Chatty Puppies

One of the weirder things about being with the foreign service is even though you are in a completely different city from the last post, your furniture is still the same. The style and fabric is pretty consistent from place to place depending on how old it is. For nine months in DC, George and Gracie stayed off of our landlord (and friend) Lisa's sofa, but within in minutes of coming into our apartment in Buenos Aires they were curling up on their favorite chairs just like they did in Bahrain.

Sleeping on the sofa and chairs was not the only habit that was rekindled when George and Gracie saw their old furniture again. They also re-started their in depth under the furniture conversations. This is where they each put their heads underneath a different side of an arm chair or sofa and talk to each other. Check our the video link below.

Command Center!

Ethan has discovered the joys of the play center he received from Daivd, Beth and cousin Jake and he loves it. We like to call it Ethan's Command Center becuase he becomes very serious as he plays with the buttons, wheels and balls, like he has a very important job to do and must concentrate. He likes to spin himself around to try each toy and esepcially enjoys chomping down on the star toy above.

E-man is doing well, although last weekend he seemed to be losing his voice. He was sad and pitiful with a squeaky, barely there cry and a horse baby babble voice. Luckily for him and unluckily for our ears his voice seems to be back to full volume now.

Saturday Brunch? Oui, oui!

One of the best parts of the embassy community is everyone is willing to show you their favorite discoveries of your new city. Whether it is great stores or markets, parks, sites or restaurants, everyone seems to have something great to pass along to the newcomers.

One of our favorites was shown to us by our friend Ryan. She introduced us to a great cafe called "Oui, Oui". It is a small eclectic restaurant in a quite neighborhood that is between our house and the embassy. They have a fantastic brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, so yesterday, Steve, Ethan and I met Ryan there for "Huevos Completos" (eggs, bacon, toast, jam and salad), cafes con leche, limonada (the yummiest lemonade ever) and submarinos (hot frothy milk that you drop pieces of dark chocolate into).

At the end of brunch, Ethan woke up and made an entertaining appearance. He loved to sit on our lap at the table, or try to climb over the table to say hi to Ryan. He also could not decide if he was in a good mood or a bad one, so we had quite the range of faces, from smiling and laughing to pouting and on the verge of tears. Ryan took awesome pictures of all of his moods while we were there and some are hysterical.

Later in the day we met up with a couple we met through Aunt Barbara, who apparently not only know everyone in Milwaukee, but is working on knowing a lot of people here too! Brad and Laura were nice enough to spend the afternoon showing us to a flea market in a neighborhood called "Palermo Hollywood". If you have patience and a good eye you can find some real gems amongst the stalls there. Some of the vendors will also refinish or reupholster your finds. After, we walked around the neighborhood, enjoying the beautiful spring afternoon.

From George's Journal

October 13, 2010

Dear Journal,

Yesterday started out like any other day. Dad took Gracie and I for a walk, we played with each other and Ethan, we took naps, but then, when Dad came home that evening, I went on a great adventure. You see, the front door to our apartment opens onto our very own little lobby, and since Gracie so kindly opened the front door to the lobby (without Mom knowing), I decided to wait in the lobby for Dad to come home from work.

Gracie and I are not allowed in the fancy elevators off the front door – we have to take the service elevator to go on our walks. So, after I greeted Dad, I decided to just check out this fancy elevator. Only, I don’t think Dad saw me get in. All of a sudden the doors closed and down I went!

When I got off the elevator I was in the fancy “people only” lobby, but not for long! Not only was the lobby door propped open to let in the nice air, but a car was leaving the building, so the front gate was open too! Awesome for me! Road trip!

So, I hung a right like we normally do for our walks, but to change things up I took a right at the end of our street. All the while Miguel, the nice man who hangs out by the door to our building, was running after me. He kept saying things in Spanish, which I haven’t really learned yet. It got a little boring and scary on the street without Mom and Dad, so I turned around and there was Dad calling me! I jogged over to him and he let me wear his cool tie as a leash for the walk home!

