Ira and the Orchid

Ira has been really cute lately. He has had this growing fascination, I call it a friendship, with the Orchid plant we have on his changing table. If he is crying almost without fail you can lay him on the table and once he realizes where he is and sees the Orchid flower he stops crying and within minutes will be kicking and cooing with joy to see the flower shake. I've noticed when I hold him in bed he really likes looking at this pastel painting above our bed of a field of flowers my Aunt made for us. I'm interpreting this as a sign that he will love and appreciate nature, I guess in reality it's still to early to tell.

 This is a typical interaction. He will stare at it for a long time.

This is the painting above our bed he likes and the original picture. I'm curious to see if I put the original up on the computer is he will look at it too.

I was giving him some naked time today and he kept putting his arm out like he was reaching for the flower. I decided to use it as a development opportunity, since he doesn't seem as interested in other stimuli we have tried. I put the flower down so he could interact with it more. He loved it.

Sharon and I tried to capture his cuteness on video. He was a little distracted by the camera and getting tired, but you get the idea.

New Year

It's 2010! Happy New Years to everyone.. I'm looking to be more consistent this year on the blog and wanted to start out on the right foot.

New Years eve I went to the Phipps Conservatory with Gabe P., his girlfriend, and another couple. Sharon stayed home because she had already seen the gardens and is still recovering from being sick. I really liked the show they have there right now. The work of Hans Godo Frabel has been integrated with the gardens and plants. He is a glass artists.

The pieces that I liked the most were the Longfellow gravity and fountain pieces, the balancing clowns in the pond, and the sprite and 'viney' abstract pieces. Going in the evening made the experience at Phipps seem much more like an art show because the lighting really accented and brought attention to glass pieces more than the plants. I liked the night lighting on the sculptures though. It made them more mysterious and thoughtful. That being said, I'd like to go back in the day and pay more attention to the plants.

I was surprised at how family friendly they made the exhibit to. For New Years eve it was really busy and there were a lot of families with kids running around. I think if we were staying around I would make taking the kids there a tradition.

The great thing about the Frabel exhibit and being there on New Years eve was the message of hope, fun, and optimism that was intended and present in the art work. To me this is a great attitude to have going into the new year. May you all have a happy, prosperous, and optimistic 2010.
---
Ant