Nora had a blast!

It was such an exciting afternoon that Nora fell asleep right in the middle of all of it!

So Grandma and I decided to join her

"Oh my Nana! I didn't get any in my mouth yet!"

What's up Grandpa?

"Charlie, I think this is a little too big for me!" Nora had a great time on her first boat ride on Lake Michigan. Our good friend Charlie enjoyed watching Nora giggle everytime he hit the throttle!

"Mom, did you have to rub my food into my face just for this picture?"

It was a beautiful day in Madison and we enjoyed a long walk on the east side.

Nora's most recent trip to Madison involved riding the doggie and visiting with her godparents. "Yummy Nora, you are tasty!"

Nora and neighbor Grace enjoyed some time together on the floor

"Ana, I just want to hold your hand!"

Big Day

Today was momentous for four reasons: It is Grandpa's birthday, Nora held her bottle by herself for 30-40 seconds, Nora had her first daycare experience, and her bottom left tooth broke through the skin.

Nora held her bottle out of sheer desperation today because I watched Amy's daughter, Ana for a couple of hours while Amy got her hair cut. I was trying to feed both babies and was very unsuccessful. Nora got the raw end of the deal and decided that she wasn't going to miss out on any milk time while I fed Ana. Necessity breads ingenuity. Isn't that the saying?

Nora experienced Bally's childcare for the first time today. I found out that members get 2 hours of free daycare each day for children over 6 months. Needless to say, I was there immediately. Nora had a blast watching the other children run around. She was the youngest there by 8-10 months. I had a blast working out and having an hour to myself.

Her tooth officially made its presence known today. Nora is still very sensitive about having anyone get too long of a look at the tooth, but I can feel it. We'll see if any of its partners decided to join in the near future. It looks like there may be two teeth there very soon.

Ouch

Nora's front left tooth is right below the surface of her gum. She is extremely uncomfortable in the evenings when she is trying to go to sleep. Hopefully it will come out soon and make way for the next painful teeth!

Nora's Auntie Pea left today for New York. They had such a great time together and I was able to have a lot of freedoms that I don't usually have. I think I would enjoy having a live-in nanny ;-)

Nora is sitting up on her own for about 20-25 seconds on a regular basis. I think she would have greater success if she didn't get so excited about everything around her! The littlest pile on the rug will make her dive for the potential of holding it in her hand. Sitting doesn't seem to be a priority when there is something that needs to be in her hand.

Last night, when we were out for dinner, a passer by made the most prolific comment since Nora was born: "That is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. Good job. Make more." So there it is, we must make more. But you know what they say, practice makes perfect.

Nora's first swimming pool experience was a success!

Grandpa holding Nora at his last big concert before retirement. What a great day!

Nora's friend Ana is letting her borrow her exersaucer for a couple months. Nora is excited to have some new toys to play with!

mmmm...lemon

Sleep and Auntie Pea

Nora's sleeping habits are beginning to improve! The last two nights she has gone to sleep very easily and not made a peep until we find her cooing in her crib between 6:30 and 7:00. I think being outside a lot this weekend really helped wear her out.

This morning I decided to take a trick that has worked into the car and apply it to her morning nap. There is a French song that she falls asleep to without fail every time we are in the car. I put it on repeat this morning and she played in her crib for about 30 minutes before she fell asleep on her own. I'd have to say that this is the first time that has happened in the last two months. Hopefully this is a sign that her naps are going to get back on schedule!

We are really looking forward to seeing Auntie Pea this week. Auntie Pea and I are going to play Grandpa's last big concert before he retires. Hopefully Nora's ears will be able to tolerate the loud music! Nora will experience a swimming pool for the first time this weekend too. We got a little exersaucer-like water flotation thingy for her to float around in. I think she is really going to like it.

Enjoying Uncle Eric and Aunt Ruth's backyard on Mother's Day

Nana and Nora playing on Mother's Day

"What are you talking about? My dress is much prettier than yours!"

Mommy and Nora on Mother's Day

"Daddy look! Mommy is taking my picture!"

I still think that sticking out my tongue is part of smiling.

Here's Nora posing for Mother's Day in her Parisian dress from her friends Biz and Manue.

