one more thing...

i forgot to tell you how independent nora is. she will just wander off to her room and play (i have it all baby-proofed, so i don't have to worry. i usually go in after a few minutes!). she can entertain herself for hours!

and our dog... she loves to curl up in this chair (the only piece of furniture she is allowed on). she now sleeps in it at night (and most of the day). i think she thinks she is a small dog. she loves to snuggle, and if we are playing with nora on the floor, she wants to be in on the action!

nora, on the other hand, loves to share food with sadie. whether it's throwing food on the floor to get sadie's attention and love, or walking around with a cracker in her hand, and letting sadie take some bites, all i can say is, at least nora shares!!

nicknames... and babysitters!

what a cute girl... just playing with my new camera!!













she has discovered her stuffed animals. she loves to just snuggle them. the other night, she wouldn't let go of one of the bears as she went to bed. it's cute to watch her love on them. she is also seeming to really understand what we are saying (except for "no"!!) if you tell her to go get her dolly/bear/duck/book, she will.

she is also getting REALLY good at signing! more, i think, as a credit to the dvd than my teaching! but, she will sign for a story, sleep (in case with the whining and rubbing of her eyes we missed it!), please, more and milk. it is so fun to watch! and, it really helps curb the whining!!!

we had her one year check-up this week! the doctor said she looked great! to refresh your memory, nora was in the 95% for height and weight when she was young. her weight is now 21'12", for the 50% and she is 27 3/4 in tall, for the 25%. she is probably not going to get that basketball or volleyball scholarship! but, here's hoping!!!

okay, so i think i have talked before about babysitters. last night, we had a 13 year-old come baby-sit nora. she did an awesome job! i was very impressed. but david and i got in the car and looked at each other and marveled at how parents trusted us with their kids around this age (i started around 10 years old baby-sitting for david, alyssa and neighborhood kids. david babysat for four kids at 14!!). what trusting parents. did they ever worry about our age the way we did? we got spoiled with our college-age aunt kels all summer!!!

and, i keep meaning to comment on nora's nicknames. we call her bean. nora jeanne bean, shortened to just bean. sometimes the bean. (... "how's the bean doing?") well, it has evolved over the 13 months of her life. here are some examples...

bean dip (which is problematic when at a mexican restaurant and the waiter is there. then, he brings you your bean dip and you comment how you never ordered bean dip! note to self... don't refer to bean as bean dip at restaurants anymore!!!)

coughy bean (coffee bean)- when she has a cough
jumping bean- when she is crazy and moving all around

sorry, that's a lot of reading for you to do! i'll try to be better about blogging!!! happy reading!

too cute...

two cute videos... one of nora just reading her book and talking away. i let her go into her room and don't always follow her right away, because her room is baby-proof. usually, i find her in her room, with all of her books around her. all the toys, and what she loves most is her books (a girl after her mom and dad's own heart!).

the second video is nora playing peek-a-boo- a newly acquired skill. it's so fun to watch! she is such a precious girl.

she is so much more interactive now. it's so fun to watch. she loves to play with her doggy and to tackle her dad. she can find her pluggy anywhere! she loves to eat and is getting really good at doing it herself. she blows kisses and waves. this morning, she saw her daddy still in bed, and about lept out of my arms to get to him. she ADORES her daddy. (he kinda likes her, too!!) she is so fun. we just love her!!!

speaking of our dog, she is fabulous with nora. nora doesn't totally understand the concept of gentle quite yet. but, sadie puts up with it very well. she will growl or pull away, but never is aggressive towards nora. if we are playing with nora, sadie wants to be in on the action. she, however, HATES when we leave. the first time we left, she broke a window. more recently, she had been scratching at the door so hard, her paw started bleeding. so, we got a crate. it makes it SO easy to leave. however, yesterday, sadie pulled apart the crate and got out! what a smart dog! oh well...

enjoy the videos!

another new addition...

so, some cute pics of nora and the fam... but mostly to tell you that nora is going to be a big sister! she is definitely excited, or not at all aware! anyway, we got to see the baby yesterday and all looks good... but it's still early! i am almost 8 weeks.

on the nora front, she is walking almost exclusively and learning more signs! it's so fun. and it really stops the whining! i make her stop and ask for what she wants. so far, it's working! she is so fun and so stinking cute! we just love her. david and i just sit and watch her play!! today, i asked if she wanted to watch a "bean show" (aka baby signs dvd), and she started flapping her arms so hard, i thought she might fly away! (her version of the please sign is to move her hands quickly in front of her body... so she was saying "PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!") so fun! that's all for now...

