Little Monkey and Friends

This weekend, the monkey posse headed over the bridge to celebrate with our favorite partner-in-crime, Grace. She turned two, and we were ready to party with the gang at the Children's Museum of the Arts, in Soho. This place rocked! Colors! Art! Crafts!! From chalkboard drawing tables, to claymation stations - there was plenty to see and do. Great job selecting a super fun place for a party, Mama Kristen.

Arts & crafts? You know I'm there.



Miss Mina was pretty excited to wear yet another new outfit, with coordinating hair accessories too! Where's the fashion papparazzi for this red carpet moment, she wonders? Check out the pom-pom sweater, people!



Monkey started his celebrating with a bang, and immediately got down to business with the afternoon art project. Here, he shows off his glue and paintbrush skillz. Those Tuesday morning art classes are paying off, eh?



While the birthday girl debated the merits of Manhattan vs. Brooklyn pizza slices, monkey hung back and practiced his floor routine.



But when the cake rolled out, we knew where to find him. I have to interrupt the commentary for just a minute to do some celebrating of my own. We didn't get a picture of it, but monkey ate almost a whole slice of pizza himself. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever have to entice my child to eat pizza, or that I would be celebrating his consumption of it. But he ate a slice at the party, and the entire room went still.

Did we just see what we thought we saw?

The monkey was eating.

Food.

It appears that hell hath frozen over after all.



Happy, happy...joy..joy!! This is what I felt like doing. But of course, for every victory, there must be a crushing defeat. As Monkey, Sr. pointed out, this party allowed everyone to witness first hand the best and worst sides of our son. The first hour or so was all fun and games and laff-daffy smiles. There were some wonderful pizza moments...and then there were some not so cute moments. Like the one that followed when Mr. Guitar man began singing.

At that point, Monkey had a complete and utter meltdown and had to be removed from the room. By me. I then spent the next hour wandering the rest of the museum with him while he screamed hysterically. As the tears rolled down his cheeks, I tried to evaluate what possibly could have set him off like that. The loud music? The amplification? The tambourine? Too much sugar?



While the monkey and I wandered about aimlessly, other kids managed to shake it like a polaroid picture. Or something like that. Go Ben!



Even Miss Mina managed to get in on the music action with her own little maraca.

Of course, the minute the monkey got back to the car, he was fine. In fact, he was better than fine. He laughed and sang songs, and amused himself the entire car ride home as though absolutely nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Bad behavior? Toddler tantrums? Baby nonsense? Whatever do you mean?

Happy Birthday Grace! I hope monkey didn't spoil your party completely.

of birthday party (weekend) details. So, without further ado, here is how monkey and friends celebrated the two year milestone.



Miss Mina started celebrating the minute she got to wear her brand new dress.



Here, she poses with her best supermodel far - away - gaze.



While his sister mingled in the party room, the monkey braved the wild jungle known as "Kid's Kingdom." Animal kingdom, is what it felt like ... but the little ones seemed to have fun. Monkey's intense basketball game rendered him oblivious to his falling pants.



The monkey made an appearance in the party room long enough to ascend his polka-dot throne.



Where he discussed important topics of state with both Grandmas.



And, of course, ate more chocolate cake.



The party was well attended. Miss Mina hung out with family.



Other honored guests floated in too.



And were warmly welcomed.



The partying wore this mommy out. Geesh..Grandma B, how'd you manage with three kids???



Enough whining! Bring on the presents!



Here's what was in the box. Err...I should clarify. Here's what it looked like an hour and a half after Michael took it out of the box to assemble.



That's right my friends, see the number back there? 115 ... pieces that is.



All kidding aside, this trainset really rocked. I know. I got to play with it when the monkey took his nap.



While Monkey thrilled to his new toys, Miss Mina enjoyed some favorites.



But then he returned.



And shared. Kind of.

Jordan turned two years old today without any fanfare, television cameras, or newspaper headlines. And I was really glad. The sheer ordinariness of it brought me more comfort than I care to admit. He turned two years old today like any other kid, like millions of other toddlers out there who turn two years old. And like many other mothers, I paused for a moment to look at him and wonder how the time passed so quickly. It's the ordinary days that I embrace because each one allows me to believe that my little guy, who started his life off as a medical miracle, may one day grow up to be a man. With a little bit of luck, and some work on our part, I hope he will grow up to be a good and decent man. That's all I want. No headlines. No fanfare. I just want him to be a decent human being who embraces the life that he's been blessed with.


