Keeping Up With Stella

Watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and boy do I find these biznitches hard to handle. Spoiled, yet incredibly stupid, they are probably going to herald the downfall of our society.

I have been trying to think of some funny things that Stella's done the past few days that I have enjoyed. Sometimes it's not just outright jokes, it's more her attitude.

What has been so cool is that she's starting to become so outgoing and friendly with her classmates in school. A year ago I was scared that maybe she had some kind of developmental delay that couldn't be overcome. Parents, man, we are just crazy. Instead, she's not only come out her shell, she's become quite the gabber among her friends.

She's an interesting combination of things: sweet, independent, a bit sassy, sometimes a little whiny, very quick, and funny. She's not a needy kid, and she's not an aloof kid. She seems pretty content with who she is, and where she is most of the time, and most days.

She can be a bit willful, but I guess that comes with the turf most of the time. And when she gets way too smart alecky, or starts to act up I have the ability to draw the line, and, get this, she actually listens to me. Which is slightly amazing to me.

I won't admit this to her until she's about 40, but this ability to lead her and have her listen to me, simply because I'm the dad and I say things like I really, really mean them, it's kind of a new experience for me. In my life virtually no one does anything just because I say so. The cats? Good luck with that! Anyone who's ever worked under me? At times. My wife? Well, that's not how things work in Casa-de-Serchuk. We try to come to mutually agreeable solutions, so that neither one of us feels bossed around. And when that doesn't work we do rock paper scissors until we reach a satisfying conclusion. (Hint: she always falls for rock!)

So, when Stella and I are getting ready in the morning I will say something to her like "Go into the living room, and wait for me. I am turning off the light in your room." And she will walk herself into the living room, and wait for me.

Again, maybe to other people this is not all that amazing, but I am still not totally used to it. I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts.

On an unrelated note we have been in potty training city for about three months now. It's mostly over, the hard part, but not entirely. We still have to bribe her with an M&M after she uses the potty correctly, and if we don't remember, believe me, she will remind us.

We're also starting to get to the age where the stroller is becoming more and more a thing of the past. We can go for short walks now, even up to a quarter or half a mile if we really want to, and she totally keeps up.

I also love this, she will hold my, or our, hand while we walk, although eventually this will start to piss her off and she will wring her hand out of mine. At that point I will usually use a strong voice and tell her that we do not get go of mommy or daddy's hand when we're out.

Because like most parents I live in mortal fear of her getting either hit by a car, or abducted.

Sometimes she listens to this and sometimes she doesn't. We try.

Mostly, though, I think we're doing a pretty good job. Stella is happy, she's healthy, she plays, she spent the entire summer having fun, she grew, she learned words like "butthole" as elucidated in a prior post. She's right where she should be, and I am extremely proud of her, every day.

You know, it's amazing to think that we were all like this, and not too long ago. Fresh, un-jaded, friendly, un-inhibited. Willing to give people a chance. Sensitive. Without a malicious bone in our collective bodies. All that bad stuff, you have to learn it I suppose. I hope I can help keep her this happy for as long as possible. I guess that's every parents' wish.

Most of my best laughs these days come from Stella

I kind of stopped writing about the Brooklyn Baby Baby because, I don't know, I thought I started to feel like one of those bloggers writing about their kids, well past when anyone else still wants to know.

But, screw it, I don't care. At least not tonight. This kid is hilarious, and responsible, for most of the good laughs I get in a day. So I am going to try and drum up some memories from today and the day before that made me laugh, or at least brought a hearty smile to my face.

Well, here's one. Yesterday we went to "Disney On Ice", which alone should make you laugh. It was at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville. It started with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Pluto all in safari outfits (despite the fact that, you know, they were on ICE). Apparently there were on the savannah at the start of a world tour of various Disney-owned entertainment properties. Truth be told Mickey and the gang were little more than Ed Sullivan-esque hosts for the show. Most of the heavy lifting was done, show-wise, by the ice dancers for the various entertainment set pieces we watched.

It started with an all-ice Cliffs Notes rundown of the "Lion King," which ended before Simba fights his uncle Scar to the death. In fact it just kind of ended. And then it went into "The Little Mermaid," which presumed that Mickey and the Gang could vacation underwater? The Little Mermaid segment included our first human-looking skaters, which lead Randi to say "Now here's something for Dad!" as six bikini topped skating mermaids whipped around the ice. Ariel was the seventh, and eventually there was a big fight with an inflatable Sea Witch, and all was right with the world.

After that they went to Hawaii to tie in with "Lilo & Stitch," which I have never seen, and I was kind of surprised it was included. Let's face it, it's B-list Disney. Nonetheless, and I am a bit ashamed to admit this, I cried a bit when they explained the Hawaiian word for family, which means "no one gets left behind." Yes, this is sad, I almost got misty again typing this.

