We finally got some real quality time with Elvis Bulan Pollock Chien (phew - his name is like a tongue twister), and yeah, his parents were there too…
It’s really heart warming, in that cheesy pink fluffy way, to watch our friends join the parenting circle, the club, as Peter would say. Yes, they now own a lot of primary colored plastic shit and can never find where they put the pacifier!
Bulan is a sweet,smiley and easy kid….he let neko bite and push him (yeah, she’s still doing that), he let each of us hold him without a fuss, he ate more than any adult and he put every single toy in his mouth. Neko chased him and tried desperately to get him to walk, pulling by his arms saying ‘up baby up’. And although she confused Justin with Franck, was somewhat intimidated by Doggy FeeFee (saying ok to herself each time she barked to get hold of her fears), she knows that Nyna is baby evis’s ama and she loves all of them already.
And as for me, I am incredibly touched by this new family, by their warmth, sweetness and natural ability just to be….here’s to sharing this together!
We went to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum (yes, again and no, we are not honorary members) Sunday with Evis (Elvis) and Nyna (Nina=Evis Ama)….it was my first bus ride with neko, a seasoned ‘autbus’ traveler, and although I succumbed to the ‘ephant song’ on the iPhone (it’s got an addictive tune), it went rather smoothly…(not like the mad dash to her cousin’s second pizza themed bday party - more on that later)
Neko ran up and down and back and forth most of the time, leaving me to chase her and lose nina at least 28 times….she tried to talk to the giant furry spider: commanding it to walk or expressing worry as she crawled away from her perch on the rock: ‘oh no fall’….yeah, the lady spider probably didn’t like me hitting the glass despite notices not to do so (i totally thought she was fake)….
Neko did rest momentarily, lounging in the sea weed cave by the fish tank calling out the ‘otpus’ jellyfish or pointing at the big big sea porcupines…she then played with fine blue sand and showed bulan how to climb over the pit….
Neko and elvis had a great time, as did the somewhat tired mamas….
Lately neko has been exhibiting some serious leaps into toddler hood behavior.
I know I know, she is totally normal and every child at 22.2 months likes to do these things, but I am truly amazed at how much fun she is having and how into it she is….by ‘it’ i mean playing and all the other things 22 months old do for a living.
For example, bath time, no longer do we have a wet dolphin desperately trying not to get in the tub and then once in, refusing to get out. We now have a mermaid among us that can gracefully climb into the tub (except the few times she fell in forehead first), swims both the back crawl and the frog splash, and likes to come out and be dried off (gasp):
Right now she is really into her babies (her freaky bald baby dolls that can pee): Baby Shoshi and Lisa, who need to be fed, bathed, pooped and cannot lose their hats ever:
She also likes to build and destroy legos, magnetic tiles, mr. potato heads and even some funky snowmen:
Oh, and dress up:
But most of all she loves commanding (she says peeease though) peter to build her a bait (a house) out of sheets, blankets and hiding in it (behind sofa or in crib is best). Often we are asked to join her in the cardboard one, where she serves us pretend cookies but no drinks. It’s cramped and dark, but it’s definitely bigger than my first apartment:
This post is a little late…still playing catch up (when will I ever really catch up, eh?)…..
In the tradition of spending the new year’s with our friends, eating and drinking, we hosted the bestest friends at home, and this time everyone came with their kids. Neko played well, well, well enough and actually went to sleep in a room filled with two other sweet kids…is she ready for sleep overs?
I had such a nice time (I kept saying I didn’t have a drink and somehow in the mix i got totally drunk) that I forgot to document the moment, so the pics below attest the very beginning of the evening and the very end of the night (note blurry and silly head lights):
Wishing us all a year as fun and smooth and blurry visioned as our evening!
The family obsession with Adidas is now totally official - not only does Peter own every Samba and Shell Toes in special editions released in the last 10 years (yes, our closet is over flowing), but my mom owns every stella gym outfit available on sale in the world (and she actually looks chic in them).
Neko has always had a few pairs of kicks herself, but most importantly, she now owns a matching track suit to her savta’s…check out the adorable two:
It has taken a long time for Peter to edit, cut and paste, and choose the appropriate music to this compilation video showing some highlights from our trip to Israel in September.
He must be stoned:
(let it load some, turn up your speakers and enjoy!)