If I could wish anything for him today - his birthday, I'd wish for the obvious - a long, healthy life. I'd wish him lasting happiness and joy. I'd wish him love of another, the love of a family. I'd wish that he retain the exuberance that he posseses at two. I'd wish that he tackled life with the same determination he shows when he climbs down the steep stairs from his bedroom. I hope he keeps his sense of adventure and his sense of humor. This is one child who knows how to crack himself up. Yesterday, as we prepared for bath time, he helped undress himself, then stood in front of the full-length mirror of the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror with an enormous grin on his face. "Boy," I thought to myself. "I wish I had that kind of positive self-image."

Just as I was pondering this, he stepped to the right, out of sight of the mirror reflection.

"Where's Jordan?" he asked. And looked at me.

Then, leaping back into the sightline of the mirror - he jumped.

"'dere he is!" he lisped, in his baby voice, and proceeded to laugh hysterically. His reflection laughed back at him; and I choked back the lump that formed in my throat.

My monkey is such a happy little guy. And today he turned two years old. Happy birthday little man. In two short years, you have brought so many smiles to my face. Thank you for that.

Art class grows ever more adventurous, as our fearless leader, Miss A, entrusts ten tempestuous toddlers with maple syrup, pretzels, cookies, blocks, paint brushes, and large, sturdy pine cones. These pine cones, in their natural state appear courtesy of K O's flickr pics. As usual, I never have my camera when I really need it.

How does this all work?

Materials:
Large pine cone
piece of ribbon to tie on top
maple syrup
wooden block
small zip lock bag full of pretzels and plain wafer cookies
large, heavy duty art paint brush

optional, but strongly recommended for those who prefer their living surfaces to not be sticky - a styrofoam plate and aluminum foil


Crush the edibles (leave them in the bag!!) with the block - loudly. Preferably to the tune of "pop and pop and pop those bubbles! Pop and pop and pop those bubbles! Pop and pop and pop those bubbles...POP THOSE BUBBLES ALL DAY LONG!" This was monkey's tune of choice. Set aside. But not for long.

Put the pine cone on a sheet of aluminum foil and using the paint brush, paint cone with as much maple syrup as you can. Pause every other stroke to insert brush into your own mouth to ensure that the syrup tastes good enough to serve to our feathered-friends. This is a good opportunity to teach your toddler about sharing. Like I did:

"Jordan, let's share that maple syrup with Mr. Pine cone, ok? One taste for Jordan...one for Mr. Pine cone."

To clarify, I did this not because I wanted to teach a sharing lesson. Rather, I tried to salvage what I could of the situation and make in into a learning opportunity. What else am I supposed to do when I see my kid inserting the entire paint brush into his mouth?

After the cone has been liberally drizzled with syrup, you can decorate it with the crushed cookies and pretzels. Pour the crumbs into the tray and roll the cone in it, or sprinkle the crumbs onto the cone itself. Traditionalists will note that this craft was usually done with peanut butter and bird seed. However, I am thrilled Miss A. used the supplies she did.

Not a toddler at the table was able to resist. Each one poured the crumbs onto the cone, and happily sampled bits and pieces themselves. Monkey, once again, ate his art supplies with gusto. Maple syrup covered pretzel and cookie bits? Yum, yum, yum. While the other children eventually went back to the project of decorating the cone, monkey continued to eat, scooping up maple-pretzel-clusters with his hands, and stuffing them into his mouth like he hadn't been fed a day in his life.

I didn't even attempt to stop him, but instead wondered whether I should offer him a cold beverage. At least he was wearing his art apron.

creativity in progress




The artist steps back for a closer look. Don't be fooled by the the appearance of his closed eyes. He relies on his inner vision to guide him.

Monkey had his first offical art class today at the town rec center. And it was great!! The art teacher, who in her spare time also manages to run all the infant and toddler gym classes, and the music classes in town, and be a mom to two children of her own - happens to be a favorite of the little monkey. When he sees her, he breaks out into his trademark cheesy grin. I can't say enough good things about her because she has an amazing ability to connect with kids right away.


Today's art project was based on the book - "Chicka Chicka Boom-Boom." This is a story of a whole bunch of alphabet letters climbing up a palm tree. Overburdened with the weight, the tree gives way and they all come crashing down. BOOM! (I'll leave the sound effects to your imagination. But trust me, when I say, that the ten little toddlers huddled around the table got a real kick out of this part.)



