Author: Reedu

SCHOOL

For 1st grade you had a teacher named Ms. Melissa. I don’t have a very high opinion of the quality of your education last year. Then a global pandemic that inspired overnight homeschooling, brought a lot to light. But I digress.

First day of 1st

By the fall it was clear you were struggling with reading. Thanks to a family friend we were connected to a grade school teacher who is also a literacy specialist and she became your tutor. Your shyness coupled with your disinterest in reading did not always make for the smoothest of sessions, but I will jump ahead and say that the six or so months that you worked with Maddy completely paid off.

Below is an example of a Friday spelling test pre-Maddy versus a Friday spelling test when working with Maddy on a weekly basis.

Oct. vs Jan.

HALLOWEEN

For Halloween you were a black kitty cat and I also joined you in the feline category. Not entirely sure what I was, maybe a female Fred Flinstone? I found the outfit in a secondhand store mere hours before we set out trick or treating. And that we did!

We stormed the neighborhood in search of candy and chaos with your brother, his bestie Max (they were a pair of killer clowns,) Max’s dad Mike and then daddy met us later on that night after work.

ELLA

The day before Halloween daddy and I came to terms with the fact that it was time to let Ella go and so we made an appointment for the vet to come to our home on November 1st. It was not an easy decision, especially because there was not one obvious thing harming her, but Ella’s quality of life had dwindled exponentially since summer and it was clear she was suffering.

I’m not entirely positive what went through your brain when it all went down — daddy, Mylo and I balled our eyes out — and you played it cool. You were observant and concerned but not overly upset like we were. And then you made a comment about how you had never seen adults cry before. I was probably about your age the first time I heard my dad cry.

XMAS & NEW YEAR’S

We hosted our annual Christmas Eve party and Santa, (aka Ashley our neighbor,) came over and handed out gifts to all the children. You were extremely excited about your slime kit!

A couple of days after we went out to Northport to spend the Xmas break with your cousins who were in town from Singapore. You guys played and created and role played every single day. We saw movies and went out to dinners and made our annual trip to “the mall.” And you indulged heavily in your most favorite past time – you made a ton of slime with Diya and Ganga!

FEBRUARY BREAK

Shy as you were in pre-K you made a fast friend in a little boy named Liam. Not really sure what it was exactly, but the two of you just connected. By February though, he moved with his family to upstate New York where they bought a bed and breakfast. We always said we would go visit them and after two years, we finally did.

Their place, Vanderbilt Lakeside, is just beautiful. The grounds, the rooms, the restaurant, all of it. Despite one brief reunion when you and Liam were in Kindergarten, you haven’t seen one another and you have understandably grown. While you did play and connect, Liam was more interested in your brother and you took delight in his adorable little sister Ruby.

We went hiking, pet some animals at a nearby farm and you played at Liam and Ruby’s house with a babysitter as daddy and I enjoyed a dinner in their parents’ private restaurant.

Bish Bash Falls

MARCH

After the holidays there was buzz about a virus that popped up in China. We didn’t know much. And nothing much was really being said about it either. But by March it was in New York City and things got weird, fast. Socially distant, six feet apart and face masks would become our new normal. In the middle of March schools shut down overnight and our lives changed forever.

COVID

An entire blog post can be written about the early days, weeks and months of the Corona virus pandemic and the lockdown that ensued, but I will do my best to sum up what it was like for us here. It was strange and hard, especially the homeschooling part. Schools closed with little to no warning, as did all extra curricular activities. Your dance class went from being performed in a studio to being performed solo on an iPad in our living room.

You loved homeschool but mostly I think you just loved being home. As for how homeschool went for your first grade class, it was an absolute joke. It seemed your teacher had checked out — perhaps even before Covid hit! Your daily Zoom meetings were not only not educational but they were unproductive, too. So I opted you out of them. We would answer the “question of the day” which counted as attendance, and kept up with the daily slides. But it became painfully apparent to us how much you didn’t know. How much you lacked. And I can’t help but think you got overlooked in school. You are not a “know it all” and yet you don’t make any trouble, either. It’s clear that you are the type of student who could easily slip through the cracks, and did at ps261.

On top of being locked down and homeschool being a nightmare, in June there was the death of George Floyd and all the protests, vandalism, curfews and racial tensions that followed.

But there were lots of beautiful moments, too. A few days into school being shutdown you recalled the snails and sea monkeys in your classroom. You pleaded with daddy to take you to the school to get them out. He then had to negotiate with security to be let into the building, and the next thing you know, we were the proud owners of a couple of dozen mollusks!

We shared countless lunches and dinners on our deck as spring began to unfold. When it is cold on the street it is perfectly warm on our deck, thanks to direct, blazing sunlight. We watched so many movies including all the DC and Marvel ones, and many TV shows such as “Anne with an E” and “Raven’s Home.” We drove places that normally would take 1-2 hours to get to, in just half the time because no one was on the road. We learned how to Zoom and we FaceTimed frequently with the GP’s.

You and your brother discovered our fire escape and you guys would hang out on it and take in the protests and all the happenings on the streets.

We did the 7pm cheer almost every single night to celebrate and give thanks to all the essential workers. And because we had our apartment building to ourselves, we would hang out on our neighbor’s roof where we watched the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds roar through the sky at lightning-fast speeds.

And most notably, during the pandemic, we adopted a new dog… Stormy.

STORMY

We had been fostering dogs pretty consistently since the new year. There was May, Lyla, Roxie and then Stormy. All got great homes and the last one, Stormy, got ours. She came to us from the Manhattan shelter of NYCACC after I saw a volunteer post her photo. As her story goes, her person, a young man who fell on hard times, could no longer care for her and relinquished her to the shelter. After filling out the necessary paperwork, he went to see her in her cage and spoke softly to her as she whimpered and cried back. According to the volunteer, it was heartbreaking. I told my rescue partner Michele to pull her and bring her to us.

Stormy came to us on March 29th, when we were in the throes of the pandemic. She arrived tired, scared and with open sores all over her body. She had allergies and suffered from dermatitis and a double ear infection. Stormy slept like a log that first day. We played around with different names, but in the end, we decided to keep the one thing Stormy could have from her past. Her name.

SUMMER
On June 26th school ended and we celebrated with a day at the ocean with friends. Immediately after we kicked off a summer that was so drastically different than any other because no camps were in sessions. We divided almost all our time between the beaches in Northport and the lake in Connecticut with friends and grandparents.

The most notable thing that happened over the summer is that you learned to swim! It was inevitable given the amount of time we spent at the beach and lake and I couldn’t be more proud, (and relieved!)

CAPE COD

We pulled the trigger on our annual Cape trip the first day of the lockdown in NYC and thank heavens we did! After a long stretch of being homebound and not having the social life we are accustomed to, a vacation in a familiar place was just what we needed! Similar to previous years, we took the trip with three other families, all of whom have boys.

It was so important to me that you not be the only girl this time so we invited your best friend to come with us. Sevilla is the middle child of five. Her parents are lovely but have their hands full and were always game to give us as much access to their daughter as we liked, so we knew it could work. And credit goes to them for making it work! Sevilla’s family was in the throes of moving from Brooklyn to Minnesota the entire month of August. They moved a day after we returned from the Cape. 

Having Sevilla on our family vacay was perfect. After the first two nights of battling homesickness, it was pretty much smooth sailing. You had a blast with Sevilla and we truly enjoyed having her as our own. Sevilla is quite mature for her age and has already flown alone so let’s hope that barring Covid, her parents will send her back to NY each summer and you can return to the Cape together!

