Our Simon Family

Happy Halloween (and a nod to South Africa)

2011-11-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

Well, another halloween, and this one even more exciting than the last; as Jeremy comes to understand each holiday better, so increases his enjoyment of it. Jeremy dressed as "the dark Spiderman" (aka Venom, for those in the know). Like his friend Jacob, who was Darth Vader, Jeremy certainly has an interest in the dark side these days. After viewing Hansel and Gretel with a particularly scary witch last night, Jeremy announced that he was a king, and the witch was his queen. It seems clear that this is his strategy for dealing with fear- although I don't know what I think about it, I am glad it works at least.

As you can see, his interest in theatrical play hasn't waned. He's a boy whose favorite way to play is to "make things talk"; for example, the race cars are a family. I have to come up with a dialogue between one car, who is named Brandon Bernstein (a real race-car driver- search for his name on our blog for photos), and the car's dad, Kenny (Brandon's father's real name). The theatrical play nearly always involves a family of some sort, and it is interesting to note that they come in all varieties. Today, when we were raking leaves, the inflatable dinosaurs were first his babysitter's family (I was Brooke, and the two dinosaurs were my mother and father), which then morphed into our family pretending to be three fathers to one kid. Sometimes there is a mommy and a mama, like our family, but just as often there is some other permutation. Although at first glance, three fathers may seem odd, but even in heterosexual families, divorce and other events have created all sorts of numbers of parents of different genders.

On another note, as most know by now Fran and I had a wonderful two week vacation in South Africa recently, where we frolicked with the cheetah, petted ostrich, and connected with some really amazing people. Jeremy had a great time with his grandparents, meanwhile. There is simply too much to put here, but I'll include the link to our 6 min video here:

Alaska!

2011-09-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Who knew? Our cruise to Alaska surpassed all expectations. We have created both a book and a slideshow of the week-long excursion - click on 'full screen' at the bottom (make sure you are at the Oursimonfamily website to get features):

We set sail from Seattle after a short but highly enjoyable visit with Cousins Eric and Alice (who live there in a beautiful house with a large and delicious garden). Our ship was a Golden Princess, with 2,000 passengers and 1,500 crew... not a small vessel, with 17 decks, several pools, even more hot tubs, three different stages for performances, and dining rooms galore. The food was certainly a highlight; Executive Chef Jeremy (yes, that was his name) did not disappoint, including such comfort items as matzo ball soup along with fancier dishes (including lobster) and amazing desserts (e.g. puff pastry swans for lunch).

The caption for the above photo is, "'A pastry for you?' Reply: 'Yes, just put the tray here.'" Highlights, other than the food, were the live shows (Jeremy liked the juggler best), seeing whales (lots and lots), glacier-watching from our balcony, and our hike on the Juneau Ice Field.

Of course, we can't forget the White Pass Rail Road to the Yukon, swimming in the heated pools, and Jeremy's 'performances' in Grandma and Grandpa's room... and much much more. You'll just have to watch the slide shows (the book above, or the link below to have photos set to music) to even get the slightest inkling of how great it was. Here's the 15 min full version: click HERE or HERE.

Jeremy is 4

2011-07-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

How can it be possible? Our "baby boy" is now fully potty-trained and weaned, and there isn't a trace of infant left in him. There seem to be even flickers of a little man inside, the way he said, "Are you nervous, Grandma and Grandpa? Don't worry, I'm tough" when he overheard them asking Fran questions about how to care for him this October. We'll be going to Africa for two weeks on a vacation we bought through a silent auction to benefit his school; Papa will also be helping.

But I digress. Jeremy had a spectacular double-birthday, first celebrating with Papa and Grannie (who has a birthday later this month), his God-parents, and other friends in California, and then in a huge party in Denver. We hadn't planned on the second party initially, but he has been invited to so many parties, and was so excited to have his friends come to his party, that we felt compelled to do it. 26 children came (plus their parents) to My Gym for what was a rollicking good time. Jeremy agreed to having folks give donations to Life is Better (the rescue that found Bella) in lieu of gifts, even though we ended up having to give her back due to Jeremy's allergies.

The first party was mellow fun at Lake Temescal, 5 min from his grandparents house with a few local friends. Jeremy especially had fun playing with Maxwell, a 5 yr old son of our friends Angee and Marta, who had brought a Spider Man costume for him to run around in.

In honor of LGBT bloggers Day: Our 2 mom family

2011-05-31T16:27:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post welcoming any new folks to our site. This is a photo taken of our family on a hike last Sunday. I never thought I'd have the happiness that is my everyday life now- so many blessings! The greatest of these, of course, is my wonderful spouse and our beautiful son. We are in a sweet spot- our son is getting easier (finally potty trained!), our parents are alive, and everyone is in good health. We know this will not always be true, so we treasure every day. Not to mention all of our amazing friends and neighbors who enrich our lives and provide the 'village' that raises our son. L'chaim!

Bella and human friends

2011-05-31T16:16:00.000-07:00

For those who are not subscribed to Facebook, here is a very short video of Jeremy playing catch with Bella: http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonJeremyandBella/ - clearly our first assessment of her not being a 'ball dog' were wrong; she can be quite playful, although in a very mellow way. She reminds me how a baby elephant might play.

Speaking of play, I thought I'd share some other photos of Jeremy with his friends. You can see from the previous post how fond he is of Lola; he also has special connections with Jacob (pictured above on the rock during our hike last Saturday), Luca (a photo from his playdate yesterday, below) and other friends from school. Not to mention our grown-up friends; Sunday night Jeremy went to Casa Bonita for the first time with friends Ryan and Brian. We are so blessed with good friends!

Lola and Bella

2011-05-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since my last post, including a trip to NJ to visit family and friends and for Fran's speech at the dedication of her HS softball field in memory of her former coach. Other tragic news was that a child in Jeremy's class was killed by a car; Jeremy's school performed a song in her memory at the annual spring concert. A couple weeks later, Jeremy and his dear classmate friend Lola were having a play date and decided to compose their own song for her. See a movie about that HERE: http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonJeremy_Lola2011/ Jeremy also took Lola to a local theater performance (the photo above was from this first date).

Jeremy has now had his last day of school, and his first summer vacation experience begins. Our house was the 'go to' for after school fun, given our proximity to it, and we celebrated the last day with a feast of Indian food, prepared by the father of a schoolmate who was born there. It was quite fun- 11 kids in all, including the triplets (Mia, Piper, and Jack).

And now for Bella... Okay, so I know we need another commitment like we need a hole in the head, and the timing is terrible, but we just never thought that we’d find a dog who was 1) a Rottie (with the sweet big heart they usually have), 2) rescued, 3) fully trained, 4) who doesn’t lick, and 5) who is great with kids... but there she was. To my extreme surprise, I found myself literally in tears over the prospect of her being ours. Her name is Bella, she’s 4, 100 lbs, very healthy, and we met her at a shelter’s tent at the fair. We have not been looking for a dog, far from it, and know we will need to get help when we travel, but it feels very right.

Jeremy's pleased. When I told him that she didn't have a family, he said, "We can be her family". When we first asked him what he thought about getting a dog, he replied that he wanted a puppy. When we told him that a puppy would surely chew his toys and lick him, he relented and said that an adult dog would be fine. He's been checking on her every few minutes, wants to show her stuff. She hasn't licked him once, but some drool got on his arm- no hives. Keeping my fingers crossed.

A bit more about her: The rescue told us this about Bella- Animal control found her on the street with pneumonia and a serious eye condition in both eyes caused by eyelashes growing into them. It's very painful and renders the dog blind. Their guess is that her previous owner was male and a drinker (she's frightened of drunk men) and that she was very neglected. The vet thought she was 4 yrs old, and the rescue thinks she was blind for most of her life. The rescue (called "There's a Better Life Rescue") found her hours before she was going to be euthanized at a shelter. They paid to have the surgery done ($400), spayed her, gave her all her shots, and nursed her back to health. Her face had to be shaved for the surgery, so even after she was starting to feel better, she didn't look so good and so no one was interested in adopting her. Meanwhile the rescue team was really falling in love with her, and her foster parent, a single guy, would have taken her but had a life change (job, I think) that made it too difficult. She's trained, house-broken, and super, super gentle. Generally good with other dogs except if they come at her- she's a bit stupid about visual social cues, probably because she was blind for so long. She gets scared and doesn't know if they are playing or fighting.

The only thing now is waiting to watch Jeremy's allergies. We do not want a repeat of the cat experience, to say the least. Keep us in your prayers!

Photo Book

2011-05-15T19:44:00.001-07:00

Below is a very tiny slideshow of a book we just created for our 2010 photos. Below the big box is a link to the Shutterfly site; at that site, there is a link in the upper right corner to view "full screen"- click on that to be able to see it well.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Florida Fantasy and Our 15 min of Fame

2011-03-11T22:32:00.000-08:00

Hang on to your hats- this is the longest post yet, with two videos (one embedded at the end of this post), lots of photos and plenty of drama.

First, okay, I admit it; Facebook has ruined my blog. It is so much easier to post both photos and movies to FB than to a Blogger page, and I know so many more people will automatically read it... well, I just have to face that this is a different medium that reaches a different crowd. So, here's an apology to the non-FB folk who have been wondering what's been happening to our posts.

So much has happened in the last month it is impossible to review it all, but here are the highlights: we made our annual pilgrimage to Boca Raton in February, where Jeremy enjoyed his grandparents and all the swimming thoroughly. Please see link HERE for an amazing photo montage of that trip.

