Fall Round-up

It happens every year, so I should no longer be surprised that Fall fills up faster than a rain spout. I love the feeling that we're living life to the fullest. No missed opportunities. Life is rich and deep and fun. It's also a little tiring, so I'm glad to be home this week and sharing a few recent random moments:

Who needs gum when you've got root veges?
Noah's favorite activity at the moment is to point his finger at something, say "da," and then be allowed to touch or eat whatever it is - often a light switch, dead bolt, or balloon, though most recently a pot of boiling water and tonight, raw rutabaga. Mean Mommy does not always acquiesce to his requests, but I decided to give in on the rutabaga. To my surprise, he chewed on it for about 10minutes as he played on the floor. You just never know.

Happy (belated) Halloween
Noah--er Superman--toured the neighborhood with a passel of neighbors, a bucket for treats (this year, Cheerios; next year, probably not Cheerios), and a runny nose. The next day, he attended a friend's birthday party at the park. I wished I had my camera when Superman sat down in the middle of the playground and sucked his thumb. But at least we caught him flying...

2nd Cousins, size 1
Last week, Noah spent the morning with his Martin cousins in Louisville. Two little girls were born within 3 months after him. But he quickly learned that while they're smaller, they're also faster. A good lesson, I think. ;)

An Old Flame
Last week was very presidential for me. Beyond the obvious election, I also happened to be reading Clancy's Executive Orders, watching The West Wing season 6, and visiting D.C. The nostalgia for my military and political days (limited though they were) was inevitable. There was a time when I could see my life leading in a very different direction--on a ship or on The Hill, and probably alone. Thank God it was so easy to choose this path instead. As a teenager, I was afraid I'd settle for family life instead of a glass-shattering career. Now, I know it should have been the opposite, but God saved me from discovering that too late.

Standing Room Only
The flight back from DC was an exercise in creativity. I was alone with Noah. He was sick and tired. We only had one seat for 90minutes. The seat-belt sign never went off. They no longer serve food or drinks on USAir. And we exhausted his back-pack full of toys in 30min. Thankfully, he LOVES standing these days, so Mommy decided the risk of a crying baby was much higher than the risk of a crash and stood on the floor while Noah stood in her seat and enjoyed eating goldfish, playing peekaboo with the people behind us, and generally tormenting the pregnant aerophobic beside us.

Either tectonic plates have shifted, or Mom had another hair-brained idea.
Noah has been battling congestion for a week. Last night, I was inspired by his carseat's reclined back to place a pillow under one end of Noah's crib mattress, hoping the slight incline would help with drainage as he slept. I was denuded of this delusion when he started crying 45min after bedtime. I found him in a ball at the bottom of the incline, head-first. Maybe a humidifier is a better idea.