Anyway, here are a few photos from our outing:
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Way Down Yonder in the Pumpkin Patch
Today we returned to the place where we went apple picking a couple of weeks ago, to get a pumpkin. We met up with friends (thanks to Stacy for organizing) and after a brief trip through the orchard, we hopped on a hay wagon and headed out to the pumpkin patch. It brought back such great memories of traipsing around when I was young searching for the perfect pumpkin -- or punkin as Gran used to say. We found two very nice pumpkins to bring home, it will be fun to carve them in a few weeks. And, maybe make a pie!
Anyway, here are a few photos from our outing:
Anyway, here are a few photos from our outing:
Friday, September 28, 2007
Autumn
It is getting to be fall. The weather is growing gradually cooler and the leaves on our big sycamore tree are starting to brown. Before long, I imagine we'll be knee deep in leaf piles -- assuming one of us rakes! The air smells of fall too. It is nice to see the changes in the seasons, especially the little things like the little acorns Eleanor brings home from our walks.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Sandpiper, Again and Again and Again and...
We have just started our second semester of Music Together class with our fantastic teacher Linda. Eleanor and I took a class in the spring and absolutely loved it -- who doesn't love singing, dancing and banging on drums? The great thing about Music Together is that they give you a CD with the repertoire of songs that they use throughout the class so that you can get familiar with them. Also, the Hello and Goodbye, So Long, Farewell songs are always the same so once you have had one class, every other semester has a familiar feel.
This semester we are using the "Flutes" music collection. The songs are once again lively and fun and, as before, there are little exercises to work on rhythm and pitch as well. One thing about this new collection of songs is that Eleanor is semi-obsessed with one of the songs, appropriately titled "Sandpiper". It is a simple song (Sandpiper, Sandpiper running in the sand...), but there is something about it that excites Eleanor and inspires all sorts of crazy dancing. The only problem with the song is that the last verse (Sandpiper, Sandpiper sleeping by the sea...) slows down considerably and Eleanor realizes that it is coming to an end. This causes huge tears and howls of "done, done" until the CD player is programmed to repeat the song. Thankfully, after the first five hours of Sandpiper on repeat, I hardly even notice that it is on. Eleanor still does though and comments every time "pipeh sleep" (the sandpiper sleeps).
Despite the obsession with the Sandpiper song, we are thoroughly enjoying the class again. The music and dancing are quite enjoyable and I am sure Eleanor is learning quite a bit. Henry generally sleeps right through it, but I am sure he is getting something out of it too. Music is good for kids and Music Together is a great way to experience it for parents like me who can't play an instrument or read music.
This semester we are using the "Flutes" music collection. The songs are once again lively and fun and, as before, there are little exercises to work on rhythm and pitch as well. One thing about this new collection of songs is that Eleanor is semi-obsessed with one of the songs, appropriately titled "Sandpiper". It is a simple song (Sandpiper, Sandpiper running in the sand...), but there is something about it that excites Eleanor and inspires all sorts of crazy dancing. The only problem with the song is that the last verse (Sandpiper, Sandpiper sleeping by the sea...) slows down considerably and Eleanor realizes that it is coming to an end. This causes huge tears and howls of "done, done" until the CD player is programmed to repeat the song. Thankfully, after the first five hours of Sandpiper on repeat, I hardly even notice that it is on. Eleanor still does though and comments every time "pipeh sleep" (the sandpiper sleeps).
Despite the obsession with the Sandpiper song, we are thoroughly enjoying the class again. The music and dancing are quite enjoyable and I am sure Eleanor is learning quite a bit. Henry generally sleeps right through it, but I am sure he is getting something out of it too. Music is good for kids and Music Together is a great way to experience it for parents like me who can't play an instrument or read music.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Hooray for Sleep! (Part 2)
Henry slept for 9 hours the past two nights. He wakes up with a huge, well rested grin on his face. We will hope that this good sleeping sticks around at night, and that his daytime naps stretch out a bit. It is amazing how a predictable routine, which includes lots of sleep, can make everyone happier and less stressed.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Another Music Festival
This is belated since it was a weekend activity but the pictures were so cute I couldn't resist. The Children's International Festival took place at Wolf Trap this weekend. I love Wolf Trap -- who can resist a "National Park for the Performing Arts" anyway?! We were able to see Bolivian dancers and West African drummers. They also had some dances on stage where the kids (and mommas/daddies/caretakers who love to dance) could participate. The weather was perfect and we ran into some friends from our old neighborhood. It was a lovely day.
Goodbye Dear House
I guess it was never technically my house, I didn't own it. But, having lived in it my entire childhood, I feel some sort of inextricable connection to it. I speak of course of my parents house -- the house they lived in for nearly 35 years. I am so happy for my parents that it sold, the move was necessary and the new home feels just as warm and welcoming as our old house did, yet I will definitely miss our old house.
I find that I feel very strongly about the places I love -- places I have lived or repeatedly visited. I know when I was in Ustupu (in Panama), I had such vivid day dreams about home that I could almost feel the carpet under my feet and smell the familiar scent of our house. I hope that the new owners will enjoy the house and make many memories there, just as our family did.
The fact that the house has passed on to new owners also makes me think of the old stone house and the house by Rice Lake that we often visit when we are at Nana's. I can understand why she likes to go back to those places, they were home for many years and still hold many memories. I suspect that she also feels a sense of mourning now that there are new occupants making changes to the way things once were. I guess change is inevitable though. I suppose is why memories are so important.
