4 months

my sweet daughter,

it is hard to believe that you are already 4 months old (i know i say that every. single. month, but it's true!) it feels like yesterday that i just held you in my arms for the first time.  although it feels like i've known you forever and you've been in our lives forever, too.  

we took you to the doctor yesterday and were very anxious to see how much you weigh.  everyone keeps commenting on how heavy you seem these days.  unfortunately, you didn't gain that much weight and now weigh 10 pounds 14 ounces.  you put on a little, but not too much.  the doctor is not concerned however, and says you are just a petite little girl! you are happy, healthy, and thriving!

love this little face of yours

you are still sleeping through the night every night! we put you to bed by 8 and you wake up at 7, sometimes we even have to wake you up in the morning! we're still working on taking longer naps...

you eat a lot!  you nurse or take a bottle every 3 hours throughout the day.  you drink 5-6 ounces in a bottle when i'm away at work.  every time we take the bottle out of your mouth to burb you, you scream! it's actually kind of funny to watch and has become a joke for daddy and me.  we sing "she'll have fun, fun, fun til her daddy takes her bottle away" to the tune of the beach boys song.  

you are still wearing 0-3 month/3 month clothes these days.  you have a few 6 month pj's that you'll wear, too.  

your favorite things are starting to change these days, as you're interested in new things.  we introduced you to Sophie the Giraffe and the love affair began! you grab onto everything these days, so noisy rattles are a fave of yours, too.  you love your new kick n' play piano mat, thanks to santa! 

these days you are holding your head up very well, making the sweetest noises, and drooling all over the place.  everything goes into your mouth. your hands are constantly being chewed on and you often need to wear bibs so you don't ruin your pretty outfits.  you have the most beautiful blue eyes still! you have priceless facial expressions! you smile, coo, and giggle all the time but as soon as the camera comes out you stop.  your facial expressions are easy to catch on film, though!  

christmas eve morning i went to get you out of your crib and you kept turning on to your side, as if you wanted to roll over.  not more than 10 minutes later you started rolling from your back to your  belly.  your dad was so proud and you gave him the biggest, greatest smile as if to say you were proud of yourself, too!  ever since then you haven't stopped rolling and will turn 360 degrees now! keep up the moving, girlfriend!

nora, i have loved every minute i have spent with you the past 4 months.  every time i look into your eyes i think how lucky i am to be your mommy.  you are my greatest accomplishment and i look forward to watching you grow into a beautiful, smart, curious, and independent young little lady!

happy 4 month birthday girlie! 

xoxo

mommy & daddy

only daddy can get you to smile like this...daddy's girl :)

and then a few more from christmas...

hanging with uncle jimmy on christmas

with uncle kyle.  precious. 

nora's first christmas

to my darling baby,

christmastime is always so magical.  sharing this wonderful holiday with you made it even more magical this year.  everyone always says seeing a holiday through a child's eyes makes it that much better.  it is so true.  although you really had no idea what was going on, i loved sharing this wonderful time of year with  you.  last year on christmas eve, we found out we were going to have a baby.  i told dad by putting something in his stocking and he was in SHOCK! now here were are, one year later, sharing this special time with you.  one year ago i could not imagine the love i would have for my baby girl and throughout christmas, i just kept looking at you thinking, "i am your mommy!  i have the best christmas gift ever.  i am so lucky."  

needless to say, these past two days (christmas eve and christmas day) were so joyous that i completely forgot to take pictures!  i'm hoping that your grandmas or uncles may have a few i will have to take!  

merry christmas!

christmas eve we went to my parents, grandma and grandpa's house. we're hoping to start/keep the tradition of celebrating christmas eve with my family and christmas day with your dad's family.  it is so nice to be able to spend an entire day/night with one side and not feel rushed to leave.  we truly enjoyed every minute of our holiday.  we had a gingerbread house decorating competition, ate a delicious dinner, and opened presents.  no one wanted to leave, but we knew santa would be coming soon so we needed to go to bed!

christmas eve family photo

daddy & nora on christmas eve

nora's spot at the dinner table, pre-nap

gingerbread houses... & wine

christmas morning we spent at home, our first christmas morning as a family of 3!  it's funny how christmas morning takes on a new element of love, wonder, and magic when you have a baby!  we opened santa's presents and made a special pancake breakfast.  we stayed in our pj's playing with your new toys all morning!

tired mommy & curious nora!

