Christmas

Dear Nora,

You are delighted with the Christmas lights in our house and out and about this year. I keep thinking of this poem written by Vernon Grounds, the late president of Denver Seminary, where I used to work. It has new meaning now that I have you!

To My Daughter
On Her Second Christmas

You are too young, my dear, to understand
The reason for this star-topped, twinkling tree,
The gifts so gaily wrapped, the songs, the bells,
And all the happy, high festivity.

You only stare in wide-eyed wonderment,
Delighted by the joys of Christmas Day.
I cannot tell you how a Baby came
To Bethlehem so long ago and far away.

I cannot tell you yet how Jesus slept
Upon the straw in that transfigured stall;
Nor can I trace from cradle to the Cross
The story of the God Who gave His all.

I cannot tell you how (Oh, love divine!)
Our Saviour was enthroned upon a tree,
Nor how He purchased pardon for the world
By perishing, thorn-crowned, on Calvary.

I look into your eyes, my child, and pray--
All other children, dear, I pray for too--
That He of Whom the angels carolled then
May bring, in years to come, God's peace to you.

One and a Half!

Dear Nora,

Tomorrow is your half birthday! After tomorrow you will be closer to your 2nd birthday than your first! I can hardly believe it. I told Luke today we are going to have a special snack after picking him up from preschool tomorrow to celebrate your half birthday. So, what do I want to remember about my 18 month old Nora?

You have the cutest hairdo. You sit pretty still on your changing table every morning when I tell you I'm going to fix your hair. I brush it and pull the top part into a little pony tail and then clip on a bow to match your outfit. You've also got a bushel of curls around your neck.

You love for me to kiss your forehead. You lean in and say "tish?"

Playing on the couch can almost always cheer your mood. You love to walk on the cushions and fall into the pillows.

You love watching Praise Baby. We only started this recently. You stand on the corner of the rug near the TV, lean forward, and point excitedly at the screen, then back at me, as if to say, "did you see that?!"

You have the same reaction to our Christmas tree. If the lights aren't on, you point and "ask" until I turn them on.

You protest when you're angry. If you don't want a diaper change or if Luke takes your toy, you grunt loudly or even kick and scream.

I'm still your favorite, although you will reach for Daddy, Honey, Nana, and Sam, your caregiver at church.

You are learning body parts. We talk about your nose, knees, tummy, etc. You get confused, but you do like to practice.

You say "choo choo" in a high pitched voice when playing with trains, "woof" when you see a dog, and also say cat, touch, hi, and bath.

You fold your hands when we all sit down at the table and it's time to pray.

I love you so much, Nora, and I'm so thankful you're in our family!

Love,
Mommy

The Sweetest Thing

Sweet Little Nora,

I am loving this stage with you right now, Nora. You are bright and happy and make us all laugh with your dancing, your noises, and cute expressions. You know you're cute, too, which just makes it all that much cuter! You are sleeping well at night and are down to one afternoon nap a day, you can feed yourself and aren't quite as picky as you used to be, and once you feel comfortable, you like to get down and walk around now when we go to parks and play places. And you love, love, love your brother. You just laugh to no end when we are at the table eating our meals and you two can get really crazy.

I can tell that you understand so much of what I'm saying now. When I say we're going to get Luke in the morning, you walk straight to his door, ready to walk in as soon as I open it. When I say it's time to put on your shoes, you walk to the drawer in your dresser, sit down and put your foot up. When I say it's time to look at books in your room, you walk  to your crib for me to put you in along with some books and turn on your music for some independent play time. At first you would cry when I left, but now you seem perfectly happy to be in there while I get ready in the morning.

You have also become a little more bold and shown some beginning signs of defiance. When I dropped you off at ibloom a few weeks ago, you cried, as you always do, but this time you also swung your arms and hit me. You were mad at me for leaving you there! Last week you climbed half way up our stairs right after I had corrected you for going up one stair. I gave you your biggest spanking yet and you cried hard and I felt bad about it. But you needed to know not to do it again. I have started putting your hair in little pony tails and it's so cute. It also keeps your bows in better, but I do have to correct you when you take your bow out. You don't get spankings for that, but I will tell you "no." :)

You do well mimicking expressions and sounds. Your most repeated sound resembles "touch it" and you will adamantly point to things as you say it over and over. When I have said the words, you have repeated "apple" and "dog." You also say "dad-n, dad-n, dad-n" and love it when we say it back to you. Luke, especially, likes to use your language to communicate with you and it's clear that it makes you very happy!