The day we returned from that trip, we received a call from an LGBT rights organization asking if we could be interviewed and photographed THAT AFTERNOON for a story on Colorado's quest to legalize gay unions. Our constitution states that we cannot have marriages, but a state senator Pat Steadman is introducing a civil unions bill that will provide at least some of the same rights and protections. This is especially important for those things that cannot be provided in any other way, such as the ability to take family medical leave to care for your partner.

Thus began our 15 minutes of fame: after appearing on the front page of the Denver Post with several quotes (link HERE for full story), we were then invited to testify in the hearing of the bill itself. In association with that, we were asked for an interview and pictures again, this time for the Associated Press - a story that was picked up in various forms, sometimes with our photo (below), across the country, including Pittsburg Tribune, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Washington Examiner, Denver Post, Daily Camera, Aurora Sentinal (also with photo), Beaumont Enterprise, Rockford Register Star (IL), Albuquerque Journal, Coloradan.com, StarAdvertiser.com, and the Colorado Springs Gazette. A link to that article can be found HERE.

So then comes the emotional experience testifying last Monday; the room was standing room only and we were just two of dozens of people testifying for both sides. Although we certainly didn't have the most compelling story (e.g. compared to those dealing with terminal illness, death, etc), the press liked how emotional I was and Fran's smile in the photo they took of us after we testified, so yet again we were a featured couple in this fight, which cleared its first hurdle by passing that committee 6:3.

The tweets going on during our testimony said that we were bringing one of the senators to tears, so who knows? Maybe we did help in some small way. Click HERE for some of the TV coverage that included some of our testimony. And below for links to other coverage (that included us):

1) TV: http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-civil-unions-bill-clears-first-hurdle-20110307,0,6331822.story
2) Radio: http://www.cpr.org/
3) http://durangoherald.com/article/20110308/NEWS01/703089930/-1/s
4) http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/ci_17560976
5) http://summitcountyvoice.com/2011/03/07/colorado-civil-unions-bill-wins-committee-approval/
...and finally, the video of our full testimony:
6) Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kWerEzKqXQ

The fight ain't over yet- there are still several steps (and votes) it has to clear before becoming a law. I'll do my best to keep you posted as developments arise. But for breaking news, friend me on FB!

Chicago and the Stock Show

2011-01-08T14:59:00.000-08:00

Although I have no illusions anymore that I will capture every (important) event or trip on the blog (simply too much going on), I am going to try to be a little better about getting the special stuff up. I've received several 'complaints' from our readers that I've been too lax recently!

Today, Jeremy and I went to the Colorado Fiddle Championship at the Western Stock Show here in Denver; an annual event to root on Ari, who won 1st place in the "Small Fry" division last year (for the post on that, search this blog for 'fiddle' or 'stock show'). He did great in his new division, "Junior Jr.", and I'll try to post again with the results. Jeremy loved hanging with Ari and his sister Zoe, as well as getting to see several of his 'classmates'- other students of his fiddle teacher, Katie.

Jeremy loved the fiddle competition, but he and his teacher have decided that he needs a little break from his instrument, and so will be starting piano. Jeremy is starting to pick up some bad habits on the violin, and he only wants to play the way he wants to play. He loves performing and playing the violin, and I don't want his enjoyment of it dampened at this point by making him do the exercises needed to advance to the next level, as sad as it makes me. We will be coming back to it for sure!

In bigger news, Jeremy and I recently returned from Chicago to celebrate his Great Grandmother's 98th birthday. It was a glorious visit, including not only a wonderful little party at my Aunt Bonnie's home, but several other visiting opportunities with his two first-cousins-once-removed Mahalia and Jacob (whom he adores and resembles), their parents (my cousins), his Uncle Isaac and Aunt Gretchen, and his beloved Papa. A highlight was also playing violin for Grannie and leading all of us in Hanukkah songs.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-27T20:22:00.000-08:00

We have just returned from a wonderful 5 day vacation in the gorgeous Rocky Mountains. The slopes are pretty empty just before and during Christmas, so we may have found ourselves a new tradition. The snow was great, and Jeremy had his first ski lesson while his parents got to ski together for the first time in 4 years. As it turned out, the pool at the condo where we were staying was probably the highlight; it was as warm as bathwater and Jeremy could have stayed in it all day. "I want to sleep here" is one memorable quote.

We've made a little video montage of the trip:

If you cannot view the embedded file above, click HERE

Halloween and Fiddling

2010-11-15T08:14:00.000-08:00

Happy (very) belated Halloween! Perhaps because Jeremy is Spiderman or Superman nearly every day, he made the radical decision to be a "scary ghost" this year. Mama loved the opportunity to make a costume (the mace and horns were Mama's idea), and we also reached the parenting benchmarks of our first bake sale (Mama made cupcakes, Fran volunteered at the table selling), and our first PTA meeting.

We did several Halloween activities this year: Fall Festival at Lincoln School, the event at the Children's Museum and at South High School (both with friend Luca), trick or treating in Lowery (with friend Tabby), and trick or treating in our own little neighborhood (with friend Jacob, pictured).

Click HERE for a little video montage of trick or treating this year.

On a more current note, Jeremy had his first solo 'performance' today: His teacher, Katie Glassman, held a "Jam" at her house for all of her students this afternoon in which each student had an opportunity to play with a two-guitar accompaniment in front of a modest audience of other students and teachers. Jeremy is the youngest (3), and the next youngest is Iris (5). Then, most of the students are 8 and up to adults. To say that Jeremy was eager to perform is an understatement; as soon as he arrived he wanted to be 'on the stage'.

(or click HERE for the video of Jeremy in larger format)

His performance of "Boilin' Cabbage" went smoothly (i.e. he alternated sawing away at the E string and singing, as rehearsed), but the climax of the night was when all of the students got to play together- Jeremy stood in the middle of the group in the small living room, working his E string with all his might. He said afterward, "I was playing and they were playing all around me... on all sides... I felt like the leader of the violin orchestra!" After about 5 songs, Katie had to gently invite Jeremy and Iris to retire their instruments so the 'big kids' could play the next pieces. Jeremy was one of the last to leave the party, having also fallen in love with "Little Katie"- a 12 year old who has been playing for several years and also happens to have two moms... one of which is also named Francine (!). Her lessons immediately follow Jeremy's, so we have seen her briefly each week for the last month and a half.

Jeremy begins violin, plays his first "concert"

2010-10-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

Jeremy has begun music lessons with Katie Glassman. It so happens that she was doing a performance with all of her students (that's her on the guitar) at the Cherry Creek Farmers Market last Saturday. She invited Jeremy to pluck with them for the first song. He lasted almost a full minute; here's the last 30 seconds or so:

Jeremy celebrates his Grandpas

2010-10-02T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here are two videos that are tributes to Jeremy's love for his grandfathers. The first is one I put together to celebrate Grandpa Simon's 70th birthday- a video montage set to 'you've got a friend' that was shown at the party. Click HERE, or see below (if it fits on your screen). The second is a photo montage of Papa's (annual) visit for Day Out with Thomas. Incidentally, last year's video of Day Out with Thomas is still available on this blog; just search 'day out with thomas'.

Busy Fall- Shana Tova

2010-09-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

Jeremy has started his new school, Lincoln, in the Montessori program and seems to be doing well, although he's decided that he doesn't want to discuss school with his Mama. Most days, he goes to school as Superman, or more recently, Spiderman, even though he doesn't actually know much about either beyond what he's picked up from other children. For example, in Jeremy's world, Superman shoots fire and Spiderman flies.

Jeremy has also graduated to a 'big boy bed', which by his request is a 'jungle' theme. This means that Mama gets to pull out all kinds of stuff I collected in Kenya over the years I spent there. Click below to get a little tour:

Meanwhile, I have ended my directorship at DBG after 7 happy and productive years and am focusing my attention on my family, the house, and research projects. Fran has been working away at Copart projects (as well as others), but after the CMO left last week, we are waiting to hear what her future with them will be. Life is good, either way.

So, with lots of transitions going on, we are holding tight and enjoying our blessings. Shana tova and hag sameach to all these days of awe.

Hot Rod Racing

2010-07-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

Fran's client, Copart, sponsors racing, which means that we got to hang in the hospitality tent for the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mopar Mile High Nationals in Denver last weekend. Jeremy not only got his own Copart hat and shirt, but he even received a model top fuel dragster car of his own, signed by owner, Kenny Bernstein, and his son who drives the car, Brandon Bernstein. Both are very personable guys; Kenny even let Jeremy race his new 'car' in the restricted area of the tent (Jeremy himself ran about 50 races that day).

It was a long, hot day, but we were rewarded with second place- their highest placement this season. The whole scene was indescribable and the noise outrageous- you could literally feel it in your bones (we all wore ear protection). Between each race, the engine has to be completely re-built in under an hour; it is clear that this is a team sport. Apparently Jeremy's ear protection worked, because he slept through the final race.

Above is a link to a little video montage of our experience; if it doesn't work for you, click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncmfl-epEPY

The Kids are Alright

2010-07-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

For all those so called "non-traditional" families out there, there is a little contest to promote the movie The Kids are Alright that features Annette Bening & Julianne Moore on a website called GoodKin.

You get a totebag and t-shirt if you win (yeah, I know, big deal), but really they are just collecting stories. Doesn't have to be an LGBT family to be non-traditional. Looking around my extended family at our last gathering, it suddenly struck me how none of us fit the classic mold: inter-racial, polyamorous and inter-generational, gay... but the great thing is that we are all in happy, stable relationships, as "unusual" as they are. Hurrah for love.

Our trip up to Pikes Peak

2010-07-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Click below for a little montage of our trip up Pikes Peak with friends Rita, Lyn and their son Kasen.

