t h e . r i d i c u l o u s . p a n d a

once summertime hits, i get an urge to pack up and travel east. sam obliged by having a conveniently scheduled and placed business trip in northern connecticut. so we snuggled the baby into our luggage and off we went.

after logging thirty five hours in flight time with silas in china, we barely packed anything for him for the measly two hours to nyc. thankfully a broken pair of complementary airline headphones proved fully engaging.

breakfast at the foxwoods casino. they don't see many vegetarians out in gambling country.

nor do they see many rustling toddlers.

sam had a bit of trouble reading the interactive five casino directory so silas points out the proper conference room.

he saw geese, elephants, birds, water and leaves in the carpet outside of where we dropped papa off for work. i was just happy i hadn't been up all night drinking gin rickeys while pulling slots.

we missed sam while he was hard at work. we really did.

after swimming and naps, silas went for a lovely stroll through the attractions of the resort. what do they showcase at a hard rock in the middle of connecticut? a lita ford outfit straight out of my fashion fantasies of the eighth grade.

searching for vegetables and tofu? salvation is found at the chinese restaurant. silas was so thrilled with this meal that i was able to enjoy a cold tsing tao and enjoy the indoor window view.

sam has a short break so we track him down and share some gelato and fresh air.

us on vacation.

reading himself "the carrot seed" before bed.

the next morning we drove to mystic for breakfast on the water.

our tables mates, georgia and joe, were discussing what to do with their impending retirement and happily invited us to visit with them on their boat the next time we passed through town.

walking off an amazing meal at the historic seaport.

one cannot pass through connecticut without having a session with david.

the connor family invited us for coffee and sweets. silas warmed to nai and reem's mom immediately, in spite of the arabic language barrier.

nancy and i. she is moments away from being one of the best grandmas ever.

sam, silas and dylan.

silas wrecking house on the brand new baby toys.

reem (+ baby), nai, me and silas.

and we pull into nyc just in time for cousins, auntie, pizza and frozen yogurt.

holy crap, does this kid love riding a bus.

priya and quinn rock the the accordion all the way to the natural history museum.

checking out the hall of biodiversity.

triceratops impersonators.

he tends to do alot of dancing in museums.

lovely priya considers the role dinosaurs played in evolution.

papa and silas through the bones.

ancient alligator calls for a family portrait.

sweet quinn reads the stories.

but spares me a few seconds of quality time.

tree frog and baby doll on nap time loan from his cousins.

the professor and jerilyn came up from philly to track us down on our visit. we found each other under the monument to the homeland.

silas was thrilled to see jerilyn and challenge her to sprints through central park.

my son seizes the opportunity to lick the subway wall after his mama has had a guinness on an empty stomach. seriously, he really loves public transportation.

my sister and my baby.

quinn xi woke up at the crack of dawn to see us off to la guardia.

and we're off.

thanks to all who made our time there so fun and fantastic: idanna, david, nancy, dylan, reem + family, auntie kim, uncle bart, quinnie, pri, markus mollikus, kate, scott and jerilyn. we miss you already.

we don't buy flowers at the farmers market anymore. i want to save every penny of my budget for vegetables and fruit. no silly splurging on decorations when there are three mouths to feed.

but then silas found a dollar on the ground at the tuesday market and said "please" the moment he saw the calendula.

self portrait of toes.

wednesday at foster beach.

need someone to guard your 4th party in the park spot? i recommend a toddler.

actually beni beat us there and was way more festively decked out.

georgia strolled over with her parents after checking out the lakeside scene.

dressed up in his holiday finest.

beni takes andrea and her daddy on a mission to get more ice and chips.

sam rocks it while respecting the forefathers.

dave and eliza reflect on independence celebrations past.

baby's first dorito. mama's first heartbreak.

georgia takes appetizer orders from the adults.

andrea - the hostess.

mr. andrea - the host. not pictured: couches juniper cinnamon muffin.

undercover vodka lemonade brings out the good cheer.

toddlers on folding chairs. why is this so funny to me?

after the bike ride home, after the nap, we were happy to welcome the germans back to town. kai was pleased to test out silas's ability to share.

julie . kai . jürgen. pre-gigantic homespun fireworks show in front of our building.

saturday morning at the city pool. stretching in the sun.

at one time or another, two thirds of our family has been feeling kind of crappy the past few days. we've taken advantage of the situation by staying close to home and hanging out with tolerant friends that don't mind a little toddler vomit with their dinner.

sam had a chance to print for pleasure!

silas joined in the art class on sunday morning.

watercolors look best when mixed with a bit of potting soil.

requests of papa drawings are popular in these parts.

thanks to the salvation army holiday weekend sale, silas acquired himself some new pajamas. which he loves so much that he has choreographed an entire robot lunge dance to perform in their honor.

monday with tita lynnie. the day was cloudy & humid so we stayed in and played with the wealth of amusement at her sunny place - simpsons figures, buddha statues, ukuleles, nesting dolls, oh my!

oh, but to be with buddha in true form. silas has not stopped talking about him and his funny, furry toes since. thanks to this quality time, one mrs. lynn cannot be mentioned our home without a definitive "miau."

sam insisted on outdoor space when we bought this condo. now i know why.

naked somersaults before nap.

finally, the neighbors convince us to stop complaining about being sick and to get our cabooses to the beach. because if there's anything to knock the ache out of your body, it's a swim in lake michigan, a soak in the sun and...

a baby who will suggest an apple to help wash down all the swallowed sand.

