Des always down to jam with the singing rabbit great-grandma Jan got him. Yeehaw!
Always something new to play with in the tub
Tag Archives: Video
Anniversary
The era of LEGOs has begun
After jamming with dad, Desmond takes a drum solo
Des stays overnight with ma and pa while mom and dad celebrate their third anniversary
They say it’s your birthday
Year One
desmond, i’ve been meditating all day on what it feels like for you to turn one. as my mind wanders, there’s just a distilled stream of moments and dynamics.
this morning a year ago, i walked out to the car to quickly change shirts (we’d been at the hospital for a few days) before your mother went into labor. in the dark, there was both quiet peace and the intensity of hundreds or thousands of birds squawking away in the trees. after you were born, and the room settled to darkness again as your mother slept, it was just you and me. there was both elated peace of holding you and the first learning of how to soothe your cries.
in the years to come, we’ll be soft, we’ll be loud, we’ll be:
“i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere i go you go, my dear;and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling)” –e.e. cummings
One year ago today, this joyful, curious, active, determined creature came bursting into our lives. If it’s possible, we love him more & more every day.
Just the four of us in Elmwood park for a picnic and birthday cupcake.
Long Island
The trip to New York started out a bit groggy. Des did not sleep very well the night before and had not yet had a nap when dad picked him up at daycare for lunch. Result: the first instance of Des eating while sleeping. Bags were quickly loaded though and it was off to the airport.
Des really seemed to enjoy looking out the window with dad during takeoff and inflight.
After several delays to an already long layover in Chicago, the connecting flight was finally in the air. Des was a champ with all the travel, with each leg coinciding with nap time or bed time. He didn’t even flinch during the rough landing into LaGuardia.
Our friend Katie graciously picked us up at the airport and we were soon off to their new house in Huntington Station. Des slept as the rest of us stayed up late and caught up.
The next morning we took a leisurely stroll to a neighborhood bakery for the first of many bagels on our trip. Later in the afternoon, we drove up with some of Katie & Stephen’s friends to Northport.
Des decides that “head first” is the new preferred technique for slides.
All smiles for his Sunday morning bagel
Des and dad getting some fresh air in the front yard
It was humbling to see Katie’s theatrical training allow her to whiz through Dr. Seuss’ tounge-tying Fox in Sox with nary a stumble. Mom and dad are still practicing.
Later in the afternoon everyone hiked up to Jayne’s Hill, the tallest point on Long Island. The poem Paumanok by Walt Whitman is inscribed on a boulder marking the peak. Des napped in his carrier with his hat shading him a la Indiana Jones.
A pit stop at the park on the way back to the house for Adelaide to run off some energy
Back in January or February, Des really didn’t like getting into his carseat. Of many random songs dad sung to soothe him, Day-O somehow struck a calming chord. One of the daily rituals has now been singing Day-O while leaving the house in the morning. Dad pulled it out for bedtime tonight, featuring Katie:
The next morning we were up early and joining Katie on her commute into the city. Des was fascinated with the Long Island Rail Road. At Atlantic Terminal, we transferred to the subway for Brooklyn, Katie continued on into Manhattan.
Happiness is a pile of leaves
As dad was finishing up mowing and clearing the garden, Des came out to help with the last bit of raking. He crawled over, sat down, and almost instinctively began moving the leaves about.
Over the past few weeks, Des has come to loathe having his face washed. Sorry kid, no Pig-Pens in this house. Poor little man.
September 19th, 2015
While mom is at yoga, the boys go for a walk. Only one of us falls asleep.
Des getting better at the whole down the stairs play…
Lemon out!
Oysters and (first) crayons, that’s just how Team Llama rolls on Friday nights.
No one recalls the first instance, but at some point, Des picked a lemon off a restaurant table and ate it (well, chewed on it for an extended duration). Not one sign of distress or bitterness. Since then, he has had a number of lemon wedges over the months. Tonight began like most lemon encounters- first lemon, chewed it until only the rind remained. Second lemon, conquered with nary a wince. The third lemon, well, finally…
It was the memory of a goldfish- chomp chomp, bitter face, three-count, repeat. Over and over…