T'n'T's summer in Vancouver (May 23 - Aug 20) 2011

Summer came late and short in Vancouver, which had everyone talking about how they hadn't much enjoyed 'June-uary'. We did, but we were certainly buoyed some by the prospects of some sunny travel in the fall.

The late spring and its crappy weather brought us some sicknesses, in large part because Taya was in preschool (aka germ factory). In late May, Taya got a high fever. The lousy sleep it entailed was no fun for any of us, but some moments Taya was the least troubled of all of us. After she woke up after only 90 min of night-time sleeping, I cuddled her and gave her Tylenol, etc. Then she declared, "I'm actually done sleeping already." Ah, no.

Tiva went through many changes in this period. In late May, she was just soldier-crawling, and she had sparse straight hair and a tiny round baby-body. Here she is playing with her play-mat and Duplo.



And here she is playing with her booties with Nanna, who graciously joined us for a visit while I had some travel to Vancouver Island for work.



Like Taya was, she's keen to do all the things we do. In this 36s everyday-life video, she sits with Mama and plays with pens.



Writing a dinner memo with Mama

One day, Taya asked me, "Dada, how do you learn to be a good Dada?" My answer: "I had Grandpa and Nanna as great role models." And in keeping, Taya's caring for her toys continues to escalate to new heights. In this special-moment video, Taya feeds Baby Taya in her own booster seat.



Taya doctoring baby Taya

I love the way babies move. I know I'm going to miss it hugely when they're grown. So here's one for the memories: an everyday-life video of Tivona's feet.



Tivona's little feet

Taya is a colourful character. Here, especially so decked out in my Rasta shorts and belt. ;)



Tivona is very helpful. Here she is carefully re-'folding' the laundry that Mama just folded.



Tivona loves Taya's things. She loved crawling around and rolling around in Taya's crib. In this 59s special-moment video, she is going a little cuckoo in typical Tiva style.



Taya nursing bunny, Tiva rolling and hissing

Tivona started teething again in late June. We found out 'cuz we found Bunny sporting battle wounds after a wrestling match with Tiva in the crib.



Tivona loves the barn toy that we got for Taya at her first year. We hadn't wanted to buy many plastic toys, but this one got so much loving, we don't regret it.



Tiva, just like her sister before her, loves the camera. Here she is roaring for it.



The girls were very helpful as we packed up to go to Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast (BC)--they obliged us by travelling in our duffel bag. They love doing this kind of thing together.



At Gibsons, Tivona was reminiscent of Taya when we were in Hawai'i. In this 23s must-see video, Tiva does her darnedest to eat rocks, and Ljuba does her darnedest to stop her.



Tivona eating rocks at Gibsons

Taya is still enamoured with the sea, too. That pleases us, because we are too.



Despite the fact that Tivona was 10 months at Gibsons, and Taya was only 7 months when we were in Hawai'i, they fit into this sunsuit very similarly. Here she enjoys herself walking along with Mama.



And here she plays with some of the toys we brought up to our (rented) vacation home.



Taya found ways of occupying herself while Tivona napped. Although, of course, many of these ways were not conducive to Tivona sleeping only feet away in another room, with a door lacking a handle. See this 26s special-moment video of Taya declaring herself a "little fancy lady!"



"I'm a fancy little lady!"

Ljuba and I struggle to find enough Taya time, now that Tiva is an attention-grabbing person of her own. Here we have some fun on the couch at Gibsons.



We bemoan the fact that we don't get out to the woods nearly as much with Tivona as we did when Taya was a baby. But it seems like Tiva loves the woods just as much. Watch her wave her hands in this 25s special-moment video as she bounces along on Ljuba's back.



"Giddyap, Mama!"

Taya keeps asking to go to the forest, too. Gibsons was good, because we got out--despite the lousy weather. Here Taya's standing in a rotted-out tree, with Ljuba. About her joy at getting out into nature, Taya said, "I'm quivering!"



