My big little man

Aidan, you're so yummy! You've learned to give kisses and hugs and are very loving and sweet. You pucker up for kisses often, and think it's so much fun to be a part of our family group hugs and kisses. You even try to hug Ricky the kitty, in a surprisingly gentle way. You love softly head-butting with Ricky, which is a cat's way of kissing and hugging. We're pleasantly surprised at how you and Ricky are with each other--you're very gentle, and Ricky's very tolerant. You're incredibly observant of everyone and everything, and I continue to be amazed at how much you understand. You're only 22 months old and have what seems a sophisticated understanding of emotions, technical things and a great sense of humor!

Christy and family

Our sweet friends Christy, Sam and Katherine are leaving Oslo tomorrow after 3 months here. They are from Texas and were here on business. Sam worked on a project here, and they lived not too far away from us. We met at "Åpen Barnehage," a playgroup for little kids in Majorstuen near Frognerparken. We were invited to a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at the International Baptist Church that Christy and her family attended while here, and had a really nice time. Aidan made an adorable arts & crafts turkey with the guidance of the pastor's wife, a lovely woman from Tennessee, and we ate lots of good home-made food.

Here's a great picture of Katherine and Aidan, all dressed up:



It's been lovely to get to know Christy and her family. They are wonderful. Christy's a fantastic person. In the short time we've had to get to know one another, Christy's depth and strength and fun have meant a lot to me. And Aidan loves Katherine. We're going to miss them!
Christy told me that there were a number of women here in Oslo, mainly expats, who did not take an interest in getting to know her (or any others in her situation) once they heard that she was only here temporarily. One woman explained that it was too painful to lose contact once people leave. I personally find it enriching to get to know people and connect, no matter how long or short they will physically be in your lives and I'm glad we got to know Christy and her family!

The haircut

Aidan's hair was getting long, at least in the areas that there was hair. He had long waves in the back and one long and thin strand in the front. Mommy (aka "Nonny") clipped it while we were relaxing and reading books, and here's what happened:

Fall fun

We decided not to put Aidan in "barnehage" (govt. subsidized daycare) this year, and I wondered and worried about how we would keep a curious and social little boy busy on our own. Well, no need to have worried. We have fun days together going to the "open barnehage," a play area for young children to come with a caregiver and play with toys, eat together and participate in various activities. We also go to Child Planet, a fun toddler gym with lots of climbing opportunities for young and old (I think I qualify for the latter title :), various playgrounds, and meet up with friends and family. We've been meeting other Americans with young kids and getting together with them, which is really nice for us.
Aidan's open and adventurous, and although he is sometimes a bit cautious at first it doesn't take him long to warm up. He's interested in other people and loves seeing new places and learning new things. It's fun to talk to him about whatever we're doing, and he learns quickly. He's learning colors now, and loudly says "rød" (red) whenever red cars or busses pass by. He saw a purple car today and called it red, and cracked up at the word "purple" when I told him it was purple. It IS a funny-sounding word, come to think of it! He's putting two-word sentences together, and trying to pronounce big words. He's big into kisses now, and gives us kisses if we hurt ourselves. What a cutie!

Aidan has a fun sense of humor and laughs easily. It is so much fun to be with him, as he observes everything and brings it all to life.
He loves looking out the window on the bus trips we make almost every day into the city, and loudly says "cow" and "horsh" when we pass by the King's farm here on Bygdøy, the section of Oslo we're in.
He loves finding imaginative things to do with stones (throw them into the nearest pothole or find cool ones and put them into his pocket), sticks (uses them to make patterns in the sand or to tap against fences while he walks or is in the stroller), and blocks (put them in a row and make them move like a big train), and he's not so into playing with toys in the usual ways. He'll find something extra creative to do with them, and wants to know how they work.
He LOVES trains, and has discovered that YouTube has some great Thomas the Steam Engine videos. So now we have 3 people competing for our one computer :)
He understands almost everything, even complex step-by-step sequences (like, "we're not going to stop at the playground now but we'll pass by it, go to the bus and go shopping, but we'll come back later and play there"-- he won't cry to play there, like he would if I didn't tell him that, because he understands what I've said), but usually says one word at a time, occasionally two.
Aidan started music school yesterday, and will go once a week for two months. It was great, a lovely Italian woman with a great voice led the class, and played piano, drums and other instruments with the kids, danced, made a choo-choo, and more! Aidan LOVED it, and it was fun to see how enthusiastically he participated!

Inside Sarah's uncle's tractor. Aidan's having a blast.