18 Month Teaser

2/3/2013
Halfway to two years old

Some quick stats and then a more complete post will come later (when it isn't 10:45 at night!):

Weight: 25.7 pounds
Height: 30.75 inches
Clothing: 18 month and 18-24 month
General status: healthy, happy, active, adorable, sweet, (did we say active?), and starting to embrace her status at "toddler" (more on that in the next post)

Gramma Wells

Many months ago, I agreed to go to a conference in Connecticut for work. Jeff would also be at the conference so that would mean that Nora would be coming along, too.

As we got closer to the conference date, I started to doubt the confidence about managing this trip that I felt earlier. Nora had changed so much since I agreed to travel halfway across the country and spend 5 days in a hotel with a toddler. My mom lives just a couple hours away so she agreed to join us and help with Nora when I would be working. Great! Except that Nora had been going through a stage where there were very few people she was totally comfortable with. This made me really nervous! To help ease my concerns, my mom came out to Illinois to spend a weekend with Nora. Thankfully, it was a weekend that put my mind at ease a bit.

Taking a walk around the neighborhood.

So my mom and Fred (Gramma and Happy) made the trek to Connecticut armed with toys, snacks, and confidence. The hotel room provided fun play time with things like mirrored closet doors and the weather was nice enough to get out to a nearby park.

Pooped out after the park.

The trip also gave us a chance to introduce our sweet girl to so many of our friends. She was eager to give everyone she met fist and foot "booms" (bumps) and was quick to giggle with us all.

Although being at the conference wasn't stress-free (Nora was up for most of 3 of the nights we were in the hotel), it certainly was made easier by having Gramma and Happy there with us.

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.

12 months old!!

I have an admission. I have been procrastinating on Nora's 12 month post. And the rest of her birthday posts. The feelings I've been having with this milestone have been many. With all of the joy of Nora turning one comes a little sadness of some of the baby things that are getting to be less and less. We're almost done with the bottle, snuggle naps are extremely rare, and I no longer get to hold my little girl whenever I want. My time with a baby is coming to an end. And it's ending forever, given our fertility issues.

But toddler-hood brings with it a lot of fun times. Times that I appreciate so much.

Nora loves to explore and we are often "walking" all over the house with Nora holding onto our fingers or with one of her push toys. She dances to music, cruises between toys and furniture, loves to crawl up the stairs, brings the dogs their toys and is learning to pat them gently, points to things she wants, and smiles a lot. She has learned to smile for the camera, making what we call her "cheese" face. Her laugh is amazing!

Nora has also learned to express her opinion! It's very clear when Nora does - and does not - want something. It is really amazing to watch her develop her own ideas. She is still as observant as ever, always watching and taking everything in.

As you can tell from our blog, it's been an amazing first year and we are just so dang thankful for it all. So HAPPY 12 MONTHS to our sweet, sweet girl. We are so excited for the next year of memory-making and milestones!

Nora at 12 months old:

• 23.8 lbs and 27.5 inches
• Says Dada, Mama, Dog-Dog, Uht-oh, Kisses
• Wears 12-18 month-sized clothes
• Eats mostly finger foods - current favorite is a hummus sandwich
• 8 teeth

I'm gonna get this owl!