8 Months – He Sees Sunshine on a Cloudy Day

“And I’m a Mac”
Cruv loves to tumble towers (especially his Abu’s intricate designs) and pull at electrical cords (despite our best efforts at “discipline”), but nothing gets his motor humming like Yaron’s MacBook.  This video was taken with the built-in camera. Thus as Cruv chases the laptop, he also pursues his image, which strikes his fancy, twice.

With His Own Two Legs
With a firm grip on the couch, his chair (Thank you Great-Aunt Tina), or his crib, Cruv stands tall, dips his knees, plays with whatever is within reach.  At first, he could do this only when positioned, but he pulls himself to his chair and the raised breakfast nook.

Toothsome
Underreported in the last post:  Cruv has a tooth.  Wait.  In the last three weeks, he added a second tooth.  Both take a prominent position in his smile and a  sometimes painful role in his playful finger-suck.  Though his two teeth do not help with truly toothsome foods, he has added hand-smushed fruit from the farmer’s market (peaches, nectarines, melons, plums, and grapes) to the menu of pureed foods (for example, fava beans, broccoli, Japanese sweet potato).

Happily, his primary source of food–Miriam–has not felt the effects of his toothy mouth.

Full-House
These weeks teemed with people–house-guests (Abu and Imama), new but temporary neighbors (Aunt Talia, Uncle Aaron, and Cousin Oren), new and cross-the-bay neighbor (Hannah), and visitors (Savta Sandra, Abby and Izzy, Debby, Etan, and Sarah, and Aaron Neinstein.

Twenty-hours after they were scheduled to arrive, Cruv’s Abu and Imama leapt into Cruv’s embrace.  For the next ten days, they rocked the guitar and rattle, read cardboard books, worked on child-safety projects, toured San Francisco, and, as Cruv and his Imama partied, Abu and Yaron sneaked-out for awesome rides.

The much anticipated meeting of Cruv and Oren filled the lively room with quiet sweetness (beautiful captured by Aaron N).

New acquaintances, we know they will be best-buds soon.  With their little ones in their respective slings, Yaron and Talia look forward to lazy days while their busy-partners slave-away at their respective offices.
Despite the many guests, neighbors, and visitors, Cruv, every so often, finds himself alone.  And, as was the case from week one, he is content to be by his lonesome, a beautiful child in a world of wonder.

While in his sling, two particular wonders captivate Cruv: trees and light bulbs.  He’ll crane his neck below the shade of a tree or follow the glow of the bulb as we descend our stairway to the street.

“This is the Way the Lady Rides”
So starts the sing-song-game Rosanne played with Cruv.  Though they met at his Brit, they did not fully bond until Day 36.  Held tight and spoken-to gently, Cruv knew this was special.  They were bound from then on.  On Day 110, Rosanne was diagnosed with cancer, again, again.  Through coughs, fatigue, and pain, Rosanne always got the update on Cruv.  This morning, on Day 242, as Cruv slept in his crib, Roseanne died.  For us, a pitch-black shadow reigned over this blue-sky day.  We thank Cruv, whose sunshine never ceases, for he gladdened his saddened Ima and mended his broken Abba, if only in spurts.  In return, Cruv, ask that we tell you of Rosanne and demand we love you as she loved us.

7 Months, 1 Week — Going Places

A few additions:
On Flickr, we added pictures taken by Rama from Jeff and Lydia’s wedding (Day 169) and by Brinton from Jordan’s Bar Mitzvah (Day 182).  Here are two favorites.

And, for the last post, here’s a self-portrait of Yaron and Cruv starting their day.

Tourists Leading Tourists
So it felt as we toured first Jordan and, a week later, Noam and Julie around San Francisco.

Through the variable summer weather (Yes, Jordan is in a sweatshirt and Cruv a wool hat), we visited museums (Contemporary Jewish Museum twice and SFMoMA with more to come), ate donuts and Mexican, picnicked outside a creamery, and walked on the beach.

A Room of his Own
A few days shy of his seven-month birthday, our roommate moved-out or, more accurately, down the hall.  In a handsome crib (Thank you Savta Sandra), adorned with the perfect pattern, impeccably converted from crib sheets to bumpers (Thank you Imama),

Cruv sleeps the night in spacious luxury (though still in his Snuggle Nest).

Two Wheels, Two Riders
Cruv added yet another mode of transportation (sling, stroller, running stroller, car-seat trolly, car, taxi, bus, electric bus, subway, commuter train, plane [Did I leave anything out?]): front-row seat on Yaron’s bike (Thank you Talia and Aaron).  Protected with a helmet and three-point harness (no spandex, yet), Cruv navigates (or eats the chin strap) as he and Yaron cruise the Mission.  Pictures soon.

What a Drag, So Last Week
When we intended to update the blog, Cruv just broke the mobility barrier:  He coordinated his arms so to drag his lower body a few feet.  In a few days, a few feet became across a room, though slowly.  In a few more days, he reached the threshold of a room, though stopped at the wood of the hallway or the linoleum of the kitchen.  In a few more days, he dragged himself from the dining room to the hallway to the kitchen.  Last night, as Yaron drew a bath, Cruv followed the sound from his room into the bathroom.  At the speed of Cruv, this video is dated.