2nd GRADE

Class assignments at ps261 came out late this year and the first day of school was actually after your birthday, which is quite unusual. But then again Covid has made EVERYTHING unusual! Your teacher is Miriam Figueroa but with schools going back at just 30% we knew we needed to supplement on the days you were to supposed to be doing remote learning. If we didn’t, we risked you being behind yet another year. That’s when we learned about pod schools. At the last minute we enrolled in an independent school in Carroll Gardens that was formerly a children’s play space. It was called BrookLearn.

1st day outside BrookLearn

BIRTHDAY

Birthdays aren’t much fun during Covid, but we did the best we could. We kept you home from your pod school and you celebrated with donuts later that day in the park along with a few friends and a babysitter. For dinner we got takeout from your favorite restaurant, Kyoto Sushi. You ordered your favorite: udon stir fry noodles with broccoli and pineapple chunks for dessert.

Your favorite thing to eat is fruit and your favorite thing to play with is baby dolls. You’re incredibly savvy with dogs, you love to cuddle up and zone out on your iPad and you still adore your brother, despite the fact that he is not always the kindest to you. But we are working on that! Oh and you STILL bite your straws, which is annoying because you always drink from my glass and it means you are therefore biting MY straws! Doesn’t matter. I love you always my Schmorgie. Happy Birthday!

On your 7th birthday!

SUMMER 2019

At the end of the summer, we went to Cape Cod with three other families. We had a wonderful time but it was also a lot, with six boys and just one girl (your sister). We tend to vacation with families who only have boys and that hasn’t always been fair to your sister. After this trip, we vowed to never put her through that again.

4th GRADE

School began shortly after Labor Day and you (along with your best friend Max) were put into your first ICT class at 261 on recommendation of your 3rd grade teacher. Not because you have an IEP, but because she felt your temperament could help level the playing field in an ICT class. She also felt that in a class “that has so much going on” it was good for you guys to have each other. Your 4th grade teachers names were Stacy and Nadya, and after just a few months, I could safely say they felt differently. Their nicknames for you and Max were Tango & Cash.

HALLOWEEN

You and Max dressed up as a couple of killer clowns and you guys got loads of attention and compliments all night long. One of your favorite days of the year was a total success!

ELLA

When putting a beloved pet to sleep it is not always so transparent, and that was surely the case for Ella. There’s no denying she went downhill during her last year with us, and yet there was never that perfect sign that it was time. We finally decided to say good-bye the last week of October and made the appointment for Friday, November 1st. We didn’t want to drag it out for her any longer, but we also wanted you to have a normal Halloween. And if we could help it, we also wanted you to not miss school.

Putting Ella down was downright sad. The vet gave her a sedative that we were told would make her super sleepy moments later. Immediately after the injection, Ella took off down our hallway for our bedroom where she plopped down on her bed. As promised, she fell fast asleep. The four of us, the vet and her assistant were huddled over Ella as the drug that would put her to sleep forever, was administered. I’ll never forget how much we cried and how in awe I was of you, for being a part of it, for allowing us the gift of saying good-bye this way, at home. Because it’s a lot. It’s a lot for an adult, so I could only imagine how it must have been for you. Your first friend. Your first word, “EH-WAH.”

That night we drove with Ella’s body out to Sidi and Ganga’s house in Northport, where you, daddy and Sidi dug a big hole in the backyard, and we laid her to rest wrapped in a blanket. It was cold out yet the air was heavy with grief. There was something so primal about the experience and I’ll never forget just how willing and helpful you were.

A couple of weeks later we would have a gathering at home for Ella with our closest friends and neighbors. You asked me about the appropriateness of going off to play video games after you greeted our guests and hung out with us for a while. It was just one of many moments that made me admire your maturity and growth last year.

XMAS & NEW YEAR’S

We hosted our annual Christmas Eve party and Santa, (aka Ashley our neighbor,) came over and handed out gifts to all the children. A couple of days after we went out to Northport to spend the Xmas break with your cousins who were in town from Singapore. You guys played and created and role played every single day. We saw movies and went out to dinners and made our annual trip to “the mall.” Being a city boy, you are slightly fascinated by malls!

MARCH

After the holidays there was buzz about a virus that popped up in China. We didn’t know much. And nothing much was really being said about it either. But by March it was in New York City and things got weird, fast. Socially distant, six feet apart and face masks would become our new normal. In the middle of March schools shut down overnight and our lives changed forever.

COVID

An entire blog post can be written about the early days, weeks and months of the Corona virus pandemic and the lockdown that ensued, but I will do my best to sum up what it was like for us here. It was strange and hard, especially the homeschooling part. Pretty early on, one of my closest childhood friends lost her father to the virus. Soccer and all other extra curricular activities went from being performed outside in groups to being performed solo on an iPad in tiny NYC apartments.

You would finish homeschool each day and take up playing Fortnite in our living room. At first it was fine. We allowed it because it was literally the only way you could interact with your friends. But it eventually became problematic. Fortnite’s addictive nature has been likened to the addictive nature of some drugs and I can certainly see why. After playing it for a while, you would become defiant, angry and impossible to parent.

Then in June there was the death of George Floyd and all the protests, vandalism, curfews and racial tensions that followed. It was some dark times; for us, for the country and just for human kind in general.

But there were lots of beautiful moments, too. We shared dozens of lunches and dinners on our deck as spring began to unfold. When it is cold on the street it is perfectly warm on our deck, thanks to direct, southern sunlight. We watched so many movies including all the DC and Marvel ones, and many TV shows such as “Anne with an E” and “Raven’s Home.” We drove places that normally would take 1-2 hours to get to, in just half the time because no one was on the road. We learned how to Zoom and we FaceTimed frequently with the GP’s.

You discovered our fire escape and would hang out on it with your sister to take in the protests and all the happenings on the streets. We did the 7pm cheer almost every single night to celebrate and give thanks to all the essential workers. We had our building to ourselves and would hang out on our neighbor’s roof where we watched the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds roar through the sky at lightning-fast speeds and afterwards, you decided you’d grow up to fly fighter jets. Most notably, during the pandemic, we adopted a new dog… Stormy.

STORMY

We had been fostering dogs pretty consistently since the new year. There was May, Lyla, Roxie and then Stormy. All got great homes and the last one, Stormy, got ours. She came to us from the Manhattan shelter of NYCACC after I saw a volunteer post her photo. As her story goes, her person, a young man who fell on hard times, could no longer care for her and relinquished her to the shelter. After filling out the necessary paperwork, he went to see her in her cage and spoke softly to her as she whimpered and cried back. According to the volunteer, it was heartbreaking. I told Michele (my rescue partner) to pull her and bring her to Brooklyn.

Stormy came to us on March 29th, when we were in the throes of the pandemic. She arrived tired, scared and with open sores all over her body. She had allergies and suffered from dermatitis and a double ear infection. Stormy slept like a log that first day. We played around with different names, but in the end, we decided to keep the one thing Stormy could have from her past. Her name.

SUMMER 2020

On June 26th school ended and we celebrated with a day at the ocean with friends. Immediately after we kicked off a summer that was so drastically different than any other, dividing almost all our time between the beaches in Northport and the lake in Connecticut with grandparents. We laid out one rule: you could not bring your Nintendo Switch. We didn’t want to subject the GP’s to how you get when playing Fortnite. And because you won’t play the game on anything but your Switch, an unintentional but much-needed withdrawal and detox from Fortnite began. (More on this in next year’s post.)

