Weekend with Gammy (last month)

Every April(-ish), I have a four day work retreat in the Chicago that coincides with one of Jeff's work trips. For the past couple of years, Gammy (or Gam) Wells has come for the weekend to be with Nora.

 

Kitty cat pictures on the iPad

It was a great weekend! Nora and Gam played, read books, and were out-and-about town going to the grocery store and running errands. They also took a trip to Toys R Us and Nora picked out her very first baby doll. Her favorite thing to do with her baby doll is to have "Mommy rock" her (I'm Mommy, ha ha). 

Minnie ears and books

Nora didn't get to have all the fun though. I was able to enjoy the family time when I got back from the retreat, which I really appreciated.

April 2013

Craftin'

The spring-time weather we have been hoping for hasn't been consistent enough to be able to spend very much time outside so we are trying to get creative indoors. In addition to playing with our toys, we've started to get crafty!

We started out with crayons and stickers, or as Nora calls them, "sticks." Her favorite way to play with the "sticks" is to peel them all off and put them all on Mommy and Daddy.

It's still a little early for Nora to play with the manufactured play doh, but I found a recipe for "chocolate" play doh that I can whip up on the stove in 5 minutes. It smells wonderful and tastes terrible, but at least if Nora tries to eat it it's just flour, salt, cocoa, etc. She likes it when we make "baby rocks" (tiny balls) and when we chop it with her little tools.

Playing with "chocolate" play-doh 

Each month we get a box from this company called "Citrus Lane"that contains a collection of products to try out. This month's box contained a paint with water book. I remember having one of those as a kid and just loved it. Although Nora's attention span with this particular craft was a little short, she still had fun and kept saying, "Paint, paint. Mommy, paint."

Painting with water

On the few days we have been able to spend a little time outside, Nora has had fun scribbling with her side walk chalk. She says, "Daw. Nora Daw. Mommy Daw." and it just makes my heart warm (as I stand freezing in the windy Spring air).

"Daw" with side walk chalk

In!

in a bin with applesauce

Playing with Nora is really a lot of fun. We read books, dance to music, have tea parties with her stuffed animals, draw...and we go "In!" If it is possible for Nora to get in it, she will. If a bin or basket has toys or hats or anything in it, she'll empty it out so she can sit in it. Sometimes she'll enjoy a snack while sitting in a bin or under the chair. Sometimes she'll bring a stuffed animal or some toys in with her. Sometimes the toys get a bin all to themselves.
"Mommy In!!"and "Daddy In!!" is often heard around the house and Nora doesn't quite understand that we are too big to fit in the places she can fit into. But it sure is fun to watch her find find new places to turn into seats and play things.

in a basket

cheerios under the chair

She loves doggie so much!

Favorite Things

You know how Oprah has a list of her favorite things that she thinks everyone in the world needs? Well Nora has her very own list that we want to share a few with you...

Bunny! Dolly! 

Over the past month and a half or so, Nora has really started to enjoy playing with her stuffed animals. It is so cute how she calls for them, hugs them, and points out their eyes and nose and mouth. Here is an adorable video of Nora playing with a super cute dog she got for Christmas:

Hot Dog

It isn't often that we let Nora watch television, and if we do it is generally Little Einsteins or The Mickey Mouse Club. There is a song at the end of every Mickey Mouse Club that Nora loves. And I mean L O V E Sssssssssssss. The Hot Dog Song! Nora walks around the house saying, "Hot dog, hot dog, hot dog" and is always trying to get us to play it on our phones for her.

Take a listen, I dare you. (And our apologies when you can't get it out of your head).


Books
Nora continues to love her books. Usually the first thing she asks for when she wakes up is "book." The Sandra Boynton books are always a hit, especially ones with the hippopotamus ("hippobobo" as Nora says). Right now she is also enjoying the books "I Am Small" and "Goodnight Moon" and "Pinkalicious" (she asks for it by saying "Pink Pink!").


Outside
Going outside can change Nora from cranky to smiley in a moment! She loves taking walks in the Bob (yes, I still can't get enough of that awesome stroller), going to the park, exploring our back yard, and playing with the rocks in our front yard. An added bonus? Her love for being outside gets Mommy moving, too.

Come on. Let's go outside! I'm waiting.

14 Months Old

Nora is 14 months old. There are so many things that I have been neglecting to share on the blog about what she is doing now. Mostly because what she is doing sure does keep me busy!!

She is walking. Her first steps were at Day Care on August 20. Four little steps. The next morning she took three more, which we got on video. Last week she started walking backwards. She attempts to run a bit, but that skill is still in the "trying to perfect" phase. Sometimes she trips and falls, giving me yet another baby-induced heart attack.  Sometimes when she trips and falls, she knocks her noggin. I feel terrible every time it happens. I suppose this is an early lesson that I can't protect her from everything.

She is talking. I know she has been for a while, but her vocabulary is increasing. She is saying thank you, ta da, mom mom, tick-tick (tickle-tickle), hi (which sometimes also mean bye), up (we are working on please with that), duck, and nuht-uh (no). She has been saying da da and dog dog for quite some time. She is also making animal sounds like "oof oof" for a dog, "mmmmmm" for a cow, and "na" for a horse. It's dang cute.

Nora also very clearly understands what we say more and more. What an amazing process to watch unfold, cognition!

And laughing. What a laugh this little girl has! Her giggles are the best. We love her cheerfulness.

Nora loves to pick out a book, sit on our laps, and have us read it to her. She also loves being outdoors. Whether it is in the back yard, taking a walk down the street, going for a spin in her stroller, or playing at the park, this child loves being outside.

She is also a bit of a momma's girl. We spend a lot of time together, especially now that Jeff is in his travel season, so I suppose it is to be expected. I don't mind a momma's girl; I love the snuggles and playtime and being a part of her growing and discovering. I just want her to also be ok spending time with other people. I understand this is a common phase for kids to go through and we do get out and about. On M, W, F she is at daycare. On Tuesdays we have lunch at my office. We run errands on the weekend. We go to the park. We have baby swim class on Saturdays.

So 14 months. Here we are. Happy. Talking. Walking. Loving.

Playing without Toys

Here is a list of things that Nora likes to play with that aren't toys:

• Backpacks, tote bags, purses
• Shoes
• Dressers, gliders, benches, kitchen chairs, and other pieces of furniture that are hard and have sharp edges
• BOB, her jogging stroller
• The gate to the stairs
• Stella & Pearl
• The dogs' water bowl
• Mommy's hair
• Mommy's jewelry
• Daddy & Mommy's glasses
• Daddy's chest and arm hair
• Daddy's headset for his phone

New Toys

To beat the heat, we decided to get Nora a water table. So far it's been a lot of fun. She enjoys gliding her hands through the water and playing with the little jungle animals. You can fill the animals with water and then squirt the water out. Nora likes it when Daddy squirts the water high in the air or onto her hands. She also likes to try and suck the water out of them.

Watching the water fall through the jungle cave

Playing with the giraffe

Nora is now big enough to use her Christmas gift, the turtle rocker. It plays music and looks like Harry Potter (glasses and a striped scarf!). She definitely needs spotting on this because she gets a little too excited at times and rocks pretty hard (cue rock and roll guitar wail)!