Baby loves Disco!!!

Baby loves disco!! So, Nora and I went to this club downtown that opens up every so often for kids and their parents. It is totally geared for kids... food (oreos, munchies), play areas... and there is a DJ, with a bubble machine and dancing. They have changing stations and massage chairs for the parents. It's so cool. So, I took my little diva!

That night, we went to the Parade of Lights in the bay... it was COLD (all of about 45*F!!), so we got all bundled up! Nora looked so stinking cute! David kept calling her Nanuk Nora!!




This last pic is just Dad and Nora all snuggled up together!

Okay, story for the week. So, I was driving to pick up a dress at the mall they had on hold for me. David's Christmas party is tonight, and I needed a dress! So, all is good and my car starts making a funny noise. I think... I should get that checked out today, maybe on the way home. I keep driving, it's only intermittently making a funny noise.

I pull into the parking garage and was trying to get a spot right near the walkway into the mall (then I wouldn't have to deal with the elevators or forget where I parked!). I was close, and the car started making a horrible noise. People were turning to look at me! I was almost to a spot when a horrible clanking noise started! So, I parked.

I called David. He was just about to start a round of golf with everyone from work. So, I figured, I can get lunch and enjoy a day at the mall. I told him to come get me afterwards. I called our mechanic, and he thought the car would be driveable. I didn't want to be stuck on the side of the road with the baby, so I waited anyway for David to come and we drove together (I followed in his car!) But, I mentioned this to a friend, and she told me there is a guy on the loose in San Diego who has made two attacks recently on women broken down on the side of the road... he tried to kidnap one and assaulted another! So, I was quite thankful to be at the mall... I mean, if you are forced to be somewhere for several hours, where better to be??? PS... Nordstrom is awesome! The idea of a women's lounge, where you don't feel like you HAVE to buy something in order to just sit! It was great....

Alright... that's all for now! Love to you all...

a new life

nora fell asleep int he car talking to her froggy! the next picture is the bean burrito that daddy made!

i promise, when i took this video, i was stopped at a light! no traffic laws were violated! she just loves to talk! okay, so i went to a party with friends from work the other night. they kept asking, "what's new with you?". i told them what we did, how fun it was to be a mom and stay home with my baby. but, i didn't want to be the person who bored everyone with stories about their baby that only they care about! but they would still ask... "what's new with you?" again. i can't put into words how fun it is to stay home every day with my daughter. we have a great time together. she snuggles into her sling and we go shopping. we go out to lunch with friends. we go to jazzersize. we just laugh and play. i wouldn't trade this time for all the world! i just didn't know what else to say to them. it was weird to be in that place. and to not fit in well with that group. i fit in with the group that talks about what diapers are best, what homeopathic remedies work the best for different ailments, what the new best recipes are, why we don't cook or buy things with partially hydrogenated oils or high fructose corn syrup... we talk about babies sleep patterns and our budgets! we make lunch instead of go out, cause it fits the budget better... i like my life! i love talking about all those things. i love watching nora's face when she wakes up! she just smiles... like "thanks for still being here!"

nora's lament

look at her holding her bottle!! isn't she cute! we had a fun weekend and navy won for the sixth year straight!

okay, so nora has started this new thing as she goes to bed. she will talk and talk, but she is really asleep. check out her eyes at the end of the video. she is asleep, but just talking and talking. she is so cute! it's so funny just to listen to her talk. she will do it in the middle of the night after her feeding, as well. she eventually just goes to sleep! it's so funny.

nora was a great traveler, watching her baby einstein video and sleeping! we had a great time in ohio, seeing everyone, having dance competitions, playing wii, guitar hero and football! (i would have put on the video of david playing guitar hero, but i don't want to get sued... he is hilarious... think white mans overbite and serious concentration with no dance skills! it's so cute...)

nora had her first black friday, and we braved about six inches of snow to go! thankfully, there was no one at the mall. but we had a fun girls day! we can't wait for christmas!!!

