I Say: Happy Birthday Mom

Saturday was Mom's 40th birthday. Even though that's supposed to be a big deal, Mom didn't want to have a big celebration. Instead she wanted to spend the day with me. I liked that idea.

We started the day with a visit from my new friend Corinna and her moms, Heather and Margaret. We had breakfast together and read stories. Corinna was so nice that I can't wait to see her again.

Corinna is so smart that she could have helped with the big words. 

Despite the look on my face, I loved meeting Corinna.

After breakfast the three of us went up to Van Cortlandt Park. Mom and Dad took turns walking with me while the other one ran. I like walking around and I like being outside, so this was a lot of fun. Plus I got to see Nate and Glo again too. Mom got a carrot cake. Mom loves carrot cake almost as much as she loves me. And that's a lot. 

We followed our trip to the park with a "team nap" together. I like sleeping in the bed with Mom and Dad and lately they've seemed a little tired, so it worked out well for everyone.

Nap time for the men of the house.

Later on we went to visit Mom's family out in New Jersey. I saw Auntie Kay and lots of new people too. Everyone fussed over me, which was quite flattering. Recently I haven't been enjoying the nights so much. When I don't feel great my only way to tell Mom and Dad about it is to cry, and that's exactly what I did. A lot. Luckily Auntie Kay lent a helping hand, and so did a nice lady named Ashlie. She works with kids so she helped calm me down and gave Mom and Dad a little breather. Thankfully, I've been feeling better these last few nights, so hopefully the nights will be a little calmer around here. 

There were no big parties for Mom's birthday, but I hope she knows how much Dad and I love her. Happy Birthday Mom. 

I Say: I Love All These Visitors

I'm sorry that I've fallen so far behind in blogging about my social life. It's not that it's not important to me. Quite the contrary. The problem is that most of my day is spent greeting guests or sleeping. Or at times both. Anyway, Dad says that I'd better get caught up on things before I hit puberty and nobody recognizes me, so here's an update on some of my recent visitors.

A while back I met my new friend Ali over at JackRabbit. She doesn't work there, but she got word that I was visiting and she dropped everything to come over and see me. I appreciated that. I made such a good impression on her that she came to visit me at home and brought her boyfriend Brian. I approved of him and made my feelings known by spending most of the afternoon sleeping on his chest while Dad spent most of the afternoon eating muffins that Ali cooked. (How is it that I'm the cute one who lures the guests, but Dad's the one who gets snacks? That hardly seems fair.)

Brian, me (center) and Ali

Gloria and Nate came by with their nephew Oliver. He's a big kid. (Dad says Nate's a big kid too.) And Glo was really fun too. They were unanimous in their opinion that I'm cute. I hope to get to play with all three of them when I get a little older.

Then Mom and Dad's friend Kwok-Ming visited. I'm told that has been asking about me from way before my arrival, and was always concerned and supportive.

Everybody knows Ming

I really enjoy all these visitors. Later in the week I'll tell you about some of the other nice folks who have been stopping by.

I Say: I Met Big Kids

Sorry that I've fallen behind on my blogging. Dad has been hogging the computer with his "work" and I've been a little cranky lately, so it's been hard to keep up. Not to worry about the crankiness - the doctor says it's just a phase, and it's only for a couple of hours each day. Overall I'm still in very good spirits and bringing my parents lots of happiness.

Anyway, the fun continues around here. Though I failed to mention it at the time, I had a couple of really fun visits from big kids and their parents last weekend. First, Mom and Dad's friends D-Ferg (whose name is rapidly moving up in my ranking of favorites) and Erik brought by their son Henry. He's 10-weeks old, and we got along great.

Erik and D-Ferg holding us. I'm the little guy. 

While Henry and I were playing, Dad took some pictures of us. Everyone says we look like old men. At first I objected, but then Erik showed us these two photos side-by-side. In case you can't tell, Henry and I are in the photo on the right.

That same weekend, I got a visit from another awesome boy. His name is Javier and his moms are Wendy and Ines. Javi is a big boy and was very nice and gentle with me. He lives in the same building as we do, so I hope to get to see him a lot.

Thanks Javi

Finally, I met Dad's friends Soley and Danny, and their sons Lucas and......wait for it......Dylan. They were visiting New York and wanted to meet me, and I know that Mom and Dad wanted to see them too. We all went for lunch and had a great time.

That's Mom holding me and sitting with Dylan

I really enjoying being around all these people. Mom and Dad say it's good for me to get socialized. I say it's fun.

I Say: I Love Meeting New People

Sorry that I've fallen behind on my updates, but with all the excitement around I've been struggling to find time to write. But I've been meeting so many cool people that I can't wait any longer. Here's just a sampling of my social calendar from last week.

First Mom's college friend Mark came to visit. He lives in Seattle and has a baby boy named Theo. You could tell that he didn't like being away from his baby for even a day. Still, he was very kind to me.

