art appreciation

We went with Aunt Lala and Lily to the Frist Center today. It was a Ms. Cheap free day, and there’s a Tiffany exhibit there I wanted to see. You were very good for just over an hour. I strolled you through the three exhibits, and with the help of some cheddar bunnies, the experience held your attention. We made it through three hands-on stations in Artquest before your attention fixed solely on sucking on whatever art implement you were using. You did made a torn paper piece and a rubbing, with Momma’s help, of course. But, hey! It’s your first artwork! Yay! The weather was nice today—overcast and cooler than it has been—so we had lunch on the patio at the cafe. You were visibly tired when my lunch (the Ms. Cheap specia)l finally came and I finished eating it. I had to thrust things in your face all the way back to Aunt Jates’s and even resorted to forceful tickling you to keep you awake. It felt a bit cruel, seeing you laugh through your exhaustion, but it was for the greater good. You and Lamby (aka Sleepy Sheepy) were out as soon as you got horizontal. I love doing new things with you, my lil explorer. You are stirring from your nap now, about half an hour earlier than I’d like, but hopefully you rested well after your big cultural experience.

on walkabout

Lil bug, you simply took off on two feet this afternoon, inspired, I think, by your cousins racing all around you. You definitely wanted to be part of the action. Afterwards, you’d crawl if you really needed to, but mostly you just tottered all over Aunt Jates’s house, bending over to touch the floor and steady yourself every once in a while. I cried. You are getting so big. It makes me sad too that Daddy missed this. We drove him to the airport this morning, and he heard about your new bi-ped adventures from Seattle. We joked that all you must’ve needed was a good knock upside your noggin. Yesterday at the sprayground Evan mowed you over, and you fell backwards onto the concrete hard and fast, and then Evan fell over you. Jates got it all on tape, because she’d been filming your attempts to walk. It hurt me to watch it. You cried, but not for long. You are very tough, lil man. We watched you closely all evening for signs of concussion and gave you Tylenol to ease the headache that a knock as hard as that had to give you, but you were fine, eating and playing in no time. And hey, must’ve been the missing link, because you were walking with confidence today!