16 Month Update

One thing I had not foreseen about having this beautiful new camera was the fact that my favorite subject might be too busy to be bothered by photos. This has definitely been the theme of the past few months. Not only has our bean been bopping around faster than we can understand, but she's just so darn excited about all the things that she's moving too fast for the lighting in our tiny house. This is why some of my favorite photos of her have been in our bedroom-- which is home to the best natural lighting. 

(our little ham)

Grandma and Grandpa Wisely also visited this month; Norah quickly showed them how much she loved to read!

Here are a few fun facts from this/last month:

Stats: She is off the charts in height as of her 15-month checkup, and 90th percentile for weight

Likes: Books, playing with all sorts of things (toy and non-toy-- magnets, the plastic utensil drawer, kitchen accessories), Super Why (show on Sprout), window clings, talking up a storm, Nana (she loves her Nana!) singing, the Daily Show introduction, copying sneezes (aaaaaah-dee!), ducks, remotes, letter blocks (she's getting quite good at pointing at the letters in her name and knowing what they are...nuts!)

Dislikes: Putting on puffy coats, sitting still (other than when reading)

Favorite Words: Owl, apple, meow--hi!! (whenever she sees a cat), dada, mom, NANA!!, nonononono, yup, yeaaah!!, aaaaah-dee

What I've learned this month: toddler girl hair, especially as long as Norah's, is incredibly difficult to manage. Pair long, curly-ish locks with learning how to use utensils, and you end up with long, silky curls coated in applesauce and turkey. The whale tail pony, adult-sized clips and bows are our friend at the moment. 

Is it possible that each month is my new favorite? I'm thinking so...

Getting a head start on Christmas

I am astounded at Norah's enthusiasm to meet Santa this year! She was a great trooper as we sorted through the mounds of fluff that is the toddler Christmas dress section, and cheerfully said 'hi' to all the people in the mall in her new pretty dress. +2 points for getting something in the holiday spirit well before we would have originally intended! (Holiday shopping is nearly halfway done... at this rate, I might be able to sit back and enjoy the holidays!)

Merry Christmas everyone! Oh, wait, it's not Thanksgiving yet?? Don't tell anyone... 

Halloween 2014

I feel like every blog post these days could start with, "if you want time to fly by, just have a child."

I feel like last Halloween was last month. Buying a little mouse costume, and reveling in the fact that it just looked so darn cozy. It was really a glorious improvement in kids costumes... a big bundle of fluff. So genius. This year wasn't so fluffy... and I was a bit nervous about it. Put a 15-month-old in a mountain of tulle and shiny polyester? Sounded like a meltdown. But the, "I am going to make her wear all the things I want before she decides she wants do be Dora the explorer every year until eternity" gene kicked in, and alas, we had a Snow White. And after fearing the meltdown all day, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that she loves flurrfy things as much as I do. She seemed to rather enjoy herself. Exhibit A:

Turns out, the hardest part of the night was getting her to sit still long enough to take a picture! We got to visit Nana and Great Grandma, and do many laps around the house. Totally worth the $14 we spent on the costume. (A wonderfully written piece on babies in Halloween costumes can be found here.)

We topped out at around 10 trick or treaters total (which left us with a mound of candy), and had some folks over for a quasi-scary movie and some tasty treats. A fantastically low-key and wonderful night.

Schilter Farms

I have lots of great memories from childhood about visiting pumpkin patches. Favorite parts? Having an excuse to play in the mud, trying hard not to trip on vines and searching for that elusive perfect pumpkin. Since then, however, pumpkin patches have changed tremendously-- seems like you aren't allowed to sell a pumpkin on a farm without a pumpkin cannon, admission, a corn maze and most of a carnival. Which is cool, I guess, but I really love that squishy 'small farm' feel. Enter Schilter Family Farms. Sand tables, a petting zoo, and a toddler haystack maze in a barn were some of the highlights. Yes, there was a large corn maze too, I guess-- but the whole thing didn't feel like a darn carnival.

