A Nostalgic Afternoon

Now that Eleanor is almost one month old, she's finding herself increasingly nostalgic. This afternoon she decided to play dress up with some beautiful baby clothes from the past.

A month or so before Eleanor was born, Dave and I met a wonderful woman at an Adirondack Park lecture. She introduced herself as Eleanor and Dave and I told her happily that hers was the name we hoped to give our unborn baby. A few days later she called Dave at Clarkson and told him that she had some baby clothes that she'd like to give us. A few days later when we visited her at her home, we found that she had boxes upon boxes of beautiful baby things that had belonged to her children. Many of the clothes date back to the 1950s and all are beautifully preserved. Most of the clothes are for older babies, but I found a few today that fit her perfectly.

You'll also notice some adorable knit bunny slippers on Eleanor's feet. These arrived in the mail yesterday. My very dear friend Caitlin sent them and said she saw them in a store and could not resist (we're glad she couldn't!).

Emily, Eleanor, Eleanor and Dave

Eleanor and I also found time today to look at some art books. Eleanor's great grandmother Phyllis Beck was an artist (see her website at www.phyllisbeck.org). Sadly, she passed away this past summer, and while we regret that Eleanor missed the opportunity to meet this incredible woman, we can feel comforted by the opportunity to share with Eleanor 'Maw Maw's artwork and art books (of which we have many). Eleanor is a great 'looker' and seems to enjoy images with bright colors and strong contrasts. Here she is visually devouring one of Maw Maw's Mary Cassatt books.