13.5 Months – On the Road Again, and Again, and Again

Bipedalism
An ism?  Indeed.  The transition from infant to toddler (one who toddles) is so monumental, so gargantuan, it deserves the lofty suffix.  Indeed, again.  As this transition (and others below), distinguish us–and, more importantly, Cruv–from the other animals of the world.

And Cruv, with his characteristic brio and excitement, charged into walking.

Within two weeks, he evolved from first steps to the extinction of crawling:  With minor exception, he pursues the world from twenty-nine-plus inches.  The first time he walked-into a room, we could barely stand it.  The novelty–for him and us–is strong still.  He loves to walk into and between new places; we love to watch him explore.

“I can do it!”
As Yaron read, “I’m a seal and I clap my hands” from Eric Carle’s From Head to Toe, Cruv clapped his hands.  This was, we are pretty sure, the first time Cruv understood a complex statement.  In the next few weeks, Cruv responded to anatomy questions–”Where’s your tongue?”  Where’s your belly?” and sometimes “Where are your feet?”–with an extended tongue, lifted shirt, and pinched feet, respectively.  “Where is panda?” initiates a hurried search for his cuddly friend.  Though he has yet to find his nose, we know it and other words are soon to sink-in.  Already now, it is a wonder–a bit mind-boggling and sometimes worrisome–that the chatter, talk, and (mostly) one-way dialogue cumulatively constructs this speaking and listening person.

A, B, E, and Y
With four letters, Cruv has three words.  While at his Imama and Abu’s, after Yaron laid him down, Cruv called out, in a way more direct than before, “Abba, Abba, Abba.”  In the next few days, he did this as Yaron entered a room.  And with a doll or a picture of a baby, Cruv sometimes enunciates “baby” distinctly and clearly.  And, when guests leave, or he passes the mouse sculpture on our building’s stairway, or watches riders exit the bus, Cruv waves (really, opens and closes his hand) and says, “bye.”

Stacked, Stored, Shelved
For months, Cruv unloaded our alphabetized bookshelves, emptied cubbies stuffed with clothes, and tumbled intricate towers.  Slowly, he learned to undue puzzles and unstack colorful disks.  Suddenly, he organizes–assiduously and extensively, Cruv piles books, replaces clothes, sorts shapes, and builds blocks.  At times, it seems as if it is practice, not play:  He unpacks, packs, unpacks, and repacks.

Hugs and Snugs
Though it still seems odd to say and write, from day one, Cruv has shown patience and care.  Now, his disposition plus the tremendous examples all around him–family, friends, and nannies–equal  undoubtable loving expressions:  He smiles, reaches-out, beckons, blows kisses, and hugs.  And not only people–Cruv bear-hugs his panda and snuggles with his doll, Blahblah.

Returning to Unfamiliar Places: Snowy Mountain, Sunny Valley, Big City
Sun or snow, we love Park City.  And, since the last post, we twice visited our home-away-from-home.  Cruv smoothly adjusted to the unfamiliar space–He slept solidly (without altitude-induced farting sprees) and knew which cabinets stored what.

Day 41 Day 402

For the first time, and with a hot snowsuit (thanks, Savta Sandra),

he played in the snow.  Cruv loved the feel of cold snow and icy icicles.  He watched wide-eyed, as Utah’s lightest and finest drifted earthward.  And lots did–Yaron has tallied thirteen powder days already (thanks, Miriam, Imama, Patty, and Viorika).  Family flew-in and local friends stopped-by.  It was the perfect vacation.

From Park City, Miriam and Cruv flew to Phoenix to see, among others, Cousins Julie and Ryan’s newly arrived Bailey Hope and the expecting Uncle Phil and Aunt Ora.  On his newly capable feet, Cruv returned to Miriam’s favorite places and stomped around.  First stop:  The Farm at South Mountain.
Day 41  Day 404

After a two-day rest in the Mission, Cruv and Yaron red-eyed from SFO to JFK and, upon arrival, subwayed to the city (The next morning, Miriam arrived).  Welcomed by Doda Li, Abu, and Yaron’s classmates and teachers, Cruv knew NYC, too, was a home-away-from-home.  Over the long weekend, Cruv nibbled on a Patisserie Claude’s croissant, a Pastrami Queen sandwich, Dipalo cheese, and Applewood grits.  We saw many friends and Cruv’s New York doctor.  We visited Cousin Oren and family in their awesome Brooklyn duplex.  But the travel and action gave Cruv a runny nose.  So he rested and played at Earlwoode, with its redone third floor–puppet filled nursery (including panda’s twin), play nook, baby bath, and more.

At the airport, Cruv was sad to part with his Imama and Abu (Cruv’s been through enough airports to know what they mean).

But Terminal 5 needed to be explored, some tapas needed eating, and vacation, unfortunately, needed to end.

Where the Ocean Meets the Shore
Warmer by thirty degrees, we wasted little time to revisit one of the reasons we moved to San Francisco–It’s beautiful.  At the beach, as Cruv walked along–his tiny feet barely impressed the wet shore–he grabbed at smooth stones and sand dollars.

He reminded his parents that vacation is only as far as Cruv’s wide-eyed wonder.