Oh, sweet Nora. Has it really been eight months since you joined our family? You bring such joy to our lives with your bright smile and little giggles. Each day is more fun than the last.
You are constantly squealing and babbling and blowing raspberries. You sing to your wubbanub, and you love to have screaming matches with Sam — in the car, at the dinner table, before bed. You often say “ma-ma-ma” when you’re crying for my attention. And Sammy and Daddy are trying so hard to teach you their names. We’ve started a bit of baby sign language this month, too — milk, more, and all done. We’re all pretty excited for you to start communicating with us. I suspect you will be a little chatterbox like your brother!
You are so, so close to crawling. You get up on all fours and rock back and forth before you return to sitting position. You may not be completely mobile yet, but you can definitely get around. You squirm across the floor and spin in circles, and you have a surprisingly long reach. You are also now trying to pull up onto everything — our legs and shoulders, your music table, the pack’n’play. We should probably lower your crib mattress before you figure out how to pull up in there, too.
I often find you sleeping in the very corner of your crib, and so I added the bumper this month to make it a bit more comfortable. You sleep with two wubbanubs and sometimes you whine in the middle of the night if you lose them. If the whines turn into wails, I tiptoe into your room, which always leads to a quick nursing and snuggle session. Occasionally, you wake up twice, and sometimes you sleep through the night without a peep. Either way, you wake up around 8am with a smile on your face.
You are still napping twice a day, though the length of each depends on our schedule. I love that you are so easy-going!
You continue to love to eat and are up to three solid meals per day plus 4-5 quick feedings with momma (though it’s become pretty impossible to feed you in public). Favorite foods this month include: peaches, blueberries, avocado, waffles, turkey burgers, chicken meatballs, graham crackers, and cheese. The only food you really don’t like is eggs. You’ve become very good at eating purees from pouches, which helps when we’re on the road. And you think it’s fun to drink water from a sippy cup, though most of it ends up running down your chin.
You get angry if we take away your food before you are done, especially if that food is ice cream. If Sam gets an ice cream treat, we get an extra cone for you and add a bit of the sweet stuff to it. It quickly becomes a sticky mess, but you devour it.
You’ve recently learned how to take off your bib, which means we have to put it back on at least four times during each meal. And you think it’s hilarious to hang your hands over the tray of your highchair so Lucy can lick them.
You are still our long and lean girl, and I finally had to move you into size 9-month jammies. Your hair is getting thicker, and there appears to be a bit of wave to it. I sure hope you end up with curly hair like your daddy! You still have just the two teeth on the bottom, though I suspect the top ones will pop through any day.
Playtime has become pretty fun. You shake rattles and bang cups together and throw balls and open and close little doors. You love your stacking blocks — and so does Sam. He often builds a really tall tower for you, and encourages you to knock it over. Then he shouts “hooray, Baby Nora!” when you do it. He is your biggest fan, and it is so sweet.
However, Sam does not like it when you play with his toys, which you always do. I asked what he’s going to do when you start to crawl, and he said, “hide all my toys.” We obviously have to practice the concept of sharing.
You still love to bounce in your jumperoo and are content to sit on the floor and play for extended periods of time. Though I did catch you chewing Lucy’s bone one day. Yuck! Then you threw a major fit when I took it away from you. I think you’ve already figured out “no,” and you do not like it one bit.
You also recently learned a new bathtime trick. You throw a toy over the toddler tub, then peer over the edge until you spot it and pick it back up. Then you flash a big smile in our direction — so proud!
We took a few road trips and day trips this month, and you are still a fairly good traveler. You sing and squeal and peek around your car seat to watch Sam. And sometimes you sleep.
We’ve enjoyed many park picnics and playdates. You’re lucky to have several baby girlfriends to hang out with while Big Brother plays with his friends! You love to swim in our neighbor’s pool, though you weren’t so sure of the splash park. And you whimpered when I sat you in front of the fish tank at the aquarium. You stayed up way past your bedtime for two weddings and a baseball game, but it was so worth it.
I’m much more flexible with our routine this time around, and I honestly think you are happier because of it. So many adventures await us, little lady. We love you!