BIRTHDAY

We spent a total of 3 1/2 weeks in Brooklyn over the summer — one of those days was your birthday. We made it a point for you to wake up on your 10th birthday in your bed, in your room. We spent Sunday, August 9th at the ocean with your closest friends and their families. As the day was coming to an end, I had a brief moment with you in which I was pulling your long, sea-drenched curly hair back into a bun and you said, “thank you mommy, today has been epic. I forgot how everything is about you on your birthday and it’s awesome!!”

You’re awesome, Mylo, my buddinsk. Happiest of birthdays to you!

For Kindergarten you had Mr. David (who Mylo also had) along with co-teacher, Ms. Megan. We later found out that Ms. Yvonne (your pre-K teacher), not only recommended that you have the same Kindergarten teacher Mylo did for familiarity-sakes, but there was another reason. She felt two teachers would be better than one because it would help you socially. And it did.

You have always been on your own schedule and with talking, especially to people you do not know, this couldn’t be more true. It’s always been something I’ve tried to respect but also kind of struggle with. Because at a certain point, it can appear as rude when an adult addresses you and you don’t answer back. Or you make yourself small so as not to attract or elicit attention in the first place. This was very much the case in pre-K, but in Kindergarten there was definitely a shift.

Shortly into the school year, you cut several inches off your hair. You were all for chopping your hair, but I don’t know how excited you were about the change. I was though! Drastically cutting my hair was something I wished I could have done when I was a kid, only my curly hair never allowed it (and still doesn’t).

We took our annual apple-picking trip in the fall at our usual orchard in Connecticut. It was another hot day, but luckily this time you did not shed any clothing!

For the Character Parade your class dressed up as fish from the Rainbow Fish book.

For Halloween you were a mermaid and your brother, a robber zombie.

This photo was the first school sibling pic you guys took together. I wasn’t volunteering on sibling day but a friend had sent this to me and I remember it literally stopping me in my tracks.

Kindergarten & 3rd

Even though you weren’t the most social kid in class, you made strong friendships in Kindergarten with two little girls, Daphne and Mina. And though you didn’t take to reading when you were 5 years old, you were extremely strong in art and your teachers always made it a point to let us know that. Even when we were invited to participate in making gingerbread houses  during the holidays, everyone was blown away with your house. Most of the kids houses were dilapidated, falling apart or barren because they were too busy eating the candy. But there you were, studiously building a masterpiece.

On Christmas Eve we had our annual Santa party. Your cousins came for the first time, which was a nice treat for you seeing as how the majority of the kids who come tend to always be your brother’s friends.

One of the things you got for Christmas was a huge cardboard house from your grandparents. You can literally sit in it and color and it passes the time so well. Of course it’s perfect for Goomah’s house, given all the space they have and that we do not.

We rang in the New Year with our CT friends and neighbors, Evelyn included. I can’t recall why she wasn’t happy in this pic, but at least you were!

One of the field trips you took with your class was to Two Boots Pizzeria in Park Slope. I can’t say it had much of an educational component, but hey, you learned to make pizza and had a lot of fun with your friends that day.

The first few weeks of of February at your school are what I call “stress-ville.” There’s the book fair, followed by the post office, 100 days of school and finally, pajama day. As a parent, it’s just a lot to remember on top of everything else we have on our plate. As a kid, I’ve learned through you and your brother, these items in our calendar are not just fun, but important.

When Mylo was in Kindergarten we did a project for his 100th day of school that entailed printing and cutting 100 photos of rescue dogs from my animal rescue. By the 5th or 6th cut, I had lost him and the rest of the dogs — all the cutting, pasting and aligning — fell on me. I knew exactly what was going to happen when I committed to doing the same for your 100 days, yet I took it on anyway. I had to. Not only was it fair to you, but I like to give rescue dogs all the exposure they can get. But unlike your brother, you were SO into the cutting that I eventually had to fire you because your 5 year old cutting skills meant you were cutting into dogs’ faces. You happily took up pasting and then drove me crazy with the placement, but in the end, it looked amazing.

100 RESCUE DOGS!

Winters are always tough. When you weren’t on your iPad, you passed time by playing with your dolls or dressing up. Sometimes you even dressed me up!

You haven’t quite mastered the monkey bars yet, but you did learn how to hang upside down. Here you are with your friend Mina being a couple of little monkeys.

Speaking of friends, besides Mina and Daphne you made a fast new friend in Sevilla, who is one of five children. Yes, five! I can’t recall what argument ensued that lead to you making her this drawing, but I thought it was so introspective and kind of you to own up to being wrong and wanting to save the friendship.

Easter is always a good time and is something you and your brother really look forward to. We spend it out in Northport and you get to hunt for eggs not once, but twice! The first go-round is at Sidi and Ganga’s house and later that day with my friends and all their kids at Jackie and John’s house.

Memorial Day weekend we went camping with the O’neils. They have Brixton and Collins (Mylo’s friends, I know) but their mom AJ has always taken great interest in you and is so good about making the boys include you in things. The O’neils are big campers who pretty much had all of the supplies needed to pull off the trip, and it was your daddy who really wanted us to go. Let’s just say I am happy we did it because there’s a very good chance I will never do it again. Among the many things that went wrong? Well for starters, it rained. Every. Single. Day. There was a thundershower at least once each day we were there, but my favorite was the time it rained all night long and I went to bed in a panic about how I would need to step in mud if I needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Or how when you guys woke up in the morning and unzipped the tent, there would be nothing but mud and mosquitoes that awaited you.

I think you really liked camping though, and if it wasn’t for me, you’d probably want to do it again. Oh well. You can do as much camping as you would like when you turn 18. Haha!

This was your first annual Fire Island trip that we take with the Doran’s, O’neils and a few other families. We started this tradition the year before, only I traveled alone with Mylo and you and daddy stayed back. You were (as usual) the only girl among 10 boys on this trip. I don’t know how or why Brooklyn is so boy-heavy, but unfortunately for you, the majority of our close friends all have boys.

But that didn’t stop you from quickly making friends with twin girls down the block whose dad owns a popular bar and restaurant on the island. A little entrepreneur emerged in you that trip as it was your idea to find shells, color them and then sell them to passersby all while playing the banjo! To this day my shell houses all my stud earrings. You really enjoyed the twins and achieved a level of independence you had never had before, going back and forth from house to house. It is the beauty of Fire Island and I was so thankful you experienced it.

The truth is, as the second born, you get dragged to a lot of things that are either for (or about,) your brother. One such example is when Mylo tried out for travel soccer. We had to hustle after school on consecutive Fridays to two different soccer fields. You could have made this difficult, but I have to say, you are a true sport and also great sideline company. Here you are adorably making the best of it at Pier 5 in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

School let out on a Wednesday for you only your cousins arrived from Singapore the week prior so we made your last day of school the Friday before. You then went out to Sidi and Ganga’s house to have some alone time with your cousins while Mylo stayed in Brooklyn to finish out the school year with his class and friends. These are some pictures of you on your last day of school.

With Ms. Megan and Mr. David

With your K besties, Daphne and Mina

We enjoyed a nice stretch of time in Northport with your cousins going to the ocean, to a friend’s pool and the Fireman’s Fair. You adore Diya and had so much fun performing and playing pretend with her.