That's Mark and me

My next visitor was Jessica, but I call her JZ. She was also super nice to me even though she had other things on her mind. After she visited me she was flying to Arizona to do an Ironman triathlon (which I'm told is some nonsense that requires that you stay awake for more than two hours at a time, so you can count me out), but she found the time to come see me. She loves beagles, but I think I heard her say that I'm even cuter. I appreciate such compliments. Plus, she's a regular blog reader, and you know how much I love blog readers.

JZ and me

My next guest was Johanna. (The J is silent. I pronounce that part well.) She has a son named Seb who is 2-years old and is almost full grown. Mom and Dad say he's an awesome kid, so I hope to meet him soon.   And BTW, even though I'm tiny compared to Seb (but then again, who isn't?), the doctor says I'm growing at an impressive rate.

Johanna and me

It's great feeling so loved and popular. I had lots more visitors last week and I'll tell you about them soon. For now it's nap time. 

I Say: I Met Auntie Rachel (and a Lot More)

This was a busy weekend with a lot of visitors, but the highlight was meeting Dad's sister Rachel. She drove all the way from Boston to see me. (She was sick last week, otherwise she would have visited sooner.) She had gifts for me including some really soft bamboo clothes that Dad says I can wear for Occupy Preschool. She also brought a lot of food for everyone. (Apparently both the Jewish and Jamaican sides of my family are big on food.) I'm not ready for the bagels and lox just yet, but I was just happy to meet her. I'll see her again on Thanksgiving, so that'll be awesome. I hope to meet Uncle Tony soon too since I hear he's a fun guy and can teach me to speak with a British accent, which Dad says will help on my school interviews.

That's my Auntie Rachel

For most babies, that would be enough excitement for a weekend, but I'm not most babies. I also got to meet Luna and her parents Fabian and Helena. Luna is an "older woman" and is very so-phis-to-ca-ted. 

Fabian, Mom, Helena and Luna.

Luna is a little older and a little bigger than I am. 

Fabian is a chef and he brought food for everyone, and they got me some clothes too. How great are they?

I also got visits from Susan, Guy, and Peter who got me fun books and toys and spent time with me. Then Bridget came by again. She couldn't stay for long, but that didn't stop her from saying how cute I am. Plus - in keeping with the theme for the weekend, she brought some homemade food for Mom and Dad. What exactly did Mom and Dad do for food before all these visitors?

We definitely love and appreciate how nice our friends and family are, but want folks to know that I am well stocked and they should just come over. Mom and Dad are actually bragging how they have a social life now that I am here.

The consensus among the visitors was that I'm still really cute. If you doubt their judgment, here is some supporting evidence.

I Say: I'm a Jewmaican

So it turns out that because Dad's Jewish and Mom's Jamaican Chinese, I'm what they call "multicultural". In honor of my heritage Mom and Dad's friend Lesley got me a onesie (and matching bib) that said Jewmaican. I think that's awesome and I will wear it with pride.

I'm a proud Jewmaican

Then on Thursday it got even better because Lesley came to visit me. She got me more great gifts and spent a lot of time holding me, which was a lot of fun for both of us.

Mom and Lesley had fun without me...

...but we all know who the star of the show is

 It turns out that Lesley was here with Mom the day that I decided to make my escape, so I was glad to make her acquaintance in person. She lives far away, but I hope she visits whenever she's in New York. 

I Say: I Have Fast Friends

On Sunday Mom watched the NYC Marathon on TV. She told me that her friend Buzu was running and that I should watch. I decided to take a nap when the race started, so that I'd be awake at the finish. Much to my surprise, when I woke up 2.5 hours later, Buzu was finished. I mean, who runs 26.2 miles in 2:23? Apparently Buzu does. I was happy that she came in second place, but sad that I missed seeing her. Luckily, she and her husband Worku came to visit me Thursday, and that made up for it.

Buzu is nice and fast

I told Buzu and Worku that I don't want to run 26.2 miles, but I really like those mylar space blankets that they get after the race. So they dressed me up in tin foil to make me feel better. I think I looked more like a baked potato, but I appreciate the effort.

Buzu and Worku got me a really nice present and spent time playing with me and holding me. Then Emily came by to visit too. Dad calls her Killer. He says that's ironic. I think it's just silly. Anyway, Emily gave me an awesome book which Dad says I'm really gonna love soon. And she liked the way I smell. Then Hillary came to visit and she brought Ethiopian food. I was a little confused because even though Buzu and Worku are from Ethiopia, Hillary is from upstate New York, but I'm guessing that the native cuisine of Cazenovia, NY isn't so yummy.

With Hillary, Serka, Emily, Buzu and Work. I've never felt so big

I like my new friends.

My confusion notwithstanding, it was a really great day. I have lots more visitors to tell you about, but it's nap time for now. 