We don't have a photo to commemorate it, but one of the more memorable experiences on the Sunshine Coast for Taya was cutting her hand on some barnacles. (Just today she expressed fears of having barnacle-covered rocks come up out of a white sandy beach--no rocks or barnacles in sight--and giving her a booboo.) Later that afternoon Taya related her experience back to my experience of cutting my hand just a couple days earlier, while cutting a partly-ripe avocado with a well-nicked knife, to try to understand and remember a new term I'd used quite loudly (this is how she accumulates her admirable vocabulary). She asked me, "Dada, what did you say when you got your booboo?" Umm….

And here's Tivona and I (Kai) on another Sunshine-Coast hike.



Tivona's laughs crack me up. So I got a thrill out of playing finger-peekaboo in this library book, and I get the same thrill watching/listening to this 42s must-see video.



Peekaboo with Dada's fingers

You could watch this next 56s special-moment video and see nothing interesting, or you could watch it and see the extraordinary lengths that Taya goes to to ensure that her toys are well cared for. Watch her bundle them together into their bin--all cuddled in a big cylinder--then tuck it under the easel, and cover the opening with her apron, just so.



Taya putting her toys to bed, and making sure it's dark

Similarly, as you'll see in other pics and videos, Taya's love for 'doctoring' continues. So it was a thrill for her to meet my best-man Husein and his family, Husein being a surgeon. After that visit (last blog), Taya and I had the following exchange: "What does Husein do? [He's a doctor, a surgeon.] What does he do after that? What does he do after that?" (after my answers she says it in her own words) "… He works on people's tummies usually. And the lower parts. I want to see what kinds of scopes he has. Does Husein use a stethoscope?"

Tiva had a very different experience of swinging, dropping, and throwing motions. Taya loved them right from the beginning, even as a very small baby. Tivona had to grow into them--at first she hated to be thrown around (go figure). In this 27s special-moment video, you can see that she's started enjoying it rather more.



Tiva and Dada, ka-boom on the swings

Taya is a real sport much of the time. Sometimes Ljuba and I try to squeeze in a little exercise routine when she's 'napping' (she doesn't actually sleep anymore), and often we're not done when it's time to get her out. We bring her down and she does some exercises with us. She actually usually does all kinds of gymnastics on her own while 'napping', also.



Most of all, though, Taya is a conversationalist. Even when you imagine she's not listening, sometimes she is and she pipes up, making good sense. Like when I asked Ljuba what I should do about my tight pec muscles pulling my shoulder out of alignment again (an injury that required many weeks of nightly physic exercises). Taya, looking down while peeling garlic for dinner, advised me, "A massage would help."

We are well through the worst of the sleepless night-woes. Tiva mostly sleeps through the night, and Taya has done so for a while now. But every once in a while they throw us off with some night-waking or a very early start to the day. It doesn't necessarily mean they aren't chipper--at least for parts of the day--as Tivona demonstrates in this 33s special-moment video.



Tivona panting (0500 wake-up)

Tivona has an immense patience for some tasks. In this 83s special-moment video that Ljuba took, Tiva shows the extents she'll go to in order to attempt a task on her own, even though she knows how to ask for help. (And in this additional 25s everyday-life video, Tiva shows how she can drink on her own from a sippy cup--here.)



Tivona struggling to pick up puzzle pieces

For those who aren't getting enough pictures for this three-month period of the girls' lives, here are links to three additional photos: of Taya and her bathtub art (here); of Kai's PhD supervisor Simon, Simon's wife Carole, Kai's colleague Junling, and Junling's wife Xi with our family when Simon's talk at UVic reunited us briefly (here); and of Kai, Tivona, and Taya at Mt Seymour Demonstration Forest (here).

And here's a collage of Taya and Tivona goofing off together. We love it when they engage each other like this!



Tivona wasn't quick to roll over, grasp objects, crawl or walk. But once she learns a physical task, she's generally very adept. Here she shows her agility, evading my efforts to seize back something she had grabbed. See the additional 11s must-see video (here) and a 14s must-see video below.



Tivona the evader, 2

I had fun asking Taya about BC Day (Aug 1). Check out this 37s special-moment video.



Canada Day? MEC Day? ABC Day? Happy BC Day!

