Our Vacation in Oregon

This will be a BIG post, with plenty of pictures. In mid-August, we took a 1.5 week vacation in Oregon. On the way there, we stopped in the Tri-Cities, WA, to take a little lunch and Iris-exercise break, and Iris discovered Kennewick's outdoor, free, water park. There was no keeping her out of it, so she just went ahead and got soaked.

Our first destination was the John Day area of Oregon's central desert. We stayed in Antelope, in a house owned by Deb's cousin. The area was beautiful and quiet and very interesting, both topographically and historically. Antelope wasn't much for news until the Rajneeshies essentially took over the town in the mid-80s. The photos show a short hike in the desert, and Charles and Iris at the county fair/rodeo we stumbled upon in nearby Fossil. Iris especially liked the chickens and the cookie displays, and was quite the celebrity at the BBQ in the community center. The ice cream was Iris' first ice cream CONE, which the vendor in Shaniko insisted was an important experience, and so Iris got her first cone, free.

We then traveled to Portland and stayed with Deb's Aunt and Uncle. We took Iris to the Children's Museum, and a nearby playground, using the wagon for transport.

The last part of our vacation was on the Oregon Coast, so Iris could see an ocean again and enjoy the sand. Splashing is about Iris' favorite activity. In the 'screaming' photo, she is simply beside herself with joy, as she swims in Tillamook Bay. She also liked seeing kites and shells and sand dollars.

Deb

A Busy Summer

The summer went by quickly, with both of us busy at work, but with a little time for weekend fun. We did take one vacation - that will be in the next post.

The photos show Charles and Iris on one of their many hiking excursions, Deb and Iris at Moscow's aquatic center. Iris LOVES the water, and even went down a few of the water slides - supervised, of course!

We enjoyed a brief visit from Oma and Gramps. The photo shows us enjoying an outdoor concert at Moscow's Farmers' Market. The remaining photo is Iris in her jogging stroller. The red thing is one of Iris' comfort items - a tank top that mommy used to sleep in. Fortunately we have two of these and so they can get washed regularly. Iris mostly uses them at night and at naptime, and refers to each as a "Ga-ga."

Over the summer, Iris learned to run, kick and throw balls, and greatly increased her signing vocabulary. We'll have more in a future post about her verbal vocabulary, which really exploded in September.

Deb

Flying Home

Flying Home - a great tune by Lionel Hampton, and music to our ears, too. I think we were all ready to be back home.

Iris was a terrific traveler for the LONG day of crossing the continent: three flights, all of them delayed, then the drive from Lewiston. She managed several 1 to 1.5 hr naps on some flights, and we let her burn off energy in the airports. She especially liked the phones, and watching the planes take off and land. Compared to the flight from China, this was cake!

Iris' Honorary Uncle Antone (a.k.a. Rufus T. Firefly) met us at the airport, and later that week, joined Iris and Daddy on a hike to let Iris become re-acquainted with her home territory by pack and by foot.

A big thanks to Tshering and Sam for house-sitting, and making sure our cats stayed fed and brushed!

Deb

Iris the Traveler, Pat 4, installment II: The Beach

Here's Iris loving the beach, with Mom and Dad. Photos are from our last afternoon in Florida - two students from the lab, Tshering and Bhavani, enjoyed playing with Iris on the beach, too.

Iris the Traveler, Part 4

At the beginning of May, we flew to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, for two back-to-back conferences, and for some serious relaxation and fun. Iris really had a great time, with many new adventures, and lots of dining out. She was a celebrity wherever we went. Bottom photo shows Iris during the flight, shortly before reclining into a nap across our laps. Other photos are simply Iris being Iris. Note that the mess after the crab dinner was not all because there was a baby at the table.

A second installment will show beach photos!

Deb

Deb

Iris the Traveler, Part 3, installment II

In addition to outdoor excursions, Iris hit the social cicuit, meeting not only Charles' extended family, but also many family friends, and friends of Charles from high school and college. Eventually, Granny talked us into dressing Iris for these occasions, rather than the rather practical and gender-neutral clothing that had otherwise suited her quite well (and she likes the color blue, too). These photos show that Iris can look girly, too. The only problem was that, in dresses, she was unable to see her own shoes, and she very much likes admiring her own shoes!

Deb

Iris the Traveler, Part 3

Part 3 will be blogged in two installments. In this one we show photos of Iris at Granny's home, where she looks very sweet and content with the arrangements. After a few days of becoming adjusted to the new time zone/surroundings, she did very well, with Daddy and Granny running the show while I was at work. Iris had a wonderful time getting into EVERYTHING.