I Say: Best Week Ever

This was my best week ever. Admittedly I'm working with a small sample size since this was also my first week ever, but it was pretty awesome. So many people came to visit me, gave me presents, and were just generally kind to me. Mom and Dad keep saying that they're lucky to have so many good friends, but I know that these people are just here to see me.

Yesterday I met Sandy and Carole. They were my grandmother's closest friends and knew my dad when he was little like me. I don't want to call them emotional, but let's just say that I wasn't the only one crying around here today. When Dad went out, they stayed around to look after Mom, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they just looking for an excuse to hold me a little more.

Grandma Aunt Carole

Grandma Aunt Sandy

Dad went out to watch the marathon. When he came back he brought Bridget and Erika and Paul and Scott. I was too tired to be my usual charming self with them, but I'm glad they came by anyway.

Overall, Mom and Dad seem really happy. Sometimes Dad just holds me and stares at me because he can't believe how much he loves me. Even though Mom still doesn't feel great, all she does is think about me. She takes such good care of me. Though I don't like the term "high maintenance", I must admit that I do require a fair amount of care, what with all the frequent feedings and diaper changes. Based on the fact that I've never been awake when she isn't, I'm guessing that she must not sleep much. Dad tries to do what he can, but he's not equipped to do the feedings - if you know what I mean - so Mom is really working hard. Mom never complains or thinks about herself. Dad's trying too. I think I'll keep them.

All this attention makes me smile

Yes she does

I Say: Saturday Was Fun

Saturday was a busy day. I had a lot of visitors, which was pretty awesome. Some of Dad's oldest and closest friends came by. There was Uncle Shane and Auntie Angela, and Uncle Lou an Auntie Yvonne. The brought me lots of gifts, but the best part was getting to meet them. They held me and told me funny stories about my dad. Dad's a lucky guy - not only does he have Mom and me, but he has some pretty amazing friends.

Shane and Angela with Dad and me

Lou and Yvonne with Dad and me

Then Mom's friend Yom came by. I liked her. She made dinner for everyone. (Everyone except me. I stuck with my usual cuisine.) I'm pretty sure that Mom and Dad would have let her visit even if she didn't cook, so it's pretty nice of her to feed them, especially since she was really here to see me.

Yom

As if that's not enough, I got to visit the laundry room and the gym with Dad. Those were new and exciting places. Overall, I felt very loved today, and I could tell how much the visitors meant to Mom and Dad. It's nap time (again), so In closing, I leave you with couple of reminders of how cute I am.

I Say: Whew, I'm Tired

Today was my fifth day here, and I'm pooped. I made my first ever trip to the pediatrician. She was nice, and made Mom and Dad feel very comfortable. (They're worriers.) Plus she didn't do anything too mean to Simon Jr. the way the doctor in the hospital with the sharp blade did. I even took my first subway ride to get there and back. There were a couple of times when I thought I peed my diaper, but then I realized that it was just the train.

When we got home it was party central. First Auntie Kaye and Uncle Scott came to visit from New Jersey. I liked them. Auntie Kaye was at my mom's baby shower and brought me a lot of cool clothes and other goodies.

Auntie Kaye

But wait, there's more. Mom and Dad have a friend named Alix. She came to visit and brought bagels. While I still prefer other cuisine, Mom and Dad see to love bagels. Alix has a son who is old. He's two.

Next up was a visit from mom's co-worker Felicia and her husband Steven. They're awesome and always look out for Mom and Dad. And now me. 

And that still wasn't it. My cousin Ben came by to help Dad fix up my room. Dad tells me that Ben has been a huge help and that he's really lucky to have such a supportive family. I'm looking forward to meeting the rest of Dad's side of the family.

After all the excitement, I was exhausted. I slept for hours and even skipped a feeding, which is not something that I'm in the habit of doing. Dad left for a few hours, and I didn't wake up once. Most of the time I was laying down with Mom. Speaking of Mom, she's kinda awesome. For some strange reason, she's camera shy, which is crazy when you consider how good she looks. I mean, she just had me on Monday morning, and hasn't slept for more than two hours at a time since then - but I think she looks terrific. The same can't be said for her disposition. Check out what she said to Dad when he tried to take her picture.

Mom's teaching me to count. To one.

But don't worry. As you can tell from the fact that Mom went out with Dad in the first place, he's a persistent guy, so he'll get me some more pictures soon and I'll post them here. In the meantime here are a couple more of me, for no other reason than the fact that I'm cute. There are also more added to the photostream.

I Say: I Met Auntie Diane

I met my Auntie Diane Tuesday. She's one of my mom's five sisters. She brought Jamaican food, but Mom wasn't allowed to have any. (Dad had no such restrictions and showed no reluctance to having it.) She held me and fed me. She was my first visitor.

Auntie Diane thinks I'm cute. She's a doctor so she should know .