Family BBQ in Tarrytown

We had a family BBQ -- something this family rarely if ever does -- at Cousin Debra, Kenny, Drew, Nina and Cole's lovely house in Tarrytown, NY, about 45 minutes drive up wooded and rolling-hilled Westchester. Erik, Kim and Mai-Ling from Boston attended, as did Uncle Paul and Aunt Rochelle and Mom/Dad. There was excellent BBQ (plus ridiculous margaritas) and a thrilling ping pong tournament (I crushed Shana, my mom and Aunt Rochelle to face off with Kenny in the finals and won a close one).

Nate, meanwhile, had a tough time of it. We forgot to change his diaper before the trip up from Brooklyn, so when we arrived in Tarrytown, he was soaked through. We didn't have a change of clothes and he didn't nap, so he was mostly a wreck. Mai-Ling, however, was dry and well-rested. Anyway, despite the distance between them, I am hopeful Nate and Mai-Ling become good friends.

Nate managed a few good moments. He played catch with Cole:

He played with Cole's old matchbook cars with Mai-Ling:

And he posed for a family picture:

19 months old

Nate is about 19 months old now. Most of his teeth are in. After an epic resistance, he's walking around some, getting the hang of balance and understanding what his legs can and can't do. Nate seems to understand more than he can actually say. He knows the following words: Mama, Dada, Nana, Rampa (Grandpa), Simmee (Simma), O-ah (Opa), Book (Brook), Aheee (Avi), Sadie, Mae, Marmo (Margot and/or Elmo), chee ("cheese"), sky, door, light, and of course, hi and bye-bye. In an odd twist, he says "Bye Dave" (first said when saying goodbye to my tennis buddy Dave), when he says goodbye to anyone.

Nate has become a bit more easy going these days too. He's easier to change and dress, though admittedly more difficult to feed (he's in a finicky stage with food). He's still attached to his ba-ba (bottle), but only needs his pacifier to sleep. Both of those battles loom like a mountain range.

With the warm weather finally arriving and Nate walking and acting more easy-going, the family finds itself on a good run. Here's Nate at my parent's house playing with a mop bucket.

Nate Falls

With walking, comes falling.

Nate Walks

Nate walked this morning. Not just a few steps either -- which he did over the weekend with Ron, Simma, Shana and me at Love's Folly -- we're talking walking down the hall and into rooms, his hands up by his elbows, his wrists bent like a drunk and his legs wobbling unsteadily and bird-like. Remember, he's 18 and 1/2 months old. To put this in context, some kids walk at a year or even 10 months. I know that at my first year birthday party, there is film of me running. For whatever reason, Nate was never interested in getting on his two feet. There were theories: the physical trainer-woman Jackie ruined him, or his crab-crawl got him where he wanted to go, or he was overly cautious, or he was simply resistant to what we urged him to do. It all seems rather goofy now. Of course he was going to walk. And with this, Nate grows up a little. Next up: diving to catch a ground ball up the middle, hopping up on his two feet, pivoting, and throwing that ball on a line to first base...

Daddy Dancing Ska

On this night, after Shana and I met our friends Marc, Aimee, Stephanie and Doug at Roberta's Restaurant in Bushwick, Marc had a ska gig nearby in an apartment which was illegally converted into an underground music venue. Shana went home to relieve the baby sitter, while I had some more drinks and danced to wicked ska in the front of the stage. I found out later that the whole thing is on video; there I am in the front, my ska moves on full display, just another Bushwick hipster tired of yuppies and corporate greed. When Nate sees this one day, he will be horrified, but he should be proud!

Nate with Nana

Nate spent the weekend with Nana and Grandpa in Huntington, as Shana and I took a little weekend getaway to Woodstock (gig with Bro Jo at the Bearsville Theater). Nate was in good hands. Before I left, me and my mom took Nate to Heckscher State Park in Huntington. It's got a lot of goose poop, but it's a cute park with lots of stuff for toddlers to look at and play with. Here's my mom holding Nate as he sits on a rocking horsy...

Nate and Mama

Nate and Shana hanging out in the bedroom.