Get off my lawn! /old person rant. I guess you turn 29 and start to get fussy ;)

All in all, we had a blast! Bryan had the day off, which meant we got to get there early, enjoy the sights, pet the animals, chase the roosters (highlight of the trip for Norah), and pick out some pretty epic pumpkins. Next year will be even neater for her; when she's able to actually play more. It rained a bit-- but cleared up just in time to choose our squash. Again, a great day, and a perfect day after my birthday! (The hubs bought me a 50mm lens for my Rebel, I'm reveling in how much I love what it does to photos! Wow!)

Norah: Toddler edition.

Wow. I find it a bit odd, that as soon as I stop posting updates, the milestones start flying by. Norah was apparently waiting until the pass of her first birthday to start doing what other babies do earlier-- which is totally fine by me! This also means that the past month and half have been full of adorableness, changes, and all sorts of fun! 

What baby doesn't love playing with kitchen crap? This, in fact, has covered nearly all aspects of play though-- out of all the fancy toys, the best things to play with are always non-toys. Which is nice, because we don't have to lug toys around everywhere as much-- a menu or scraps of paper will do just fine.

(Oh, look-- bowl!)

Another huge milestone has been crawling/cruising/walking all at the same time. Okay, so not walking quite yet... but we're pretty darn close. She is down to holding one finger as she runs around. (Which, if you ever need me, that's what I will be up to! Booking it around the house/yard with my fingertips held hostage. She would play outside all day if you'd let her! I hope this keeps up all throughout her childhood... I would love to have an outdoor baby!)

Football season is also upon us! And why yes, all three of us have Wilson jerseys.  What can I say, the man's good. Bryan is very excited that Norah is finally sporting the jersey too! 

It's also been fun having her interact with other babies. Olivia (Meghan and Chris's only) has been excellent company so far, and doesn't mind coming over and getting massively licked by Walter, or having to share toys with Norah. It's been going quite well so far, those two are actually pretty precious together. I am amazed at how quickly babies recognize their own and start a little pack of wonder.

I really couldn't have asked for more this summer. The weather has been fabulous; Norah has turned in to this toddler who repeats sounds, remembers and answers questions you ask her, knows how to 'talk' to us, and loves to dance and eat everything that comes her way. She is even learning to play fetch, which makes our other fur baby quite happy. Now if time could just slow down just a little bit... 

Norah's First Birthday

Last Wednesday was Norah's first birthday! We took the day off, and even though it was quite rainy outside, enjoyed ourselves. We woke up to a few presents (a water table and a wheely bug):

Ate all sorts of good food, got spoiled by grandma and grandpa, and went out for froyo. A fabulous day overall!

On Saturday we had our party with family. Everything worked out great! Norah decided to wake up early and take a long, perfectly-timed nap, which put her in great spirits for lots of cuddles, action, and general happiness. The weather was hot and beautiful, and we all got to enjoy some sunshine, great food, water activities and good times overall.

Not too many decorations-- just enough to show off a few photographs of her monthly photos, the tissue poms Aunt Patti made for her baby shower a year ago that we held on to, and the amazing cupcakes by Aunt Amy!

Great Grandma Bitterling and Grandpa Bitterling

Great Uncle Brian's natural sillyface

"I don't always act bashful... but when I do, it's around people I'm very comfortable with."

"Oh! What's that? Cake? For me?"

"Great! Cake! I've been hearing about this!"

"Yeah! This is a great idea!"

"Wait... what is this crap? Mom, is this that no-sugar banana cake you found on Pinterest? I'm not a fan."

Cousin Aidon rockin' the slip-n-slide

Cousin Maddie has defeated all the water sports.

Good times with Great Aunt Kathy

Loving this picture of Great Uncle John!

(Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Wisely, we are now a family that each owns a Wilson jersey :)

I've said it many times... but this year went by way too fast. Norah: you have been far too much fun these past twelve months. If this is any indications of what is to come of your life, the world has truly gained a sweet, wonderful human. You already have the capacity to brighten the days of the people around you, and melt our hearts on a daily basis. Stay young, little one-- life goes too fast!