I don’t know if it’s because he’s older or more social, or both, but there’s no denying that a lot of the things we do revolve around your brother. As a second born myself, I can’t tell you how aware of this I am and how much it bothers me. Believe me when I say we try whenever and where ever we can to do as many things as possible that you would like. For instance, when daddy found out about the National Slime Expo that was happening right in our city, we rearranged our entire summer-weekend plans with friends so he could take you to it.

And by the looks on your face and all the slime-swag you came home with, it did not disappoint!

At the end of August we took our annual vacay in Falmouth, Cape Cod. It was our third time at this gem-of-a-town in what is literally the armpit of the Cape, only this round, we let our friends in on our best-kept waterfront secret. So of course you were the only girl among six, wild and feral boys!

While this unfortunate fact can have you feeling down and out at times, hanging with all boys (even just some of the time), is turning you into a resilient and tough little cookie. It also means more adult attention, like the time you came to dinner with all the adults, while we left the boys behind in a hotel room to game.

With one of your faves, Gabe

I got your class assignment laying on the beach, nearly the same way I did the year before. For 1st grade you got Melissa Ledner. While I don’t know her, I have heard decent things. We did not locate any of your immediate friends in your class, but at least there is Hunter, who is a neighbor and almost like a second brother.

1st & 4th grade

When daddy and I suggested we enroll you in an activity after school such as dance, music or art, you chose ballet but only if Daphne and/or Sevilla did it too. I put out feelers to their parents and offered my availability to pick you all up from class each week. To my surprise, both families agreed! Wednesdays at Creative Arts quickly became your favorite day of the week.

For your 6th birthday you cut your hair short and we threw you a birthday party that included your five closest friends, manicures and pedicures, followed by lunch at Numero 28.

Heading into your 6th birthday I can tell you this: you still like to bite your straws, you have a habit of spilling drinks and you still don’t like ice cream. You are the same cuddle bug I fell hopelessly in love with by your second day on earth, when you slept through the night! You are a little less shy than the year before (a good thing,) and a little more sassy (a bad thing). As your mom I make a ton of mistakes along the way, I only hope you won’t hold me too accountable for them when you are older. Happy Birthday my Schmorgie!

On your 6th birthday!

The summer going into 3rd grade, after you had just turned 8, we found ourselves back in Cape Cod, only this time at a spectacular family-friendly resort. We vacationed with our friends Jodi and David and their son and your good friend, Jake. Seacrest Beach Resort in Falmouth was exactly what we needed. We had a killer, big ocean front room and the hotel had everything. An indoor and outdoor pool, the best beach on the east coast, a snack bar and ice cream stand for kids, a game room and all the water sports and activities you could imagine. My favorite memory of that trip was the Maui Mats. It was so much fun watching you and Jake horse around and try to do front flips/belly flops off of them.

And then there was the time that all 7 of us packed on there for a photo op when an unexpected wave came and took us for a ride. So. Much. Fun!

Maui Mats

For 3rd grade your teacher was Marie Hoffman and it was a score honestly. After coming from a shaky experience in 2nd grade, we needed a strong teacher and we got one. You were too cool for school on the first day in your soccer jersey and dyed mohawk. Your sister was so sweet and a basket of nerves, clinging close by you.

First Day of School

You ran your second 10K, the Cow Harbor Race in Northport, with Sidi and crushed it. It took you forever as you stopped and walked a bunch, but you finished and you were smiling from ear to ear afterward.

Cow Harbor 10K

Last summer we made a very whirlwind decision to buy a small house on Candlewood Isle, around the corner from Goomah and Goompah. When I say whirlwind, I mean whirlwind! The idea was born on a night after too many drinks. We then found a house two days later and made an offer on it unseen. Our offer trumped the already-accepted offer and next thing I knew we were moving forward. We closed on our little cottage on High Trail on the first day of fall.

Our CT Cottage

We did our annual apple, pumpkin and doughnut picking with Jodi, David and Jake in October. Blue Jay Apple Orchards is a place we have been making memories since you were 3 years old.

Apple/Pumpkin picking

I coached you again in the Fall for Brooklyn Bride Park Conservancy via Metro Soccer. I can’t recall how our season ended but out of the four seasons that I coached, we lost one game. It’s not lost on me either that you do a great deal to carry the team almost every season.

Fulton Furies

Math homework became a struggle early on in 3rd grade so you began going to tutoring for math at a place in our neighborhood called Mathnasium. You started out a good sport about it, but you actually can’t stand it now and we often ride the struggle bus with you on Mathnasium days.

For Halloween you were a zombie-robber and daddy was a cop. Reya was a mermaid and I was sea kelp. I remember picking you up from Mathnasium that day and you being somewhat bewildered and embarrassed by my costume. I must say, this motherhood thing is working out just the way it’s supposed to!

Halloween 2018

I volunteered during picture day at your school. Honestly I spend a great deal of my time at your school. The year of 3rd grade was my first as Secretary of ps261’s robust PTA. But I digress, on picture day you were so great with your younger, super-shy sister. A friend who was also volunteering that day and happened to be there when your class photo was being taken, sent me this pic. Be still, my heart.

You and Max Trudel are true besties through and through. You have a lot of good friends but Max is by far the most equal to you in temperament, manners, athleticism and more. It doesn’t hurt that I have become super-close with his dad and mom too. I just know in my heart of hearts that they will be in our lives forever. You first met Max during recess in 1st grade. And while you played here and there, it wasn’t until you were in class together in 2nd grade that you guys really formed a tight bond.

You and Max are so good together that even Ms. Marie suggested that it would be good for you two to be in 4th grade together in the fall. She asked us how we felt about it and we all agreed it was a fantastic idea. The jury is out on whether I will be a class parent, again!

You had your last haircut sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I wasn’t a big fan of you wanting to grow it out. Perhaps in part because you have my hair and I know all too well how there would be an awkward stage. And there was. But I have to say, I love it now and love doing your hair (when you let me).

We got our Christmas tree this past year sifting through all the tied up trees at Home Depot with the Doran’s. Not ideal, but we eventually found one and saved a great deal of money as opposed to buying it from the racket that has become sidewalk-tree-sales in Brooklyn.

We did our annual decorating with Goomah and things became unhinged, as they often do, when you’re involved. You do have a flare for the crazies my son!

The month of December truly is magical. One of the fun things we did was a day in the city with the Doran family and the O’Neil family. It was a long day because we started out at the National Geographic Ocean Odyssey exhibit, followed by trying to get a table at Carmine’s afterward. It was a two hour wait! In that time we went to see the tree at Rockefeller Center and you all pretty much came undone.

We had our annual Christmas Eve party in which we hosted 13 kids and 25 adults. Until this day I have no idea how we got everyone into our home, but we did, including Santa himself who made his annual appearance and had a gift for everyone!

On Christmas Day we went out to Northport which we shared in several fun but chaotic days at Ganga and Sidi’s house with your cousins.

We rang in the New Year on Candlewood Isle with our friends there.

Grades 3-5 at your school marched to Borough Hall in honor of Martin Luther King. It was a pretty powerful morning, all the signs and chanting and words of remembrance.

You missed your first day of 3rd grade in the spring to go to the Yankee home opener with daddy, David and Jake.

Yankee home opener

Our good friend Rachel made an appearance on Easter in her bunny suit. You thought it was totally hysterical.

You partook in two Easter egg hunts that day. One at your grandparents house and another at Aunt Jackie’s house with all the cousins. This has been a tradition since you were small that we skipped the year before, and now we know to never do that again!

