Thoughts and Words Ill-Sorted

We did indeed get our outing at Blenheim, and we had a nicer day than I could have expected.  We were out the door for an early bus, the weather was perfect (warm, but not overly so, sunny, and just the slightest breeze), and the kids seemed up for an adventure.  After we had a pheasant come beg food from us like a pigeon, we hopped on the train.  Neither kid was as serious about it as they look here:

Once at the kids’ area we toured the lavender garden and the butterfly house (very pretty!), and then I let Katherine loose on the numerous playground sets.

Once I had sufficiently tuckered Katherine out with the playground I loaded everything up and we headed out for a long walk in the grounds.  Both kids were great.  Katherine got down to walk a number of times, but she happily munched her sandwiches while I took her on a tour of the oak trees.

Erin

Nathaniel’s nighttime schedule has been turning me into a bit of a zombie, just in time for a big conference that will keep Sydney away for tomorrow and much of Friday.  My plan, perhaps inexplicably, is to take the kids to Blenheim Palace tomorrow to explore some of the kid-friendly things they have there, and that we haven’t yet visited in our first three trips.  A maze, a butterfly house, and a miniature train: this could be a lot of fun.  I just hope that I have the energy needed to get us all there and juggle Nathaniel’s needs (did I mention that he’s been doing a lot of crying in the last week or so?  perfect for going out in public!) and Katherine (who has, exasperatingly, suddenly stopped holding our hands when walking on sidewalks).  So far, so good: food, clothes, and diapers are packed and ready for the morning.  I even packed the camera, and we’ll see if I manage to find a free hand for taking pictures tomorrow.  I wouldn’t be surprised if I simply forget that I brought it along.

Erin

Another reason not to buy an iPad. Or anything else from Apple: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13416598

While Katherine napped this afternoon Nathaniel and I had a bit of fun.  I’m not sure I can wait around for sunshine, so you’ll have to excuse the bad lighting.

And then, at some point, even his good humor broke down.  But the unhappy pictures are almost as cute:

All of that activity tired him out.  He’s now napping.  And, given that he’s attacking his three-month growth spurt with a vengeance (eating every hour from 4-9am, sleeping only in short spurts through the night), I think I’ll bow out to join him.

Erin

So far, Nathaniel has been under the impression that thumbs are to be kept clenched in one’s palms at all times. But yesterday he discovered that much better use could be made of them when unclenched. Here he’s happily making use of his latest discovery (grandmothers: if you turn the volume up enough you can hear him cooing):

And here’s a picture from a few days ago of him smiling. He’s good-humoured — it doesn’t take much to get him to smile like this (though cameras tend to elicit sullen stares, so getting pictures of him smiling like this is more of a challenge):

Today Nathaniel is three months old.  Yes, we know that that calls for pictures.  The sunlight and Nathaniel himself have not been cooperating, but we’ll be sure to get in some new photos in the next few days.  We think he may be in the midst of a growth spurt: eating continuously (sometimes every hour . . .), a bit fussy, and waking much more frequently during the night.  So we’re a bit tired, thus the lack of interesting posts.  But last night was better and we’ve been using some of our non-functional time to take the kids out for walks, including a long one today.

At three months Nathaniel is very sturdy, happy, blowing bubbles, and he just figured out how to munch on his hands.  He’s quite happy with the last, so we often hear him from deep within the stroller, making kissing sounds to himself 🙂

Erin

Researchers recorded the parole decisions made by experienced judges and looked at how probable favourable rulings were during the course of the day. The chart shows the results. The likelihood of a decision favourable to the prisoner starts at around 65% each session and drops to nearly 0% by the end of the session. Ponder that the next time you’re waiting for a decision from someone else about something you care about.

Source: Shai Danziger, Jonathan Levav, and Liora Avnaim-Pesso, ‘Extraneous factors in judicial decisions’, PNAS Early Edition.

“Why do babies smell so good?”  Usually said after breathing in, deeply, and cradling one of my kids (the kids usually wear a decorous “Who, me?” expression while this is said).

Is it wrong to respond, “It’s the breastmilk.  And the spit-up.  The two together, really”?  But isn’t that why babies smell so good?

Erin

Things are fairly quiet around here.  Katherine is starting to put more and more words together, and she’s got the concept of possession.  Thus her handing me my book (the one I told her not to touch) while solemnly saying “Mama[‘s].”  Great, so she knows whose it is, but we’re still working on “No touch!!”

I also occasionally get things like “Boo caah” (blue car).  Blue is definitely the favorite color.  She requests her blue dress a lot (with apples on it, so “Boo, appahl, yeah?”), and she’s started having definite opinions about her clothes.  I can see that we’ll be leaving the house in some interesting concoctions.

Katherine doesn’t make “s” sounds, so she says “yeah” instead of “yes,” making her sound (already) like a teenager.  And she has to smell every flower she passes.  That means our walks in the park can get a bit ponderous.

Nathaniel, meanwhile, has apparently been cackling for his father for more than a week, but this week is the first time I’ve been able to get him to do it.  The magic words?  For Sydney, it’s a falsetto coo, and for me it’s scary growls.  Go figure.  He’s keeping up the sunny disposition for the most part, as well.  Thank goodness!

Erin

We spent yesterday afternoon at a colleague’s house in the Cotswolds.  Sheep, hedges, and rolling hills, with a few large English oak trees dotting the scene.  It was a very relaxing afternoon, partly because Katherine was kept busy by two older girls, eight and nine, who were also at the house and who found her alternately amusing and fascinating.  The combination of food, talk, long walks, and country views did us good.  As did having both kids go down early (so much stimulation!  no nap time!), leaving us with some evening time on our own.

Erin