GOOD
Remember a few weeks ago when I wouldn't have anything to do with that mesh bag that Mom and Dad put fruit in and tried to get me to suck on? I'm finally starting to come around. Yesterday Babcia and Dido got me to munch on raspberries; today it was blueberries. Still, I can't make it too easy for them, so I make sure to throw the mesh bag on the floor, which sprays juice everywhere.

Perfect 10

I'm 10 months old today! Mom and Dad can't believe my first birthday is just two months away. They'd better be planning something big for me. Or at least bigger than what they did for my 10-month birthday, which was to put me on an AeroBed (which we put out for some of our Easter guests) and then watch my reaction as they deflated it.



Sorry, Mom and Dad, but I think those inflatable castles that you can jump around in would have been much more fun.

Still life

Ever since I learned to crawl, I've been in almost constant motion. But every once in a while I turn back the clock and manage to stay in one place...sometimes for a whole minute! Dad caught one such moment recently, when I was content to play quietly and keep my movements to a minimum. You'll be able to hear many of my toys amusing themselves by playing music, making noise and calling out for attention when they feel neglected by me.



Who knows, you might not see me so still again for quite a long time!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! I had a memorable first Easter weekend, as Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Jess came up to help Mom, Dad, Babcia, Dido and me celebrate. Instead of writing a bunch of anecdotes about the weekend, I'm going to share photos with you. First up, Grandpa helped me show off the cute dress I wore on Saturday.


On Saturday, we went to Babcia and Dido's Ukrainian church for the annual blessing of the Easter baskets, where you fill up your basket with traditional Ukrainian Easter foods—eggs, babka and kielbasa (much to Dad's dismay)—and the priest comes and blesses them. Babcia and Dido brought their basket (below right), and even made a pretty one for me (below left). Thanks!


The next morning, Easter had finally arrived. The Easter Bunny, who I became good friends with after seeing three different times in the past couple weeks, left me my first Easter basket.


But as you can see, I wasn't quite in the spirit of things. Then I got even more annoyed...


But after my morning nap, and changing into my adorable Easter outfit, I rebounded nicely.


For the rest of the day, I was all smiles!


Everyone loved my Easter outfit, though when I had my beret on (which wasn't for long; I always ended up pulling it off) I looked like I was on shore leave!


Having Easter dinner at Babcia and Dido's house, I tested out my new portable high-chair. I'll have the bottle appetizer, the apples and apricots entree and a teething ring for dessert, please!


Last but not least, here's a video of my initial reaction to my Easter basket this morning, which would most aptly be described as fleeting curiosity. I'm sure I'll be much more interested next year, especially if the Easter bunny brings me chocolate!



And speaking of videos, I'll have many more for you this week, so check back often!