6 Months, 3 Weeks — Belly-Up

Backed-Up Against the Wall
The range of motion and locomotion continues.  A week-or-so ago, when on his belly, Cruv lifted his midsection so as to free weight.  This maneuver, so we were told, is a critical step on the way to crawling.  After many repetitions of the mid-body lift, he added a backward crawl into the mix: a single lunge in reverse.  This move, combined with his scoot, has resulted in several in a situation the opposite of the long-gone Milgrom-Elcott station wagon: Cruv backs himself into a spot whence he cannot free himself.

“Give Peas a Chance”
So says Cruv’s bib.  And Cruv obliges.  In the breakfast nook, Yaron shucked a few dozen pods of super-sweet green peas.  Shocked, blanched, and pureed in peapod-infused water (“Lots of pea-ness in this dish”), Cruv took spoonfulls of the bright-green deliciousness.  At first, we held his hands, wily obstacles to a clean delivery.

Quickly, he learned to luxuriate in being fed.

Nili
In a first part-time nanny, we hoped for a careful set of eyes and watchful arms.  More than we hoped,  Nili cared for Cruv with wide-eyed joy and open-armed warmth.  Because of her genuine attachment and excitement, her departure made us  (and, maybe, Nili) sad, particularly as Cruv will never remember her special role.  In a strange way, Yaron hoped Cruv, too, could be sad.  But, as Nili noted, Cruv quickly refocused on a colorful and munchable toy.  At the door, with Cruv in his arms, Yaron said, “I wish, at least, Cruv could say thank you and goodbye.”  And, in a moment of profound sweetness and utter coincidence, Cruv pronounced a clear “guh.”  In retrospect, we hope that, some day, Cruv will say to Nili, “Hello and thank you.”

Happy Baby
In his near daily visits to the hospital, Cruv seems to find the sickest looking person in the elevator and share the sunshine.  Each time, the smile is returned.  “What a happy baby,” they say.  Indeed.  And, after several weeks of trying, he can express his happy-babyness in the less-universal language of yoga.

Check-Up/Paycheck
For the first in either of our lives, employment rather than student-life provide us with healthcare.  Covered by Miriam’s HealthNet plan, Yaron and Cruv headed to Noe Valley, the neighboring neighborhood, for Cruv’s six-month check-up.  All checked-out well (cuteness confirmed), even with shots in each leg.  A few days later, Miriam’s got her first paycheck for her heartfelt care, heartrending patients, and heartless hours (This is real; no numbers changed): 91 cents!  (Picture to be added soon.)

Yellow is the Color of My True Loves’ Hair
Most mornings, way too early in the morning, Miriam is woken by her alarm.

We move the body pillow between us and cuddle before she transforms into Dr. Sheinbein.  A couple hours later, Yaron hears Cruv stir or tug at a toy hanging on the side of the bassinet.  Yaron rises, warms some milk, and tiptoes to the bassinet.  As soon as he enters Cruv sightline, Cruv’s shiny eyes get big, he smiles wide, and kicks his legs.  After a fresh diaper, Yaron and Cruv get back into bed, Cruv eats, and falls back asleep.  Yaron either reads or sleeps by his side.  When Cruv wakes again, they play belly-to-belly and spelunk under the covers.  A magic morning.

(An unrelated, but funny picture)

Saturday night, Yaron flew the SFO-JFK redeye.  At landing Yaron seriously missed his morning ritual, though the morning had not yet started on Pacific Time.  Luckily, he arrived into Earlwoode just in time to watch Talia and Aaron feed, rinse, and change the super-cute and sprightly Oren.  His first morning away was a magic morning.

6 months, 1 Week

Over, Around, and Up

From week-to-week, the changes are huge. Cruv gets places by rolling. In a turn of a head, he’ll cross a room and have something he shouldn’t in his mouth. Even better, he’ll rotate himself so as to reorient his rolling (a move very close to crawling): He rolls two or three times, looks around, scoots and realigns himself, and rolls right where he wants to be. It’s beautiful to watch. With increased ease and focus, Cruv sits-up and even plays with toys or sucks on blankets.

Familial Syllables

Though the first instances were weeks-and-weeks-ago, Cruv took a vacation from his Buhs. But the other day, with serious eyes, tight face, and concentrated lips, he pronounced Buh. And then he repeated a few more times. For good measure, he threw in a few Guhs. As we listen to Cruv’s consonants, the dad/abba/pop/papa/mom/imas seem a wily way to assure we are his first call.

Family Visits, Family Celebration

Over the past few weeks, we maximized our new coastal location. Diane and Jeff visited to work on projects—Diane and Cruv played on the floor while Yaron and Jeff measured, leveled, and sawed.

The next weekend, we flew to LGB (flight fifteen) for Cousin Jordan’s Bar Mitzvah (which he rocked). Cruv was introduced to more of the extended family (unpictured—we were not in camera mode), including a special connection with the youngsters: Ethan, Max, Zachary, and Amanda, who happily played with and held Cruv. After the festivities, we went up to the valley to the Milgroms.

They watched as Yaron dressed Cruv in his first suit (seersucker), looking handsome for Betsy and Joel’s wedding. Before bride and groom cut the cake, we were at BUR for our flight to OAK (sixteen).

Family Medicine, Family Time, and Exo-Family Help

Miriam’s residency is in full-swing—pagers, sick patients, scrubs, and all-night calls. Each day, Yaron and Cruv visit Miriam at the hospital (Cruv will think someone going to hospital is a good thing). In our ways and to our time capabilities, we take care of each other. In the last week and for two more, Yaron has help so that he has time to read and prepare for his exams: Nili, Cruv’s first nanny, comes three days a week for five hours. They get along swimmingly (Picture soon).

Family Meal or A Family that Eats Together, Stays Together

Though not every day, Cruv will grab the reigns of the bottle and feed himself, a bold and graceful gesture of independence.

As Miriam and Aunt Rachel looked-on, Yaron pureed cauliflower (in Hebrew, cruvit) cooked in breast milk, let it cool a bit, and served it to eager-to-eat Cruv. He chowed-down, hands and fingers in the action. The pictures and video express the electric excitement of Cruv’s first meal.

New Family or “Long Brown Hair”

Six-month-and-five days after we heard, “He has blonde hair,” Yaron heard Talia’s mid-wife declare, “Long brown hair.” With Cruv, sleeping on his lap, Yaron was cellularly connected to the delivery room, eyes tearing intermittently. Filled with love, worry, recollections of Miriam’s three-day delivery, remembrances of her labor that wasn’t, pride in Talia’s strength, deep pull to hold Aaron’s hand, missing of our family, excitement for this baby—this daughter of Talia and Aaron, nephew of ours, and cousin of Cruv—and joy that they, like Miriam and I, have a baby, this fullness of life. Cruv awoke and, right after Yaron changed his diaper, Cruv and Yaron heard the new one’s cry of life. Now, we—like you, the distant family and friends—await pictures and updates.