Henry and Esti: 2010

Monday, December 06, 2010

Machine for viewing lavender

Ken wanted you to see this object.

It's one of Henry's Duplo constructions (we don't dare start him on small Legos till Esti is past swallowing age): a Machine for Viewing Lavender.

It's almost conceptual art.

When you look inside: lavender!

Piglets at Manda Farm

Last year, when this sow was a little runt piglet herself, Henry fed her milk from a bottle. Now look at her.

Her name is Pearl, and for a sleep-deprived new mother she's pretty friendly.

Isaiah Grisha -- we spent the weekend after Thanksgiving with him and his family (and of course the piglets) in Western Mass.

He's at a nice age, curious about everything. Esti was curious about him. They had a nice bath together one evening; at one point, even Henry (in the role of senior statesman) joined in.

Turkeys, Manda Farm

This was Sunday, Nov 28. Yes, that's snow on the ground.

Pretty chilly.

Time to steal Daddy's jacket.

Hope everybody had a nice Thanksgiving!

The day after Thanksgiving we met up with Alex and Amy & co (even including two of Max and Zane's cousins) at the Eric Carle Children's Book Museum in Amherst, Mass. It was great to see them, however briefly.

They had a little house shaped like the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

So of course my own little caterpillar climbed right inside.

Henry did a good job protecting her from older kids who tried to take books away from her. Not that she seemed to mind so much.

Music here too

While Ken was away at MESA in San Diego (and Henry was practicing ukulele in the next room).

Little monsters

The tickle monster.

(Excellent tickle-mitts from Ken's Aunt Sis.)

The climb-up-on-a-stool-when-no-one-is-looking-and-grab-the-Cheerios monster.

Yes, you have some objections?

Ukulele lessons

Henry's former teacher Dan Flannery is a talented musician and a wonderful guy. He inspired Henry to want to play ukulele after bringing in his own uke to play with the kids at school. (Me: "Henry, when you're older I want you to pick one instrument to play and one foreign language to learn." Henry: "Okay. Portuguese, German, and Ukulele.") They've had two lessons so far.

To help him practice, Dan made a recording going over everything they learned in the first lesson.

And during the second lesson, he made Henry a book with everything they practiced (this set of drawings is for an arpeggio straight down the strings), "so that Henry can follow the lesson without having to know how to read."

Not a whole lot of practicing going on yet, but Henry is newly attuned to music. He sings and hums a lot. And I was playing CCR in the car the other day when Henry said, "I think that's rock 'n' roll, because listen to that thing the guitars are doing."

Fine motor

Henry in the crafts room, Addison Gallery, Andover.

They had a weaving exhibit and some kids' activities. Which was good because in a parent-teacher conference the previous week we had been told that it would be good to do more with his fine motor skills.

Flashback - last day of soccer

This was Nov 6. Not as cold as it is now, but cold enough. Last game for the Eagles.

Coaches Maria and Andrew. L to R: Violet (?), Matteo, Calder, Sandro. Front row: Henry, Lily (?), Schuyler. All but the question marks come from Deb's house. Haven't seen those folks since soccer ended.