Tiva shows off a bunch of things in this 84s everyday-life video: her love of balls, her 'round-the-world' bum spin, and her beautiful Mongolian spots, which go from her bum all the way up her back to her shoulders.



Naked Tiva, her Mongolian spots, her ball, and her words

And here's the little cheeky monkey coming after us.



Does Tivona like plums? This photo says it all.



And this 47s special-moment video catches out little fruit-murderer red-handed (and red-faced) in the act of massacring some berries.



Tiva the fruit murderer

Even though she seems perfectly content with where she's at, Tiva is excited to do things that Taya does. In this 34s everyday-life video, Tiva and Taya are excited to do some synchronized drinking together.



Taya and Tivona drinking

As I said earlier, Taya's generally a real sport about things. Here she gives a big smile just to be hanging out with us all while Tiva sits on the potty.



And Tiva offers a smile, too.



Until next time, Happy Pottying to all!

T'n'T's spring in Vancouver (Mar 20 - May 22 2011)

It's hard to believe that I'm more than two months behind, even with this 'update'. Taya and Tiva are so demanding right now, and now that my pat leave is over, it's hard to find time for these bits of fun. Note, however, by seasons, I'm barely behind, as it only just feels like summer here.

There are so many stories. I'll do my best to contain myself. Taya loves baking, and she's a great sous chef. As you can tell, she gets to do the most important job of a sous chef (cleaning the bowl after we're done). And also the second (posing as if she's Deborah Madison on the front of our favourite cookbook, who I told Taya was holding a spoon sternly because she was going to spank someone).



Tivona really came alive. In this 26s special-moment video, you can see her squealing as I 'attack' her.



Dada makes Tiva squeal

And here's our little jumper Tiva (35s special-moment video), squawking and jingling. Also see Nanna, whom we had the good fortune of seeing for a good visit (and Grandpa not shown), partly to help while I was in Germany for a workshop.



Tivona bounces, squawking and jingling

The two girls are really showing their love for each other. Below, they're holding hands, and here you can see them grinning and laughing.



We had a big change in our family. We said good-bye to Mr. Echo, who, as I said once and Taya will likely say forever-more, "took good care of us". Here Mr. Echo treated us to a day at the beach, enjoying cherry blossoms and beautiful sights at Kits Beach.



That day was Tiva's first experience in a restaurant that served alcohol (Rocky Mountain Flatbread). She wasted no time trying to order some white wine (27s must-see video below). :)



Tiva wants white wine, and she wants it now

Taya continues to amaze us with her conversation. In three special-moment videos, Taya tells me I'm telling stories about Uncle Tony & Auntie Elisa's wedding (36s below, and the funniest once she actually gets the joke--18s--here), and chat with her about the new car (60s, here).



"Dada, you're telling stories!"

So there you saw me playing jokes on Taya. But Taya gets back at me, too, like when in the following exchange:
KC - We have to eat the pineapple tonight, so please remind me (mostly to Ljuba).
TS - Dada, please get the pineapple!
KC - (laughing) You're supposed to remind me tonight!
TS - I already reminded you!
Ay!

In this 66s must-see video, you can see how Taya and Tiva are really starting to thrive on each other, as Taya gets Tivona giggling with her antics.



Tivona laughing at Taya's antics

And in this 67s special-moment video, Tivona gets Taya (and Ljuba) going with her fish-flopping.



Fish flop!

Here's Taya, Tivona, and I in the park. Note again the chilly spring weather!



Tivona really cracked me up when she started eating finger foods. She was game to feed herself, but of course it was hard for her to deliver into her mouth slippery food like pears (a favourite of hers). So hard that once a piece was in her hand, it was actually less of a draw than a new piece in front of her. In this 51s special-moment video, watch her pick up a piece, then ditch it as a new piece comes into view, repeat, and repeat!



Tiva learns to eat pear, and Dada has fun with it

In April, we got to see Auntie Chinook--and Tiva got to pull some long hair!



Having Chinook visit also meant a rare family shot, here on the slide at a nearby park.



As I alluded earlier, after nearly 9 years of faithful service, we finally gave up our first car (Mr. Echo), and bought a gorgeous blue Hyundai Elantra Touring. Here's Taya and I picking it up at the dealership.



