Nora at 6 Months

Nora was 6 months old at the end of February. I guess since it wasn't a leap year she was 6 months on the 28th. To ring in her 6 month birthday she had RSV. Thankfully we caught it early and after a few weeks of breathing treatments she's back to her normal self. For her 6 month pictures I took them in my baptismal gown. Ellis wore the gown for her baby dedication but for Nora the baby dedication keeps getting pushed back because of weather. I wanted to get her picture in it in case she outgrows it.

Nora, here are some fun things about you at 6 months:

• You weigh 12 lb 13oz but lost a little weight and were 12 lb 9 oz at your 6 month check up due to RSV
• You are 25 inches long
• You like to giggle at your big sister
• You are wearing 3-6 month clothes
• You have gotten into a good habit of going to bed around 7pm. You still wake up at least once a night to nurse.
• During the day you nurse every 2.5-3 hours
• You have a favorite little doll that you slobber all over
• You can roll from your back to tummy and tummy to back
• You started rice cereal and aren't quite sure about it. I'm sure you'll like it sooner or later.

 She's starting to get too big for the basket

 Someday I'll pull this out as proof that they really do love each other

Our bright eyed girl

Nora,

You have the sweetest personality and love to smile at everyone around you. You are such a happy baby and easy going, unless you're hungry or tired. We love watching you grow and seeing all of the things you're learning. We love you!

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

Nora at 4 & 5 months

After a couple months hiatus I'm back on the blog! I think the saying is "Technology is great...when it works" or something like that. Our computer has been having difficulties the last couple of months and finally bit the dust. We haven't gotten a new one yet so I've finally decided to use my work computer to catch up on blog posts. Little Miss Nora was 6 months old at the end of February so I thought it'd be fitting to post pictures of her at 4 & 5 months, ha. I'll put a 6 month post up but need to take some pictures of her first. She's had RSV, so didn't feel up to taking pictures on her 1/2 birthday. Hopefully she'll be in a great mood after her nap this afternoon so we can get a few taken. Enjoy the pictures!

4 Months

Always happy

Look how long I am!

Sisters!

Ellis had to sit in the chair too (20 months)

Ellis loves her daddy

5 months

5 months

Constantly moving (thus the blurry hands)

She loves playing on her tummy

You can't tell but Ellis did want her picture taken (21 months)

Ellis at 18 months

We have a 1 1/2 year old! Wow has the last year and a half flown by. If you would've told me when Ellis was born that in 18 months we'd have her and a 3 month old I would've thought you were crazy. Oh how our plans are not always THE plan. And even though it's crazy, we're loving it! Ellis is so much fun right now and Matt and I can't get enough of her. She talks all the time and is constantly on the go. She'll do anything for a laugh and continues to LOVE attention. I'll try to list most of the things she's doing right now but she's gaining new skills so quickly that I'll probably forget something.

Ellis you:

• Weigh 24 lbs and are 32.5 inches
• Love to read books and will sit in your room "reading"
• Love to sing. You are starting to sing the words to your favorite songs, even when they're not on. Some that you like include: Old McDonald, The Wheels on the Bus, Head Shoulder Knees & Toes, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
• Like to put bows & headbands on yourself and your "babies"
• Feed, rock, pat and put your "babies" to sleep
• Talk/Jabber non-stop
• Like to sit on the potty but haven't gone yet
• Tell us about your day at "school". You tell us the friends that you play with and are especially fond of Hannah
• Can answer most questions with a yes or no, mainly no
• Like to play with your shape sorter and puzzles
• Like for people to quiz you (about their names, items in the room, etc), you always ask for "mo" (more)
• Have started stringing words together. I have a feeling you'll have some sentences pretty soon. 
• Are really trying to communicate your wants and needs. You'll repeat the same thing over and over until we understand what you're talking about. 
• Are a great eater. You love meat and fruit and still eat a good variety of veggies
• Say your prayers. You always say "Amen" after your prayers and we've been working on you saying more of the prayers. At school last month you missed the prayer before lunch and started crying. They thought you didn't like your food until you put your hands together. They prayed with you and then you were happy and ate lunch.
• Are very helpful. You like to get sissy's paci and softie for her when she's tired. You also give her toys all the time.
• Are very affectionate. When you get on a roll with kisses you keep going and going!

Our big girl 

"Mom, I really think the picture would be better if the chair were over here..."

 "See? Perfect!"

Everyone needs a hair bow, even the "babies"

Ellis really enjoyed decorating the tree

Miss Serious (she'll smile all day, until the camera comes out!)

Ellis,

Everyday we are amazed by how much you know and your little personality. You are such a joy to be around and every day with you is so much fun! We love listening to you read and sing and play with your toys. You are turning into a big girl! You are so sweet and we're so blessed to be your parents. We love you!

