Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

 

Second Night...Same as the First

Not only did Nora sleep through the night (although she didn't go to sleep until 10:30 because Cousin Renee is here from Zambia) last night, I did too! I didn't even wake up to pee! That is a first in MANY months.

Sleeping Update

As per some advice from Brian's Aunt Peggy, I tried something quite unconventional to help in aiding Nora's sleeping patterns. I'm sure Auntie Tracy knows what the Comfort Zone is, but for those of you that don't, I'll give you a quick overview. The Comfort Zone is a device that emits pheromones into the air that are supposed to help dogs and cats relax and not display behaviors such as peeing/pooping on the carpet, barking excessively, or having separation anxiety.

Obviously, Nora isn't having these problems, but Aunt Peggy inadvertently found out that these pheromones also improved her sleeping habits. I thought, what the heck, I'll try it out on Nora. I'm all over anything that doesn't involve giving her any drugs AND may have the possibility of getting her to sleep through the night.

I knew it worked when I woke up at 6:00 AM ASTONISHED to not find my little girl sleeping on the floor next to me! I ran into her room to see her fast asleep in her bed. I actually put her down in her Love Sac, but somehow she moved from one to the other in the night. That means she was awake, but not awake enough to realize that she was not right next to me and come into my room.

I know...quite strange, but we'll see if it works again tonight. If so, then it will be deemed not a fluke. I'll keep you posted.

Singer & Sleeper

Nora is into singing and dancing ALL the time! Tonight she was dancing around the kitchen making up her own song. Some of the lines she included were, "We don't bite our friends," "We don't say that word," and "Put me in the fridge because I'm food." We'll try to get it on video soon.

She's so creative when it comes to her imagination, but it often pushes her over the edge. Last night she had a wonderful night of sleep, but she still ended up on the floor of our bedroom. After a little advice from a colleague at work, I decided to give Nora two choices for when she wakes up in the middle of the night: she can stay in her bed and try to go back to sleep, or come sleep on the floor in our room right next to me. For the last month or so, she has been ending up on the floor of our room at about 2:00 AM. When she comes into our room, I've usually just come back from the bathroom or a short walk around the house to straighten out my pelvis. She tells me about something scary or someone that she has seen in her room. This is often accompanied with screaming and crying. What ever it is that she is imagining, she is truly unable to understand the difference between reality and make believe.

Last night, Nora came into our room at about 12:30, laid down on her designated blanket on the floor, and went right back to sleep. She didn't move until 6:30 and neither did I! It was the longest stretch of sleep I've had in a couple of months. We're hoping for more 6-8 hour stretches of sleep for the weekend.

Firewood anyone?

Another tree falls in our yard

We had another wind storm today. Not anywhere near as bad as the one we experienced last December, but bad enough to knock down another one of the neighbor's 100-foot pine trees into our yard. In fact, this one fell down in exactly the same spot as the last one. Miraculously, the only thing hit by the tree was the same section of fence Grandpa replaced for us last spring. The fence sustained a little damage, but can be repaired easily.

The highlight for me was chopping it up into tiny bits with a chainsaw. We are going to have plenty of firewood this winter!

Making Applesauce

 
Nora helped me puree the applesauce this afternoon. Believe it or not, apples are all over the place here!

WOW Mommy! I made applesauce!

 

The "S" word

As Nora's language skills develop, April and I find ourselves increasingly watchful of what we say when we are around her. We've become a lot more self-conscious lately because Nora is repeating everything she hears. She is even picking up lyrics to songs on the radio and singing them back to us in the car.

So far, she has managed to avoid repeating anything truly profane, but has picked up on other expressions. Lately, she's obsessed with pointing out our use of the word "stupid," which we have been trying to tell her is not a nice thing to say. It's amazing to see how many times in any given day she catches one of us saying it.

Take a Look at Nora

Here is a video that Nana and Papa took of Little Nora singing her heart out. She now also knows just about all the lyrics to the new Indigo Girls CD. She calls them the Magic Girls and asks to listen to Amy and Emily all the time!

http://the-tortoise-and-the-hare.blogspot.com/2007/10/you-are-my-sunshine.html

Taking care of the baby

Getting ready for baby brother

Tonight we visited the "Family Maternity Center" at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland, where Nora's little brother will be born. Walking through the hallways, I saw the relieved faces of new mothers and furrowed brows of nervous fathers holding their day-old infants. The anxious families in the lounge feigning interest in some inane TV sitcom, the gowns, the nurses' stations, the shrink-wrapped club sandwiches, all of it brought back memories of the nine long days we spent in the hospital when Nora was born. April and I are both hoping that our hospital stay this time will be much shorter and less dramatic.

In true Seattle fashion, fathers are encouraged to come equipped with sleeping bags. They say it's because they don't provide linens on the guest beds, but I'm sure it's really just an excuse for the dads to add some outdoor adventure flavor to their childbirth experience.

The big day is not far off. Nora has been helping us set up the little man's room. She has graciously agreed to share some of the toys and books that she has outgrown. She was even able to feel him kick tonight while April was reading her bedtime story. Nana and Papa gave her a doll for her birthday that she has been dutifully taking care of and putting to bed at night. Unlike Nora, the doll is able to consistently sleep through the night in her own bed.

Nora is also grappling with understanding family relationships. She thought it was pretty funny when we told her that Auntie Pea was mommy's sister, and Uncle Eric was daddy's brother. But when Nana and Papa came to visit, and she found out that Nana was daddy's mommy, things got a bit confusing.

3 year old stats

30 pounds
3 feet 1 inch
Not sleeping through the night
Going to the bathroom ALONE!
Can hold a full conversation...if you are able to follow her logic

Rarrrr!

 

Last Birthday Present

 
Brian and I gave Nora a Lion Suit for her birthday. She will wear it for Halloween, but is mainly for dress up purposes.

I can't resist!

 
Some of these pictures just turned out amazing and I can't leave any out!

Will she play the flute?

 

Sneaking a Photo

 
Nana and Papa had the pleasure of taking Nora to her ballet class yesterday. While there, Papa snuck a few photos through the window. Parents/adults are not allowed in the class. This is supposed to help foster independence and so the big people don't get in the way!

My New Dolly PEES!

 

Nora Loves Her New 'Pretties'

 

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

 

I love scissors!

 

Yummy

 

Look How Excited She Is!

 

The Birthday Cake