Walter creates his present to his granddaughter
Irini's growing up!
The whole gang at 'Basil Leaf'. Between curries, fried rice and banofee pie (for Dad's b-day) we had time to take a picture!
Erika, Emilia, Natalia, Anna & Anna (all pointing at the inspiration for the trip)
Mom and daughter happy as can be!
The Myers boys: Sammy, Aleko, Walter, Laurence & Vince
As with any story there are main characters and supporting cast. Not that the supporting cast isn't important. Sometimes the cast is what makes or breaks the story. In ours, the supporting cast came from far and wide to show support, to get to hold, to gaa gaa and goo goo and to love little Irini from up close. She took it with gusto and, by and large, enjoyed the experience. The Scan Clan (those of the family based in Sweden) appeared in droves. First there was Sammy and Erika, popping down from a few days in Hong Kong and one night in Macau. Then there was Aleko and Anna (the proud uncle and aunt) who took a few days off of work to come and see little Irini and welcome her into the world. Finally, Vince and Anna showed up on our doorstep after a few weeks in Thailand where they had been enjoying the beaches and surf. My dad, Walter, showed up in there somewhere as well, to add the generational dimension to the whole story, along with Emilia (Natalia's mom). And so it was set. The gang was all here for about 10 days, then over to Bali and back again. It was a wonderful chance to all be together across boundaries of space and location and generation. The family all here with their new member.
Irini slept through most of it, but showed great poise when being passed from one person to another. In each person's arms, it seemed, she found comfort and she happily watched everything evolve as the younger ones entered with a sudden increase in volume and the older ones moseyed along doing this and that. In the meantime there were many events, some to restaurants where Irini would meet community members we stumbled into; and some just walks in the outdoors or in the hotel pool where Anna and Aleko stayed. Anna and Walter had their birthdays along the way as well. Anna celebrated it in a Vietnamese restaurant downtown while Walter enjoyed his at a South East Asian restaurant where we went with our close friend Leanne. The buzz continued as dad gave her the gift of a painted dresser. The "magic tree" is able to fill with lemons, oranges and grapefruit, and light up a room with an aura of brightness at the same time. We all sat and marveled as his hands brought this to life right in front of our eyes. Ah, the artists touch!
All in all it was a great experience, and one that continues. Aleko and Anna headed back home on the 17th. Sammy, Erika and Walter headed out to Cambodia for the weekend. Vince and Anna are roaming around KL for a while. Emilia stays happily with us for a few more days. The comings and goings will continue throughout the end of the month and then, after a longer stint with Sammy and Erika, who are trying their luck in KL for a couple months, we will be a smaller family unit.
Happily Irini grows through all this. She has outgrown her first clothes already and is getting bigger by the minute it seems. Through it all she is slowly learning how to make noises that resemble language (albeit just vowels at the moment) and she is developing a beautiful smile to go with that gaze that she uses to keep track of all that's going on around her. Life has begun in earnest and we are happy as can be to see her learning, growing and slowly understanding. Her journey to Ithaka is well on it's way. The star of the show will keep on going, but not without the love and support of the supporting cast. Thank you to everyone!! We are a truly wonderful family!
... And here is Irini's first motion picture!