In April we went to Montauk for a night with Doran’s and ate at our favorite, Harvest. It had been some time since we were there last, and it seems to have gone down hill a bit. You’re probably wondering why I am writing about a restaurant we ate at and not all the fun on the beach that you, Max and Lex had. Which you did, tons of it.

In May we ran the Hospice 5K in Northport, your 4th time. It was also the first time that you ran it straight through without walking. I was so proud! And little did you know that you were running next to Gary Muhrcke during the first mile. When I told you later who he was, all you wanted to know was if running had made him rich. I thought it was such an intuitive question coming from a kid who loves sports and idolizes professional athletes.

Pounding pavement with Gary Muhrcke

School. You came home complaining about the poetry study you were doing almost daily. So when we were invited to the spring publishing party, I didn’t expect much. But instead, I was blown away. This is your poem about New York, below.

Memorial Day Weekend we packed up all our stuff, and I mean ALL of our stuff, and went camping. It was in part to appease your dad who has always wanted to take a family camping trip. And I suppose why I so readily agreed was because the O’Neil’s had all the gear we needed to make it happen. We had a ton of fun but it was also a TON of work and I walked away not understanding why anyone considers that a vacation. I’m glad we finally did it though, because now I know to never do it again!

Soccer. We finished yet another season with Metro Soccer, my 4th and final as your coach. That league was fun and we were good, but it’s also not a very serious one.

We had been talking about upping your soccer game for some time and in June you finally agreed to try out for travel. You tried out for two teams, made both and chose Gjoa based on their reputation. The jury is out on whether you can hack the commitment and whether we can all hack the commitment, but we are about to find out.

Right before we went to Fire Island in June, you came down with strep throat. My poor guy stayed home from school two days. On the third day I picked you up half way through the school day as you were wiped out and still with a slight temperature.

The next day we left for Ocean Bay Park where we rented a house with the O’Neil’s. Our little house with a hot tub on the deck was across the street from the “big” house where the Doran’s and four other families were staying. There were a total of 11 boys and 2 girls between the two houses. And let’s just say things got feral with all the boys. Not always in a funny way either. If that trip taught me anything, it’s that you and your buddies aren’t ready to be unsupervised, not even for a minute.

The last day of school was so much fun and so, so HOT! Reya was in Northport at this point getting some alone time in with the cousins so managing just one child that day was easy. After a noon dismissal, we stayed at 261 and played as usual.

With Ms. Marie

And later on that afternoon we went down to Brooklyn Bridge Park for a picnic with friends. You ran amok with your buddies playing war games all evening long.

With your bestie Max and his parents

Summer break began out in Northport for a couple of days where we got to hang with your cousins who were in town from Singapore. The four of you have so much fun playing together.

From there we went to Connecticut where you guys did camp on the lake the week of July 4th.

We returned to Brooklyn for one night and on Sunday watched the US women beat France in the World Cup final with some of our good friends. That night I took you and Reya out to Northport for the week to spend more time with your cousins. Our time with the family on Long Island included a trip to the ocean, a night at the Fireman’s Fair and a whole lot of soccer in the backyard.

Your cousins left on Friday to meet up with the other side of their family in California. So it was a good day to take a day trip to Splish Splash. Little did you know that it wasn’t just going to be you and me. We surprised you with an appearance from daddy, the Doran’s and the Trudel’s. I underestimated how much fun that would be so let me just say two words: Alien Invasion!

On Saturday we went out east to Sag Harbor to celebrate James’ mom’s 40th birthday. Their family is so gigantic so celebrations of any kind with them are tons of fun.

The following two weekends in July we spent in Connecticut with friends. One weekend with the Doran’s and another with the Gardner’s.

August. Your birthday month. You did one week of Camp Halfblood which you didn’t wind up loving and for which I was thankful. Five days of sword fighting in the woods was one day too many for you – you flat out told me, “I miss playing soccer.” I also didn’t love the 4pm pick up in Prospect Park. It didn’t quite gel with my work day not to mention the amount of filth you brought home with you was more work than I honestly have time for.

Your birthday week you began camp at a new camp in the neighborhood called Steve & Kate’s. Out of the four camps you did this summer, S&K wound up being your favorite. While you don’t leave the building at S&K, their model works because it’s self-directed play and you literally get to do whatever you want. You learned how to make videos with iMovie, music with Garage Band and played tons of indoor soccer. Oh, and they feed you which means I don’t need to make lunches!

Your birthday fell on a Friday this year so daddy took the day off work and we all went to the ocean. We met Max and Mike there and while the waves were fierce, you handled them like a champ!

On your 9th birthday

That night we had dinner at your favorite restaurant, Rocco’s Tacos and then took you to a candy store after for dessert.

I normally end these posts with your birthday but I’d be remiss if I didn’t write about what we did for your party. Our original plans included a hotel stay in Queens with a pool. We had previously cleared it with the hotel that we were going to throw you a small birthday party. However when I called to confirm, I was told they had recently changed their hotel policy regarding how many guests can be at the pool.

We found this out on a Wednesday and your birthday party was set for Saturday. We had to scramble and did, quickly, coming up with all sorts of ideas that were either not practical or too darn expensive. At first you were opposed to it, but then agreed to a war-themed party on Pier 6 at Brooklyn Bridge Park. The stars aligned and we somehow lucked out with the most beautiful weather that day. We bought legit walkie talkies and camo headbands for all your friends who all dressed up in fatigues and ran around the pier with Nerf guns. It was a complete success!

And now to end this post with a somewhat mushy nod to you… At 9 years old you are caught some place between childhood innocence and impending adolescence. You are also caught some place deep, deep in my heart. Happy Birthday my Buddinsk!

On your 9th birthday!

Your birthday marks the beginning of a new school year, which is actually real nice. I can always associate the age you are turning, with the grade you are going into.

For pre-K you had the same teachers Mylo did: Ms. Yvonne and Ms. Trina who are a fantastic and familiar pair. However as easy and laid back as pre-K can be, it was tough at times (socially,) for you. You made one very good friend who adored you. So much so that your teachers felt he smothered you and kept you back from making other friends. But I never saw it that way.

His name was Liam and he lived in the neighborhood until mid-way through the year when his family moved away. Even though they had headed me up about the move, I remember when they shared the news to the entire class. The teachers and so many other parents came up to me, offering condolences for your soon-to-be-loss. And while it was obviously not that kind of loss, when he left, his absence was felt. More on that, below.

In October we took our annual trip to Blue Jay Apple Orchards in Connecticut. A place we have been going since you were a newborn baby. This year you insisted, and I mean insisted on wearing a long princess dress made of polyester. DidI mentioned yet that is was an unusually HOT October day, at over 90 degrees with the humidity. I pleaded for you not to wear it and lost. As I usually do. Part way through our day apple picking away, you decided to remove the dress and run through the orchard in your undies and cowboy boots. It was a priceless image and I am so happy I was able to capture it.

For Halloween you were a mermaid and your bestie Liam was a power ranger.

At Christmas your class went to the senior center to perform Christmas songs and pass out handmade ornaments. I remember doing it when Mylo was in pre-K too. You were all smiles and hugs before we left but as soon as we got there, everything changed. I don’t know if it was the notable stench (a cross between hospital food and old people,) or what, but the second we walked in there your “stranger danger” guard was in full swing and you clammed up hard.