Photo montage of Cincinnati Trip

2010-07-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Click HERE or HERE for a montage of photos (with music) we took during the visit to Bubbe's house in Cincinnati, including our 'portrait' shots. the last part is our karaoke jam session with Jeremy on the drums.

Happy Birthday America, Happy Birthday Jeremy

2010-07-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick entry to report that Jeremy's "water and music" themed birthday party was a smashing success (never mind that I forgot to put out the juice boxes). The kids splashed in the inflatable pool, enjoyed Grandpa's obstacle course (especially the part where they got to spray him with squirt guns), played air guitar with inflatables, and ate lots of cake. It was a special treat to have both of Fran's parents there for that week.

We also had a wonderful visit to Cincinnati for a friends wedding reception and an early 70th birthday party for Bubbie. It was great for Jeremy to spend time with his uncles, especially, and we all had a blast singing karaoke while Jeremy played the drums.

Finally, Jeremy enjoyed riding his tricycle in the Washington Park 4th of July parade for the first time this year.

Happy Summer

2010-06-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Just a sampling of our enjoyment of the season. We're hiking, biking (you should see Jeremy balancing on his 2-wheeled Scuut!), swimming, playing ball... it's getting more difficult to go to school in the mornings! Fran is super busy with work (a good thing, but, well...) and I am in the final phases of writing a grant to the NRCS. We leave for Cincinnati in a week for a friend's wedding and an early birthday celebration for Bubbe (70th).

A quick note about LGBT family visibility: I was at a memorial the other day when one of the bereaved (whom I've only met a couple times) said how much our family meant to her: "your having a baby... it means so much for all of us... ". I can't say for sure, but I have a general idea what she meant, and it encourages me to keep writing these blogs.

Final note: Jeremy is in the middle of potty-training, on the schedule of his own choosing. When his teacher asked him if he'd like to use the potty (at school), he replied, "No thank you. That's not my favorite. I do the potty at home". Slowly but surely...

Happy bloging for LGBT families day!

2010-06-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Yup, I know you can't believe it's here again so soon- the day dedicated to us family bloggers- specifically to honor those of us with "non traditional" families. If you are new to our site, please stop and look around a bit; we have some fun home movies and lots of stories and photos.

For more information, see Mombian.

John Denver Fan

2010-05-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring! We had a spectacular crab apple bloom this year but no energy or time to do our 'annual' party to celebrate it. The best news of the spring is that it's official: Jeremy is sleeping through the night. Other good news is that we are cleared by the allergist to start eating fish, shellfish, and tree nuts (which means me too)! We'll have fish and chips for shabbat dinner to celebrate.

A taste of what we've been up to: We flew to CA recently for a wedding, Papa came to visit last weekend, I was interviewed on the radio, Fran has something like 7 projects all at once, and my Conservation Biology class (40 students) is wrapping up in the next week. All wonderful things, and all keep us busy and out of trouble.

Music-wise, Jeremy has been enjoying the DU Lamont School of Music free Jazz concerts, including the highly esoteric improv performance last week. He sat through a hour (almost more than either Mama or Papa could handle) and complained during the intermission ("where are the instruments?"). He's also insisting on going to sleep listening to a live recording of John Denver that starts with "Rocky Mountain High". See link below for a taste of his own rendition. The 45 second video ends when Jeremy attempts to start clapping while still holding his guitar:

Happy Passover

2010-03-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Spring! The snow is melting and it is 70 degrees in our sunny city. Our family was recently featured on the cover of One Colorado's report of a survey of LGBT families to assess demographics and needs across the state. The above photo is the one they selected.

As for Passover, Jeremy has been practicing the four questions, as he is likely to be the youngest person at the seder for some years yet... Here is a video of Jeremy reading his favorite haggadah (Sammy Spiders First Haggadah) and chanting at least the beginning of the Ma Nish Ta Na:
http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonJeremysingsfourquestions/

Sleep update, for those who are interested: Jeremy has had a sleep study, he's had his surgery to correct apnea, now he's also been rolfed, and we've been advised by a sleep specialist. So, we are now doing something called "faded co-sleeping technique" which involves sleeping on the floor next to his bed but not talk to or touch him if he wakes during the night... for two weeks. Anyhow, we are optimistic- last night was a great one- even stayed in his bed in the morning until I told him it was time to wake up. Stay tuned- the Simon family might just get well rested yet!

Final update is on Jeremy and instruments. The harp phase seems to be passing somewhat, the electric guitar phase is definitely over, and the new fav is clearly the BASS. In particular, the upright, double bass "in the back of the orchestra" as Jeremy likes to remind us. He likes to mime bowing, but also likes to pluck Mama's guitar as a bass (see above photo). His favorite genres for bass are jazz and "anime" (ever since seeing his first Japanese animation video set to music, he's insistent that it is its own musical genre). He has yet to really embrace the woodwinds, so I suspect flute or oboe may be next...

Surf and Ski

2010-03-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

What could be better? Swimming in the Atlantic and skiing the Rocky Mountains within a couple of weeks of each other. This boy has it all! Jeremy was dragging us with our fleeces on into the ocean and later was begging for "more ski!" when we went to Breckenridge with Uncle Eric.

See the following link for a video montage (5 min) of our vacation to see Fran's parents in Boca Raton: http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonFlorida2010/

Still not sleeping, but count our blessings

2010-02-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

The surgery was a 'success' in that the offending tissue was removed with no complications, and we believe that Jeremy has healed up well. However, we are now over two weeks post-op and have only had one really good night (he actually slept 11 hours straight!). Sleep aside, Jeremy no longer sounds congested, his spirits are generally high, and his appetite has really picked up (as they said it might). The other morning he actually downed 4 bowls of Cheerios with milk, 2 carrots, and 2 tablespoons of hummus (the breakfast of champions)! The hospital experience was also very sobering in that we were reminded how very fortunate we are, relative to what some families are dealing with. Thanks to all family and friends who have been such a support during this period!

Jeremy's Surgery is Scheduled

2010-01-10T19:57:00.000-08:00

As most of you probably already know, Jeremy's sleep study resulted in a recommendation to have surgery to remove his adenoids and tonsils. It is both a relief and frightening; the prospect of good sleep for once (for all of us) is wonderful, but we already know how scary it is to see him 'go under'. It is a very common procedure and the risks are low, but he will be kept overnight for observation, given his tender age and the risk of bleeding and dehydration. We have been flooded with encouragement and warm wishes- please know how much these mean for us. Right now, we are working on travel plans for Bubbe to come help take care of all of us for at least part of the recovery time.

The photos above show what a trooper Jeremy was for his sleep study. It wasn't a great experience except for the fact that Jeremy received a Thomas train and a puzzle for being such a good boy. Children's Hospital is wonderful and made it as easy as they could. The cannula under his nose was the worst part. He hadn't complained one bit until after everything was on and the 'technologist' Kelly left the room. He looked up at me with sad eyes and said, "I want the doctor". So I went and got her (she was extremely surprised, said no child had ever asked for her before) and she asked Jeremy what he needed. "Can I have my present now?' Was his earnest request. When we told him it was for the morning when the study was over, he couldn't keep it together any longer and burst into tears (about an hour later, we decided to give him the train early). Needless to say, it was hard on both of us, but we got through it, and now we know that the wakings are due to difficulty breathing because of the enlarged adenoids and tonsils.

The surgery will be January 21st.

Happy Hannukah

2009-12-15T19:57:00.000-08:00

Wishing family and friends a very warm Happy Hannukah (and Merry Christmas, too). Jeremy really "gets it" about all of the holidays this year, with the festival of lights as no exception. He sings the dreidel song at the top of his lungs, said he wanted a menorah as his 'big gift' when asked at school during circle time, and will explain that you light "one more candle each night". He even understands about giving gifts (not just receiving them). He has received many wonderful gifts, but an extra special one this evening was from his Aunt Trisha and Uncle David- a 6' keyboard!

BTW, we are in the process of sending out our holiday e-letter; if you don't get it in the next week or so, check your spam filter!

Jeremy rides tricycle and gets new bed

2009-12-05T21:12:00.000-08:00

Jeremy got an early Hannukah gift as a result of requesting to sleep "on the floor" for the last couple weeks- his first bed, thanks to Craigslist. There was a long drama around trying to get the bed (I'll spare you the details), but in the end, when we went to pick it up, we were astonished to see that the previous owners had written "Jeremy" in huge letters on the plywood under the mattress! Apparently he was meant to have it. He loves the bed, talks to it, kisses and hugs it on occasion.

In other news, Jeremy is now a pro on the tricycle (and also his two-wheel Skuut) and loves to bike the 4 blocks from our house to the Wash Perk coffee shop for pumpkin bread.

Final note: Jeremy's new instrument craze is his own voice. Jeremy is singing up a storm these days, including such complexities as "Favorite things" from Sound of Music, "Henai ma tov", and we are even starting to work on a chant of the four questions for the next Passover. Mama is in heaven.

Jeremy's first time skiing, peeing in potty

2009-11-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

Two big milestones in one week... wait, make that three: Jeremy has also transitioned from sleeping in his crib to the mattress on the floor. This evening, without any prompting or encouragement at all, he peed in his potty. So proud!