Love, 

Mommy & Daddy

Nora at 3 months

Nora turned 3 months on Friday, November 29th. This month was a bittersweet one for me because I was trying to enjoy every moment with her before returning to work on Monday. I think that it's been harder for me to leave Nora than it was to leave Ellis. By this age Ellis was on a good sleep/eat/wake schedule and Nora is still a little unpredictable. I think that this has made me a little more protective of her and that she's been held (aka spoiled) a little too much. I was dreading sending her to daycare because I didn't know if they would be able to take care of her like I do. So far they've said that she's the perfect baby and is always content. It helps that she's a lot happier now that I've figured out that dairy and wheat really seem to bother her.  The allergy tests we did all came back negative but the doctor said she could still be sensitive. As long as I stay away from dairy and wheat she's a pretty happy girl. Here are some facts about Nora at 3 months and of course some pictures!

Nora you:

• Weigh 10 lb 4 oz and are 23 1/2 inches long
• Are awake more during the day (sometimes for 3-4 hours)
• Are consistently sleeping 5-6 hours at night, eating at 8, waking around 2 and then eating again around 5 (I wake you up for the 5:00 to get in as many feedings before daycare as possible)
• Still eat every 2-2.5 hours during the day
• Wearing 0-3 month clothes but some of the pants are getting short
• Cooing and smiling
• Love your big sister, every time she talks you smile and coo back, it's really sweet
• Have rolled from your tummy to back a few times but I think it was an accident (we have to start somewhere, right?)
• Love to cuddle. You would be content to sleep on my chest for all naps and at night if I let you
• Only want your paci long enough to fall asleep and then you immediately spit it out
• Have your very own softie that you love to grab and hold next to your face 

Nora,

You are such a joy to our family. You have the sweetest smile but also seem very serious. You keep a close eye on what's going on around you (I don't blame you, sometimes Ellis can be a little wild). I can already tell that you and your sister are going to be very best friends. It seems like you already have your own language and way of understanding each other. We are so glad that God gave you to us. We love you!

Love, 

Mommy & Daddy

Family Fun

These are a pictures from a few weeks ago when it was still warm and sunny. Ellis loves playing outside. I'm glad that we had a warm fall so we could enjoy it as much as possible. 

Halloween

Halloween this year was so much fun with our two girls. We went trick or treating out at the Promenade after eating dinner out there. Rob and Kaye were in town so were able to go out with us. It was kind of chilly so we only "trick or treated" in one section of the Promenade. Ellis wasn't too sure about it at first but warmed up by the time we got to the last shop. We finished off the night with Bliss Cupcakes, which were wonderful! Here's a few pictures of our little owl and zebra and a video of Ellis dancing at Bliss. She LOVES music and will sing and dance whenever she gets a chance! 

(Video may not show up on iPad or phone. I have tried reloading unsuccessfully. I have been able to watch it on the computer. If anyone is having trouble viewing it I can try e-mailing it to you.)

These photos are a little smaller because they were taken on a phone. 

I tried to enlarge them but it distorted the picture too much.  

 Wild hair when we took her hat off at dinner

We might not be looking at the camera but I had to include a family picture 

Nora at 2 months

Little Miss Nora was 2 months on October 29th. As always it has just flown by. In October Nora had the ECHO at the Children's Hospital Satellite clinic in Lowell. I took her by myself because Matt was home with Ellis, who was sick. Nora did great during the procedure (which was just an ultrasound of her heart). It took a little while to get the results but she has a patent foramen ovale (PFO). A PFO is a small hole in the heart that is normal in utero. It normally close at birth but Nora's didn't. There's still a chance that it will close but if not then she'll just live with it and most likely will never have a problem. 

In the last month I've also changed my diet (pretty drastically) to see if it would help with some of Nora's fussiness, constant gas, and what looked like eczema. Well, guess what, it's like she's a different child. I have cut out wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts, eggs, citrus, and certain vegetables. Since the diet worked so well we decided to do allergy testing with her. We went last week and should get the results by the end of this week. While I do not want her to be allergic to anything it will be helpful in adding foods back into my diet. 

So that's all the medical stuff going on with Nora so now for some fun things that our big 2 month old is doing.

Nora you:

• Weighed 9 lbs, 1 oz  & were 22 inches at your 2 month appointment
• Are starting to smile and coo
• Are sleeping 4 or 5 hour stretches at night between feedings
• Like watching your older sister play
• Are wearing 0-3 month clothes
• LOVE being in the Moby Wrap

Nora, 

You definitely have your own personality. You are getting to be pretty predictable in your eating and sleeping patterns. When you're ready to sleep you let everybody know and sometimes it can take a little while to get you calm enough to fall asleep. We've discovered that you like white noise while you sleep, which has made things easier. You also don't like to be alone in a room or to be put down for very long. Mommy thinks that's something you'll have to get over when you go to daycare in a month. You are a sweet little girl with a serious but fun personality. Your daddy said it best last night: You look just like him but might act more like mommy. Your sister looks like me but might have daddy's personality. So you're both a good mix of the two of us. We love you!

Mommy & Daddy