Waiting to board. 
Astrid eating her first teething biscuit in the LAX (Los Angeles International) terminal.
Uwe and Astrid on the flight to Tampa, Florida. 
We flew on Song Airlines (a sister company of Delta). Uwe and I were very impressed with Song. If you watched "The Apprentice" on TV with Donald Trump (like we did), you're familiar with Song because one of their challenges was to come up with an advertisement for them. So that's how I know the airline is marketed for women and they're baby friendly.
The nice leather seats on Song had happy colors of purple, orange, and green trim. We had lots of leg room and each seat had it's own video monitor (like Jet Blue but better). Since Uwe and I don't get to watch new releases much, we were thrilled by the 10 new movie choices for just $5. I got to watch "Walk the Line", the movie about Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash (starring Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon who are both nominated for best Actor/Actress). The airline markets their entertainment as "If your living room could cruise at 30,000 feet."
They also offer healthy meals and organic salads (a BIG plus in my book) and hand shaken martinis made to order. Uwe ordered a martini with a splash of cranberry juice and I got the yummy mangotini. Talk about a great flying experience!Unfortunately according to Uwe they are phasing out their flights by March. It's a d*mn shame! I'd love to fly with them again and again and again. But if you can fly with them in the next month you should definitely take advantage of their great flights, entertainment, and service. You can check them out at http://www.flysong.com/.
In the morning while I'm brushing my teeth I'll strap Astrid in her chair and let her hold her own toothbrush and bite on it. 
Although this baby toothbrush says it's "soft" the bristles are actually harder than on my "super soft" adult toothbrush, so I'm looking into buying a different toothbrush for Astrid. Hard bristles are bad for your gums, that's why I switched to super soft. I'm sure there's a better product for kids on the market. I believe this toothbrush is from Gerber. I will ask our dentist the next time we go in for a cleaning. 
For now Astrid treats the toothbrush more like a toy, but it's good practice.
The Road Not Taken
Uwe had two eggs with bacon and potatoes, and a fruit salad. I had the house special crepe, called the Dusty's crepe, with asparagus, ham, and swiss cheese (yummy!) that comes with a salad.
Check out the size of my crepe. It's huge! And yes, I finished most of it.
Astrid hanging out in her stroller.
Astrid didn't last long in her stroller, so I held her for awhile and then Uwe held her so I could finish my breakfast. 
Uwe still loves to pretend feed Astrid, but she's getting old enough to really start eating from our plates (at least in tiny pieces).
Astrid has her first taste of a grape. In the pic it looks like she's crying, but she's not. She just has this "icky" expression on her face after tasting a grape for the first time. 
Wanna try again? Astrid's not so sure about the grape.
"That was uh...interesting."
2006 is the Year of the Dog. 
Miss China, (Queen of the Chinese New Year parade).
While waiting for the parade to start, Astrid gets a ride on top of Uwe's head.
"I dunno what I'm supposed to be looking at but there sure are a lot of people."
Visiting Queens of Asian countries. Miss Korea wearing the white gown is in the forefront.
I used to drive down this street when I worked in the financial district of Downtown LA. It's much more of a scenic drive, driving through China Town rather than driving on the freeway, but the traffic unfortunately is just as bad. Although seeing the huge chicken on top of the building used to brighten my day. 
As in previous years the local and state government officials made appearances. The most notable however was our 
Finally the dragons!
A close up of the dragons.
This year the parade was not very coordinated. There were long lulls in between the parade where nothing was happening and waiting in the hot sun got old fast. (I went a few years ago and the parade seemed much more organized and coordinated then. There were no long lulls that I can remember.) I was dying of thirst and Uwe was dying of hunger so we decided to go to a restaurant for food and drink.
I like that I have a nice shot of the festivities and hanging paper lanterns, while still having a pic of Uwe in the crowd.
For this one you don't need an arrow to point Uwe out. If you can't see him here, you seriously need to get your eyes checked.
Astrid checking out an Asian fan.
I was thinking about buying Astrid a Chinese dress, but it would be such a waste to get one for just one day, and I didn't think she'd be very comfortable in it. (I am however going to buy her a traditional Korean dress for her 1st birthday in April.)
Colored smoke bombs.
More smoke bombs. This is some guy standing in the street filming the smoke. It reminded me of a war scene.
Astrid and Mama at a Chinese restaurant. We were seated next to a window facing the street so that we could watch the rest of the parade.
The Chinese lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon. The calendar follows a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by one of 
Here she's waving "hi" with both hands. It's so cute and she does it all the time.
The camera just missed the wave but she looks so cute even when she's not waving.
A one handed wave.
Yes, mommy's waiting for the next wave.
Astrid's new ability to wave serves her well in making new friends whenever we're out in public (i.e., at the store). She's such a flirt.
Awww what a cutie!
Today the waiting room was bursting with children of all ages and their parents. They tend to overbook and it's not uncommon to wait an hour before they call your name (as was the case today). A few of the older, more hyper kids found it difficult to wait quietly for so long, so they chased each other around the table in the center of the room. One kid had his arm extended and hand made into a fist as he shouted, "Thunder punch!" while the girl he was chasing screamed each time he caught up with her. No matter how many times each parent reminded their kid not run or be loud, their kids continued to run and be loud.
I was pleasantly surprised to see my dad feeding Astrid so well and looking like he was an old pro at feeding babies, (since he often brags that he never changed a diaper in his life). I asked if he had fed us (me and my brother) when we were babies and he said yes he fed us once in awhile but he drew the line when it came to diapers. Boy how times have changed!.JPG)
