Lake really likes giraffes. They are among his favorite toys. Ever since he was a few weeks old. Well, as Michael points out he only has the choice of what we offer him. He doesn’t know how much he might enjoy the aardvark. He might prefer the anteater if he’d met one. 

As it stands though, giraffes are his friends. Yesterday we had a scare that we had lost one, the Sofie. We were having a lovely Thai dinner at Krua Thai Family Kitchen just north of the University Village after opting not to wait 75 minutes for a table at the Taiwanese sensation Din Tai Fung and walking the half mile on. Lake was eating the whole walk then part of while we settled in. He even fell asleep. When he woke up though, he hD some impish energy afoot. He got ahold of the paper napkin and began consuming wads of it. After a brace and successful finger sweeep, we went to dig out Sofie. Only the prince was discovered in the backpack. We were all set to retrace our route to recover her when we looked down to pick up the recently dropped prince plushy. 

He had carried it with him all the way from the changing tables at the U Village until he had fallen asleep at the restaurant! Strong little gripper! He likes his jungle of giraffes and takes good care of his friends. 



I finally managed to attend a yoga class this weekend. The stars aligned. I needed it all week. My whole body had begun to ache from lack of care. Yoga is like full body support, hugs, kisses and caresses from head to toe. I did a long inversion: my ears popped and my feet started to tingle. My view started to clear and shift. Then I met the boys at the indoor track and watched the athletes for a bit before ducking out to the IMA for a sauna. It was a well appreciated budget spa day.



Then we snuck in a nature bath by the Union Bay Natural Area. A perfect day!

​​ Lake likes his baby Carrot!

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It was one of those rarest of nights. I went to sleep at midnight. Lake woke up at 0100. He went to sleep at 0545, my alarm was set for 0730. Basically there was no sleep. I wasn’t even one to pull an all nighter in college. I simply refused to let anything interfere with my sleep like that. Now I don’t have the choice. But I’d choose him anytime, anyways. Any day. Any night. 

He woke abruptly with a pained cry. I don’t know what it was that had him with his pants in a bunch. I don’t even have any applesauce to blame it on. But that was what it reminded us of. He was screaming unless he was nursing, so nursing is what we did, for close to five hours. An all nighter. 

I was very mellow at work today. But just one look at a picture from Jo and Lake-they were having their own mellow afternoon-and it’s all worth it… no question. Pure Lake Love. 

Michael charmingly called it a Shne Dag, his attempt at the German literal translation which would be Schnee Tag, but there is actually no such phrase on German. So it was pretty funny!

My whole family kindly trooped in to work with me on the shuttle this morning. We were having such a fun Shne Dag morning that all of a sudden I had one of those crunch time realization moments where there isn’t enough time left to fit everything in, like crucial meals for the growing little one. So my family kindly accompanied me while Lake managed to fit in some more emergency rations… MMU (mobile milkies unit) style. Then when we arrived at Harborview they were able to take him back home with them on the shuttle again. Well, they short-stopped by Agua Verde for some adults’ edibles. Jo’s first taste of Mexican food, well, cuisine from the Baja Peninsula. Funny juxtaposition: Mexican food for a snowy day… but they reported it was such a beautiful view of Portage Bay in the snow though!



Here we are walking to the shuttle stop with Jo and Michael this morning. I’m carrying a dinners drinking Lake!

A perfect “Schnee Tag“really… I’m glad I spent it with you!

We watched part of the Super Bowl as part of Super Bowl Sunday and Lake really likes Lake Gaga! Thank you for hosting the Baby Bowl 2017, Gisselle! You guys and Roland are truly lovely hosts. We also enjoyed a visit from Aunt Janet and Uncle Neil, and a brave Miranda and Jason volunteered to babysit Lake while we all went out to the Moore to see one of our all time favorite films, the Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In acted out by the National Theater of Scotland. It was a fantastic performance, impressive set, and overall phenomenal production! Successful impromptu Date Night made possible with friends…

Mostly though, Lake and Mummy just had a mellow weekend at home while Daddy worked and Jo took the time off to go out with friends and enjoy Seattle. We appreciated the time together to bond and lounge around. While the halftime show with Lady Gaga was great, the highlight for me was really a perfect day with my Super Boy!