So, goodbye dear house:
I find that I feel very strongly about the places I love -- places I have lived or repeatedly visited. I know when I was in Ustupu (in Panama), I had such vivid day dreams about home that I could almost feel the carpet under my feet and smell the familiar scent of our house. I hope that the new owners will enjoy the house and make many memories there, just as our family did.
The fact that the house has passed on to new owners also makes me think of the old stone house and the house by Rice Lake that we often visit when we are at Nana's. I can understand why she likes to go back to those places, they were home for many years and still hold many memories. I suspect that she also feels a sense of mourning now that there are new occupants making changes to the way things once were. I guess change is inevitable though. I suppose is why memories are so important.
So, goodbye dear house:
Monday, September 24, 2007
Crayons
I love crayons. I love the smell of them, I love it when they are brand new with a sharp point, and I love it when they are in a yellow box broken into little tiny pieces. Eleanor is drawing quite a bit these days. She likes me (or whoever is nearby) to draw a train for her and then she will draw the train tracks. I am actually quite tired of drawing trains but I indulge her because she enjoys it so much. In fact, right now she is saying "up up, done done" trying to get me to the table to draw. I'll finish this post in a bit -- in the meantime, here is Eleanor a few months ago:
Seems like I always start a post when the kids are asleep or when Eleanor is playing quietly and the moment I do, one or both are calling for my attention. It is nice to be needed but makes writing very difficult.
The other thing I wanted to say about crayons is that they work wonders when we are out and need a distraction. I keep four crayons that we got from a restaurant in my diaper bag and pull them out at restaurants where they do not have crayons, at doctors offices, or wherever. I also try to keep a piece of paper to draw on, but an old receipt works just as well.
Just today Eleanor realized that crayons work on things other than her pad of paper. She colored on her plastic snack bowl and nearly made the wall her canvas. I reminded her that crayons are for drawing on paper -- we'll see how long it is before we have murals.
Seems like I always start a post when the kids are asleep or when Eleanor is playing quietly and the moment I do, one or both are calling for my attention. It is nice to be needed but makes writing very difficult.
The other thing I wanted to say about crayons is that they work wonders when we are out and need a distraction. I keep four crayons that we got from a restaurant in my diaper bag and pull them out at restaurants where they do not have crayons, at doctors offices, or wherever. I also try to keep a piece of paper to draw on, but an old receipt works just as well.
Just today Eleanor realized that crayons work on things other than her pad of paper. She colored on her plastic snack bowl and nearly made the wall her canvas. I reminded her that crayons are for drawing on paper -- we'll see how long it is before we have murals.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Interesting (Sad) News on Language
There have been several articles in the newspapers lately (Washington Post, New York Times) about a project done by the National Geographic Society and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages of Salem, Ore. about languages that are disappearing.
According to the Washington Post article, "Of the approximately 7,000 languages spoken, about half are expected to disappear in this century."
This makes me so sad. I find language fascinating and it will be an enormous tragedy to lose so many ways of speaking over the next hundred years. Having begun my Spanish training in middle school, I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. We had a "preview" day where we could sit in on French and Spanish classes to get a feel for what they would be like. Before this preview I was leaning towards French, since it was on the television and all of the labels in Canada where my Nana lives. However, on that fateful preview day, the French class seemed rather boring (headsets and memorization) while the Spanish class seemed like an eternal fiesta with sombreros and loteria (bingo)! So, my decision was made and Spanish became my language of study.
I realized once I was in the class, that although the parties were always fun, I really enjoyed learning the language as well. And, I was decent at it. In high school I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a three week trip to Costa Rica and live with a family during that time. That was the turning point for me -- the point where I knew I had to be able to speak Spanish fluently. I hated that although I felt like I knew what I was saying, the family I lived with just looked at me like I was crazy. When I returned home, I dug in and kept taking classes.
In college, I decided on a semester abroad in Segovia, Spain. When I arrived there, arrogant and self assured that I would understand everything after eight years of classes, I was very surprised to find that I couldn't understand a word. Everyone spoke so incredibly fast and I quickly realized that my vocabulary was extremely limited. Again, I dug in, made good friends who helped me along with grammar and slang, and studied harder than I ever have before. By the time I left, I was fluent in Spanish.
After graduation, I applied to the Peace Corps, hoping to continue to use my Spanish in a way that might not only benefit me, but others as well, through volunteer service. When they sent me to Panama, I was again thinking how easy it would be -- after all I was fluent in Spanish now. When I was placed in a Kuna community, I was quickly knocked off my high horse since the majority of the women I worked with spoke Dulegaya and only limited Spanish.
Dulegaya is an unwritten language, unrelated to Spanish. It is incredibly beautiful and poetic -- the Kuna are true orators and have a lovely way of expressing themselves. It took me a good year before I could easily converse in Dulegaya and even then I still pulled in words from Spanish when I lacked a word to express an idea. I did enjoy being able to tell a joke and often my name alone was enough of a joke. Moli, as it turns out, is a tapir or horse. That, along with the fact that I am fairly tall, especially when compared with the generally small stature of the Kuna, made for a lot of good laughs.
At any rate, this post has gotten rather long and entirely focused on me instead of what I wanted to focus on -- the disappearance of languages. I just feel so strongly that incredibly amounts of knowledge and culture will be lost with these languages. I am not sure if Dulegaya is imminently at risk, but being (for the most part) unwritten, I imagine that the likelihood of it surviving indefinitely is slim. The good news is there are Kuna who are actively and passionately working to maintain their culture and ways, which of course includes language. The difficulty is, with the introduction of outside influences via television and the Internet, things are inevitably changing. It will be interesting to see how my dear Kuna friends maintain what is theirs while moving forward with technology. They are amazing people and I know they will find a way to make things work.
