My first trip to the Zoo

WOW! I went to the Honolulu Zoo today and it was great! I saw so many animals. Not as many as I had hoped to see but then again it was furlough Friday (a little Hawaii joke).

Momoka loved the zoo. The weather was just perfect. Animals most liked - zebras and giraffes. Animals who were just OK - elephants. There was a petting zoo and Momoka loved seeing the animals up close. No touching though - too "bachi bachi" as momma would say. Every time we took her out of her stroller for a better look at an exhibit she would smile and babble on and on and when it was time to move on she would cry and cry when she got put back in the stroller.

We bought a family yearly pass not knowing if she would even like the zoo. Thankfully she does and we have one more place to take our gal for new and exciting experiences.

Here's a shot of our gal looking into the zebra and giraffe exhibit. She loved it!

Here's an action photo of our gal chasing some pigeons in the park where we had our picnic. I am not sure what goes through a baby's mind about chasing the ever elusive bird but it seems like every toddler, once they've learned how to get up a head of steam, will chase birds for ever and ever. Momoka is no exception. Hard to believe that she is trotting after birds when it seemed like just yesterday she was totally dependant on us for every form of locomotion.

Hey, picnics are fun! I love the zoo!

My first fried potato and boy is it yummy. How come it's taken you guys so long to fork over the good stuff?

This little gal is a beacon of love. What a wonderful and special little soul.

Yea! I am one

Yes indeed, Momoka is one. What a great year this has been for our family. Momoka is a very special little person and has provided so many with such happiness and joy in these few short months. We love her so dearly.

Here's me after the cake. I pretty much ate it all without too much mess. Some did get in my hair and on my face but a lot less that you might expect. Hey, I am a baby so I got to make a mess but let me tell you that Zippy's makes one mean cake - I'm not going to waste a bite smearing it on my high chair tray.

Here's what I got for my birthday. It's a neat little car I can ride around in and see the sights. My mommy or daddy has to push me along but I can sit up and I even have a horn I can beep. Finding this ride in pink was no easy task - thanks mommy!

Update

Here's an update on our gal. She is, of course, doing fantastic. Getting better at walking, climbing and getting into mischief. She has had so much going on since the middle of December. Of course there was the whole Santa debacle, the wonderful JJ and BB visit and the usual Christmas haul of toys. Here's some photos of recent events . . . .


My Christmas stuff - thank goodness Santa likes me!

Here's a photo of me with JJ and BB. BB got me a very cute Asian doll that looks like me. At first I didn't quite know what to do with her but in the past few weeks I have grown attached to her and drag her around with me sometimes. I especially like to talk to her in the morning when I wake up.

Here's a great t-shirt my big sister got me. She is in the United States Coast Guard and works hard everyday protecting me from bad people. I really do love my Coastie! Keep up the great work sis - you're a great American!

Here's a shot of me getting into a little mischief. My mommy keeps my diapers and other baby supplies in this little chest. I like to open it up and spread the contents all over my room. It sure is great fun and keeps my mommy and daddy busy for hours.

Look what I can do

Here's is one of our gal's new tricks caught on video. She can climb all the way up the stairs starting at the bottom stair. She gets a little winded after a couple of times but we think it's great exercise for her and she seems to enjoy it. Of course somebody has always got to be behind her to ensure she doesn't have an accident. She just scoots right on up.

Her walking is going great. We used to count the number of steps she took but now it seems like a waste of time since she just stands and goes. We have to keep track of her especially closely now - she is like a little ninja - very quiet and often times you look up and she has escaped out the baby gate and is rushing towards something she shouldn't be into and you never knew it. She is fascinated with our water cooler and can open the cold water spigot. We now have that appliance barricaded since neither Momma or I want to swab up 5 gallons of water off the deck.

It is so very hard to believe Momoka is almost one year old. I know it sounds so cliche but it really does seem like yesterday when Misao and I were boarding the flight at Dulles to go to meet Momoka for the first time. So much has happened in the last year and all of it has been good.

Today Momoka and I went for a walk to the park not far from our house. Momoka walked around the playground and watched all the kids playing, running and making the happy noises children make. I thought to myself that she will be there running around, bouncing from place to place in the blink of an eye - she is growing up way too fast.