After The Tenth..... When The Fun Really Begins

With both birthday and Christmas presents arriving this week, checking the mail was especially fun. Macy has received really cute outfits and some cool toys. A few of the toys seem like so much fun, Macy might have to learn to share them with her daddy.

Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Annie and I decided to give Macy something unique for her first birthday. We rounded up the South Florida contingency of the family, plus Grandma and Grandpa Sznitken and headed out to a local park. Annie and I asked Grandma and Grandpa to help Macy open up her present. As luck would have it, there just happened to be a video camera filming the whole event.

I demand a recount!! There is no way that it has been 365 days since Macy was born. Someone must have counted incorrectly.

This has certainly been one of the most exciting years in our lives and I'm pretty certain that the excitement is only going to increase in the coming months. Our little munchkin has really changes over the course of these 12 months, often times at a rate that just didn't seem possible. As an example, over the past two weeks she went from "stumbling" around, trying to get her balance just right while learning to walk, to practically running last night. To be fair, her attempts to run didn't go so well, as her feet didn't seem to keep up with her upper body.

As talented as Macy is, I know she cannot read just yet, but I'm still going to wish my beautiful little girl a happy FIRST birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MACY
Your parents love you very, very much.

Macy made a new friend in Brooklyn during this last NY trip and may have also developed a new crush. The object of her new affection is named Samuel.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a classic story of coming of age in New York. Samuel is the young son of my collge buddy Neil and his wife Laura. While in NY this trip, we decided to pay a visit to an old friend and to introduce our little one to their little one.  Samuel may only be 3 1/2, but he's certainly coming of age, demonstrated by the fact that as he came down into the basement to show off his play area, he informed Annie that "oh my god, your hair looks wonderful."

He also demonstrated a tate in music that is WELL beyond his years. His dad asked if we should turn on some music and what artist he wanted to hear. Rather than what I expected, which would have been something along the lines of the Doodlebops or Dora The Explorer, the answer we heard was Roberta Flack. Roberta Flack? REALLY? He then followed that up by asking me if I knew Harry. "You know, Harry Belafonte." What an impressive little man.

While we were visiting Samuels new digs he showed Macy where all his toys were stored and let her play with them. It is really hard to believe that he's only 2 1/2 years older than her because he is soo tall and seems way too mature for 3 1/2. Trying to get a picture of two little ones who are totally enthralled with a room full of toys isn't easy, but I did my best.

After our visit, which ended too soon, we shot a few blocks over and paid a visit to Silberzweig & Sznitken, Attorneys at Law. Macy wowed the office with her little "coos" and her walking/stumbling around.

There was a time that I thought the office would eventually be called Silberzweig, Sznitken & Sznitken, and this once again seems a possibility. Macy tried out Granpa's chair and even assisted him by correcting some of his legal briefs and working on a new strategy in his latest case. We tried to convince Grandpa to duck out real early and ride back home with us, but I guess he's overlooked the concept that he's the boss and can do what he wants. Instead we only got him to leave a little early, but its a good thing we did because the ride out to Brooklyn was simple and quick, but the ride home was in the middle of rush hour traffic on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Good thing Grandpa knows his way around Brooklyn or we might still be trying to find our way out.