I do hope that, although I am not directly teaching Eleanor and Henry either Spanish or Dulegaya on a daily basis, they will be able to appreciate and possibly learn to speak another (or some other) languages. I think that much can be learned by understanding how others think and express themselves.
Here I am with my dear friends Hirabely and Melina when they were in the United States a couple of years ago:
According to the Washington Post article, "Of the approximately 7,000 languages spoken, about half are expected to disappear in this century."
This makes me so sad. I find language fascinating and it will be an enormous tragedy to lose so many ways of speaking over the next hundred years. Having begun my Spanish training in middle school, I didn't realize what I was getting myself into. We had a "preview" day where we could sit in on French and Spanish classes to get a feel for what they would be like. Before this preview I was leaning towards French, since it was on the television and all of the labels in Canada where my Nana lives. However, on that fateful preview day, the French class seemed rather boring (headsets and memorization) while the Spanish class seemed like an eternal fiesta with sombreros and loteria (bingo)! So, my decision was made and Spanish became my language of study.
I realized once I was in the class, that although the parties were always fun, I really enjoyed learning the language as well. And, I was decent at it. In high school I was fortunate enough to be able to go on a three week trip to Costa Rica and live with a family during that time. That was the turning point for me -- the point where I knew I had to be able to speak Spanish fluently. I hated that although I felt like I knew what I was saying, the family I lived with just looked at me like I was crazy. When I returned home, I dug in and kept taking classes.
In college, I decided on a semester abroad in Segovia, Spain. When I arrived there, arrogant and self assured that I would understand everything after eight years of classes, I was very surprised to find that I couldn't understand a word. Everyone spoke so incredibly fast and I quickly realized that my vocabulary was extremely limited. Again, I dug in, made good friends who helped me along with grammar and slang, and studied harder than I ever have before. By the time I left, I was fluent in Spanish.
After graduation, I applied to the Peace Corps, hoping to continue to use my Spanish in a way that might not only benefit me, but others as well, through volunteer service. When they sent me to Panama, I was again thinking how easy it would be -- after all I was fluent in Spanish now. When I was placed in a Kuna community, I was quickly knocked off my high horse since the majority of the women I worked with spoke Dulegaya and only limited Spanish.
Dulegaya is an unwritten language, unrelated to Spanish. It is incredibly beautiful and poetic -- the Kuna are true orators and have a lovely way of expressing themselves. It took me a good year before I could easily converse in Dulegaya and even then I still pulled in words from Spanish when I lacked a word to express an idea. I did enjoy being able to tell a joke and often my name alone was enough of a joke. Moli, as it turns out, is a tapir or horse. That, along with the fact that I am fairly tall, especially when compared with the generally small stature of the Kuna, made for a lot of good laughs.
At any rate, this post has gotten rather long and entirely focused on me instead of what I wanted to focus on -- the disappearance of languages. I just feel so strongly that incredibly amounts of knowledge and culture will be lost with these languages. I am not sure if Dulegaya is imminently at risk, but being (for the most part) unwritten, I imagine that the likelihood of it surviving indefinitely is slim. The good news is there are Kuna who are actively and passionately working to maintain their culture and ways, which of course includes language. The difficulty is, with the introduction of outside influences via television and the Internet, things are inevitably changing. It will be interesting to see how my dear Kuna friends maintain what is theirs while moving forward with technology. They are amazing people and I know they will find a way to make things work.
I do hope that, although I am not directly teaching Eleanor and Henry either Spanish or Dulegaya on a daily basis, they will be able to appreciate and possibly learn to speak another (or some other) languages. I think that much can be learned by understanding how others think and express themselves.
Here I am with my dear friends Hirabely and Melina when they were in the United States a couple of years ago:
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Mu and Tada
Things are busy this week. Mu and Tada are here (hooray!) and I have a ton of appointments, set up specifically because Mu and Tada can watch the monkeys. For those of you who don't know, Mu is the Kuna word for Grandma and Tada (or Tador) is the Kuna word for Grandpa. I've written before that although Eleanor, and now Henry, may never speak Kuna, at least they will know a couple of words.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Library Books - week of September 17, 2007
We went to story time at the library last week and picked up a few books while we were there. Story time was very fun, and somewhat intimidating for Eleanor. Henry, on the other hand, slept right through it. There were a ton of kids there -- this was the under two bunch so everyone was about Eleanor's age give or take a few months. Story time consisted of a few easy songs with actions, two books, and a bit of dancing. The books included one that we have at home, Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell, which is a great lift-the-flap book and What Shall we do with the Boo-Hoo Baby? by Cressida Cowell and illustrated by Ingrid Godon. They had copies of both books for us to check out so we picked up "boo hoo" as Eleanor calls it, and have been reading it daily. Despite Eleanor's initial trepidation, by the end of story time -- when La Bamba was playing -- she was shaking it up with the rest of the group. Who can resist dancing to La Bamba anyway?
