Tuesday, June 30, 2009

At home with Mummy (rocket sled not included)

On Mondays, after the weekend, Dady goes back to work and you stay at home with Mummy. On this particular Monday, Mummy did some experiments on you to see how you manage to remain upright in forces of 1g of acceleration...


(click for bigger)


I guess these are not as bad as those photos of Captain Stapp on the rocket sled (qv) when he was a test pilot for NASA.



Here you are after all your subsonic experiments at a dizzying 1g! The extra large nappy was not employed to catch everything coming out of Mummy's little test pilot because of the stresses of acceleration and deceleration, but rather because it is a re-usable nappy from Popolino which is washed after use and then re-used, saving the environment from all sorts of harm. Probably.

Monday, June 29, 2009

A trip to the sea...



On Sunday 28 June, Mummy and Daddy put you in the car and we all went south for a different sort of adventure. It was high time, we felt, that you should hear and smell the sea. You can't grow up into a little explorer if you don't know about the sea and haven't looked out over the flat horizon and wondered about what's on the other side of the water, what sort of people they are and how they run their cities. We have been to the mountain three times now, so it was time for the sea.



Some of Mummy's friends live close to the sea: Aggeliki with George and Theodora and of course Maria T, who is in the photo with us below.



You didn't seem too impressed with the sea, and slept for most of the time that we were out there. I guess you are not ready yet for the concept of the infinite boundlessness that the horizon forces us to face. Daddy prefers the comfort of a high and jagged horizon with hills and mountains limiting the space in which he can move, although he does recognize and occasionally seek out the stimulus that the sea can provide for freeing horizontal thought from the shackles of the nearby.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

First time to a birthday party



On Saturday 27 June you were due at your first birthday party, but first we had to go to the KEP at the Municipality of Kaisariani to see whether the Municipality of Athens had sent them the birth certificates we had asked for. In the photo above, the nice lady from the KEP is sorting out your request to have an AMKA issued in your name. The AMKA is basically a social security number and everyone in Greece is going crazy trying to have them issued. It was lucky that we chose to go when we did. Most days there is chaos as all sorts of pensioners go to the offices to mill around and complain.

You have an AMKA issued in the name of AKO. Αγνώστου Κυρίου Ονόματος / Unknown First Name. Daddy (who is very keen on CSI and other crime based TV shows) finds it odd to be officially living with Jane Doe.



So, after going to the KEP, we got ready to go to Chloe and Odysseus for Chloe's third birthday party. There was a whole horde of little kids running up and down and round and round. And there was a real fairy who had come specially for Chloe's birthday, together with a face-painter. Mummy and Daddy are amazed at how much energy goes into kiddie parties, but they are glad that we have a few years left before we have to start organising them.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Fingers, not dummy

Hello little one.

You don't like your dummies any more. You have discovered your fingers. One at a time, two at a time, the whole hand, whatever happens to fit in your mouth, that's what you prefer. you make a strong sucky noise and it's funny.

Lucky for us, you are never going to drop your fingers on the ground.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

A visit from Aunty Athena

Hello, little one!

In the photos that follow you are wearing the kimono-like clothes that Tanya brought for you. You look great here on Dina's satin-like bedsheets.


On June 25, Aunty Igor came to visit with Aunty Athena, one of Daddy's cousins from Liopesi. It's not called Liopesi any more, but when Daddy used to go there to his cousins, this is how it was called. There's a whole bunch of places in Greece with two names. Daddy will take all sorts of pleasure in telling you about it when you grow up a little.



Here is Aunty Igor. Her real name is something else, but you'll find out about that when you are older.



And here is Daddy's cousin Athena. She has a son who is now three or four years old and soon there'll be a smaller sibling for your third cousin Sotiris.

On 25 June, Mummy weighed you and found you to be 4210gr!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

More photos from 24 June


Here you are visiting Daddy on his balcony with Mummy. Daddy spends a lot of time out on the balcony with his plants.


And in this photo you are not wearing a silly outfit that Mummy finds funny, oh no, you are sitting together with a soft rattle toy that Mummy and Daddy call the prosopaki - it comes apart and squeaks and rattles and you like to play with it.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Some photos from 23 June

You are now about seven weeks old.




The top photo is a favourite of Mummy's because of your mortiko look. In the bottom one, you are playing in Penny's gym again.

