The Holidays

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas Anika and I attended both an art class (see previous post) and a music class for three sessions each. After our trial period, it was clear that music class was by far Anika's favorite, so we've signed up to continue for ten more weeks. When we returned this week, Anika was so excited to be back that she began tearing around the room. Plus we were also given a CD of songs from this program, which Anika happily listens to whenever we're in the car. It's driving me nuts, but I guess it's preferable to complaints from the backseat. She now has three or four songs that she is attempting to sing.

Anika does enjoy painting though. We've been doing it at home quite a bit recently, and she's adopted her mother's enthusiasm by exclaiming "Whoa!" with every brushstroke. On Monday, we are going to begin going to a nearby community center to participate in a toddler art co-op group. In theory, there will be eight toddlers and parents will routinely bring art projects for the group. I'm looking forward to meeting and collaborating with the other parents.

Here are a few photos from our trip home to Denver at Christmas (I'll add more if I can coerce the garndparents into contributing theirs):




And then returning home to play:


The tea party attendees (clockwise from the bottom): Sammy, Tashi, Mr. Bananas, Barnacle Bart, Davely, Dr. Chartswell, Anika, Doggy Wog, Kitty, Gormandy and Señor Mono.

In other news, Anika has just begun attending Pura Vida Preschool two days a week. We're both still grappling with the separation anxiety a bit, but the school (er, daycare) seems great and so far (this is week one) it feels like Anika and I are both ready to be apart on occasion. We're also really excited to have Anika in a Spanish immersion program--and particularly one that uses sign language in order to bridge English and Spanish. Anika is one of the older kids (there's one other girl who is the same age and four others who are younger) and her teacher is very impressed with her sign language skills. It's our hope that he will take particular interest in educating her, since Anika is currently the only truly communicative child there (I stopped counting a few weeks ago, but she has over 100 signs and words).

At any rate, we look forward to seeing her Spanish vocabulary expand beyond "hola" and (occasionally) "adios". Mama also looks forward to learning a little Spanish in the process.

Perhaps it will come in handy when we take a (much needed) family vacation to Cozumel, Mexico the first week in February? Or maybe even when we visit San Francisco with Grandma Karen next week (for Mama's final MFA review)... Stay tuned!

Fall Fun

Only a month has passed, and yet Anika's growth seems exponential. She now boasts over 75 signs, is taking stabs at about 30 words, and has added many new tricks to her repertoire. One may now witness her enthusiastically "raising the roof", "bumping fists"(as captured below), stomping her feet, dancing, demanding to Skype with her "Bahpa", or egging on the tickle monster. Her laughter has matured such that she now squeals, giggles, chuckles... all are music to our ears.

Here are some photos from October's events:


In mid-October, my friend Emily and her new partner, Mike, came to visit. We took one last trip to New Hampshire for the year, and (despite lots of rain) thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.



Emily and Mike will make excellent parents, I gather, as long as their offspring are as adorable as mine. They are quite taken with Anika.




In mid-October, we were graced by the presence of Grandpa Wally and Grandma Karen. Although their week here was pretty relaxed, we did go down to Cape Cod for a day to revisit the old stomping grounds of Anika's great-grandparents, Wally Sr. and Karolla. We walked on the beach, ate seafood, and stocked up on Beach Plum Jelly (something none of us had enjoyed in more than a decade).

We actually did have a couple of occasions to break out Anika's lobster Halloween costume. Once for the Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade and again for a Halloween party at our local library. The Halloween party was for kiddos approximately 9-15 months old, which is a fantastic age for Halloween costuming. Anika's was one of the better costumes though. There were ducks, bees and pumpkins aplenty.




Anika is identifying her jack-o-lantern here as a kitty (via sign language--though she's probably saying "kitty" also).



Note the awesome new play kitchen. It actually looks just like our real cabinets (both are from Ikea). Anika loves banging around in there.



This is from a visit to the "Tot Lot" with the grandparents. There are two of these in our neighborhood, full of fun toys for toddlers.

At the zoo

After five weeks in Beantown

Here are some photos:





Maybe I'm imagining things, but it seems like the pace of life just keeps picking up for the Korsons. After one month all together in our new home, the unpacking is still not complete and we have much organizing, etc. ahead of us.

