Week 8 – Aunt Colony

This week, Cruv was pampered by three aunts—Liore, Ora, and Rachel. Liore accompanied Yaron and Cruv on his second snowshoeing expedition, this time up and down Spiro Trail. And Liore was the first non-parent to carry Cruv slingslide (and, a few days later, Ora the second). All-in-all, Liore and Cruv took their Second Avenue repartee to Woodside Avenue.

Before Liore left, Ora arrived—Cruv got a double-dose of auntness. A few weeks back, Cruv and Ora met briefly, but through a car window, as she (and Phil) were recovering from the flu. This was different: full-access. And they bonded sweetly.

Before Ora left, Rachel arrived—Cruv got a second double-dose of auntness.

At week one, Rachel and Cruv met. Despite major changes, they got along like they never were apart.
This week, we leave with you a little kinetic treat—Miriam’s stills, Yaron’s video, and Jacky Terrason’s piano. Enjoy.

Week 7 – In the Big Rock Candy Mountains

First, an addition to last week’s post: a picture of Noam, Yaron, and Cruv on Sweeney’s Switchback.

The post for weeks five and six recounted the family activities. This week, let’s discuss Cruv.
One night, after Cruv fell asleep and we were prepped for bed, we decided to look through every picture of Cruv—all seven-hundred-and-eleven! He was so small: His legs long and thin, chin pronounced, and shoulders hairy. Now, his face is round, his chin doubled or tripled, and his skin smooth.

He smiles, wide and often. A tickle of his chin often inspires sunshine (Eric, thanks for that trick).
Following Cruv’s Abu’s advice, Cruv has company in the bath. Oh, he is cute.

His head is strong (Yaron and Cruv took a brief walk with Cruv face forward in Baby Bjorn). With hands under his armpits, he stands and soaks in the sights. He squats and finds his way to long legs. When on someone’s chest, with a firm base, he’ll extend his legs and move upward. He can reach and grab objects, as in the toy in his bassinet or a dangling necklace.
When alert, he is attentive, to sight and sound. He’ll follow your face, gaze at colors, and, more recently, find himself in the mirror (Earlier, he’d look at whomever held him). He recognizes music and is, at times, a discerning critic. While Miriam and Aunt Liore skied, Cruv became hungry and let his boobless Abba know. Yaron tried Thelonious Monk, but Cruv cried through the percussive piano style. Yaron switched to Coltrane’s “Blue Train” and with the saxophone’s first do-do-do-de-doo, Cruv mellowed to the rich sounds. Yaron and Cruv danced to Coltrane until Miriam returned.

Weeks 5 and 6 – A Bird, a Plane, and

With lots of time on the road and in the air (details below) and a dead laptop (Yaron’s), we’re a bit behind—more than a bit. Settled into our home-away-from-home in Park City, with a shiny white MacBook, let’s catch-up.

Cruv’s Many States
Weeks five and six included five new states—New Jersey, Deleware, Maryland, Arizona, and Utah—and one district—Washington, D.C. Cruv kindly slept through NJ and DE on his way to Rockville, MD (and our first family “Cuanta le gusta”), where Miriam’s Bubbie’s all-love, aged hands greeted him.

To PHX, we took the subway and AirTrain to JFK. En route to AZ, Cruv, again, was a superstar, luxuriating in the extra leg room and attentive service of first class, for which we burned-through our remaining US Airways miles (good riddance).

To SLC, we family-boarded a Southwest flight, which Cruv rocked (despite the lack of infant changing tables). For our one night in Phoenix and our vacation stay in Utah, Cruv had more toys and baby accessories than we have in our home in New York (Thanks Cousin Jen!).

Cruv’s Culture and Dining
From Bubie’s, Cruv rode the Metro to and then slept through the National Archives, National Gallery, Museum of the American Indian (except one sculpture, which he admired attentively), Air and Space Museum, and National Portrait Gallery (He’s on a museum roll).

Weeks five and six included Cruv’s first, second, and third restaurants (Otto, Houston’s, and Oishi) in three cities (New York, Rockville, and Park City).

While he passed on the verdura, spinach-artichoke dip, and toro, he enjoyed the local dairy product. Not exactly a restaurant, but a purveyor of food nonetheless, we had lunch at the delicious Farm at South Mountain in Phoenix, where Cruv enjoyed more dairy and the warm desert sun.

On the topic of food, Cruv downed his first bottle of milk, lovingly and manually pumped by Miriam (in, we are sure, record time).

Cruv’s Special Guests
Besides Bubbie, that trip included Cruv’s Great-Uncle Bob and his partner, Annie, and Yaron’s high school friend, Georgina. Back from Bubbie’s, we had a warm Shabbat with Cruv’s Abu, with a visit from Rosanne. In Phoenix, besides Savta Sandra, he met friend’s from our year in Park City, Billie (Cruv’s middle name Dov is derived from her deceased husband, Ted) and Tom, her partner; Miriam’s high school friend, Dawn; Cruv’s Great-Aunt Tina; family friends, Mrs. Raker, Elham, and Samuel; Miriam’s cousins Jen and Abigail; ill Uncle Phil and Aunt Ora, through the car window. In Park City, Cruv met his Uncle David, Aunt Amy, and cousin Nathan. By the time Nathan left on Tuesday, he gazed lovingly at his little cousin. Uncle Noam joined us, too, and generously babysat (played with, changed, and fed Cruv) as we cruised and carved all over PCMR. After the mountain closed, Noam, Cruv, and Yaron snowshoed up and down Sweeney’s Switchback. And Park City friends Jeff and Lydia, Eric, and Linda had the honor of Cruv’s cherubic presence.