happy 2009.

celebrate! we will be away from the computer for the next few days, so we'd like to wish everyone a happy and safe new year. get out your whipped cream and iron out those resolutions while there's still time.

eve.

we realize we're doing this a little backwards, but it's been a long couple of weeks. here's mercer fixated on the angel chimes on christmas eve.

remote control christmas.

it was less than 20 months ago that mercer couldn't hold his own head up or even roll over onto his back. now he can play with remote control cars on the wall.

mercer's new trike.

uncle quinn gives mercer a test drive on his new trike. thanks, meMa!

mercer's new guitar.

mercer is a one man band. strum, strum goes the guitar.

mercer's new drumset.

mercer loves his new drumset. boom boom go the drums.

happy holidays.

it's been a busy couple of weeks here at mercer hq. we've been finishing up some last minute shopping, preparing the christmas goose, visiting friends in faraway lands, and getting colds. mercer has been a good lad this year, so pop thinks santa will be kind. they speak often (so there are no duplicating of gifts) and santa was especially proud of mercer for a few reasons. this year, mercer has:

* gotten through two emergency room visits for severe fever
* learned how to form questions using speech ("what's this?" "what does this do?" "where'd it go?")
* improved his kicking skills and ability to say "goal!!"
* cast a spell on the phillies that made them world series champions
* learned how to play well with others in school, getting an older toddler girl to retrieve his coat for him at the end of the day
* started to learn how to jump
* gotten mistaken for a 3-year old
* increased his vocabulary (cat, fishes, hat, shoes, etc.)
* danced like crazy
* drummed like crazy
* developed a liking for trains ("choo-choo's")
* learned how to turn on the chirstmas lights
* driven daddy to work when daddy is too tired
* learned how to brush his teeth, wash his hands, tell people when he has gone to the bathroom in his diaper (yum)
* behaved himself in the big city
* been mistaken for a girl about once a week (what's wrong with a pink polo?)
* survived a cat claw slash attack (thanks, cooper!)
* gotten his first (and second) haircut; also got an unofficial haircut by the geniuses at day care - well done!
* mimiced a waiter who was sneezing at a diner
* learned how to run with pace
* developed a favorite side dish in mushrooms with soy sauce
* learned how to get mommy to do anything he wants while acting totally different when she's not around
* and many more!

happy holidays to all of our faithful reader(s) out there. we'll be pretty quiet from here on out due to all of the celebrations. there might just be a christmas update because, honestly, what's cuter than mercer in his christmas pj's?

mercer and daddy are silly.

there are a couple of things here that you'll probably never see again. first, pop wearing a baseball cap backwards. second, mercer and daddy freestylin' on an infant nasal bulb.

new video host.

we're trying out a new way to show video here since a few of you told me that you couldn't see the old ones. try this. if it doesn't work, leave us a comment.

this is a pretty old video taken by our friend scott on his camera. kinda scratchy, but you get a lot of mercer cuteness.

cleaning out the inbox.

here's an old blackberry photo of mercer's second haircut. we didn't really go crazy taking pictures of the second cut. mercer was pretty well behaved and he just needed a trim. kinda looks funny here, to be honest...

a visit with santa.

it took some time, but by the end of the visit, mercer and santa were close friends. he's looking off camera like last year, but it's the only shot where he didn't look scared. and doesn't santa look like he just stole mercer's wallet?

one per day.

mercer has gotten to the point where he's learning at least one new word per day, if not many more. it seems as though there's too many words for mercer to handle at once. you can see his wheels spinning as he wants to spit out as much as he can at once, but it all usually comes out as babble. he does manage to string some thoughts together, though. some of his best phrases include:

"what's this?"
"where'd it go?"
"pee pee!"
"bye-bye"
"let's go"
"night night"

some new words: fish, breeze, cat, juice, milk, brobee, please, thank you, help, goal, elmo

he can also make a few animal sounds: moo, sssssss (snake), ribbit, hwouck hwouck (pig snort), raawwrr!

he can say almost any short word at least once right after you say it, but his memory is pretty fleeting at this point. still, he's doing pretty well for a boy occupied with trying to destroy himself and his surroundings.

play date!

mercer and co. headed north to visit danielle and her parents joanne and dave in mahopac, ny today. it's the first time we've seen danielle (or her parents, I think?) since she was born. it was great. danielle is a beautiful little girl and her parents were great hosts. first, we stopped for lunch at a local barbecue place called holy smoke. then, it was back to the house for running, playing, running, homemade brownie eating, more running, and more playing. mercer loved danielle's toys, especially anything related to elmo. he also enjoyed a toy car that he scooted around on all afternoon. the kids tired themseves out quite nicely as mercer promptly fell asleep on the ride home.

thanksgiving.

mercer and co. had a great thanksgiving. lots of friends and family visited and lots of different foods were eaten. mom and pop cooked up turkey, stuffing with sausage, french onion soup, stuffed mushrooms, roasted parsnips with bacon, mashed squash, maple glazed carrots, sour cream mashed potatoes, candied yams with walnuts, green beans with olive oil and hot pepper, and probably a few other things.

the best part of the holiday, however, was the entertainment. here's mercer putting on a drum clinic for mom, pop, and uncle quinn. the sound was even more deafening in person.

from the archive: mom and pop

look at these young kids! it's mom and pop from the 70's and 80's!

mercer's first school photo.

a few things. (one) look how cute this guy is. ever wonder what a parent thinks is cute on their own toddler when you might not think the child is cute? look at the small teeth. the little curl of hair on his left (your right) side. his collar. his double chin. it's the small things. (two) how the heck did they get him to sit that still?? those photographers are miracle workers. think about it. only 17 months ago, this was a helpless being, unable to keep his own head up or feed himself. now he's sitting still (and smiling! showing teeth!) for a photographer. (three) we're going to have to order more of these.

a fun saturday.

mercer spent a fun day with friends sarah and dan while mom and pop acted like tourists in new york. they went for a nice lunch at becco and then saw a play called speed the plow starring jeremy piven (entourage, tons of movies), elizabeth moss (mad men), and raul esparza (a broadway mainstay). the play suited mom and pop perfectly as it was quick and to the point. well acted and interesting, too.

it took some prying to get mercer away from sarah and dan because they were such great company, but we eventually got him into the car for the ride home. smiles all around.

mercer likes to color.

take a look! it's mercer using his big new coloring book and crayons.

mercer! look at what you did to the blinds! daddy doesn't like that!

what's for dinner? part 4.

thursday.

mom and pop: subway sandwiches (gross)

mercer: hot dog and macaroni and cheese

chris brown and elmo.

mercer knows how to say "elmo" now, which is somewhat disturbing since he's our least favorite character on sesame street. why couldn't he have gone old school with bert, grover, or better yet, telly? still, mercer enjoys himself a little bit of the SS in the morning. we don't like him stuck in front of the TV all the time, but there are things he learns from certain shows that are amazing. he learned how to twirl from the backyardigans, for example (an amazing show for parents if you like music, by the way) and waves bye to the characters at the end of each show.

anyway, back to sesame street. apparently, chris brown is a star in the music industry who dates famous people. we've never heard of him until he popped up to sing a duet with elmo about signs on sesame street. it's catchy, but i'd be surprised if brown's range extends much further than this song. how many singers like this do we need? anyway, it's a clever clip showcasing elmo's surprising vocal range.

what's for dinner? part 3.

nothing special to eat, but on an unrelated note, mercer got kicked out of the library last night! not his fault, really. he was running up and and down the aisles (in the children's room where there are toys everywhere!) with mommy not far behind. the librarian in the room didn't like this too much for some reason and, in so many words, told mercer and mom that if they kept it up, they would be asked to leave. we all left anyway and we probably won't be back. good job, ossining public library!

wednesday

mom and pop: chicken scarpiello pizza with salad. bounty-flavored gelato.

mercer: half a slice of plain pizza, 3 cucumbers.

what's for dinner? part 2.

mercer did NOT want to eat last night. he was in a feisty and tired mood. mom and pop still ate well, though!

tuesday.