Lake likes to live life at full tilt. That involves smiling at strangers. Flirting with neighbors. Wiggles and giggles. Ice cream for breakfast. Just kidding. But today was National Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. Who knew? We were Lindsin around the Upper Ave today having brunch at Arayas and cruising through the rain or shine (rain today!) year-round University District Farmer’s Market and we discovered this fun fact. We popped in at Full Tilt and met Annelise our ultra nice ice cream barista, a sophomore majoring in mathematics and much like Lake: interested in all aspects of life. This Full Tilt is like the little known country cousin of the glamorous Full Tilt in Ballard. There they served mimosas and waffles and had a pajama party contest in honor of Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. Here on the Upper Ave we were rewarded with an empty shop: so no lines, no fuss, just personal service and a nice chat. Building community, living life at Full Tilt. 



Lake learned how to open and close the kitchen cupboards this evening. Michael showed him how to get started and Lake ran with it. Really gripping and pulling. It was pretty engaging. Lake opens. Lake closes. Whee; he’s rather pleased with his newfound skills. His learning curve is impressively steep. He’s pretty fun!

Lake’s explorations and discoveries reminds us some of Jo’s steep learning curve with polishing her English. We love her endearing idioms and are reluctant for the inevitable as they fall by the wayside and she moves toward more correct but boring grammar. For example, she’s been calling clothes by the expected plural format of “clotheses”. We really find it sweet. Michael agreed maybe he needed some new clotheses. So it’s with mixed emotions that per her request I correct her English. 

You ride, not drive, the bus. 

You changed Lake’s diaper one hour ago, not for one hour. 

And you simply wear your clothes, not clotheses. 

But Lake is growing up so fast. He even closes the cupboard doors now! So, really don’t mind if every once in a while we reminisce and for old times sake you dress Lake in his cute clotheses outfits. 



I did it. I took a conversation my colleagues were having about racial profiling and made it about me. About me! A conversation about border patrol agents and immigration control and being detained, questioned, friends turned away.

It’s happening already. 

I was incredulous. Really? My super professional incredibly diplomatic and poised colleague who is a foreign born head scarf wearing US citizen is actually afraid of her citizenship being revoked and being deported?

Yes, things are happening so fast. We don’t know what could be next. I am afraid,

she confirmed. And continued with a story of being detained and asked for intelligence information several years ago upon returning to the country after a visit abroad. I remember when she returned. She was excitedly sharing the photos of her holiday which had included a visit and clothes shopping with her sister in Dubai.

So, what do I do today? I join in with my own story of my organic fruit being confiscated during my last border crossing. Michael and I were driving down from a romantic babymoon weekend in Vancouver Canada last year. I was pregnant and they wouldn’t even let me eat the oranges before they destroyed them. And they were organic! And gosh, you know how much I craved citrus last winter whilst pregnant. And I had purchased them at Trader Joe’s in Seattle to begin with! I was outraged. Michael had to physically restrain me with hugs so I wouldn’t actually escalate the situation to further detainment questioning and ? It was pretty bad. 

But how white privileged is that? I’m upset about my organic fruit being confiscated. My colleagues are being profiled and being held in suspicion. And worrying about themselves or friends and family being detained and deported. At least I realized how disproportionate my similar stories were and I also sat down so I wasn’t towering over everyone. 

Next time I hope to exercise the “two ears one mouth” principle and do more listening, less talking. 

My Swiss friend’s husband calls her his lucky star. Ever since they are together things go well for him and their family. Everything always works out beautifully. ⭐️ I find this to be a dear and compelling sentiment. 

Yesterday Michael was saying how well things are for us and was complimenting me for my part in orchestrating it all. He’s very good at being supportive and knowing what I would find encouraging. 

It’s true, we are feeling rather blessed. There have been an almost exponential rate of changes this past year and we are keeping up with ourselves quite well. We have yet to unpack or hang our artwork in our new home, but otherwise we are enjoying a homey satisfaction. We have a growing number of dependents who seem pleased and content. What a good feeling!

Today the café trivia at Diva Espresso was:

The name of which plant, cultivated for its edible leaves, comes from Latin word for milk, because of its milky leaves?

Can you guess it botanical friends? The barmen exclaimed I was the only one all day who had gotten it right. I was thinking maybe that I would win a month’s free espresso, after all I even remembered to Rabbit Rabbit this morning. 

No, just bragging rights…

…the barmen lamented. Apparently the lucky star only extends so far. I’m not complaining; such a perfect day! Thank you world! Thank you stars! And, thank you Grandpa for knowing over the phone just how to reconnect the thermostat that accidentally got switched off today on such a beautiful clear and so cold night! I love you!