Wake me up when September ends PART II

When I wrote a post with this title in 2008, I had no idea that one year later, the cumulative sleep deprivation would have resulted in serious memory loss. Once renowned for my accurate, detailed memory, I found myself holding only a vague recollection of Rohan's 1st birthday, hiking, or daily activities. After 2 weeks of repeating Rohan's sleep training, he started sleeping through the night about a week or two ago.

"Your memory has returned," groans Mike as I launch into another verse of "I'm a hippopotamus and I've got noodles on my back."

My memory returned just in time. Rohan has not only started walking (today, see video),
but he has also started to understand most of what we say. Being a person of words, I've found this the single most thrilling part of parenting since Rohan's birth. Early examples of understanding:

• Kothai tomar juto? (Where are your shoes?)
• Daddy-ke giye bolo, tomar dant majha hoye gachhe. (Go tell Daddy you're done brushing your teeth.)
• Kothai tomar Baa Baa Bedtime? (Where is [your favorite book of all time???])

Back to September. Despite my fuzzy memory, it's still colored in all the warm hues of a New England early autumn, and Durga Puja season. To borrow from my friend SDF's tradition, I'll post here comparisons of last year's Puja and this year's: