chickens, turkeys, goats, llamas, a horse, several cows, and a group of pigs. (Due for butchering on Nov 1.) Contrary to the nice storybook pigs he had met before (who always said "oink") these made quite a screeching racket!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
At Manda Farm
Animals! While visiting the farm up the road from David and Lina, Henry saw guinea hens,
chickens, turkeys, goats, llamas, a horse, several cows, and a group of pigs. (Due for butchering on Nov 1.) Contrary to the nice storybook pigs he had met before (who always said "oink") these made quite a screeching racket!
chickens, turkeys, goats, llamas, a horse, several cows, and a group of pigs. (Due for butchering on Nov 1.) Contrary to the nice storybook pigs he had met before (who always said "oink") these made quite a screeching racket!
Fall fun
Playing in the crunchy leaves (still Plainfield)
Getting a little leaf shower from Nick
Taking a nice, peaceful nap in the guest room under Daddy's fisherman sweater. (Isn't he an angel?)
Getting a little leaf shower from Nick
Taking a nice, peaceful nap in the guest room under Daddy's fisherman sweater. (Isn't he an angel?)
Pressing cider
David and Lina borrowed a friend's cider press and got a few bushels of very tasty crunchy apples. (They've put in an heirloom orchard too, but that won't be giving fruit for a few years.) With so many people helping out, the cider-making operation was quick and delightful.
Henry helped Ilya sort and wash apples (and splashed around in the washing tub) while Orpheus (not pictured) ate his fill of the post-pressing apple bits.
Henry learned his first compound noun: "apple juice." Usually he says one word or the other, but sometimes both.
Yummy!
Henry helped Ilya sort and wash apples (and splashed around in the washing tub) while Orpheus (not pictured) ate his fill of the post-pressing apple bits.
Henry learned his first compound noun: "apple juice." Usually he says one word or the other, but sometimes both.
Yummy!
Last weekend in Plainfield, Mass.
Our friends David and Lina (Anya's parents) kindly invited us to spend a weekend at their holiday house in Plainfield, Mass. Henry hadn't been there since he was three months old. We took long walks with Orpheus, the doggie (a big excitable flat-coated retriever puppy)...
...visited the town cemetery and admired its beautiful stone wall...
and ate arugula that had seeded itself in David and Lina's garden (can you believe this enchanted arugula forest?).
Henry was very happy to get lots of attention from all. He also learned a few new concepts: the roaring fireplace (which he referred to alternately as "cook" or "hot"), where apple juice comes from (see next entry), and how to climb up the very steep steps to the slide at the town playground and then go down the steep curvy slide by himself, on his tummy (feet first, don't worry). In all, a pretty glorious couple of days.
...visited the town cemetery and admired its beautiful stone wall...
and ate arugula that had seeded itself in David and Lina's garden (can you believe this enchanted arugula forest?).
Henry was very happy to get lots of attention from all. He also learned a few new concepts: the roaring fireplace (which he referred to alternately as "cook" or "hot"), where apple juice comes from (see next entry), and how to climb up the very steep steps to the slide at the town playground and then go down the steep curvy slide by himself, on his tummy (feet first, don't worry). In all, a pretty glorious couple of days.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Big boy, bigger all the time
At his last checkup (Friday 28th) Henry weighed in at 26 lbs 11 oz, measured 31 3/4 inches tall (both somewhere in the 60th-70th percentile), and had a head circumference (like 90th percentile) of 49 centimeters.
At 16 months, he's really a big boy. Too big to carry in one's arms for very long, full of words (car! cow! moo! apple! purple! bird! hi! bye!... and our least favorite, no-o!), and definitely with a mind of his own. He's a sponge for new words -- today Ken (accidentally?) taught him to say "butt" and point to the correct place. I suppose we have to start watching our language now.
Today, while Henry and I were out of the house picking apples, Ken and our landlord finally installed baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs. Phew. Rather ingeniously, they used a piece of old futon frame, a piece of 1x3, a pair of hinges, and a spring-loaded latch.
I hope it works. The kid is unstoppable. Turn your head for a second and he'll be halfway up the stairs.
At 16 months, he's really a big boy. Too big to carry in one's arms for very long, full of words (car! cow! moo! apple! purple! bird! hi! bye!... and our least favorite, no-o!), and definitely with a mind of his own. He's a sponge for new words -- today Ken (accidentally?) taught him to say "butt" and point to the correct place. I suppose we have to start watching our language now.
Today, while Henry and I were out of the house picking apples, Ken and our landlord finally installed baby gates at the top and bottom of the stairs. Phew. Rather ingeniously, they used a piece of old futon frame, a piece of 1x3, a pair of hinges, and a spring-loaded latch.
I hope it works. The kid is unstoppable. Turn your head for a second and he'll be halfway up the stairs.
He also seems to have a really sweet disposition. Despite all of the weirdness that comes with Ken's new commuter lifestyle and my resulting semi-single-mom status. Breakfast is sometimes a sandwich in the stroller on the way to the babysitter's; bathtime moves around by an hour or so. Henry is occasionally whiny and manipulative, but I don't think he's actually spoiled. Still friendly, willing to share, has a good sense of humor. (Body noises are especially funny, but games like "Where's Henry?" and "Do you want to go upside down?" are a big hit as well. It's hard to explain to non-parents how you can tell someone is sweet-natured from this type of humor, but to me it seems like he is really able to share jokes on a completely human level.)
Meanwhile his busy parents are gritting their teeth, just trying to make it through till December. More anon.
More from Bishop's Orchard
A heroic pose.
A pocketful of apples.
A sizeable challenge.
Time to check out.
A pocketful of apples.
A sizeable challenge.
Time to check out.
Apple-picking
Bishop's Orchard, Guilford, Conn., with Anya and Nick. Henry has just learned to say "Apple" (he pronounces it a-pull!) and the skill came in very handy. He must have eaten about three. Also got to ride in a hay wagon behind a big John Deere tractor, which he found very exciting.
A-pull!
Adam and Eve? William Tell?
Yummy!
A-pull!
Adam and Eve? William Tell?
Yummy!
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