A Day at the Park

At the park on Saturday we found twenty-nine four leaf clovers, and one clover with five leaves. An ominous passerby said a five leaf clover means bad luck for the world! We naively assumed we were just extra lucky.

Electric!

Building immunity

Kizuki has taken to chewing on shoes, holding subway poles, and finding the tiniest, grimiest, pieces of crud on the kitchen floor and putting them in her mouth. Her immune system is definitely getting its fair share of practice keeping her healthy. So I guess it is no surprise, and inevitable anyway, that she has caught a little cold. The last few days her body has been working over time, stoking a fever to shake out the invader, fighting the good fight against who knows what virus or villain. No doubt she'll beat this, a few sleepless nights, a couple of cranky days and she'll be good as new.

Standing!

Someone needs to slow this little girl down! She is growing too fast. Everyday brings new developments. I can't adjust to one change before she moves on to the next. Crawling and now standing! Plus she just got her first two teeth.

Molto Mario

Buying Mario Batali's new book and having it signed by the chef himself in Union Square Green Market: $33.00.

Getting to shake hands with a real Iron Chef: Priceless. (At least for Uta. For me, still $33.00!)

Grandma Vija

For the past few weeks Kizuki and I have been in the studio with Vija Celmins, helping her prepare for her current show. Its a scenario I never would have imagined possible. But as it turns out, Kizuki makes a great studio mascot. Vija says she's even better than the dog! And that's high praise, coming from Vija. To my amazement, this is a child who is content to sit on the floor and play by herself! Not all day, mind you, but for a good chunk of time. Uta had me believing that children that play by themselves are mythical beings, and not of this world. Kizuki not only lets me work, she helped Vija too. The days leading up to a solo show are stressful, to say the least. But Kizuki, with her smiles and baby antics, lifted the mood. The strings of profanities and last minute 'trying to accomplish the impossible' tirades, if not completely obliterated, were kept in check and balanced sweetly with animal sounds and goofy faces. Nobody can make Kizuki smile faster or bigger, than Vija Celmins quacking like a little cartoon farm duck.

On the move

There is a little insanity happening in the background of this video clip that may warrant an explanation. That's just Bruce Lee trying to keep Papa from going out. Just another ordinary day at our house. The important thing to pay attention to is this stellar crawling. Kizuki is crawling!

7 is the new 13

When you have a new baby it is impossible to imagine a day when that same child will challenge every ounce of your patience and leave you a frustrated heap of failed parenting. Babies are miracles, it is easy to be in awe of their existence. Strangers stop me on the street to catch a smile from Kizuki. When one is given the world realigns, and for a moment the receiver of that wide open smile feels that life is good. Life is good, but most of us have a hard time remembering that. It is all part of human survival, babies are easy to love. And then they grow and grow, and little by little they become people with their own ideas and their own shortcomings. The people they become somehow over shadow, and at times completely blocks out, the inherent miracle that we all are, still. At seven years old, Uta is moody and withdrawn, and at times surly and defiant. It is behavior I thought was far off on the distant horizon of his teenage years. I am beginning to think that seven must be the new thirteen. Some days the miracle lies in me somehow managing to keep my cool in dealing with his theatrics. There are a lot of tears, a lot of foot stopping, and worst of all, a bewildered sadness coming out of Uta. I can't figure out where it is all stemming from. Most likely it will pass, as all these heart wrenching phases do. But in the mean time, I'm working really hard to be present with Uta and love him like the day he was born. He is still that sweet warm life, only better. He is Uta, in all his glory and gravity. And I love him.