mom and pop: paparadelle pasta in a sage walnut sauce with spicy chicken sausage.

mercer: ate very few pieces of chicken sausage and a little bit of red beans and rice. did not eat peas and carrots. did drink almost two bottles of milk, though.

mercer's first song.

mercer is fascinated with pop's guitar and the sounds it can make. a few weeks ago, we caught mercer playing the guitar with a drum stick and got it all on tape. he's just playing some open strings but as he goes up and down the guitar, he mimics the sounds he hears with his voice. he gives us some other stuff, too.

bonus points to anyone who (a) listens to this all the way through or (b) listens to it twice.

and yes, pop has listened to this at least 50 times.

here it is: mercer song 1

what's for dinner? part 1.

we're going to keep track of what mercer eats for dinner this week. why? why not! it'll be interesting to look back at this a year from now and see what has changed (for us, anyway).

monday.

mom and pop: baked chicken with marjoram, mashed squash, sauteed spinach and garlic, slim-a-bear ice cream treat.

mercer: baked chicken with marjoram, few bites of ravioli, few bites of squash, corn, milk, chocolate pudding, all natural strawberry fruit bar.

do you like pudding?

mercer does. so much so that he employed 2 spoons the other night at the diner.

roller coaster.

mercer's new table.

we got mercer a set of table and chairs this weekend. he loves to sit. he loves to color and hold crayons. it's the perfect combination! here is mercer using his table for the first time. he was so happy to see it!

words update.

there are probably plenty that I am forgetting, but here are some words mercer can say, more or less:

hi, no, more, please, elmo, goal, apple, baby, momma, mommy, mommEEEEEE, dadda, daddy, hanna, bye, juice, book, yes, go, emma, nose, eye, pumpkin, barazzul bee bub, ball, moshy mees a sapadub.

and in sign language, mercer knows: milk, thank you, more, and please.

wow.

wow.

mercer visits the zoo.

the day after halloween, we visited the bronx zoo. like halloween, it was a gorgeous day but the zoo was basically empty. the leafy shades of red, yellow, and orange were a fantastic backdrop for all the animals we saw. mercer picked up some starbucks on the way:


"raaaaawwwwwwrrrrr!" mercer loves roaring any time he sees an animal in a book or on TV. watching him talk to the tigers in the wild was great.


look! bison!


we capped off the afternoon with a ride on the skyfari.


mercer loved it.

trick or treat.

mom and pop took mercer to see sydney and her parents, christine and kyle, for halloween. it was a beautiful afternoon for trick or treating and the kids were in great spirit. mercer even planted a big kiss on sydney's lips to start off the evening!

as you know, mercer was a vampire. sydney was a penn state cheerleader. the kids did some rough housing before we set out.






the parents didn't think the toddlers would last all that long, but mercer and sydney picked up on the whole trick or treating idea really quickly. they loved knocking on doors and grabbing as much candy as they could. we tried pushing the m and m's for mercer since we know he really loves those. he eats them one at a time! so frustrating! it was cute to watch them try and stuff as much loot into their sacks as fast as possible!



at the end of the day, the kids did a great job. in fact, i think the grown-ups were more tired than mercer and sydney. we headed back to christine and kyle's fantastic house and relaxed with some pizza and treats. until next year...

jack o'lantern blaze.

last thursday, our friend tracey was kind enough to give us last minute jack o'lantern blaze tickets, which were hard to come by this year. in the 4 or 5 years the event has been staged, it's become quite popular. basically, it's thousands of hand-carved pumpkins (or plastic pumpkins - we're not sure. some of them look like plastic.) on display and lit up at night. spooky music is played, apple cider is served, and fun is had.

mercer was extremely tired when we showed up, but we've been training him to stay up a little later so he can get used to the daylight savings shenanigans. he wasn't happy when we were stuck in lines or logjams, but he loved looking at all the nighttime pumpkins. he doesn't mind sitting in the baby carrier on daddy's back as long as there are skeletons, goblins, and gremlins to look at. spooky!

update on mercer's trick or treating extravaganza coming soon...

mercer jumped out of his crib yesterday.

