July in review

Our baby is officially a toddler. I'm sad at moments to see how little of her babyhood is left and yet proud to know that she's doing so well as a the budding steps of "big girl"-hood are upon us.
Some of her knew language skills include:

Shouting out the names of animals when they appear on screen or in a book - it's a bit frightening.

"Sheep, plea-?"  A request for her favorite BBC show, Shaun the Sheep. Yes, I have finally caved in and allowed our child to watch tv, for shame. (I'm sorry, what I meant was, "Finally!")

"All done." In a sing-songy voice when she's done with...really, anything.

"What that?!" - This is with LOTS of attitude depending on the perplexity of the item/person/pet.

"Look, mama - look!" - This is a rare (yet treasured) exclamation of interest that is normally reserved for food, flora, or shoes.

"Oh no, mama - oh no!" - This is expressed when the baby gate is closed to her, I'm trying to use the toilet...really anything that is tragic to her. It's very Vivien Leigh really. "As god as my witness, I'll never be hungry again..." (Or, Nora's rendition,"If you close that baby gate one more f'in time, I swear to you-") If I didn't know any better I would think she's an extra for Glee in training. Broadway here we come!
Last, but not least, because really I meant for it to be last so you'll remember just how much we should love it:

"Preeeee-hee- baaaah-beeeee!"  This means "Pretty baby!" as she twirls in front of any mirror or window and is finished with a kiss to herself on the glass. She did this in front of Nordstrom's at the mall and we were rewarded with free socks, no fooling.
If only all of us felt this way every day despite our outfit, complexion, and age. From the mouths of babes...

ZEMBLANITY

I'll wait while all of you look up the word....ok, ready? I didn't know what it meant either until I saw it in an article the other day. The simple definition, an upleasant surprise. That would sum up the last couple weeks.

Nora had a version of croup along with a case of Rotovirus. What does THAT mean? It meant sitting next to the tub while our daughter coughed like a seal and pooped herself. Terms and expressions that she became quite fluent in over that time were:
"Oh no, mama!"
"What's THAT?!"
"Phew!"
"I did"
"Look!"
and, my favorite...
"Heehee, I did."

Baby Book 4-10-12

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July 8th, 2012

Your left hand was nestled underneath my right bicep as it circled your head and the pillow you collapsed against. The tilt of your head lulled your face towards the crook of my arm and nested your cheek against my breast. I could see your eyelids flutter to sleep as your right hand rested over the cleave of my breast and you exhaled into my breath. “This is heaven,” I think to myself, “This is what all the heartache in the world is for.”

An oral history for Nora

I decided to keep a journal for Leonora about 6 weeks in to my pregnancy when we were surprised with the news. Until then it had been an average journal (venting about work, emotional introspection, etc.) but as of July 2010 it became a way to talk to my baby and record for her the development of her entering our lives and the experiences we had of the process.

This blog is dedicated to her and is a continuation of those journal entries as an oral history of her childhood for her and for our family to share. Bottom line, it's the commemoration of the cuteness known as "Nora".