Autumn Days

That’s Molli Malou falling asleep in front of the television early one evening a few weeks ago, but it’s meant metaphorically: I’ve been asleep on the job as her blogger and I feel badly about that. In fact, now that I’m finally ready to post the images and videos below, I’ve already got a cameraful of new pictures ready to post.

Of course the excuse for all this isn’t really lethargy or laziness, but the demanding pace of our fall. We’re all three very busy. (“Not too busy to go to Tivoli or take trips into the woods,” the clever blog reader may observe, but I ask the clever blog reader if they’d prefer I spent my time updating the Molliblog or trying to be a good Mollidad?)

Development continues apace. Molli Malou is currently in her dresses phase, and will simply not wear pants. Ever. No matter what. And she likes to change outfits about three times a day and has become very particular about shoes and accessories.

And what does she like to do when she’s all dolled up? Well, for one thing, jump:

And for another, dance (link is to smallish AVI file).

As long as you’re downloading, why not grab the next two, also, so you can watch them once you’ve been through the rest of the blog: here’s Molli telling her first joke (Danish with subtitles), and here she is trying to repeat the phenomenon in a higher resolution format, and failing spectacularly (those are both WMV files).

We spent a couple of weekends earlier this fall up at Morfar’s house. I realize it’s still summery in the American northeast, but it’s been autumnal here since about the third week of August, so Morfar’s house had certain advantages…

(Molli Malou loved the fire but was very respectful of it. She likes to make piles of things in the middle of the floor of our apartment and pretend it’s a fire. Her fires will burn Mor or Daddy if we touch them, but Molli Malou has asbestos hands and is therefore immune to the scorching imaginary flames.)

I don’t remember why I took this next one, but I’m glad I did.

Next come a series of pictures you can just scroll slowly through of mother and child as Molli Malou is put to bed one evening at Morfar’s. Molli Malou was sharing an anecdote I no longer remember, but as you’ll see for yourself it was obviously very interesting.

Lights out, nightlight on (I was just playing with the camera to see what it could do):

Next morning we had bagels and cream cheese for breakfast. Molli Malou actually did manage to get some in her mouth.

Molli Malou loves Morfar’s jukebox. She usually likes to hear “Try a Little Tenderness” from the Commitments soundtrack. She put on her Snow White outfit one afternoon and insisted I follow her downstairs to play it for her.

On this particular occassion, though, Try a Little Tenderness didn’t do the job for Molli Malou. I tried some other songs to get a reaction, and Live and Let Die got the best response. That’s why it’s one of the videos you should have downloaded by now.

Molli Malou’s become extremely close with Oliver. She schleps him around the apartment all the time, drags him up onto couches and beds with her, and the poor terrorized cat doesn’t know any better, so he just purrs and let’s her whip him around like a toy. He’s got to be the gentlest creature on the earth, because even I would have clawed Molli Malou’s face off by now if she put me through half what he willingly submits to.

Frosting at Mormor’s!

The Sunday paper arrived early one Sunday morning while Molli Malou and I were awake. We heard it begin to arrive, then stood watching in silence as it continued to arrive. Yes, I could have opened the door, but I was so amazed at what the paperboy was trying to do I could only bear silent testimony. But I’m sure he must have heard Molli Malou giggling. . .