Halloween

Nate was a fairly grumpy but cute Kermit the Frog for halloween (he was sick and tired.) We walked around Williamsburg for awhile but the annual Witches Walk was pretty meager this year and it was cold out so we headed to the Brooklyn Winery, where Nate angrily scooted around the sandy floor, quickly turning himself into Bad Kermit--a mean and dirty version of the friendly frog. Roger and Josh met us there and then we headed to Stephanie and Matt's where all tour neighbor friends with kids were watching movies, drinking wine and eating pizza. After about 10 minutes, Bad Kermit had a major tantrum and we took him back upstairs to bed.

Music Class

I've been meaning to post about Nate's music class, which he has been taking for two semesters now with Audra Rox up at Mini Jake. A bunch of kids (most a bit older than Nate) gather in a circle with their moms/nannies and sing songs, dance, play with instruments and scarfs for about 40 minutes every Friday. Nate loves it and is usually the first person in the center of the circle, usually before the class even starts, flapping his arms excitedly or scooting over the other kids and their moms and smiling up at them. Here's a little video of the Nate Dancer....

Nate on Long Island

We went to my parent's place on Long Island for the night and Nate got some great love and attention from the grandpa, nanna and emma. (OK fine, Shana and I also got to check out the new Woody Allen movie at the Arts Cinema on Sunday afternoon). Nate is kind of crab crawling around at this point, which made for much laughter at his expense. It's thrilling to see your boy with your parents -- and in-laws too -- in a way I didn't much appreciate. These are the most important people in the world to you, and there they are, loving each other, having their own relationship, giggling into each other's faces. Nate might not fully appreciate it yet, but he's a lucky grandson to have these 4 grandparents.

Shanate

I love this picture.

Hiking in Sheffield, MA

We went to Sheffield, MA to hang with Doug and Carrie in their lovely and comfy mountain vacation home. We were to go hiking and so were compelled to buy a bad ass hiking backpack in which Nate would sit. Being an urban Brooklyn boy, he hasn't really encountered much nature, which is kind of weird I guess. In the forrest -- a side trail leading to the Appalachian Trial -- there was much for Nate to gawk at. He made lots of high pitched noises and squealed with delight as we walked the slow incline up up up (and then down down down) . He held onto a stick for a while. He touched the bark of trees and smiled. Then, obviously beat from the arduous hiking, Nate got cranky. We took him down and like any hiker, drank a bottle while resting under a tree. Invigorated, Nate chatted and made noises for the remainder of the hike.

Back at the house, Nate gimped along on the lawn, rolling a little on the slope. He giggled with Doug and danced with Carrie. After a meltdown of biblical proportions -- we kept him up an hour later than his bedtime -- Nate slept on the car ride back to NYC. I think he enjoyed the outdoors...

Berkshire backyard

Nate in a Box

Nate is on the move these days. It's not a crawl so much as a gimpy lurch, a lunging scoot. It's good to see him more or less mobile. We weren't that worried that he wasn't crawling, it's just that we were worried he wasn't crawling. But as new parents, I think we handled it pretty well. We didn't panic. Sure we took the free help from NYC's early intervention program, but what was the downside in that? We didn't take him to an orthopedic specialist. We didn't take him to Canada or Finland to discuss options with some international guru. We encouraged and urged Nate on, but we didn't torture him, much to the chagrin of NYC's early intervention person. Anyway, now that Nate can move, he's getting into things and carrying on with great spirit. Plus, now that he's mobile, it's fun to put him in a box to see if he can escape. So far, he can't, like in this picture.

Of note at 1 year and a few weeks...

• Nate is extremely chatty, like, to the point that he doesn't shut up. KIRCHA KIRCHA KOW!!
  
• He absolutely HATES being changed. Every time. He bawls with hurt and you have to distract him with a song or a toy that sings.
  
• We've said "no" to Nate a few times, mostly when he throws something from his food tray. "No," we say sternly. He makes eye contact. He feels bad. His face contorts in sorrow and his bottom lip shakes until he bursts out in tears.
• Nate dances when he hears music. He waves his arms as if he's surfing. This kid will enjoy music, that's for sure.
  
• He laughs with glee if you bite his chest or belly. He's ticklish and laughs with abandonment.
• He's a great sleeper. He goes to bed at about 7-7:30, usually with little fuss. He wakes up at about 6:30-7.
• He's listening to "Oh Susana" in his crib over and over and over again.