Family Time

Mommom and Papa came to visit me again. I just love it when they visit...I have all these people who just wait for my next move!

Nora's First Christmas Present

Nora didn't mind one bit that her first Christmas present was a month early...in fact she really seemed to like it.

I was quite surprised at how well she did...and that she actually liked the book better than the paper! .

Thanks Aunt Heather, Uncle Mike, & cousins Kelsey, Derek and Evan.

And a little note to add to first time aunts and uncles...be nice, be very very nice at what presents you buy you niece or nephew because paybacks are generally a LOT worse! This present may appear to be a simple book, but in fact it has a button that makes this really loud laughing noise for a really long time.

Teeth

You can finally see some teethies in there! We have the bottom 2 front teeth...I guess she can no longer ask for those for Christmas!

Rocking Chair

This rocking chair has quite the history. It has been waiting for Nora for 15 years. It was kind of wondering if it was ever going to be used!

The rocking chair has never been used but came into being when my sister has her first baby (Kelsey). My parents saw this and had to get one for her. They quickly decided to get one for my kids. So it has sat and sat and sat in the garage rafters since that day. The box was never opened and had gathered lots of dust, but finally 7 and 1/2 months ago that same rocking chair saw the light of day. And on Friday finally sat the little person it was purchased for so long ago.

The Tongue

Constantly Learning

Can you image what we, as adults, could do/be/know/etc. if we learned a quarter as much as kids do each day? So many times in the last seven months I have had to look at George and asked if he has seen that face or heard that sound before.

We have found our tongue again. The first time it was just a realization that it was there and could stick out of the lips. Next it was a tool for purging all nasty gross cereal from the mouth (usually involving some sort of spitting also). And now...now she thinks she is a puppy dog. The tongue just hangs out there like a dog enjoying a lazy day in the sun. It is also used for kisses. And although a little sloppy, these kisses are always welcome! Of course it still comes in handy to block the unwanted guest that may enter into the mouth...like medicine or mommy's finger trying to check out the new bling she has in her mouth (that would be a tooth).

We have also acquired the knowledge of squealing. High pitch bursts of noise coming out of her mouth. This is good so the cats can hear her coming at all frequencies so they can take cover if need be. She also makes some kind of panting noise (typically accompanied by the tongue hanging out of the mouth syndrome mentioned earlier).

We know roll both ways...although she held off as long as she could, she finally realized the advantages of rolling onto her tummy. And quickly with this knowledge she is beginning to learn to scoot to get what she wants. Long gone are the days with an immobile child. Yes, although this just started this weekend, mom and dad are already longing for the days of knowing Nora was going to be were we put her if we turned our backs for 10 seconds! Tag Team is now mommy and daddy's (m&d) favorite evening game to play!

And finally, we have standing. We LOVE to stand...it makes us happy. Sitting is no longer good enough if m&d are around...we must stand. I have to admit it is pretty cute when we put her in her crib and she hold onto the side. She has just the biggest smile...she is so proud of herself. And this, my friends, is when I get the BEST of the puppy dog tongue kisses!