I’ve noticed the passing of time is very different since Walker joined our family. Time would be marked by the movies we saw, something that happened at work, or the books we published. But time chugged along at a fairly steady pace.

But now, time speeds by and is jam-packed with a bunch of new and exciting things, making it feel like ages pass in just a few weeks. It’s crazy to think that it’s only been a few weeks since Walker learned to sit up on his own and now he’s crawling around the house and pulling himself up on furniture.

But a few weeks ago, Walker had another first — acting in his very first play. You see, Walker played “Baby Moses” in our family Passover pageant.

We are blessed with a wonderful extended family through my stepmother, Jane Ginsburg (aka “Grammie Jane”). This is a quite large and very close multi-generation native Californian family so holidays are never lonely. Each year, as April approaches, I get excited thinking about the upcoming Passover celebration at the Hammers. Between 20 and 40 people converge in San Jose to read the story of the freeing of the slaves, the Exodus from Egypt and Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. We read from pre-WWII Haggaddahs, sing songs, and struggle through the Hebrew (my brother, as youngest Hebrew-reading male has had to read the Four Questions for so long…). I remember back when I was one of many kids attending the dinner and have grown up to see many waves of kids attend as babies and mature to be adolescents and young adults. This year, my baby was introduced to the Passover traditions.

A relatively new part of the celebration is the Passover Pageant. Hali organizes the current generation of kids to re-enact the Passover story complete with costumes and props including blue fish-patterned towels representing the Red Sea. Larry and I had discussed whether Walker would be asked to be Baby Moses but Larry wanted to be sure he could give a “shout out” to all the hard work of the Pageant organizers and he made a onesie with a picture of Charleton Heston’s Moses.

Walker shined in the spotlight. He was a very centered actor — sitting patiently in his basket and watching everyone watch him. Daddy played grown up Moses and led everyone around the living room until they found the Promised Land. My eyes welled up with happiness and pride as I watched my boys perform. I was so distracted I forgot to take photos so it’s a good thing cousin Michelle was able to document the moment!

Last week was Walker’s first Bay to Breakers. He cheered on our friend Jim, who has a speedy time and despite arriving very early, was not fast enough to catch Walker awake.

There is more Walker news… He now drinks out of a straw sippy cup and LOVES it. I now no longer fret about him getting enough liquid since he drags his cup as he crawls around. We’re starting him on cow’s milk and yogurt. Can you believe the yogurt SUPPOSEDLY made for babies is packed with sugar? You gotta stay on your toes if you want to keep little people healthy and eating right. Ugh. One more thing to pay attention to…

It’s 27 days until Walker’s first birthday. The time has sped by but it also feels like an eternity since Larry and I went to see movies on Sunday mornings and went to Fresh Choice for lunch. This weekend was spent buying gates and other childproofing supplies and going to our first birthday party! Alex and Maryann threw an awesome birthday brunch for Malcom, Ben, and Walker — three boys who turn 1 within 7 weeks of each other. It was so fun watching the different developmental stages of the boys who ranged from crawling to cruising to walking. Walker wasn’t sure what to do with the little cupcake but thought the icing was fun to squish. Glad he isn’t a sugar addict — yet…