
<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111146149_47a12d6be8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Show me that kite, sister!">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111146149_5f7c519a25_t.jpg" alt="Show me that kite, sister!"/>
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Huge news this month! Ian has been officially declared **Independently Ambulatory**! He's been dragging anyone willing to bend over and hold just one of his hands around, and stumbling a meter or two between adults, for weeks now, but it was on May 25, 2014, his 13-month birthday, when he really decided to make his way out on his own. He's learned the important lesson that when you start to lose balance, you should stick out your butt and fall on that rather than your hands or head. He has, however, occasionally fallen on his head. Notice the bruise in the video below. The funny thing is that he's not yet figured out, although he gets close, how to stand up from a sitting position with nothing to hold on to. He needs something stationary – even a wall is enough – to lean on to get up, but once he's up, look out! 

### Ian Walks

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Ax7cnjJEHos" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

### Visit From America

This month we had a visit from my parents, which went really well. They enjoyed getting to know Ian, who is sprouting new personality leaves every day, and Nora adores them.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111011178_3d7b85728a_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Playing with Grandma">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111011178_29bea7efd7.jpg" alt="Playing with Grandma"/>
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Playing with Grandma.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111013000_3120aeaf1f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Angry Birds with Grandpa">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111013000_bc2ecb7277.jpg" alt="Angry Birds with Grandpa"/>
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The boys playing Angry Birds.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14297086624_ef806086d5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Playing with Grandparents">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14297086624_65a1a089ff.jpg" alt="Playing with Grandparents"/>
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Ian _loves_ the playhouse.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14294292741_0dfe0788f2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Playing with Grandparents">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14294292741_2db4911d79.jpg" alt="Playing with Grandparents"/>
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Howdy, neighbor!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14297081154_1717ecb326_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Playing with Grandparents">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14297081154_d6b747b73d.jpg" alt="Playing with Grandparents"/>
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The kids' Spanish grandparents spent a couple weeks with us this month helping to care for the kids while Marga worked overtime. Ian and his Abuelo really bonded, because he was the only one willing to spend literally all day bending down to help Ian walk.

### Law & Order

When my parents were here, they and Nora got right back into their games that they like to play. The favorite by far is "two policemen and a bad guy", in which my mother and Nora are the "policemen" (sic) and have to keep an eye on my father, who plays a bit of a kleptomaniac escape artist. This visit came with the addition of a security camera in the form of my father's iPhone. Behold...

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SwzZKouUkGs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

You really get a sense of Nora's English, although she's speaking with a bit of silly mixed in. You can tell just how much fun she was having.

### Funny Photo of the Month

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14049216478_9b28184d25_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="I am why we can't have nice things">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14049216478_715567aa18.jpg" alt="I am why we can't have nice things"/>
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### Hair Cuts

Both Nora and Ian got their hair cut this month.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14297038004_2fe5997694_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora's Braids">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14297038004_cf6ab472ed.jpg" alt="Nora's Braids"/>
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I could never do this.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111142607_9c512bfd64_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Ian's First Haircut">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111142607_6ea7ee3c5d.jpg" alt="Ian's First Haircut"/>
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He looks pretty respectable now, don't you think?

### Camp

This week, Nora has spent three whole days and two nights away at camp with her class and teachers. She had such a good time [last year](/2013/05/31/state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2013/) that she was _really_ excited to be going again this year. I'm still amazed that the teachers voluntarily accept a 60-hour shift, but they do, and the kids are better for it.

### Beach

We took several trips to the beach this month with various sets of grandparents.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14110918459_c6c7e4ace3_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Mother and son at the beach">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14110918459_84b0c8d10b.jpg" alt="Mother and son at the beach"/>
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Walking with Mommy

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14297617375_98409cf752_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora and Abuelo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14297617375_4373e29944.jpg" alt="Nora and Abuelo"/>
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Nora and Abuelo

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14110974160_e55e0d48d5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Fun with Abuelo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14110974160_a50378395b.jpg" alt="Fun with Abuelo"/>
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Ian and Abuelo

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14294265901_940ef9e0af_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Beach Race">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14294265901_903ca4a5f9.jpg" alt="Beach Race"/>
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Beach race!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14317932073_69ef214a3f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Sí­gueme, Tí­a.">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14317932073_e77de64561.jpg" alt="Sí­gueme, Tí­a."/>
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"Follow me, Aunt Belén. Try to keep up."

