Just shy of 11 months, I am in the process of popping out my first tooth.  I’ve had a gummy smile since birth but today when mommy felt my gum, there it was…my emerging first tooth!  Everyone has been waiting for this to happen for months and finally the day is here.  Grandma Lorraine says there is a Greek tradition of having something sweet, typically baklava, when a baby gets their first tooth.  I have a feeling I know what she will be bringing for mom and dad on her next visit :)

Over the past 11 months, I have had the opportunity to try many different baby items. Based on my experience, I decided to come up with my “Top 10 List” for any new mother with a baby under the age of one (in no particular order):

1. Citi Mini Stroller by Baby Jogger - lightweight, one-handed easy closing, and phenomenal ability to maneuver around corners and through doorways.
2. Gymini – Tiny Love Music & Lights – when your little one can’t do much other than lay on the floor and attempt to touch things, this item givens them something to look at and things to grab for.  It was the best investment for the first 4 to 5 months of life.
3. Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo – plenty to play with and a great amount of bounce.  David loves this so much more than this exesourcer.
4. Rainforest Bouncy Seat – if it weren’t for this seat I don’t think I would have ever been able to shower those first few months.
5. Bright Stars ‘By Your Side Seat’ - aka the “Lazy Boy Seat for Babies” as per our friends the Weissmans.  Fabulous investment.  David still sits in that seat when he needs to ‘relax’.
6. Pampers Disposable Bibs – Nothing better than a use and toss bib when you are out and about on the go.
7. Johnson’s Soothing Vapor Bath – when your baby has a cold this really helps open up the congestion in the bath.  I even used it when I had a cold!
8. Phil & Ted’s Me Too booster seat – fabulous to bring along to a restaurant or friend’s house.  It attaches right to the table so your little one can sit with everyone.
9. Fisher Price – Rock a Stack Rings – colorful rings that your baby can take on and off the holder.  David has been playing with this since he could hold something and it is the first toy he goes for in the morning.
10. Fisher Price – Baby’s First Blocks – 10 bright blocks and a drop in sorter box.  David plays with this almost as much as the stacking rings.

What is your top 10 list?

It has been awhile since I’ve blogged about restaurants, probably because our dining out venues have been limited to quick, familiar spots that we can be in and out of before David disrupts the dining experience for everyone.  But this afternoon I joined a friend and her 7 month old son for lunch at Wild Ginger in Bronxville.  I had heard wonderful things about this Asian fusion restaurant and I can honestly say those reviews didn’t disappoint.  The restaurant’s modern Asian motif and blend of Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisine make for a great menu.  The prices are very moderate and the lunch specials can’t be beat.  For $9 a person there is a wide variety of dishes served with rice, mini appetizer and a huge bowl of soup.  The quality of the food was excellent and so was the presentation.  They were also kid friendly which was a huge plus for us since we had our little ones with us.  Wild Ginger is definitely a MUST if you live in the area or find yourself in Bronxville on a random afternoon.  They are open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

The world as I knew it changed on Wednesday morning when I decided it was time to get up off my belly and start to crawl forward.  For a couple of weeks I have been crawling backwards but it finally clicked and I figured out how to go forward.  So, after 10 months of looking and laying around, sitting and staring at things I wanted, I can now go get them myself.  It’s so exciting!  I’m discovering all the new places I can crawl to and of course all the new things I can touch (and get into trouble with).  Over the last couple of days I’ve heard a lot of “no David”, “don’t touch that David”, “what are you doing David”, and of course Mommy is now chasing after me as I get into things I’m not supposed to.  But isn’t that the fun?  I’m certainly testing my parents a little bit and I’m having a great time flashing them my toothless smile as I attempt to do things I’m not supposed to be doing.  My curiosity is high so I’m planning on checking out everything I see.  I’m even starting to pull myself up on chairs and tables because I want to see and touch everything.  I keep hearing mommy and daddy talking about ‘baby proofing’ the house and putting things away so I can’t get to them.  I see it already, they are going to be party poopers with my crawling.   I’ll show them though…when I start to walk.  I’m going to have them chase me everywhere!  And daddy was worried that he wasn’t getting enough exercise…..  I’m going to be his best exercise routine yet!

I will always remember where I was and what I was doing at 8:48am on September 11th and so will almost every American.  Our lives changed forever that day and as a country, and as Americans, we bonded together to mourn those that we lost.  Life does go on and supposedly time heals all wounds but somehow this wound is one that will never truly heal.  Whether we knew someone personally or not, everyone was impacted by the gruesome, horrific attacks that took place.  As a New Yorker, our skyline will never be the same.  Our children will not know it as we knew it but it is our job as parents to teach them the importance of remembrance on this day.  To all those that fought so bravely on that day and to those that fight for our freedom each and every day, thank you.  For those that perished, you are forever in our hearts.  Peace out.

Last week Mommy and I spent a great week of shopping with my cousins. playing with friends and attending my first gym class.  We were out and about and as a result I picked up my very first cold.  A runny nose, congestion and a cough.  I made it 10 months before this happened so I guess I am fairly lucky.  Daddy does not like that I’m under the weather and is now calling my gym class “germboree” since he is convinced that is where I picked up this lovely cold.  After two sleepless nights, Mom & Dad whisked me to the doctor to be sure I didn’t have an infection and fortunately I don’t.  I’ve tried to be a trooper but I can’t say I’ve been the best patient at night.  I recently learned to sit up on my own in the crib and think it is much  more fun to sit up than lay down so I am making bed time rather challenging.  Add on top of that the fact that I’ve got a lot of congestion and the last thing I want to do is sleep on my back.  Let’s just say I’ve been a joy :)

Mom & Dad have been great though and I have to say they both have a lot of patience.  I feel bad that I passed my germs on to both of them and virtually ruined our holiday weekend but what can you do.  Share and share alike, right?!  They should only know this is just the beginning.  Wait til they see what else I bring home….