It was one of the first times I saw you retreat in a group setting and not only did it make me sad, but it frustrated the heck out of me too. But it reaffirmed the fact that you don’t do well with strangers. You never have, and you tend to keep people you don’t know or trust at a distance. And I need to learn to be ok with this — I suppose it isn’t such a bad thing.

This is right before you got up and walked off

Before Christmas we made a trip to see Santa Claus at Items of Interest in Park Slope. We’ve been going there to have your photo taken with Santa for years. But since Santa is also a “stranger” you were never that keen on sitting on his lap alone, even with Mylo, so it inevitably became a group family photo. This was the first year you sat on his lap without me and daddy.

We chose the coldest night of the year to see the tree Rockefeller Center and then had dinner at Carmine’s. A family fave!

During the holiday break we spent some time in Northport with Uncle Aki and his family. It was the first time you came out of your shell enough to interact with your cousins and it was really nice to see.

Out for Uncle Aki’s Birthday!

For the New Year we were at Goomah and Goompah’s house in Connecticut.

1st Day of 2018

The winter. Winter’s are always tough but this one even more so, because it was when your buddy Liam left. Your BFF. I want to say it was easy but it wasn’t. You were confused and sad and his absence, especially in class, where you are not the most social, was felt. You guys played up until the very last day and hugged these enormous hugs goodbye.
The family’s did a good job of keeping you and Liam connected in the months that followed. You FaceTimed one another on snow days and sent each other adorable cards in the mail. There was even a reunion in July when his parents invited the entire class to the playground. I was a bit nervous for you at first because you do better in one-on-one playdates rather than groups, but you and Liam were glued to one another the entire time. It was as if the other children were not there.

Reunited!

After that visit, things fell off – as they often do when time and space separate us from the ones we love.

The jump from the beginning of Pre-K to the end is an enormous and obvious one. You grew so much. And as tradition would have it, I snapped this pic of you and Ms. Yvonne on the last day of school.

First Day of Pre-K/Last Day of Pre-K

When school let out we went with the whole family including Sidi and Ganga to Las Vegas and met up with Uncle Aki and his family. Mylo has been to Vegas a few times but this was your first and it was fun to watch you take in what you could, such as the half-naked women dancing on podiums at Caesars Palace.

You got in some good-ol’ fashion cousin time while there and had a blast.

In July daddy and I made a whirlwind decision to buy a small house on Candlewood Isle. The entire process was long and stressful but it happened. I’ll write more about that in your next birthday post.

For camp you did two weeks on the lake with Goomah and Goompah in Connecticut and got in some quality time with your CT BFF, Evelyn.

You caught sunnies off the docks and before throwing them back you would talk softly to them. You are never squeamish when it comes to nature and I love that about you.

After that, you did six weeks of camp at Creative Arts Dance Studio in Brooklyn. Let’s just say that Creative Arts wound up being a much better fit for you than the YMCA, which was the camp you did the year before. Creative Arts was 90% female. The combined grades made it an intimate experience, and the older girls doted on you. You adored this one counselor named Lyla who you wanted to become your babysitter, only she was headed off to her freshmen year of college.

In August we took our family vacay in Falmouth, Cape Cod. Only this time we didn’t rent a house and stayed on a beachfront resort which was super kid-friendly. We traveled with Mylo’s friend Jake and his parents and we had a really great time.

During that week away, we got your class assignment for Kindergarten. You got Mr. David (who Mylo had for K and who we loved) only this time he was teaching an ICT class with another teacher, Ms. Megan. It’s about to be our first experience in an ICT class at ps261.

On the first day of school you were a bundle of nerves but good nerves. You wore your favorite hot pink romper and clung to your brother on the walk over and then clung to me during drop off. When it was time for all the parents to leave, you made me pinky promise that I’d be back for you. I’ll never ever forget it.

For your birthday you were all about the American Girl Doll, only we got you the Wellie Wisher, which was more age appropriate and not as expensive. Her name is Ashlyn and you also wanted to look just like her which meant you wanted bangs. I wasn’t keen on the bangs because I knew the upkeep was going to be arduous. If we didn’t keep up with the bang trims, then growing them out would take forever. And I was right! But more on that next year! In any event, you rocked the bang look baby.

On your 5th birthday!

You are still my sweet and cuddly child yet with each year you prove more and more defiant. You push me to the edge and often, right over the edge. You test me in ways that your brother never has and I can see how this is going to get challenging but I hope no matter what, we will always remain connected. Happy Birthday my Schmorgie!

Schmorgus!

The summer going into 2nd grade, after you turned 7, we went to an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana. After renting a house in Cape Cod the previous year, I decided that while you guys were still small, there wouldn’t be any more vacation homes in our future — not unless they came with a maid and a chef! And since that’s not something we can splurge on, we had to reassess our vacay-style. We did so by going to a resort in the DR. While this kind of vacation is anything but cultural, it is easy and when kids are small, it needs to be easy!

Punta Cana 2017

You always make vacay friends and the DR was no different. You befriended two brothers from England and had the best time with them. It was so much fun watching you guys splash and play all day under the sun and into the night.

DR friends

You ran your first 10K in 2017. It was a slog, but you did it and I couldn’t be more proud.

Cow Harbor 2017, your first 10K

Second grade at ps261 was an intense year! You had a lovely teacher but it was the first time I saw the challenges tied to being an all-inclusive, diverse school. Not to mention the challenges that come from having a grade that is predominantly male — the ratio in your grade is 70 : 30 and in 2nd grade there were 20 boys in yours class and just 8 girls. While your teacher was kind and soft spoken and a mom to three boys, she was no match for your class which was very Lord of the Flies-ish. Here’s to hoping ps261 redeems itself with a strong 3rd grade class for you.

2nd Grade Class

Fall of 2nd grade was the first season I became your soccer coach with Metro Soccer at Brooklyn Bridge Park. I coached the following season and continue to coach as of the writing of this post, but no team has been like that first season. We had great camaraderie and a fun assistant coach too.

For Halloween you were a knight and your sister, a mermaid. You had a blast with your friends as you combed the neighborhood in pursuit of candy and chaos.

At Christmas we continued our tradition of having our neighbor Ashley come over and play Santa for you, Reya and seven of your friends. This despite the fact that it was the first year you became skeptical of the big guy, saying friends at school were “beginning to talk.” But regardless of what the final verdict is, on Christmas Eve, it’s clear you believe.

Christimas Eve 2017

Winter was tough. Winters are always tough, but we got through it – with no mid-winter vacation. Spring soccer started up in March and I coached you again. At your request. You are a naturally gifted soccer player (hello genes) but sometimes I don’t know if I am helping you or hurting you by being your coach. The league is not a serious one.

We owe to this man for the soccer genes

In June we played hooky from school and went with friends to Fire Island. It was what I presume a tradition for years to come.

ps261 kids playing hooky!

When school let out we went to Las Vegas with my parents, my brother and your cousins to celebrate me turning 40. We stayed at Cesar’s Palace and we had an absolute blast!

Your favorite thing to do there was hop around from pool to pool to pool like wet little fish. And thank heavens for that because Vegas in July is HOT!

One of the many pools at Caesars Palace

When we returned we went up to Goomah’s house in Candlewood Isle where you and your sister did a week of camp on the lake. It’s hard to put into words the amount of fun you guys had that week, you with Jake, and Reya with Evelyn, but you did. I worked from their home while daddy stayed in the city and then he joined us for 4th of July weekend.