However, we have had fun. We've taken two quick trips up to New Hampshire (where we hiked and visited a farm); entertained Grandma Mary and Grandpa Tom; visited the Museum of Fine Arts and the zoo; and attended a couple Baby music/storytime classes at our local library.

I've recently organized a childcare co-op for about 15 neighborhood families who, like me, could use a break occasionally, but can't afford to pay for it. So far, we've just had a few playdates to get to know each other, but Anika and I will be swapping a few hours of entertainment with some new friends next week. Creating this group has also had the benefit of enabling me to meet and socialize with other new parents in the neighborhood. I honestly feel like I've had more social engagements these past few weeks than I've had in a long time, which is odd considering we're so new to this place. So, in sum: we're very happy here, just very, very tired.

Tomorrow I'm going to become a member at a local gym that seems inexpensive and provides childcare. After having exercised only a handful of times during the past year, I'm looking forward to working out a couple times per week. Although Anika doesn't love me leaving her, she's increasingly interested in playing and loves to be around other kids. Plus, this gym shares a building with a toddler art/movement place AND a children's music school. I think we're going to begin taking advantage of some art classes here once the weather begins to cool.

Also, I know it sounds insane, but I just signed Anika up for a free "Countdown to Kindergarten" program at an elementary school down the street from us. Beginning tomorrow we'll be going to a 1.5 hour pre-school program once a week for one to three year olds. The class will be run by an early childhood educator, and is intended to provide kids with developmentally appropriate activities, help prepare kids (and parents) for school, and to help parents access social services. It seems like it could be a nice thing to be apart of, even if Anika seems (to me) too young to go thorough the whole pre-school routine.

And as for Anika's development, we continue to be amazed. She now has about 45-50 signs and is saying around 15 words. This morning over breakfast she kept signing "monkey", and after I told her (twice) that her monkey was still sleeping in bed with kitty, she signed "monkey" then "kitty" then "bed". Impressive for thirteen months, nay? She also does adorable things like sign "grandma/pa" when I turn on my computer because she wants to skype with them.

She's toddling rapidly and playing with a passion. She's become very interested in imitating us and donning accessories. There's apparently no greater thrill than waddling about our condo carrying her red Elmo handbag, talking on the phone and wearing a hat. Shoes are also totally awesome, as is feeding and passing the phone to her stuffed animals.

In other news, Andrew is surviving residency, though it is challenging. He is entering his third week without a day off, and has been largely working odd hours in the Emergency Department lately. While the nature of the ED means somewhat reduced hours, it hasn't been particularly restful since Anika doesn't care how late Dada was up. Nevertheless, we are survivors: we plan to visit New York next weekend, if only for a day or two.

Wielding Tools

I just took advantage of a rare moment when she was too busy to care about demanding the camera.

She's been more consumed by her play these past few days, which is nice. I think the ability to entertain oneself is an endlessly useful skill.

P.S. Some new signs: kitty, happy, sleep, hat, monkey, baby and possibly Dada. Anika's also pretty clearly saying bye, and taking an earnest stab at kitty, monkey and ball. Not much development in the walking department this week though. She's very good at standing on her own and cruising, but is hesitant to strike out on her own.

One Giant Leap?

I saw Anika take one small step this evening. She's been trying to stand on her own quite a bit for the past day or so. I counted 9 seconds on one "stand" this evening. She's also really getting the hang of the sign language. I feel like she's learning a new sign almost every day. New signs include: diaper, eat, phone and fan. She's definitely still interested in signing and saying kitty, monkey, bird and duck, but none are passing exactly. She says "gi" often when pointing at her kitty and monkey stuffed animals, "di" for dog or duck, and "ba" when we talk about birds. But she says "ba" for bread, banana and ball too. Oh, and she says "ah ah ah ah" (as in "ooh ooh ah ah") whenever I talk about Davely or monkeys. Does that count as a word? If she's holding Davely she shakes him up and down as she says this, just like her mama does.

She's also capable of stacking a block, playing ball nowadays, and screaming when she doesn't get what she wants. I think my baby is transforming into a toddler before my very eyes...