First off, my apologies to all my readers for the lack of blog posts recently but It’s been really busy since we came home from vacation and then we were experiencing technical problems with Hermanweb but all is fixed now and we are back up and running.

The Herman clan is gearing up for the fall and in doing so we’ve had a lot happening. First off, Mom & Dad took me to their respective offices to show me off to their friends and colleagues.  Mom’s old office was thrilled to see me again since the last time I was there I was still a bit of a mush.  Now at a whopping 9+ months old I was able to ‘wow’ the crowd with my ability to sit, clap and “high-five”.  I chatted it up with everyone and had a blast.  Next we headed down to Dad’s office where I was equally as charming.  I met everyone that Daddy works with and really enjoyed myself.  After my city trip, it was back to the suburbs with play dates, pool time and fun with friends.  Mom has kept me busy so as not to be disappointed about no longer being on vacation.  She’s done an excellent job as I’m exhausted every night.

I’m starting to crawl backwards, move around in a circle and sometimes even try to pull myself up so Mom thought this would be the perfect time to get us enrolled in a gym class.  Starting this week, I will be tumbling, jumping and swinging with other babies just my age at Great Play in Scarsdale.  This should be a whole lot of fun.  The weather is going to be cooling down a bit so I will be back on the playground again once the pool closes.  I had the most amazing summer splashing around in the water and learning to swim but unfortunately the season is coming to end (much to Mom’s disappointment).
With one more week of ’summer’ to go, although not officially, I am going to make the most of it.  I have plans all week long and am very excited.  The upcoming long weekend will be filled with fun with friends and family at a barbecue and a bat-mitzvah.  It’s going to be great and I’m excited!

The first official Herman Family vacation came to end yesterday but it was a fabulous 10 days.  Our last couple of days in the Hamptons were terrific.  Despite some morning showers on Thursday we managed to venture out to Sag Harbor to walk along the pier, browse in the tiny shops and enjoy a late lunch at Blue Sky Cafe.  Friday the sun came out again and we spent the day swimming and relaxing.  Before we knew it, Saturday morning rolled around so we took one final dip in the pool and packed the car.   For our farewell lunch we dined at the Lobster Inn in Southampton and only wished we had eaten there sooner.  The waterfront dining on the inlet and the open air atmosphere were great.  We had a delicious lunch of fish and lobster.  The dinner menu look fantastic and extremely reasonable, especially the weekday specials.  We will definitely be back next time we head out east.

In typical Herman fashion, Darren and I hosted a bbq the night we got home.  We kicked off pre-wedding festivities for Darren’s good friend, Michael Woodrow by hosting our friends and having a great evening.  Sunday we witnessed Mike and Stacey tie the knot at Beckwith Pointe in New Rochelle.  What a beautiful evening for a wedding.  The ceremony was outside overlooking the water and the setting was just perfect.  The party was a blast and we all danced the night away.  A great time was had by all!

And now, today, Darren is back at work and David and I are back to our routine.  I feel the summer coming to an end and am getting sad.  I love the warm days, the sunshine and the carefree nature of long summer days.  Before we know it, the leaves will be changing and then it will David’s first birthday.  Time is flying….

It’s hard to believe our Hamptons vacation is half over.  The last few days have flown by.  Mom and Dad have kept me very busy and I’ve been having a ball!  We have done a variety of things so I am getting an exposure to everything the Hamptons has to offer.  Sunday we went to the Atlantis Aquarium since the weather was less than stellar but by Monday morning the sun was shining and the heat was on the rise.  We started the day off with a walk to the dock and then swimming in our pool.  Dad wanted to bbq a feast for us so we picked up some great food at the gourmet meat shoppe around the corner, fresh corn and veggies at the farmer’s market a mile down the road and an array of shellfish from the local fish market.  Mom said it was a culinary delight.  I just liked looking at all the big shells from the clams!

Tuesday after a morning dip in the pool we drove to East Hampton for a walk around town.  We strolled Main Street browsing the high-end shop windows while cooling off with some delicious homemade ice cream from Scoop du Jour.  Mom and Dad took me to see the big houses near the water and then they introduced me to Two Mile Beach.  Wow….that was spectacular!  I was captivated by the ocean and the breeze.  Mommy put me down so I could feel the water and the sand between my toes.  I liked the water but not the sand so Mom and Dad lucked out that they didn’t have to deal with me attempting to eat it.  Not this time anyway.  After a taste of the beach, we ventured to Sagaponack for dinner at Townline BBQ.   BBQ is not quite my taste yet but Mom and Dad loved it.  They chowed down on bbq brisket, pulled pork and ribs while I happily played with my straw and munched on a few veggie sticks.  The restaurant was the perfect choice because of the ultra casual setting.  There were tons of other kids and the noise level allowed me to talk all I wanted although I was pretty busy with my straw!

Today the weather was cloudy and cool so we decided to make it vineyard day.  After lining their stomachs at the Hampton Bays Diner, Mom & Dad took me to the north fork to explore the wineries.  We had many great destinations to choose from thanks to all the recommendations that poured in from friends and family but in the end we stopped at Duckwalk North and Osprey’s Dominion Winery.  I sat comfortably in my stroller while Mom & Dad sampled an array of chardonnays, reislings and cabernets.  After each tasting we sat outside on the deck enjoying some tranquility.  I was mesmerized by all there was to look at so I was a good little boy.  Came evening we headed further into Westhampton for a great italian dinner at Baby Moon Cafe and then a drive along Dune Road.  The rain started up just as we arrived home, luckily.  What a great day!  I can’t wait to see what they have in store for me tomorrow….