Here's the story of the skiing: We spent last weekend at Vail (no, we weren't witness to the shooting by the crazed vet, although we did walk by the CBI van and wondered what was up). I was giving a lecture on leadership to the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Owners and Managers meeting (that's another story), and we got two comped nights at the Marriott (Jeremy loved jumping on the bed). Anyhow, we borrowed a pair of kiddie skis from a neighbor that just strap onto regular boots and took Jeremy to the only slope that had snow (Golden Peak) where the racers were training, including the under-10 yrs old set. Jeremy was really excited about skiing and about the skiers. Mommy and Mama each held a hand and we skidded around on the icy fake snow for a few minutes, including going down a small slope. What a big boy!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:40:00.000-07:00

This is Jeremy's third Halloween (he was a turtle the first year and a puppy dog last year- do a search on Halloween and they should come up), but it is his first that he "gets it". He's trick or treating with the best of them, with very sweet "thank you"s and all. But his favorite part has been growling at people and showing off his dinosaur costume! He's had three events to do it: First, at school, then at the Highlands neighborhood event with Uncle Eric, Dorrie, and best-friend Jacob, and finally for the neighbors. Check out a video montage (2 min) of the events! http://ia311024.us.archive.org/3/items/ASimonHalloween2009/Halloween09Medium_2.m4v or http://www.archive.org/details.php?identifier=ASimonHalloween2009

First Big Snow

2009-10-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Check out this short film showing Jeremy playing in the snow and sledding for the first time:

http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonSnowfun2009/

Jeremy's first camping trip

2009-09-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went up to Rocky Mountain National Park to see the aspens turning and hear the elk bugling with our friend, "Uncle Eric". Jeremy had his first experience with sleeping in a tent, cooking over a campfire, and looking through binoculars. His favorite things were playing in the tent and finding "musical instruments" in the forest. Check out a 9 min video with photos here: http://www.ourmedia.org/media/first-camping-trip
or here: http://www.archive.org/details.php?identifier=asimonfirstcampingtrip

Big Day out with Thomas

2009-09-16T19:55:00.001-07:00

Jeremy loves Thomas the Tank Engine! Jeremy brought Papa and Jacob for our first experience with the Thomas Fest at the Colorado Rail Road Museum (see previous post on our first trip to the museum). Check out two video montages of the "Big Day": Click here for the 5 min video of the whole day: http://www.ourmedia.org/ia/details/ASimonDayoutwithThomas/ and here for the 3 min epilogue on the car ride home:http://www.ourmedia.org/ia/details/ASimonDayoutwiththomasepilogue/

Our climbing boy

2009-09-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

Jeremy is in love with climbing- climbing rocks, climbing the jungle gym at the playground, climbing furniture... you get the idea. It all started with our trip to Albuquerque (thanks, Lyn!), and has just taken off since. Now Jeremy is doing the monkey bars only slightly assisted (mostly, so that we don't have a heart attack), and has discovered jumping off things that are getting higher and higher. The playground by our house has 6' tall fake boulders that he has mastered getting to the top of, and Mama found him jumping from the couch to the coffee table and back this afternoon.

On the health front, Jeremy seems to be responding well to the double-dose of Nasonex plus the homeopathic nose spray (poor dude, we're squirting something up his nose every chance we get). He still doesn't sleep through the night reliably, but at least we get a few each week now, and often he isn't as distressed when he does wake and can put himself back to sleep. We hope that his adenoids are actually shrinking, but we might have to do a second x-ray to be sure of that.

Summer Travel Recap

2009-08-19T11:34:00.001-07:00

In the words of Mommy Fran: "Our vacations were great. Good quality time for Jeremy with Papa and Grannie, Mimi and Tate (the godparents) in CA. Then we had a lot of fun in Albuquerque staying with our friends. While Anna was at her conference, Jeremy, I, my friend and her son who is Jeremy's age went to the children's museum, gymboree, on a bike ride, swimming, to the botanic gardens, rode a train, went up the tram to the top of Sandia Mountain (the part Jeremy keeps talking about)."

Jeremy's nasal passages

2009-08-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Alright, not a great title for a blog entry, especially considering that we haven't blogged for a while, but I thought I'd get back into the habit, with just some short notes about what we are up to. The biggest news currently is that Jeremy just had his head x-rayed to help us figure out why he continues to have bad congestion. Our suspicions were confirmed that he has very large adenoids. These make his breathing passage quite narrow, causing him to snore, mouth-breathe, etc. There are two courses of action: surgery, or nasal steroid. For the time being, we are going to up his dose of nasal steroid but will discuss with the ENT specialist. Current medical research is very promising for the nasal steroid; a recent study showed significant improvement in 80% of young children tested using the same steroid we are using. Wish us luck in our quest to get this figured out!

Great Video of Jeremy with Bubbe

2009-08-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

Check out this video from Bubbe's recent visit from Cincinnati. Too cute!

Jeremy Turns 2 & New Photo Album site

2009-07-07T15:46:00.001-07:00

We have a new site for photos, which includes pictures from his 2nd birthday party last week. Check it out: oursimonfamily.shutterfly.com Let us know what you think.

Trains and Trumpets

2009-06-13T15:07:00.001-07:00

Although Jeremy still loves violins, his new passion is guitars, followed by drums. However, it must be noted that he truly loves all instruments and his Mommy found him a real trumpet (for $3, no less) at a garage sale this morning of which he is quite fond already. His hot pink synthesizer keyboard also got some good action today (Mama can't stand that it plays "Jingle Bells" when Jeremy pushes the demo button, but it is quite jolly). While he still asks for "Pearlman Violin" on YouTube on a regular basis, it is hard to sustain interest in the actual instrument when the sounds one can produce are so disappointing at this stage. He got his first small guitar (shown above with Auntie Lyna who was visiting from CA) last weekend and has barely put it down, in addition to playing Mama's nylon-6-string upright while standing- "Jeremy play bass!"

Of course, Jeremy has other interests, including remaining enamored of trains. In fact, his favorite song is still the spiritual, "Train is a comin'." We got to go to the Colorado Train Museum for the first time last weekend which was even better than expected. We'll be going back this fall (if not sooner) for the "Day Out with Thomas", featuring a life-size Thomas the Tank Engine. For those not in the know, this is a franchise owned mostly by Ringo Starr that capitalizes on train-obsessed toddlers. Jeremy got his first Thomas engine at "The largest train store in the world," Caboose Hobbies, which happens to be walking distance from our house. As his Papa said of their giving it to Jeremy free, "It's bad enough that they gave him an engine... Did they really have to rub crack on it?"

Video of Jeremy with Violin

2009-05-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

Click here for a video of Jeremy getting his first real violin: http://ia301514.us.archive.org/3/items/ASimonJeremy_Violin22mo/JBviolinshortweb.mov
or here: http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonJeremy_Violin22mo/

Major update

2009-05-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

Where did April go? This has been the busiest month, by far; I do apologize to our readers. Here is a quick run down of the last month, with photos: Our first photo is from passover- we went to two seders this year, including our first LGBT seder at the DU Hillel (aint Jeremy dapper!). Jeremy was calling everything "shank bone" for a few weeks afterwards, including sticks, tater tots, etc. Then, Fran turned 40 this month and we resumed our "annual" spring party with about 50 guests, including lots of young ones.

At some point in there Jeremy had a wonderful visit from his god-parents (Mimi and Tate), and more recently a visit from Papa and his Uncle David Judah (and his girlfriend, Aviva). Jeremy just eats up all this male energy!

Finally, two important things happened this past month: first, Jeremy was given a real 1/32 size violin by his Bubbe Ellen (so now he has three violins to play with- two real and one toy), and he had minor surgery (yesterday, in fact) to insert tubes in his ears. He is responding beautifully, already seeming to have better balance and mood. The doc also says that his hearing will improve significantly; it is hard to know what that will mean, considering his verbal and musical development so far. An example of both can be illustrated in the following story: After watching a 7 yr old's violin lesson (for a half hour), Fran asked Jeremy if he wanted to take lessons. His response, "Jeremy's turn violin lesson" (!)

Bubbe and violins

2009-03-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

We recently had a very satisfying visit from Jeremy's Bubbe (rhymes with "cubby", grandmother in Yiddish, for those who don't know), who came in from Cincinnati for a week with us. Every morning, Jeremy would chant "Bubbe, Bubbe!" as we came down the stairs to breakfast, eager to show or be shown something new and interesting. Every day was a musical treat, for example, with Bubbe playing flute, or drums, or recorder, or singing harmonies with Mama. But the most exciting and satisfying was Bubbe's gift to Jeremy of a real violin. As you can see, Jeremy's love of this instrument has not waned, and in fact while Bubbe was here, reached new heights as he began turning every day objects into his own 'violin'; as shown here, where he decided that a section of a drinking straw was a violin and a toothpick a bow. Currently, his favorite tunes are the ABC song and "Train is a comin', Oh yeah."

Simons by the Sea

2009-03-12T20:35:00.001-07:00

Jeremy's first trip to the ocean! As you can see, Jeremy is crazy about his Grandma and Grandpa, and they showed him a very good time in Boca Raton, Florida earlier this month. Jeremy's first reaction was that he didn't like the sand between his toes (as Mommy predicted), but after Grandpa taught him how to make a sand 'cake' and Grandma and Grandpa got him to jump waves, we couldn't get him to leave!

Jeremy's verbal development is staggering (to us, anyway)- he is saying full sentences now and counting to 13 (or at least, can point to random things and say the numbers in order). He also seems to know his colors; he identifies them correctly either by pointing or by saying the color about 65% of the time. That includes red, blue, green, yellow, orange, black, and white (he gets white correct most reliably). Oh, and purple. He loves the purple crayon best.

Jeremy Movies update

2009-02-20T22:00:00.000-08:00

Life has been as busy as ever, so here are a couple of movies, one several months old, but a goodie. Jeremy has had a verbal explosion over the last two months and now knows in the neighborhood of probably 300 words (and about 100 signs). We stopped counting over a month ago when we literally couldn't keep up anymore; it seems as though he's learning about 5 new words a day. Some recent ones are "bird house", "stories", and "cracker" (he used to only sign that one). he's also saying sentences now, such as, "Mama, strawberries more cut please?" It's getting late, so I'll upload my two movies and get to bed.

