Darwiniana

Posting has been light from the distaff end because even when the big girls are quiet, it's hard to type with a baby on your arm. But I'm doing so now just for you, gentle readers!

100 Easy Lessons
Noogs's reading is coming along nicely. We did lesson 46 today, which involved a story about sacks and sacks of rocks and an old man. (The mild absurdity of the stories is a big selling point with me; I recall my younger siblings starting off with "Go. Go. Go. See Ann run. Run, Ann, run!") Noogs is enthusiastic about reading the stories and would happily skip the practice words and letter sounds, but I think the practice is good for her -- and it builds character, as Calvin's dad would say.

She's been making great strides in putting the sounds together to make words, and now can do so in her head most of the time. When we read a book together, I have her read the words that are easy enough for her, though this only lasts as long as she'll cooperate. And every now and then she'll suprise me. The car seat was inside yesterday and she was playing on it. Suddenly she looks up at me and says, "Push!"
Push what? I asked.
"It says 'push'," she replied, and pointed to the car seat, which did indeed instruct one to push some button.

Mr. Bones
Both Noogs and Babs have become interested in anatomy, and want to read books about skeletons and the human body and muscles. This isn't just confined to the human body, actually -- just last night Noogs was intently studying a picture of a gorilla skeleton and pointing out the skull. At first I wondered if pictures of skinless bodies would scare them, but then, why should they? I don't think I was much of a child for skeletons and muscles, but if that's what they want to learn about then I'm glad to encourage them.

Babes in Toyland
Baby is a treat. She's very placid and seems to take everything in her stride (except when she has to wait longer than she deems acceptable for her meals). Everything's about par for a three week-old baby. I can't wait until she really looks at us and smiles, but she's getting there, she's getting there. Noogs and Babs are delighted with her, and from time to time Noogs will take it into her head to bring me the baby. "Here, Mommy!" she says, holding baby in her arms much as one would carry a log. This is most alarming for me.

Baby has acquired the sometime nickname of "Judy", after a very minor character in Dicken's Bleak House. There's no good reason for this, just as there's no real reason why the older girls should be called Noogs and Babs. In our house, Nicknames Happen.