update on grandpa John

Jonah's grandpa John is doing so much better, I'm happy to report. He was released from the hospital yesterday. We are all very excited and relieved!

shameless plug

I was interviewed by an L.A.-based podcaster recently about my immigration experience. Check it out here if you are so inclined.

the story of Jonah's aunt & Kenny G.

My sister Marta, Jonah's aunt, is a singer/songwriter, as most of you know. Well, she is performing in Thailand right now at a Jazz Festival in honor of the King's 80th birthday and the 60th anniversary of his reign. She's in the league with the masters now - Nancy Wilson, Ahmad Jamal, and... (drum roll, please)... Kenny G. Check out this picture of a poster for the festival ;)

first time across the ocean

We're getting ready for our trip to Prague to visit Tim's Czech grandpa and great-grandmother. This will be Jonah's first time in another country and on another continent. We leave Friday and will stay for two weeks. Cross your fingers for a smooth plane trip with a restless toddler for us!

it's Mr. Senator, not grandpa, to you!

Lately, I have been a negligent blogger. Last month I did not even mention one of the biggest news items of 2006. I will try to make up for it now. Jonah's Czech granpa is a Senator now! How about that? He ran for political office for the first time this fall... and received the most votes of anyone running for office. Wowoweewah, is what Borat, my hero, would say about that. Name recognition and popularity as one of the counry's most well-known actors did wonders for his numbers, I'm sure. I am very curious to follow his path as a politician now. Congrats, dad!!!

And independent of that bit of Jonah's family trivia is the fact that the little bugger Jonah is a citizen of both, his mom's and his dad's country of birth as of October. That's why I call him the luckiest family member.

hospital visit

We just made a quick trip to Montana to spend some time with Jonah's grandparents. Grandpa John has been in the hospital for a while after a couple of surgeries. Lately he's been doing much better. We are all so relieved! It was great to see both grandparents even if just for a couple of days. I've put up some pics in my online photoalbum.

Clueless in Portland

"Nevim kudy kam," he says walking in from work, flinging his bag and coat on a chair and scooping up Jonah. My poor little husband is lost, yet he's grinning from ear to ear? "That means I'm clueless, doesn't it?" He's been listening to a learn-the-Czech-language podcast and learning some phrases. Now that is exciting. "That is one phrase I can really use," he says, picturing himself wondering around the streets
of Prague. I nod and smile remembering Jonah's story/bath time last night. The whole family participated with Tim in the lead, naming all the objects in Jonah's bath book in Czech. First the articles of clothing, then the animals... Tim knows more Czech than Jonah. And if he keeps up the pace, he might soon surpass me with his knowledge of colloquial idioms.

the thrill of trash and other household phenomena

Jonah's favorite word these days seems to be "gar." To my embarassment, he is always identifying crumbs, dust bunnies, and other types of dirt on the floor. He points to whatever it is, looks at me with wide eyes, and exclaims loudly: "gar!" Yikes. I never realized how much garbage there was lying around our house!

In the evenings, we always let him run around in his birthday suit before his bath to air out. He loves nothing more than running around stark naked. His voice becomes shrill and his feet speed up to a trot. Of course he always manages to pee a couple of times during "naked time." Each time he points at the puddle and yells out something unintelligible excitedly. He then runs to get a diaper, which is what we use to wipe up his pee, and helps to clean up. Sometimes he goes to his dresser to get a crib sheet or a towel instead. But he is very eager to help. He also loves to "sweep."

Whenever I take out the broom, Jonah goes berzerk, humming, shrieking, and turning red, trying to grab the broom and dustpan from me. This scenario typically boils over into a power struggle (we are two strong-headed Leo's afterall), which I quickly realize and diffuse by either distracting Jonah (which is getting more and more difficult to do) or giving in and letting him "sweep" for a while, which is usually the case. With a little practice, maybe he can actually figure out how to use the darn things. And then we'll have a little chore man to employ. Oh, the whole house can be his kingdom: the dishes, the windows... And why limit ourselves to the house? There is the car, the yard... Hey, isn't that why most people have kids anyway?