Here is a movie about Jeremy at the Farmer's Market last summer- swooning over a kitty and enjoying some live music: Click HERE:http://ourmedia.org/node/487155

Jeremy is quite obsessed with violins, incidentally. Has been for several months now- gets very excited when he sees a picture of one, hears one on the radio, etc. He mimes playing one making a high-pitched sound like a squeeky violin. The ultimate was when Mama found a YouTube video of Elmo playing a violin! He loves violin so much, that we spent over 20 minutes the other night looking at and talking about one page in one of his board books that has a photo of a violin in it. We video taped about 15 minutes of it just to document it- I'm not uploading it because it is pretty boring to most folks! Maybe I'll edit it down though- is pretty funny how excited he is about it.

Here is a video of Jeremy saying that he is "two" (even though he is one and a half now). He is starting to count- can count to 8 on occasion! Click HERE: http://ourmedia.org/node/487156

Jeremy the artist

2009-01-11T19:54:00.000-08:00

One of Jeremy's favorite things to do is to draw with 'cran' (crayons) in the tub (special ones for the purpose). This time, we really let him go at it...

In other news, Jeremy's verbal development has really been exploding of late; we count at least 135 spoken words now, and over 65 signed words. There is a new word (or two, or three) a day. Of course, this doesn't hold a candle to some of his amazing friends (e.g. Brayden with over 300 words and sentences, just two months older), but it's enough to impress us!

Also, Jeremy went to his first stock show today to watch his friend Ari win FIRST PLACE in the "small fry" division of the Western Stock Show Fiddle Contest (click here for the posting from last year, when he won second place). Jeremy sat through over an hour of live fiddling, mesmerized, clapping when appropriate. The boy certainly loves music!

Finally, we have a few more cute videos to share: Here's Jeremy giving his cat, Lincoln a big hug (note that he says, "hug" right at the beginning): http://www.ourmedia.org/ia/details/ASimonJeremylovesLincoln/
And here's another of him discovering a new way to eat Annie's cheese shells (a kind of mac n cheese): http://www.ourmedia.org/ia/details/ASimonJeremyeatscheeseshells/

Jeremy movie palooza

2009-01-03T17:48:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We just had a wonderful holiday, including a visit from our friends Rita and Lyn (with son Kasen), a visit from Papa and Grannie, Jeremy's first trip to the aquarium (he LOVED it, and even wanted to swim with them- Papa had to hold on tight), and a trip to see the ZooLights. Mommy and Mama got to have a few "dates" the last two weeks, including bike riding, eating out, and movies- some of our favorite things.

Since we're behind in blogging, I thought I'd upload a few videos for our fans' viewing pleasure.

See Jeremy playing recorder with his Bubbe (who is in Cincinnati but was on video conference via iChat): http://ourmedia.org/node/475535

Jeremy playing basketball with his friend Kasen:http://ourmedia.org/node/475562

Jeremy dancing with his friend Jacob: http://www.ourmedia.org/ia/details/ASimonJeremy17moDancing/

Happy Holidays!

2008-11-25T17:40:00.001-08:00

Fall going by fast

2008-11-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

I don't know quite how it happened. Winter is almost upon us already- as a testament to how time has felt this season I have only one other posting this month(!). Apologies to our regular blog visitors. We've spent wonderful quality time with many friends of late, including Jeremy's friends Gavin (who gave Jeremy a wonderful, two minute long hug at departure), and Spencer (who came for dinner). Both gorgeous, smart, happy friends have two mommies like Jeremy.

Jeremy continues to amaze- he now has over 50 signs and (hard to imagine) over 50 spoken words. There is much overlap between the lists. Yes, we do keep a list, although I doubt it is up to date. It seems he has something new for us each day- Jeremy said "doggie" on our walk this morning clear as day (he usually only signs this one), and signed "apple" beautifully soon afterwards- a relatively new sign for him.

His newest obsession is music- we have a pink plastic electric keyboard Mommy found at a neighborhood junk sale he can't get enough of, and his most frequent sign is the one for violin- usually meaning that he wants you to turn on the classical music station, KVOD.

Final note- I am reading the book Child of Mine about raising children to be healthy eaters and it is a MUST READ. My cousin Jessica recommended it and now I am recommending it to everyone I meet. The essential kernel is this: delegation of responsibility. It is the parents responsibility to provide healthy food and a nice atmosphere for meals at appropriate times. It is the child's responsibility to eat- as much or as little as they like or not at all. Problems happen when this breaks down- such as when the child dictates what or when to eat or the parents try to regulate intake of food. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

Obama Wins!

2008-11-04T21:52:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe, eh? I was in tears watching the acceptance speech. Dad was so anxious about Obama winning- is now anxious about him staying alive.

So glad to get Musgrave and some of the other hate-mongering Republicans out of there. I have new found respect and love for my fellow Americans.

And yet, a sad note as gays and lesbians have their rights stripped in California. Progress, not perfection. Sadly, all of the gay rights measures have gone against us in this election (Arizona, Florida, Arkansas). More sad, still, is its reflection of gay rights issues within the African American community. May we continue to progress in all communities.

By the way, this photo is my Aunt Bonnie with Obama, back when he was running for the Senate. I'm so proud of my family- Bonnie is the President of the Dems of Evanston, IL, my father working the campaign full-time all month, my mother running outreach efforts from her house and using her weekly salons for the cause... I love you all.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

As you can see, Jeremy dressed as a puppy (a Swiss mountain dog, Fran's favorite breed) this year. And, as you can see, it was a hit with the ladies. Jeremy didn't go trick-or-treating this year (not much you can do with a Snickers bar when you only have 6 teeth that are all incisors and are allergic to peanuts...), but he did dress up for two parties, one with friends we know through Jewish Baby University and another with his class at Fisher.

Other news is that our sweet visit with Papa is drawing to a close. Papa has been working for the Obama campaign all month and was rewarded with front-row seats to see our candidate here in Denver (Jeremy and Mama tagged along too). We are grateful for his service to our country and to our family!

L'Shana Tova: Days of Awe

2008-10-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

Happy new year! As we have every year for the past four, the Simon family attended Rabbi Jamie Korngold's (the one who married us) Rosh Hashana retreat: Hike, Bike, Yoga, Pray in the mountains. This year it was held at the YMCA of the Rockies, and we had the special treat of being joined by Jeremy's God parents, Diane and Charles. Jeremy had a wonderful time, being the nature boy he is, especially enjoying the children's musical program and blowing his plastic shofar! We also did a little program for Jeremy's daycare class for the holiday- Mama baked a raisin challah and we read a story about Rosh Hashana. All very well received.

Jeremy Starts "College"

2008-09-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

What a month! We are very busy here with events, including Jeremy starting at "college" (ok, it's Fisher Early Learning Center, daycare located at the University of Denver) a couple weeks ago. Jeremy had an amazing first week, in the words of his teacher, Miss Diane, "the smoothest transition we have ever seen". Of course, after the honeymoon, we have hit the oh-this-isn't-a-novelty-anymore period which means less happy goodbyes in the morning, but still happy days full of water play, good naps, and communal meals around the tiny table (boy is it cute)!

Party for Tenure

2008-09-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

Fran just threw me a wonderful party in honor of my receiving tenure at DU. About 30 folks came, and we had gorgeous weather. Phil, my committee chair, said some really kind words, the kids played in the grass, we ate a yummy cake, and fun was had by all.

Yesterday, Jeremy received his first salon haircut. He was a little squirmy, but did very well and the cut looks great. Other news (fairly major) is that we were accepted to Fisher Early Learning Center at DU after being on the waitlist for over 8 months. This is the 'Cadillac' of daycare. The sad part is that we won't have our beloved nanny anymore, but the main benefits are that Fran should be able to get more work done, and Jeremy will have a new environment to explore. We've visited twice so far with him and he seems to really like it and the teachers.

Jeremy's cousin

2008-09-02T19:34:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits of having the DNC in Denver was that Fran's cousin, Sean, came to visit from LA, and Anna's Aunt Bonnie came to visit from Chicago. We all got to hear Obama's acceptance speech (thank you Paul and also Jan!). This photo was taken on Flagstaff Mountain after shabbos services with Rabbi Korngold, the one who married us. Jeremy loves his cousin and great-aunt!

Obama- we were there!

2008-09-02T14:34:00.000-07:00

The time is flying by too quickly; I apologize for such a long lag between postings. Some of the big news from us is that we had the privilege to be present for Barak Obama's acceptance speech for his party's nomination. We were seated behind the stage, and as such had a great view of Obama's back, but we could see his front well on the two jumbo-trons. It was no less than electrifying and motivating. Obama doesn't support gay marriage (strange, given his very supportive voting record), but does support equal rights. We'll deal with the 'separate-but-equal' issue later; in the meantime, I would be thrilled to have a president who isn't afraid to bring up the issue, as he has done frequently. My favorite is in the context of an illustration of what "Christian values" means to him (i.e. being loving and accepting). GObama!

Check back later for photos (and maybe even video) of the event from our vantage point.

