Uncle Joe and Aunt A-Ni-Ta

Joe's computer has a built-in camera. Endless fun as Henry models his uncle's snazzy Richland Center hat.

Henry has learned his first three-syllable word: Anita. He says it with such emphasis and joy. A-Ni-Ta! One night in Richland Center he ran around and around the living room saying it.

Wagon ride

We're in Wisconsin for the holidays... first in Richland Center, now in Madison. Lots of snow everywhere. We drove back from RC through lots of wind and blowing snow; quite an adventure. Henry seems to be teething but is enjoying all the company and holding up pretty well with all the travel. Here, a wagon ride around the neighborhood with Grandma Ann. Fortunately we got our luggage back yesterday (it had been held up in Chicago when we flew in on Friday) so he had his snow suit and boots. Yay!

Coloring

Suddenly, he's old enough for coloring to be fun. (At last, wily Mommy and sneaky Daddy get some time to wash dishes and cook supper.)

Old issues of the American Academy of Religions newsletter are about the right size. And glad to see those atlases coming in handy!

No, don't eat the crayons! (Guess we were wrong to hope that this development meant hours of unsupervised quiet play...)

First pun (we'll drink to that)

Last night we were having dinner with Anya and Nick, and drinking wine. We toasted to something. Henry, who was sitting at the table (on a grownup chair topped by two atlases, no highchair for him any more, thank you very much) happened to be eating a piece of toasted bread. When he heard us say "cheers," he raised it in the air! We have no way of knowing how much he intended or understood, but it was hilarious.

Bedtime stories

Henry can identify books by title now; he can make sense of book illustrations; and he can remember certain words from a particular page. He can't yet pretend he is reading the book, but getting there.

A quick visit

The semester is crashing to its inevitable end, none too soon. Last weekend I spent eight hours (!) sitting in a plane on the runway in Chicago waiting to take off to fly to Vancouver for a job interview. The talk went fine, I thought; no news yet. Today, meanwhile, my folks came down to hang out with Henry. He walked on his own feet all the way -- three blocks -- to the Peabody Museum (aka Dinosaur Museum). He learned or practiced new words: "almost," "turtle."

Today was also the sixth night of Hanukkah. We lit candles (in an egg carton, since I couldn't find our menorah) and ate potato pancakes. Henry seemed kind of interested in the proceedings.

(Today was also the fifth anniversary of Ken's and my relationship. Hurray for us!)

Snowy day

A slightly snowy Saturday gives Henry a pretext to use his snow pants. Here's the first layer of our preparation to go outside: sweater, snow pants, mittens, boots.

Then a jacket and hat get layered over all that. Miraculously, he was still in a pretty good mood when we were done. He climbed the slippery turtles at the park...

...attempted to climb up the playground equipment (for some reason, we were the only ones there)...

...and demanded to eat a banana that I had stashed in the bottom carrier of his stroller. "Sitting!" he said, pointing to the park bench (he has gerunds now).

Action shot

Back in Andover over Thanksgiving. Henry shovels sand at the playground. "Truck!" "Shovel!" He really gets into it.