Taya is a real painter already. Watch this 16s special-moment video to see her tell Ljuba to stop distracting her as she paints rain.



Taya painting rain, movie

We got Tivona some squeaking eggs because Ljuba thought she'd love them, and was Lj ever right. Tiva adored them. In this 65s special-moment video, you can see her trying to crack one to help with our Mother's Day muffin-baking.



Dada tempting Tiva to move forward for Jitter Bug

Tivona, like Taya, learned to crawl by soldiering with her belly on the ground. Unlike Taya, Tiva mostly did two-arm pulls, whereas Taya used to alternate. But watch this 54s special-moment video to see Tiva experiment with using her head as a fifth appendage. We also love the way she rested in between pulls.



Tivona experimenting with crawling styles

Taya has the most elaborate tea-parties, as she imagines the needs and wishes of her army of toys. This little army invades our couch nearly everyday, and no matter how forcefully we beat them back, they're always out conquering their territory the next day. It really amazed us to actually watch Taya go through the bed-time routine with these toys: she feeds them dinner, then brushes their teeth, kisses them all, puts them all in the blue bin (far left in the photo), and puts that under the easel, with her aprons blocking the light (so it's nice and dark).



Tivona delighted us with a head-wag that reminded us of capoeira. Watch this 37s must-see video of our littlest entertainer.



Tivona shows us her head-wag

Tivona really started moving these two months. You can see her swimming/soldiering technique here, in this 33s special-moment video.



Tivona is motivated by the stick

We have a new saying in our family (actually, we've got lots, but anyway…): I know a tiger named trouble, and it's spelled T-i-v-o-n-a. Look at the innocent face as Tiva is discovered ransacking Taya's precious toy bin.



Taya continues to be a mostly happy toddler, but she continues to have her moments of terrible-ness, screaming crying and raging. Here she shows a rare moment where she's quietly "mad at Mama".



Taya and Tivona are really starting to play together now. Not all the time, and not always harmoniously, but anyway, see here how thrilled Tiva is that Dr. Taya gave her a clean bill of health.



We had some wonderful visitors, and we all enjoyed their company very much. Here's Tivona with Husein's daughter Sofia. All four girls got along amazingly: it only took 5s after Sofia and Naila met Taya that they whisked her away, one hand each, to help her in the playground. Who would've thunk it, 23 years ago when Husein and I started hanging out together???



And here's Taya with Gary. She still remembers him from last year, partly because I imitate Gary (or try to) when reading Aussie books to Taya (she likes it that way!).



Fitting that we're now poised to buy our tickets to visit Australia … stay tuned!

T'n'T's winter in Vancouver

Taya and Tiva blog, 2011.2.7 - 2011.3.19

After Tony and Elisa's wedding, I had a quick and wonderful trip to Santa Barbara, while Nanna accompanied Ljuba and T'n'T back to Vancouver. Upon my return a few days later, we enjoyed the meat of my parental leave--six weeks of unadulterated relaxing chill time. Ahem. OK, knowing Ljuba and I, you'll know that parenting a toddler and a baby--even two on two--is not chill time, but we certainly did have many wonderful times.

Tiva grew up hugely, eating, sitting up comfortably on her own, learning to babble. You'll see all that below. Taya continued to blossom into a verbally dextrous creative little girl. And, importantly, one who is thoroughly in love with her sister, with scarcely a hint of resentment. A big change from the early months, in which she'd say things like "Taya wants Dada to put Tiva down and leave her all alone so she'll be lonely and cry!" No, she never held back on the full chain of wishes, most of which most people would simply have kept to themselves.



Tiva revealed herself to have a musical streak in her, like Taya. In this video, she thumps her feet to my singing of 'Frosty the Snowman', while sitting on the potty.



Thumpity thump thump, go Frosty go!