I have enjoyed the extra time with just you while Luke is at preschool. Dropping him off at 9 gives us about 2 hours before you start lunch around 11 or 11:15 in order to get down for your nap at 11:45. We have done a couple fun things just for you, like toddler time at the library or playing at Chick-fil-A, and it seems like you get that it's special. Other days we have gone to Ross or Good Will and you do perfectly well in the cart with some crackers in your snack trap. You also have done well at the grocery store or out to breakfast with our friend Mrs. Dalya.

You are the sweetest, Nora, and we just love you so much!

Love,
Mommy

15 Months Old

Dear Nora,

You will be 15 months old in just two days. I was looking at you walking around our house the other day, proud smile pasted on your face, and thought to myself, "you don't look like a baby anymore, but are looking more and more like a little girl." And you are the cutest one I've ever seen. So, how would I describe my 15 month old girl?

You love to walk all around the house, sometimes with a toy in hand, but often without. You love to play with whatever Luke is playing with and be in the middle of the action. You like to egg him on to tickle you or to make you laugh with silly noises.

Your hair has really grown and you have lots of curls at your neck. Just the cutest. Yesterday you took your bow out, but then handed it right to me to put back in your hair.

You love for me to hold you and, unfortunately, often start whining just because I walk in the room. You are easy in the sense that holding you solves practically any problem, but that can be a challenge when I need to get dressed, cook dinner, etc.

You are taking longer afternoon naps (Woohoo!!). Right now you've been asleep for 2 hours and 20 minutes, and I'm so grateful. You still take a short nap in the mornings, but will go without when I drag you out to do something.

You love fruit and bread. You will also eat peanut butter, yogurt, and cheese cubes. Last night you ate some macaroni and cheese that I had made with fresh spinach mixed in and that was a real victory. I made some carrot muffins this weekend and you took all the shredded carrots out that you could find.

You have started talking. Your first word besides "mama" and "dada" was "cat." We were reading a book one night before bed and I was so excited to hear you repeat the word after me. You now also say "walk" and "water." I know you understand "book" because you walk to your books when I say we are going to read one.

You have a short bedtime routine, but you don't seem to care. In fact, you practically lunge out of my arms into bed toward the end of "Jesus Loves Me", leaving little time to pray for you before I leave the room. And you usually don't cry when I lay you down.

You like to be outside, ride in the car, go to toddler time at the library. Once you warm up to a new place, you like to explore, but I never have to worry about you going too far. I'm like a magnet for you. :)

I am looking forward to some extra time with you when Luke starts preschool next week. Maybe we can do some playdates with friends just your age. I know you will miss Luke, but hopefully you will enjoy my company, too. I love you so much, Nora!

Love,
Mommy

Summer Days

Dear Nora,

We are having a fun summer together, little Nora. You are at a great stage. You are full of smiles and cute expressions. You love to "talk" and are easily comforted by your bear, your pacifier, and your mommy. I often feel like your human jungle gym because you love to hang all over me. :) You are mobile, but not running all over the place yet, and you are only testing in small ways.

It's nice to not have to worry about bottles and nursing anymore, and you can sure put the food away when it's something you like. You are picky, but you love bean and cheese burritos, turkey and cheese, peanut butter, grapes, nectarines, strawberries, bananas, waffles, yogurt. You are learning to use your sippy cups to drink water and milk, but it still takes some effort to continue offering it when you often push it aside.

You take a quick 30 minute nap in the morning (or not if we are going out early enough) and sleep for maybe an hour and a half in the afternoon. You always wake up before Luke, and like to sit on the couch and snuggle with me after you get up.

You are adept at the monkey walk and love to push your walker or walk while holding someone's hands. I am going out of town in just over a week and want you to walk before or after I am gone, because I don't want to miss it!

You do not like it one bit when I leave you at church or any child care situation, but they often tell me when I pick you up that you are a little ham, quite the entertainer. :) You love to dance to music, especially when Daddy plays guitar. You will sit at his feet like a little groupie and shake your head back and forth to the music. You have started loving toddler time at the library. To think you used to sleep through it in the bjorn and now you jump up and down to the music and find it thoroughly entertaining.

