Dear Nora,
You are such a big girl! Maybe you seem more grown up because we have been moving you from one house to another — our home in Greensburg to Nini’s and Poppy’s house to Williamsburg and Bethlehem to stay with aunts and uncles and cousins — and you have adapted so well. Both you and your brother have been so flexible and have settled right in to every new surrounding. Thank you for that!
You have become quite independent — you pick out your own clothes and attempt to dress yourself and sometimes successfully get one leg into your pants; you climb into your car seat and onto the kitchen table; and you walk down the stairs while holding onto the railing. You eat with a fork and a spoon and try so hard to drink from a cup. You follow Sam around the playground and love the big sliding boards and big swings. You have no fear of heights. You love when Poppy sits you on top of the refrigerator and when Uncle Steepie lifts you high above his head. Actually, you are often a bit too brave for momma’s liking.
You finished your second semester of Music Together right before we left Greensburg. You still love music, and I can’t wait to enroll you in a new school after we move to New Jersey. Your favorite song is “Trot Old Joe,” which is always accompanied by a horsie ride on Mommy’s back or legs.
And you have developed some impressive dance moves — throwing your hands in the air, kicking your legs, and spinning in circles.
You love tutus and pigtails and painted toenails. You love your gold sandals and mommy’s makeup bag. And you give the sweetest hugs and kisses to anyone who asks for them.
But you also love to play in the garden and pick up sticks and rocks. You run through the grass in your bare feet and don’t mind if your hands get dirty.
You say momma and dadda and bubba (for brother) and ball. You woof like a puppy, meow like a kitty, and moo like a cow. You love all animals and point and giggle when you see a bird or a duck. You wave and blow kisses. You shake your head no and nod yes, and I think “yeah” is your favorite thing to say. We still hear a lot of “ehh”s and “ohh”s, and you typically use long car rides to practice new sounds like “nah-nah-nah” and “puh-puh-puh” and “la-la-la.” I think Sammy is especially excited to have real conversations with you.
Momma decided to trim your bangs a few weeks ago, and I regretted it after the first snip. I won’t do that again anytime soon! You’re still adorable, of course.
We moved you into size 4 diapers and most of your summer tank tops are size 2T. You wear size 5 shoes, though you usually prefer Sammy’s shoes and Mommy’s shoes.
You have recently developed an interest in your aiden + anais blanket and your baby doll and sleep with both. You also still sleep with two binkies, though we recently replaced your wubbanubs with orthodontic pacis. We noticed that your two front teeth were starting to protrude, and I feared that was connected to the round shape of the wubbanubs. Fortunately, your teeth moved back into place just two weeks after making the switch, and your smile is as sweet as ever.
You show very little interest in television, though you will sometimes watch 5 minutes of Paw Patrol with Sam. But you love my iPhone and quickly learned how to rearrange my icons. In fact, one time you completely deleted my camera app. Maybe you were trying to tell me that I take too many photos??
You like play-doh and kinetic sand and love to draw tiny pictures on paper — and sometimes your arms and legs. You are so good at hide-and-seek and think it’s hilarious when we can’t find you behind the couch or inside the closet. You are observant and notice when anything is out of place — like your blanket on the floor or Daddy’s shoes on the steps.
You love to play outside and often take our hand and lead us to the door and beg for us to open it. You are also quite the little fish. You had so much fun during two recent trips to two different lakes. You played in the sand and filled cups with water and floated with Daddy. I think it’s soon time to start swim lessons!
You have become quite a snack queen since we moved in with Nini and Poppy. You are constantly pulling boxes of crackers from the cupboard and trying to climb onto the stool to reach the pretzels and licorice. You also still love cheese quesadillas, chicken nuggets, meatballs, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, and strawberries. Also, gummies. You love gummies of all shape and flavor. And ice cream cones, obviously.
You are such a doll, Nora. We love every day with you!