Eleanor picked out a couple of other books, all of which have been big hits with her. Here are a couple from her selection:
1. Kite Flying by Grace Lin
This is a really simple, beautifully illustrated book about a family that builds and flies a kite. The last page contains a nice (lengthy) explanation of the origins of kite flying, which was great for us adults, but Eleanor preferred the pages with more pictures and less words. She especially liked the inside cover where the illustration shows all of the supplies used to make a kite. The scissors captured her attention since we have a pair in the pencil holder in the living room. She always notes that our scissors are blue and the pair in the book are green. This book was also a perfect fit since we tried to fly a kite over the weekend.
2. Look at You! A Baby Body Book by Kathy Henderson, illustrated by Paul Howard
This book has been another big success with Eleanor. We read it five times in a row this morning before I was able to distract her with something else -- I like books as much as the next person but a little variety doesn't hurt! This book details all of the little things kids do: wiggle, squirm, toddle, crawl, etc. Eleanor likes the page that follows a baby through the stages of learning to walk -- she always gets up and walks at that point, as if to say, "I can do all of those things and I am very good at walking!" The last page contains some sleeping children, which of course elicit the response: "close eyes".
All of these books we have been reading and the book that Grandma sent make me want to write some books for Eleanor and Henry. Maybe that will be my next project.
Eleanor picked out a couple of other books, all of which have been big hits with her. Here are a couple from her selection:
1. Kite Flying by Grace Lin
This is a really simple, beautifully illustrated book about a family that builds and flies a kite. The last page contains a nice (lengthy) explanation of the origins of kite flying, which was great for us adults, but Eleanor preferred the pages with more pictures and less words. She especially liked the inside cover where the illustration shows all of the supplies used to make a kite. The scissors captured her attention since we have a pair in the pencil holder in the living room. She always notes that our scissors are blue and the pair in the book are green. This book was also a perfect fit since we tried to fly a kite over the weekend.
2. Look at You! A Baby Body Book by Kathy Henderson, illustrated by Paul Howard
This book has been another big success with Eleanor. We read it five times in a row this morning before I was able to distract her with something else -- I like books as much as the next person but a little variety doesn't hurt! This book details all of the little things kids do: wiggle, squirm, toddle, crawl, etc. Eleanor likes the page that follows a baby through the stages of learning to walk -- she always gets up and walks at that point, as if to say, "I can do all of those things and I am very good at walking!" The last page contains some sleeping children, which of course elicit the response: "close eyes".
All of these books we have been reading and the book that Grandma sent make me want to write some books for Eleanor and Henry. Maybe that will be my next project.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Fall Weather = Kite Flying, Apple Picking, and Music!
We had a great weekend. Eleanor and Henry's Aunt Jess came into town and we had bundles of fun. Our first adventure was to try and fly the rocket ship kite that we have never successfully gotten in the air. Well, this time was no different. Although there were gusts of wind and several different opinions on how the kite should be launched, the kite just did not want to be airborne. But, we did have loads of fun enjoying the lovely fall weather and each other's company. Eleanor made a fantastic game out of running around us with her arms outstretched behind her and her chin jutting forward in a very comical way. She was so cute I took an excessive amount of pictures.
Eleanor running around and around:
Jess meets Henry:
The highlight of the weekend was that afternoon when we went to the apple orchard at Homestead Farm and picked a bucket of apples -- it must have been nearly a bushel. When we first got there I was thinking about Inspector Gadget because there were some really fantastic looking apples near the top of the trees. Turns out Eleanor makes an excellent arm extension -- go go gadget arm! After our apple picking we managed to find a caramel apple and some farm animals (including a goat named Elmo) to round out the perfect afternoon. Good news is the farm also has a pumpkin patch, which opens in a couple of weeks. Hooray for hayrides and pumpkins.
Eleanor and Vince reach the high apples:
Vince, Jess and Eleanor at the orchard:
This weekend was also the Takoma Park Folk Festival so we decided to pop over there for a bit this afternoon. Nancy and Grace met us there and we had a fun time at the Groove Stage. Eleanor loved dancing to the music and running down the hill. Henry didn't care for it too much but I think he was just tired and overstimulated from such a busy weekend.
Eleanor dancing at the festival:
Eleanor running around and around:
Jess meets Henry:
The highlight of the weekend was that afternoon when we went to the apple orchard at Homestead Farm and picked a bucket of apples -- it must have been nearly a bushel. When we first got there I was thinking about Inspector Gadget because there were some really fantastic looking apples near the top of the trees. Turns out Eleanor makes an excellent arm extension -- go go gadget arm! After our apple picking we managed to find a caramel apple and some farm animals (including a goat named Elmo) to round out the perfect afternoon. Good news is the farm also has a pumpkin patch, which opens in a couple of weeks. Hooray for hayrides and pumpkins.
Eleanor and Vince reach the high apples:
Vince, Jess and Eleanor at the orchard:
This weekend was also the Takoma Park Folk Festival so we decided to pop over there for a bit this afternoon. Nancy and Grace met us there and we had a fun time at the Groove Stage. Eleanor loved dancing to the music and running down the hill. Henry didn't care for it too much but I think he was just tired and overstimulated from such a busy weekend.
Eleanor dancing at the festival:
Friday, September 14, 2007
Hair Comparison
I am consciously trying not to make comparisons between Eleanor and Henry, though I imagine it is inevitable to some extent. One comparison I just can't resist making though, is the hair. People keep telling me Henry has so much hair, which he does for a baby. However, it does not compare to the "bad toupee" (according to my dad) that Eleanor had. So, I will try to have this be the last comparison post -- I know these two little monkeys are unique individuals and I love them for it.
