Cold Feet

With the snow coming, we got winter boots for Nathaniel. We picked out some very nice boots from Land's End. Very cute, warm and affordable. I even spoke with a customer rep to make sure the size would be OK, they assured me it would be.

We got the boots this week and they look great, but they are useless. Try as I might, I can't get Nate's feet in them. They might even fit, if he could step into them, but getting shoes on a toddler is like trying to tread a needle, and the tread is a squirming python. And these boots had a pretty big opening, but it was to no avail, they weren't getting on his big dogs.

So it looks like Nate's first step on snow will be in sneakers.

Why can't they make kids shoes like ski boots, whith a hinge at the heel and you step in through the back? Million dollar idea right there.

Learning Curve

Nathaniel is speaking a lot for a 16 month old. He says fairly clearly mommy, daddy, cheese, yellow, blue, green, bear, cheerio and banana. He he says new words every day.

But I am finding that I am learning new words everyday, in that I am understanding his speach even if it seems like a foreign language to everyone else but his parents.

Fortunately he is learning English faster than I am leaning Nathanielese.

ba- pacifier
ba- box
ga- cat
la- lion
nana- banana
ahgi- aligator
na (with hand pointing up)- plane
ha (with hand pointing up)- hat
papa- pasta
mameal- oatmeal
tow- toast

Nate showing off his new "ha"

Toddling Along

I just watched a cute animated film by Jeff Scher called "You Won't Remember This Either." He wanted to capture his son's toddling and his "never-ending battle with gravity."

Its sweet. Even though Nathaniel has been "toddling" for 3 months, I still can't help but smile every time he waddles the apartment with such excitement. I am going to miss it when he develops his grown-up gait.

http://scher.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/you-wont-remember-this-either/

Nate's Early Toddling

Its not all happening at the zoo...

We went to the Prospect Park zoo yesterday and I was little disappointed. First, even though the zoo website says it is handicap/stroller accessible, there is a long staircase at the entrance (apparently, there is another entrance within the park that is) not a huge deal, but might have Ergoed it if I knew.

It's a pretty small zoo, even by park zoo standards, so don't expect to see many large animals, although the baboons were pretty cool. Some of the buildings have a nice WPA architecture, not as detailed as the Bronx Zoo, but kind of cool. But the inside looks like a Days Inn. A pitty.

There is no real restaurant, just vending machines. But there was one machine that looked interesting, a Kosher machine, Hot Nosh, that had knishes. But I couldn't get it to work, and then I noticed "24/6" printed on the machine, it doesn't work on Saturdays!

Not the worst zoo, not as depressing as the 70's era Central Park Zoo, but I won't be going back.

Prospect Park Zoo

I am eagerly awaiting for Nate to wake up from his nap, so we can go on our first trip to the Prospect Park zoo. Well, not my first trip, but the last time I went to the city zoo was in the early '70s. Even as a 5 year old I recall it being a little depressing, and I'm sure I knew nothing about the financial climate of the city, or President Ford telling NYC to "drop dead" but I seem to remember the zoo being in a sad state, the gorillas seemed depressed (probably more to do with their 10' x 12' cage).

I think this visit will be much more uplifting!