The Eleven Month Update

Well, we are extremely busy these days. I'm juggling being a full-time student and mom (with short-term help from Grandma Karen), Andrew is moving into our new home after a brief--an surprisingly relaxed--week and a half of residency, and Anika is... well, just busy.

Andrew was surprised to learn that he'd been scheduled to have a one week vacation just two weeks into residency. It's not what you'd call much needed, but it's honestly an ideal time. He had the movers deliver our stuff yesterday, and after two days of unpacking he'll join us in SF again for a few days on Tuesday. Anika and I will be go glad for his companionship and help.

So that I can get back to work here, I've just posted some recent photos and will list off some recent developments below.

Words*:
Bread
Yeah

Signs**:
Hi/bye
More
Dog
Wash
Milk
Toothbrush
Hooray
Drink

Favorite Activities:
Brushing her hair and teeth, along with those of Mama and her stuffed animals
Kissing
Playing ball
Listening to music/dancing
Playing with nesting cups
Reading books
Pushing her walking toy--and giving rides to her friends
Eating (new likes: curry, nectarines and lasagna; new dislikes: baby food)
Standing (for about 5-7 seconds on her own)

*Anika's been saying "brah" and "yah" for at least a month now, but I'm just now coming around to the idea that they actually mean something. "Yeah" seems like an odd first word to me; nevertheless, when I said "do you want to brush your teeth?" (with no toothbrush in sight) yesterday she said "yeah", made the sign for toothbrush, and then did it again when I demonstrated for Grandma. That's pretty hard to deny...


**She also seems to be trying to sign (and/or say) duck, kitty, bird, eat, bread, and possibly "all done," but they're not quite passable or confused (she signs "dog" when she sees a cat, for instance).

What a smarty-pants!

On the Road Again

I'm very sorry it's been so long since our last update. Much has happened. Andrew and I both finished our respective studies in New York, entertained our families during Andrew's graduation and moved out of our apartment in Brooklyn.

On May 31st, the entire Korson clan (kitty included) relocated to Denver, where we stayed a week with the grandparents. Here are some photos:


Anika is banging the gavel at her Grandma Mary's new office here. During our stay Mary announced that she will retire at the end of November. It was very fun for us to be there to read the many articles and editorials celebrating Mary's accomplishments. We are, of course, deeply proud.

I say "new office" here because, thanks to Mary, a new judicial building is in the works. Everyone at the state courthouse has relocated to the Denver Post building. Mary's office is very nice and has a spectacular view of the Capitol and the current demolition of their former home. I think it will be nice for Mary to look out on tangible evidence of her impact and efforts during her last few months as Chief.


And here is Anika waving with pride after having climbed an entire flight of stairs at Grandma Karen and Grandpa Wally's house. This is a frightening accomplishment for her mother.


After our week in Denver, we once again set out for San Francisco. This summer will be my last at the San Francisco Art Institute (where I've been pursing my Master of Fine Arts degree for a long time). We've been here a week (subletting a loft-style apartment near my graduate campus/studio), and it feels very nice to be settled and staying awhile.




Now that we're settled in SF, we bought the push toy I've long coveted. Anika is cruising around the apartment like a champ. It's amazing to see how grown up she's become.



At a whopping ten months old, she has about 4 signs (hello/goodbye, milk, drink, hooray) and several tricks. She is giving kisses, clapping her hands, pointing at everything, waving at everyone, bobbing her head to music, brushing her own teeth and hair, and playing peek-a-boo independently. She also is becoming interesting in pretend play: feeding us and her favorite monkey, brushing my hair, pretending to eat... And she's getting very insistent. We're practically convinced "bread" is going to be her first word, as she shouts "brah" whenever she sees it (including neighboring diners at restaurants). That said, she is still as sweet and happy as ever. I couldn't ask for a more lovable child.

The sad news, though, is that Andrew departed this morning for Boston. Orientation for his residency begins tomorrow. It was hard to see him go. While Andrew and I have parted for a couple months several times, leaving Anika behind was new. With luck, Andrew will discover he has some time off once he gets his new schedule, but as it stands we won't be seeing him until August 17th (our 3rd wedding anniversary). That all said, he is getting excited to begin the new job and move into our new home.

Now to make art...