yesterday, mercer was having fits while mom was trying to put him in his crib for an afternoon nap. he's been really clingy with mom lately and he was screaming. as soon as mom got downstairs she heard a loud "thud" and the pitter patter of tiny mercer feet. mom rushed up the stairs to meet mercer before he thought about taking them on himself. he greeted mom with some jibber jabber baby talk and all was fine.

we think he was just so upset about mom leaving that he lept up and out. he never thinks about trying to jump during the night or when he's not super clingy. hopefully, he'll go back to his normal napping ways from now on. his nap schedule has been very erratic recently. he's gone down to one nap from two during the day, which is fine, but day care always messes this up.

we'll keep you posted.

happy halloween - UPDATE 3.

here's mercer marching in the halloween parade at day care. he's holding hands with his friend shaina.

happy halloween - UPDATE 2

mercer in a big carrier with some very young kids for the parade? looks typical for our aimless day care center. what are they doing over there? we need some analysis from someone on the scene!

the look on mercer's face, however, is priceless. don't act so cool, though, mercer. you scream like that, too.

happy halloween - UPDATE.

mercer is getting ready to march in the parade!

happy halloween.

boy, halloween really snuck up on us this year. last year, mercer was just a small babe when halloween rolled around. mom and pop dressed him up like a hot dog, but this year, he is a scary vampire! well, he's not all that scary. more like a cute vampire toddler. the picture up there is kind of blurry, but that's because mercer moves so fast!

mercer is at school with mom right now, marching in the halloween parade with all of his friends. later, we're going to visit sydney, christine, and kyle and do some trick or treating. we'll try to update the blog as soon as we can with pictures from the field!

please vote.

by now, you may have figured out that the mercer process supports barrack obama for president. it wasn't an easy choice, but it was never between mccain and obama; it was between obama and anybody else. mccain never even entered the equation.

we've heard a lot of rhetoric about "change" and "hope" during this campaign. it's not really about either of those things; for us, it's about respect.

before mercer was born, pop was in germany for a month attending the 2006 world cup with a friend. other than the olympics (and a typical saturday afternoon in queens), there is no other event that brings together so many different kinds of people in one place. how were we received as americans? usually with sneers, remarks, and one liners about how our country should be ashamed of itself. this is nothing new; america has long been hated by a lot of people. but never has it been hated so much and by so many.

for us, a vote for mccain/palin is a vote for ignorance, fear, backwardness, hatred, wizardry, religious zealotry, lies, and secrecy. this has been on display during mccain's campaign and over the past eight years. barrack obama, at the very least, will restore respect for america throughout the world. a vote for obama shows the world that we embrace important ideals such as education, rational thinking, and compassion.

on a related note, mercer has some friends who are teachers (hey becky! hey alyssa! hey meredith!), and being a kid, education is very important to mercer. check out how the national educational association compares the two candidates. the fact that mccain refused to fill out the questionnaire is telling indeed.

http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0805/candidate-comparison.html

BREAKING: mercer visits the doctor for his 18 month checkup.

there he is. stripped down to his underpants, waiting for the doctor. if history is any guide, there will soon be screaming, kicking, crying, whining, tears, and tongue depressors everywhere! good luck, little guy.

pumpkin picking.

to prepare for the upcoming halloween holiday, mercer, cousin hanna, MeMa, PaPa, Grandpa, Aunt Becky, Mom, and Pop went to a local pumpkin patch. there, mercer and hanna went on a rather lengthy hayride, scampered around a pumpkin patch, fed goats, and got all kinds of dirty.

the recent cold weather has gotten everyone in the mood for spookiness, trick or treating, and the winter season in general. so has the sight of gourds, pumpkins, and squash everywhere you look. mercer has a bunch lying around the house and one of his favorite games is carefully moving them from one spot to another. and then back again. and then back again...

we'll report more on halloween in early november. we are planning on taking mercer out trick or treating this year with his good friend, sydney. we're guessing he'll last five houses, tops! last year, mercer was a hot dog for halloween. this year, he's a vampire!!

truly unbelievable that this is mercer's second halloween....

a blast from the past.

holy cow! look at how young mercer is!

election 2008: dead bear edition.

oh, and if you are voting for the mccain/palin ticket, here is an example of what your fellow supporters are up to. how classy!

