18 Month Report Card

Happy 18 Months to our little Spitfire!  He's come a long way since we first brought him home.

Fast facts about the life an 18-month-old Tiger Cub:

Tiger Cub can handle a jungle gym on his own.  This includes pushing past bigger kids who are discourteous enough to hesitate at the top of the slide.  Since scrambling up a jungle gym isn't all that fun for an adult, this makes our lives a little easier.

We've attempted coloring a couple of times.  I felt great about my art skills when TC looked at my drawing and exclaimed, "Meooooow!"

TC likes taking baths, making animal sounds, reading books, and trying to fit large objects into small spaces.

I tried letting him help me in the kitchen, but he mostly wanted to inspect the drain and lick the measuring cups.

And he climbed a tree once.

Happy 18 Months TC!

NYC-iversary

August 1st marked 7 years of living in New York City!  It seems like just yesterday we were saying, "sure we'll try NYC for two years."

Yes, we live on top of each other, it smells sometimes, and people honk.  A lot.  But on a more positive note, here are 5 things we do enjoy about the big city.

1.  No Car

This might seem like a negative but it's actually awesome.  No gas, no pumping gas, no parking, no dead batteries, no washing a car, no maintenance or insurance costs...you get the point.  We go everywhere on our own two feet or on the subway.  If we want to leave the city, there are planes, trains, and rental cars for that.  For the most part, Tiger Cub's car seat idles in the corner of his bedroom.

Stamina building...these little legs can go half a mile at 17 months.

2.  Culture and Entertainment

Our daily routines do not include frequenting the Museum of Modern Art or Broadway, but when we do have the occasion to do something special, there's so much right here.  And when we have visitors, its fun and easy to entertain.

Like that time 5-month-old Tiger Cub insisted that we take him to the Met.

3.  People

More people isn't always a good thing but sometimes it is.  More diversity, more people to meet, more potential friendships.

High population density perk:  Tiger Cub knows a whole slew of toddlers born the same month and year as him.  When they get together, it's cuteness overload, which a mom friend captured beautifully in this shot.

4.  Food

Hmmm...Greek or Uzbek?  Even a young discriminating Tiger Cub is alternatively overjoyed and overwhelmed by the culinary options.

More relevant to our daily lives, we're surrounded by some really wonderful bakeries and bagel shops.  There is no shortage of freshly baked carbs to fuel our walking habit.

5.  Transportation

When we do get tired of being here, it's easy to leave.  We have three international airports to choose from and over the years we have taken direct flights to a respectable number of states and European capitals.  LGA alone has a flight every hour to Atlanta so it's easy to find a flight back to Georgia.  For regional travel, there are trains that leave the city going in every direction.