Last of the New York Photos

These slipped through the cracks somehow--Aunt Kathy took a bunch of Fiona photos on our last weekend before we moved away from New York and you can see those here (also linked in the sidebar). That's at the Astoria Park Playground above, where you could find us most weekend mornings from May-September.

The girl playing with Fiona above is her friend Estela. We had a little going away get together at the Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria (one of the area's big attractions) and we invited Estela. So I'll always love that Fiona's last NYC playdate was at the beer garden. They were the most avid dancers out on the floor that afternoon.

I Can't Remember Her Using Fewer Than Three

We had our first visit with our new pediatrician last week. I liked her a lot, although I'm not sure Fiona would say the same; there was quite a bit of poking and prodding and sample taking and shot giving. Fiona got to show off her truly spooky shot demeanor--she doesn't cry at all when the doctor gives her one ("must have a very high pain threshold," the doctor said, shaking her head).

If she hears an ice cream truck go by outside and doesn't get to the window in time to see it she's disconsolate and weeps for days. Stick a needle in her arm and she looks mildly annoyed. I can't figure out my kid sometimes.

Anyway, at one point the nurse was interviewing us and asking all the questions they have to ask to make sure your child isn't facing a serious developmental delay--basically the stuff that would indicate something is wrong, so it's thresholds Fiona was expected to pass a while ago.

--Does she play in groups?
I said yes

--Does she share with others when she plays?
Yep

--Can she jump?
Fiona, show Nurse Alisha your jump.

--Does she use sentences of three words or more?

I heard that question and it was just involuntary. I burst out laughing.

To be fair, my daughter's motormouth tendencies do subside when she meets new adults, so we weren't getting the same running commentary I'm used to. But it wasn't a question I had to think long and hard to answer.

And So It Begins

I was out of town on business all week, and while I was away Andrea got an iPhone (I'm hoping she raves about it so much I have no choice but to justify getting one for myself). When Andrea and Fiona picked me up at the airport yesterday evening, Andrea handed the phone to me so I could have a look, and Fiona proceeded to take it from me and showed me how to move through all the menus, take photos, review the photos you've just taken, etc.

I'm reasonably tech savvy, but I have no illusions that I'll be able to stay ahead of my kid on new technology as she gets older. Even so, I was hoping to get a little bit past four-and-a-half before she passed me.

First iPhone photo--ack, stinky toes!

My Reputation Proceeds Me

At the grocery store with Fiona last week I decided to pick up a bottle of wine for dinner that night. As we walked through the aisle, Fiona kept trying to pick one out for me.

"Get the one with the kangaroo, Daddy!" she exclaimed, pointing to a brand with a marsupial logo. "Oh, get the froggie."

She kept pointing to bottles on the $5.99 shelf. I was looking for something a little nicer.

"Why aren't you getting the froggie, Daddy?"

"Well, Fiona, you keep pointing to the cheap wine," I said, trying to move her along. Fiona protested.

"But you like cheap wine!"

Phrase That Carefully

Fiona knows Andrea is starting a new job teaching next week. But she doesn't really know what I do, and so she asked me recently.

Trying to keep it simple, I explained to her that I work on websites, and just like she goes to Noggin or NickJr for her websites, I do websites for grown-ups.

So now she goes around saying "Daddy works on grown-up websites."

As long as we keep using the word "grown-up" instead of "adult" I think I'm in the clear. She starts using the other word and other parents will probably keep their kids far away from me when I pick Fiona up at preschool.