15 pounds, 5 ounces!!!

another fun week in the life of nora! we had her four month appointment this week (a little early... we are going to ohio tomorrow!!!) the doctor said nora was perfect... duh! and, her belly button is totally healed! yeah! it looks normal now.

the other night, we let nora cry herself to sleep for the first time. actually, david started it when i was gone. smart man. that first time, she cried for 15 minutes, and she is averaging 10 minutes or less now. we didn't enforce it yesterday, cause we are all sick, but she seems to be doing well. and, we are all feeling better.

i now know what all those moms mean when they talk about how hard it is. i had tears in my eyes the first time i heard her crying for that long. and i was sick to my stomach. i hate hearing my baby so upset. but, i know what i am doing is good. and, david is strong! (he said he was very proud of how i handled it all) tonight, she was SO TIRED! she was fussy, but NOTHING helped... not feeding her, not rocking her. sometimes, when she is like that, all she wants is her bed. she loves to get in bed and sleep... but not tonight. so, she cried herself to sleep. it was almost easy this time, because i knew that was what she wanted, and i wasn't able to comfort her by rocking...

well, we go to ohio tomorrow... we can't wait! we'll have lots more to show when we get back!

okay, so we were at jazzercize the other day, and this woman started breastfeeding her daughter as she was doing sit-ups! i was just proud of myself for bringing my daughter to jazzercize! seriously... sit-ups and breastfeeding?!?!

monday was veteran's day... kinda weird that i am now a veteran! we went out to lunch with denise and ben! the cute boy who's profile you can see is ben. denise was the first person EVER to see nora! and such a great friend and midwife for the last year...

the first picture is the reason that i love living in san diego! enough said.

the other day, i was carrying nora upstairs to change her diaper, and i had one of those moments... i looked at her and realized that i have a baby. a daughter. a kid. i mean, i know that i have a little girl. i love her more than i could have ever imagined loving anyone! and yet, sometimes i a struck with the realization that i am a grown-up, totally responsible for someone else! it's quite a thought.

nora is grasping at things and pulling her pluggy out of her mouth! it's so cute. we have her FOUR month check-up this week! i'll let you know how much she weighs after that. then, we are getting ready to go home for thanksgiving! we can't wait!!! and, no one at home can wait either! she has changed so much.....

a weekend of fun!

nora now intentionally puts her first finger or thumb in her mouth! the thumb is so cute, cause she then pokes herself in both eyes with her first and second fingers! then she looks at you, like "why did my eyes get poked?". what a cute girl! we had a fabulous weekend with nora's great-grandpa! what fun!!!

yesterday, the seahawks and the browns played. i thought david might leave me if i put nora in the seahawks jersey for the game, so she wore neither! we will have to alternate sundays, since they won't play again this year! but she looks so cute in the little seahawks jersey!

today was back to our normal routine... jazzercize in the morning and naps at home! nora did well with the time change. she's been sleeping 11 HOURS straight for the last three nights! i am so proud of my little girl!

what a week!!

nora has a cute little jack-o-lantern sleeper from her aunt stef. it has a matching hat and bib. she wore that for halloween, and everyone thought she looked SO cute!

we met some good friends for dinner. they were in from out of town. we went down to seaport village and ate outside! (coming from ohio, where it sometimes snows on halloween, that was fun!)

as we were getting ready to leave, nora was just waking up from her nap. i went in to get her, and much to my SUPRISE, she was on her BACK!!!! she had rolled over all on her own! she hasn't done it again, but she keeps trying! i am so proud of my little girl!

yesterday, nora's great-grandpa haile came to visit! we only visited for a few minutes (it was way past his and nora's bedtime when he landed), but we look forward to spending the weekend with him!!

