BaBa and the Chiquitos.

Wow, what a few weeks. After Rachel left we had about 8 hours before my dad arrived. We had a great weekend with him and we all wound up happy, full, and exhausted.

For Julian's birthday we picked out a new bicycle (thanks for the idea Kathleen!) and my dad had it shipped here and put it together for him. I highly recommend this bike for toddlers. It teaches them to balance on the bicycle without training wheels or pedals so they transition to regular bikes much earlier and much more easily. There are wood versions too but we thought the metal would be better here in the rain. Julian was a bit nervous about it but that seems to be his nature when approaching new activities. He's already warming up to it. http://www.stridersports.com/video.html





Julian and my dad hit it off big time. My dad visited when J was 8 months old, but other than that the one time my dad visited it was with the entire family and I think he didn't have the energy to pry him away from my mom. Here are some shots of Julian and BaBa.








Julian jumped off this stool about 100 times. First "watch me!" then we'd watch. He'd land, laugh, and say "see that?" to each of us in turn. "Yes, Julian, we saw that..."


My dad let Julian splash in his post-shave water. My inner neurotic was bristling at the ickyness of his playing in a sink full of dirty dead skin. My mom thought it would only be gross if he drank it. God help me.


Nothing special here, just a cute shot.


Our other news is that we have to make another day care transition for Julian. The fabulous amazing and perfect in home day care he has been attending since spring is closing so the mom can get a full time desk job with benefits so her kids can get insurance. Once again thanks a freaking heap W.

After several nanny interviews, home daycare visits, and many many discussions, we decided to put him in a school (read: stable) called Chiquitos http://www.chiquitos.org/aboutchiq.html . It is full Spanish immersion with a great child-centered philosophy, and he'll be there 2 days a week. The grounds are great and it is only 4 kids to a teacher. As a matter of fact there are only 4 kids in his class period so it won't be some crazy scene like many of the typical day care situations. The main down side is that it is a half an hour drive each way. I guess I'll get to work on my Spanish CDs more...and join the ranks of those complaining about gas prices.