I remember getting comfortable talking on the phone sometime around five years of age. Taya seems there already. Soon after we got back from Toronto, she got on the phone with Dedek. "Hi Dedek. I want to come back to Babica … I want to come back to Dedek's place…. Today we wanted to go to the market, but it was pouring rain, so we didn't go." Note Taya emphasized Dedek, conveyed a piece of personal feelings that was pertinent to him (in a way that would make him feel good), and then also gave a little bit of today's news. Shoot, if I could be so adept on the phone now, I'd be happy! In this video, Taya shows that simply talking on the phone (to Babica) isn't enough of a challenge--see her simultaneously cutting a fringe on a piece of paper. Oy.



Multitasker Taya, talking to Babica and cutting paper

Taya is also fascinated by others' phone conversations. She'll ask who it is (if we didn't make it clear from our greeting), then report. Like with Jai (she figured out who it was on her own): "It was Jai [on the phone]. He's in Santa Barbara. You said, 'I'll talk to you later.' ... Is he having fun there?"

Taya is strikingly adept at performance and deception. The latter can be rather frustrating, and her moments of honesty (sometimes when she thinks we can't hear) are especially refreshing. Like at the Chan Carusone clan's place, when I heard a bit of a ruckus when Taya was supposed to be sleeping, and stood outside her door to hear her crying to herself, "I climbed out of my crib tent and now I can't get back in. Oh oh oh!" Later she denied climbing out so emphatically to Ljuba that Ljuba had to check to make sure I wasn't joking when I related the story!

On Taya's performance, here's Taya singing skin-a-ma-rinky dink for Nanna, repeating our performance from Tony & Elisa's wedding, including "the Elvis Presley thing".



Taya singing skin-a-ma-rinky dink

Tivona is still true to her name, loving nature. She loves going out for walks. Here she's getting excited to be dressed for the outside.



Dressing Tivona for a walk

And Tiva loves being carried facing out. (No, she's not showing it here.) My only complaint is that when she gets excited, she kicks her feet backwards emphatically, and the positioning … let's just say 'Ouch!'



Tiva began to eat, unleashing a new budget-depleting force. She's got the Kovacic Chan appetite, and so far (apart from a few days in the first week) also has our same adventurousness to try new things. Here's a video from day one, with the most boring of all foods (rice cereal).



Tiva's first feeds of rice cereal

Tivona continues to love bouncing in the jumper. Here we played a little trick on her, sticking Taya's new globe (courtesy of the Huntsville Chans) under her bum so she's sitting on top of the world. She played along beautifully. (Apologies for the sideways video.)



Tivona sitting on top of the world

Tivona, like Taya, looks good in hats (drool beard notwithstanding).



I continue to think that Tiva is at her cutest in the jumper. This 40s video reveals how she's come along in her ease at that.



Tiva jumping, smiling, and talking

Well, Tiva's cute in the fuzzy pink bear-eared hoodie, whatever she's doing.



We had some brilliant snowstorms this year. Here's Taya beside a snow sculpture I made, after the hernia-inducing torso of its predecessor shattered under the weight of the huge head (which also shattered). Like in so many things, physical limits constrain me more than ambition!



Tiva now 'gets' the camera. Here she studies it as we snap pictures. We get a lot of flak from some people for dressing Tivona in blue, because they can't tell that she's a girl. We think she's adorable, regardless.



Tivona loves bath time! But it's tricky. See here, even with her head held high, it's still super hard to get into those creases, where dead skin, food, etc., accumulates.



Tiva and Taya are playing really well together these days. Taya and I love the Duplo we splurged on for her (us?). Do you know how much Duplo costs?? Anyway, in this 39s everyday-life video, Tivona shows a hint of her great sense of humour, spluttering a strawberry at a funny moment. (I'm going to start rating the videos on a scale from everyday-life through special-moment to must-see--to help you pick and choose.)



Taya plays Duplo, Tiva splutters a strawberry

Speaking of must-see, this video of Tiva tasting apple for one of the first times is an absolute must-see. There's something deeply tickling about a baby--who has only tasted the honey sweetness of breastmilk and the mild sweetness of grain cereals--tasting a tangy fruit like apple. It's an assault on the senses, but they don't say no. Unfortunately, the faces don't stay for all that long. Fortunately, we've got this 26s video to crack us up from now to eternity. :)



Tivona tastes apple and shows her sour face

Our little monkey Taya is getting tall! And she continues to show off her monkey side. Quotes from Taya in February and March: "Mama, you need a bib!" when Ljuba made a mess. And, "Don't hold me, Mama--I'm managing!" And, "Mama, we need some organization. We need to organize this."



