Steps - so many Le Papa lost count!

Stellinha has been practicing taking independent steps since early November. Her mom's eyes filled with tears the first time she witnessed Stella taking a wobbly step forward, hanging onto nothing but her courage and passion to move!

Over the last month, the steps have multiplied, and have regularly reached three, ending with a kind of dive into proud and loving parental arms... And lots of hugs, laughter and group shrieks of delight!

TODAY, however, at the local baby café (you read right... a café for babies, with Babycinnos and mushy food, diapers and loads of toys - and toddlers! More on this local wonder another day...), Stella decided to wander out on her own. And so she did. Her papa and tia Maria José were watching, and the steps were so many the amazed papa lost count!!

Here are a few walking photos to celebrate this day, taken an hour ago in our kitchen. The little walker is now soundly sleeping and we are all over-joyed!

Celebrating Second Advent (Swedish style)

Family Gruvesäter are long-time friends of ours. JD and K met Britt and Ola in Brussels in 1996, even before their engagement in Malaysia, move from Skövde, and arrivals of Sofie, Martin and Erik.

These wonderful five are always inviting us for all kinds of special family activities. Yesterday it was pepparkakor-baking!




While some of the goods were in the oven, the team enjoyed a well-deserved break for a walk in the family backyard...


Once back, it was time for tasting the results... Stella had to sneak-up on one of Santa's helpers to get her first sample.



A little negotiation...


... resulted in a tasty ending!!


Tack så mycket to the Gruvesäters!!!

Stella offers President Obama her support

and being a good Italian...

...piccola Stella already knows how to wear her spaghetti!

Mustikka suu (blueberry mouth)

A true Finnish Swede, Stella has just discovered she loves her blueberries...

Jamming session, father & daughter

This one is dedicated to Piano-Teacher/Grand-Täti Ena who wrote from Toronto asking us to please offer the young lady a chair!!

Since the piano seems to be popular...

Here are a few more!


Though Stella demonstrated an early interest in the piano...

(Here at 5 months, playing with Grandpa's full support)

...her parents took their sweet time before finally organizing professional piano lessons...

(Here on her 8th month birthday with Teacher/Tata Myriam,
imported especially from Orleans, France)

Stella got the hang of it right away!!

Now, when Stella comes asking there is no refusing...

Welcome welcome anytime! Front-row seats await you!!!

Two virtuosi...

Peek-a-boo

Under protection of aunt Geri's angel, our "beautiful mess" has found her feet!



And life is just getting merrier and merrier...



Tonight Stellinha surprised her parents by teaching us a new game...




(The fuzzy spots on these last photos are lick marks on the camera lens.)

How did those get there?!


I so have no idea!

"Corny" photo of the day, requested by tio Patrik-Mr.Cool

Double Happiness

Two nights in a row of stellar performance!!!
Straight through from 21:30/22:00 to 07:50/08:40. Absolutely uninterrupted!!!!

Photo collage from earlier this spring, creation of Isoäiti

And what we found this morning...

A beautiful happy mess!!

Grandparents are the BEST!!!

What day is International Grandparent day anyway???
These spectacular people deserve some celebrating!!!
Here are a few happy photos of ST with her very own private GPs...

These first ones are of her wonderful first meetings with them (seems like AGES ago!!!):

Göteborg, January 24, 2008

January 31

February 3

Here are some other beautiful moments together (roughly in chronological order)...

In Novéant, France, over Easter...

And back in Göteborg...