we thought it was going to be a rainy day saturday, so we headed to the field museum. the last time we were there, silas dragged his feet on the way out because we passed through the bird rooms. so we spent the majority of our visit pointing at stuffed specimens, sketching and pressing bird call buttons.

point to the dodo!

back in sunshine, muggy at the lakefront.

in the late afternoon, it all about getting down to some zydeco at folk & roots.

silas likes his music best while kicking up some dust.

bringing home the bacon.

self portrait with son.

outfitting silas to go and buy the next round.

baby in the beer line, a moment to ourselves.

foster beach on sunday, it's like take your papa to work day.

getting some time in with titi.

now, that's a wood chip.

only because he said please.

self portrait with papa.

after one good contagious week of taking it easy, we were back in full swing monday morning with a strange fruit perfomance at millennium park.

amy is like the premiere event planner of toddler activities.

silas was super into the flying, bendy dancers. plus, they had flowers in their hair.

another way i could have put that theater major to good use.

playing tag with the bean.

stomping and splashing in crown fountains, just like all the other big kids!

forrest and silas cracking each other up.

doing his best "mama on a diving board" impersonation.

lunch on the lawn before heading back home on the train.

julie reads those books with a whole new energy!

kai and his mama.

shaking the drum to invoke the elephant spirits.

sweet boy before his nap.

we had the unexpected opportunity to spend two days with family this past week. even though the circumstances were quite sad, silas was thrilled to get to see a majority of his cousins all at the same time. he received so much attention and had so many people wanting to hang out with him that my parents could barely sidle in to get their allotted affection. so friday morning, i packed us up and we headed up to grandma and grandpa's house or as silas refers to it - "train house" (they have the good toys over there).

breakfast at the diner. 1 in a series of 4 of my father cracking up my kid with a napkin.

there still is a smidgen of room for mama in his hand holding heart.

one dollar bins outside the hardware store, hard to determine who is more excited.

can you believe all the treasures out here?!

his toughest decision so far, only one can come home. and... basketball wins!

back home on sunday, waiting on blackberry pancakes & cheese grits at feed.

lucky chicken bawks for a quarter.

garfield park before the crowds convene.

the man who doesn't mind when i slip up and call him barkeep.

follow me and you'll see.

like i'd let him win in a foot race.

i talked so much about this rattlesnake master plant over the weekend (annoyingly?) that sam sneakily took a picture for me to treasure.

a moment to reconnect in between pulling clover and gathering rocks.

my loves in the monet garden.

after dinner demands to be picked up are compromised with quality time spent washing dishes together.

tip toe to reach the dish soap bubbles.

when the baby sleeps, the living room becomes the drying rack.

a wide eyed forrest erases the need for morning coffee.

these two are so excellent are entertaining each other that my babysitting skills are useless.

something about those literary magazines.

silas lee, we started out this month on vacation in new york city and ended it driving in northern california headed to our campsite in the redwood forest. you got it rough, kid.

point reyes, ca

if you weren't such a summer peach to travel with, we would have rethought our crazy big ideas. but so it goes, you are a transportation marvel. you squeal at the mention of buses, fling your arms to the sky when you think you hear an airplane, yell out the word "train" periodically during the day and knock yourself in the head every so often just to check to see if you are prepared and wearing your bike riding helmet.

museum of natural history, nyc

and so we want to take you everywhere. i keep thinking that when you turn two and have to have an airplane ticket is when we'll stay home. but your papa just shakes his head at that possibility.

foxwoods resort, ct

we know that if we can plan a getaway that has rocks and a puddle to throw them in, you'll be quite satisfied. add an apple, some raisins and nuts and maybe a new book and i could almost finish a crossword. imagine that.

foxwoods resort, ct

but the main thing, about this month, is that you are so not a baby anymore. you are huge, so long. you can holler out your requests, instead of just crying. you do this frustrated little stomp when you are not having your immediate desires fulfilled. you can turn on the tears in an instant. but you also find stuff interesting all on your own. we don't have to point out details to you, totally the opposite. you see, hear and sniff things before we do and make us stop and look at all the stuff we would have missed.

museum of natural history, nyc

instead of hustling upstairs when we get home in the afternoons, you always insist on taking a rest on our teeny front stoop. hanging out, greeting passersby, talking about dogs, sticks and flowers.

central park, nyc

it is amazing to watch you take everything in. there's so much to see and do that everyday we come across something you haven't been a part of before. and watching your face, your expressions while you process all the new sensations and information is, without a question, so far my favorite part of being your mama.

millennium park, chgo

golden gate bridge, ca

you can take your shoes off, attempt to change your diaper, build block houses with your papa, polish off an entire smoothie in one sitting, juice carrots, butter your toast, whisk up the eggs, read stacks of books before getting distracted, throw rock after rock before tiring, ready set race your parents down the sidewalk, share your ice cream and give eskimo kisses on request.

foxwoods resort, ct

but the one thing i always want to remember about this month is the first moment of every day: the way you greet your papa in the morning. a simple "hi!" that i can hear from our bedroom. so clean and precise. such happiness balled up in one expression.

point reyes, ca

thanks for always being happy to see us, silas lee. for always being up for whatever adventure we've cooked up next. we could not fathom not having you with us. seeing the water reflected in your eyes, watching your fingers pick out the perfect rock, hearing your sneakers hit the pavement or land on the pine needles after an attempted jump.

us101, ca

pretty soon, we'll let you start weighing in on our daily activity choices. that'll be crazy and quite possibly exhausting. but for now, stick with us. we're trying to do right by you.

riverside park, nyc

we love you, sweet boy. hi.

gill park, chgo