You have just recently started getting down to play at some play places. We went to Memorial City Mall a few weeks ago and to Stomping Grounds this past weekend. We've also spent lots of time at Chick-fil-A, the splash pad, and just recently I started taking you to the pool with Luke and me. It's manageable because you aren't wanting to explore and you hang on to me the whole time anyway. You've also been to the beach, but didn't even touch the sand since you wanted me to hold you the whole time. :)

We spent the 4th of July in Carrollton and Keller to celebrate Grandpa's and Wesley's birthdays. You are beloved by your cousins, and Caroline especially loves to help take care of you.

And I love the little curls that have started to show in your hair.... and that double chin. :)

I love you so much, sweet little Nora.

Love,
Mommy

Happy Birthday from Daddy

My Dear Nora,

I can’t believe you’re already a year old! Over the last couple weeks our house has been full of decorations celebrating your birthday. Mommy did such a nice job printing pictures of you and hanging them up around the house so we could reflect back on this year and rejoice over our beautiful daughter. The pictures make me smile ear to ear – especially the one of you crying at the pumpkin patch. I imagine that picture will become legendary over the years.

I’ll never forget the first time I saw you, Nora. I could see immediately the resemblance between you and your brother, but you had your own look too. You were smaller than Luke, had brown hair, and this precious little heart-shaped face. You had your mommy’s beautiful blue eyes, and her chin too. I remember taking pictures of you wearing this tiny little yellow beanie in the hospital, and I was struck by how adorable you were. So many family members and friends came to visit you in the hospital and they all remarked at how pretty you were. Sometimes I can’t stand how cute you are! I’ve probably kissed your chubby cheeks about 5,000 times this year.

The last 12 months have been a whirlwind, and I have so many precious memories of you. I remember staying up late to put the finishing touches on my doctoral dissertation, and watching you nap in your bouncer next to the table in the study. You were my little buddy – burning the midnight oil with me. Your brother was very curious about you from the beginning and very sweet toward you – but we’ve had to help him understand how to be gentle and play with you. Whenever you laugh, Luke likes to say “She’s funny!”

You’ve also gotten to travel quite a bit in your first year: a family trip to Denver for my PhD graduation and a trip with Mommy and Daddy to Florida for our ARC church-planter training. Nana came along and helped, and your great Aunt Michele was there too. Such fun memories having you with us on those trips!

As you’ve gotten older this year I can see more of my Mom in you (Nana), which is especially noticeable when I look at the pictures we have of her when she was a baby. But your eyes have gotten even bluer since you were a newborn, and I see a lot of Mommy in you. Speaking of which, I wish you could see all that she does for you. Mommy takes such good care of you, making sure you’re clean, well-fed, entertained, and that you look nice. She always makes sure you have cute clothes on and a bow in your hair. You’re very blessed to have a Mommy like her. I know she will teach you so much about how to be a kind, confident, wise, Godly woman.

You have brought so much joy to our family, Nora. I love to see your sweet smile every day. I love crawling around on the floor with you, playing with you, giving you baths, reading you stories, and hearing your sweet little voice. I love seeing you and Luke interact. You seem to get especially excited when he takes an interest in you.

I pray for you every day Nora – that God would give me wisdom as your Daddy, and that he would capture your heart at a very young age. I pray that God would chart a course for your life that would bring him honor and glory, and in turn bring you true joy.

I love you Nora! Happy birthday!

Love,

Daddy

Happy 1st Birthday, Nora!

Dear Nora,

Yesterday you turned ONE and today we took your last monthly picture! I miss my Baby Nora already, but I'm also thankful for what we've accomplished this past year and excited about all we have to look forward to. :)

At 12 months,

you weigh 18 pounds 9 ounces.

you want Mommy most of the time. You call me "Nah Nah." When we are downstairs, you usually meander (crawl) your way into the kitchen, thinking you might find me there. And you are usually right!

you have started to enjoy the splash pad! You decided you'd be ok with sitting in the water on our 4th visit. You sit and kick your feet, grab at the little fountains and splash your hands in the water.

you just started cruising and when you pull up on my legs to stand, you are barely putting weight on me. You've attempted standing for short moments and I think you must be contemplating walking.

you have 3 little teeth on the bottom and still just 2 on top.