(not to worry) The cat stays

2008-08-19T12:20:00.001-07:00

Several of you have emailed concerned that Jeremy's allergy could mean getting rid of Lincoln- not to worry, the allergist said that his allergy would have to be pretty severe for him to reccomend that, and actually his allergy is fairly mild. Good thing, because Jeremy loves his kitty! He calls him "Lidle-lidle-lidle" in a high pitched voice (meowing sounds? an attempt at "Lincoln Kitty"? Isn't clear), and still loves to face-plant into him (kisses). So Jeremy rubs his nose afterwards- doc says it's alright, so long as we don't let the cat in Jeremy's room. Actually, we don't let him in there already, even though he'd love to take naps with Jeremy- here's Lincoln snuggling up with the baby monitor, instead!

Not eggs, peanuts! (and also three movies)

2008-08-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

Newsflash: We took Jeremy to the allergist to check what we thought was an egg allergy, and it turns out that he's not allergic to eggs but is allergic to peanuts and cats! Fortunately, it is a myth that kids can have reactions from being in a room with peanuts, and he's not so allergic that he can't have things processed in plants with peanuts. Also, the doctor said that we had about a 50:50 chance of him growing out of both (whew!), so long as we avoid peanuts until he is 3, and while we're at it, we should avoid fish and shellfish and tree nuts too. And I do mean "we"; so long as I'm nursing, I can't have any of the allergens either. However, he also stressed how great it was that I was still nursing- he says that my antibodies are still protecting him, and it is certainly the reason why Jeremy has never been sick. "Don't listen to anybody who tries to pressure you to stop- nurse for as long as you and he enjoy doing so. Most of the world nurses until after age 4." I can't see lasting that long, but it's nice to get a doctor's support.

And here are some little videos: most recent first- http://ourmedia.org/node/442358 This one is Jeremy walking a local dog.
Also: http://ourmedia.org/node/442378 This one is of Jeremy playing with his friend, Jacob. Very cute!
And finally: See how far Jeremy's walking has come.
http://ourmedia.org/node/442376 This one is of Jeremy at the Pride Parade this year, and taking some of his first steps.

Trip to Milwaukee

2008-08-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

Jeremy, Mama Anna, and "Papa" (Grandpa Monty) had a wonderful (albeit exhausting) 5 day trip to Anna's Ecological conference in Wisconsin, coupled with a drive down to Chicago to see Jeremy's great-grandmother, his great-aunt Bonnie, his Uncle Isaac and Aunt Gretchen, and second cousins Marc, Jenna and third cousin Mahalia (whew!). Mommy stayed home and got lots of work done. She said that Jeremy seems to be walking so much better even in just one week. Jeremy had such a good time with Papa; he's still asking for him three days later.

This weekend, Jeremy has enjoyed watching Mommy play her last softball games of the season (she played well, even if they lost). He especially liked playing with the dogs.

Jeremy the walking boy

2008-07-26T15:04:00.001-07:00

Jeremy has had a long learning curve with walking but is really getting the hang of it! He's been fitted (size 4.5), and seems quite proud of himself in his new shoes. They were a gift from Grandma and Grandpa, who had a wonderful visit here last week. Jeremy is also having quite a language explosion- just this last week he had two new signs (fish and keys), and at least three spoken words ("eye" being his favorite, accompanied by poking the nearest person in the eye).
On another note, Jeremy is allergic to eggs- our doctor had told us that it was alright to feed him whole eggs... but alas, his face turns red and his tush is worse. He gets an official diagnosis later in August with a trip to the allergist, but parents beware! Do wait until a year to offer egg white, at least.

Photos from Jeremy's Birthday week

2008-07-06T13:18:00.000-07:00

The following are a small sample of photos from the last week, including Jeremy's first haircut, our trip to Northern CA and his party there, and his birthday party here. He flew home on his actual birthday, and we even got to visit the cockpit! For more photos from Roxanne's wedding (and our trip to Humboldt County) click HERE. For more photos of Jeremy's Birthday, click HERE.

Happy First Birthday, Jeremy!

2008-07-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

We are just rolling in from California, but I thought I'd take a moment to acknowledge this momentous day. Godparents Diane and Charles threw Jeremy a wonderful birthday party yesterday and we are having another on Saturday. I'll post pictures as soon as I can, but right now I'm off to bed. It was fun flying on Jeremy's birthday- the United Airlines staff gave him the royal treatment, including letting us take a photo of him in the cockpit!

Go Team Simon! Baby's first Pride

2008-06-22T15:47:00.000-07:00

Jeremy has thoroughly enjoyed his first Gay Pride and has had a wonderful time with his "Auntie Nana". We even convinced Mommy to let us wear our matching "Team Simon" shirts Mama got her for the first Mother's day. Jeremy waved his rainbow flag, ate chicken on a stick, pulled up grass, and beamed at everyone smiling at him. Whew!

Vote for our boy

2008-06-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well, the madness has officially started- we have entered Jeremy in a 'cover photo' contest with Parents Magazine.
If you think our boy is adorable and should be recognized for it, please take a moment to go to the Parents Mag website and vote for Jeremy. On our gallery page, rate the main photo (and any others you feel compelled to look at) 5 stars (by clicking on the stars) and then click the "reccommend this photo" also at the top. Get there by clicking on the following link: http://www.parents.com/app/sharemy/photoDetails.jsp?photoId=214400444
I also want to make a note that we have turned back on the 'comments' function on the blog- someone had used it to plant a virus, but we now have made it more difficult to do that (e.g. we screen each before it goes live). We hope you will take advantage of the comment feature often! We have had over 1,500 hits now, and many of you say that you are frequent visitors- leave your mark!
Our friend Lyna is currently visiting from CA- will post some cute photos soon...

ASL signing montage video

2008-06-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

Check it out, folks. I've created a little video of Jeremy with just a few of the now 22 signs he knows. Keep in mind that when a baby does sign language, he does it in 'baby speak' just as he will say words- i.e., not perfectly articulated but unmistakable nonetheless.

Click here for the video: http://ourmedia.org/node/404730
or here: http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonJeremysigning_0/

Anna's Tenure is official

2008-06-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

Newsflash: I now officially have tenure at University of Denver Department of Biological Sciences. Whew! For folks who are interested in what it is I do there, check out my professional website: www.anna.sher.com. I'd also like to take this opportunity to point out the bizzare phenom that is the fecundity of my research group. Since fall of 2006, we have had SIX pregnancies/births (including my own)- about a baby every three months. The first was Caitlin, born to Michelle, my PhD student, and the most recent is the birth of Ellawyn to my student, Stephanie, on May 22nd (see photos below). The next will be Jenny, the manager of my department, due in early August.

Jogging with Jeremy

2008-06-05T22:00:00.000-07:00

This photo is of Jeremy and Luca on a walk in the double stroller our nanny Courtney bought on Craigs list (as you can tell, we are big fans of Craig's List!). Apparently, we became the talk of the neighborhood when this double (read TWIN) stroller showed up on our porch! Too funny. Anyhow, Jeremy and I (Mama Anna) are now putting the single jogging stroller to good use; now for two mornings in a row we've gone for a run. Wish us luck on continuing doing it...

Happy LGBT Blogging Day

2008-06-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

      Just another quick blog in honor of the day; I wrote a long peice yesterday (please see below) especially for it, but I think the idea is that we are blogging on the actual day.  Here's the theme of today's blog:  Jeremy's "signing cluster"!  Jeremy is 11 months old tomorrow, and just as his teacher said he would, he is suddenly doing a new sign practically every day; he now has 20 under his belt. We started teaching him American Sign Language (ASL) because we heard that it helped decrease frustration in very young children.  Sure enough- I'll give you an example from this week: We're eating dinner and Jeremy begins to get agitated and throws his banana on the floor.
       "Tell me what you want, Sweetheart" I encourage him. "Use your hands" and I touch his hand.
        He signs "water". I give him water. He's happy. Simple as that. I would not have guessed he wanted water had he not been able to tell me- major frustration avoided on both parts. The other day, I was deciding whether to feed him dinner (it was time for it) or just take him up to nurse and go to bed - he did look a little tired. So I asked him, while signing "eat" and "milk". He very clearly signed "milk" and reached for the stairs. Fantastic! Thank you ASL and Signing Smart! (BTW, the photo above is from our birthday card to Mommy Fran earlier this spring).

Celebrate LGBT families

2008-06-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

Yup, folks, I didn't make this up: There is an 'official' day to honor pages like ours and families like ours. Please click HERE to be taken to a website with all the details. Happy blogging!

on another note: NEWSFLASH- THE BOY HAS TAKEN HIS FIRST STEPS!

My tribute to LGBT families (like us)

2008-06-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

Welcome to any special visitors who are here for the first time, perhaps from the link on Mombian. We are just a happy family doing typical, family stuff. Please feel free to wander around our page- we have some cute pix and videos!

I am not usually political on this site, but I would like to take this opportunity to tell a sad story and issue a warning to other LGBT families (with or without children).  Two weekends ago, I flew home for a funeral.  Yes, it's the classic tragedy, but since it happened to people I love, I want to tell it for folks who may not understand how common this is. A friend of ours, a community leader, partner of almost 15 years to one of my closest friends passed away very unexpectedly in April due to an infection of the super-bug staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in his lungs.   Because he had always been healthy, and was young (57), he never got around to updating his will or creating legal documents for end-of-life decisions, his funeral, property, etc. One time, in the context of an argument told his partner that he would "get everything when I die", but apparently this was never put in writing. His family left his partner of 15 yrs out of the end of life discussion, almost didn't let him give a eulogy (in the end let him have 5 minutes), and is kicking him out of the house that was his home for 12 years. He has given them a list of things they bought together, gifts he gave him, etc. but is at their mercy as to whether he will get anything at all.

Approximately 300 people came to the wake and funeral, including the mayor, but only 5 minutes at his funeral (the ones given by his partner) paid tribute to who he had been.  No other family members spoke, only the family pastor, who referred to my friend as the "very, very good friend" of the deceased.

