traveling...

so, last night, i started packing around 6:30 pm for our 9:35 am flight today.  i wasn't worried.  all the clothes were clean and i had my pick.  nora was in bed and david was watching tv.  perfect.  my goal was to be done by 8 pm so david and i could hang out.  would have worked great, except that at 8, when i was done with packing, david decided to get up and do his packing!  and then go to bed, since we were getting an early start. 

our departure time was 6:45 am.  i walked out the door at 6:47 am.  not too bad.  david had loaded the bean and sadie into the car, along with our four suitcases and three carry-ons.  we dropped sadie off (she is boarding at the house that fostered her...) and she was so excited to see this family again.  nora, however, cried when sadie got out of the car.  it was quite sad.  

on our way to the airport.  no problems.  david dropped the bags, the bean and me off and went to park the car.  he got back, and we got through security with no problems.  we did the whole, play with nora, david get breakfast, change nora's diaper one last time, etc until it was time to board.  nora was, again, an angel on the plane.  

THEN, we got to houston.  once there, we found out that our flight was cancelled.  i had my dad make a reservation at the marriott attached to the airport, just in case, while i was on the phone with continental.  i didn't want to be one of those people who get stranded at the airport because all the hotels were full.  

turns out, initially, the best they could get us was another flight on the 24th.  so, we stood in line for two hours and get to leave tomorrow night to go to nyc, then six hours later, finally fly to boston.  not too bad...  about the best you get when you combine bad winter storm, oversold flights and a decreased number of flights in general...

and through it all, nora was an absolute angel!!!  we are now in our hotel room, which is monstrous in size, and just finished our room service.  i guess when you are going to get delayed, this isn't a bad way to do it!  nora can run, climb the stairs (yes, i did say stairs in our hotel room... i told you it was big!!), eat and david can watch football!  and nora is going to sleep in the upstairs bathroom!!  thanks dad!

so, by tuesday morning, we should be in boston...  david decided that all my traveling has paid off, because nora was such a doll all day...

one last cute story... nora has picked up on the fact that i cross my arms (or anyone).  she has started crossing her arms, especially when she sees someone else doing it!  it's so cute.  i will work on getting a picture!

four hours

so, nora's diaper rash is back... and it's miserable.  however, today, she took a FOUR HOUR nap!  four hours.... it was unreal.  now she is so much more cheerful.  her third of four molars is now coming in.  (i think it may all be related).  i had to write about it before i forgot!!!

secondly, i keep meaning to write.  i got some grief about writing about sadie's destructiveness on the blog.  let me also mention that at all other times, she is a fabulous dog.  i have also been learning (in my many discussions with trainers and other dog lovers) that there is a difference between obedience and behavioral training.  we have a behavioral problem.  so, now we have to work to fix something that only happens when we aren't around!  sadie just likes people and doesn't like to be alone!  (she'll fit in well with our social family!!)  we have seen some good improvement this week.  

all that to say, we don't want her known forever as the dog who tried to burn down our house!  rather, maybe just as the dog we love!!!

we had a brunch the other day with some friends...  what a blast!!  we almost have everyone looking at the camera!!  such good friends!  

then, i met another friend at picture people where we were both getting pictures done of our kids.  they got to play in the train afterwards, and ben loved to hug and kiss nora.  she was a little annoyed, but i think it was more tiredness than him...  she was kind of done!  



nora and everett were being so cuddly on the couch!  it was so cute.  everett loved having nora just play with his head!  one of his other friends tried to do the same thing with his head, and he only wanted nora to do it!  it was cute. 

nora loves these glasses!  she just laughs when she puts them on!  

we had fun getting all dressed up for church on sunday.  nora had the cutest tights on with her white sweater dress.  

alright... the last of our events this busy week!  then, packing and off to the winter weather!  

finally... baby james

keep meaning to upload these pictures...  they are SEVERAL weeks old!  all he wanted to do was wave (or push the ultrasound probe away).  what a sweet looking boy!  for all of you who are curious, we have another big ultrasound appointment after christmas.  that's when we will know anything further... and hopefully our last appointment with the specialists!  we shall see...  after that, i should have more information, and will hopefully have a chat with the pediatric orthopedic surgeons about their plans for casting, etc.  we'll see!  

