Itasca

At the Mississippi headwaters in Itasca State Park, Minnesota.
John grew up going to Itasca every summer because his Uncle Ben worked as a naturalist there in the summer, and Ben and Aunt Lou and their sons spent the summers up there every year. This is the first time John got his wife and girls up to the place he loved going as a kid.

Visitor center at Itasca State Park

Norah explores the visitor center

Creeping PUMPKIN!

Norah is SO CLOSE to crawling for real. She is getting up on her knees, but still lowering herself to the floor to launch. It is a matter of days before the knees and arms work together...and then...we'll be chasing her instead of her coming to get us!

I found the pumpkin hats Faith and Gracia wore for their first Halloween. They were only 4 months and Norah is almost 8 months! She's probably going to be a pumpkin. That's what Daddy wants her to be and their are baby pumpkin costumes on every rack, plus a coworker of mine thinks she has a retired one at home for her. Faith will be a cheerleader and Gracia will be a pink unicorn.

What a little darling. She is such a gift to us. We are so blessed!

Baltimore...system failure

Even in the age of post-9/11 fears, sometimes, nice flight attendants ask if a baby wants to get a picture taken in the cockpit...these one even put on the Captain's hat! This was our flight HOME from Baltimore after Norah and I got kicked out of a medicine conference, because I brought a baby. Not a cry was heard the first hour of the program, but one of the participants must have been bothered enough by her sweet coos and babbles as she played nicely on the floor next to my chair on a blanket with quiet toys. Unpleasant experience of discrimination. So, we flew home. Oh, well. Norah made it to the East Coast for 2 nights.
Below is, at least, proof that Norah made it to the Inner Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland.
She was a GREAT travel companion, even if we weren't welcome in Baltimore.