Taya really enjoyed herself seeing friends and family in Toronto. She talks about it often, even now. Cousin Amaera continues to have this legend status in Taya's life. All kinds of things that Taya does, when I ask who taught her that, she'll say it was Amaera. I don't know how Amaera fits it all in to the (unfortunately) few times they see each other, but according to Taya she does. E.g., about tanagrams: "Amaera showed me how to do this." Me: "Really? When?" Taya: "At the cottage. She has a set like this."

Tivona is so social, just like Taya. In this 15s special-moment video, Tiva grins (with clenched teeth) at our friend Kate.



Tivona showing her clenching smile

Tiva's very smiley, and she likes her food, but she sure doesn't smile much when she's eating. She's all business. See this special-moment video of Tivona eating banana (and babbling a little). And combined with that, there's a fun conversation with Taya, who explains that she's wearing a pink paper splint on her forearm (thanks to Kate) to make her arm feel better after carrying Doggie so much.



Tiva likes banana, Taya explains her need for the arm-splint

Tivona started talking, and this was a delight. No, she's not actually using words (except Dada, which is a bit unfair and a sore point for Ljuba), but rather she's looking straight at people (and camera's), and babbling in a decidedly purposeful way. Her facial expressions, lip motions, and delightful smile make these two videos absolute must-sees.



Tivona talks!



Tiva talks and cracks us all up

If you can't get enough baby giggling, here's a short 21s special-moment video of Ljuba tickling Tivona.



Tiva giggles as Mama tickles her

Tivona also learned to move purposely in these couple months. In this 39s special-moment video, she rotates herself on the cork floor.



Tiva learns to turn on the cork floor

We continue to miss most of Taya's funniest and cutest moments, because we can't recreate them after they've happened. Like when she learned about the word 'issue'. She wanted to know what everyone's issues were. And she could immediately put her finger on her own, and Ljuba's: "Eating is my issue, sleeping is my issue, knives are my issues. Those are my issues. Sleep is your issue, Mama. I have lots of issues."

And the time, back in February, that she reported on her walk with Mama: "I wanted to go to the cat hotel, but it was closed, so we couldn't. I was not at all pleased!"

Really--I swear she said that. I don't know where it came from! She'd probably say Amaera. :)

If you want to see more Tiva talking, here's a 36s special-moment video of Tiva chatting on the change table, and Taya imitating.



Tivona talks, and Taya imitates

Toronto for Tony & Elisa's wedding!

In late January we travelled back to Toronto for (Ljuba's brother) Tony and Elisa's wedding. This was tremendously exciting for all of us, for many reasons. First, we were super excited for Tony--we love Elisa dearly, and her family is amazing. Second, Taya was to be Tony & Elisa's flower girl, and she was enamoured with this idea. Third, we'd missed the Ontario Christmas trip, so we were thrilled to have the chance to see family and friends.

For example, Tivona had not yet met her Dedek! Ljuba had long said that Tiva looks just like him, and here you can judge for yourself as they enjoy each other's company.



For Taya, the Ontario trip was a wonderful extension of Christmas. Here she is showing off her reading comprehension and conversational skills about "Olivia Claus", one of our favourite books. (Note how Taya's mouth and whole body just can't stop moving. She's been like that since she was in the womb.)



Talking and eating (about Olivia)

Tivona also hadn't met Auntie Elisa and Uncle Tony. If Tiva looks a little weirded out, you should've seen Taya, who rewarded Uncle Tony for the kind invitation to be his and Elisa's flower girl by saying over and over again, "Who's that man?", and bursting into tears when he asked her about the monkey she was holding.



Tiva was, as usual, a happy camper wherever we went.



Tiva knew Auntie Sandra well from Sandra's trip to Vancouver. Here are those two, with Tiva mid-blink.