all else is going well for us!  the house is still standing (and we have left sadie home a few times since then...).  she actually has been behaving pretty well this week.  we had been trying some new techniques recommended to us by a trainer...  we are seeing some improvement!  so, that's the story!  

we tried to get nora's pictures done today... she was a little less that cooperative!  but, they still turned out really cute!  she's just so fun to be around!  hugs, smiles, so much love.  she continues to not want to get up out of bed when i go in to get her in the morning.  the other day, i thought she was acting quite tired and needed a nap.  so, i put her in bed, and she just played for an hour!!  

i never realized how much i say certain phrases.  this morning, i was trying to get nora dressed, and grabbed her foot to put on a sock.  she looked at me and said "okay".  she says "okay" all the time now, because apparently i say it quite a bit...  and i hear it now!  what are you going to do?  at least it's something simple!!!  

post #3 for today!!!

when i forward things from my phone, i can't figure out how to get them all into one post... so today you get three!!!  nora found some leftover buckets (they were party favors at her birthday party) the other day.  she loves carrying them around and putting things into them.  her daddy taught her how to put it on her head... so she demonstrated for us on the way home from church.

some new things.  i drop something (or she does) and she says "oh noooooo".  she knows it's Jesus' birthday this month (but maybe not that it means anything yet!  we are working on that!!)  she knows exactly where i leave something (like cookies or snacks) and walks right over to them to get some more.  she now asks to color.  she knows a TON of animal sounds (i think we did a post about that once...)

i have been trying for awhile to get our christmas pictures done.  i knew what i wanted...  so, saturday seemed to be a good day.  david and i both had off and the time.  a friend was going to take them, and he was free.  so, i was determined.  i did, however, neglect to check the forecast.  they were predicting our "winter" storm.  (meaning rain and wind)  so, when we got up on saturday, we noticed it looked a little foreboding.  there were large clouds in the sky.  but, we are 20 minutes from the ocean, so the weather can be quite different there.  

we planned to take pics at 3pm... after a good nap for nora, and my christmas events were out of the way!  it rained quite a bit that morning, but the sky didn't look so bad around 2:30.  we got in the car and it started pouring!  but, i was hopeful.  so we drove to the beach.  it rained the whole way.  we were crossing the bridge to coronado island, when it was suddenly clear and not raining.  i decided to press on!  we got to the beach, and were waiting for our friend, when there was a two minute downpour!  i got to see the most beautiful rainbow!  then it rained again, for another few minutes.  

our friend arrived a few minutes later, and we had perfect (but windy) weather for our pictures.  here are some of nora playing afterwards....  

as an aside... today it is raining horribly and i even saw snow last night on the mountains!!!  it's finally winter here!!!  

a picture...

maybe a new career opportunity?  nora realized that she could take the sink out of her kitchen set the other day, so it sits on top.  i didn't want it to get broken...  but now, she has learned that she can put her head in through that hole!!  cute baby!

why we still have sadie...

so, yesterday, we had a FULL day!  there were too many things to do and not enough time.  we have recently started going to two services at church (instead of going to sunday school, coming home and putting nora down, then watching church online).  it's been nice.  but, yesterday, we also had a christmas concert at 2pm, then another christmas party.  we decided to get a baby-sitter for nora, but that still left us about 5 minutes at home to drop nora off, get lunch, turn around and get back to the concert.  so, after some discussion, we decided to leave after first service.  we stopped and picked up some food, and as we walked up to the house, i could hear the smoke detector going off.  i was pretty sure it was our house!  

we opened the door and were met with smoke!  great....  sadie had managed to knock something onto the stove, then proceed to turn the stove on!  thank goodness (thank God!) we came home when we did.  so, now our house smells a little like burnt popcorn!  

all that aside, i have to comment that the christmas tree was UNTOUCHED!!  as was nora's teddy bear sitting on the floor.  but, the stove...  don't ask me to explain!  we can't figure out a pattern!  i had just been thinking that sadie was doing so well, and maybe we were making improvement!

however, nora LOVES her dog.  maybe she can sense that we were less than happy with sadie, but all morning, she has been hugging and snuggling to her dog, unprompted!  it's so sweet.  she just wants to hug and hug.  