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200810210015/NEWS01/810210324

election 2008.

yesterday, on an NBC affiliate in colorado, republican vice-presidential candidate sarah palin was asked a question sent in to the station by a third grader named brandon garcia. the question?

“what does the Vice President do?”

keep in mind that Palin has had months to prep for this question since becoming the vp pick. seems that she's still not clear on what the vice president does, telling young brandon that the vp is in "charge of the U.S. Senate so if they want to they can really get in there with the senators and make a lot of good policy changes that will make life better for Brandon and his family and his classroom."

really?

in reality, the vp's only involvement with the senate is to provide a tie-breaking vote in case of a deadlock. a vice president in no way shape or form can "get in there with the senators" and make policy.

just another example of how little the republican party cares about facts, the country, and it's children.

source: think progress

thank you.

thanks to all who donated towards making strides against breast cancer. we really appreciate it. while we personally didn't hit our internal goal, your contributions helped the point pleasant, new jersey event raise more than one million dollars. statewide, the making strides events will have raised around 5 million dollars when all is said and done. that's amazing.

grandma would definitely be proud of us, but there is still work to do. next year, we plan on making a more concerted team effort to hit our internal goal and help fight breast cancer.

that being said, there's still time to make a donation toward this year's event if you'd like, so drop us a line to ask us how or click the widget on the right side of the blog. by the way, that widget total is misleading...we've raised much more than $250 through this site. it's closer to $1,000, but American Cancer Society's technology is still stuck in 2002 or so.

again...thanks so much.

steps.

mercer takes on some steps.

mercer and hanna at the park.

mercer and cousin hanna had fun at the park this past weekend. the weather was just right for one final romp. here, they relax and think about the good old days.


here, hanna tells mercer how not to run into the giant rock.


mercer tells hanna about the finer points of the electoral college. it still doesn't make sense!


we owe how much to china??

drink!

mom and pop found out last night that mercer is perfectly capable of drinking water from a regular glass. he was whining his way through dinner, wanting our water glasses in the worst way. we, as usual, say no to this because broken glass and toddlers do not mix. we eventually gave him the water and he went to town, impressing both mom and pop along the way. sure, he got some water on his shirt and pants, but who hasn't at some point? mercer would've loved to watch pop during his college days!

anyway, mercer will be getting more practice at regular drinking in the coming days. he's a pro. we'll stick to water for now, though.

happy birthday, mommy!

today is mom's birthday. nothing special planned today, unfortunately. mom and pop took a sick day yesterday because they were both diagnosed with pink eye. thanks, mercer! the doctor told them to stay home to keep from passing the pinkus along to other people. anyway, mom and pop have a lot of work to catch up on, so nothing special during the day. maybe mercer will take mommy out to dinner tonight!

pop and grandpa take mercer to the city.

pop and mercer met grandpa in the big city yesterday. the weather started off lousy, but the rain gave way to a wonderful day. to dodge the early morning rain, the gang stopped in for a sip of coffee and madeline at once upon a tart. before that, mercer enjoyed a cheese straw from murray's cheese shop. mercer guided pop and grandpa northward, through union square and past fish's eddy and the massive paragon sporting goods . mercer fell asleep just before we sat down for a BBQ lunch at RUB, one of the best BBQ spots in the city.

he woke up when pop and grandpa were finished with their pulled pork sandwiches, but mercer was not hungry at all. he wanted to play and explore some more, so we headed out back south towards washington square park. there, mercer had a healthy helping of swings and slides and played very well with the other children.

we even saw baby soda, a fantastic hobo jazz band that mercer was riveted by. on the way out, heading towards other music and camper, we spotted tv personality carson kressley.

after one last coffee for pop and grandpa at esperanto cafe, mercer headed home. he was in great spirits all day, despite not really having eaten anything. once mercer and pop got in the car, however, mercer ripped open a bag of apple chips, finished the whole bag, and promptly fell asleep.

baby soda: bring it on down to my house