Norah: Twelve Months

Gah-- can you believe it!? Where has the year gone? I will still be posting regularly-- photos and what not-- but I'm still incredibly thankful I have been able to keep this blog updated. It's amazing the things you think you will remember-- when in fact, time really does fly. Fast. And the small subtleties slip away before you even realize it... no fair, I tell you. No fair at all. But alas, the first birthday is actually here!! Bryan and I took the day off work to spend some time with our sweet gal. The rain dampened some of our plans of going to the beach and having a picnic-- so we ended up eating all sorts of tasty things, and walking around the mall and touching all the clothes-- it's no beach, but in Washington you make do. Today she also got to see grandma and grandpa-- who brought her over a sweet bike/stroller combo ride, which we are excited to try out. We ended the night with a bit of frozen yogurt (euro tart is scrumptious, Norah loves it). It was a great day!

She has had so many people reach out to us to wish her a happy birthday and to spoil her with all sorts of sweet things-- she is such a lucky girl to have so many loving people in her life! We are having a small get together at our house this Saturday with family only-- (If 30 people in an 1,100square foot house is considered small-- ha! But so neat to have all of our family so nearby!) so the party will continue on throughout the week. Photos to follow, of course!

And without further ado, here is the last monthly update!

Size: Our one-year checkup is on Monday. Should know then! (I always write these after she falls asleep, and that's pretty much the moment I realize I haven't weighed her... ha!) 

Sleep: Shall I say normal? She wakes up once still at around 5:30-6:30-- has a bottle, then tucks back in until we wake her up (about 7am on weekdays, or until she wakes herself up on weekends, usually 7:30-8). Going to sleep has been much more adorable-- books, cuddles, perhaps a bottle, and hugs/neck cuddles. I love that she has moved from 'yeah, you'll do for sleeping on' to 'you're my mom/dad, I am going to purposefully hug and cuddle you'. Makes me tear up, it's so adorable sometimes.



Social: She is for sure acting like a little lady. She understands far too much more than even I realize-- which is terrifying and amazing at the same time. My new favorite this week? She will screech at the top of her lungs-- then you can tell her very calmly, 'inside voice'-- then she will do a very quiet, polite screech that is quieter than the voice you used-- hard to describe, but is flippin' adorable. Other than that, we are dancing with all the people, still waving at strangers, and oddly enough-- has developed a fear of men with beards. Who knew?

Diet: If I could write my boobs a thank you card, I would. All this month was basically asking too much of them out of proving a point only-- but it was one I'm glad I tried to prove. To myself, at least. These last few weeks, Norah only nursed a few times-- but I continued pumping anyways. I had a goal of breastfeeding for 12 months; and even though I had to supplement, I got there. I would consider it a 'limp across the finish line', but I am one of those weirdos that has to do things just because they make sense in my brain. So good job boobies-- good job. (In other notes, I truly wasn't prepared for this. Thought I would be. Being rejected/completely done with breastfeeding, that it. As of today, I am no longer pumping-- one ounce a day wasn't doing anyone any good-- but it does a number on your emotions, I'll tell you. You lose a bond you have with your child... I keep reminding myself that I am lucky to have done it as long as I did; especially with a full time job... but its still hard. Weird how you end up blaming your boobs for your kid growing up too fast.)



Clothes: No one believes us when we tell them she is in 2-3T... but alas, this is the case. No one told her though, that after 12 month clothes they expect you to get all tall and gangly because of running around-- we're working on that :)

Teeth: Top two just broke through! We're about to get a full on bunny-toothed smile.

Likes: BOOKS, Wah-Wah (the rocking horse my sister and brother-in-law got her for her birthday), streamers, finger food, dancing, pretending to bite dad's tummy, walking with you holding on to her arms, being hung upside down by the feet, and general tickle battles. Life is good. 

Milestones: We can pinpoint a fuzz from a mile away-- and have it in her mouth before anyone is the wiser. She can also walk about if you hold her arms-- and she trucks! I was worried her first 'steps' would be hops-- she loves scooting around in her walker, two feet at a time-- but she has converted nearly all of those to steps, and will walk around as long as you will let her. If I had to guess, I would say walking is still a few months out-- but that's okay by me. If this year has been any indication; I am never going to look forward to the next step-- I'm going to soak in every minute of the present. It really is gone before you know it.