Last Posting of 2009!

December is a month filled with many time-honored traditions: holiday gatherings (aka too much eating and drinking), lists of resolutions for the new year ahead, and, according to People and Entertainment Weekly, retrospectives on the year just passed. While I was reading one of these "What happened/Who died/Who split-up" year-end issues, I decided to compose a little retrospective of my own. Although 2009 was not such a great year (read: crappy) for me and my family, I thought I'd take a look back on Daniel's year and all that he's experienced and accomplished in those 12 months. Here we go...

January 2009 held so much promise. My little boy was 18 months old and growing by leaps and bounds. We visited the synagogue that would eventually become his camp and preschool, and fell in love with the intimacy of such a warm and caring community. At the end of the month, we left for our extended stay in Florida.

We spent much of February in Boca Raton with my parents. Daniel enjoyed trips to the Palm Beach Zoo and the Children's Museum, and we even managed a couple pool days (despite chilly February temperatures). Daniel's favorite activity was to look out the kitchen window at the cranes on the back lawn and yell, "Cock! Cock! Cock!"

March brought us back home to Philadelphia, where Daniel continued Little Gym, Forever Making Music, and Mommy & Me at Beth Or. In April, we enjoyed the transition to warmer weather and more time on the playground.

May was a terrible month. If you still don't know why, don't worry about it. We're all focusing on moving forward. The best part about a new year is leaving all of the crap from last year behind. So long, May 2009, don't let the door hit you in the ass!

June was a sort of "rebirth" for all of us. Daniel turned 2 with a family party in Longport, NJ. He started camp the following week. It was a little bit rough at first, as he would scream and cry when I dropped him off in the morning, but within 2 weeks he was happy as a clam! His camp counselor told me that he was having a blast with the other kids, and I noticed his vocabulary start to explode. He was talking a blue streak!

July was characterized by many weekend trips down the Shore. As soon as we crossed the Somers Point bridge, Daniel would start to ask for "Mimi and Pops." He loved these laid-back weekends spent with his Daddy's family, riding his tricycle around the block to go look at the boats on the bay. We took him to the Ocean City amusements and to Storybookland. By the end of the summer, Daniel went on a ride by himself for the very first time!

August marked the end of camp (boo-hoo!) as well as the end of the Shore season. We snuck in as many trips to the beach and playground as we could manage. Daniel loved to stand in the driveway of the shore house and fill up his inflatable pool with water from the garden hose. He never actually got into the pool, but he asked for the hose constantly!

In September, Daniel started preschool (Hallelujah!). He adjusted almost immediately to this new experience. Many of his camp friends were in his class, and the teachers couldn't have been any more caring or compassionate. On days when he wasn't at school, Daniel returned to Little Gym and music class. By the end of the month, he was staying at school until 1:00 for lunch.

October took us to many local farms and pumpkin patches. Daniel loved the hayrides (well, really just the tractors that pulled them) and made me chase him through many a cornstalk maze. Halloween was a blast. Daniel dressed as Bob the Builder and trick-or-treated around our entire cul-de-sac! Despite my efforts to influence his candy choices, he seemed most interested in the lollipops. I gotta work on him for next year.

By November, Daniel was talking in pseudo-complete sentences. He was singing songs and playing along on his multiple musical instruments. Daddy brought home an old drum kit and set up shop in our dining room, where Daniel has spent many a morning/afternoon/evening banging away. Don't get me wrong -- the kid has rhythm! He seems to be a natural.

December has flown by, and here we are on the eve of the last day of 2009 (Hallelujah!). My gorgeous little boy is now 2 and a half years old. He loves school. He's curious and intuitive. Best of all, he's sweet and loving. I can't wait to see what he accomplishes in 2010!