also, i don't ever have to sweep the floor when nora is done eating!  it's wonderful!!!  that being said, sadie is a WONDERFUL dog when we are home.  david has REALLY trained her well...  i know this sounds like an oxymoron, but she is so well behaved when we are around... and we are trying to rectify the problem of when we are gone!!!

sweet baby...

this is how i found her the other morning...  cute baby!

new table!!

playing with her new table and chairs... another christmas gift!  she loves climbing into the chairs.  and she is so good at it.  she will just sit in her chairs and read stories.  she also really can say "sadie" now!  it's so precious.  she gets up from her nap and says "hi sadie"!!!  

what a fun kid.  we enjoy our time together SO MUCH!  more later...

christmas party!!

at our bible study christmas party today...  nora is in this ADORABLE dress, and i really think she knows how cute she looks in it.  it's got a little bit of tuelle, so i think she feels like a princess!  it's so cute.

yesterday, david came home from work in his uniform, and she grabbed his cover and put it on!  what a sweet girl....  maybe fortelling???

 nora has been repeating everything i say recently.  it can be very cute.  it also makes me think of the song we used to sing as kids "oh be careful little mouth what you say".  thankfully the repeated comments have been fairly benign so far, so it just makes me careful about what i say!  

nora is just so much fun!  we are watching little einsteins right, and it apparantly is one she knows well, because she anticipates things that are going to happen.  it's about the three little pigs, so whenever a house gets blown down, she says "oh nooooo!!!"  that's what the video is about!  

last night, i carried on a presley family christmas tradition for the second time by myself (the first since getting married!!)  i made pepparkakker (a swedish cookie).  some of my favorite memories surround the making of this cookie.  it was so fun to make, and nora enjoys them!  i gave her one when she got up from her nap, and she walked right back there after she was done with it, asking for more please!  i made the cookies when she was in bed, but i plan to carry on the tradition with her as she gets older!  

do you ever have those days?

nora on the phone... it's sad that she runs to it when the phone rings!  another new development... david was watching monday night football the other day, and nora came into the family room and said "football" (or something that sounded very similar!!)  sad!  
nora got a new kitchen from mom-mom and pop-pop for christmas (she doesn't know that it's not christmas yet... don't tell her!  we gave her our gift in october!!)  so far, she doesn't have kitchen type toys, but she is content using it to store books and stuffed animals.  she will put one book in, close the door, open the door, put another book in, close the door, open the door and repeat!!  hours of fun!!

david had his christmas party the other night, so we got all dolled up!  quite fun.  


do you ever have those days when everything seems to flow JUST RIGHT?  today seemed to be one of those days.  except that nora woke up at 5:30 am!  i was not too happy.  but, david was getting up, so he brought nora in to snuggle with me.  she just laid there so happy while i tried to go back to sleep!  and get her to go back to sleep!  david got out of the shower and took nora with him while he got ready.  so, i got to sleep in a bit.  i fed nora breakfast, and she was getting sleepy.  so, i put her back in bed.  she protested for a minute, but really didn't cry.  i turned the monitor on and there she was, just talking to herself for about an hour!  i could hear her playing and reading a book.  but, i left her, because i had decided that i was going to tackle my housecleaning!  so, i cleaned the house...  i mean cleaned it!  and i hadn't done that in awhile!!!  (yesterday, nora also got up at 5:30am, so i napped when she did.  on monday, she was teething, and fell asleep in my arms after an hour of crying, so we both napped together...)

so, i cleaned.  the bathroom, the kitchen, the little silver things under the burners that had food caked and baked on them...  after nora played for about an hour, i heard nothing.  so, i assumed she fell asleep, which she needed!!!  i finally got myself breakfast and a friend was due to arrive for a walk and a visit.  

well, no sooner had she walked in then i had to run to the bathroom (yes, my newly cleaned bathroom) and throw up!  i took my vitamins just before eating, and unfortunately, i think that's what caused it (the only two times i have thrown up this pregnancy have been after vitamins...).  i forgot to take them in the middle of my meal instead of the beginning!!  the good news is that i felt better afterwards (which is why i know i am not sick) and we had a lovely walk and visit.  nora also is currently having a great afternoon nap!!!  