Candlewood Lake Camp

It was the first time I felt rooted some place other than Brooklyn and Northport and thus an idea was born…

After too much wine on the Saturday night of 4th of July weekend I told your daddy I thought we should look at houses on Candlewood Isle. That it would be nice for us to continue making memories on the Isle even after Goomah and Goompah are gone. He agreed and then the Monday after the 4th I sent your daddy a link to a house on High Trail, the street right behind your grandparents. It was almost too good to be true. The house had an accepted offer on it but they’d soon have a better one, ours! (To be continued on your next birthday post.)

After one week of camp on the Isle you returned to camp at the YMCA in Brooklyn.

Daddy’s cousin from France came in July to Brooklyn with her family and rented a house not far from us. Even though your cousins don’t speak English and you and Reya don’t speak French, you all managed to somehow communicate and have fun.

Your French cousins

We did your birthday party in late July by renting a van and taking a day trip to Roackaway Beach with yours (and our) closest friends. It was an absolute blast!

Rockaway Beach birthday party

Parenting you is exhausting and also a total pleasure. You are kind, sensitive and have always had a knack for the crazies. You are super athletic and downright gorgeous, too. And I’m NOT being biased. Everyone says it! I love you my buddinsk, Happy Birthday!

The morning of your 8th birthday

My baby girl. You started school this month! I. Can’t. Even.

Your first day of Pre-K at ps261

I remember when you were just a year old and Mylo was in Pre-K. You would accompany me to his school to pick him up. Never did I stop to think you could be in that classroom too, with those same teachers. One because we weren’t sure we were going to stay in Brooklyn three years ago but more so because I could not even conceive of my little girl growing up!

You are every bit a little girl who is 3 going on 4 – NOT 4 going on 14 – which is awesome. I know how sassy it’s going to get so I’m happy to keep you my little girl while I can.

I digress. Here I am talking about September when there was a whole year of growth that just went by…

The biggest thing that happened this past year is you began to speak more. Even though you understood everything that we said, you only had about 20 or 30 words in your vocabulary until the time you turned three. I was never worried you wouldn’t speak but the delay and your ability to socialize with other children in school is what did have me concerned at one time.

In public and with new people, you are still painfully shy and utterly reserved. However at home, you’re a hurricane-force to be reckoned with. You don’t listen very well and when you make up your mind, you’ve made up your mind. There’s very little room for negotiation with you.

For Halloween last year you were Super Girl.

However last year you discovered and fell in love with Peppa Pig, so that’s what you got for Christmas. A Peppa toothbrush, Peppa car, Peppa playhouse, Peppa backpack. We Peppa’d you out!

You also (finally) took to watching your iPad. Prior to this past year, we couldn’t get you to sit in front of a screen for more than a few minutes which is the complete opposite of your brother. You’re still not a big fan of the big screen but you’ll at least engage your iPad more regularly now.

When we go to the park (and we go to lots of them), you mostly keep to yourself (or hang on me). Sometimes I worry or get sad that you don’t want to play with the other kids, but I remind myself that you are who you are. You’re not me, nor are you your brother and I need to let you unfold at your own speed.

You favorite color is pink, you still love playing with your dolls the most and you also enjoy organizing (then destroying) your toys. I can’t help but think you get this from me — the organizational part that is!

Your creation

Before school ended in June you did six weeks of private swim lessons at the YMCA and boy did you need it. Ever since we had a little oops at a water park in Florida when you were two, you’ve shown a lot of trepidation in water. I worried that you’d just want to be held in the pool by the instructor the entire time, but it turned out you only wanted that part of the time, lol. For the most part she challenged you to trust yourself and float and you were great at doing it.

You graduated from preschool in June and you were totally into the singing portion of your graduation. Sometimes you surprise me — exactly when I expect you to clam up and get shy, you don’t! You crushed it on this day.

Graduation from Regina’s Pre-School

At the start of the summer right before the 4th of July your cousins came to visit from Singapore and we spent some time with them at Ganga and Sidi’s house in Northport. You went to your first Mets game and you got in a lot of park action together. Despite only seeing them once a year, you always have the best time with them!

You spent the entire summer in camp, which I also worried about. The only thing reassuring about sending my baby to camp was that your big brother and his friend Kody looked out for you, otherwise I was scared the experience would swallow you whole and again, you crushed it. You did six weeks of camp in Brooklyn and two weeks of camp on the lake in New Fairfield at Goomah’s house.

Your fist summer in camp

Right before school started we took a family vacay to an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana. You were the absolute cutest there. You slept in a cot wedged between my bed and the balcony that lead to views and sounds of the ocean. You loved that you had your own little bed. You spent the bulk of the day in the pool inside a little tube that we bought at the gift shop. You were happy to float and splash and just be. You seemed to really get vacation mode.

For your 4th birthday we had our closest friends over to our home in Brooklyn and a face painter came. You got your face painted as a cat and sure enough all the other girls followed suit!

You are my sweet, cuddly and fierce child and I am beyond honored to be your mom. Happy Birthday Schmorgie!

On your 4th birthday!

If the year between 5 and 6 was the year of Lego, then the year between 6 and 7 was the year of sports. About midway through, during an unseasonably warm February, you discovered your soccer ball and you haven’t put it down since.

When you decide you like something you adopt an almost obsessive-like quality to pursuing it. For the most part, it’s a great trait to have. You took on soccer – listening to all of my critiques and pointers – with a ton of patience and grace. And you’re good! In fact you’ve gotten real good these last few months. You played on two different teams, one in the spring and one in the summer. When I pick you up from school on Fridays I love watching you get games going with your friends and the older kids too. I really admire that you play ball with kids who are several grades above you.

Speaking of grades, you had Marisa DeChiara for 1st and she adored you. You excelled in reading during the school year and you actually really love to read. Marisa even referred to you as “the reading machine” once, and had nothing but positive things to say about you on your report card. You have no idea what it’s like to hear and read complimentary things about your child. You make me very proud, Mylo.

For Halloween you were a ninja and your sister was Super Girl.

Santa came to the house on Christmas Eve again. I honestly wonder how many more times we can pull off the-Santa-landed-on-our-deck-trick! Probably not many but I hope you’ll continue believing for your sister. When I was small it was my brother who told me that Santa wasn’t real and laughed at for me for being crushed. I can only hope you don’t do the same to Reya.

At Christmas you and I met my parents and Uncle Aki’s family in Las Vegas again. You had an absolute blast with your two cousins and played beautifully with them there. I think you’ll follow in the Taha’s footsteps as you get older and carry the Vegas torch!

This was also the year you discovered video games (much to my dismay). Since I don’t love it, I’ll just leave this one here.

You love playing catch with your dad and listen wide-eyed as he tells you all about the mechanics of Aaron Judge’s perfect swing. You like playing basketball too. But so far, you haven’t caught the football bug and I’m ok with that. The longer I can keep my kid from pursuing a sport that has a good chance of giving him a head injury is just fine by me.

The other big thing that happened this past year was that your style changed. I used to be able to buy whatever and you’d wear it. I was even able to pick out your clothes up until you were 6 1/2. But with the awareness of soccer, a sporty-themed wardrobe came too. Soccer jerseys, shorts in the dead of winter (yes you are one of those), long socks and flashy Nike shoes. Not only did you bring the mohawk back, but you’ve been wanting a blue one. Because I’m not coloring my kid’s hair anytime soon, we settled on blue washable spray paint. (Much to your father’s chagrin).

You ran two races between the age of 6 and 7. The jury’s still out on whether or not you actually enjoyed it, but as a long time recreational runner, it definitely makes my heart sing!