(I personally think she looks adorable like that--maybe conditioned by months of trying to help her fall asleep, when the closed eyes meant a welcome respite from Tiva's 'bloody-murder' screams. If you want to see the open-eyes version, you'll find it here).

We definitely took a hit on the Chan family front from switching our Christmas/New Year trip for this Jan/Feb trip. Thanks to the Chan Carusone family's hospitality, my parents' generous loan of their car, my father's organizing of a Chinese New Year dinner (without shark fin soup, of course--if you haven't seen Sharkwater, you should!) and a dim sum brunch, and the Huntsville Chan's efforts to come down despite lousy weather, we did get to see everyone (and Hermine!). We actually managed to see many of them more than once, even with the complication of Taya getting sick, and all the rest of us following. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to organize ourselves sufficiently to take good pictures (sorry!). But here are a few pics from the Chan Carusone home. First, Taya adoring Millau.



Tiva with Grandpa.



And a real reconstruction of Taya and Senna sharing a bath (not a cheap-o attempt at Photoshopping a false event!).



Back in Etobicoke, Babica and Dedek went out of their way to try to make us feel at home. It worked--Taya embraced my term 'home away from home', and here's Tiva loving the Jolly Jumper they got for her, just as she loves her Vancouver one.



One of the special treats of this trip was having Ljuba's cousin Erika around, from Slovenia. It was also nice to have some fresh snow. The combination yielded the following three photos, of Tiva loving tobogganing with her Mama,



of Taya and Dada on a snow-venture (with Erika behind the camera),



and of Taya with Erika.



Soon, the rehearsal dinner was upon us. All these occasions were a huge amount of fun but also a feat of parental juggling. To prepare for the 7pm rehearsal and following 9pm dinner, we kept the girls on mountain time. And, because Taya was routinely missing naps (despite being super tired), we walked her in the stroller when we knew that a long evening was to come. This meant two walks of 2+ hours on snowy streets for me--I called them Etobicoke half-marathons.

The rehearsal dinner meant the beginning of practicing, of two kinds. We started practicing the flower-girl walk the day before the rehearsal dinner (in the hopes that a positive experience at the rehearsal dinner would mean few nerves in front of the big crowd). That went well. Then, at the rehearsal dinner, Elisa and Tony gave Taya the violin that Elisa had played on as a little girl. Here's Taya practicing on that beautiful instrument.



Before we knew it, Tony & Elisa's wedding day was upon us. This was the biggest juggling feat of all. Dressing and organizing for a formal event is a big thing for both Ljuba and I, add a baby and a toddler and spread out a photo shoot, ceremony and reception over 10+ hours, and you have a logistical challenge. With much help from Ljuba's parents, siblings, Erika, and then--towards the end of the evening--a whole team of Elisa's friends, cousins, and aunts, we managed to pull it off. Here's Taya and Elisa at event #1 (the pre-wedding photo shoot), around noon, while I walked Tiva for a snowy/slushy/icy nap in formal attire.



Tivona was golden through the ceremony. She woke up a few minutes before it started, but the loudest noises she made were some cooing and an explosive burp and poo. Here she is hanging out with Mam, while in the background a handsome and poised Dedek stands by, and Taya and Erika sit mesmerized by the violinist.



Then to the church for the ceremony. Like a well-oiled machine, you'll see coaches Mama and Dada and athlete Taya preparing and executing the flower-girl walk down the aisle. ;) Seriously, I've never felt more like a coach, giving Taya this pep talk while she did her warm-up bounces (that was spontaneous on her part), in the video below.



Pep talk pre-walk down the aisle

Then the walk. More coaching. See Taya point where she'll walk, and you can imagine her mentally running through her performance as she prepares at the gate/doorway, like a downhill skier. Off she goes. A perfectionist (surprise!), she isn't quite pleased (she does use this word) with the placement of the first petal. See her pick it back up, and see Mama-coach slide quietly to the aisle for some mid-event coaching. Then she's off again, dropping petals and smiling as dozens of cameras click away. Ah--to have that kind of grace under pressure!



Taya dropping her petals--and picking them up

(There are plenty more photos at the Webshots folder where these pictures sit, for those who want to see more--of other family, too. You should be able to navigate there from any of these links, or from this.)