After the teacher finished reading the story, we dove into the art supplies to replicate our own palm tree and creeping letters. Armed with paint, glue, and letters of all colors, we got to work. Monkey had a blast. And, ok, I'll 'fess up - I really, really had fun. This class is rocking my world in a way that toddler gym just can't match. There is something to be said for playing with paint, glue and alphabet pasta to brighten your day.

The most amusing part? Monkey attempted to eat the baby pasta letters, while he was gluing them down. This cracks me up only in the most black humor sort of way. If the pasta was actually cooked and flavored with butter or cheese or tomato sauce he would steadfastly ignore it. Cover it with glue and it suddenly strikes his fancy. I made a half-hearted attempt to stop him from eating the glue pasta, but paused for just a brief moment as I considered the potential caloric intake of the letters.

and the next...you're suddenly upon a new year ... One minute you're living in a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn..and the next...you're a minivan driving mom of two in Jersey.

Hello 2007.

How did the year go by so quickly?

Sometimes, the start of a new year brings out the reflective side in me. It's a time to look back on what you've accomplished. It's also a time to look forward to what you hope to achieve.



Foremost in my mind is the fact that we are approaching Jordan's two-year milestone post transplant. I don't know whether this has any real significance from a medical point of view. In terms of organ rejection - that will be a shadow that will always hang over him. His body could reject his heart at any time. Or it could never happen at all. But, I guess, those early days of terror have given way to a more manageable level of uncertainty. I don't feel as scared these days of what might happen to him - or his heart. Don't get me wrong, I still worry. A lot. But my worries these days are more mundane. Why is he such a picky eater? Why is he so skinny? When will he learn to put away his toys after he's done playing with them?




What's harder for me to resolve are other uncertainties. As Jordan gets older, I wonder how he will compare with other children. Is his generally cautious nature a product of his personality or is it a sign of something else? Is his fearfulness of new places and people a product of his early experiences with doctors and hospitals and needles and pain? Will he grow more accepting of these medical procedures as a normal part of his life? And how do I help him through this? As he gets older and starts asking questions, what do I say? How do I explain all of it to him? When he asks me why this happened to him, what will I answer?

Why, indeed? In the early days, I asked myself that at least once every hour. The further along we go, my comfort level with this increases. This is our normality. Although I still find myself asking the question, it hurts less to do so. I still don't have any definite answers, but I have some ideas of my own.




I'll always worry, no matter how much I resolve not too. That's part of being a mom. And I'm lucky enough to be that twice over.

At the start of the new year, I enjoy tv shows devoted to listing the best that the year had to offer ... the best movies of the year, the most noted celebrity smack-downs, the best and worst dressed, etc.

In our small corner of the world, we had a pretty memorable year too. Here's a pictorial.

January 2006 kicked off with a bang of a birthday party. Jordan turned one!



The monkey was also invited to several other birthday parties. He had so much fun at them all, his face almost froze in this goofy expression you see here.



January was also the one year anniversary of Jordan's heart transplant. Here, news reporter Ellyn Marks interviews the Monkey live. She is forced to compete with the charms of the zoom-zoom helicopter with spinning propeller though. Sorry, Ellyn.



February smacked us good with the first real blizzard of the winter season. Monkey, Sr. demonstrates the proper way to catch a snowflake on your tongue. True to form, little monkey shows no interest in allowing any item of potential nutritional value to touch his lips.



The cold weather days of winter really chilled out the monkey.



February was also the month we got to get a good look at the new monkey-on-the way. Here, Miss Mina models the 20-week pose in utero.



In March, we commenced Operation Sippy Cup, wherein the Little Monkey was torn from his bottle cold turkey. His reaction is clear.



March was also warm enough for play dates in Battery Park. The two monkeys enjoy some father-son bonding.



April is a good a time as any for a family portrait. The Children's Hospital sent a photographer over for some pics to use in their annual report.



April soccer star in the making. World Cup on tv and Oscar and Monkey square off in the back yard.



In May, the monkey discovered the sprinkler and Oscar was temporarily forgotten.



Ahhh..the official kick off to the backyard barbeque season began over Memorial Day Weekend. Little Monkey chugs a cold one while his partner in crime cheers him on.



June - what better way to spend Father's Day than learning how to swim?



June was not so fun when Monkey caught a bad bug that landed him in the hospital. Several very unpleasant days followed. But when he returned home, his smile slowly returned.



