Where did October go? Here's an Update.

Seriously, I know I've neglected the blog this month. I have lots of excuses, but ya'll don't want to read excuses. In fact, you probably don't want to read much of anything. It's the movies and pictures you crave. Well, here're some.

First, two videos. In one, Reid reads "Snuggle Wuggle" to Sania. She barely tolerates it for several reasons including 1) Reid can't read, and therefore doesn't change the names of the hugs given by the various animals and 2) He's wearing a cape.

In the second, Sania, who refuses to wear a cape, flies for a foot or two in a parking lot like Supergirl, her Halloween costume. Then she sees a kid dressed up like Big Bird and stops.


Reid Reads a Book to Sania from Rizkerson on Vimeo.


Sania Flies from Rizkerson on Vimeo.

There's also an album of photos from this month (not as many as we should have but we were busy, like I said) behind this wonderful shot of Reid, inexplicably rehearsing the night before his decision to wear a tie for his school pictures. He thought it was like the best idea he had ever had.

Sania Moments

No pictures right now because I got sick while K was on travel last week and all the pictures I did take look like they are from a fever dream, which they are.

But there are times when I forget that Sania hasn't really had a lot of opportunities to shine on the blog. And that's because everything is always both kids all the time, like our life.

Sania is an amazing creature. She is not even 18 months old and she says please and thank you and asks for water and crackers and has all the demands of a budding human being. She asked for a carrot the other day. I gave her one and she rejected it brusquely. Vexed, I didn't know what to give her. She went boneless and I transported her intentionally inert form to a carpeted section of the house for a tantrum. When she returned to the fridge and again asked for a carrot, I hit on an idea. I picked her up, lifting her up to the level of the carrots. She reached in, got her own carrot, I set her down, and she toddled off happily, munching her carrot.

The other day, I realized that somehow, from the back of our car, Sania knows where she is. Under normal circumstances, Sania and I drive with my bike on the back of the car, from our house to Ms. Libby's house where Sania spends her days. The car lives there, too, and I ride back and forth to work, pick up Sania, put everyone and everything in the car and drive home.

The drive home always takes longer, as we encounter more annoying choke points on our local roadways. But the last few days, as we turn into our neighborhood, Sania recognizes something -- the trees? something else about the landscape? -- and begins to shout "Reid! Mommy!" as she gets excited about getting home.

Amazing. Such a gift this child, these children are.