Family Photos

Here are a few photos from Sunday's trip to the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens with a former teaching mentor of mine (who photographs weddings and events when he's not teaching middle school).






We enlisted his help simply because we're watching Anika's babyhood rapidly disappearing, and figured we ought to get a few decent family photos in before it's gone.

Anika is demonstrably understanding many of our words, and is slowly adding gestures to her signing vocabulary. I noticed today that she is beginning to point a bit, rather than just reach for (or wave at) things she wants. Also, we're very impressed that we can get her to wave simply by verbally telling her to "say hi."

She's still not truly crawling, but is spending lots of time on her knees (or scooting backwards). She'd also very much like to pull herself to standing; however, she's stalled out on her knees in this respect as well. I suspect she'll untangle her feet and start progressing forwards here within the next week or two.

The Seven-Going-on-Eight Month Update

Well, once again it's been far too long since our last post. Anika continues to learn and change daily, though her physical growth seems to leveling off a bit.

The picture above is a few weeks old, but illustrates how Anika generally spends her free time. The pillows around her are not as necessary now though. She is becoming quite the toy lover. In recent weeks we've seen her interests shift away from activities like the doorway jumper. Instead, Anika appears to be quite content to sit on the floor (surrounded by pillows as she still occasionally topples) and explore her toys. Banging cups together, playing with stuffed animals, and rocking out on her piano are particularly exciting activities.

And it's subtle, but she is becoming ever more knowledgeable about her little world. She is nodding and shaking her head "no" in imitation (saying "no" is extremely funny to her), looking where we point (a sign she does not have autism), and I believe I'm seeing the sign for "milk" emerge. It's very similar to a wave (which she does constantly), and babies exposed to sign language do 'babble' with their hands, but she seems to use it appropriately on occasion. Also, Andrew and I have been asking her "where's Mama/Dada/Kitty?" lately, and she tends to look towards whichever person/feline we're referring.

She's also becoming very attached to Dada and I, for better or worse. She gets very grumpy when her babysitter, Melissa, arrives, and super excited when she hears our door unlock. Sometimes it's hard to accomplish anything because she doesn't want to be put down. Thankfully, however, we've finally gotten her into a consistent nap routine, so we do have the luxury of 2-3 naps and a 7:00 bedtime.


In the mobility department, I think crawling isn't in our immediate future. However, Anika has certainly begun to fantasize about throwing her weight around. She has become much more coordinated at rolling, and is building arm strength. It's possible that she'll be getting around somehow here in a week or two, but I doubt we'll truly call it crawling. She's also making progress towards standing on her own. Her latest trick is to lean across her crib rail or the back of the couch independently, as illustrated below.


This picture and the next were both taken at Match Day on March 18th, when (for those of you who are unaware) Andrew learned that he'll be doing his residency at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital (affiliated with Harvard Medical School) in Boston. Hooray! Anika and I are very proud. We're all going up to Boston at various times next week to begin our search for a new home. Though we hate moving (despite all the evidence to the contrary), we are excited for this next chapter of our lives.


Incidentally, "Aunties" Jen and Kyla will be our new best friends in Boston. Jen and Andrew have been very close friends throughout medical school and, as luck would have it, they will both be studying Internal Medicine at Beth Israel. Next year Jen will probably see more of Andrew than I will.

In other news, Anika cut her first tooth a couple weeks ago. However, this breaks my heart: I'm a real sucker for her toothless grin. It's her lower left front tooth, and thus far it's just barely broken the surface. She never seemed particularly fussy; we just saw it in her mouth one day. I hope they all arrive that easily.

And now, in no particular order, here are some fun photos from the past month or so:




Mmm...oatmeal!


Anika's first ride in a swing. She wasn't impressed (or big enough to actually swing much).


We've been exploring finger foods a little--sucking on carrots and gumming bananas.




Ah yes, and three weeks ago we had a lovely visit from Grandma Mary and Grandpa Tom. It rained for much of their visit, and Grandma Mary's suitcase decided it would rather see the sights in Amsterdam and the Ukraine, but we nevertheless enjoyed their company. Here's Grandpa sharing a laugh with you-know-who:



Stay tuned! Hopefully, we'll manage to keep up with the blog despite the upcoming storm of school, work and relocation responsibilities.