so tired

as you can see, it was a big day for helio. towards the end of dinner he just couldn't stay awake anymore. so, off to bed it was.

helio's day consisted of playing, napping, eaating, riding in the car, eating indian food, throwing food on the floor, napping, playing, getting two new chickens, cleaning his closet, and more eating (not to mention 4 BMs!)

more news please

i've decided to try and write posts more and use them as a helio journal. since nothing dies on the internet it seems a good way to keep track and always have it. plus people might like to see and hear a little more about helio's day to day activities and accomplishments. so, here it is, day one:



in the last few weeks helio's really started pushing himself up. he might be a little behind when it comes to crawling, and there's a chance he'll skip the crawl, but people say all kids move at their own pace. he's getting pretty good at lifting himself up. he also likes to bend at the waste, but his face is usually still on the ground. I think he'll start getting the combo right soon, though.



right now his three favorite toys seem to be a monkey who's arms are long and just right for sticking in the mouth and chewing, a gumball machine that will deliver large plastic balls with sparkly things inside and play music at the same time (helio's learned just what the button will do), and a rubber ducky. the duck works good for some post bath chewing and hitting like a drum.

yesterday, during dinner, I was talking with kava and eating some noodles when I heard a toy hit the floor. so, I picked it up and handed it back to helio. back to eating I went and I heard it hit again. without thinking I handed it back. and then, out of the corner of my eye I saw a little arm move a toy over the edge of the high chair. when I looked helio had his brow up saying "what?" I turned, he let go. this went round a couple times and really was just this simple: I look, he holds; I turn; he drops.

I don't know where that's going...

we were sad to see them go

well, news on the chicken front is that we've moved from 4 chickens to 2. there's always a chance when buying chicks that you'll end up with roosters, but I don't think it's as great as 50%. we ended up with two. last night durga and jett when to a new home. durga was practicing her crow and it was jett was looking like she's heading the same direction.

we're looking for another brahma to have at least a trio. but, we were sad to see durga and jett go.

New Pro Photos

here's the best of helio's studio shots at 9 months. we had to wait an hour for our turn so helio was tired of being at babies r us. But, we managed to get a few good ones.

helio is 9 months!

today is helio's 9 month birthday! it sure has gone by fast. in a few days we have a standard 9 month check-up so we'll see how he's doing according to the pediatrician. he seems just fine to us. since we haven't posted for awhile there's lots to show off.

helio is learning lots of new things these days. he's become pretty good at sitting up. he'll still tip over once in awhile and just in case we put pillows behind him and on his sides. he seems to always lead with his head.

food has been a big thing lately too. he's really gotten into feeding himself. the big favorite seems to be cheerios, which will keep him occupied for quite a while. he also has a thing for cheese, feta, cheddar, goat cheese, mozzarella, parmesan. we try to feed him what we're eating and I guess we eat a lot of cheese.

anyway, kava's family visited recently. they hadn't seen helio since he was born so there was big difference, especially, how excitable he can get. luckily, the local tulip festival was extended so we had a chance to wade through the crowds and see the tulip fields. the picture is just one field of many. sorry to the person who gets the tulip that helio got his hands on.

that's about it for now. enjoy the photos!


kurt and helio


kava's mom and dad learn what gets helio riled up


skagit valley tulip field, one of them, outside of mt vernon, wa


helio's deciding which flower he wants


helio is still tulip size


broccoli is a new favorite


bonus picture: left to right - jet, durga, darla, and coco enjoy their new outdoor digs

new sweater

nai nai (grandma fong/gerry) made helio a second new sweater. we all love it, thanks very very much. here's pics from the first day he got it. we went to the park to swing and later play with the tree blossoms.

helio houdini

here he is practicing his escape artistry...

helio's new fluff coat

helio had a fever of 103.7 last week. this photo was taken the next morning as he was recovering.

yummy prune cereal

helio loves to grab the spoon and bang it on the high chair tray.

beam me up

helio has graduated from his vibro-chair to the command center / bridge. sometimes we need just a few minutes to make dinner or feed the cat, or something like that. so during these special times helio gets to play commander in charge. Although, we are fully aware that he's in charge pretty much all the time.

New Chicks!

last week we got new chicks. musubi is still doing good at her new home. she's decided to stay there permanently. she's made new friends and moving back here may be too traumatic for her.

the new chicks are: durga who is the bigger white one, darla who is the larger grey one, jet who is the smaller back and white one, and coco who is the one that likes to chill by herself and looks a little like a chipmunk with eyeliner.

right now they live in a box in the garage. a heat lamp makes everything look all red. they're growing fast almost enough to see a change everyday.

he laughs