Boy

He is walking. He is talking. He is all boy.

He is fascinated by all things noisy. He can hear the bus cruising down Coney Island Avenue and points excitedly, "BUS! BUS!" We put a little step stool in front of the window and he stands and watches the buses and the garbage trucks and the fire trucks and the ice cream truck. When he's not on the step stool watching the Brooklyn excitement, he's walking around the house, bulldozer in one hand and something in his mouth (Mahalia's stethoscope, for example.)

I forgot how exciting language acquisition is for a kid and he wants to know what everything is, pointing and asking, "Dis? (this?)"
To my surprise (as if I've not done this before) he repeats everything I tell him. Perhaps more shockingly, he often utters full sentences of which Shane and I can discern a couple of words--"Iwannagoinsyangea BOOK" and sure enough, the little dude goes inside and comes back carrying his favorite tractor book.

He wakes up most mornings happy, smiling and chatting, often saying, "iwannaseeHalia." He'll scurry off, go into her bedroom and stand, waiting patiently by her bedside. He is a dreamy little boy whose hair gets blonder and skin gets browner by the day. We are all in happy family bliss much of the time, despite the gnarly daily life schedule, and feel giddy to be around each other.

yoku

I've always disliked when people start with, "I can't believe it's that time of the year again!!" It's begging for approval, for me to agree with it and it's slightly corny need to end in multiple exclamation points always makes me totally uncomfortable.

But I find myself here, now wanting to say it. I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone.

Desmond is now cruising around the house, curiously pulling most things off the shelf, climbing on those things that look dangerous for climbing (the toy piano for one,) and banging loudly on those things that make the loudest sound just to revel in the ruckus. He crawls around with a tiny tiger figurine and roars at things and people. Yes Desmond, you are VERY scary.

For his birthday, it appears that all four of his top teeth will emerge at once, leaving him drooly and snotty with swollen gums. i will bring home cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery, only feeling slightly guilty that I do not have the time or the interest to bake my own. Mahalia insists that he would like vanilla with chocolate icing while she would prefer chocolate with chocolate. They've already developed their own language so he may have told her for all I know.

I'm all of the sudden really into Yoga and Haikus. I like to think of haikus while resting in downward facing dog. Here's one that I made to honor Desmond's 1st Birthday. What a sweet, sweet boy.

Happy Birthday Dez
Blooming with the daffodils
Miraculous boy

Mahalia's Valentine's Book for Dezi

This book is about Dezi.

He is a cutey-Dezi-whoonit.

I had a dream that our whole family lost it's hair.

I like Dezi-booty but he is very small.

I call him all kinds of names from my brain.

Dezi is one nit-o-noodle.

A Trip to the ER

Being a baby is about being sick and growing stronger to survive in this dirty world. Desmond had his first trip to the ER. He'd vomited several times earlier in the week and then suffered cramps or stomach pains every 15 minutes or so for days on end. They gave him an IV, they drew his blood and gave him chest x-rays. I'm not sure who was more traumatized, Desmond or his parents. In the end, it turned out that Desmond had poo up to his neck. Two days and three enemas later, it appeared that his belly was a bit emptier.

He was better for a few days and then, having traveled for Christmas, threw everything out of whack and got socked with another cough and cold. Dr. Dad reassured me that it's all part of growing up. My bleary eyes and sore back are convinced that all this illness is actually an effort to kill me.

Sometime in my 20s I started thinking on day one of vacation about the last day of vacation and how quickly it would pass. I have to admit, though, that I'm ready for the schedule to kick in again. I'm ready for work and babysitter and school to start up and for time to resume per usual. In the midst of it all, Desmond is on a sleep strike and having been pushed to my limit , I've decided to let him cry in his crib. Bummer. Being a baby is not that easy after all.

Coco bump

Desmond has learned a new trick. It's a Paguirigan classic called coco bump wherein I say, "coco bump" and Desmond responds by touching his forehead to mine. We like to do it no less than 10 times per session and it generally ends with giggles and squeezes. His new grin is nothing less than amazing and shows off his two teeth and his ability to scrunch his almond eyes.

It's all Christmas up in the joint complete with an Advent Calendar and loads of candy lying around the house. I have mixed feelings when I fill Mahalia's head with lies about Santa and how he's watching her, etc. In keeping with another Paguirigan tradition, I told her that if she put her shoes out on the eve of December 6 that she would wake to find them stuffed with candy. She was terrified by the fact that St. Nick would be sneaking into the house and pleaded with Shane to tell St. Nick that we had plenty of candy in the house and he need not sneak into our home. Conveniently, St. Nick left a note to Mahalia asking her to not be scared and that she deserved the candy coming to her. More lies!! For the time being, though, it is a convenient bribe for our little lady who lately prefers to push the envelope with her weary mom and pop.

It was 60 degrees on Tuesday, 40 on Wednesday and is supposed to be 30 degrees tomorrow. I am flustered by the blustery weather and consuming too much coffee to ward off the chill.

I am astounded by how quickly the days pass and am looking forward to having some time off, spending my days in soft pants snacking on salty then sweet then salty, etc.

Every Good Brooklyn Boy Must Love Bagels

This Train

Desmond has two teeth and has learned how to clap. He applauds when I walk into the room and cries when I leave. He eats like a mack truck and Shane and I think about when we have two teenagers eating us out of house and home.

We took him to the surgeon a few weeks ago for a check up. A chest x-ray revealed that his patch seems to be a little loose on one side although the stitches and staples have not moved since his last chest x-ray. A week after surgery Desmond's breathing accelerated and the Dr.s worried that his patch had de-hissed or popped open on one side. A chest x-ray was inconclusive and so there was a dye procedure that proved that it was holding tight. And so we are reminded that our little bionic boy does indeed have a piece of gortex inside of him.

This morning Shane let me sleep in. 8:00 AM feels like the 11:00 AM of my twenties. What did I do with my time and my money before I had children?

A 20 something year old woman passed out on the train tracks right in front of Shane. The lights of an incoming train were visible and people started screaming. As the woman lay sprawled across the tracks and the train got closer and closer, Shane thought about his two kids and knew that he needed to go home--he would not jump onto the tracks to get her. Astonishingly, the screaming woke the woman up and she jumped up and reached into the air. Shane was able to grab her arm and he said he pulled as hard as he could to get her onto the platform. They sat together on the bench. He said that she was really out of it and that wanted to vomit. He never even learned her name.

Forget about underlying health issues. Forget about a patch. We all sort of live so close to the edge at all times. Bam.