Teeth and Firsts

We can actually see Nora's bottom right tooth right under the skin tonight! She is in an extremely good mood considering. It might explain why she will chew on anything that gets remotely close to her mouth.

Today was filled with a few of 'firsts' for Nora. This morning Nora had her first experience at the Madison farmer's market. She had a great time looking at all the flowers and people passing by while Mommy and Daddy filled their bag with tomatoes, cheese, jerky, and lots of other yummies. Nora especially enjoyed the African drumming group right off the square. She was dancing like crazy in the Baby Bjorn. In the afternoon, Daddy exposed Nora to her first biker store. Nora helped Daddy by a helmet and gloves for his new motorcycle while Mommy played football (and won!).

Hopefully Nora will go to sleep tonight a little better than she has for the past few evenings.

"Naps stink!" exclaims Nora.

Naps are still a difficult topic for discussion around the Remfrey house. Nora seems to take one long nap each day, but not one in the morning and one in the afternoon. She frequently falls asleep when she is supposed to, but once she is put down in her crib, she wakes up right away. Not fun. Right now she is sleeping next to my leg on the couch. Seems to work for now, but if I get up, game over.

I've tried putting her in her crib and sitting in the rocker so she can see me while she is trying to fall asleep. That simply turns into play time rather than nap time. I DON'T GET IT!

Nora continues to enjoy her bananas and Cherrios. She is able to pick up both, but then doesn't see them anymore because they are in the palm of her hand. I'm putting another piece of what ever it is in her mouth so she sees the correlation between picking up the object and food in her mouth. The next step is for her to figure out the step in between. Backward chaining. I wish I didn't know all this behavioral analysis junk!

She's Asleep!!!

You won't believe it...Nora is actually taking a nap, all by herself! I'm thrilled and am hoping that this is a sign that she is going to get back to her regular schedule. I'm going to work on being very strict with it this week to get her back in the swing of things.

She hasn't been eating very well lately, but my doctor assured me that just getting a few bites of food is enough because of all the milk she drinks in a day. The bad thing about it is that I have to throw away a lot of baby food because it has already been heated up and she doesn't want to eat it! I guess lots of babies go through this stage when they are more interested in the real bits of food that they are offered. It's true! Nora would much rather naw on a few cherrieos, bananas, and anything else we put near her than pureed food.

All the things a mother has to worry about!

Nora loves her Cheerios.

Nora's new highchair for Nana and Papa's house. The tongue is still out there!

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.

So much to say

So I meant to write on Monday, then Tuesday came and went and now it's Thursday. I'm finally writing with so much to say.

Easter went well. My parents came up via Chicago for Easter church and dinner at the Remfrey's. Yummy ham and everything else that goes along with Easter dinner. Nora did very well at church and saved all her crabbies for Nana and Papa's house. They didn't last for long and she took a nice nap with me.

My boobies have started to deflate. Slowly but surely. I'm finally able to sleep on my side again. Don't laugh, it's true!

Nora is getting very close to being able to sit up on her own. The scariest thing she has been doing lately is during tummy time. She is starting to pull her knees up one at a time like she is thinking about crawling. Needless to say, I'm limiting her tummy time because I'm scared to death of her crawling. I've already ordered the outlet covers. Wasn't she just born? Wasn't she a preemie and not supposed to do this stuff until later? I guess I should have expected this as I was walking at 8 months!

Nora gets to meet her Great Uncle Tim for the first time this weekend. He is going to be in Madison for a conference and we are going to make the trek there to see him. Ok, we are really going to eat at Marigold Cafe, but it will be nice to see him too ;-)

Teething

Nora is officiallying teething. She had a slight temperature this morning and we can now see two white spots on her lower gum. I think I got her off the boob just in time! That explains some of her biting in the last couple of weeks.

Reading with Grandma Johnson

Liberation

It's official: My boobs are free. Nora had her last meal at the breast yesterday. I have slowly weened her to a morning and evening feeding over the past week or so. I began to notice that she was still quite hungry, unsatisfied is a better word, after both of these feedings in the past few days. I decided that I had made it twice as long as I had originally hoped, so it was time to stop all together. Nora seems to be much happier getting plenty of milk at all feedings. Me on the other hand will take a few days to be happier. As soon as my breasts figure out that they are no longer needed, I will be much happier. I'll keep you updated ;-)

It's 5 AM, what do you mean Daddy's not awake yet?

