Warm and Gooey

The other day, I left some fresh brownies in a tupperware at the back door, ready to take with us when we left. Then I gathered a few more things in the kitchen, filled up Noah's sippy cup, glanced at email, talked to Josh, and rounded the corner to pick up Noah and go out the back door.

That's when I discovered that Noah had found a delightful new toy on the floor. Warm and dark, the perfect balance of goo and crumbs. And it was sitting in one of the dishes I'd let him play with (when it was empty).

Thankfully, Daddy nabbed the culprit while I took a picture of the act (left) and the evidence (right).

Looking back, I'm a little surprised by my own reaction. I was pleasantly surprised and amused. I would have expected to be upset. A perfectly good box of brownies. A perfectly good outfit. A perfectly good half hour. All gone. But I really didn't mind. Instead, I was impressed that Noah found them, got the lid off, and was willing to stick his fingers in to feel the texture. Like the kleenex last week, I hadn't taught him otherwise, and it was just fun to see him exploring. (My reaction must not be too crazy, as Josh's was the same.)

Come to think of it, I remember one day in early August that he tried multiple times to open a kitchen cabinet door, only for me to say "No," close it, and redirect him. He hasn't tried again since. Even now, we haven't childproofed our kitchen cabinets, because we haven't had to (and there's nothing dangerous in them).

It's truly fascinating to see his little personality emerging. Extroverted. Happy. Focused. Content. Problem-solving. And now standing, cruising, climbing, and brownie-stabbing with interest but not abandon.

Going Vertical

Monday, Noah was crawling or kneeling. He was not pulling up to standing or climbing anything (stairs, furniture, wheely-things, etc).

Tuesday, we found him on the staircase.

Wednesday, he started cruising, then climbing into a rocker, then manuevering onto a sofa.

Thursday, he was climbing onto wheely-things.

This afternoon, we're working on getting back down. Interestingly, I think Noah is as eager for these lessons as I am. I've heard friends say they have to watch their toddlers like a hawk because their kids "have no fear." Well, Noah doesn't look scared, but he is very cautious. He doesn't fling himself head-first into anything, let alone down stairs or over the edge of the bed. Which is one reason I'm appreciating that he's just now climbing - now that he's old enough to know something about falling.

Antics

I'm sitting on the kitchen floor with Noah while he plays with shapes, gears, a ball and a goat.

(And occassionally my computer - which is why I just had to restart after he pushed my laptop's power button.)

Breakfast ended abruptly a few minutes ago when he threw his milk overboard. Now he's busy and doesn't seem to mind.

He likes to hold a toy on top of his head and let it fall backward to the floor. Then he turns around, picks it up, and does it again. It's like fetch, but retrieval is pretty easy. Until a moment ago, when he just kept turning in circles. I couldn't figure out what he was looking for, until I noticed a lump in the back of his shirt. The goat had fallen inside his shirt. Sneaky goat.

Now he's playing hide-and-see behind my laptop screen. Where's Noah?

Yesterday, I let him hold a bottle of vitamins while I was getting dressed. I was standing right there, and the bottle (which sounds wonderfully like a rattle) has a "childproof" lid, so where's the harm? Except the lid lies. He got it off twice before I took the bottle away. Can it possibly qualify as childproof if a 1-year-old can open it?

Wednesday, he found one of my socks at the back door, carried it to me in the kitchen, and sat at my feet, wrapping it around his own foot. When that didn't stick, he reached the sock and his foot up toward me. So I put it on him, which gave him the joy of promptly removing it.

Last night, we were taking a walk before dinner when he turned in the stroller and looked up at me with a bit of a whine. I was about to turn him around, when I saw a big fat wasp crawling up his leg. I brushed it off, and neither of us got stung, but I think I dropped a few heartbeats.

I can't keep Noah away from my power button, so we're headed upstairs to the playroom where I can sit in a rocker and he can mentally prepare for naptime.

There's a mesh bag full of balls hanging on the closet doorknob in the playroom. It's tantalizing. Noah is currently sitting beside it, shaking the bag vigorously. A ball just fell out, and he's looking at me, gleefull.

I got distracted with email for a few minutes. Noah used the opportunity to grab his milk from the coffee table. That's fine, if he plans to drink, but he decided to see what kind of pattern the milk would make in the carpet. I think it's naptime.

He's down without a peep. We read "Corduroy Goes to the Doctor" - one of my favorite baby books because when the doctor asks Corduroy to take a deep breath, Noah takes a deep breath. It's SOO cute. After the book, we snuggled in the rocker and I sang while he sucked his thumb.

Motherhood really is some kind of miracle. I still can't get over how much I love it. I'm so grateful that Josh supports me staying home with our son. He and I went out last night to celebrate my birthday. Thinking about our date and my morning, I just can't get over how blessed I am.

Noah just cried out and my insides tensed a little. A reminder of the dark side of motherhood -- anxiety. But not enough to steal my joy. Thank God.

A New Little Gideon?

This afternoon, I found Noah reading a Bible. His methods are unorthodox (it was upside-down), but he was turning the pages and drooling, so I think he found it very exciting!