And yet, my sweet and compassionate friend defends the family, saying that as painful as all of this has been, there have been moments of grace, such as when the oldest brother (who did not want him to give the euology) held him for several minutes after he spoke at the funeral, and when the aging father told him before the internment that he was glad that his family could be there (they all flew in).  At least, he says, his partner was buried in his ring.

I, too, like to believe that this small-town family and pastor simply didn't have a context to understand their relationship, even though my friend had been there for family Christmasses and such, including last December.  Would it have been different if they had had the opportunity to marry? Of course.  Not only would my friend be given the legal rights automatically, but he would have been granted the dignity of being treated as a grieving spouse through this process. My heart breaks for him. This is not what his partner wanted for him.

If you have read this far, you know where I am going with this. PLEASE protect your family. Take the time to get the paperwork you need. Sadly, even the best legal protections won't do it all (e.g. social security), but they are much, much better than nothing. Even our straight brothers and sisters need to think about this stuff. Please see the following resources for help:

"Get your Ducks in a Row" Campaign- A website from RainbowLaw.com that provides free help to LGBT folks for estate planning
GLAD- Gay and lesbian legal rights defenders
Lambda Legal Defense fund-When you need to fight discrimination in court
CNN Money.com- Basic estate planning

Strong Boy

2008-06-01T13:52:00.000-07:00

Jeremy loves balls, weights, and his bike. See this movie for a sampling (also for how the cat is with him). Click here:http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonJeremyWorksout/

The new family structure

2008-05-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

So after a short scare that he might belong to someone else who posted an ad on Craigslist, we are now confident that he is supposed to be with us.

Thanks to all who weighed in on the name- people were evenly split about Colbert, so after hearing that the neighborhood kids had named him Lincoln after the school on our block (apparently he had been playing with them for a while on the school yard, even running the 50 yd dash with them!), we think we are going with that. We liked the suggestion of Dumbledore, but Lincoln seems dignified enough for him, and we like the idea that he was named by children. He is such a kid's cat!

No signs of allergy in Jeremy, who continues to delight in him. Jeremy is really getting good at petting (rather than hitting lovingly) him, and Lincoln even goes up to him on a regular basis. He is really capturing our hearts.

Breaking News: Jeremy Has A Cat!

2008-05-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it's the most impulsive thing either of us has ever done... this gorgeous grey kitty has been hanging around and seems to think that we belong to him. We've relented without much of a fight because, as the following video shows, Jeremy is in love with him. What could we do?!? Here is a cat that actually tolerates a baby's clumsy displays of affection (and dogs, btw), and is the friendliest, most mellow cat we've ever met. A neighbor has started calling him Colbert... what do you think?
Click here for the video: http://ourmedia.org/node/401260
PS- For those concerned and responsible citizens, yes, we contacted the local shelters, checked Craig's list and had him scanned for a micro-chip. No collar. Could he really belong with us...?

Advice for Sore Nipples

2008-05-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

Okay, this doesn't apply to most folks, but for my friends and cousins with newborns, it might be helpful. I did not (do not) have sore nipples. I don't think this is a given AT ALL, although many nursing mothers seem to think it is. I received excellent advice and did lots of research on the subject, and here is what I think saved me and might help others: I call it the "4 L's"-

Latch: this is probably the most important thing. I couldn't believe the difference when a nurse at the hospital adjusted the baby (note, this was after the lactation consultant had already helped me get started). The nipple was DEEP in the throat. no sucking on the nipple itself, just the areola.

Let the nipple dry: I think this is the second most important thing. I walked around for weeks with my tits hanging out, so that they could stay dry. I imagine this might be easier in arid Denver versus where you are. Sunshine can dry them. Just make sure they aren't in a wet bra for any time at all. I slept on a towel because I was dripping all of the time. If you have terrible pain, it may be because you have a yeast or bacterial infection- I would talk to your doctor about this.

Lanolin: I didn't get cracked nipples at all (many complain of this) maybe because I was religious about applying lanoin (I used Lasinoh) brand after every feeding.

La Leche League: I just used their book (the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding), but I think a lot of problems can be solved by talking to these women. A friend of mine got a yeast infection in her breasts and it took consulting several different folks until it was figured out- sadly, it was too late and she simply wasn't able to breastfeed after that (I'm not sure why, but maybe because the baby was just too used to the bottle by then). If one person isn't helping you, ask someone else.

Good luck! Nothing more awful (well, okay, almost nothing) than pain while feeding your baby. Finally, know that it is alright to unlatch him after he's been sucking for a long time (for me, I had to unlatch him after 30 and 40 min sessions)- he's almost certainly gotten what he needs nutrition-wise, and you may be able to replace your nipple with a finger for comfort sucking. It doesn't have to be your nipple all of the time (this is what my doc advised and it worked great). Don't give up- the benefits are almost too many to count. In an era of so much money and time spent on dubious products to benefit baby (such as special foods, videos, classes, etc.), doesn't it make sense to work at one of the few things we know for sure helps their life-long health and development?

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Our first mother's day... spent in true 'Franna' fashion, with a bagle breakfast followed by a two hour nap (all three of us), followed by a hike at Mt. Falcon with friends Dori and son Jacob. Jeremy loved being outside and leaned over looking at all of the wildflowers. Mama let him hold a dandilion (and pick it apart and taste it- yum!).

Jeremy is 10 months old

2008-05-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

Check out those teeth! And to think we were ever worried about his eating.
Click here for a film of Jeremy putting away some chicken (and his opinion of vegetables):http://ourmedia.org/node/398879

Happy Passover!

2008-04-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

We've passed 1000 visits to the blog, folks!

Apologies to the fans- It's been a challenging two weeks. Jeremy has had his first serious diaper rash (I know, we really can't complain) after having an allergic reation to eggs. Doc had said it was fine to give him whole eggs, so against all of our research, we gave him eggs and... Anyhow, it turned into a yeast infection.. yada yada yada. The only two things we haven't tried yet are Mylanta (applied directly to bottom) and Crisco (a work colleague swears by this one).
On a happier note, Jeremy had a great visit with his Papa (came in from CA), and is really enjoying passver- the boy loves Matza! We had our seder with Ari and Zoe.

Jeremy 9 mo old

2008-04-10T10:51:00.001-07:00

It is hard to believe that he has now been "out" as long as he was "in" (if you know what I mean). At his 9 month "well child" Dr.'s visit, they declared that he was in the 75% for height/length and 15% for weight- and that that was "just perfect" and "exactly what we like to see". They were also very impressed that we hadn't been in once yet for a "sick visit"- hurrah for breast milk! To answer the many queries I've been receiving, yes, we are still breast feeding (per the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatricians), and no, the teeth are no problem at all. It seems nature is smart again- with emergence of his teeth, Jeremy seems to suddenly have a heightened interest in solids. He feeds himself with gusto, especially his favorite: apples. Jeremy has also graduated from his Signing Smart class, and now knows 10 different signs. The teacher thinks that he is on the verge of what is referred to as the signing cluster, when he suddenly starts signing more often and with more signs. His most recent is the sign for bear.

Jeremy throwing a ball, drumming, has teeth

2008-04-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

It's official- Jeremy now has chompers to call his own: two pearly whites on the bottom.
Developmentally, he's doing all sorts of fun things, including perfecting his throwing skills. The movie below was started just after he had been throwing beautifully several times (ah, you know how it is), but this still gives you some idea. We've been having lots more visitors, including "Mimi & Tate" (Jeremy's godparents), and cousin Amy from CT. Amy is the founder of the non-profit Boundless Playgrounds.

Here's JB playing w Cousin Amy: http://ia360917.us.archive.org/2/items/ASimonJeremy_Amy/MVI_3957.AVI or click here: http://ourmedia.org/node/393922

Here's a movie of Jeremy drumming with his friend Mark at Mark's birthday party: http://www.ourmedia.org/ia/details/ASimonJeremydrumming/

Eating Cheerios Movie

2008-03-30T11:06:00.000-07:00

Check it out: Jeremy has begun to figure out eating Cheerios- he loves it!

Click here: http://www.ourmedia.org/ia/details/ASimonJeremyeating/

or here: http://www.ourmedia.org/ia/details/ASimonJeremyeating2/

or here: http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonJeremyeating2/

Go Big Red!

2008-03-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

Both Jeremy's Mommy and Grand-Papa Monty are alumni of Cornell- as you can see, JB is already getting recruited for the Ivy-League school, and is showing team spirit to celebrate the Cornell Women's Basketball team winning the Ivy League championship, allowing them to play in the NCAA tournament for the first time ever. They were creamed by UConn, but it was still a great day!

As for a general update: Right now, Bubbe Ellen is visiting from Cincinnati (no photos yet but we have some great video), but it has been quite a week: on Easter we got into a serious car crash (baby not in car, everyone remarkably okay), and for the last couple days Bubbe has been sick in bed with something like a stomach flu. This was also the first week of classes for Anna, and also the week she made her annual presentation to the board. Fran has lots of work she is doing for a couple different clients. Whew!
Developmentally (for those interested), Jeremy now has 7 signs- duck and ball being two of the most recent.

Milestones and more Movies

2008-03-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Click here for a video of Jeremy standing and playing. He's doing lots more than even is shown here (such as signing, stacking blocks, handing objects, etc.) but this will give you a sense of what he is doing these days: http://www.ourmedia.org/ia/details/ASimonJeremyat8monthsold/ or click here: http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonJeremyat8monthsold/

Baby's first bike ride

2008-03-04T18:37:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, we took advantage of the record 74 degree weather to take the boy on his first (of hopefully many) bike ride(s). Granted, he hated the helmet, but the ride was smooth and he settled in fine. The next day, we just cuddled up at home indoors while it snowed 4"!! The photo below was taken today (Tuesday) of the two boys (Jeremy and Luca)- still pretty cold.