The Walking Stick
Eleanor found a tube from some wrapping paper and somehow it became her walking stick. I loved seeing her trek around the front yard and sidewalk with the "stick", it reminded me (again!) of many fond memories of hiking with Gran and my family in the Porkies. Plus, the purple knee socks were cracking me up. Unfortunately, the walking stick got a bit wet and started to peel -- "uh oh" according to Eleanor. I guess we'll just have to make a trip somewhere where we can find a real stick for her to walk with.
A Nightlight for Henry
We recently got a nightlight for Henry and it is the most fun! After looking at lots of different night lights, I settled on the Mobi TykeLight (in green) for several reasons.
1. It is portable. I love Eleanor's nightlight, it was mine when I was little. However, it is in her room and isn't movable since it needs to be plugged in. Also, it is the shape of a rather large and unwieldy old woman's shoe -- the one who had so many children she didn't know what to do. The TykeLight is a very clever design, it sits on a recharger during the day and then at night you just pick it up and set it where you want it to be. Lately it has been sitting in the hallway, guiding me to Henry when he is ready to nurse. Eleanor gets a kick out of it too, she usually picks it up in the morning and brings it into our room.
2. It has two light settings. The settings are not all that different but if a little extra light is needed in the middle of the night to clean up some sort of mess or another, the TykeLight does the job. The only complaint I have is that when it is recharging on the base you cannot turn it on. However, if the power happens to go out, the light automatically goes on -- a nice feature in our house where we lose power at least once a week (maybe a bit of an exaggeration).
3. It is cute. I know, very vain on my part, especially since Henry could care less.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Grandma's Book
We just got a package today from Grandma. She sent a few things, including some fall stickers for the windows, a t-shirt for Eleanor and a fantastic rhubarb recipe. But, the crown jewel of the package was a book, made especially for Eleanor, of Grandma and Grandpa's new driveway. Wow, did she love it. I think I am going to have to laminate it so that she doesn't destroy it as she reads and rereads it.
Eleanor's favorite page included the pictures of the red dump trucks. She made some beeping sounds -- the kind a truck makes when backing up -- and pointed out the various parts of the truck.
My personal favorite page was the page with the mini-loader on it. It was so sweet of Grandma to think of Eleanor when the mini-loader arrived and photo document the whole process. The mini-loader has been one of Eleanor's favorite trucks since the day Henry was born, so to have one in the book was pretty special.
We want to send a huge thank you to Grandma for her thoughtful handmade gift. It was obviously created with a lot of love. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful family.
In other news, today was a big day for Henry as well. He had his 2 month checkup. Unbelievable, that our little tiny baby is already two months old. And, his big sister is 21 months old. Where does the time go?! Anyway, Henry got a clean bill of health and seems to be growing like a weed. He absolutely detested the shots though -- he got as mad as a hatter when the nurse gave them to him. I imagine he will sleep well tonight.
Eleanor's favorite page included the pictures of the red dump trucks. She made some beeping sounds -- the kind a truck makes when backing up -- and pointed out the various parts of the truck.
My personal favorite page was the page with the mini-loader on it. It was so sweet of Grandma to think of Eleanor when the mini-loader arrived and photo document the whole process. The mini-loader has been one of Eleanor's favorite trucks since the day Henry was born, so to have one in the book was pretty special.
We want to send a huge thank you to Grandma for her thoughtful handmade gift. It was obviously created with a lot of love. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful family.
In other news, today was a big day for Henry as well. He had his 2 month checkup. Unbelievable, that our little tiny baby is already two months old. And, his big sister is 21 months old. Where does the time go?! Anyway, Henry got a clean bill of health and seems to be growing like a weed. He absolutely detested the shots though -- he got as mad as a hatter when the nurse gave them to him. I imagine he will sleep well tonight.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Caught a Smile!
I caught a good one on camera. However, I was in such a hurry to get the shot that I got a pretty good shadow from the leaves on the top of his swing! Hey, at least I caught the moment.
Here is Henry smiling:
Here is Henry smiling:
Ah Nuts!
Eleanor is cracking me and Vince up this morning with some of the things she is saying. Since I am allergic to nuts, we haven't given her any nuts of any kind yet. So, in the morning when Vince adds some almonds or peanuts to his cereal, he tells her that she can't have any because it has nuts. Somehow this translated into "ah nuts!", which she has been saying all morning.
Another major crack up -- every time she has gas she first blames it on everyone else in the room (Henry's, Mama's, etc.) and then says "peeeeyoo". Hilarious.
Another major crack up -- every time she has gas she first blames it on everyone else in the room (Henry's, Mama's, etc.) and then says "peeeeyoo". Hilarious.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
The Castle
Eleanor has a new favorite toy. (Thanks Linda and Alec!) I thought she might only like the Haba Dragonstone Castle (with inhabitants) so-so because I thought it was so ridiculously cute, which is usually how things work. The castle and it's inhabitants, a knight, princess and dragon, are made of nice colorful cloth. The castle has many cool features -- a little bee that buzzes back and forth along a string, a little chicken attached by a piece of elastic that sits in a pocket, mirrors, a window and best of all the door, which fastens with Velcro.
Eleanor's love of the castle borders on obsession. Every morning or after her nap since Wednesday, she has grabbed the castle and said "pay dis" (translation: play with this) and then after we have it set up she says "nah doo, mah womwam" (translation: make the man and woman knock on the door). For hours on end we have made the little man and woman knock on and then go through. Sometimes we vary the game a bit and the man and woman dance or give each other a little kiss, but mostly they just knock on and go through the door.
