ELEPHANIKO

What is grey and fuzzy, with four legs, a trunk, and tusks? Niko at Halloween, of course! Does the photo below remind anyone else of Max from "Where the Wild Things Are"?

We joined a posse of neighbors for Trick or Treating. Even with his much longer legs, David had to run to keep the stroller at the pace of the 6- to 9-year olds sprinting joyfully from door to door, in order for Niko to get the full Halloween experience.

Our wonderful 7-year-old neighbor, Sadie, a.k.a. Halloween Dog, also took turns leading him patiently by the hand. Niko loved putting things in his pumpkin bucket – including leaves and sticks – but was a little frightened by Patrick the Mummy (“no ghost!”). Suzanne and Connie, who joined us later, reassured Niko that “even ghosts go to sleep.”

While Niko understands that miniature candies are Halloween-related and live in the pumpkin bucket, he has not yet opened a wrapper or eaten any. He refers to them as “toys.” We’re fine with waiting one more year for THIS part of the Halloween experience!

Niko continues to be a complete joy. He loves “reading” to his bigger stuffed animals – Cookie, Moosie, and Oxymoron – spinning in circles until he falls down, and singing “We love you Baby” straight to Mommy’s belly (to the tune of “We love you Conrad,” from the Broadway musical, “Bye Bye Birdie”).

Our new nanny, Amanda, is great with Niko and a boon to our household. Amanda is pursuing her Masters in Early Childhood Education at Franklin Pierce University.

In our countdown to the Christmas holidays, Yusi’s maternity leave, and early side of the birth window, we are plowing through our To Do list of home improvements, including:

• LITERALLY plowing (rototilling) our garden with 4 yards of healthy compost;
• Removing trees for more light and safety;
• Installing a standby generator (no more relocations to Boston if another six-day ice storm-driven power outage comes along this winter);
• Purchasing two sofabeds with comfy Latex mattresses for holiday guests;
• Energy efficiency measures in the attic and basement; and,
• Refinancing the house.

We’ve also been able to entertain friends, including Lisa, Seth, & Lucas; Kevin, Sheila, Lilia, & Sadie; Charlie, Cristie, & Theo; and new friends Sara, Pete, & Ava (of “Beat Wife” fame in the previous posting). Busy but satisfying times!

Tonight, we gave Niko his third haircut, maintaining the tradition of Sesame Street on YouTube as a distraction. Here's the Before/After:

FALL ARRIVES

It’s been a hectic month of juggling, punctuated by joyful moments, including cousin Jon and Carley’s visit last weekend. With the Nashville duo, we went apple-picking, explored the UNH campus, and caught up over good food and Niko-cuddles. A highlight was throwing the disc and “macking the weave” at Frisbee Elementary School in Maine, a new state for Carley.

Speaking of frisbee, David is playing Ultimate with CHUM, a coed Maine team whose sideline overflows with children. CHUM placed 5th in the section and is gearing up for Regionals next weekend. Yusi got her own share of exercise hiking Mt. Major and re-committing to prenatal yoga.

Some of Niko's earliest words (circa June 2009):



Niko’s Language “Best Of”s (so far):

• Most common exclamation: “No Tula!”

• Most notable exclamation: (Formerly “Go CHUM!” Now…) “Beat wife,” referring to Yusi’s description of the UNH Crew team’s attempt to race up Mt. Major faster than the coach’s wife did when she was in college. To our consternation, Niko delights in saying both “Beat wife!” and “Cars hit you” as loudly as he can in public places.

• Longest sentence/concept: “Niko bib Daddy chair apple,” reminding us of the previous evening’s adventure of eating an apple whole (instead of cut up) while sitting in "Daddy's" chair.

• Inklings of the future: “Daddy’s plate” (a rare possessive), other tenses like “threw”/“throwing” and “awake”/”waking”

• Associations: Papa -> “boat”; Grandpa -> “bobone” (trombone); Sue and Connie -> “Daddy-oo-big” (because Daddy is too big and Mommy is too big but Niko is just right for the antique toddler picnic table that they lovingly refinished for him)

• Cutest communication: the high-pitched voice Niko uses when he communicates with stuffed animals, puppets, or animated fingers

Finally, drum roll please. According to the ultrasound, Number 2 is…a BOY!

While it’s hard to imagine another little boy as fabulous as Niko, we know that one is indeed on the way (due January 24) and that the two of them together will be lifelong partners.

Here are a few recent videos:

THE BLOG IS BACK!

After last year’s demoralizing virus jumbled our words and de-linked our photos, we fell off the update wagon. However, in preparation for babe #2 and in tribute to our beloved first nanny Marina (who just moved out of visiting range), we’re re-committing to regular, colorful glimpses of our rich life together.

Niko is a daily joy and adventure. His language is exploding. He can count from two to ten (somehow missing 1), can recognize about half of the letters in the alphabet, and is in early stages of stringing together multiple words (e.g., “help me” - the first of these was the gratifying “hot Mama,” followed soon after by “hot Daddy”). He loves “WHEEL!”s and clamors to sit in the driver’s seat on every trip – and he loves to “RUN!” especially if it concludes in a Ring-Around-the-Rosy flying collapse. Still loves books, though greater independence means he’s just as likely to choose to sit on his own stool as cuddle up on a lap. He maintains his positive, inquisitive nature and considerate sleep schedule. We hope #2 is taking notes.



In mid-August, the Turell family gathered at Cousin’s Point, their vacation home on Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia.

In order to bring Tula, we packed everyone in the Subaru Outback and hit the road for 11 hours on day one + 5 hours on day two! Niko did remarkably well.

Once at the Lake, he reveled in the attentions of Grandma, Carley, Kristin, and the whole Turell and Meade family. Papa Turell boated Niko + parents to watch a carp feeding frenzy, which may turn into one of Niko’s first indelible memories, given how frequently he says “Papa! Boat! Wheel!” and pretends to devour his hand.

Yusi and Niko also spent three days in White Plains at Gramma & Grandpa Dugan’s house. Niko and Gramma spent delightful hours carting water in and out of an inflatable wading pool. Everyone boarded a 45-min ferry to Annapolis for lunch, where Niko sampled caviar but preferred muffins. He’s simultaneously fascinated by and terrified of Grandpa’s trombone. Wonderful to catch up.

This weekend is our 3rd wedding anniversary! Much love and gratitude to those who celebrated with us at the Round House.

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If it's been a while, and you're looking for some highlights, here you go:

PICTURES:

Cape Cod Reunion (July 2009)

Turell Family Gathering (May 2009)

Wang Family Gathering (May 2009)

Spain & Italy: part 2 (April 2009)

Spain & Italy: part 1 (April 2009)

Maine Winter Getaway (March 2008)

VIDEOS:

Lots more videos on David's Youtube channel.