Anna's Parental Myths

2008-02-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

Before I became a parent, I often heard folks say that all of my ideas about parenting (and I had many) would go out the window when I actually became a parent myself. While I was fully expecting this to be the case, that has been far from true. The important stuff, e.g., the cause and effect of many bad behaviors (parental and child), have been about as I expected. However, there are several ideas that I had that were certainly off-the-mark. The top ones are as follows:

Myth #1) Parents who don't take their children along to evening events are wusses.
What I now understand: At least some parents don't take their children along because they are protecting their child's healthy sleep. Bedtime is sacred; it is not worth sacrificing your child's well-being just to show them off or save money on a sitter.

Myth #2) Parents often overreact to supposed dangers (e.g. dogs approaching their kids).

What I now understand: Parents are deluged with horrifying stories all of the time that are quite real when you have a child to protect. Supposedly nice dogs maul babies, children kill themselves falling out of open car windows, kids are snatched by strangers in an instant. When you are not a parent, it is nearly impossible to imagine how much you love and care for this dependent creature, who is much more vulnerable than nearly any pet. In other words, now I'm one of those overreacting parents...

Myth #3) There is one size that will fit all- an ideal parenting approach
What I now understand: I still maintain that there are some universals, namely, unconditional love, consistency, teaching by example, (and plenty others), BUT it is also becoming clear to me how different children can be from each other in temperment and personality, meaning that approaches and responses to children must necessarily have to be adapted. We are fortunate in that we seem to have a "textbook baby" (to use a term from The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg), since we are fairly good students and can do it by the book!

Leaps and Bounds

2008-02-26T19:27:00.000-08:00

We were told it would happen, but we still can't believe it: at nearly 8 months, Jeremy has a new skill nearly EVERY DAY. Life has been more than full recently, so we apologize to the fans for the hiatus in postings- there is much to report: Jeremy is signing both "milk" and "more", he is pulling up to standing on his own, he is throwing, he is offering and giving objects, and he is attempting to stand without support. Last weekend, we had not one but 4 baby social events, including with the Shriazi twins, who are a month younger. Evan Shirazi was having a difficult evening, and Jeremy kept trying to make him feel better by crawling over to him and offering the cup that he was playing with. His expression and gesture seemed to say, "Here, take this cup- it has given me happiness!" When Evan didn't take it, Jeremy even placed it gently on his head (see photo above)!

Like Mama like Son...

2008-02-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

Grandpa just sent this photo he took at the pool with a note saying "In my entire life, I have never seen a seven month old have the exact same facial expression as [his] parent - AM I WRONG?!"

Trip to Grandma and Grandpa's

2008-02-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

What a great visit to Grandma and Grandpa in Boca! Jeremy loved his first dip in a pool, his
trip to a nature preserve to see birds, turtles and an alligator, and
Grandma somehow got him to eat more than he ever had before... Plus
Grandma and Grandpa threw him a great party with over 20 friends. All
that in just a weekend!

Happy Mornings

2008-02-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

One of the books we have found useful wisely said that if your child wakes happy, then they have had enough sleep. Jeremy is nothing if not a morning boy! Jeremy sleeps all night very regularly now. I credit the 'Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child' book, as well as the wise words and experience of those parents we know with well-rested babies. Sleep training can be tough, but it is certainly worth it!

Jeremy and Luca

2008-02-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

Click here for a photo of Jeremy waking up from his nap and seeing his buddy, Luca: http://ourmedia.org/node/380961

Teething & Crawling (with video)

2008-01-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

Jeremy is a week away from his 7 mo birthday, and he is now in full-on teething mode as well as beginning to actually crawl. He's been rocking on all fours for some time now, but finally is reliably propelling himself forward; his style currently is to propel himself from knees and hands to belly and then get back up on all fours and repeat. This also means that we have lowered his crib mattress and taken off the bumpers. He gets his legs caught regularly now, but we are hoping he'll learn how to get them out by himself. As for teething, he's stopped being so interested in food, is drooling (only a little) and coughing (a sign of excess syliva). The one food we can get him to eat is frozen melon and frozen bananna- so nice on the gums! Other big news: the faculty at DU have voted to award Anna early tenure. It's not official yet, but things are looking good so far.
Click here for a video of Jeremy crawling! http://www.archive.org/details/A.SimonJeremyCrawls/

Watching the boy grow

2008-01-21T16:20:00.000-08:00

Jeremy at 5 weeks old:

Jeremy at 14 weeks old:

Jeremy at 28 weeks old:

I thought the fans might enjoy this series of photos; at first glance, there isn't a big difference, but look at his face over time. Although always mature, there is no doubt that he is changing as he grows. His awareness of the camera (and what it means) is clearly changing as well!

Jeremy's friend, Ari

2008-01-14T18:02:00.000-08:00

Jeremy's friend, Ari (featured in several blog entries; search keyword 'Ari' to find them all), recently competed in the 'Small Fry' division of the Western Stock Show Fiddle competition, winning second place! he played the Westphalia Waltz, Blackberry Blossom, Pig Ankle Rag,
Festival Waltz, Billy in the Low Ground, and the Dill Pickle Rag. Congrats, Ari!
Click here for video of his second peice: http://ourmedia.org/node/377168

Baby weight gone

2008-01-14T17:31:00.000-08:00

One month pregnant:

six months pregnant:

nine months pregnant:

6 months, post baby:

Hurrah for breastfeeding! I have literally done nothing to regain my figure besides taking care of Jeremy; most notably, the calorically expensive breastfeeding (exclusively). Actually, my shape is somewhat different than it was before, with the potential of my being even more fit than before. As mentioned before, breastfeeding has also (according to his doctor) kept Jeremy healthy for his first half-year, however he now seems to have his first cold with a bit of a cough. Jeremy has also graduated from the sink to the tub:

Jeremy has a new friend

2008-01-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

We now have a wonderful nanny, Courtney, who brings her sweet son Luca with her when she comes to take care of Jeremy 15 hrs/wk. Luca is 8.75 mo. old, which means that Jeremy is already learning many things from him. Jeremy is crazy about Luca!

Click here for a video of Jeremy, Luca and Courtney: http://ourmedia.org/node/375996
Click here for a video of Jeremy getting ready to crawl, and Luca showing how it is done: http://www.archive.org/details/ASherJeremyhasafriend/

Jeremy sits, eats carrots

2008-01-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

More developmental milestones, folks: our big boy can sit for even a minute or more unassisted, and took a real liking to his first meal of veggies. The t-shirt above reads, "I was hatched by a couple of chicks".

More Movies

2008-01-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

Click here for a movie of Jeremy kicking a soccer ball, age 5.75 mo.: http://ourmedia.org/node/375218

and here for a movie w papa:http://www.archive.org/details/ASimonJeremyandPapa_0/

Jeremy is 6 mo.

2008-01-04T14:27:00.000-08:00

Jeremy is now 6 months old! His 6 mo. check-up was great; he is in the 75% for height and 25th% for weight (doctor says this is very healthy); Jeremy has never been ill, and developmentally is on track (to say the least!). He can sit unassisted for a short time, and is on the verge of crawling (I'll try to get a video up soon). We just started him on carrots, which he loved. He likes to feed himself- will grab the spoon and put it in his mouth, and then when you take it out of his mouth, will even let go to let you put more food on it. Here are some photos and a movie from Papa's recent visit, as well as him playing with his soccer ball:

Jeremy movies

2008-01-01T15:31:00.000-08:00

Click here for a movie of Jeremy's first experience with solids: http://ourmedia.org/node/374675

Simon family in the snow

2007-12-30T08:52:00.000-08:00

The snow is deep but we are staying cozy. Papa is visiting from California- we'll get a picture of him with his boy shortly. The photo above was taken by our friend, Robin, also from Oakland, who happened to be driving through. Thanks, Robin!

Bubbe's Visit (and drinking from a cup)

2007-12-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

CUTE ATTACK!

See it to believe it: Jeremy is now drinking from a cup (breast milk, and assisted by his Mama)- initiated by him during a bath, when he REALLY wanted to drink out of the plastic cup we use to rinse him. So, during the next feeding, we put a little milk in a cup and VOILA! He kept wanting more and more. Since he still isn't thrilled about eating from a spoon, we put a little bit of rice cereal in his cup (very runny), and he lapped that up, too. If we keep this up, we may be able to skip the whole 'sippy cup' stage (and its associated problems).

Other news: Bubbe (Mama's mother) is visiting from Cincinnati right now, and (as the photo shows) isn't interested in her grandson at all... ;-) Lucky boy, he gets to see his Papa (Mama's father) next week, as well! What an unloved boy...

Bath Time!

2007-12-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

I just had to post these picture for the fans. His grandfathers were both overcome with emotion when they first witnessed a bath- the cuteness is nearly unbearable. Let me know what you think of the editing to the second photo- too much? He looked like an ad for baby soap or something, so I thought I'd give the editing a try. The first one is more like a surprise shot. As you can see, he is sitting and pushing up more and better all of the time- don't worry, though, he was within arms reach for both pictures. Other big news: he has now really, truely slept through the night two times in a row now (i.e., 11 hrs straight). Can you believe that he is over 5 months old, already?!

Here is Grandpa Simon- I'd show you a photo of him kissing Jeremy after his bath, but you can't see his face.