Weirdoween

Our first tropical Halloween was a success! It required a bit of effort to search out Halloween events around town, but in the end, Norah fell totally in love with the holiday that allowed her to dress as a fish and eat candy...not bad, even if the pumpkins here are all green...

Step number one was to make climate-appropriate costumes. Here is Lobster Kata:



Steamed Lobster



And here is Flounder Norah. Our two year-old has learned that a really easy way to irk Mom is to pout and hide her face whenever the camera comes out.



A surprisingly great Halloween event was the local Halloween fair, complete with carnival games and Norah's first taste of cotton candy. Flounder and Dad outside the Cricket grounds where it was held.



Ha! Caught you not looking, Flounder!



Halloween family portrait, Guyana-style.



The next week, we were fortunate to be invited to the only Trick-or-Treating to be had in town...the kids went office to office begging for candy at the US Embassy. Surprisingly, given the security we went through just to get in the gates, we were allowed to take pictures!

Embassy Lobster



Norah was way too overwhelmed and scared to ask anyone for candy. She hid behind my legs and told me she would absolutely not under any circumstances say "Trick or Treat." This is the moment it all changed:



Toddlers with mouthfulls of chocolate make for funny pictures:



Sweet Lobster

Yum, Yum

Kata's first taste of real food is coming in just a few short weeks. Until then, she's enjoying tasting anything and everything she can get her hands on. I mean, what's the point of these baby blogs if a mother can't post pictures of her baby doing even the most common little baby things?!? Here we go:

Kata, on blanket:


Noticing blanket is well within mouth range:



First taste:



A little bit more:



That's enough, thanks.



About ready for those bananas, I think...

Where, oh where...

...has my baby gone?!? It's only October and I already feel like my newborn is all grown up into a full-fledged plump, smiley, toe-eating little girl. We don't have a toddler and a tiny little infant any more, instead we have TWO kids...




Kata smiling, showing off her new skills:

You say Chicago, I say Tobago!

To celebrate Patrick's, ahem, FORTIETH birthday, we took a family trip up the coast a bit to Tobago. Norah had a hard time at first remembering that it was Tobago and not Chicago (easily confused, I know...), but once she figured out the whole beach/pool/ice cream thing, she had no problems whatsoever.

Welcome to Tobago!



Shoo...I wish all those other people would just go away...



This is what Tobago looks like for a four month-old:



Buried. It started as a mermaid tail, but Norah didn't want to stop with just the feet.



Happy Birthday, Daddy!



Tummy time, island style.



Norah and Patrick spent two entire days in this pool. And by entire days, I mean entiiiiiiiire days.



Kata's first swim!!! While the water was very well received, she did not opt to spend the entire day in a wet bathing suit.



Hi Norah.



Back at the beach. Just my daughter lounging on a beach chair. Aaahhh....vacation.



It is worth mentioning that I did not have a spare hand or a spare second while traveling, but the airport and the airplanes were like a dream for Norah...she waved to the pilots, sat face glued to the window in the terminals, learned about propellers and leaped out of bed when it was time to leave and go to the airport again. Hummm...wonder where she gets it?

High Fashion in Georgetown

We were hosts on Friday to the weekly playgroup. Here is the proud hostess, surveying her domain.



Here's a shot of the playgroup chaos:



And then there was Stripes Day, version oh, let's say about 25.



More matching. Green flowers day, of course.



Norah was so thrilled to pull up her dress yesterday and find a layer of tulle, which to her could only be mosquito netting...nothing makes my girl feel like a princess like her "fancy mosquito net dress!" Some girls are thrilled by dresses made of satin and velvet. Mine likes hers made of mosquito net.

Pizza and Piggies

A pig-tailed Norah helping Patrick make pizza dough before the Steelers first game of the season!



The Steelers won! Unfortunately for Norah, her father is a superstitious man, and she may now have to stick her fingers in the flour before every game...

Photo Shoot

When Norah wakes up from her afternoon nap, Kata and I like to climb into her cozy bed-cave and play. Today, I brought the camera:



Smiles!



More pensive...



Artistic...



...and that's a wrap. Norah is done with photo time.