What is this? Grass?

Nora's first popsicle

Enjoying Uncle Drew's wedding

Auntie Pea with Nora and Cousin Cooper at Yosemite.

We had a wonderful time camping this weekend. As you can tell, it was quite hot.

Nora got to enjoy her first 'tub' bath. Of course, splashing was still on the menu.

We've almost got her trained to wash herself ;-)

Rosco, Jay and Jessica's dog(g), was Nora's favorite part of the trip. Dogs always seem to fare just as well as people in Nora's book. Rosco was the recipient of many waves this weekend.

Nora's favorite things to do now is wave at people: family members, friends, and strangers alike!

New Favs

Nora is totally in love with blueberries. They have made for some very interesting poo colors! Grapes and mac and cheese are also her list of favorites as of right now.

Who knew that our floor could get so dirty in 12 hours. I've been dusting and washing the floors constantly since Nora's new found freedom. It's no fun to pick her up and find a dust cloth on the front of her shirt! Yuck!

I'm still recovering from a mishap with the Vslicer I had on Saturday afternoon. I cut a major chunk out of my right thumb and have been slowly healing. No stitches because the wound is wide and deep. Nothing could be done. Nora has been coping well to my temporary handicap.

Soaked hikers heading to the falls

Nora helped us with navigation

Crawling!

Here is Nora's new pastime...crawling "commando-style" through the jungle of our apartment. Her favorite place so far is under the table. She uses it as her own little obstacle course, weaving between the legs of the chairs. Sydney has been a bit disturbed by this new development as Nora is now starting to chase after her!

Goin' back to Cali

We just returned from a week-long trip through California for the Johnson family reunion and Uncle Drew's wedding. Nora didn't have any problems with flying or riding around in the RV. She got to meet a lot of her cousins and relatives last week...and really turned some heads at the "In and Out Burger" in Auburn, CA. Her crazy two-handed wave and smile were difficult for the folks to resist!

So many things happened on this trip. We got to hang out in the Sierra Nevadas for the family reunion, taking side trips out to Nevada City, the Yuba River, lunch with Mark Twain, and a ride on a catamaran on Lake Tahoe. Then we headed south to Yosemite National Park, where we attended Uncle Drew's wedding and spent a couple of days exploring the park on foot and with the RV. The scenery was spectacular everywhere we went.

Below are some highlights from the trip...the wedding, the hikes in Yosemite, riding around in the RV, and hanging out with the family. Special thanks go out to Grandpa for driving us all over California, Uncle Gene for sharing his beautiful spot in the mountains with us, and Auntie Pea for running interference for April and I. Nora was always in good hands.

Look Auntie Pea, I can munch on my toes!

Nora conked out from a long hike

Nora and Daddy in a self-portrait...both of us are soaked!

On the way up to Vernal Falls...we were caught in the mist

Hiking up to Vernal Falls

One of the numerous beautiful falls we were able to see in Yosemite.

We learned that Nora loves pickles on this trip!

The family enjoying dinner by the RV

The meadow in front of El Capitan.

Nora so badl wanted to grab the flower that was in Leah's hair during this picture!

Our family at Bridal Veil Fall where Uncle Drew got married on July 3rd,

Posing with Auntie Pea before Uncle Drew's wedding started.

Nora had a difficult time staying focused at Drew and Leah's wedding ... HEE HEE!

Nora got to play with her third cousin, Gavin for the first time at the reception of Uncle Drew's wedding.

Nora really enjoyed riding in the RV we rented with Grandpa, Grandma, and Auntie Pea for the week in California.

Cuddling on Lake Tahoe with the Johnson family.

Daddy and Nora enjoying a sailboat ride on Lake Tahoe.

Nora's newest face. The wrinkled nose is hard to resist!

This what a play group with eight babies looks like! I'm not going to say anything more ;-)

Nora's new friend Charlie (on the right) was still hungry after his lunch. Ella was also hungry but couldn't find anyone's shirt to munch on.

Nora was enjoying her new friend Sam's finger at our first play date.

"Ethan, what are you doing to that toy? I thought your daddy said to stop doing that!"

Look at those lines!

The just waking up face

HOT

Nora almost melted tonight at Jazz in the Park. Her clothes stayed on for about 5 minutes after we arrived. It was 95 degrees without a breeze. I don't know how she stayed in such a good mood for the whole night.

We took our first shower together right when we got home. All that sun block made everything stick to her skin (ok, maybe it was the sweat too!). It's hard to wash a slippery baby while naked and standing up! It is definately a two person job. I handed her off to Brian to dry and dress her so I could make the water nice and cold.

It is supposed to be even hotter tomorrow. I know you AZ people may not sympathize, but 90% humidity and 95 degrees is extremely uncomfortable and I don't know how you can live there. Hopefully it won't be that hot in Nevada City!

"No! I want the kitty!" Sharing isn't something Nora has had to deal with yet. We'll see how it goes when she starts daycare in August!

Playing with Ethan and Logan. Ethan was quite confused by the strange baby pulling at his arms!

Sweet!

Nora made it to 6:30 this morning!!!

Good Morning

Nora has decided that she wants to wake up at 4:45 for the past few mornings. Not cool. This morning we let her cry for 45 minutes and she still didn't go back to sleep! What's up with this?

Hopefully it will have stopped before our group vacation in California! I don't think Grandpa, Grandma and Autie Pea would appreciate a screaming Nora at 4:45 am!

Remfrey family on Father's Day Eve

This is Nora's "La La" face.

