El Nino's Big Adventure

El's mom LOVES Harry Potter. Mom read all the books over the last few years without ever purchasing them. Then El came along and she thought we better own them in the event that el will have an interest in reading them with her (or without her) when he's a bit older. So in anticipation of the 7th and final book being published this summer, mom set a goal of re-reading the previous six books as a prelude to the final chapter. We are happy to report she accomplished that goal. Now she is immersed in the final book, The Deathly Hallows, and as a consequence really has nothing new to report on el. We love him dearly - he's being fed, bathed, and played with, (and kissed and hugged) but he does have a little competition right now from Harry Potter. The last book is awesome!

We spent a couple hours on Saturday in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We love the new Greek and Roman galleries. Lots of light which seems to attract el. We also love the roof garden! Frankly just cruising through the museum is a joy. It is so beautiful. And to go for an hour or two is a real treat.


This was el's fourth trip to the Met. The first time he promptly fell asleep.

I had planned this weekend for months. Grandma and dad agreed to give mommy some much needed time to herself. A friend, Auntie J, offered me her apartment while she travels in China and Tibet. She only asked that I water her "plant friends" as she calls them. So after putting el to bed on Friday night, mom was off for her weekend of rest. And boy, did I rest! After waking up on Saturday morning, I took a two hour nap. After lunch and a little leisure reading, I took a three hour nap. And then I still went to bed at 10 o'clock that night. How's that for sleep deprivation? And I thought we (el and I) were doing quite well with our sleep routine. But I guess you can always get more rest.

I returned home Sunday afternoon to find daug, el nino, and dad asleep in the bedroom and grandma quietly reading in the living room. It looked like everybody but me had an exhausting weekend. And as I suspected, my son is an excellent example of living in the present and had absolutely no problem with mommy being gone for two days. But also, not unexpectably, we were both very pleased to be in each other's company again.

We just met Baby Boy B yesterday who was born March 1, 2007. He is a delightful little boy who loves to be held. El's mommy was more than happy to oblige. And Big Sister G was on hand to entertain as well. El really enjoyed playing with G. He followed her around and even began climbing the stairs after her, his first experience with stairs. He did very well. Our friends just moved into their first house in NJ, and we are so happy for them. The children have their own rooms and a back yard.

Our friends, M & K with baby girl A born October 1, 2006 just informed us they are doing great in Los Angeles, and A has begun to walk! They moved about two weeks ago and have a lovely apartment in Hollywood. Just before they left they visited with us. A & El had a grand time playing with one another, sharing toys, and touching each other's faces. A was standing so well on her own that we aren't surprised she has progressed to walking. Congratulations to our dear friends. We miss you.

We saw our third baby friend a couple of weekends ago at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Baby girl E was El's neighbor in the NIC Unit. She was born a week after el, stayed in the hospital 3 weeks just as el did, and was born the same size as el. She is doing beautifully too and was a little cuddle bear. It was delightful to see her again and to see how she is thriving.

El's grandma comes for a visit this week. He is looking forward to showing off for her and basking in her admiration.

We have had our daug, J, for 12 years. She has ruled the roost for quite some time now. She has adjusted well to el nino and only occasionally goes after his toys. But last week el decided he wanted her toys instead. The well chewed stuffed animal was easily dismissed, but our daug's ball was another matter. It was much more difficult to distract el from this cherished toy. And after many attempts we finally let him have it. However, on Saturday J decided to take it back.

El was sitting in the hall playing with the ball, stuffing it in his mouth. J trotted toward him, distracting el from the ball because her fur was much more delightful to touch, then J grabbed the ball back from him. After a few seconds pause, probably realizing what had just happened, el bounded after J in an effort to retreive the ball again. Dad and Mom still chuckle thinking about it. Very cute.