Eleven months old and learning about "cold"

 
We're trying to teach Morgen about opposites these days, but sometimes I think we're just teaching her that the best toys are the things Mommy and Daddy get to play with. Take this pop can, for example. It's cold. But it's also pretty cool, especially when you figure out that you can drum on it with your tiny fingers. This exercise only serves to remind you that your fingers are fun to chew.

Throw a rock anywhere in our living room...

 

...and you'll hit a stuffed animal. 

Pointy Finger

For some time now, Morgen has been making use of her pointy finger, and of her flail-y hand. Gone are the days of unhappy stroller rides. Now, Morgen goes out on the town ready to point, flail, or squeal at just about anything that moves, or if immobile, at anything even remotely interesting.

 

While we pushed her along on her morning outing today, I kept remembering a visit to Port Dover, pre-Morgen. We rented a little row house, spent a week exploring the town and local regional attractions, and shyly returned the cordial greetings of the townspeople. These greetings began as soon as we stepped out of the car with our suitcases (a neighbour from three houses over and across the street called "Hello"). Today Morgen waved and squealed and smiled at dozens of Torontonians, their dogs, cars, and children, but not one of them waved, pointed, or squealed back. Some elderly ladies smiled at us, which was nice. I think Morgen might like to be a small town girl.

In case you were curious

Thanks to everyone who commented on my earlier post, in which I solicited your thoughts about prospective topics for my dissertation. The winner is (drum roll please):

Music in Outer Space (ace, ace, ace)

I'm going where no musicologist has gone before. To be clear: I won't be discussing outer space as portrayed in music...I'm actually going to consider how we've used music in the exploration of space itself. Of course, although I'm preparing to be extremely entertained for the next three years, I'm also cognizant of the possibility that I may not be deep enough for the aesthetic issues involved. Hopefully my early education in Science Fiction will help me create whatever smoke and mirrors are required. I'm comforting myself with the knowledge that I can do nothing except my best, and in academia, my best is certainly better when I honestly enjoy the ideas at play. Meanwhile, I am also honestly enjoying NASA's website. I'll be in touch with their history department soon. (yay.)

Cousins

  

Morgen was treated to a visit to the Royal Ontario Museum this week, and no, not by her grandparents or her mommy and daddy. By her cousins! There aren't enough opportunities for family to spend time together these days - we are separated by countries and by busy schedules. And let's face it - some people like it that way. Just because we're related doesn't mean that we always get along. My cousin and I always have gotten along - not so my brother and I however. Big Bro and I spent many an afternoon jostling for control of the TV remote, and for various other things that don't really matter anymore. When we were younger, it was important to us that people should know who liked olives and who didn't. We had different hobbies. We had and have different ways of handling lack of sleep, blustering winds, and close quarters. I suppose some people who see lots of their family all the time would say there are more than enough opportunities for family gatherings. But not me - I think that, when it comes down to it, conflict and resolution just make family life more interesting, and I would love to see my family - all of my family - more often. I'm glad that my cousins Jeff and Jackie drove up to see us, and I suspect that Eric and I would have had lots to talk about with Zach and Jaden if we could have met them when we were 5 and 3 ourselves....

As it is, Jeff, Jackie, Zach, Jaden, Morgen and myself were all amused for one afternoon, by our common love...of dinosaurs! And digging for bones! And bat caves! (Or, all but the youngest of us were amused. Morgen liked the bat cave but had a snooze when we reached the dinosaurs.) 

I hope that Morgen will have lots of future opportunities to play with her cousins "Z" and "J". It was such a treat for her to see them and their parents. 

 

Evergreen

You have to admit that evergreen trees are pretty interesting.

Sugarbush

Acting on a tip from Angela, who shall henceforth be known as "Queen of Random Festivals," we piled into my grandmother's car and went up to Kortright  Conservation Centre this morning. It was a perfect day for a short drive. There was very little traffic on the road, the sky was clear, and the soothing hum of the car was just what Morgen needed to help her keep her happy face after a difficult night of teething. The signage was educational, the air was fresh, and the free cups of sap and syrup were sweet. Morgen sank blissfully into sleep in her stroller. And then, just after a lunch of pancakes and sausages, a local fiddler played "The Irish Washerwoman." When I was a little girl, my grandmother would play the same song on the piano while my brother and I danced around. Now, I hum it for Morgen when she needs cheering up or when I've run out of fun things to do in our living room. Perhaps Morgen didn't notice, but I like to think she gave the fiddler extra smiles because he was playing her song. And just when I thought a good day couldn't get any better, Morgen fell asleep in her crib with absolutely no crying. Ahhhh. 

Back to Butterball Basics

Good news, friends and family: Morgen is officially as fat as she was at the beginning of December. It has taken three months of added olive oil, extra carbs, yogurt, and fried eggs to get her baby bulge back. She is still hovering around the tenth percentile for weight, but that isn't cause for concern when you consider that her "genetic potential" is influenced by little people on both sides. 

How much does she weigh, exactly? 7.8 kilograms! That's just over 17 pounds for you Americans.

April at Last

  

I am so grateful for the sunshine. Basement dwellers like me and my family get tired of feeling like mushrooms by the end of February, and the grayness just kept coming in March. Bring on April, and rain showers, and the early flowers that sneak into people's lawns. Bring on the warm Spring winds to make Morgen laugh and wiggle in her sling. Sure, the grass and trees will take a while longer to wake up and shake off the winter. But they are stirring, and while we wait for them to catch up with the sun, Morgen is learning that pigeons are 'birdies', dogs are 'puppies', and squirrels are funny enough to scream at.