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111207977_edb5822afd_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hello Kitty Kite">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111207977_a3cfdf9644.jpg" alt="Hello Kitty Kite"/>
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Nora's most prized present from Christmas finally got airborne.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14294409571_f30b25c0bf_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Flying a kite with Grandma">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14294409571_06dca6dbff.jpg" alt="Flying a kite with Grandma"/>
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The wind was so perfect that day, you could fly the kite without even paying attention to it.

The state of the offspring is strong..._AND WALKING!_

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111146149_47a12d6be8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Show me that kite, sister!">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-29-state-of-the-offspring-address-may-2014/14111146149_5f7c519a25.jpg" alt="Show me that kite, sister!"/>
</a>


State of the Offspring Address - May 2014


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-12-business-idea-airfare-limit-orders/13980804179_aae0de55be_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="toy plane">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-12-business-idea-airfare-limit-orders/13980804179_361233baa1_t.jpg" alt="toy plane"/>
</a>

Every time I shop for airline tickets, I find myself thinking about how little sense airfare prices make to me, and I'm reminded of the variability of the stock market. There are so many forces and variables acting on the price of a stock (or an airfare) that prediction becomes a matter of guessing probabilities where even the experts don't really have much of a clue. The frustration at checking airline prices reminds me very much of that of playing the stock market. Prices seem to fluctuate for no reason and deciding when to make a transaction is painfully difficult...and the price seems to always go in the wrong direction right after you buy.  I'm a huge fan of a rather recent innovation in online airfare searching: [HipMunk](http://www.hipmunk.com)'s "Fare Alert" that will email you when prices change for a trip that you searched for – with a nice line chart and everything! This feature alleviates a little bit the need to continue searching day after day to see if the tickets you want have gone down in price.

Today it occurred to me that what I _really_ want in an airfare searching website is the ability to place a [limit order](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limit_order), like you can with a stock broker, or an eBay bid. I want to have a "place limit order" button where I can say the price I'm willing to pay for these tickets, and if the price ever dips down to my limit, they will be purchased for me. That would be awesome.

### A step further...

If a bidding system were widespread enough, the airline, whose worst fear is an empty seat, could scoop up all those customers who weren't willing to pay the full price that the airline was asking for. If _properly designed_, the whole system could be lubricated enough to let the old [Invisible Hand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_hand) maximize everyone's interests.

![747 Frame Break](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-12-business-idea-airfare-limit-orders/14164885092_c0e3e68edd_o.png "747 Frame Break")


Business Idea: Airfare Limit Orders


![](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2014-05-04-birthday-presents-joy-and-sadness/default.jpg)Yesterday, the prodigal son and daughter returned. There was much rejoicing. Ian finally got to open his birthday presents. He got a set of three pretty awesome – in my biased opinion – soft cars from his parents and some clothes and a little "pound the pegs" toy from my parents. Well, let's just say that one of the presents really "hit" home. One year old boys love pounding on stuff. First we let his sister tap all the pegs down as Ian watched, with his envy visibly building to the bursting point, and then we turned it over to him. I missed his first pounding session with the camera, but I caught the second on "film".  He starts the video with his best Miley Cyrus impression.

<iframe width="505" height="284" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vPINoIUdwt0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Completely unexpectedly, I managed to catch the downside of birthday presents in the same video. His sister, Nora, received a little flower-shaped box designed for painting. Her cousin, Valle, who is two years old, was visiting, and had pretty much been given free reign over Nora's toys – really not much damage she could do. However, she found this painting box, which we had been saving since Nora's birthday a month ago to do as a project with Nora, and had begun painting it. Again, she'd broken no rules given to her. But Nora found that it had been painted, and, by total chance, had brought it to her mother to report as I was recording this video of Ian.

It's really touching to see her expression as it goes from, "Hey, this happened!", to realizing that her present had been violated in a way that meant that she couldn't be the first one to paint it.

I'm pretty sure that everyone that has lived to adulthood has experienced both these emotions, the utter joy of playing with a new toy and the dashed hopes of someone else being the first to sully your prized possession.


3 posts from May, 2014