Monday, October 31, 2011

Team Nora Expands to Include Daycare Provider

Hey Mommy, where are we going??

We're going to Miss Laura's for your first day of day care.
*insert sniffles from Mommy here*

While you are there, you'll get to play with Lily and Evan! And some other kids, too. And Mr. Eric will be by, too.

Daddy thinks you are going to have so much fun!

And she did! Nora had a great day at Miss Laura's. I knew she would because Laura is wonderful. We are very lucky that Nora has her to be part of "Team Nora."

I held it together until I got back into the car. I was surprised by how sad I was to leave Nora for the day. I have loved, loved, loved being able to spend all of these weeks with her. I mean, she is the greatest little girl on Earth, right? Who wouldn't want to spend every day with her smiles and coos and big eyes?

Although going back to work is a good decision for me and for us as a family, I miss her like crazy when I'm not with her. I don't go back to work full time until next week, but part of me is glad that we decided to get started with day care this week because I would have been a hot mess at work had I gone in this morning. Instead, I took the morning to run errands, all the while feeling like something was missing. And of course many things were missing; I had no stroller, car seat, baby bag, or sling. Or baby girl. It was an efficient and somewhat lonely morning, held together by a chai latte and a few texts from Laura with updates on Nora.

Wednesday will be day two. Everyone says it'll get easier. I know it will, but I hope Tuesday is a nice, long day.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Tummy Time

Tummy time really should be called torture time. Nora just hates it. If you don't believe me, here is the proof...


She cried longer than the actual tummy time lasted. And it doesn't make me feel too great either.

She does well holding her head up when we are walking around holding her and she doesn't mind (that much) doing some tummy time when laying on my chest. Tummy time on the boppy is hit or miss with the tears. But flat on her belly? That is when the real break down happens. And as we approach her 3 month birthday, it isn't getting any better. Any suggestions or stories that help me see it will get better and that she won't suffocate when she learns to roll over?

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Raising a Daughter

Raising a child is a momentous responsibility. Raising a daughter has it's own issues that are, at times, overwhelming for me to think about.

I want to raise a daughter who is loving, intelligent, compassionate, joyful, optimistic, passionate, strong, empowered, and kind. I want to raise a daughter who loves who she is. I want Nora to be secure enough to not allow the rest of the world to diminish her worth or her voice.

I came across a couple of articles that I think have the same goal in mind. I hope you enjoy them. And I hope you join me in helping to raise Nora as an amazing human being and woman.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-bloom/how-to-talk-to-little-gir_b_882510.html

http://blog.pigtailpals.com/2011/08/waking-up-full-of-awesome/

Friday, October 21, 2011

A couple of firsts


This week Jeff and I took Nora on her first trip. Although I am still on maternity leave, I had a work event that was important to me. Since it wasn't far to travel (a hotel by the Chicago airport), Jeff and I decided we would all go. It was a bit of an experiment, giving us a chance to see what it would be like to take a short trip with Nora as well as see what it would be like to work with her around while away from home.

Nora was a pro at traveling and hotel-staying. I suppose this shouldn't surprise us too much given we are her parents. :) She also won the hearts of all the people who were at my work event. Again, no surprise because she is so darn adorable!

Jeff was able to spend some really good one-on-one Daddy-Daughter time with Nora, something he really hasn't had much of due to the recovery of his shoulder surgery. They had a great time playing, singing, and dancing. He says she is a fan of Hall and Oates. During nap times, Jeff was able to do some work, too.

I'm also happy to report that Jeff changed his first diaper (a poopy one at that!). He even texted me that it was a "piece of cake!" I interpret this as a green light for Jeff to start changing diapers now. Wooo hoooo!






Sunday, October 16, 2011

Just have to laugh

I was talking to my friend Dawn the other day and we were laughing over the silly things we have done since having our kids. So here are few things that I have done that I will attribute to the lack of consistent sleep. :)

I have tried to leave the house without any shoes on.
I have put my pants on backwards (twice).
I have put my shirt on backwards (more than twice).
I have gotten out of the shower without washing my hair (don't worry, I got back in and washed it).
I have forgotten to put on deodorant more times than I'd like to admit.

As I sit here and write this, I know there are other things that I did and laughed about with Dawn, but I just can't remember them!! When I do, I'll post another edition of this post.

Shaking my forgetful head.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Oh yea, two months old!

Our sweet girl is two months old! It is hard to believe how time is going by so fast. Next thing you know we'll be sending her off to college. :)

Can you tell how big she is getting? At her two month appointment she weighed in at 9lbs 4 oz. She is doing great and the doctor is still very pleased with her progress. Nora, on the other hand, was not so happy with her appointment after getting her shots. Poor thing! I've never seen her cry so hard. Thankfully our nurse was super efficient and was finished up in 30 seconds.

She is a bright eyed girl who loves to check out her environment. We love her facial expressions (like the one in the picture above). She is quite a talker, too, jibber jabbering with her stuffed animals and dolls. She also wants to explore toys and hands and fingers with her mouth but is still figuring out how to get them there. She grasps toys a bit by accident and we anticipate it will be intentionally soon. Oh yeah, and she is getting into drooling a bit. All in all, she is perfect. :)