There were some firsts too, like downhill skiing. You accepted absolutely no direction from me or your dad and just blazed your way down the bunny hill. Like I said, when you like something, it’s full steam ahead with it.

We rented a house in Falmouth, Cape Cod last summer. I wouldn’t exactly call it a vacay (for me) but you guys had the best time.

Your closest friends remain Olivia and Hunter – in fact, they’re basically siblings. Then there’s Mati and Kody who go to different public schools than you but who you’ve known since you were small. From school your buddies are Aiden, Brendan and Ethan. You also forged a close relationship with Jake, who is also from the city but whose family owns a vacation house a few doors down from Goomah on Candlewood Lake. Like you, Jake is energetic and athletic and the two of you get along famously.Your dad and I were bummed that you were on the cusp of turning 7 and didn’t know how to ride a bike. Being that both of us are from the suburbs, we learned early. But you’re a city boy and since space is a commodity, we weren’t about to get a bike until you at least showed some interest in wanting to learn. So for your birthday your grandparents surprised you with a bike and as I feared, you were pretty disappointed. It was not what you wanted. I’m not sure if you’ll remember the chat we had as you held back tears, but shortly afterwards you went back outside and got on that bike. And you didn’t get off until you were cruising.

I can honestly do without all the pestering and bickering between you and your sister but I suppose when I signed up for having another child I also signed up for a lifetime of sibling rivalry! When the two of you are nice to each other and play together, it’s the sweetest thing ever. When you’re not, it drives me bat-shit mad.

Your birthday falls on a Wednesday and since it’s impossible to get people to commit to a party on summer weekends, we’re trying something different this year. (Not that we didn’t already try something different last year by having your birthday party in September after school started.) But this year we’re having a small celebration at our home in the evening of your actual birthday. Ganga is coming, the Wallack’s will be there, along with Mati and Cami, and Kody and Aiden. We’re blowing up a 10 foot pool out back and letting you guys loose with super-soaker water guns. Your dad thinks I’m nuts!

You’re energetic, athletic and kind. You’re a voracious reader and you’re interested in the earth, sun, moon and stars. And your dad’s got you all jazzed up about outer space too!  You’re extremely intuitive. You asked me once how it was that one of your good friends was born if he doesn’t have a daddy. (I gave you a horrible, stammering answer, by the way.) You still have a penchant for crazy, and acting wild. I think you always will and while this quality makes you who you are, it’s also what worries me most as you get older.

All smiles on your 7th birthday!

How I can possibly keep you safe in a world like this one I don’t know. But it is my duty to try and I’ll continue to do so with courage — even though deep down, I am scared. I love you my buddinsk, Happy Birthday!

What a big year it was for you! You went from being my baby girl to my little girl. (Ok, I lie, you’ll always be my baby girl!)

So much of this year centered around speech, and your lack of it. Up until about May you spoke very little but you understood EVERYTHING. So I was never overly worried. Nor was your doctor. But in the back of my mind and the minds’ of certain family members, there was some concern. I eventually had you tested by the city and they asserted that it’s your shyness that holds you back from speaking. They pretty much confirmed what I already knew, and did not approve you for services.

You are indeed very shy Reya, which has been somewhat of a pleasure but also somewhat of a learning curve for me. When I was pregnant with you it was hard to accept that whomever the second baby was, they wouldn’t be a carbon copy of my gregarious, outgoing, energetic son. I was convinced boy or girl, my hands would be full with yet another whipper-snapper!

That’s not to say you can’t be a handful, because you can. And you also have a very playful, mischievous side but for the most part you are a warm, cuddly child who is super-shy. Until very recently, afternoons spent at a playground served you better close by my side or on my lap, rather than playing with other children.

Being insanely goofy. And cute.

Little things about you and recent milestones that should never be forgotten:

Your childcare looks a bit like this: You’re in preschool full days on Mondays and Wednesdays. You have grandparents on Tuesdays and Thursdays and on Fridays you’re with Kimberly (your sitter) in the morning, and with me in the afternoon. It’s a healthy mix that has helped to take the cling out of you being a stage 5 clinger! We’ll be maintaining this schedule until next September when you start Pre-K at PS261.

With your Goomah and Sidi!

We joke that you ought to be a snowbird — someone who waits out the winter in Florida. So when winter storm Jonas hit this past January it was no surprise that you wanted absolutely nothing to do with the snow. For the one hour we went out in it, this is the only time your dad managed to put you down on the ground. Why on earth I bought you snow boots when you refused to walk in them I have no idea!

You took to potty training like a champ! You were 2/12 years old you when you rid us of diapers forever. What an amazing gift!

You weren’t even 2 years old here!

In March you nearly poked Ella’s eyes out. It was not without intent but it was definitely not done out of malice either, as I know you adore our dogs. You did some damage that required quite a few vet visits, daily care and nursing. And while it was touch-and-go for a while, she eventually made a full recovery. Poor Ella has been through so much!

You were impossible to administer medicine to up until a couple of months before your 3rd birthday. IMPOSSIBLE! We would have to hold you down and pry your mouth open which proved to be futile because you would throw it back up an instant later. So grateful for this new development as we head into cold and flu season.

Even though you have scooted around in parks for a while you only very recently graduated to doing it on streets. But we don’t let you venture far of course because you’re not an old pro just yet!

While I’m on the subject of things that steer, you learned how to drive this year and you’re terrible at it! Your brother has a motorized Ninja Turtles car at the GP’s house in Northport and you consistently run into things and get into messes that require constant rescuing while behind the wheel. In fact, when my brother and his family were visiting this summer, you reversed right over your 18 month old cousin Xavi! It was a pretty dramatic scene (that played out in front of a couple dozen people during a 4th of July barbecue,) but luckily he lay completely unharmed (but very shaken up,) underneath the car.

This is a still from video of you crashing into an ivy bush. You also likely ran over that bulldozer on its side in the background.

You’ve also recently taken to and are delighted by swimming which is a huge relief. When you were 18 months old I took you on my lap down a kiddie slide at a water park in Florida. Unbeknownst to me, there was an almost-two foot drop into a pool of water at the end of the slide. I was holding you very casually and not only did you go under, but I did too. The experience left you pretty upset and timid in water thereafter. I felt SO bad!

You barely swam while we were on vacation in Miami this past April but this summer you turned into a courageous little fish! I can’t wait to enroll you in swim classes this fall!

Since you were months old you have had a thing for nursery rhymes. You love being sung to and now that you are old enough you join in on the singing too. Unlike your brother, TV has never held your attention for long but you’ve recently taken to watching Peppa Pig (for long stretches of time) on the iPad.

The week leading up to your birthday you woke in the middle of the night, came running into our room, and jumped in bed with us. Perhaps because we haven’t been woken in the middle of the night by little humans in years, the experience was extremely surreal. We indulged you the first night but the second time your daddy scooped you up and marched you back to your room. Since we’re firm believers of not sharing our bed beyond breastfeeding years, I’m hoping this is/was a passing phase.

By nature I loved you from the second I laid eyes on you Reya, but it has been your ability to sleep through the night since your second day on earth that has only solidified and intensified that love. You are a dream sleeper and were the complete opposite of your brother during the early years. And for that I am so grateful. In fact, had you been our first child, we may have been fooled into having another sooner than we were ready.

But instead, your awesome self joined us at the perfect time. Happy Birthday my smorgie!

On your 3rd birthday!