We have another Haba toy, the Dream Journey, which is a little car with three little men/women in it. Eleanor has had this since she was younger but never really loved it. She is now using the little car as a bed for the man and woman and the wheels from the car for the bedside lamps.
So, I wanted to add this one to the list of favorites right away!
Eleanor's love of the castle borders on obsession. Every morning or after her nap since Wednesday, she has grabbed the castle and said "pay dis" (translation: play with this) and then after we have it set up she says "nah doo, mah womwam" (translation: make the man and woman knock on the door). For hours on end we have made the little man and woman knock on and then go through. Sometimes we vary the game a bit and the man and woman dance or give each other a little kiss, but mostly they just knock on and go through the door.
We have another Haba toy, the Dream Journey, which is a little car with three little men/women in it. Eleanor has had this since she was younger but never really loved it. She is now using the little car as a bed for the man and woman and the wheels from the car for the bedside lamps.
So, I wanted to add this one to the list of favorites right away!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Disturbing Food News in the NY Times
I just read two disturbing articles in the New York Times about food. I thought I would make mention of it here for those who might not have seen the articles and would like to work themselves into a worried frenzy just as I have.
The first article, Doctor Links a Man’s Illness to a Microwave Popcorn Habit by Gardiner Harris, talks about a man who died from eating too much microwave popcorn. Apparently there is something in the butter flavoring called diacetyl that causes lung problems. Argh! I have eaten so many bags of microwave popcorn -- in high school I ate about a bag a day when I got home all by myself. Now I mostly make it myself in a pot -- it tastes much better with real butter anyway -- but do I need to worry that one of these days my lungs won't work? Microwave popcorn is officially banned from our house.
The second article, Some Food Additives Raise Hyperactivity, Study Finds by Elisabeth Rosenthal, discusses a study done in Britain that linked some preservatives and colorings to hyperactivity. Double argh! Now I have to fret over things I am feeding to Eleanor (and soon Henry) even more than I already do. While we try to make most of their food, use organic food as possible, and grow some things in the garden, I am a pragmatist and sometimes something packaged is just easier than whipping up something from scratch. At any rate, I am sure this is something that I will drive myself crazy about.
Those are my thoughts for the night. I'm going to try and find a happy article to write about now!
The first article, Doctor Links a Man’s Illness to a Microwave Popcorn Habit by Gardiner Harris, talks about a man who died from eating too much microwave popcorn. Apparently there is something in the butter flavoring called diacetyl that causes lung problems. Argh! I have eaten so many bags of microwave popcorn -- in high school I ate about a bag a day when I got home all by myself. Now I mostly make it myself in a pot -- it tastes much better with real butter anyway -- but do I need to worry that one of these days my lungs won't work? Microwave popcorn is officially banned from our house.
The second article, Some Food Additives Raise Hyperactivity, Study Finds by Elisabeth Rosenthal, discusses a study done in Britain that linked some preservatives and colorings to hyperactivity. Double argh! Now I have to fret over things I am feeding to Eleanor (and soon Henry) even more than I already do. While we try to make most of their food, use organic food as possible, and grow some things in the garden, I am a pragmatist and sometimes something packaged is just easier than whipping up something from scratch. At any rate, I am sure this is something that I will drive myself crazy about.
Those are my thoughts for the night. I'm going to try and find a happy article to write about now!
Good Friends
We have had a few busy days this week and visited with several good friends. It is always nice to see people you enjoy and we were lucky enough to see several friends that live close by as well as a few who we see less frequently because they live farther away.
Eleanor has been talking non-stop about Baby Anna so it was nice to see her this week:
We also saw Grace and Nancy, but I didn't take any pictures while they were here so this is an old picture from a different visit:
In addition, our dear friends Linda and Alec came by to meet Henry and have dinner with us. I met Linda in an amazing and crazy way -- the parking lot of Zeno's motel in Rolla, Missouri -- and eventually I worked for her and then she introduced me to Vince. We have an interesting and important history! Eleanor really enjoyed playing with Linda while they were here and Henry didn't fuss too much, which means he must have enjoyed their visit as well:
And Leah, who I've been friends with forever, arrived yesterday for a short weekend visit. It was great to see her, her mom, and Maddie their dog. I didn't take any pictures yesterday but will take some today. In the meantime, here is an old one from about a year ago:
Eleanor has been talking non-stop about Baby Anna so it was nice to see her this week:
We also saw Grace and Nancy, but I didn't take any pictures while they were here so this is an old picture from a different visit:
In addition, our dear friends Linda and Alec came by to meet Henry and have dinner with us. I met Linda in an amazing and crazy way -- the parking lot of Zeno's motel in Rolla, Missouri -- and eventually I worked for her and then she introduced me to Vince. We have an interesting and important history! Eleanor really enjoyed playing with Linda while they were here and Henry didn't fuss too much, which means he must have enjoyed their visit as well:
And Leah, who I've been friends with forever, arrived yesterday for a short weekend visit. It was great to see her, her mom, and Maddie their dog. I didn't take any pictures yesterday but will take some today. In the meantime, here is an old one from about a year ago:
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Mine and Yours and Other Subtleties of Language
Eleanor is communicating so well these days. We are so happy to be able to have small conversations with her. When she produced her first sign (bird) around one year old, we were astounded to know just what she was thinking about. Now as her language progresses, we are still astounded and impressed at the way her little mind is growing and working.
