Aitugan's First "word"!!



For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of Baby Sign Language, Aitugan has seen us make a number of signs to actions and things such as more, kiss, mommy, daddy, thank you, all done, eat, and drink.

Today was the first time that she actively used a sign in a meaningful context - the two hands coming together fingertips to fingertips representing more. Once again I must give credit to KJ for being so diligent and insisting that Aitugan understands more than we think. I think that the video shows she has been correct.

As it says in the video, today marks the passing of 3 months since we arrived home on Christmas day. Difficult to believe that it has been just that long. Perhaps we have miscounted! Ah of course - it's a leap year.



Well there is clearly no lack of appetite in our little one. Here she is laying into a bowl of KJ's homemade Sweet Potato/Squash goodness.

As you can see, we allow her a certain amount of liberty while she eats at home. With dogs as an environmentally friendly substitute to paper towels, everyone seems to benefit.



We thought it was time to introduce Tougy to her future sailing partner 'Violet Grayce'. Named after two of Tougy's Great Grandmothers, Violet Grayce is a 32 foot, 45 year-old mahogany on oak sloop built in Sweden.

As you can see, she is undergoing an extensive rebuild, and should be back in the water in 2009. Before then, we hope to have our 18 foot, 64 year-old Rhodes 18 'Kazmosis' back in the water this summer.











Easter Sunday was a beautiful day here in Midcoast Maine, though it was deceptively cold and windy. All the same, we thought it was a great time introduce Tougy to lighthouses and tide pools. She seemed fascinated by both.





Not even 34 degree weather can keep a child away from a tide pool. The allure is simply too great.





While Aitugan likes to say she is "So Big", she is in fact still quite a tiny (though mysteriously capable) thing. Hovering somewhere just the low side of 30 inches overall, her bow-legged stance and low-slung diaper give her legs a slightly comical and out of proportion appearance. It makes me think of the 18" Stonehenge from Spinal Tap. Maybe it is just me!





Take Care.