Museum Visit

Em, Maddie and I traveled to downtown Raleigh today to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Em calls it "The Dinosaur Museum". It's one of her favorite haunts and she'd been asking for weeks if we could make a trip. It's interesting how the dynamics of field trips are different when it's a trip with friends versus a trip with just our family. Today, Em was drawn to the snake exhibit as never before. She spent about 10 minutes photographing the various animals on display and then we spent a good bit of time reading all of the signs and explanatory boards that were available. I don't think Em has ever done that before. One item of snake lore that really intrigued us both was the difference in pupil shape between the various snake species. Did you know that most of the venomous snake species of North Carolina have vertical slit pupils while the non-venomous snakes have round pupils? The next time you're eye to eye with a snake and can't tell whether it's a venomous copperhead or an innocent little water snake, this tip should help you out ;-)

After the inevitable visit to the Acro Cafe for some sugary treats, we usually head to the Discovery Room. One of the things we love about the Discovery Room is that as you enter, you are explicitly instructed that EVERYTHING is meant to be touched. They had a fabulous Luna Moth costume in the dressup area that Em was quite smitten with. Now that would make a fabulous Halloween costume!


Maddie was reaching the end of her rope by the time we had explored for a few hours so I was quite relieved to find the huge padded rocking chair in the Discovery Room available and waiting for us. While Em tried on various costumes, Maddie and I snuggled and nursed and the little one soon dropped off to sleep. Em joined us in the toddler area corner and read books aloud to Maddie and me while Maddie took her power nap. It always tickles me just how happy Maddie is upon waking. She's full of grins and giggles and an absolute delight to be around once she's had a chance to recharge her batteries.

A lovely, low stress visit for me and my girls!

Pumpkin Picking

The cabin crowd went on a field trip today to Clapping Hands Farm. We would have loved to join in as we've had a blast at Louise's in the past but that's quite a haul for us (about 60 miles one way) and Maddie doesn't do so well on long trips. So, we opted for a more local outing to the neighborhood pumpkin patch. Em had a ball selecting just the right pumpkin for each of our family members. (Maddie sported her new knitted sweater and hat ensemble that I had started during our vacation to Ocean Isle. What a cutie pie!)

Em Loses A Tooth

Em lost her 3rd tooth last night. Quite the exciting event around these parts. She woke me several hours after Maddie and I had gone to bed to share the good news. Our family likes to believe that the Tooth Fairy retrieves these teeth and bestows them upon teething babes. Is it just a coincidence that Maddie is cutting 2 teeth this month? I think not!

Maddie-Lu at 6 Months of Age

6 months!!! Wow! Our little baby is growing right before our eyes. Here's Maddie with her good friend, Bria, enjoying a lunch al fresco at the cabin on her 6-month-aversary

Maddie is sitting up on her own, with only the occasional topple. She's cutting two bottom teeth this week. She's almost a whopping 15 lbs in weight (pretty soon, she's going to overtake Sassy-Cat). She's eating solid foods and cutting back on the frequency of nursing.
Maddie's favorite foods?? Just about anything, especially if somebody else is eating it in her presence. There are very few things Maddie has tried that she hasn't absolutely loved. Peaches, apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, carrots, oatmeal, peas, winter squash... even refried beans have been eaten with gusto. If it's not shoveled in quickly enough, beware the growling baby! Way different from Em's first adventures with food. If I remember correctly, Em was almost a year old before she really became interested in solids.

One consequence of all these new developments, Maddie's no longer sleeping through the night. For a while there I had been spoiled with a baby that would sleep a good 4 to 5 hours in a row during the night before needing to nurse ever so briefly and then return to her slumbers for another couple of 2 hour sleep sessions. Nowadays, I'm lucky if Maddie sleeps 3 hours in a row before waking and thrashing about fitfully, sometimes she's awake for up to 2 hours at a time. After that initial 3 hour sleep session, she's often up every hour or two. I believe it may be the discomfort of bowel movements now that she has started solids coupled with the ache of her gums. Throughout the night, I can hear her smacking her lips and/or straining as if to have a bowel movement. I'm sure this too shall pass, but it sure is tiring me out.