one last random thought. i have noticed this week that when nora gets tired, she rubs her eyes. why is it that no one has to teach you to rub your eyes when you are tired? it's so cute to watch her just rub and be all sleepy (it's usually accompanied by severe cuddlieness as she tries to sleep). last night, however, after picking up grandpa, david and i had bible study. i assumed that nora would just fall asleep in our arms, and be done! she took a little cat nap, and cried a bit cause she was tired (all of my friends were so suprised, because they have never heard my little girl cry!!). we got home, so i decided to feed her once more, hoping that a feeding at 10:30 pm would induce a LONG night of sleep for all three of us! nope! my little girl was WIDE awake and very much not wanting to sleep. she did go to sleep well, but as she woke up twice last night, she got stuffier and stuffier. alas, another cold. and not a great night of sleep for anyone (except maybe david!).

well, have a good day! we love you all...

love you forever

happy halloween!!

david and nora were reading together the other night... i thought this was so precious! for anyone who has read "Love You Forever", did you make up a song, too? i did when the kids were little, and david had his own version! it was funny to hear a different version...

the fires are well contained and not a threat anymore. they say the air quality is getting better. we are outside more now. nora is growing and so much more involved with us now! it's so much fun. i think she is trying to roll over. all in good time!

thursday

i love hanging out with everyone here!! my mom-mom braved the fires to come and visit. and i get to read books with my daddy!! mommy and i hang out every day... nora

so, the fires are getting more contained. my mom said the news makes it sound worse for you all than our news does. (don't misunderstand that... it's been devestating for many people!!) the fires are 10-50% contained (there are 4 major fires out here), and none are threatening to us anymore.

mom and i went walking in a mall today, just to get out (every child in the southern california area was at this, the only indoor mall around!), and we saw quite a few firefighters. i wanted to run up and hug them. there were little kids getting their autographs and just talking to them. it was so sweet! (we said thanks to them, too)

nora gets bigger every day. in the last few days, she has been intentional about grabbing at things. that's been really fun to watch. she still goes with me to the gym and she just sits and talks to her frog or sleeps! so many people tell me that their baby NEVER would have done that!

that's all for now... will write more soon! thanks for all the calls about our safety!

fire update

okay... nothing really new. the closest fire (the one in the pics) is not doing a whole lot. they say there are about 1500 homes in danger of it tonight, but we don't seem to be one of them. today, that fire only spread 2000 acres (it's now a 72000 acre fire) and NO homes were lost from THAT fire today. there is the other fire north and east of us, but we seem to be far enough away.

i can't even see as far as the flames or clouds from the pictures i last put up. it's definitely hazy and smoky here. we have our air recirculating in our house, and i can't smell smoke. david said he could smell it a little when he took the trash out.

so, that's the update. i will try to write more as things change. it is definitely devastating to the north and east... so far, friends and their homes are all safe.

this morning

alright... here's the latest... the fire we can see from our roof is somewhere less than 10 miles away. it seems to be "sitting on itself"- per the news people. here's the view this morning. that's all smoke and ash you can see in the air.

over 300,000 people have evacuated. we haven't, and should have ample warning if we have to. the closest area has quite a ways to go before it really gets to us. the other areas are all at least 25 minutes away on the highways.

a lot of people are asking... i think only 2 people have died- one from a retirement community as it evacuated, not due to actual burning. over 1000 homes and businesses have burned.

david and i have talked about what we would take and we have a plan. we aren't going to be stupid, but right now, there is no need to go anywhere yet.

san diego fires

okay, so they are asking us not to use our cell phones, so as long as i have access, i will try to keep this updated about us!

i woke up at 3:30 to feed nora. after i put her back into bed, my throat hurt (because of all the smoke), so i got a drink. then, i took a peek outside, just to see what i could see. much to my suprise, i could see flames!!! there is a new fire coming over mount miguel... there is a retirement community there where i have friends... so far, we are safe! this is the view from our bedroom... and then a few of nora for good measure! since i can't sleep (i went to bed at 9pm!- and now am too wide awake to sleep), i figured i could at least keep you entertained!

