Oom Poppa Mow Mow

Hello good people!

I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine, his name
is Mr. Giraffe. You can see him (most of him, anyway)
in the upper left corner of this photograph:


In this photo you can also see some of my other friends,
Messieurs Frog and Bird, but Mr. Giraffe is special.
He is special even in addition to his four brightly colored
feet: his green one, his magenta one, his orange one and his
blue one. The green one being, as I am often told, his very favorite.

No, Mr. Giraffe is special even beyond his padded
polychrome paws. He is special because he sings to me.

Now, I won't pretend that he sings especially well, he does
possess a voice only slightly more sonorous than Edith Bunker's.
And he does tend to sing only the same few songs over and over,
namely Beyond the Sea, I'll Be Seeing You and Boom Boom
Ain't It Great to be Crazy, in a steady rotation.

But he does sing his best, and he sings only for me, not for
anyone else. Not for the mamas, not for Clyde the cat,
just for me. And that's what makes him special.

Actually... maybe that makes me special...

In any case, I often like
to sing along with him:



MANNY'S NOTE: Hello all, just wanted to provide
an addendum to Simon's singing post.

Forty-five hours a week we spend together, so there's
plenty of time for us not just to sing in two-, er, three-part harmony,
Simon, Mr. Giraffe and me, but also to listen to all sorts of music
played and sung by all sorts of folks, from all parts of the
world. We have a good time, no doubt about it.

And for those who are curious, here's a short rundown of
some of the songs and albums that Simon has seemed
to like the best (some links are provided for
your listening pleasure). Enjoy!

Trouble by Ray Lamontagne (he loves
the whole album, not just the title song)

Pretty much anything by Cat Stevens. Here's Oh Very Young

Take the A Train by Mel Torme

Elvira by the Oak Ridge Boys

Most everything on The Family Hootenanny, a terrific CD
sent to me by a musician friend in Detroit, Deanne Iovan,
bassist and lead singer of of The Come Ons

The Crosby, Stills and Nash version of The Beatles' Blackbird

And he greatly enjoys the Smithsonian Folkways compilation of
Maritime Music, especially Leadbelly's Haul Away Joe,
to which you really should listen:



There's been a goodly amount of Indian music that he's liked,
from sitar folk to bouncy Bollywood tunes. Also, Delta blues
and gospel compilations. Mississippi John Hurt is a favorite.

Like I said, we have a good time.

~Devon the Manny

My Mamas, You Should Meet Them

I've mentioned my mamas, but I haven't officially introduced them yet.
So please, let me do so right now.



You see, most people only have one mama, but I'm lucky enough to have two. And actually I have a message right here from mama Sandy:

"Simon is 14 lbs 5 ounces (50th percentile) and 26 inches long
(75-80th percentile). He is rolling over (only when he really wants to),
grabbing things with both hands, putting them in his mouth, and laughing
out loud. He likes quiet talks at 3 am, long walks in the sunshine
and warm milk before bed.

"The pediatrician to this little star has said he can start with
food sometime between now and his six month birthday-
so watch out for some fun picks!!!"

Now, I love my mamas dearly, they are the most important people in the
world to me, but once in a while I have to question their judgment.
You see, this pediatrician whom they took me to visit for a checkup
this week, who provided them with all of this information, might have
been friendly enough at first, but she has a bad habit of sticking
big metal needles into both my legs. And that doesn't feel good at all.

Happy Vernal Equinox

Hello friends!

Yesterday was the Vernal Equinox, which means that at 1:48am EDT,
the sun passed directly over the Earth's equator, and we folks in the
Northern hemisphere moved from Wintertime into Springtime.

My first Springtime!

Bring on the warm days overflowing with sunshine, I'm ready for them...



In truth, the Equinox wasn't an especially sunny day, it was chilly and damp, but I did get out a little bit on my first day of spring, if only to go to the mall for a while with my mamas to buy candy for Easter baskets.

And right now I would like to take a moment to make a small comment,
to say that while I've heard a great number of positive comments about
this thing called candy, and have witnessed firsthand the enthusiasm
with which others approach candy and the look of great satisfaction
and pleasure subsequent to each candy encounter,
I have yet to be offered any candy myself.

Perhaps this has been just a simple matter of oversight,
each person assuming that another person has already selflessly
offered some candy to me. This candy, in all its countless shapes,
colors and flavors, seems to be in abundant supply, so there should be
enough to share a small amount with someone of my diminutive stature,
but alas, not even one piece has been forthcoming. I just have to
satisfy myself with a new warm bottle every couple of hours, I guess.
And I'm not complaining. But I am starting to wonder...

Funny story, I was out with the mamas the other day,
in a chocolate shop in the town center,
when a woman behind the counter said to them:
"I know that baby."

Mama Cyndi said, in response: "You do?"

Woman: "Yes, he's four months old."

That's where mama Cyndi became a little confused, not having been in the chocolate shop with me before, and she expressed as much.

To which the woman replied, "Oh, he was in here the other day
with your husband. Who bought a champagne truffle."

I had indeed recently been in the shop with a beardy fellow,
and we had indeed purchased and consumed a delicious champagne truffle
(well, he did all the consuming, I merely watched)
but mama Cyndi explained that the fellow in question was
the nanny, not the husband.
And a good time was had by all.

Anyway, in the recent warming weather my manny and I
have been able to take a walk or two all around the town,

and I'm a baby with stunning powers of mesmerism,

and he has a big red beard,

and people seem to notice such a pair

walking down the sidewalk,

one harnessed to the chest of the other,

eating champagne truffles while the world burns.

Birth of the Cool

Hello!

My name is Simon Leo.

And this is the record of my big adventure.

I was born on November 11th, 2007,
and am now just over four months old.

I've done well through the winter, stayed inside mostly, made sure to get bundled up before braving the weather out of doors. Spent a lot of time on my tummy, strengthening the muscles in my neck, getting ready for the springtime when I can get out and explore a little bit of the world. I've heard a lot about these things called "leaves" that are supposed to appear on the trees soon, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they're all about.

My Manny is fond of telling people that I was born on the same day
as his favorite author, the great satirical humanist Kurt Vonnegut,
and that this convergence was a good omen. This may well be true,
I don't think he'd lie to me, but good omen or not I have to say
that it isn't all sweetness and light for a new baby in the world...