What a great Father's Day weekend!

Scooting

Nora is beginning to scoot backwards. This seems to really tick her off especially if she is trying to move toward an object like the cat. Sydney (the kitty) seems quite happy that the baby isn't moving at her yet.

Today while I was making crab dip, Nora was on the floor in the kitchen with me getting utterly frustrated as she moved further and further away from me and Syd. Moving backward coupled with spinning in circles seems to be the way to get places right now. We'll see how this progresses.

Nora's legs continue to become looser. My paranoia is starting to subside much to Brian's relief. I think the crazy special ed mom was starting to scare him.

This is the position that we have been working on.

Nora's talking face

Nora loves to laugh

Nora's jowls

Banned in the UAE!

Unlike the wonderfully "uncensored" US of A, the UAE has rules that are a bit more strict. Our friends Fabrice and Anne are not able to access Nora's blog because the Emirati government has deemed it inappropriate for viewing by its citizens. HA!

"Dude, is that my bellybutton? I've never seen that thing before!"

Grocery Cart

Nora took her first ride "like a big girl" in the grocery cart today. She seemed to love it!

Improvements

Nora's vocabulary has increased to include bah, lah, and rah. We get to hear her voice all the time now. It is much lower than I predicted. Her screeching has been so high pitched that I assumed her voice would be high as well. Not so!

The PT exercises have also been helping. Nora can now sit up on her own for quite a long time. She still is not putting her arms out to break her fall to the side. I'm a bit confused by this and not sure why this reflex has not developed. The PT wasn't any help explaining that there weren't any exercises that we could do to work on that.

Weight

I forgot to say that I weighed Nora when we were at the PT: 15 lb. 14 oz.

PT

Nora's physical therapy appointment was wonderful. I was very impressed with the woman we worked with. Nora's abductors are very tight (the muscles that allow you to sit indian style and have your knees touch the floor). Lisa (the physical therapist) performed a test on her where you give points (0 to 2) based on certain things she could do. She came out on that test as being at a 4 month level. The reason for the lower score is because she only got partial credit on many of the things she is already doing. She really prefers to only turn in one direction. She is still able to do the movement the PT was looking for, just not in both directions and that is what lowered her score. She is obviously functioning much higher than that. You special ed teachers out there know that these numerical scored tests are never completely accurate.

The PT and I worked on a few different stretches and movements that will help stretch Nora's muscles. It was the PT's opinion that Nora may have potentially had some low tone as a newborn and she has over compensated by tightening or stiffening those muscles as she has grown up. After one hour of working with the PT, Nora was much looser and was able to sit up on her own for about one minute! I was amazed!

She told me to put two diapers on her at night so her legs would be forced to spread out in her sleep. She is also supposed to stay out of the exersaucer because that promotes the tight legs that we are trying to get rid of. You were right, Auntie Pea...just not for the right reason.

I have to take Nora in after two weeks of working with her on some of these exercises to have her evaluated again and determine the next course of action. I think this is going to make a big difference and she will be moving around in no time.

Major Hork

On the way to the PT appointment, Nora puked everything up that she had ingested since 6:00 am. All over herself as well as the new 'big girl' car seat. I had to call and reschedule the appointment for 11:00 this morning because she was swimming in her own puke. She was so happy to have it all over too! She played and stared at it the whole way home. Thank goodness the doctor's office is only 5 minutes away!

We made it home and I just took the whole car seat out and carried her up stairs. The puke was dripping on my feet all the way. Luckily, I was smart enough to get a car seat that you can take all the straps off (we'll see if they are as easy to get back on) and the cover is washable.

Nora was so worn out by the whole experience that she went down for a nap without a fight.

Nora and Cousin Benjamin had fun playing on the rug right before we left for Grandpa's retirement party.

Les Dents

Nora's second tooth has made it's arrival! It broke through the skin this morning and is catching up with its partner. Unfortunately, Nora still wants to suck on our fingers. This is becoming a bit painful and I'm not sure it will continue for very long! Her biting skills are also becoming quite honed.

A close up of Nora's new teeth

Da Da

Nora's first *real* sound was made today! She said "da da!"

Daddy and Nora enjoing a little time at Jazz in the Park.

Nora went right for the bottle of wine at Jazz in the Park yesterday. She's got it figured out already!

Physical Therapy

Nora is going to be evaluated by a PT next week to determine the best course of action to stretch out her hips. She has very tight muscles surrounding the inside and outside of her hips. This makes it difficult for her to sit up on her own and will limit her mobility as we approach the crawling and walking stages. I'm sure a little therapy will be great help!

Yogurt is Welcomed with Open Arms

Nora loves banana and vanilla yogurt. She ate a whole single-size container for lunch today along with her normal serving of vegetables.

YUMMY!

Separation Anxiety

Nora's separation anxiety is now at its height. She screams and cries even when I'm in the same room with her but not right next to her or holding her. This is a very difficult time, but the doctor assures me that this will pass as her object permanence becomes fully developed.

Nora's new favorite food is bread with melted cheese. She couldn't get enough today for lunch. I will be introducing yogurt soon too. I'm sure she'll love it too. She doesn't seem to be a picky eater.

Her second bottom tooth is about to come in. She can no longer bite on our fingers anymore with out causing harm. While she was giving me a kiss yesterday, she bit my lip!

Tomorrow Nora will have her first Jazz in the Park experience. It is a Thursday night tradition in Milwaukee. I'm sure she'll love it as much as we do. We just have to make sure she doesn't drink as much wine as we usually do ;-)