I Pity the Fool

We couldn't get her to keep the gold chain on...

And she does not quite have the tan...

 

But we would pick her any day for our A-Team.

¡Feliz Día Papá!

In honor of Father's Day (better late than never, right?), or Día del Padre aquí en Colombia, Peanut proffers praise photographically (why, oh why does that "p" have to sound like an "f"?)...

Pictures of Papi and Peanut: 

Presenting a panorama of precious parenting practically pouring with passion and pizazz. Please pause to partake of the picture parade para a particularly precious person, pastor and parent we call Papi.
 

¡Feliz Día Papá! from Richard Williams on Vimeo.

Cumpleaños Craziness

Last week Peanut was invited to her first ever Colombian birthday party.

Okay...technically that is not true. She was invited to Papi's birthday party first, which he shared with two Colombians who were born on the same day, but since she went to bed before anyone really showed up I am not sure that counts. Plus, his party did not have a jump house...nor live Disney characters...nor boy/girl cupcakes with individual flags in each one for each guest...nor a snack bar with redeemable "coupons"...nor, hold on a minute, I am getting faint again.

You see, last week was a first birthday party - as in a party for a little girl turning one year old. I remain very grateful for having been invited, but the whole experience just about gave me hives. How to explain...

Evidently 1 year birthdays are a big thing here. Quinceñeras (for those turning 15) are bigger still, but, I am told, any other year you can just share some cake with family but the first year and the 15th you have to do more. I am not clear about whether this cause for celebration stems from the fact that making it to one year most likely means you are really going to stick around, or if it has no such serious underpinnings. What I do know is that I am clearly in over my head and may have to hide about four months from now.

The party began at 4:30pm and there were easily 60 people there of all ages. The theme was Mickey and Minnie mouse, with all the girls getting Minnie invitations and all the boys Mickey ones. There were Minnie ears (as modeled by Peanut above) and Mickey ears. There were Minnie party favors, and Micky ones; blue and pink cupcakes; even the ribbon on the aforementioned snack bar items was gender coded.  There must have been 100 balloons in varying arrangements of flowers and festive flair - all pink and white, it was a girl's birthday after all.

We knew we were at the right house because when we drove by there were a ton of people in chairs in the street (see over my shoulder), safe from passing traffic because they were shielded by a lane-wide blow up jumpy castle (sadly not available in pink). Music was at def-con 5, and it was turned down only to do party games with kids that included turns for girls and boys (separately) to dance for the crowd for prizes. If you are picturing silly jumping little beans, you have not been to a child's birthday party recently enough...at least not around here. Eight-year-olds were moving their hips and shaking their butts to songs that I do not want played at my own party. It was nothing that hasn't been put up on YouTube or discussed ad nauseum about the "All the Single Ladies" dance recital number, but it felt different to face it with my daughter in my arms. One day that sweet face is going to look around and think that jumping and moving any which way is not okay anymore because the girls beside her are all running their hands down their sides and pouting their lips, and so help me I will cry that day.

Besides the fact that all this makes me throw up in my mouth a little, I simply do not have the energy to do all that I saw. Nor is it the way I want to spend the money we have, especially on a day she is not even going to remember. The party was a great success. I remain grateful for being included. I am just not sure what to do come September.

You Oughta Be in Pictures

Sometimes it is just odd having a Peanut here in Colombia. I wrote about this a bit on our other blog, but I cannot possibly express to you the amount of attention we get. People in Crepes and Waffles know Peanut by name as do the ladies at the park corner who sell cellular phone minutes. I try to remember to oooh and ahhh over other kids just as much, but sometimes I am honestly just trying to keep my head down and keep going because it can all be overwhelming.

One fun (albeit still bizarre) result of the fact that everyone is encantada with Peanut is that she has recently starred in her first music video. Oh yes, you read that right.

 

Peanut, star struck.

It was nothing super professional - a school endeavor for a communications major who happens to also have a great singing voice and chose to put that all to use in her final project. She is a member of the church we attend, and she pitched the idea to us saying, "I just want the perfect looking baby. You know, one that looks just like a doll...like Peanut!" Had we not known her, I'm not sure what we would have said/done, but because we did know her, we decided to go along with it. Plus she promised she would get us a DVD copy of the video when it was done so we can have it as a keepsake. Of course we can share it with you all, our adoring fans. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that we were in it too? Well, someone has to hold the cutest kid on the block, right?

Sometimes you just gotta ham it up between takes

And the Nutter was a champ. She was up well past her bedtime, but she kept it together for the camera, and she got us the heck out of there way before anyone else. Way to go kid.

I'm done people. That's a rap.

Who's that Girl?

Before Peanut was born, Tía Laura gave us a mirror for the crib. Because we never actually got a crib and instead Peanut basically sleeps in a pack-n-play, there was never a way to attach the mirror for her to entertain herself. As a result, the mirror comes and goes which in some ways makes it that much more exciting to play with.

It used to be that Peanut would look at the baby in the mirror, talk to her, and more often than not lean over and kiss her.

Now, she has taken to looking at me in the mirror. She gets down low enough, or angles weirdly enough so that she can see me in the reflection and then she gets a huge grin on her face. I am not sure if it is because of seeing me, or because she is so darn proud of herself for figuring that out. And I'm not sure I care to. :)

I seeeeeeeee yooooouuuuuu!