These days, she seems to have a lot on her mind. She is sorting out the idea of possession. She will attach the possessive "s" to our names - Mama's, Henry's, Dada's - and also to things such as numbers - three's, four's. I think she may be figuring out that the s doesn't necessarily go with the numbers though. She also is attempting to communicate that things are hers by using the word "yours". I figure that she hears me telling her "Those are your noodles" or "Those are yours". It took me a couple of times to figure out what she was saying, she would say "yours" and pat her chest with her hands. I finally realized when she was talking about one of her toys that she meant "mine".
In addition, she is constructing many simple sentences and phrases. Her current favorite train of thought is "closed eyes sleeping", which she uses for anyone or anything with closed eyes -- Henry, characters in books, stuffed animals, etc. She has also been thinking about our neighbors Sarah and Karl's daughter, Baby Anna, who came over yesterday for a bit. Baby Anna's parents have a dog named Hailey so all morning she has been talking about "Baby Anna, Dog Hailey, kiss" and then gives her hand a kiss. Apparently she remembers when we were over at their house and Hailey licked her hand. Another thing that is often on her mind are some of the things that "scare" her. She seems fascinated with and also terrified by trains, trucks, and anything especially large and motorized.
Henry is still communicating with howls, shrieks, screams and the occasional smile. I can't wait to hear what he has to say when he is ready to tell us all about what is on his mind.
On many occasions I have thought about language development but it still amazes me to think what kids are able to do in the first few years of life. When I was in Panama learning to speak the Kuna language, I would get so frustrated and physically exhausted from trying to soak it all in. It is no wonder that kids need so much sleep, not only are they building vocabulary and learning to put sentences together, but they are also learning to use the muscles in their mouths to produce the necessary sounds and growing at incredible rate. It is sometimes hard not to get irritated with a toddler or baby when they throw tantrums, but I always try to think that they must be frustrated as well, trying to make themselves understood and trying to make sense of everything at the same time.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
The Pacifier - Love it or hate it, it's working for us!
I know that pacifiers are a controversial topic but, in my opinion, they are great. Here are our experiences with the paci:
Eleanor was so fussy when she was small. We tried everything to calm her down the first few months, including several different types of pacifiers, which she vehemently rejected. At about four months, for whatever reason, we offered the paci to her again and she decided she LOVED it. The Mam paci to be specific. From that moment on, she used it for bedtime and nap time and for rare occasions during the day such as sickness or long car/airplane trips. It has soothed her (along with Giraffe and Blanket) on many occasions and I am thankful for it. I know we are getting to the phase where she really should give it up, but I find myself wanting to hold on for just a little longer because it comforts her.
Henry is at least as fussy as Eleanor, if not more so. I don't know why we thought that baby number two would be easier -- maybe because we had done it before or maybe because we have seen friends with babies who are calm and happy from early on. Not the case though. We love our little howler (yes, he as graduated from squeaker to an official howler) but I was hoping that he would take to the paci a bit more quickly than Eleanor did in order to give him, and us, some relief from the constant colic-y wail.
We tried the Mam pacis with him but he did not seem to think they were that great. And, I had some reservations about getting him hooked on them. When Eleanor was little, she managed to get it stuck sideways in her mouth a couple of times and I lost a lot of sleep worrying that she was going to choke. Also, they have several parts, which I always worried might come apart and, again, pose a choking hazard. More recently, I have been reading about Bisphenol-A (BPA) a chemical used to make plastics for products including baby bottles, sippy cups and pacifier shields, which also sort of freaks me out. (There seems to be much dispute over this issue but here are some examples of the resources I've been reading: blogs - click here and here, news media - click here and here.) I was a worried first time momma with Eleanor and now I am just as much of a worry wart with Henry. So, I decided to try another kind of paci, the Soothie, for him. It is large and round (eliminating worry #1), all one part (eliminating worry #2) and made of silicone (eliminating worry #3 - as far as I can tell). I am sure I'll come up with something else to worry about, but for now I feel rather at peace. He seems to really like it so far. I am hoping this will lead us to more peaceful days and nights. Maybe it will.
Eleanor was so fussy when she was small. We tried everything to calm her down the first few months, including several different types of pacifiers, which she vehemently rejected. At about four months, for whatever reason, we offered the paci to her again and she decided she LOVED it. The Mam paci to be specific. From that moment on, she used it for bedtime and nap time and for rare occasions during the day such as sickness or long car/airplane trips. It has soothed her (along with Giraffe and Blanket) on many occasions and I am thankful for it. I know we are getting to the phase where she really should give it up, but I find myself wanting to hold on for just a little longer because it comforts her.
Henry is at least as fussy as Eleanor, if not more so. I don't know why we thought that baby number two would be easier -- maybe because we had done it before or maybe because we have seen friends with babies who are calm and happy from early on. Not the case though. We love our little howler (yes, he as graduated from squeaker to an official howler) but I was hoping that he would take to the paci a bit more quickly than Eleanor did in order to give him, and us, some relief from the constant colic-y wail.
