Fall!

Oops, two weeks since the last post! This is going to be a long one, because there's lots going on here with the beginning of fall. The weather has cooled off, and we're starting to get that nice crisp crunch in the air that I love. Fall is such a lovely time of year!


Nora's taking an art class through our local crunchy baby store, Papoose. (Crunchy baby store meaning not that you can buy crunchy babies there, but that you can get accessories for your crunchy baby. And classes! And hang out with other mamas who don't think that breastfeeding and babywearing are slightly nuts! I like it there.) The art class is very process-orientated, and we spent most of the first class mushing up paste and smearing it around. Lots of fun! Future classes are supposed to focus on painting, printmaking, puppets, and some other things. We can't wait!


September also means that all our library programs are starting up again, so we have one storytime with the same group of friends that we had storytime with last year, as well as a big playtime/storytime at the big fancy library, and our local library is trying out a toddler storytime as well. We're going to be busy! We probably won't make it to every one every week, but it's nice to have options, especially once it starts getting too chilly to spend the whole day outside.


We're heading up to Maine next weekend for the Common Ground Fair, which we're really looking forward to. That'll be our last visit with only one kiddo in tow, too! Aaron will make one more trip later in the fall to close up the cabin, but this is usually our last family visit until spring.


In other news, Nora's latest quirk is that she really likes to be buckled into things. Weird baby, I know! This is totally opposite from her previous behavior in all ways... We got a new lightweight stroller recently (thank you so much to Mem and Grandpa's generous gift - we also got the new carseat for the little nugget when she arrives!), and as soon as I took it out of the box, Nora insisted that I set it up in the living room so she could sit in it, fully buckled, with her books, water cup, and Baby. Putting Baby's sock onto her hand...
Nora's never been a big fan of a stroller, though she'll tolerate the jogger for walks (and really liked it back before I was pregnant again and actually took her jogging!). She hated the little umbrella stroller we had, as did I, because it was impossible to steer and the handles were too short and killed my back. But I have a feeling that there may be times in our near future where I'll be out with both kids, be wearing the little nugget, and Nora will get too tired to walk! So I really wanted a nice, lightweight, tall-handled stroller. We've only used it a couple of times so far, but it seems to fit the bill. Comfy for both of us, cool looking, and very light! We got a lot of compliments on the snazzy orange 'n' silver color at the OB office last week. Other things that Nora really likes being buckled into lately: her carseat and her booster seat. I think that's all the things we have that buckle, otherwise I'm sure she'd have other favorites too!

Nora's vocabulary continues to grow. This is what she says (bold is new at 16 months - the rest she's had down since sometime before 15 months): more, all done, please, dog, hat, milk, food/eat, music, bed/nap, play, brush teeth, push (swing), hi/bye, airplane, Daddy, me, baby, napkin/wash face, hairbrush (signs); yes, no, Mama, Daddy/Dada, switch (turn on the light or fan), fish, shoes, sock, dog (words). She also makes the sounds for a cow-mmmmooo, a dog-woo woo, and a truck-rrrrrrrrrrarrrrrr, and occasionally a motorboat-phhbbt. She's signing two word phrases pretty regularly, usually either more something or please something, and occasionally the all important three word phrase, "please more food!" She also mixes sign and spoken language when she knows a word in one but not the other, like to say "fish please" when we're about to go into the library to visit the fish. She's very good at expressing herself, and her increased language and communication ability is helping (most of the time) to curtail her whining. Yay for that! She's also really lovey lately, with hugs and kisses for nearly everyone she sees. If you ask where her baby sister is, she'll pull up my shirt and kiss my belly! So cute...

Some cute pictures from a few days ago...

Dancing.

Looking out the window at the rainy day.
Ok, all done on the couch.
Time for a bike ride!
And a backwards bike walk!

Why yes, I was taking pictures for a contest featuring Babylegs, you could tell? ;) This is the one I ended up entering - I'll let you know if she wins! She still loves both chairs and books. Just like Mama!
Nora loooooves Daddy's safety glasses. She used to ask for us to put them on her, but now she can do it herself.

Ok, last thing today (I promise!). I recently got a free issue of Brain, Child magazine, which bills itself as "the magazine for thinking mothers." Since I like to consider myself one of those, I was really looking forward to checking it out, and it didn't disappoint. It's basically a collection of essays, all related to parenting/motherhood in some way, as well as some book reviews, humor, and fiction. The debate section in the Fall '07 issue was about Juliet Schor's book on kids and consumer culture, and I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with points in both the pro and con essays (which focused on kids and TV, specifically) - which definitely means they were well written and well argued, because before reading them I would have fallen in one particular camp without much consideration.

Other essays include the story of two lesbian moms and their struggle with the decision to circumcise their son and the story of a mom raising a child totally into sports, when she's more comfortable with books, as well as a bunch of others. Then there are reviews of "knit lit," (like chick lit, but for knitters!) and books on assisted reproductive technologies, and a feature on the place of mothers in the political scene with regards to the 2008 presidential election. All in all, the magazine was great, and I'm definitely going to be subscribing. It kind of reminds me of Utne Reader for moms. It does have the same problem that nearly all parenting magazines seem to have - exclusion of dads. But it's definitely a good read, anyway. Gave me lots to think about!