david is asleep, and not too worried at this point. i am taking my lead from him! and i'll keep you updated.

we are okay...

no picture today, cause i don't have time at the moment. i am trying to get a bunch of stuff done while nora is sleeping!! and... it's a busy day. but, if you have heard about the fires... we are okay and safe at the moment. i can hear planes flying above (i am guessing some are being routed to where the air is a little more clear), and i see our firetrucks leaving to go help others.

the fires are not anywhere close to us, relatively, at the moment. the closest one is about a 20 minute drive. i feel fairly safe at the moment. but, it makes you think... what would i take if i HAD to leave. i had friends struggle with that this morning. one of my friends had to take her new baby and evacuate. pray for them.

i'll update more later!

go tribe

so... let's be honest... she is her father's daughter! the shirt says it all!! nora and daddy are watching the game together tonight while mommy goes to play keeno with her girls! i made nora a shirt today, so she could be in the spirit!

GO TRIBE!!

going crazy!!!

so, i have some awesome hair ribbons... my dad thinks they're weird!! but, mom says i look cute....

so, seriously... i find myself having conversations with myself through the baby. i talk to her, and i say back what she says... david and i do it to each other, too. if anyone else saw me, they would think i am crazy!

we've had a good week. did i mention last time that i had taken nora shopping with me? i was just looking for one or two things, but stopped in nordstrom to change and feed her (they have a great women's lounge with comfy couches and all). when i was done, we browsed a little bit, but nora cried the whole way through nordstrom. i started to wonder whos daughter she really was... (okay, she takes after more of david right now in that department!)

today, we tried to play with the nice other baby in bible study, but nora cried. she also doesn't take after her mother in the social department!! we'll work on that. enjoy more video... and the pics!

the zoo... and other adventures!!!

at the zoo... nora was having a GREAT time! i think she opened her eyes for about ten minutes all day... mommy, nora and the hippo... the hippo is the one in the glass! just kidding. we were having fun!

here is more video. if you get bored, just stop it! i put a lot of her not doing much on there for the grandmas and aunts. but, i am not offended if you don't watch it all.

i am sitting here watching baby signs, so i can eventually start teaching them to nora. it's kinda fun! the moms on the dvd are kinda cheesy! oh well. my favorite is play. it's the hang-ten sign. makes sense!

today, we went to bible study, and there are several other babies around nora's age in the group. last week, a few of the babies laid on the floor and talked to each other all class. nora slept. this week, she was awake for a bit, and since she loves looking at her babydoll and froggy, i laid her next to one of the babies to talk to. she was not having any of it. she turned her head away and laid there by herself until she was hungry a few mintues later. she looked at me like "mom, why are you making me talk to this other baby?" oh well... maybe next week.

last thing... my new favorite. i would take a picture, but blogspot won't let me put obscene things on the blog and this might qualify. nora's new favorite eating habit is smiling and laughing as she tries to eat. it's so funny to watch, because she just wants to talk, but she wants to eat as well. she's not sure what to do more! (can you see why i can't take a video??) she has discovered that there are other things going on when she is eating, and she might be missing something.

one more favorite! sleep.... last night, nora slept for 11 hours straight! she has been sleeping for about 12 hours total, waking up only once to eat. but last night, we slept through the whole night! and, she woke up happy, not starving! it's so nice, but my baby is growing up... as much as i love sleep, i am not sure i am ready for that! okay, this is a long post. i will write more often so as not to go on so long... enjoy!

nora talking

nora loves to talk to this frog... she stares at it all during jazzercize, or when mom is cleaning or making dinner!

she is also in her bumbo for the first time. she really seems to enjoy sitting up! she is so cute (i could be a little biased).

the last one is nora cheering for the indians with daddy. as you can imagine, we are having fun watching the indians! she likes to have a matching hat with daddy. and it looks so cute on her (again, not biased).