meanwhile, i am trying to use our brand new computer and transfer my pictures to the new macbook!  it's fabulous!  hopefully it will inspire me to blog some more!  there you go... that's our day.  and really seems to be working out well!  hope your day is going the same

breaking my heart

in my last post, i talked about nora's sweet way of praying and knowing that Jesus loves her was breaking my heart.  i was thinking today about the MANY ways that your heart breaks as a mom, but no one warns you about...

nora has had a bad diaper rash.  i think it's mostly because of teething.  (which is also something no one tells you about until you are a mom!!  teething is MISERABLE!!!)  but, the other night, she went to the nursery while i had Bible study.  they called me out, because nora wouldn't stop crying, couldn't walk or sit, or let anyone pick her up, because her bum hurt so bad!  i wasn't much consolation, because she was in so much pain, and i just wanted to hold her, which in some way meant touching her bottom to pick her up and carry her!  i was crying right along with her!!!  it is miserable to change her diaper when it's that bad, but i have to, or it gets worse!!  so, my heart just breaks as i make my daughter cry to do something that ultimately is for her good...

that got me thinking about God.  He loves us like a father to His children.  i can only imagine what my sometimes rebellious attitude does to Him.  or when He disciplines me, that it really does hurt Him as much as it does me.  it painted such a clear picture for me of my relationship with God!!!

david had duty on wednesday, which means he doesn't come home until the next afternoon.  when he got home, we were all excited to see him!!!  we played and read stories with nora.  she gave him big hugs and kisses.  then, i turned on some music, and she came over to dance with me.  she came to my legs, and stood there with her arms up and open!  so, i picked her up and we danced.  then, "i loved her first" came on (it's a country song about a father's love for his little girl).  david came over, took nora from my arms and danced with her.  again, my heart broke (but in a good way).  it also makes me fall even more madly in love with the man i married!!!

one of my other favorite things, that breaks my heart in a good way, is when i am busy doing something, and nora comes over and just hugs my legs.  i wouldn't trade that anything else in the world!!!  it is just the most precious thing in the world!!!

i mean... seriously!!

this video could break my heart!!! nora has been learning animal sounds. so, i will ask her, "what does a dog say"... then, my last question is "what does a mommy say?" (mommies say "i love you", and nora will say that to me... in her own language) recently, we have been asking her who else loves her. every time, she says the same thing... "Jesus"! she is so cute!!!

she also is very intent about praying. if i say pray, or thank-you, Jesus, or fold hands, in ANY context (even telling a story to someone else), she folds her hands and bows her head, waiting for me to pray! i am so thankful for these little habits!!


so, several times this week, i have gone in to get nora up from bed. i let her play for awhile, sometimes not going in until she is whining a bit. (the other morning, that was over an hour!!!) i go in, and she'll smile and dance around, but then when i reach for her, she shakes her head "no". i can leave the room and do whatever i need to, until she is "ready" to get up from bed! it's the funniest thing!!! she will even hand me her pacifier and just play and chat. it's SO STINKING CUTE!!!

UPDATE: so, we sat nora down to dinner, and david started feeding her as i cooked. they prayed, she ate. i came to sit down, and nora looked up at me, folded her hands, and bowed her head! everytime i got up to get something, or check something, then sat back down, she got ready to pray again!!! cute baby!!!

thanksgiving...

so, we went to ohio for thanksgiving. it was such a fun trip! first of all, it was nice to finally not be braving 95* weather... and trade it for 32* weather. we very much enjoyed our week, and nora even got to play in the snow. however, the 20 minutes it took to get her ready were so not worth it from her point of view!!! we spent five minutes outside, and she didn't really enjoy it. way too overdressed and she couldn't move! so, every time she fell, her face landed ended up in the snow, and she couldn't get up! and she kept falling off the sled! but, there is hope for another time!

nora is a joy to be around right now. she is so fun, and learning and saying new things all the time. she has learned many animal sounds. my two favorites are gorilla (making a noise and pounding chest), and sea lion (again, making the noise, but also clapping hands together!!!). it's so cute. i am going to try to get the video to load!

today, i had a doctor's appointment... just the weight, blood pressure and baby's heartbeat kind. but, nora had to come with me. as we walked from the parking garage to the building, we must have passed some 20-30 people. nora said hi and waved to EACH PERSON!! it was so cute. the same for the way back to the car. then, i was sitting at a stoplight, realizing the two 30-something men in the car next to me are waving. i hear nora in the back saying hi!!! what a friendly little girl!!