We tried the Mam pacis with him but he did not seem to think they were that great. And, I had some reservations about getting him hooked on them. When Eleanor was little, she managed to get it stuck sideways in her mouth a couple of times and I lost a lot of sleep worrying that she was going to choke. Also, they have several parts, which I always worried might come apart and, again, pose a choking hazard. More recently, I have been reading about Bisphenol-A (BPA) a chemical used to make plastics for products including baby bottles, sippy cups and pacifier shields, which also sort of freaks me out. (There seems to be much dispute over this issue but here are some examples of the resources I've been reading: blogs - click here and here, news media - click here and here.) I was a worried first time momma with Eleanor and now I am just as much of a worry wart with Henry. So, I decided to try another kind of paci, the Soothie, for him. It is large and round (eliminating worry #1), all one part (eliminating worry #2) and made of silicone (eliminating worry #3 - as far as I can tell). I am sure I'll come up with something else to worry about, but for now I feel rather at peace. He seems to really like it so far. I am hoping this will lead us to more peaceful days and nights. Maybe it will.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Library Books - week of September 3, 2007
We got some new library books on Saturday. We picked up a couple of books that I thought would fit especially well with her Granddaddy's visit this week. Eleanor already has a clear favorite of the bunch -- could be because it inspired Vince to bake cookies the other night!
Here are a few of the books from this weeks library line up:
1. Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington. This is the favorite. Eleanor likes the simple story of a man baking cookies to sell at his shop. She is drawn to the bright colors in the illustrations, which feature baking supplies, cooking utensils, and cookies of various shapes decorated with lots of sprinkles. In addition to the story, there are also four cookie recipes at the end of the book. Vince and Eleanor tried out the oatmeal cookies the other night right before bedtime and we had a hard time getting her into the bath after that!
2. Jazz Baby by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Laura Freeman. Vince has read this book to Eleanor many times already and he has just the perfect voice and rhythm to read it. I think Eleanor likes it because it talks about dancing, playing drums and other musical instruments -- things which she is very fond of. It is the perfect length for her too, enough words and rhymes to keep her interested but not too much on each page.
3. Nicky & Grandpa by Cathryn Falwell. This book we picked out specifically because of Granddaddy's visit. It is a very small picture book with heavy pages and few words, almost like a board book. The text consists of short questions, such as "Where's Grandpa?" and short answers, "Here he is!" Eleanor likes this book as well, especially now that we have read it a few times and she knows the answers to the questions, which she exclaims in her own language!
I find that each week when we go into the library, she wants to stay longer and pull more books off the shelves to have a look at them. I think it is wonderful that she is discovering the magic of books and the library.
Here are a few of the books from this weeks library line up:
1. Mr. Cookie Baker by Monica Wellington. This is the favorite. Eleanor likes the simple story of a man baking cookies to sell at his shop. She is drawn to the bright colors in the illustrations, which feature baking supplies, cooking utensils, and cookies of various shapes decorated with lots of sprinkles. In addition to the story, there are also four cookie recipes at the end of the book. Vince and Eleanor tried out the oatmeal cookies the other night right before bedtime and we had a hard time getting her into the bath after that!
2. Jazz Baby by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Laura Freeman. Vince has read this book to Eleanor many times already and he has just the perfect voice and rhythm to read it. I think Eleanor likes it because it talks about dancing, playing drums and other musical instruments -- things which she is very fond of. It is the perfect length for her too, enough words and rhymes to keep her interested but not too much on each page.
3. Nicky & Grandpa by Cathryn Falwell. This book we picked out specifically because of Granddaddy's visit. It is a very small picture book with heavy pages and few words, almost like a board book. The text consists of short questions, such as "Where's Grandpa?" and short answers, "Here he is!" Eleanor likes this book as well, especially now that we have read it a few times and she knows the answers to the questions, which she exclaims in her own language!
I find that each week when we go into the library, she wants to stay longer and pull more books off the shelves to have a look at them. I think it is wonderful that she is discovering the magic of books and the library.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Learning to Hook
I am hooking my first big rug. I don't have any sort of pattern, which may be a mistake in my first large scale attempt, but I am enjoying the soothing rhythm of hooking. The nice thing is, I just have it all in a big laundry basket and at moments when things are calm or the babies are asleep, I can just pick up and start. I began the project with a black border and then spent a couple of months staring at the blank space on the rug warp trying to envision what might fill the outer boundary. In the end, I decided to go for something simple, circles of different colors at random spacing. My Aunt Glee sent the warp and some lovely colors of wool that she dyed, which I am using in along with some wool I have here. All of the wool is recycled, or probably more accurately put, reused from old clothing and secondhand store finds.
Here is a picture of all the different items I used to make the circles:
Seems that Eleanor is interested in learning to hook too. I am probably not the one to teach her since I am so inexperienced myself, but hopefully she will be able to work with Nana and Aunt Glee the next time we are together, so that they can impart their vast knowledge of the art on her. I think it is so nice that she has an interest in the rug. I believe that if she is exposed to the wool, the process of cutting and using ones hands to create, she will learn naturally and enjoy creating as well. Even if she doesn't want to hook rugs, I think that being in a creative environment will help her imagination and that is something that I feel responsible to help foster.
Here are some pictures of Eleanor -- checking out the wool, practicing her hooking, and getting bored with the rug warp and starting in on the couch:
Here is a picture of all the different items I used to make the circles:
Seems that Eleanor is interested in learning to hook too. I am probably not the one to teach her since I am so inexperienced myself, but hopefully she will be able to work with Nana and Aunt Glee the next time we are together, so that they can impart their vast knowledge of the art on her. I think it is so nice that she has an interest in the rug. I believe that if she is exposed to the wool, the process of cutting and using ones hands to create, she will learn naturally and enjoy creating as well. Even if she doesn't want to hook rugs, I think that being in a creative environment will help her imagination and that is something that I feel responsible to help foster.
Here are some pictures of Eleanor -- checking out the wool, practicing her hooking, and getting bored with the rug warp and starting in on the couch:
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