The other two photos are from two of our many short excursions. Iris got to pet many animals at the petting zoo at the Hopkins Spring Fair, and was especially intrigued by the potbellied pig. Iris also went on many hikes using various modes of transport, including the backpack and the stroller. But we let her use her own feet as much as possible, since she was a good walker and seemingly tireless. The last photo shows her excitement at seeing the 'top' of Chesapeake Bay, at Susquehanna St. Park.

Deb

Iris the Traveler, Part 2

At the end of March, we flew to Baltimore, MD, for a 5-week visit with Charles' family and friends, and for some sabbatical/collaborative activities hosted by my former graduate advisor.

This entry focuses on the first part of the trip, where we traveled to Glaucester, VA, for an extended Easter holiday. Granny is renting a house near the water, and Charles' two brothers and their families also stayed in Glaucester for the weekend. Iris got to play with all five cousins and learned some new and interesting vocalizations.

The photos show 1. Our dinner with Charles' cousin Olaf and his family during our LOOONGGG layover in Cincinnati on the way to Baltimore; 2. Iris opening presents (she got LOTS of presents during our stay) with her cousin Jenny, who is very fond of Iris; 3. Iris enjoying the briefly fine weather in Glaucester (it snowed that night); 4. Iris with her Granny, and Granny's other grandchildren, celebrating Granny's red ribbon for a flower arrangement at the Glaucester Daffodil Festival. Iris napped through the easter egg hunt.

Deb

Iris the Traveler, Part 1

We have been a busy family, but I hope to catch us up on the blog, bit by bit.

In mid-March, we went to the San Juan Islands for a scientific conference, and a bit of vacation, and met Charles' friend John and his family, Anne and Zola, in Tacoma. Zola was just over 2 yrs old at the time.

The bottom photo shows Iris' first look at a beach: she signed, "water, mommy" and pretty much wanted to leap into the waves. Other photos show Iris at her first developmental biology meeting, and Iris playing with her new friend, Zola.

Deb

Hat's off to you, baby!

A (largely unplanned) week in Boise

In Boise, Iris finally got to meet her Oma and Gramps (Oma is German for grandmother), and they got some extra, unanticipated time together because our car died an untimely death on our way out of town. We ended up buying another car in Boise, and our old car is now in my brother's driveway, with the engine in a box in the trunk. Oma and Gramps came through like champs with impromptu babysitting, and as a result Iris got a year's supply of hugs and rocking and playing with her grandparents. With all the attention she made some great progress in walking and in using utensils at mealtime (though you wouldn't guess it from the photo).

Iris also got to meet her Uncle Joe and Aunt Tami, and cousins Maddie and Abby. Abby is one month older than Iris, and showed Iris a thing or two about walking and running ... but Iris could probably best her in a wrestling match. Their house was a virtual toy store, and everyone had a great time.

Happy Year of the Pig!

Iris participated in TWO Lunar New Year events in February. The first was in Richland, WA, with her Uncle Jim and Aunt Susie. The event was so well-attended, that they ran out of Chinese food and so we ate pizza and chicken. Ironically, the most abundant fast-food restaurants in China were Pizza Hut and KFC, so it was sort of like eating Chinese food. The weather was great that weekend, and so Iris got to test her outdoor walking skills, and we got to field-test a new jogging stroller.

The second event was in Boise, sponsored by Idaho Families with Children from Asia. Iris liked meeting the older girls, and grew especially fond of Jenny, who lives next door to Deb's parents.

Happy First Birthday!

Iris celebrated her first birthday, January 24, 2007, with a party, presents, and special friends Rufous, Tom, and Kathy (and we were there, too).

Dinner had a 'red' theme and also consisted of Iris' favorite foods: sockeye salmon, pasta with (red) pesto, and little orange chunks (the reddest we could buy). Red is a lucky color in China and is used liberally for events like a birthday party. And of course we had a birthday cake!

Another Chinese tradition is to tell Iris' fortune by plopping her down in front of many items, toys, etc., and the item she selects or reaches for is meaningful. She reached for a pen - perhaps Iris will be a writer.

We finished off the evening by dipping into the Snake Wine we brought back with us from China. Iris will have to wait for a future birthday to join in the drinking of the Snake Wine.

Just a few days later, Iris actually started to walk on her own. At her 1-yr checkup, she weighed 20 lbs 4 oz and is 29 3/4 inches tall.

Christmas with Granny

Iris met her Granny shortly before Christmas. Then on Christmas Day we traveled to McCall, ID, and were lucky that Granny and Iris were good buddies and let Mom and Dad do a bit of skiing!

When we returned, Iris finally got to open her Christmas presents. She received many clothes, books, and toys. The bowl was a gift for Mom and Dad from Oma and Gramps, but Iris thinks it would work for her future haircuts.