Autumn

Autumn. A time of such fleeting brilliance and varied temperament that it could be the season that is the most fitting metaphor for childhood.

These past few weeks, I've been especially grateful to Allah that we were able to move back to Urbandale. Many thanks also to those who helped make that move happen. With us being so far away from our families, it's good to know that we have their support and encouragement in times of need.

With the weather holding out and the trees blooming into a cacophonous colors, our walks to the park have been all the more enjoyable. Abdullah spends most of the time tracking dogs, squirrels, birds, and ducks (all of which he can finally distinguish from one another even though the latter two are the same) while stomping merrily through the piles of leaves that have accumulated along the trails. His leaf, stick, and rock specimen collection has taken new heights this year as he's discovered that he can not only pick up leaves and hold them, but he can also put them in our grocery bags, under the stroller, and in his pockets. By the time we reach home and/or the grocery store, I am left with a fairly hefty decision: How long do I let him keep his collections? Sometimes, I make him throw them down outside of the complex while other times I wait until he's sleep and throw them out on the balcony. While he enjoys finding rocks that he's collected in his coat pockets the next day, he doesn't seem to miss the piles of leaves that are no longer there when he wakes from his naps.

Aside from being a budding botanist (get it, budding! lol) Abdullah can:
* Put on all of his clothes including, socks, shoes, pants, underwear, hats, coats, and PJ's although sometimes they may be backwards and inside out. In that case, Abdullah happily takes off the offending item, shakes it back and forth and puts it back on.
* Name and find most items in the house. He assigns things by their owner so all baby toys are "Dija"s and items like shoes and books are referred to by their name and owner such as "shoe emo."
* Parenting. While he still spends most of his floor time with KC romping and laughing, he has learned that some times action is needed. As of now, his parenting consist of feeding her, wiping her face and other items that may be in her spit path while chanting "ooooh noooo... rag, spit", scooting away while whining "Noooooo.... stop," pulling her fingers out of her mouth, trying to pull her to the camera when Skype is on, and telling her "stop. emo" when she messes with Kareem's things.

KC has learned to hold her own on the floor front also. Her current endeavors include:
* Stalking Abdullah for food.
* Uncrawling.
* Pulling up to kneeling and standing.
* Climbing on low boxes.
* Sitting herself up to take a moment to savor the spoils of the food she stole from Abdullah.