Elisa related that most churches don't allow flower girls under four years of age. As a coaching parent, I understand this completely. In Taya's case, it wasn't just the walk down the aisle. Actually the most difficult part was sitting through the hour-long ceremony, all the while up at the front in the company of the bridesmaids, surrounded by all these interesting things (e.g., bibles, pews) begging to be played with. You saw from the first video how she can't sit still? She squirmed up and down in her seat so many times that Lauren--courageous, generous Lauren (better pic here)--got scuff marks from the velcro in Taya's shoes. All the bridesmaids, in fact the whole wedding party, were incredibly helpful and patient.



The drive from the ceremony to the reception provided both Tiva and Taya a chance to nap. The 30 km/h circling I did on the snowy roads in industrial Mississauga nearly provided Erika, Ljuba and I with some sleep, too!

First, we had more photos. Please don't ask me why Taya is swallowing an imaginary horse. Or why she did that in dozens of other photos that night!



Elisa has always exuded love for Taya and Tiva. The feeling is more than mutual. Every time Taya's feet hit the ground that evening, she was off like a shot. Even if I didn't see her initial escape, I always knew where to find her. "I just wanted to see Auntie Elisa," she would explain when I corralled her, as I tried to explain that Auntie Elisa loved her very much but that she might also have to spend some time with some other people that evening. Here's the beautiful bride with her two adoring nieces. (For two other gorgeous near-identical pics, see this and that.)



Taya loved everything about the wedding. For her, everyone was her guest. And few people disabused her of that notion, the way they went on and on about her being so gorgeous, so wonderful, so cute…. It seemed like everybody who came up to any of us (Ljuba, me, Dedek, Babica) raved about Taya.



There was a lot to love (about the wedding). The circus spectacle of the wedding was something to behold, as Elisa and her sisters brought their work into her wedding (they own an acrobatic dance company, A2D2).



For a taste of the performances, here's Samantha (in pink) and Julie, Elisa's sisters.



For a couple of parents who are frequently seen walking a baby in jogging or even pyjama pants, it was nice for Ljuba and I to have a chance to dress up, even if Ljuba did stress about shoes and dresses for a good month. But the photos, like this one of a regal Babica with Taya, will last forever.



Tivona, clearly teething (as in this photo) was super. She fell asleep on me for a nap just before the performances began, but woke up as soon as the MC piped up in his (appropriately) booming voice. To accommodate Tiva's nap, you can see the baby carrier I'm wearing, which we conscientiously chose to blend in with my shirt. Anyway, Tiva kept her eyes open and never cried (until bedtime much later). She's practically unflappable--it's amazing.



Taya really loves all her family, and it's precious to see her seek them out. At the wedding, she sought out Dedek to play stick-on stickers with her.



We all wanted to give a little something back to Tony and Elisa, who entertained us with a day full of performance and love. So we made up a song (altering Skin-a-ma-rinky Dink) and sang it (all together) for them. Little did we know that this was the very same song that Elisa and her sisters first performed together! [Personally, I was proud to have made it through the song--for those you know me, I'm routinely the butt of family jokes when it comes time to sing or hum! But I've been practicing lots and expanding my repertoire with Taya and Tiva.]



Skin-a-ma-rinky dinky dink ... and the Elvis Presley thingy

Notice how at the very end, when people were already clapping, Taya took the mic and said something? Listen again. As I put Taya in her car seat, at the end of the night, she said to me sadly, "I did the Elvis Presley thingy, but no one laughed." Yes, that's right--she said, "Thank you, thank you very much!" You should here her do it in private; when she performed it afterwards for Tony & Elisa they did indeed laugh--heartily!

Speaking of the end of the evening, we'd planned to leave immediately after the first dance (in part so we could see Elisa's dad, Bob DeAngelis play). The dance and performance were amazing, and well worth it. But the plan to leave immediately after was thwarted. See here what happened: our little flower girl got whisked away and swung all around the dance floor, having the time of her life even though she was so tired than she kept sitting down.



Abducted! ;)

We're all still basking in the glow of a wonderful wedding and a wonderful trip!