Playtime with Eva and Ian

As Spring slowly arrives in Seattle, we are trying to spend time outside and catch up with all our great friends. These last few months have been very busy for all of us!

In early April, we met Eva and baby Ian, along with their parents Chris and Meghan, at Seward Park - very nice large green space on Lake Washington. We had a wonderful time running, stealing each other snacks, playing, and talking.

After all that fun outdoor playtime, we all went to have Ethiopian food in Capitol Hill, our old (first!) neighborhood in Seattle. Chris and Meghan were not sure at first, but as it turns out, eating with your hands from a communal plate is something that all the little ones love to do!!! Eva loved it, and enjoyed showing Amelia how to do it.





We just can't stop laughing at this video, so we had to share it...

She is fast, and unpredictable!

New books! New favorites.

I spent half the week with Amelia this week. It was our first week of the PT arrangement that we are trying. We had a blast, but we decided to get some new books and puzzles to help us pass the time. One of Amelia's favortie books: Grandma and me. It tells the story of Grandma coming for a visit- very cute. She picked it our herself and loves it.



Amelia has been practicing her smile for the camera. Here she is playing with a cute little scarf and smiling on command.

The new shoes...

...fit so well.

Happy New Year! The Year of the Rabbit

There is no better way to bring in the New Year than with a Chinese Dragon Dance Troupe. And of course, it can't get much better than this private viewing. We were fortunate enough to catch this early morning show (dress rehearsal) that made it feel like it was just for us. Amelia loved the drumming and lively dancing. Those dragons sure know how to wag their tails in such a spunky way.




Check out that tail wag in the picture above. Very nice!

And here they are up close with Amelia. She is loving it, they are looking right at her!!


And we weren't the only ones taking pictures of the exciting event. Here is Amelia getting her daily dose of love from strangers:

Home again, Home again, jiggity jig!

Well, we had a super marvelous trip. But now we are home. There are a ton of great adventures that we still want to share here. The traditional Chinese New Year Celebration, the ceramics village Yingge, more fabulous pictures of night markets including the last one that we went to that was absolutely crazy jam-packed with people elbow to elbow that Amelia seemed to like since we shopped for some shoes for her! She is easy to please and adapted well to the crowds and chaos.

We flew through Tokyo again. We had lots of flight delays but still made it here in relatively good order. There are some great play spaces at the airports in Asia that made it easier and Amelia can make any space fun. Including making impromptu blocks by stacking boxes at the airport gift shop.


(This shot was arranged by Amelia. She has become very opinionated and demanding about What She Wants. And now she can communicate it to us. Very fun!)

Also have to say that Taipei was incredible for thier breastfeeding rooms. They are everywhere and really nice. The metro provides spacious rooms that are completely equipped. And the airport room was so nice that people kept coming by to take pictures of the Hello Kitty themed room. They even had diapers, creams, and wipes in case you needed them. We had considered coming to Taipei during my maternity leave when Ameila was very little but I was a bit concerned about the potential cultural differences and availability of space for baby needs, but apparently I did not need to be concerned.

And yes, that is a crib in the room too!

A good approach to getting sweets and making friends

Amelia was given sweets, fruits, and toys by so many friendly people it was impressive. Kids on the subway gave her their toys. Women on the train gave her little sparkly teddy bears (many people have little stuffed animals as decorations- adults included). Candy and sweets were just about everywhere. My favorite of her strategies captured on film.

Step 1: Find two old men studying intently. Sit nearby- quietly and wait.


Step 2: Smile.

Step 3: Graciously accept sweets that are offered. Watch other children gather.


Step 4: Play with other kids- chasing pigeons.

Kaohsiung - a fairy tale of temples and street food

A beautiful princess named Amelia was going to visit a dragon. When she knocked, the dragon said, "Go Away, I will eat you tomorrow".


She went in anyway, so the dragon tried to eat her...

****

Amelia loves temples. So colorful, so vibrant, so many people and statues to wave to... In Kaohsiung, we went around Lotus Lake, where many temples are scattered around this little lake.



One of the best aspects of Taiwan is the presence of street food around every corner. You can find pretty much any kind of meat or vegetable, ready to eat, generally on a stick.


Interestingly, before coming to Taiwan Amelia didn't really like meat. There must be something about putting it on a stick...




Corn is still a favorite!


She even likes stinky tofu - a very traditional Taiwanese food with a very intense smell and flavor - as long as it's on a stick!