And actually, it is. Sometimes I forget that, but thankfully, God finds ways to remind me. Lately, he's been leading me on an exploration of legalism - through Luke, Romans, and Galatians - and it's not as cut-and-dry as I used to think. Can we do anything to bring us closer to God? I think so, but not every Christian does. It's complicated. And it's not just academic. How should Josh and I handle Sunday mornings? Should we always go to service and Sunday school because that commitment is good for our family? Or should we occasionally watch sermons at home so we don't exasperate our son who needs a morning nap? Is it legalistic or selfish to think we should go every week? When is it good to neglect good habits in favor of other
good things?

I don't know, but I'm so glad I don't have to get it just right! For now, I'll keep praying and reflecting, and reading (along with my son), and trust God will help us work out the rest.

By the way, anyone notice that after a month of drought, it rained today? ;)

Praying for Rain

I've always loved dark and rainy days. There's something poetic about the scene they cast, whether it's in the country, with trees blowing in the wind and thunderclouds rolling over the hills, or in the city, with streetlights reflecting on the pavement and water dripping down the windows of a cozy coffee shop. I think of our visits to London, or the Bronte moors, or long walks on a blustery day on the horse farm behind the house where I grew up in Pennsylvania.

Sunshine is better than artificial light, and it can be beautiful, but it can also be prosaic, overpowering, and just plain hot.

Stormy days are never prosaic.

Which is a big reason I wanted so many windows in our new house. I wanted to be able to enjoy every kind of day - viewing the weather from the comfortable interior of our home. Eschewing artificial light before sundown and welcoming the colors of the four seasons (without the pollen).

I didn't think we could have too many windows. Until just now, when I found myself sitting at the kitchen table, wondering if it would be too weird to wear sunglasses inside?

You Can Never Have Enough Kleenex

This afternoon, I was sitting in the rocker in the nursery, reading a magazine while Noah played with his books at my feet...or so I thought. He had actually tipped the kleenex box off the hamper and was carefully pulling kleenexes out of the box and carrying them to a stockpile behind the rocker. When I came to my senses, he looked up at me with a wide-eyed, wary, I-think-I'm-proud-of-myself-if-I'm-not-in-trouble expression. He probably would have been in trouble if I'd ever taught him not to stockpile kleenexes behind the rocker. But since I'd neglected that lesson, I decided to assemble the evidence and take a picture. Which was fine with him, since it allowed him to pull a few more.

Need a tissue? We've got plenty...

Our Awesome Autumn Adventure

Got back today from our summer vacation in Cape Cod - our first week away together just the three of us. I was nervous about traveling with a toddler, and it was an adjustment from our past trips as a couple, but it was worth it.

It wasn't exactly "summer" or "vacation." The leaves had already started changing (fine by me - I loved the 60-degree weather), Josh was technically working (but only 2 mornings), and it wasn't totally relaxing, but it was awesome. So I've renamed it our "awesome autumn adventure."

Whatever you call it, here are a few highlights...

-- Friendly's - Growing up, I loved eating at Friendly's. What kid doesn't love a restaurant whose motto is "Where ice cream makes the meal"? It was only fitting that Noah taste his first whipped cream there. Notice the foot? You must really like it if you need both hands and a foot to eat it...

-- The Cabin - On arriving, we opened the windows in our cabin to air out its musty smell. Then we changed Noah's diaper and threw it in the trash. Then a skunk walked by. We sat reading that night to the odoriferous trio of mildew, skunk, and poop. It was so bad, it was really very funny. That said, the 2-bedroom cabin was clean, renovated, and had a full kitchen and bath - perfect for life with toddler. My kind of camping. ;)

-- An Excursion - Noah road his first boat to Martha's Vineyard one afternoon. Three hours and no car may not do the island justice (and I'm a little biased since my aunt's on Nantucket), but I have to say it couldn't compete with the Grey Lady. Still, the boat was grand, we had excellent clam chowder, and we got warm sweatshirts cheap.

-- Noah at NOAA - Woods Hole is part resort town, part science mecca (hence Josh's meeting there), so we took Noah by the NOAA aquarium to study wildlife. He was fascinated - as much by the broom handle as the seals.

-- Boston's North End - We should never have been able to pull off dinner in a romantic restaurant with a 1-year-old, but our favorite little Italy (and a kid-friendly hostess) motivated us to try. Perhaps that's why it was even more fun. Noah loved the pasta, the couples around us loved Noah, and Josh & I loved both! We also sat within view of the kitchen door - what entertainment! Noah even learned the word "door."

-- The "T" - We took Boston's subway to get to the North End - Noah's first trip underground. He was a little dubious, but open-minded. (Is he ducking? I promise the tunnels were not that short.)

-- Sleep (or the Lack Thereof) - I spent too much time worrying about Noah's schedule. How many naps does he need? Can he go to bed late, again? Do we let him cry in a foreign room? Overall he slept really well and handled the missed naps beautifully. The hit-or-miss schedule probably messed with me more than him.

-- Still Teething - or this stroller is made of flavored plastic...which is not a bad idea, considering how much time he spent in it.