you don't seem very phased when I swat your hand. I have tried time outs and repeated, hard, swats to your arm when you touch the carbon monoxide detector, but you just don't seem to care all that much. A mystery!

you love to "talk" to your brother. My favorite is when we are in the car and you two can interact all you want without touching each other, because that's when it goes too far and you end up crying as Luke tackles you. Yesterday you were crying in your carseat and Luke started singing "Jesus Loves Me," then told me he was singing to help you.

you have tried more foods and have enjoyed my cherry almond steel cut oats, pork carnitas, sweet corn mac & cheese, and cottage cheese pancakes (for your birthday breakfast!) You know how to get my attention when you are hungry and want more food!

you aren't drinking from sippy cups yet. I've started giving you water out of a regular cup and you seem to like that. I'm not sure how the transition to whole milk is going to go!

you are such a doll and we love you so much!

Love,
Mommy

Happy 11 Month Birthday!

Dear Nora,

One more month and you will be ONE! This time last year I wasn't feeling so hot. I'm glad it's this time this year instead.

At 11 months,

you have figured out that it's fun to drop things on the floor and wait for someone to hand your toys back to you.

you have become pretty attached to me. For about 2 weeks especially, I couldn't walk by without you wanting me to pick you up. You also cry when I drop you off at ibloom and church.

you have been taking really short naps. I have tried keeping your morning nap intentionally short (30 minutes or so) and that has helped you sleep longer some days, up to 2 hours. But today your afternoon nap was only 40 minutes, so that didn't go too well.

you sometimes put your head on my shoulder before bed while I sing "Jesus Loves Me" and pray with you.

you love when I point my pointer finger at you. You like to take yours to meet mine and get very excited by this.

you have become accustomed to being tackled by Luke. He starts out sweet, but then gets too excited and inevitably the laughter eventually turns to crying. But you put up with a lot.

you are constantly pulling out your hair bows. I try to put them further and further back on your head, but to no avail.

you like to sit and turn in circles, rotating your legs around and around. I want to get this on video.

you love your bear. He can always cheer you up and you become giddy when you see him.

you now have 4 teeth.

I love you, little one!

Love,
Mommy

Happy 10 Month Birthday!

Dear Nora,

Today, you are 10 months old! You had fun this morning at a Chick-fil-A birthday party for one of Luke's friends, Peyton. Everyone thought you were a doll, and I agree!

At 10 months,

you are pulling up to stand. You did this in Luke's crib yesterday morning for the first time. I put you in there with him when I go in to get him up and you two play for a few minutes. When I was getting him dressed I was surprised to look over and see you standing up!

you are on the move, crawling all over the place. I have to keep telling Luke that if he doesn't want you playing with something, he needs to move it to his table or our bed, because otherwise, you can reach it.

you are eating more finger foods. A couple days ago you had your first bean and cheese burrito. You liked it and I'm sure there are many more burritos in your future. Cutting it up into a grid brought back such a keen memory of doing that for Luke.

you are making more sounds: dah, nah, gah, and yesterday I heard mah!

you have a top tooth about to come through the gums and I think you have been working on some 1st year molars this week.

you hate your baths now and actually start crying when you hear the water running and realize it's for you. I'm not sure what changed, but it's pretty sad!

you've been sitting up in shopping carts and high chairs and like your view of the world from there.

you like listening to Daddy play guitar and bop around to music. Luke says, "she's dancing!"

you have had your first dentist appointment. I was worried you might have tooth decay because of spots on your two little teeth. Thank the Lord it's just some staining from food you've been eating and the dentist is not concerned. Whew!

you are consistently pulling your headbands and bows off your head. :( I just keep putting them back on, but it's beginning to feel like a bit of a futile endeavor.

I love you, Nora!

Love,
Mommy

Happy 9 Month Birthday!

Dear Nora,

I feel like you have grown up A LOT this last month and are learning all sorts of new skills! You are still a cute, happy, cuddly baby and I'm trying to savor it because I know toddlerhood is right around the corner!

