Act Three

These days L knows exactly what he wants and where it is. He is not easily distracted and he is getting so tall that he can reach items on the counters. In this picture he is reaching for the stereo remote to listen to some “wawa” and do some dancing. At this point he doesn’t really care what style of music is in the stereo anything can be danced to or offer an opportunity to wave his arms around like Daddy the conductor.

Put the lid on, take the lid off, put something inside, put the lid on…etc. On and off, scooping and pouring are the favourite games right now. Over and over again, I guess practice makes perfect. Notice the hat, still a big hit.

He is still walking on his knees, silly boy!

Do you know what the “masculinist” of masculine things is? Lowell tutored L in the secrets of manhood yesterday afternoon. I was able to snap a picture of this intimate moment.

Looks to me like they are baking chocolate cheesecake.

L’s enjoyment of music is increasing. He is learning to “dance” to the little jingles that his Leappad makes; dancing consists of jerking his head and upper body back and forth. Lowell has been practicing around the house for a choir audition tonight. L really enjoys Dad’s “wawa”. One evening I was doing dishes and all of a sudden I hear what sounds like a guitar. Sure enough Lowell had pulled out the guitar to show L. I must add that we have faithfully moved this guitar with us on all of our many moves and this is the first time I have ever heard Lowell play it. The things a father will do for his son. L must have appreciated Dad’s efforts because he is very quick to point out the guitars in his books now.

A note on “wawa”. Over Christmas break Lowell taught L the jingle from the Meow Mix commercial; “Meow, meow, meow, meow etc”. L can’t say the m sound yet so he sang wa, wa, wa, wa. It stuck; singing, music, the stereo, the hymnal all are “wawas”.

I am hoping that L inherited his Dad’s talent for music. The question is how much of our likes and dislikes are in the genes and how much is fostered through our life experiences. Whether L inherits musical ability or develops it now I won’t mind another musician in the household.

Our night in Lowell, Massachusetts wasn’t as nice as it could have been. L came down with a plugged nose and couldn’t sleep for most of the night. When morning finally arrived, we were prepared to pack up and go home without doing any sightseeing. But after L got some food into his stomach, he was a reasonably happy tourist. We decided to carry on.

Lowell (the town, not the author of this post) is the self-proclaimed origin of the American industrial revolution. It is a mill-town if there ever was one. The first mills were built in the 19th century, and many of them were still in operation 50 years ago. Now, most of the mills are empty or are being renovated for other uses. Some of them are being turned into “luxury lofts” like the ones below.

Our primary reason for going to visit Lowell was to see the Boott Cotton Mills Museum. The first floor of the museum has a room filled with about 50-75 fully operational looms. We could hardly hear ourselves think, but it was really cool to watch them in action.

How’s this for a case of hat-hair?

Tomorrow is President’s Day, making this a long weekend. We decided that, since we hadn’t been out much since we got back from our Xmas break in Manitoba, and since we didn’t have a chance to celebrate Valentine’s Day on Thursday, we would take advantage of the long weekend, so we drove into Boston today and took in some of the sights. First, we stopped by Trinity Church.

Then we crossed the street to the Boston Public Library. It’s the nicest public library I’ve ever been in.

We’re spending the night in Lowell, Massachusetts, which is about a half hour northwest of Boston. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we’ll do some sightseeing around here.

L, like most other children his age, has to be where the action is.

Lowell and I had lots of fun laughing at L the other day. He has recently discovered that it is lots of fun to wear a hat, but only if you can see that you are wearing it. Unfortunately if you can see your hat you can’t see where you are going.

I guess it has been almost a week since we blogged. We have been busy but I can’t say exactly with what. L continues to explore his world. As his attention span lengthens he can explore things in more detail. Today the toy box needed a closer look.

I know that I shouldn’t complain about any weather that is warmer then -15 when my Manitoba friends and family are thankful that it isn’t -50 anymore. However it has been raining here for the past 3 days. Last night we had a thunderstorm. Snow doesn’t really make you wet. If it is cold you put on a snow suit, toque, scarf, mitts, long underwear etc. It might take you half an hour to get ready to go outside, but you can get where ever you are going and be dry. Rain forces you to stay inside; if you don’t get wet by raindrops falling from above, then you are sure to get drenched by a muddy puddle on the side of the road, courtesy of a passing vehicle. I know there is no sympathy coming my way and that is fine. These thoughts are not new ones, I thought the same way when I was a pedestrian or cyclist in Winnipeg. The difference is that the rain starts in February in Massachusetts instead of May.

On a different note. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. For those of you who don’t follow the church calender it is now 6 weeks until Easter. Lowell was singing in the choir (making a better bass then baritone with his current cold), so L and I went to the evening service as well.

Here L is sporting his new ashes look and appearing quite pleased with life. Mom and Dad were moved though when L was marked. “Remember that thou art dust and to dust thou shall return” seems completely different when said over someone so innocent and new to this world.

People have been wondering if L is walking yet. Well if he was 5 inches shorter he probably would be because he sure realizes the value of having his 2 hands free. Now he “walks” everywhere he needs to go on his knees.

He is comfortable going down the stairs on his own now, hopefully walking on his feet won’t be too far behind.