There's been a new development in our lives! We're expecting again! For late August. Actually, we found out in December, but I figured I'd save the news for this post.
Right from the beginning, Taya got it. The morning after we found out and explained it to Taya (mid-Dec, Taya was almost 15 months), she was lying on the change table, and said "Grow, grow, grow!", which she'd been saying about plants. I asked her what should grow, grow, grow, and she said, "Baby!" "Which baby?" I asked, "Where's the baby?" Taya responded, "Mama, belly!"
She blows our minds.
In January, Taya entertained herself at the table by doing all kinds of things. Here (in this video--click on the pic) she asks for my hands to hold and shows me her "pretty eyes" (eyelash fluttering courtesy of our nanny, Luisa).
And here in this video (click to view) Taya does the same with Ljuba and also asks for a "bing".
OK, I have to admit it--I kinda like tormenting her. ;) In this video, Taya has just begun to understand the concept of an object existing while out of sight (I know 'cuz I'd tried it before with a different response!).
In this video, Taya and Ljuba kiss, giggle, and bing on the swing.
For a long time now, Taya has been fascinated by our many ingredients and ablutions.
Here's Taya at the park, playing peek-a-boo through an open window.
Taya has effectively learned to read. In this video, she shows how she remembers a book-full of words associated with images, and how she can vocalize them on her own.
Sometimes her grin is so much like a Cheshire cat!
Speaking of cats, here's Taya's first hand-drawn one on the easel Auntie Sandra got her. Isn't she gifted? (OK, I drew the cat, and no, I'm not expecting compliments!)
When Taya first learned to dry her hands, she'd walk from one tea-towel to another, drying them on each, crying out "Dry, dry, dry, dry!", like in this video.
Doesn't Taya look gorgeous in her casual clothes? [And yes, I am usually tired when I get home!]
As you can see in this video, Ljuba and I couldn't resist giving Taya some early lessons in marine taxonomy, which she soaked up like a (sea) sponge.
As you can see in this picture, Taya clearly has some Pebbles in her. Bam Bam, too, though!
In early February, a work trip took me to Stanford (my first invited talk at a prestigious university), which meant that Ljuba and Taya came along to visit with Marian, Melanie, and baby Cody. It was great to see them again! And Taya still talks about them all.
"Hmm. What shall we eat today?" No kidding: she picks stuff out and is insistent on us serving it!
In this (sideways) video, Taya celebrates Team Canada's men's hockey victory over US and an amazing Olympic Games.
She imitates our various exercises: here her squats/chin-ups make for some enthusiastic pliets!
When another work engagement took me back to California (Santa Barbara), Ljuba's mom (Taya's Babica) came out for a visit. Here Taya shows off her fine wrestling form, getting the best of Babica.
Taya quickly got interested in cooking, and she's very inventive in
her ingredients. Here, a pile of strings are "noo-uls". She sure loves cooking pasta ("pah-ta").
Babica brought the sun, as she always seems to do, and we got out to Capilano reservoir for a short hike.
Taya is crazy squirmy when you want her to sit still, but take her to the park, and she'd prefer to sit or stand and "cook" weird and wonderful concoctions with wood chips. (We're glad that at least she's advanced from eating wood chips to cooking with them!) Here Ljuba tries to coax her into moving.
We encourage her to climb. Once she's started, she aims high!
We're very grateful that Taya doesn't mind wearing sunglasses and sunhats (in fact, sometimes it's a tantrum to get her to part with them). Here she is, sporting the former at Deep Cove on a gorgeous winter hike.
More inventive cooking: here Taya informed us she was cooking pancakes, which she became enamoured with after reading the maple-syrup story that Uncle Chee gave us.
The day after Ljuba speculated that Taya would look great with pigtails, Taya's nanny Luisa read her mind and put Taya in just that. You be the judge: here she is with her Austrian doll Maria in the background (with her own two braids).
In predictable toddler humour, Taya thinks farts are hilarious--here she announces one of her own (surprisingly rare given her fibre-rich diet!) while smelling flowers at Queen Elizabeth Park.
Here's a picture from the same day--a rare good one of Ljuba and Taya.
After virtually no snow in the mountains all winter, we got out to snow-hike in April!
At first, Taya was no fan of the snow (except from her saddle, where she continually demands, "More running! More running!" As you can imagine, I get tired on those mountain trails).
And after that, also on Easter weekend, we got out to snowshoe to get a view of our new vacation home on Seymour. We wish!
What a treat to be able to see this while enjoying flowers in the city in April!
"More running, more running!"
What splendour!
Taya is amazing with the baby (who is apparently a girl!). She loves to kiss Ljuba's belly, and mimic its heartbeat (which she heard at the midwives'). Turn up your volume to hear Taya saying "Ah-bum, ah-bum" in this video.
