Getting ready for Christmas

Speech

Nora came into our room this morning, nudged me and said, "Daddy, wake up, Grandpa made pancakes and bacon with syrup on it."

Every single word was perfectly clear. Every week her speech is improving by leaps and bounds. We just hope she doesn't pick up *every* word that Mommy and Daddy say :)

Science is FUN

We arrived safe and sound in Iowa yesterday. Nora is having a blast playing around with Grandpa and Grandma, and gosh it sure is nice to have electricity.

This afternoon we checked out the Imaginarium at the Grout Museum in Cedar Falls. It's the kind of place where school kids can go to learn about science. We had a really good time playing around with all of the exhibits and seeing Fluffy, the huge Burmese python. I think Nora's favorite was the gyroscope exhibit, which required her to stand on a platform and spin around and around and around. Despite being unable to walk in a straight line for several minutes afterwards, she pleaded with us to put her back on the spinner for another round.

Big Girl Bed

Nora's 'big girl' bed is being delivered tomorrow! We (Brian) have taken apart the crib and changing table to make room for the big switch. Nora has been sleeping in 'Grandpa's' room (the guest room) for the past week or so. She has been putting her foot up on the side of the crib and all around feeling trapped. I don't want to wait until she falls on her head to make the change!

Yesterday, after her nap, Nora came walking into the kitchen saying, "Hi Mommy!". She didn't have to scream for someone to come and get her which puts her in a terrible mood.

It was recommended that we leave the bed on the floor for the first couple of months until she gets used to the width of the bed. We got a half-size box spring so it won't be as high as a normal bed too. I can't wait to be able to crawl in next to her to read books before going to sleep!

Biting

Nora has been written up three times for biting in the last two days. Mommy and Daddy were not happy campers. Two of the instances were provoked, but one time she just bit out of no where.

The perception of the teachers in her room is that she is frustrated that the others in the room can't talk to her like she expects. She is not the oldest in the room, but her language skills are a bit higher than anyone else's'. She knows that when she speaks to most people they respond and she may not understand why her friends can't.

What ever the reason for the biting, I'm told it's normal. I don't really care if it is normal, it's my kid doing it and I want her to stop. Thankfully, she only has seven more days of daycare before we leave for our trip to the Midwest. Hopefully she'll forget about this attention seeking behavior during our three weeks away from school. We are looking forward to our trip immensely (especially Nana, Papa, Grandma, and Grandpa!)

Auntie Pea arrives for her holiday break on Tuesday. We are going to have a blast cooking and doing Auntie and Niece things. Nora is really into helping with the measuring and pouring during a recipe. That will make holiday baking even more fun.

Nora's painting project

Nora's painting project
Originally uploaded by binmke.