I'm not sure that this is a cold. Snot, fever, and a little runny poo might mean teeth. We'll see. She sure seems happy during the day for having a cold! The only thing that is different is that going to bed is difficult. I don't know, I've never done this before.

Nora is now eating pears, bananas, and applesauce. She sits in her highchair and I give her very small pieces of canned pears and bananas. She actually looks like she is chewing the food with some major gumming action. It is so much fun to see her growing up!

Nora's newest smile includes a protruding tongue.

Snot

Nora has a cold. Unbelievably, she doesn't seem to bothered by it. She makes the most painful coughing sound and immediately smiles or giggles. She is very resilient. You'd think that being sick would make her want to sleep a lot, but that isn't the case. I really thought she would sleep today because she went to sleep three and a half hours later than normal last night (10:30) and woke up at 5:00. Hopefully she'll go to sleep at 7 like normal tonight.

The worst part of her cold is that she gags when she coughs. That mean lots of puke. Projectile puke. She hasn't puked since this morning, thankfully. She went 5 feedings in a row where she puked. Not too much fun for any of us.

Hopefully the snot will be gone before we go to visit Grandma and Grandpa.

Nora's new sunglasses

Nora had a blast staying at Nana and Papa's house!

Posing for Daddy

A portrait for Mommy's birthday

New Surroundings

This week we have been staying at Nana and Papa's house because our wood floors are being replaced. Nora has enjoyed being around Nana and Papa and I would venture to say that they have enjoyed having her around too! Our stuff sure has taken over their house!

Nora continues to be on a nap strike. Yesterday day was a great nap day because she took a 1.5 hour nap in the afternoon. It seems that in the morning she prefers to take a nap while in the car. So....we've been taking quite a few trips to just about anywhere in the morning so Nora will have a little nap. Hopefully we'll be able to get in a decent afternoon nap today too.

Nora's new thing...she likes to have her hand in her mouth or in my hair while eating.

Daycare

It's official, Nora is signed up for daycare. We've decided to have her go to one that is just a couple of blocks away from our condo. It is called Guardian Angel Learning Center. The one in Waukesha is wonderful, but Brian isn't going to be working out there after November and a 30 minute drive is a bit much.

I like this place. It is run by the Catholic Church. I know, I know. The only real Catholic thing about it is that a nun named Sister Mary runs the whole thing. We visited for a little bit this morning and Nora loved being around the other kids. I'm excited to see her develop socially. The other good thing about this place is that they are very flexible. Five hours a day is considered full-time so if I don't have a lot of clients to see one day, I can pick her up early or drop her off late.

That's a relief!

My favorite picture of Nora yet!

No Naps

Nora is on a nap strike. Sleeping is simply not on her agenda. I'll keep you posted.

Daddy and Nora enjoying some time in Madison in front of the capitol building.

Posing for the camera

Mommy and Nora having fun

Such a happy girl!

On our way to Nora's 6 month check up...she obviously forgot that she is about to have 4 shots!

How big is Nora? SO BIG!

Nora is officially 6 months old and growing like a weed! She had her visit a couple of days ago and all the nurses and our pediatrician were very impressed with her growth. In the last month she has gained almost two pounds and is now up to 14 pounds 4 ounces. She also grew 2 inches in the last month and is a whopping 26 inches long. She's eating like a horse and the numbers prove it.

We got the ok from the doctor to start giving Nora Cheerios. She needs to start developing her pincher grasp and that is the most motivating way to do it. Of course! Food!

She is getting so close to sitting up on her own. The moment where she crashes is always when she gets so excited about grabbing something that she face-plants into the floor. She is also getting dangerously close to crawling.

Nap time continues to be a struggle. She lays down wide awake at night and is able to put herself to sleep, but doesn't seem willing to do the same thing for her morning and afternoon naps. Right now she is in her crib (wide awake) and I am sitting in the rocking chair just so she knows that I haven't deserted her. I try not to make any eye contact or talk to her during this time even if she is crying. The only thing that I will do is sing the Nora Song that helps to calm her down in most any situation. I am going to come to hate this song as the months go along. It is the same song that I have been singing to her since we brought her home. I made it up at some point and it has stuck. It sure helps when she is screaming in the back seat of the car.