Unplugged #2: Cylinder

Okay so this week's word was hard for a baby, haha. We started with the idea of going out to see Jupiter with the [old, cylinder-shaped] binoculars (telescope is still in Pennsylvania, of course!) but weather has been against us. I've worked a night shift every clear night we've had! I did go out on the porch while Bella was sleeping in the wrap, but the trees obscured much of my view, so we didn't catch any moons.

The planets are aligned again (and the best views are almost over!), so if you have a nice horizon as the sun sets, you will see Saturn, Mercury, Venus and a nice red Mars setting in order behind it. Venus you can often see during sunset because it is so bright. Jupiter stays up much later, so be sure to take a peek after sunset at the very bright "star"and perhaps you will see Calisto, Io, Europa, and Ganymede. They are often spread out, and easily spotted with good binocs or a telescope! Uranus and Neptune will rise in the SE later in the night.

But I digress. In order to not entirely cop out on the cylinder theme we scrounged for a different activity. Grandpa (Papa Razzi) was in town, so we finally got out the newborn footprint kit (hah!) and dove in. We did the mixing in a cylinder!



Unfortunately, the "quick set plaster" did not set so quickly. So we waited and waited and goofed off and waited some more. I must have mixed improperly because we ended up waiting almost a half an hour instead of 3-6 minutes!


Bella started getting sleepy with all this exciting waiting, but the plaster finally congealed. We did the feet just in time, and they turned out great!


They weren't the reason I had been procrastinating this project, however. Bella refuses to open her hands for anyone but her mouth. She might reach out and touch something, but half the time her fists are closed for that, too! So I was waiting for an age when she might leave that little fist of hers unclenched.

No luck.


As soon as I put her hand down, she dug in with her fingers. Not that it mattered much; by then my not-so-quick set plaster had gotten back on track in a hurry. All I got was a smeary impression of finger tips!


I had intended to do her hands last so I could wash them right away, but I got distracted trying to stir the plaster back into liquidnessity so we could retry the prints. Notice her face on this second round of hand prints. Apparently neither Grandpa nor Daddy noticed (in all of their rapid fire camera shooting) that she was smearing plaster ev.er.y.where.

In the end, cylinder or not, we had family fun time, got Bella's four month prints sent off to Grandma (who insists she loves them), and Bella had a great nap when all was through.