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.