Ethan and "monkey pose"

We are sorry we are a little late with our Ethan update. On Wednesday all of our things from Bahrain arrived, so this weekend we spent a lot of time unpacking, and not enough time taking pictures. Ethan turned 5 months on the 7th and is doing great. He loves grabbing his feet and either tugging on his socks or sticking his feet in his mouth. Ethan is practicing his foot grab in this picture and is sporting his awesome "yoga" outfit that his Aunt Peggy and cousin Laura picked out for him. Not sure if this is "monkey pose" like his t-shirt says, but who am I to argue yoga terms with Ethan? The kid can put his feet by his ears, he is obviously better at yoga than I am.

The Blair Witch Blah Blah

This week's photos of Ethan in a Daddy-like polo, have been posted, but now we have something extra special - VIDEO!

Ethan has started making a new face and noises that largely resemble a sound of "Blah Blah." We think it's freakin' hilarious, and had to video it. We don't have one of them I-Flick video camera, things, instead we have the Kodak Play Sport - it's waterproof to 10 feet!

We haven't yet figured out how to upload all of our videos - we have some from the Sol de Mayo horse jumping championships - but thought you might appreciate the "Blair Witch Blah Blah!"

Buenos Aires Walking Tour

Yesterday we went for a walking tour of Buenos Aires. We started in one of the oldest parts of the city (San Telmo), and walked our way through one of the newest (Puerto Madero). Yup, the tour was called Old to New, or something like that... We tried to take some video guides, but didn't have much luck. So, instead of nauseating video of some of our highlights - from a 7 lane highway, to the engineering college that used to house Eva Peron's Social Gain Foundation, a nature preserve, and lots of roller bladers, all you get are some pictures and text. Sorry!

We had a really good walk, and stopped for - what else? - steak on the way. We probably could have skipped the big steak lunch and just bought steak sandwiches later, but, now we know better. The steak was quite tasty, and the chicken was some of the best we've had, and not just in BsAs! The name of the place was Siga la Vaca - or, en Ingles, Follow the Cow!

Anyway, back to the walk. We started in San Telmo, at Plaza Dorrego, and checked out the much reduced San Telmo market (you apparently can't move when it's in full swing on Sundays). From there, we walked to the San Telmo Fruit Market, where there's not so much fruit, but lots of antiques, including an antique TV that they claim they can refurbish into any type of TV you could want, including a 3-D! We walked over to see the thinnest building (8 feet) in Buenos Aires, a freed slave's house.

From there, we walked down past the engineering college, a 19th century neoclassical behemoth that once served as the headquarters for the Eva Peron Foundation, and on to Puerto Madera. We stopped for lunch at a parilla (steak place) that some Argentine diplomats in training recommended. It was sort of like the brazilian steak places in the states, but, instead of them bringing meat to you, you get up and go to the grill to pick your meat. We got beef short ribs, and fresh chicken breast. It was fantastic! The meal was about 25 bucks, and included a bottle of wine, a bottle of water, salad, appetizer, and dessert!

We then walked across the dikes, and along a pretty promenade until we hit an ecological reserve area, where there was a fair-like atmosphere, complete with "artisanal" shops, and some rides for kids, including a dinosaur that swallowed kids whole!

We walked some more, along the ecological reserve, past steak sandwich shops, and more people selling stuff. More amusingly, there were lots of people on roller blades, and even a bunch of kids on skate boards. We could see people running, walking, and biking a trail in the ecological reserve.

We left the path along the preserve, and walked past the "Park of the women." It's called such because this is the only area in the city where the streets are named for women - everywhere else, they're named for men. We saw a fashion photo shoot, and a couple of kids playing field hockey; it's huge down here!

The walk went on some more, along the dikes, where the Buenos Aires authorities have turned this old warehouse port district into a hip and upcoming area - it's now the safest area in the city, with two police districts having jurisdiction. There wasn't much more to see, other than a pedestrian foot bridge, called the "Women's Bridge."