Stella was enthralled pretty much the entire time, although she got very pissed off when Mickey left the ice, at least the first time.

Then it was intermission, during which I bought a hot dog. A totally unnecessary detail, but there you go. Also, Randi had a conversation with a drunk mom who had one of her boobs hanging out.

The second half, and this was kind of strange, saw Mickey & Co., fly clear from Hawaii to Foggy London Town, where ice skate clad bobbies and yeoman and yeo-women welcomed us to their city, where "every day is paradise" or something like that. I doubt the looters would agree with that, but then again, they aren't on ice skates.

The second half was pretty much dedicated, almost in its entirety, to a skating recreation of "Peter Pan." This really threw me for a loop. Hello, this movie came out in 1953! And it's a great story, and I love it, but I was stunned they gave this much show time to a movie that was so totally not something the Princess loving little girls in the audience could possibly give a crap about.

I enjoyed it, as much as I could, given that it was on skates and for four year olds.

At one point some of the effeminate "pirates" in Hook's dastardly crew were singing something about how great it is to be a pirate, and Stella had gotten out of her seat and was totally getting down in the aisles, dancing a totally kick-ass jig. Honestly, this was my first big laugh of the day.

Then, after Hook finally fell into Tick-Tock the Crock, the show ended with some small time fireworks. Quickly after that we learned that The Disney Princesses were slated to make an appearance a little down the road in their own ice skating revue. At that moment I realized were had just watched what amounted to, more or less, the leftovers of the Disney repertoire. If we wanted to see the real big deal stars we would have to pony up once more.

Show now officially over, we all walked out into a bright, lovely day. "Wasn't that fun?" was asked Stella. "We saw Mickey, and Minnie, and Goofy, and Daisy, and Donald, and Peter Pan, and Tinkerbell, and ..."

Stella cut us off: "But no Pluto."

Dammit, this kid doesn't miss anything. And she was right! No Pluto! They had everyone else, but not the faithful dog.

Randi and I both laughed and laughed. Stella rules, she catches everything.

A new video of Stella

I am such a slacker when it comes to posting current photos or videos of Stella. But this one is from just a week ago. It's adorable! It's her singing "Shabbot Shalom!" She must have learned it at her pre-school, because I sure don't remember teaching it to her. She's really coming along, speaking, walking, talking, she's an absolute riot, and I am so lucky to be her dad. Enjoy!

Ladies And Gentlemen ... Ms. Stella Rae Serchuk!

We shot this about a week ago, and I think it's just hilarious -- BBD

Who Are You? Who Who, Who Who?

Yeah, I know I'm cute.

Building off the prior entry I think it’s high time I did a little bit more of a bio for us in the BBD household. After all you’ve read bits and pieces here and there, and picked some things up. Some of you, of course, know us personally, but to others we are strangers. So who are these people living in the Internets?

For starters, there’s Stella Rae, or the Brooklyn Baby Baby (BBB). Now 10 weeks old she is surely the light of several lives, and mine for sure. She is a happy, alert baby and has a smile that absolutely melts my heart. She’s started recently to recognize patterns in our day, which is really cool. For example, when I get home she reacts to the jiggled keys in the lock, and knows it’s me, then when I look at her in her bassinet she gives me her 1000 watt smiles. It’s pretty damn charming.

She’s a looker of a baby, too, which only makes sense because she looks nearly identical to her mother, when the BBM was a baby. It’s kind of uncanny. The eyes are different, of course, because she has my eyes, but other than that it’s kind of a mirror image.

Stella has grown about five inches since she was born, and weighs, probably, around 12-13 pounds. When she was born her legs were so skinny I could put one hand around her thigh, now it’s not even close. This makes me a little sad, but mostly it’s adorable to get to squeeze such a pudgy, sweet little child. She has a few favorite books, such as The Very Busy Spider, and when I pointed to an image on the page she followed it exactly. This blew me away.

Ethnically Stella is all over the map, as I’ve mentioned before. But one thing is certain: there just aren’t that many Jewish kids in Brooklyn who are also part Native American, with family in Kentucky. We hope to keep her educated about all aspects of her heritage, although with a saucy name like Stella Rae Serchuk it’ll probably be hard to keep her off stage, no matter what she does.

Randi, of course, is the Brooklyn Baby Mama (BBM). She is in her early 30s, and has lived in New York for 10 years. She came here with a theater and French background, and is a graduate from Centre College, the Wesleyan of the Midwest.

