Happy Halloween, v2

While some mistook me for a dragon this year, I was actually a Stegosaurus. We all know dragons are fictitious, though some might argue (especially some nutjobs running for office this year, including one Levi Johnston) that Stegosauruses are fictitious too. Not so. Stegosauruses are very, very real.

Longest Lag EV.er.

Oy. It's been so long since I've written, my computer didn't even remember my blogger password. Several dramatic things have happened over the past few months. I shall enumerate here:

1. I’M WALKING! That’s right. On September 6th I started walking – as in head and chin up, shoulders out, with unabashed confidence. Some might even call it a swagger. I’d been flirting with the idea for months, teasing people with the notion that I’d actually be an early walker. Hard to say why I waited so long to stop cruising (I’ll leave that to the pediatric neuro-pyschologists), but suffice it to say my parents looked like jumping, screaming monkeys when they first saw me do it. That was kinda funny to watch, so I just kept on, and here we are. We would have documented this milestone much earlier, were it not for my mom’s obsession with capturing the moment with just the right shot. Needless to say, that shot never emerged, and now, lo and behold, it’s almost November. But I’m WALKING!

2. I’m also biking. To accompany my swanky new trike (pictured below), my dad just got me this sweet duck helmet (pictured above), so now I’m set – even though I’m not supposed to get on this thing ‘til I’m two. (What can I say? Once you advance, you just advance...)

3. Speaking of advanced, check out my new trick (another thing I'm not supposed to be on, but my mom saw the fearlessness in my eyes, so, out of sheer ignorance, she let me try it out).

3. (I know, we're on #4, but I can't get the numbers to switch.) My Bube and Zede made the maybe not-so-annual journey across the world to visit me. It was fantastic. They really mastered the art of play and nappy changes, and we got to spend a lot of QT together since my parents have been outsourcing my childcare while they tackle long training runs for the NYC Marathon (one more week!) {Aside: I must say, while I’m thrilled for them (assuming they make it to the finish), it’s been quite the disruption to my routine, and I’ve been a rather stoic champ about it. Sure, I may lose my cool every now and again (I recognize the signs, the gear, the AM routine before they walk out the door), but then, invariably, I pull it together…} To mark my Bubbe and Zede's visit all the way from Oz, my great North American Grandpa and my Bobelepie flew up from Memphis for a gigantic family reunion. (It’s odd, isn't it, that in-laws can like each other that much?) I got a crazy amount of attention that weekend. We even had a giant babysitting session when all four grandparents took care of me for hours while my parents went on a long training run. When my mom returned to the apartment, she walked into this madness - my Zede teaching my Bobelepie some Tai Chi.

4. (I know, it's #5, stay with me....) My parents have begun the prechool tour insanity. They’ve only looked at one so far, Beansprouts, whose sole criteria for admission, it seems, is just plain dumb luck (130 families clamboring for 13 spots for full-time 2s). Do I smell a market opportunity? Who knows what we’ll do yet, but at the very least, I've got my photo ready for the admissions app. C'mon Beansprouts, look at this face. How could you not let me in?

4. (No idea what's happened here - but we're on #6.) Here’s a big one. Chana, my greatest (non-parental) companion, who’s been with me since I was just 3 months old and who helped shaped me into the boy I am today, just up and left me, high and dry. (Chana, I know you’re reading this, so I threw that in just for you.) Not really. But she did pack up her things and move to Florida to start a new life. So I know it’s nothing personal. She prepared me a couple weeks beforehand so it could all sink in and then spoiled me with riches before she left - dinosaur puzzles and train tracks and other fun things. I gave her a book chronicling our blissfully smooth 14 months together and about 2400 photos of me (one of them framed to put by her bedside) so she’d never ever ever forget me. Ever. I saw her get a little v’klempt when I gave it to her, which gave me no small amount of satisfaction. The parting just two days ago was sad but subtle (so much so, I’m not even sure it’s really registered yet). My parents are thinking they may need to deal with some sort of delayed reaction (last time she was unexpectedly out for 3 weeks, I broke out in hives), but hopefully the mental and emotional prep has mitigated that. Anyhoo, sad as I am about Chana, I’m super excited about her friend Ira (pronounced eer-uh), who’s coming to take care of me starting Monday.

6. Tomorrow is that much-anticipated day in the neighborhood. As I’ve said before, Halloween in the Slope = Christmas on steroids. I’m going to be a dinosaur. We expect decent visuals, so if all goes well, more soon.