July was the final stretch of waiting for our new arrival to be born. Monkey was on the edge of his seat with anticipation.



July 15, 2006 - Miss Mina makes her debut.



In August, she got to spend the whole month with Monkey, Sr. at home on paternity leave. Doesn't she look thrilled?



September - we finally take our first vacation in years. Little Monkey had a blast.



The balmy beach days brought out the reflective side in all of us.



october rolled around and fall was in the air. Time for Halloween play dates and pumpkin picking.



When friends come over, we learn about sharing.



You're never too young to get into the spirit of Halloween, especially when you're too little to have a say in the matter.



November - bring on the turkey! Not content with one holiday meal, we decided to have two Thanksgivings. Seems right. We have quite a bit to be thankful for.



And finally - December. The Monkey is showered with holiday gifts, some of which he is forced to wear on the spot for my amusement.



December meant more fun parties, tree trimmings, and hanging out with friends.



It's been a really great year. With two monkeys under two - you know there is never a dull moment.

Miss Mina loves herself some sweet potatoes. Maybe a little too much.



Determined to start the new year off on the right foot, she vows to excersaucer every day.



As motivation, she works out to the tune of "this little piggy" on finger puppets ... a subtle visual reminder of what happens when we let carbs get the best of us.

With the monkey pictures out of the way (the only reason most people stop by this site), I'll belatedly respond to the tag from my brother.

5 things you may not know about me...

1. My favorite movie:
Growing up, my favorite movie was "My Fair Lady," with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. As a child, I had no idea who either of these people were, that they were mega stars of the screen. I just loved the idea of the extreme makeover that Audrey Hepburn, a/k/a Eliza Doolittle, underwent. This was a makeover before makeovers became the stuff of reality television. Before Dr. 90210, before "The Swan," or "What not to Wear." This movie showed how it was done. I loved the dresses, I loved the parties, the accent, and I loved that Eliza swore her head off at the races. When she walked down the steps in that evening gown, with her hair piled high, and dripping in diamonds, I was awed. For the life of me though, I couldn't figure out why she didn't marry Freddy. He seemed a lot cuter than Henry Higgins.

2. Music:
The best concert I have ever seen live was Jane's Addiction at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, October 1998. It was a little Cirque Du Soleil, a little Midsummer Night's Dream, a little bit of everything crazy that made their music so amazing once upon a time. The best single performance of a song though, which I've heard live was Prince, at the Meadowlands, in 2004 He sang "Nothing Compares to You," with accoustic guitar. I always knew he wrote this song, which was made famous by Sinead O'Conner, but I never actually heard his version of it. There, under a single spotlight, he sang that song and his voice soared in the stillness of that huge venue. It was a refreshing reminder of what a real singer and a musician can sound like.

3. My quirks:
I take immense pleasure in the proper folding and arranging of clothing. I hate doing laundry, but I love folding. This harks back to the days when I was briefly employed by the Gap. There, in between spending my entire paycheck on merchandise, I learned the proper way to fold t-shirts, sweaters, sweats and jeans. Although I don't have a folding board of my own, I can approximate the precise right angles that should result from a neat sweater fold to this day. I also like organzing closets. Since moving to the great Garden State, I have become the proud owner of my own walk in closet. It's like I've died and gone to heaven.

4. Take this job and....
My vocational history is long and varied. Currently, I am a "lawyer on child rearing sabbatical," which is the most glamorous way to describe the reality of my stay-at-home and take care of the monkeys lifestyle. In the past, I have also worked for a judge, sold fries with that at McDonald's, researched miscellaneous laws at the Attorney General's Office, made cotton candy, baby-sat, folded clothes (see above), cooked short order on a grill, modeled clothing at the mall, and fought in court to help people keep a roof over their heads. All of this has prepared me in no way whatsoever for the task of raising my children. But, thankfully, I like to read. A lot. What I don't know, I look up.

5. Around the world..
While in law school, I spent a semester living and studying in the Netherlands. With Holland as home base, I travelled as far as my rail pass would take me. It was an exciting six months of exploring, and something I look back on fondly. Travelling all over a lot of fun, and I'm glad I did the backpack-and-train thing while I was still young enough to endure it. The one city I never got a chance to see, which I still regret, was London. One of my goals is to see it before I turn 40.

And that, is that. To continue the thread, I tag Chic, Kristen, and Maleeha. Go crazy!