The BBM is from a small town in Kentucky called Upton, which is an hour outside of Louisville. Growing up she was studious and adored school, which already makes her unusual in my book. She was a dedicated ballerina for most of her childhood, and counts The Little Prince as her favorite book, with Anne Of Green Gables second. She graduated second in her high school class, but should’ve been first.

She’s also a tough cookie. As mentioned, she moved into New York 10 years ago, when it was still a bit wilder than today, with not much more than a few bucks in her pocket. She moved into one of the few remaining flea-bag hotels on Manhattan’s West Side, downtown, and had a rat run across her foot in the hallway. She was determined to make it in theater.

From there it only got tougher. Randi moved into the worst part of Newark, yes Newark, and lived there for a solid year. I’m sorry, the worst part of Newark is pretty bad, and she was a white girl from the South. Balls to the wall, I tell ya.

Eventually she produced two plays that she wrote and directed, in the city, which is quite the accomplishment. At the same time she worked for an Internet start up. Around 2001 she became interested in improvisational comedy, which is how we met.

Randi loves Dar Williams, The Dixie Chicks and Nico Case. She has a fondness for horror movies and scary stories, even though she hates to be scared.

She converted to Judaism in 2005 after much serious thought and reflection, although I also think she was swayed by her love for lox.

Today she is a school teacher in Park Slope, where we live, a job she was born for. She is an organized, talented and caring teacher. She truly has found her calling.

I am 36, and an editor at a well-known financial Web site. I am, obviously, also the Brooklyn Baby Daddy (BBD). I have been a financial reporter for eight years, but never imagined I would end up here in my wildest dreams. Growing up I was a music and literature kid, always reading a book, or checking out a record, and cared about money not one whit. I guess I was lucky to be in that position.

I grew up in Bergen County, N.J., right near NYC. My parents are both Brooklyn Jews, and second generation Americans. I am half Ukranian and half Romanian, I believe, in any case, I’m Eastern European.

I attended Arizona State University for two years, and then transferred to Wesleyan, which some say Centre is kind of like. At Wesleyan I started a comedy troupe called Bad Sam which, for one meeting, featured the guy who would eventually create the sitcom How I Met Your Mother, which is kind of weird.

After school I lived in Boulder, CO from 1994-1999, and started my career there, writing for anyone who would have me. Eventually I became an editor at a small paper, running that side of things at 24, and then became the entertainment editor of a bigger paper, The Boulder Weekly, at 26.

I’ve seen a million live music shows and interviewed many, many well known musicians and actors. But that’s a different story. Perhaps the piece I've written in the past few years that I'm most proud of is this one, in part because I got to interview Ray Bradbury, one of my heroes.

I moved home to New York in late 1999, in order to kick my career into higher gear, and also because I felt too young to be retired, which is kind of how Denver/Boulder felt to me then.

I’m kind of a comedy fan, so I started improve classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York, in late 1999, and continued through 2002. I seriously pursued improv for about two years, and eventually got burned out on it in 2003. I am grateful for my time in that world, because I got to see a million amazing performers and acts, and help create culture in New York, an amazing feeling. Best of all I met Randi through the theater, or at least a Web site dedicated to improv.

On our first date, in late 2001, Randi almost stood me up! But at the last moment she decided to tough it out, which was incredible judgment in retrospect.

I love music, as mentioned, and have been an enthusiastic guitarist since I was 15. Living out a childhood fantasy I was in a rock band in New York from 2000 through 2003. The band was called Connecticut, and we were kind of like a dorkier, and older, version of Weezer. A highlight was playing the Knitting Factory, and rocking the house.

Today we live in Park Slope, Brooklyn a picturesque, friendly, if pricey, little neighborhood. We are a family without much in the way of disposable income right now, but we’re making the best of it, and have never been materialistic people anyway. Many of our best vacations have come camping out in nature, in a place we love. We try to not live too large anyway, it's just not us.

Most nights we eat dinner in, and share the cleanup. I have learned how to cook a number of signature dishes, some of which are even pretty yummy.

We were married in August 2005 in Cresskill, NJ, and honeymooned in Ireland and Scotland.

Over the past few years we have tried to prepare ourselves for having a baby, with the lucky event starting almost exactly a year ago in California. For our next step we plan to look into the possibility of buying a place, although doing it on one salary is scary.

Oh yeah, that’s another thing. We’ve agreed that for the first year Randi will stay home with Stella while I go out and earn the bread. It’s tight, to be sure, but if we put Stella in daycare while Randi worked, that’s where 95% of her salary would go anyway. So it’s a wash. Currently I am thinking of ways to raise more cash, such as sending out stories for freelance assignments, but I haven’t gotten any gigs just yet.

So that’s a brief thumbnail of who writes and is featured in this blog. Any questions?