another new development... HUGS!! nora loves to give them. and they are tight! she will wrap her arms around your neck and just squeeze! it could melt my heart. i would give her just about anything for one of those hugs!!!

alright, more pics to come!!

another haile weekend

what you don't see here is that she was climbing with her cup in her mouth!

our sweet friend, moira!! nora enjoys playing with her, and moira thinks david is about the funniest thing in the world!

a break from playing... in 90* weather!

sweet girls....




cheese!!

two pictures of me pregnant... the first one is with nora, around the same time as this one!!! what fun!!!

this weekend, david and i had a date!! it was very nice. some friends volunteered to babysit (as practice for their impending child!!!), so we got to go see a movie! nora was an angel, and loves them. then, nora and i went to the park on saturday morning with some friends. nora had a great time. have i mentioned how she will pose and almost say "cheese" for pictures? she does. you can see that in some of these pictures! last week, david was off on tuesday and he took nora to the zoo while i had Bible study and lunch with a friend. they had a great time! nora thought she looked so cool in her sunglasses!!

her hair is getting long, and i am considering getting it cut. she loves her new chair, especially standing up in it. it is posing problems, however, because she stands in defiance to her parents! and you can tell she knows it is wrong and she is testing us!!!

so, the santa anas have kicked up again this weekend. for those of you who don't know, they are winds that come from the desert. they are usually the driving force in our wildfires. (and proving to cause problems throughout the state again this time.) last night, we had a gamenight at some friends house. they live about 20 minutes east, and a slightly higher elevation. i thought i might blow away from the winds! driving home, we saw tumbleweed blowing down the street. david and i just laughed. but, i don't ever remember the santa ana's being this bad. it's 94* today... and mid-november!!! our eyes are dry, and everyone (even me without allergies) have colds and stuffy noses. it's so dry and hot.

alright, that's my complaining. we go to colder weather for thanskgiving!!!

a nora chair!!!

i know it's a lot of video, but i keep forgetting to add them! so, here they are. the first one (in purple jammies) is of nora, maybe a month ago? she was showing off her new words. i forget that she can "talk", so i have to pay attention, because some of the "words" just sound like sounds she is making. but they are intentional! like, "alk (silent l)"... meaning she wants to walk on her own, not be carried. also used when she hears me talking about going on a walk. if you make it a slight "r" instead of silent l, you get "park" (also known as "ark). "sssss" (like a snake) can mean juice or shoes.

she has also picked up the sign for help. she gets frantic about it, because it usually is preceeded by the frantic sign for please, and when that isn't heeded, help comes next! at least her intentions are right.

tonight, we sat down for dinner, and nora folded her hands to wait for us to pray! what an angel!!! she picked up david's shoes off the floor the other day, and i said "are those daddy's shoes?". to which she replied "dada sssss". how fun!!!

she is a drama queen... probably aided by us, because it's so cute to see her yawn or sneeze! the second video includes these, as well as the new chair we finally bought her. (don't tell her, but it's her christmas present!!!) she loves to climb in and out of it! i think she just feels like a big girl. she also has happy feet. but, you have to watch the WHOLE video to see happy feet at the end! it's quite cute!!

she will hand me her pluggy in the mornings, because she knows that she can't have it out of bed. when i ask if she wants nummies (food), she runs to her high chair and waits to be put into it. when she wants up, she says "up". this is such a fun age, watching her learn new things all the time. she is quite repetitive of me... she will copy all done and other words! i am trying to be VERY careful what i say!!!

as for james... nothing new on that front, but i will keep everyone updated. we don't expect to learn anything new for the next two months or so. but, i do feel him move quite a bit! and i will try to get some more pictures on here soon!!! tonight, i was nesting and rearranging!! (david loves when i do this... i just remind him that it's cheaper than buying all new things, and the same effect is accomplished! a new living space!)

halloween... and other fun!

david reading a story to nora and everett... his sister, moira, came to join the kids on david's lap soon after this pic!!

jeffrey and nora felt like such big kids sitting on the couch together!! nora was all dressed up in her dalmation costume, and jeffrey was all festive in orange!!!