our world...

this video is a little long, but it's for all those who need more of nora in their lives. she LOVES to read this book... and it's so fun to watch her interact with it. she will do everything on command. at the end, she makes her excited face! it is so cute to watch. she does it for a few key words, doggy being one of them.

yesterday we went to the circus (thanks so much eric!!). we weren't really sure how nora would do, but she didn't stop moving for at least the first half hour. she was waving, clapping and doing her excited face! it was so fun to watch her! (there were lots of doggies in the beginning of the show!!) okay, everything about her is fun to watch!

she is motoring a lot more. she probably walks about 50 percent of the time. that's the second video... and, she has picked up a new sign. it's not one i really do for her, so i am not sure where she got it. i am assuming just from watching the video. but, she did it the other day and looked pleased when i handed her milk. so, it works! it's so fun to see the new stuff she is coming up with! what a fun girl.

modern technology... and ohio

a few older pics... on nora's birthday, she got to be a big girl and face forward in her carseat. she LOVES it! she loves when i reach my hand back and get her toes. she'll kick and kick, and if i stop, she whines for more! she is really so fun to play with!!

the other night, nora was having pasta for dinner. actually, more of it did make it IN to her belly than ON it! but, she loved the sauce as well (more evidence that she is her mother's daughter! as the hailes i know don't all love sauce!!!)


another cute pic of her birthday... we went swimming and she was a beauty as always!!! what a fun girl i have!!





and this pic is obviously not of nora, but her good friend kayden. he was playing with one of the party favors from nora's party... doesn't he look cute!!!

and lastly, this one is from ohio. can you see the bruise and knot on nora's head. she took a nosedive off of the patio table onto the brick. let's just say it was payback for my allowing one of my siblings to fall headfirst onto a cement garage floor! we're even! nora was a champ! i think she only cried because everyone else was all worked up! she got a big knot, but her pop-pop put ice on it. then, she got some good remedies that helped her head heal! she only had that bruise and knot for a day! we were all stunned!







and the video... this demonstrates the marvels of modern technology! we webcammed for about 45 minutes last night with my family. nora got to play pattycake and blow kisses. it's so fun to watch her recognize the fam as they come on screen. when they leave, she looks behind the computer for them! a dirty trick... but, it is nice with the family who is not close by (okay everyone!), that we can see some of them on a regular basis! (or when our computers cooperate!!) but nora had a great time, and they get to feel involved! ahh what modern technology has done for distance living!

birthday girl!!!

mom and her sweet baby!!!

nora gets ready to blow out her candle

too bad nora didn't enjoy the cake at all!! she is SO her mother's daughter!!

she did keep looking at it for a minute, like, "i'm supposed to eat this?" however, she was suprisingly clean afterwards... just her hands were a bit sticky!

nora and miss denise.... they were playing catch with ben (denise's son). denise was the first person to ever hold nora!! and i do mean first... she caught nora! and even if she hadn't, she is still a very special friend! she told me i was pregnant, she did every appointment for nora, saw her on ultrasound first, was with us when we found out nora was a girl, and then came RUNNING in for nora's delivery. she made it to the hospital with minutes to spare! (she had a dream that i was 8 cm, woke up, called the hospital and i was 8 cm. she dropped ben off with the babysitter, and came rushing in! she was still in her sandels and "street clothes" when nora was born!) okay, fun reminiscing! we loved nora's party. there was a superfun waterslide... even better than aruba!

a new addition!!!

we have added to our family. today, we adopted a girl named sadie. she is a 1 year old black lab and absolutely adorable!!! we are all in love with her! (i am sure you can imagine how in love nora is! she is a little unsure of nora, but couldn't be sweeter with her! she let's nora climb, tug and pull. and nora just can't get enough. she wakes up from her naps saying "gog? gog?", as in... "is my gog still here mom?" it's so sweet! although, i think nora is starting to feel a little bit of jealousy as she realizes that she is not the only one our world revolves around anymore! there are more kisses and love to go around!

also, nora is pushing herself up to stand all by herself and getting much more confident in walking. i will take some more video... and also continue to post pics of our trip! the video is of nora shaking! it's quite cute to watch her go!!! she will dance on command! and she loves to. today, sadie had a toy that starts to play a song. so, sadie was chewing on her toy, and it started playing music... then nora starting dancing along! what a cute pair!