And now a word from our guest editor

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Summer Greetings from the Northern Hemisphere

Dear friends, family and fans:

Yes, I know that it has been awhile since you last heard from me but in between raising a new little brother, not to mention mama and dada, and making a major intercontinental move, I've been hard pressed to find the time to write. I haven't even had time to finish potty training myself! That's how bad it is. I've also been teaching Joaquin the ins and outs of blogging so that he can be a guest editor from time to time...though you'll have to be patient with him since I am sure that he won't be nearly as witty as yours truly...at least in the beginning. I do have about 2 years and 2 months on him you know.

I have plenty of fodder for future blogs, including: my summer in West Virginia with Abu and Ita, a week spent in Alpine Lake with mama's family, and my last few weeks in Lima (not to mention all of the trips that I took while living in Peru...woe is me, I'm dreadfully behind). In the meantime, however, I hope that a few pictures will tide you over until I can clear a bit of room in my schedule!

Besos,

Sebastian

Joaquin recently mastered the art of sticking out his tongue. What I want to know is why it is so cute at 5 months but later it is considered rude!

Mama and Joaquin. If she looks tired, it is because she hasn't slept in 2.5 years! Please take note of the Inca Kola shirt.

I got some ice cream and you don't have none....

Joaquin and I on our last day in Peru

And finally, Dada, Joaquin and I...aren't we just about the most handsome trio you've ever laid eyes on!

It's a Two-Fer!

That's right friends! You've been waiting so long, I thought I'd give you a double-dose of my cuteness! My, are you lucky!

Anyway, I've been thinking of working for the phone company, so I thought I'd do some practice runs. You may think I am just talking to myself here, but that's actually Dada on the other line. Enjoy!

So it's been a while...

My apologies. But raising a baby is tough business! The only thing I find that helps me relax is a little dancing. And, yeah, even though it's winter I don't like wearing pants. Mock me at your own risk!




OK... gotta go change some diapers... Mine and Joaquin's!

XOXO,
Big Brother Sebastian

Time to change the blog title...

OK... it gives me great pleasure, a mild amount of sadness, and a fair amount of jealousy to announce the re-titling of my blog. I guess I should also take this moment to announce the arrival of my baby brother - Joaquin Mayta Gonzalez Layton, born on Monday, February 23, 2009. But he is a baby in name only. I will never forget the sight of that poor stork flying in through the window carrying Baby Joaquin. It must have really crossed somebody to be stuck carrying such a heavy load! 10 pounds, 2 ounces plus he was 20.5 inches long too! I better start challenging him to basketball games now, because he could start crushing me by his third birthday. Heck, when I walked in on him today he was doing one-handed pushups! (Since what you really want are photos of the new guy, I will appease you below.)

A nice first shot. See? He's smiling!


Here he is in a color close up.


Above you can see one of the early pics of Joaquin. And my goodness, who is that amazing hand model?! Why, it's me!!!


He'll outgrow that worm soon. I still remember back in the day when it used to try to bully me too...


There's Mama and Baby Joaquin just hanging out. Since they'd just recently met, they were getting to know one another and sharing basic info - where are you from, any brothers or sisters, where did you go to school, etc.

Here's Dada with Baby J. He's so boring he'll put anyone to sleep!

Just to clear things up, Joaquin and I are actually good buddies (though I do most of the talking). For example, I give him loads of kisses throughout the day. Even though he hasn't given me one. But I don't hold a grudge. At least not against him.

There's me and Baby Joaquin. Oh, and Dada and Abuelita too.


Here you can see what a wonderful big bro I am. What am I doing? Why, I am sharing stickers (sticks, I call 'em) with my little brother.


And this is one for the ages. How cute are we?!


When they said, "time to go home", I didn't realize that they were talking to both of us!


Overheard conversation:
Me: Do you like see food?
Baby J: audible grunts
Toddler Sea Bass then opens wide to show mouthful of jello


Chillin' at home.


Our games of tag are less exciting than you'd think.

Anyway, I gotta make this post short. Someone's got to change Joaquin's diapers, and it isn't Mama and Dada. Sometimes I feel just like Cinderella...

Yours in servitude,
Big Bro Sebastian

Thought I would save the best shot for last!

Yes, I do bar mitzvahs!

Amigos, I won't lie to you. I am pretty busy, and apologizing for not posting regularly is a bit tedious. Plus it really hurts my self esteem. You know what makes me feel good about myself? Singing. Lots and lots of singing. I am actually thinking of making it a career. So, time to start broadcasting my skills... For your viewing and listening pleasure, let me present "Estrellita". I'll post "Twinkle, Twinkle" at a later date, but you get the picture.

Oh, and let me introduce my band... On maracas, Abuelita! Backing Vocals, Abuelita and Mama! Lead vocals, percussion, and musical arrangement, Sebastian! How 'bout a round of applause?! On to the show!



XOXO, Toddler (and soon to be big brother) Sebastian

Cool Hand... Sebastian?

Hola Amigos,

And Happy New Year! Heck, Merry Christmas. And, of course, Happy Birthday to me! (December 27, in case you were wondering... I'll blog about that in detail later.)

Anyway, I'm writing you all to let you know that I did a great Paul Newman impersonation today. Obviously, that's a big deal. Inspired by the movie, I decided to start training to challenge ol' Luke someday. What challenge might that be, you ask? Why, the most important one there is! (See below, if you don't know.)

Anyway, my parents were surprised by my amazing skills, as I ate almost 5 eggs this morning for breakfast (see below to see how I like 'em). In addition, I figured I would have 1 and 1/2 bowls of cereal with milk, and 3-4 servings of craisins to top it off. A regular morning, no? Apparently, I am not expected to eat this much, since I am hovering at the 20th weight percentile for my age group. This seems to have pleased my parents, though they seemed quite worried as to what to eat for breakfast tomorrow since the eggs are gone.

Anyway, for those of you who know my stressed out parents (Mama and Dada to me), I figured I would share the good news. Who knows... maybe I'll be hitting that 25th percentile soon?!

XOXO,

2 year old Sebastian