Bath time!

Here's one of Nora in the tub!

Changing

Nora is going through a lot of changes. We first became aware of the changes because she has had a slight personality disorder for the last few days. We are thinking it might be her teeth starting to come in. Her fingers are always in her mouth and she is drooling a lot. She just seems to be really uncomfortable most of the time.

The good news of today is that Nora decided that she would take the pacifier! Thank God! My pinky is free. For those of you that don't know, Nora has used my pinky finger as her pacifier for the last five months. Don't ask how it got started, but it has been a chore. SO...I was thrilled when she decided that today was the day for her to take the pacifier during her nap.

Nora and the Twins

After Ethan and Logan's baptism on Saturday, we thought it would be fun to get all three of the babies lined up on the couch to pose for a picture. Nora seemed fascinated with Logan's toes...while Ethan was just looking for someone to cuddle with. From left to right: Logan, Nora and Ethan.

Nora's first day at school! Mrs. French and Mrs. Carter showed Nora around my former 3rd and 4th grade classroom today. She did very well the whole time and didn't seem to mind the noise as much as I did!

Green Poo Has Arrived

Nora sampled avocado last night. She wasn't real keen on the taste, but had a few bites. She didn't mind it mixed in with a little squash. The fun part of the taste test was the present she left in her diaper for me this morning. GREEN POO! It was exciting to see something other than the standard orange.

Nora also has a new trick: she is able to make her excersaucer go around in circles. The excersaucer is the new version of a walker with lots of stimulating toys all around it. The one we have has one weighted leg and the other two have wheels. I took the brake off yesterday and Nora started walking in circles immediately. She also greatly enjoys the Johnny Jumper that our friends loaned to us. I'm ok with these activities, but I'm a little worried that it will encourage walking too soon!

All four generations enjoying some time together this weekend.

Marjorie and Tracy taking their turn feeding Nora.

I love Chloe and she loves me! Nora had a wonderful time playing with her Godparents and Chloe this weekend. Nora would stick her hands out and ask for licks from Chloe!

Playing on the changing table with Daddy

Bananas suck

It has been confirmed that Nora does not like bananas just like her daddy. She seems to prefer their orange vegetable counterparts. Squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots are a much better choice for Nora these days. We will soon try peas and green beans that I made this week. It was frustrating that the peas and green beans made such a small final product because of their large volume of skins and inner beans. The recently purchased food mill was a great help in separating the eatable from 'yucky' parts.

Is that your mouth Daddy?

I can't get them both in my mouth!

Am I cute or what?

Busy Weekend

Nora has had a busy weekend of growing and developing. She is doing the most amazing things! We now hear Nora's voice at all times. She is always talking with whom or what ever she is playing and everything she says sure sounds important! I wish there was a baby translator available.

She is now a hazard at the table. She frequently sits on one of our laps while we are out having coffee or eating a meal. We have to be very careful that there aren't any cups, plates, or utensils anywhere near Nora because she is capable of picking them up or tipping them over.

Nora had her first taste of sweet potatoes this weekend. She is in love with them so much that she isn't too into the rice and oatmeal anymore. A blend must be concocted to trick her into eating the comparably bland grains.

If this much can happen in one weekend, I can't imagine what is going to happen in the next month!

My fancy robe from Auntie Pea

Squash, squash, everywhere squash. Nora was so excited about eating today that she wanted her hands to help the food into her mouth. Squash in the eyelashes is quite difficult to get out!

It's Working!

Nora is successfully transitioning to a two nap a day schedule. It is not easy trying to keep her awake for four hours at a time, but she is a trooper. The most difficult part is getting her to stay down for two hours per nap. We're still a work in progress. This evening was a success as she stayed awake from 3:45 to 8:15: 4 1/2 hours! Hopefully she'll sleep until 7:00 tomorrow morning instead of the 6:00 kick that she's been on lately.