At 9 months,

you weigh 17 pounds 12 ounces.

you've started crawling! I have to figure out what to do with Luke's toys that you aren't old enough to play with. Because if you set your sights on something, now you know how to get to it.

you have learned how to clap. You clap when you're excited and when listening to music. You also like to play patty-cake.

you also know how to play peek-a-boo. If on your tummy, you will lay your head down for a couple seconds, then lift your head and smile great big, back and forth! Or you'll just cover one eye if you only want to play half way. :)

you have added a consonant sound to your language - da. You like to say da da da da da and can get quite loud.

you take your baths in the tub. We first did this at our hotel in Florida last month and you did fine sitting up.

you are spitting up much less than you used to - HOORAY!! I can't tell you how happy I am about this. I've realized over the past week that there are much fewer burp cloths in the laundry and I often end the day with the same burp cloth we started with.

you have begun to fuss when I enter the room. I noticed this a couple weeks ago when Daddy was upstairs with you and Luke. Everything seemed to be just fine, but as soon as I walked in you started to whine. I asked Daddy if you'd been doing that and he said no. Caught! :)

you do well playing with toys in your crib. You usually wake up from your afternoon nap before Luke and it's not quite time to eat yet. I will open your curtains, turn on your music, give you a pacifier and some toys, and you can do just fine like that for about a half hour. I will take advantage of this as long as I can. :)

you are eating 3 meals a day. I know I said this a couple months ago, but after starting that third meal I decided it was too much of a hassle and you didn't necessarily need it. I think you do now and you liked that extra feeding yesterday. You are also eating chunkier foods and have tried more foods you can practice picking up and feeding yourself: bananas, strawberries, black beans.

you are mostly wearing 12 month clothes, some 18 month, but still in 9 month pj's.

We love you!

Love,
Mommy

P.S. Your picture was definitely harder to get this time around!

Happy 8 Month Birthday!

Dear Nora,

You are 8 months old! Closer to your first birthday than the day you were born. And you are an absolute doll.

At 8 months,

you are sitting up like a champ! You will contently sit and play with toys for a long time, as long as I rotate the toys in front of you and preferably keep you near the action. You like to be in the middle of things and see what's going on. :)

you like to be outside. On nice days recently, we've sat on our front porch bench starting around 4:50, waiting for Daddy to come home. Luke likes to run around and jump off the porch and you will just sit quietly in my lap, watching the cars go by. You also enjoy swinging at the park.

you enjoy Toddler Time at the library. I used to always keep you in the Bjorn and you'd be content to snuggle with me. But a couple weeks ago you were really straining your neck to see what was happening, so I took you out and sat you in my lap. You were delighted.

you have started eating puffs. You work really hard to get them into your mouth. When I take you out of your high chair, there are usually a number of rogue puffs that have gotten lost in the chair. So sometimes I will just put them directly in your mouth.

your hair has gotten darker. Honey said before you were born she pictured you with blue eyes and brown hair, and it looks like she was right!

you can take off your headbands. I just keep putting them back on. I have to keep you trained!

you have two cute little bottom teeth. You like having them brushed every night with your little banana toothbrush.

you love it when I lift you up above my head and bring you back down to my lap. You will laugh and Luke will say, "she's funny!"

you have watched about half of a Baby Einstein video. I caved one day and put you in the swing in front of the TV while Luke watched a video. Not surprisingly, you loved it. I will try not to repeat for awhile.

You bring us so much joy, Nora bean!

Love,
Mommy

Happy 7 Month Birthday!

Dear Nora,

Two days ago, on New Years Day, you turned 7 months old!

At 7 months,

you have your first tooth! You were teething over Christmas and sure enough, one of your bottom teeth finally made it's debut while we were in Carrollton.

you are itching to crawl. You will get up on all fours and rock back and forth, and also will work on your yoga planks for several minutes at a time. :)

you sleep with a lovey, but I've taken away your pacifier (except for special exceptions over Christmas.)

you have transitioned to 2 naps a day. You're up for about 3.5 hours in the evening, which feels like a long time, but don't really need that third nap either.

you just started eating 3 meals a day. Daddy gave you turkey today and said you gagged and shivered, so we will just stick with fruits, vegetables, and grains for now.

you are a favorite at our church nursery. The volunteers have told us how much they love it when you're there and have even texted me pictures they took of you during church. They say you're a ham. :)

your smile lights up the room.

everything goes in your mouth. Your turquoise chewbeads are a current favorite.

I've started giving you water from a sippy cup, but you mostly just chew on it and look surprised when the water comes out.

We got home from DFW a couple of days ago and I've felt sad as I've started setting aside your Christmas clothes. Your first Christmas was very special and you're growing up just a little too fast for me!

Love,
Mommy