Merry-Go-Round

Aurora and I awoke early on Saturday and I decided to get out of the house for a bit to let Gary sleep in.

Last weekend, Aurora and I went to coffee and then shopped at the dollar tree, but this weekend we went to the park after stopping for coffee.

Oh, the delights of the park! There was only one other baby there, and no dangerously oblivious big kids, so Aurora went down the slide several times (by herself, even!), she had a nice swing on the baby swing, we chatted with Marcus (the other baby) and his dad, and we went on the merry-go-round. Here she is, standing on the stopped merry-go-round. She almost fell off it when we first started, and she did bonk her head on the rail, but she had a very nice time and if Mommy hadn't started getting dizzy, would have loved to spend more than 2 minutes spinning.

Need... More.... Sleep

Sometimes Aurora stays asleep after I get up in the morning, and sometimes she wakes up and bounds around the bed like a small dog. Those times are also the times when she hits me to wake me up. It's delightful.

The morning that I took this shot, I was trying to get a few more minutes of rest while Aurora amused herself, quietly and in a self-contained manner.

She looks slightly scared, as if there was a UFO hovering above her rather than just my hand, holding the phone.

Silly baby.

Smackyderm

Arlo, Aurora and I went to the zoo on Sunday so Gary could have some quiet time at home and take a much-needed nap (he got up with Aurora on Saturday AND Sunday- wow!).

It was Samudra's first birthday so there were elephant-themed festivities- a cake for the baby, a swim for the baby, elephant ears (both the fried treat and paper decorations) and more. Arlo jumped around in a giant blown-up alligator (crocodile?) jumping thing, while I snapped this photo of Aurora with her new headgear.

(Hopefully the sight of her gobbling her crackers doesn't detract from the cuteness of her oversized ears. I personally think she is cute even when she's gobbling, but I am biased.)

H20

Smacky knows how important it is to stay hydrated in the summer months.

She is determined to drink this whole cup of ice water.

See her frown of concentration?

Actually, she bet Gary that she couldn't do it, and she doesn't want to lose her $5.

Drink, baby, drink!

Newest Member of the Pit Crew

Aurora and my mom and I went to the Gravity Games at Mt Tabor yesterday, formerly known as the Go-Cart Races.

It's huge now, with hundreds of people descending on the park, filling up the surrounding neighborhood with their cars and hauling picnic gear, beer, kids, dogs, and, of course, go-carts.

I had forgotten that it's mostly a lot of waiting around with a few seconds of excitement thrown in- not the most interesting for a baby.

Last year Aurora was just a year old, content to hang around in her bjorn. This year, as you know, she's walking, interacting with strangers, and quite excited about the world around her.

And she loves trying new things! Here she is standing in some tires, getting dirty and exploring something new.

Todai Experience

Gary and I love to go to Todai on our birthdays. Delicious sushi buffet, buy one get one free!
This year we took Aurora and Arlo. Arlo enjoyed some orange chicken, potstickers and tempura, but Aurora just wasn't feeling it.


Sarah, our babysitter extraordinaire, has been teaching Aurora how to sign, and so far (to my knowledge), Aurora knows two signs: done and dog. I think the done sign (arms up, rotating hands back and forth) is more of a catch-all, but she does make herself

clear, especially at meals.

Sunday (which was Gary's Birthday), Aurora got in her highchair, ate one piece of banana, and signed to me that she was done.


We convinced her to eat more fruit, some noodles, and some rice, and she seemed pretty happy to hang around and wait for us without any of the boredom side effects. (Thank goodness!)

At one point a 2-year-old at another table had a meltdown and started crying and shrieking because he wanted his toy. (I was walking by as it started and I saw the toy just out of reach as the shrieks started. Who knows, he might have been tired, too.)


After a few minutes of him sobbing and screaming, Aurora started emiting her own little screams, whether in solidarity or because the bar for misbehavior had been lowered. It was like a pack of

wolves talking to each other, Gary said. We and the table nearby us chuckled at her cuteness.
FINALLY we finished eating and it was time to go.


Phew! So many things to see and so little time. How dare we cut into her exciting day by making her sit still and do nothing?
See-food, anyone?

Say Cheese

What better way to learn than at the knee of your Dad?

Gary taught Smacky all about composition, lighting and, most important, when to click the shutter button a few months ago.

Smacky insisted on bringing her friends Pink Bunny and Gus the Sock Monkey to this shoot. Luckily they weren't too rowdy, and she got this shot in the bathroom of our house.