today, we went to octoberfest in downtown la mesa. she is such a good baby. i made a comment about how much she is sleeping (11 hours total, waking up once after 8 hours to eat), and they commented on how peaceful she was in her stroller... everyone is quite jealous. she's such a good girl! we are quite thankful. and, i LOVE having more sleep at night! she really only cries when hungry or tired... or when the indians make a bad play (i think she was just tired, but daddy thought differently). alright, back to the game...

waking up!!!

nora loves waking up from naptime! it's so fun to watch. so, now i am trying to let you all enjoy it, too! plus, i got her smiling! next time, i will try to do the video right side up... so just tilt your head for now! sorry about that. again, a new experience! but, have fun watching her and listening to david and me in the background! this might become a new obsession... i could put video on ALL the time (i know the grandmas would vote for that!) have fun and we'll see you soon!!!

EIGHT HOURS!!!

Last night, Nora slept for eight hours!!! She woke up long enough to eat, and slept for three more hours! It was such a nice night... the first picture is my trying to get her to smile and the second is her after a nap. Nora loves to smile and flirt as she wakes up from her naps. She hadn't quite gotten her eyes open yet, but she was happy to see mommy!

Today, we applied for her passport... can I tell you how hard it is to get someone to do passport photos on a baby? But, they turned out so awesome! I wanted to get a copy for me. But, you'll just have to get a look at her passport sometime soon.

Did I mention that at her doctors appointment on Friday, Nora weighed 12.5 pounds and was 22.5 inches? She is in the 90th percentile! What a good eater!!! Alright, that's all I have to add for today. Love to you all

two months old!!!

tomorrow is nora's real two month birthday, but we had her visit today. the doctor said she is perfect!! (we knew that already). i tried to get a pic of her smiling, but this was as close as i could get. she's a fun girl and we have a good time together.

visits to the doctor are always long, because we stop by the floor i used to work on and see everyone. they all also agreed that nora is perfect! i can't believe how quickly two months have gone. she is in her swing now, hiccupping and talking to the birds that fly around it (part of the swing, not another pest in our house).

no other big events this week... but i will keep you posted! we are going to visit daddy at work tonight and take him dinner (he has to be there all night), so i am signing off for now...

back in san diego

the indians have clinched it!!! we bought the hat for daddy.... plus, she just looks so cute! so, we are back home now and getting very settled. i have started going to jazzercize (yes, as in 1980's jazzercize- i'm not too proud to admit it) and we have a great time there. nora just sits and watches (or sleeps) while i dance around the room!! a bunch of girls from church all go and invited me to join this week. i figured it was time to get back on the work-out wagon. so, we are having fun. and, it's a good workout!

nora loves to talk and smile now! (except in babies r us today, buying diapers, when she screamed the whole time. i would have just left, but we only had 3 diapers left...) we tried to go to the pool the other day, but it was naptime, so not nora's favorite thing to do. she enjoyed getting her feet wet, but that was about it! well... that's all for now!

OH-io

We are in Ohio now... Daddy let us leave him for two weeks. I am not sure who misses who more. As you can see, we LOVE bathtime and our pluggy... not necessarily in that order. She is growing and changing all the time. I am trying to get a smile on camera. She's doing a lot more of that. She also enjoys talkin to us as well. She has a lot to say for such a little girl!

We have had a great time visiting everyone in Ohio. And the weather has actually been pretty nice. Nora isn't quite sure what to do with all the green... grass and trees! We even had some rain. We head back to SD this weekend. Looking forward to seeing Daddy again! And, he can't wait to see how much she has grown and changed.

Nora is sleeping longer at night now. It's very nice for me! She usually sleeps around 4 or 5 hours each night. She eats, then goes back to sleep for another 3 hours. I actually feel quite rested.

She has an umbilical hernia now, which makes her belly button look a little funny! It should heal itself in the next few years and hopefully not cause any problems. I am praying it will just heal itself soon!

As you can see, we are loving bathtime. Actually, Nora loves most times of day. She is an angel.... alright... it should be time to eat now. More to come.