you can't tell, but my cake is in the shape of a pumpkin! it was SO good!!! and the beautiful leaves on the counter were hand crafted for us by alyssa!!! (way better than williams sonoma!!)

a family picture... you can just see the top of my belly!!!

so, this was thursday. nora didn't want to eat off of a spoon. and i didn't have the energy to fight with her! so, she ate her oatmeal with her fingers, and when she was done, this was her attempt to finish off the rest!! at least it was BEFORE i dressed her for the day!!

on tuesday, we found out that we are having a boy. we are going to name him james patrick haile. the doctors had some concerns on tuesday, so we went back on thursday for a bigger and better ultrasound with more specialized doctors. what we found out is this... james is still a boy!! (whew!!) he also has club feet and a shortened femur. otherwise, he is structurally and physically fine, as far as they can tell. this all means that there is a slightly higher risk of a chromosomal abnormality, but as david put it... "i would go to vegas with those odds!!!" the odds are still in our favor! either way, his heart, etc seem to be functioning just fine! and we are THRILLED about that. plus... many awesome people have had club feet!! troy aikman, kristi yamaguchi, mia hamm (although david doesn't really want his boy to be a figure skater!!)... and more who have emailed me about it! (but for their privacy, i will decline from commenting... but i think they are pretty awesome people who have done awesome things) all this makes us very confident that james patrick is in pretty good company.

david lobbied pretty hard for the name lebron james haile. james patrick seemed to be a good compromise. and, if james isn't going to start out being the best basketball player, david then decided that tiger woods haile might be a better name! either way, david is VERY excited to have a boy in the house!

it hit me on saturday. i was walking through babies r us, and i usually avoid the boy section all together. i had to walk through it to get to something, and realized... "i'm having a boy!!!" ha ha... no more pink!!

on a more serious note... it's been a fantastic week. david and i picked the name james because we LOVE that book of the Bible. i haven't gone through it recently, and stef called this morning to remind me of a verse in James... 1:2-4- "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance. Perserverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." that pretty much sums up our week. it was an incredible test on our faith, and God was faithful. He always is! david and i both felt a peace that passes all understanding, in the midst of not knowing what was wrong and what the doctors would find. we both really understood that God is GOOD, ALL THE TIME!! His goodness is not dependent on our circumstances. (and, we came to this conclusion before the appointment on thursday!!) it is amazing knowing that HE is in control and is forming this baby to be EXACTLY how He wants james to be! i think the genetics counselor thought we were in utter denial, because we were so calm and peaceful about it all!!

on the upside, i didn't think about the upcoming election at all!! and, it reaffirmed my faith that God is in control of that, too!! no matter WHO wins!!

seattle

nora and i took a trip last week to seattle. we met pop-pop, mom-mom and aunt byssa. i also got to have lunch with a college roommate and her new baby! it was such a fun trip, and awesome to be back in fall again! plus, we had gorgeous weather and saw mt. rainier with snow on top! nora was quite the trooper in her stroller all over the city and on the plane! what a good girl!!

new things... today, she said park and walk. it sounded more like "ah", but it was in reference to those two things, respectively. she is an absolute joy to be around. i loved looking at some of these pics, and seeing her little personality... especially the one where she is standing with her foot cocked! she does that quite a bit. she is a feminine little girl. she still loves to read, and i find her doing that most of the time! she nods in agreement or disagreement if you ask her a question, and most of the time, i really think she is responding to what i asked! it's so fun to watch!

if i ask to put her bracelet on, she hands me her wrist. she only gets her pluggy in bed (or when mom really needs her to behave in public!!!). so, when she gets up in the morning, she will hand us her pluggy. and, if you go in to get her and she hasn't had enough awake play time in her crib, she just looks at you and shakes her head!! bless her heart!! at least she knows what she likes!!!

today, we took sadie for a walk around the lake, and all of david's fabulous dog training has paid off! sadie was such a joy to walk!! david has been working with sadie most nights to train her, and i could see such a difference today!!! go husband...

however, the NUMBER ONE reason i love my dog... i came home the other day, and there was a lizard in my kitchen!!! my sweet dog helped me chase the lizard back outside where it belonged!!! thank goodness for dogs and brooms!!! sadie got the lizard to where i could swat it outside! whew... it was not fun for me!!