First Things First

We had a fantastic time visiting family in Miraflores, and Tiago formed an inexplicably tight bond with his tio Ricardo (who does not typically care to spend time with babies but managed to come visit every day and rough-house with his little inquieto sobrino).

We will post more stories and pictures of our trip in the next few days but, first things first,Tiago took his first step just days before leaving to Peru! Mommy was excited and tried tirelessly to capture the first steps on film but was unsuccessful. Not only would Tiago refuse to take a step on film but the little stinker did not even seem interested in the fact that he had accomplished such a major developmental milestone. To him, it seemed that taking a step only served the purpose of making mommy holler and squeal, which he found hilarious and learned to imitate quite well (also not captured on film). So, as the days passed, it seemed that perhaps Tiago might not become a mastered "walker" before his 9 months...until...

...while in Peru, Tiago accidentally began walking (unbeknownst to himself)...This WAS captured on tape. He began taking his steps while distracted by his amusement with Pampers and everyone hushed/froze so as not to break his spell or cause him to stop dead in his tracks...

By 9 months and several hours, Tiago was walking across the floor with water-bottles in hands to greet his tio Ricardo!

Fun with Agua!

In the month of Aquarius, Tiago takes his first swim lesson:

Tiago immediately welcomed the idea of jumping into a great big bath-tub. We were the first of our group to arrive at the pool and Tiago was beside himself with anticipation, kicking his chubby little legs, squaking and waving his hands at the "agua." The pungent smell of chlorine did not seem to faze him at all (although, it left mommy a little light-headed);

He was so excited, he nearly jumped out of mommy's arms and straight into the 90* water. He wore a huge grin almost the entire time and was the only baby to emphatically participate in all of the activities.

He even crawled across the floating foam board towards his mommy (twice!).

At one point his splashing may have even become a nuisance to his playmate, Layla, so we scootched over towards Abbie (who was a pro in the pool and had already visited several facilities). As a result we got some great pictures! *A special thank you to Abbie's daddy and mommy for sharing these pictures with us!

Bust a Move on the Dance Floor!

We've all been going a little stir-crazy with the horrible winter weather out here....Also, Tiago continues with his napping-strike, leaving mommy no other option than to "imprison" the little rebel while making dinner (see below)...

...But, finally, there was a break in the deluge! During a light rain and tolerable wind, Korah, a very bundled Tiago, and the dog accomplished a quick lap around the block to check out some fallen trees and scattered debris. This exciting excursion was just enough to put a bounce in Tiago's step and inspire some uncoordinated dancing and cacophonous singing (by the both of us) when we returned home (see video below):

Play Date

Tiago's pals (our first play date of the new year):

Zev, Tiago, Collin & Abbie (and Spencer with his head turned away)

Thanks to a resourceful mommy, we discovered a new play "gym" in Menlo Park that was offering a free trial session for their grand opening. The place is a bit too overpriced to continue having our regular playdates there but it was fun to try it out once. Next week, we will be trying out a free swim class! Stay tuned for fun with AGUA!

Adios Vivian

Saying goodbye to Vivian, la Mona Loca, my Tica friend of nearly 17 years, was difficult. We had a wonderful visit. Tiago was able to practice his Spanish and he relished in all of the female attention from both Vivian and her friend, Ivette. They are off to L.A. to visit some friends and will be back this weekend--for just a few hours before heading back to Costa Rica.

While packing her things, she considered taking Tiago in her carry-on!

Enjoying the sights of the Bay-Area...

Lombard Street...

With all of the extra attention and enrichment that Tiago was getting, he began practicing saying, "Hola" (in his gruff Benicio Del Toro voice) and standing completely unassisted! Will he become an early talker--a chatterbox, like his mother? Will he walk at 9months, like his father? Eitherway, he seems to be enjoying life (so much that he doesn't want to miss a moment of it--and napping is still difficult)...

Here you can see that he is able to stand for roughly 5-10 seconds!

New Year

Tiago is starting the new year with a whole lot of new toys ...

...and new thrills!

He loves his air purifier--nothing like the thrill of fresh air blasting in your face!

Tio Matias

Ray took Matias, Nate, Tiago and Korah to Twin Peaks to have a look over the city. It was a beautiful winter evening!

We were able to catch the sun set over the pacific and watch the lights twinkle down below.

We started the day with a quick tour through Golden Gate park and a peek into the Science and De Young museums and ended with Peruvian food in Noe Valley.

All the way from Chicago, Matias was not afraid to join the Guilar boys on a rainy-evening walk around the San Carlos hills.

Tiago has finally met his tio Matias, the last of his uncles and aunts to come visit.

cousins

Day after Christmas, playing with cousins: