Long Time, No Post - Short update

Highlights from the past six months:

Mr. Wendell Roc is now one year old! Roc started preschool in September and loves it. He gets to spend time out of the house, in a different an environment. He has five teeth with one more that has just broken the surface. He walks using a walker and stands sturdily. He is very friendly, smiles and says "hola" to almost everyone he sees passing by on the street. He loves watching pigeons, dogs and cats. He is very observant and curious. We are enjoying watching his personality develop. It's very lovely.

Happy birthday, Roc!

In March we moved to Terrassa from El Vendrell. We didn't really start settling until after we returned from the Holy Land in May. The move changed our daily routine quite a bit. I went from having daily support to managing a home on my own (obviously, my husband helps when he is not working) and taking care of Roc full time, right at a point where he became much more alert, aware and active. It has been an abrupt change - one which I hope to write at more length with time.

With May, came the end of the academic year and I had to wait to start many activities, making for a very long summer. Thankfully, now that fall is in full swing, I have started participating more in the life of society: Catalan classes, English language interchange, quilting classes, driver's ed, children's classes and study circles. This involvement has helped a lot in terms of emotional, social well-being. It's nice to slowly meet people, create bonds and friendships, and connect with the community in a variety of ways.

In July, my mom visited and we went to southern France. It was wonderful and beautiful. We visited Provence, in and around the Luberon/Vaucluse area during lavender blooming season. Some parts of the region are rich with ocher, and ocher mines, which we visited as well. The trip was really a feast for the senses - sights (blues, yellows, oranges, greens), smells (lavender, herbs, fruits), tastes (Provencal cuisine, fresh summer fruits like melon, cherries and yellow plums, gourmet ice creams), sounds (nature and quiet - we stayed in a rural area, nothing like not hearing sounds of a city) and textures (of the aforementioned). It was blissful and I long to go back.

Family photo in front of Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque in Gordes, France.

My mom with Roc at Le Sentier des Ocres in Roussillon, France.

Finally, I want to leave you with this song which popped in to my mind as I started to write. Mostly because of the opening lines from Timbaland: 

It's been a long time (long time), we shouldn't of left you (left you),
Without a dope beat to step to (step to, step to, step to, step to).

Hope to see you again soon!

Half of Year with Wendell Roc!

As of April 5th, Roc is six months old! It is hard to believe we are halfway around the sun with this little man. Time really flies.

This was one of our most exciting months in terms of his development. He started rolling over from back-to-front. He had been mostly there for a long time and he finally made it over. Now we really have to watch it. We can't leave him on the middle of the bed any more because he will just roll himself off and that is no fun. He enjoys rolling over and he just rolls himself away. It's quite cute how he is relishing in his new accomplishment.

This month we moved into our new home which means he finally has his own room where he can keep his clothes and toys, where we can change his diaper and where he can... sleep. We bought him an over-sized crib that can convert into a toddler bed when he is older and started using it right away. No more sleeping in mommy's and daddy's room, in our bed. When we moved him, we decided to sleep train him at the same time. It made sense. We decided to first to train him to sleep through the night. Once he had that accomplished, we would train him to fall asleep on his own. I will post in more detail about what we did so I will leave it brief here. In any case, we did achieve this goal and I'm feeling so much more rested now (however, our travels to Israel did change this status - more on that later).

Happy to be in his new crib.

Since he started sitting on his own, we decided it was time to start with solids. We gave him a couple of things to try the last two weeks of the month, to get him used to new tastes but he wasn't that in to it. He didn't like banana or apple but was okay with pear and kiwi. We will just have to keep at it. I know I will have to get more systematic as we go on. It's very cool to watch him react to the food, the textures and tastes and learn what to do with it. Babies really have to learn so much and they handle it so well.

Spending time with family

We celebrated his six month by visiting the Mansion of Bahjí and the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh. What a blessing! It is very special to visit the Bahá'í holy places with Roc.

Visiting the Bahá'í gardens with his dad.

Happy six months, my love!

February with our little Roc: Month 5

So finally...an update!

It has been unusually busy. We spent the month of February house-hunting and then furniture-hunting. Roc was such a good sport about it too. He had to spend an extraordinary amount of time out of the house, in the car, doing errands, going to IKEA, etc. and he handled it so well, better than can be expected.

Because we were out and about so much, I think his development also slowed down a bit. He didn't have as much tummy time, play time, etc. In any case, he did start laughing much more during his fifth month which is a whole lot of fun for us. We love his cute little laugh and his big smile which lights up the room. We almost treat it as if it is a little God that we worship, constantly seeking out new ways to make him laugh and keep him smiling. I guess that's what parents do though - they just love seeing their babies happy and full of joy.

Roc is so tired from all of the errands.

Some time in late February, he also started sitting up on his own. Yay! What a milestone for him. He was a bit wobbly for the couple months. Now he is much better at keeping himself from falling over He also rolled over from front-to-back (much less interesting, I know). We kept waiting and hoping for him to roll from back-to-front. He was so close for so long and he finally achieved it in March.

Captured on camera: sitting up for the first time, unassisted. Yay!

During February, we discovered how much he loved playing the piano, hitting his whole hands against the keys, hearing the sounds. He L-O-V-E-S it! I can't even tell you how mesmerizing and calming it is for him, so much so that I bought him an activity mat with a faux-piano that he can kick with his feet or play when he is sitting up. He gets really excited with it. How did I not realize that a "musical" toy is not conducive to a peaceful houseful? They say "silence is golden" for a reason. Thankfully, it hasn't gotten on my nerves yet.

He is so excited about playing the piano.

Right around the time he turned five months, we were finally able to start his vaccine schedule. Originally we wanted to begin in February (at four months) but we were unable to make it to the doctor due to our hectic house-hunting adventures. He did pretty well during the shots, better than I was expecting, but he had a rough couple of days afterwards. I am not looking forward to the next round, which is due at the beginning of May.

4 Months & Finding A Home

We are back in Catalonia after a nice month in the United States. Roc has just turned four months old and we are actively looking for a home for our little family.

Yay! I'm four months.

You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find a place here. Three of our biggest challenges are that Kilian works full-time, we are an hour car ride from where we want to live and we don't have a car (or driver's license). Translation: we are dependent on someone to drive us outside of Kilian's working hours – not exactly the winning combination if you are seriously intent on finding a place. Kilian took two days off last week and we saw a number of places, but none of them were quite right.

So we are back to the drawing board, searching for other options and contacting more companies. Hopefully we can schedule another round of visits and be in a new place soon.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

My hands are tasty!

Meanwhile, Roc is growing up quickly (no surprise there). His hand-eye coordination is improving daily which means he can really get his hands and toys and my hair to his mouth quite easily. And his mouth is his everything at the moment.

The cloth diapers are so thick that he cries every time he is on his tummy (they must put too much pressure). We used disposable diapers while we traveled and found that because they are much thinner, he didn't mind tummy time. As a result, he is getting very strong, enjoying it and can almost roll over completely.

fascinated with grandpa's guitar playing

Roc has a vibrant personality. He knows what he wants, what he likes and dislikes. He loves music; it is an instant calming silencer when he is nervous, tired or upset. He has even started "playing" the piano. He likes to be held so that his feet touch the ground and he can look around.

In the last month he started losing some of his newborn hair. His new frock is quite humorous. Short on one side, long and curly on the other. He has got a little fistful front and center, and a lot back and bottom. He weighs around 17 lbs (or 7.9 kg) give or take the weight of his clothes & diaper; he has more than doubled his birth weight. We will have the official weight at our check up this week.

ready for the Super Bowl

He is very interactive and is learning how to communicate using sounds so we are having a lot more fun together. He has different sounds for different uses (I'm sure this is true for all babies). He loves interacting with people and smiling. He even laughs sometimes, which, of course, is so cute.

He is able to entertain himself a bit which means I can make food, fold laundry, use the computer while he is in his bouncy chair. This is very helpful for me as soon I will be managing my own household and will have a lot more work to do while educating Roc.

It is really an exciting time for our family and we are enjoying this time with Roc.

Snapshots from Seattle

We just returned home from a month in Seattle, visiting with family and friends. It was an amazing trip. I am already missing so many things from home: my mom and her home, the copious amounts of comfort food, the convenience culture (overnight grocery delivery, 6 hour dry-cleaning, Starbucks drive thru, Thai food delivery, ready-made food bar at Whole Foods), online shopping and shopping at Bellevue Square, Quiltworks Northwest and my sewing machine, our friends, etc. Here are a few of the highlights from Seattle:

We arrived in time to celebrate Christmas with my mom.

Meanwhile, my mom dressed up Roc as Santa Claus. She is radiant, overflowing with happiness that we were there.

We had an impromptu BWC reunion brunch at Cafe Flora on Madison. Good times with wonderful friends.

We supported the Seattle Seahawks during the playoffs. #12thman

The mandatory Starbucks run – in Seahawks gear for our 12¢ brewed coffee.

Our dear Tara flew in from New York. This is her meeting Roc.

We got to see the lovely Mona for the first time in a year and a half!

Kilian and I shared some quality time.

We visited with longtime friends from the Seattle Baha'i community. We saw many more and of course forgot to take photos. We missed out a number more because of time constraints.

Roc had play dates with his baby friends.

We took naps when necessary.

Roc's great-grandmother and great-grandfather visited too, it was so beautiful to see.

Roc's great-great-aunt Peggy had a lot of fun with him.

We saw Mount Rainier and finally had a family photo taken.

We went to the park when the weather allowed (Kerry Park on Queen Anne).

We celebrated my 28th birthday in style - brunch at Tilth Restaurant in Wallingford, a favorite of mine.

We had a house full of family and friends for my birthday dinner.

If you would have told me five years ago what my life would be like today, I would not have believed you.

Working with children in Peru

Five years ago, I had just returned from a year in rural Peru, where I had been working in social and economic development. During that year, I began studying the Bahá'í Writings. What began as an intellectual query to understand the appeal of the Bahá'í Faith quickly snowballed into an all out investigation into the Bahá'í  teachings and claims. Gradually I found myself identifying with many of its teachings and principles while feeling reluctant to accept the idea of organized religion and the concept of God. 


Formally accepting the Baha'i Faith
December 27, 2008

With time, however, I could not deny the longing in my soul, a longing that had been dismissed and suppressed, time and again, because of the materialistic society in which I had been raised that praised self-serving behavior, extreme individualism, and rigid rejection of religion. My spiritual nature had in part been ignored because I personally couldn't believe in a God that judged, punished and humiliated His subjects or in religion when religious institutions consistently failed to live by the teachings they themselves espoused and where any "educated" or "socially-conscious" person would be socially persecuted for associating with religion and spirituality in any more direct way than claiming that they are "spiritual, but not religious." In an extreme cultural climate such as this, I navigated my life, not able to feel spiritually fulfilled nor was I religiously inclined. In this world, full of extremes on every side, it was impossible to feel like a completely whole human being. 

After traveling and living in many different countries, I began to recognize the obvious truth that humanity is one. We are one, interconnected, interdependent whole body. Hurt to one part of the body affects the whole. Violence and war in one part of the globe impacts lives in another part of the world. We are not immune. The recognition of this truth is key to living a meaningful life—and was a major factor in my own spiritual awakening and transformation.


Over the course of a few years, I read a bit on different religious traditions but it wasn't until I studied the Bahá'í teachings that I felt I found a complete, well-rounded, no nonsense body of spiritual and practical life guidance. Five years ago, when I formally accepted the Bahá'í Faith it was only the tip of the iceberg, the beginning of a spiritually empowering and transforming process that has brought me further in life than I could have ever imagined it would. 

With my husband at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa, Israel


I would have never imagined that within the last five years, I would have spent half of that time as a volunteer in the Holy Land, serving at the administrative and spiritual center of the Bahá'í Faith. I would have never imagined that I would be married to an incredibly loving man from Catalonia and that we would have a sweet son. I would have never imagined how much capacity I had to transform—how much personal growth I would have accomplished. There is so much beauty, harmony, grace, and love in my life. All of these blessings are from the grace of God.* 

The three of us

What has transpired over these five years continually confirms the decision I made five years ago when I accepted with my whole heart and soul the teachings. The road has not been easy as it is the one less traveled. As the poet Robert Frost once finely wrote:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

*To anyone who doesn't believe in God, I know this could potentially sound "crazy", "irrational", etc. I was just like you most of my life. And your reasoning is most likely incredibly valid, depending on the framework from which you are operating and how you define and understand the word "God." Even if you never end up agreeing or believing, I encourage you to seek to understand why anyone would choose this path, not for yourself so much as it will provide you with a greater worldview and perspective that will come in handy throughout your life.

Baby's Third Month

Yes, Roc is now three months old and every day more alert, more aware, more fun. He is taking less naps and loves interacting with people. It's fabulous that he has such a healthy social appetite but it requires a lot of energy to keep up. He's gotten into the habit of fall asleep while being carried but today I successfully got him down without being held—and it felt great! Little by little, day by day.

His three months old obligatory photo

In his second month of life, he took his first international flight and handled it remarkably well. He slept through most of it and we didn't have any major blowouts or anything so we felt more relaxed. When we arrived to the States, he experienced his first Christmas which was really fun for us all.

first Christmas with my mom

My mom prepared for our arrival by purchasing everything the baby would need for a month at her home: crib, bassinet, car seat, stroller, changing pad, blankets, baby bath tub, and loads of clothes. Most of these items she found heavily discounted at a consignment store which makes it even better. Having all these things on hand made traveling much easier since we were able to travel with less.

It took us some time to adjust to the time difference but my mom has not wasted a minute in teaching him how to rollover and crawl. He's getting stronger by the day and really enjoying tummy time now.  He can hold his head up quite high and he is having so much fun looking around. He really can't wait to be able to move on his own.

look at this strong guy

This little guy is really growing quickly. He has mostly grown out of three month clothes—that happened almost a month ago—and we are trying to keep up. I'll need to weigh him to see how much weight he gained this month; he's sleeping now so I'm quickly scribbling down this post before it's too late. Here's a few more photos to enjoy: