we're back

We're back from our trip to California. We had a good time. I want to tell you all about it, but it's past midnight and I need to go to sleep so I'm well rested for my new job which I started today.

I've put up a selection of the best pictures from our trip into a new photo album. I will add more pictures as family members send them to me.

birthday

Thank you, everyone, for your birthday wishes, cards, gifts, thoughts... I had a nice day and a wonderful dinner with friends. More pics (thanks to Mia) in the 1 year old plus.


Here is a limerick my friend Karin wrote and performed my birthday dinner. So much fun!

There once was a girl from Prague
who grew up and larned how to blog.

She keeps in good touch.
We love her so much.

Without her we'd be in a bog.

~~~

Thank you, Karin!

one-year appointment

Jonah had his one-year appointment. We decided to split the amount of shots he was due to receive since most of them don't have to happen until he is 18 months old. He now measures 30 inches, which puts him in the 55 percentile for his age. He weighs 20 lbs 8 oz, which puts him in the 20%. He has a normal level of iron, which especially pleased me. So, he is getting good nutrition.

We were told Jonah is now ready for a car seat that faces forward. That will be a new experience for us all.

Our regular doctor was out on maternity leave and we learned that she also named her new son Jonah. Tim said, "I wonder where she got the idea." We are only hoping that this is not a sign of a trend to come - an overabundance of Jonahs. Hey, if it does happen, at least we know we were first :)

Sunday hike

We went to yet a new place last Sunday. Two pretty waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge. The top waterfall was very unusual. A part of it flowed through a barrel-like cavern and formed a wind chamber called Pool of the Winds. Very cool. Here is a photo of Jonah enjoying the forest. I started a new album, as you can see on the right. It's called hiking: 1-year-old plus.

birthday boy

Alas, we didn't get to camp on Jonah's first birthday as planned. The campsite was already full when we got there, but we still went on a short hike along the Sandy River and picnicked along the shore. Here is a photo of Jonah with his birthday cake (carrot cake I made & whipped cream). He thought it was quite strange, but ate a little anyway.

More pictures in the new album I created entitled 1-year-old plus

czech proverbs

I ran across a list of Czech proverbs today. Most of them I had heard before, but the list included a couple that were new to me. And they are great! They reveal quite a bit about the Czechs. Don't get scared reading these. Instead, take these proverbs with a grain of salt. All in all, we are good people, though we may have some trust issues...

Host do domu, hůl do ruky.
If a guest comes to your home, grab a stick.

Vyhni se opilému, jakož i bláznu.
Avoid a drunkard as well as a fool.

Stokrát nic umořilo osla.
A hundred times nothing killed the donkey.

Hloupý kdo dává, hloupější kdo nebere.
He who gives is foolish, he who doesn't accept is even more so.

one year old!!!

Jonah turned one today!!! On one hand, I can hardly believe he is one already, on the other hand, I feel we've known each other a lifetime. I love that little sprout!

Photos coming soon. (If he ever sits still for them)

typical Czechs

Read this great real life story depicting typical Czech attitude. Source: myczechrepublic.com message boards.


At least, the Prague city officials are trying to cope with dog droppings. I noticed paper bag dispensing staions at several parks in Prague, so people can scoop up the dog stuff and dispose of it in a trash container in a reinforced paper bag.

However, all good things at times are abused. As I was passing two elderly ladies were at the "bag disposal station" , having a conversation. I overheard the reply one old lady gave the other:

Q. What do you need all these bags for?
A. I'm getting these bags for my husband to carry his lunch to work.

"That is a good idea!" Replied the other:"I think I'll get some for my husband too!"

By the time they left, the dispenser was empty.

something new

Jonah now responds to the question, "Where is the bear's nose?" He touches his teddybear's nose. We discovered this Sunday. He will do this with a stuffed dog too. Tim has been teaching Jonah the names of a select few body parts. Responding to a question like this is a huge step for Jonah. He has looked at a bear before when asked where the bear is. Same with the cats. This is the first time he has touched the thing he was asked about. Exciting, to say the least.

Jonah is also getting quite tricky. He knows he is supposed to stay away from the cats' water bowl, but sometimes the temptation is just too much. The other day he dropped his toy right next to the water bowl and pretended he crawled there to pick it up while instead he wanted to stick his hand in the water. I watched him perform this elaborate scheme and just when he was about to touch the water, I said a big loud "No!" That startled him, but didn't stop him from trying the same trick a couple more times. Cheeky, cheeky monkey.

today's hike

Tim, Jonah, and I went hiking today to a place not far from town. Surprisingly we had never been there. The hike was relatively short, but along a windy path going straight up to the top of a monolith. Beautiful views of the Columbia Gorge all along the way up to the top. The color of the river today reminded me of the Mediterranean or the Caribbean. Turquoise blue. This may have been Jonah's last hike as an infant. He will be turning one next week! We plan to go camping that night. It will be Jonah's first time camping. Fitting for a first birthday - a summer birthday at that - we thought.

watch out for the czechs

The Czech conversation class that I'm teaching at the community college is so much fun! I wish I could continue teaching it in the fall, but with my new job all my weekday evenings will be booked. Speaking of guarding your valuables (see previous posting), I posted this article recently on the website for the class. Hopefully my students weren't too freaked out by this. Just a gentle reminder to watch one's stuff when traveling.

According to the Czech newspaper Lidove noviny, you're more likely to have your pocket picked in the Czech Republic than anywhere else in the world. This was the finding of a survey carried out by a leading British insurance company Norwich Union. The survey examined theft and personal safety statistics in various holiday destinations around the globe.

But don't worry. The Czech Republic has a low crime ratio, so the worse that can happen to you is theft. Which means, take the following precautions: put documents in a safe at your hotel. When out and about, guard, if not hide your valuables, including jewlery and cameras out of sight. And of course, watch your bags and pockets like a hawk.

More in the following July 2006 articles: Prague Daily Monitor or Radio Praha.