Monday, June 22, 2009

A visit from Auntie Georgia

On 22 June, now that summer is almost upon us, Mummy tried out my sunhat:


In the evening, Auntie Georgia came to visit. She brought you a swing for use when you are a little older. You liked being with her and made a lot of noise, like you were talking to her and answering her whatever she said.


Later on Michalis came too and they both saw you as Mummy and Daddy gave you a bath.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Longest day...

The 21st of June is the longest day, in the middle of summer and with the sujn beating down in a rage.

Daddy should have known better than to fall asleep in the sun on a boat for a few hours.



When he got back from his weekend away, Mummy covered him in yoghurt which is famous for helping soothe burns.



In the afternoon we went to the wedding of Mummy's friend Alexandros and Lisa. You came in your brand-new sling:


Mummy's friend Maria took this photo. We all think you look great in your new sling, which was a present from Auntie Igor. All of Mummy's friends were very impressed with how alert you were and how well behaved you were in front of so many people.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Shantala - continuing massage

On 17 June, when you were one and a half months old, Mummy had another go at giving you the Shantala Massage.



You are beginning to like it more and more:


On 18 June Mummy weighed you again and found you to be 3980gr - almost 4 Kg!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

A visit from Tanya and Nellie



On 16 June, Mummy's friends Tanya and Nellie came to visit you. They brought with them some very nice outfits for you to wear.



They found you very active and wide-eyed and enjoyed being with you.

Monday, June 15, 2009

A visit to Great Uncle Christos

On 15 June it's Uncle Stelios' burthday, so Mummy and Daddy took the opportunity to go visit Uncle Christos and Aunt Alexandra. Uncle Stelios was there too, but he is currently serving the homeland and only gets to come home a few days every month.



Here you are in Aunt Alexandra's hands, with Granny M telling you about the Donkey with great big ears.

Uncle Christos hadn't seen you yet and he said he wanted to wait until you were 40 days old and then he would see you. The 40 days limit is an old fashioned thing from the past when it used to be unthinkable to leave the house before 40 days were gone from a baby's birth.

The number 40 is a very special number in religion - in the Noah story it rained for 40 days and nights, and Christ was tempted by the devil for 40 days in the wilderness and lots more which you can learn about and we can then discuss.



Here you are in the bathroom of Uncle Christos getting your nappy changed by Mummy.



Aunty Alexandra was very pleased that we were changing you in their house and leaving them with a little packet of poo in the nappy. Maybe one day Mummy and Daddy will lok back with nostalgia on these times and maybe we will look forward to you leaving us poo filled nappies in the house from your own kids.



Here you are sitting in your traveling seat with the blanket that Granny M has made for you.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

The tower of Anthousa, third time to Hymettus



On 14 June, Mummy and Daddy set off to go up to Hymettus. The idea was to go up and park near Kalopoula and to walk around from there. As always, even the best plans go in the bin as soon as they come face to face with reality. Kalopoula did not keep our attention too much so we went in the car up towards the tower of Anthousa.



The tower of Anthousa is a medieval building with a tiny or non-existent footprint on the internet. This means that Daddy knows very little about it. He thinks it's probably Frankish rather than Byzantine because there is little or no use of brick.



It's definitely pre-gunpowder because all the walls are flat. After gunpowder everything got built with slanty walls to make the canon balls bounce right off. So it was probably one of the funny Frankish dukes of Athens who built the fort, to keep an eye on the Northern approaches to Athens.



The funny Frankish dukes could be Burgundians, Catalans or Fiorentines, but it does not really matter. What matters is that they left this tower here and we can now visit it and play around. One day Daddy will help you climb up together with him onto the second floor and we can wave at mummy from the window on the top floor.


After all this excitement, with all the medieval stuff around us, you got hungry so mummy had to feed you out in nature again. You like eating in nature with all the leaves rustling and the bees buzzing.





Here we are all together, happy, at the picnic area on the mountain.



After you had eaten we stayed a little bit more as the sun got lower and made large shadows, and then we went back to the car.



And we set off for home after our pleasant adventure on the mountain. Mummy and Daddy plan to take you to Hymettus many more times.



When we all got home, Mummy and Daddy gave you your bath and noticed you had very silly hair after drying you. Look how silly your hair is here.