your first christmas present from santa!

even nora got an iphone!

new tummy time mat.. not so sure about it just yet... 

after your nap, we got dressed and headed over to your dad's parents, gigi and grandpa's house.  here we opened presents, played with your uncles, had a wonderful meal, and got many cuddles from aunts, uncles, grandmas, and all the people who love you so much! 

new PBK anywhere chair from gigi & grandpa! 

why yes,  you sure are mommy's favorite present!

it was hard to leave, as we knew christmas would be coming to an end once we got home.  when dad and i were laying in bed, we kept saying how lucky we were to have you as our daughter.  

merry christmas, nora marie! 

xoxo,

mommy & daddy 

christmas season

hi baby girl! 

wow, we've been busy preparing for the christmas season this year!  it is so much more fun now that you are in our lives.  also, a lot more hectic!  not as easy to do the christmas shopping, baking, and cooking with a little lady in tow.  fortunately, you are so easy going and enjoy shopping and baking with mommy!  i know that this won't always be true, so i'm soaking up every minute of it now!

we've lounged around in bed in our christmas pj's... (our thanksgiving night tradition started last year where santa brings our family new christmas pj's to wear for the holiday season on thanksgiving night)

bought and decorated our christmas tree...

had Smith Family Christmas...

Yoga Mom's December family get together...

playing with lucy and learning how to stand...

baking cookies with mommy, aunt kristen, & nathan/kylie/brianna...

visiting mommy at lunch...

and even visiting santa (at 7am)!!

you were so excited to sit on his lap. you giggled and sucked on your fingers the whole time!

i am looking forward to the next two days celebrating Christmas with you and our family!

merry christmas, baby girl!

xoxo,

mommy 

your first thanksgiving

dear nora boo,

you enjoyed your first thanksgiving at both of your grandparents house.  here are some pictures from our holiday! 

always the crowd pleaser :)

gigi and grandpa

grandma and grandpa

what a happy, great day we had! you got to visit with all of your uncles, grandparents, and even great-grandparents!  of course, we were most thankful for you this thanksgiving!

xoxo,

mama & daddy

3 months old!

dear nora,

oh. my. goodness.  you're three months old today! (well, on the day that i actually wrote this... the day i finally posted it you are closer to 4 months! i knew this going back to work thing would be hard!)  you are seriously the most fun three month old ever!  we have been so fortunate to spend the past 3 months together, hanging out, getting used to this life together and they have been the most fun, rewarding yet challenging, and exciting months.  

you are becoming so aware of your world.  you love watching everything around you, earning you the nickname "nosey nora".  

you've had an exciting month 3 of life... 

you celebrated your first holiday (halloween)

you went to your first friend's birthday party (tyler's)

you went to a baby shower!

you met even more of mom & dad's aunts & uncles

saw your first snowfall

you went to mom's school to meet her students! 

and of course our time wouldn't be complete without play dates with our yoga friends!

we took you to your three month well visit last week and you weighed in at a whopping 10.5 pounds! you're getting up there, girlfriend!  you are almost 24 inches long, too.  the doctor said you will most likely be a petite little girl.  no shots this time around, thank goodness!  health wise, you're doing pretty good!  you got your first cold this month but never seemed to be bothered by it.  you also have really dry skin that also doesn't seem to bother you as much as it worries me!

dad, grandpa, uncle jimmy & gramps

you are still sleeping through the night! (woo hoo!) we put you down for bed at 8pm and you wake up around 7am, sometimes a bit earlier but you just suck on your hands and coo for awhile before we come get you.  you are still working on taking longer naps in your crib.  you'll sleep for about 30-45 min and then cry, cry, cry.  you just can't stand to be away from your mama for that long, i guess! you will sleep great in the car or on errands though.  

you eat every 3 hours during the day.  if you take a bottle, you drink about 5oz.  you seem to love your morning bottle from dad, as you even try to grab and hold it yourself! when he wakes you up in the morning, you kick your feet with excitement and give him/us the BIGGEST smiles and coos!  i'm definitely going to miss that when i am back at work next month :(

your favorite things include your pacifier (of course!), your swing, sucking on your hands,

and baths.  you still dislike diaper changes and getting into your car seat (cue the tears!) you also started really liking the football-hold recently.  it is usually what calms you down during your fussy time at night.  you like helping me cook in the kitchen, too!  you HATE tummy time, although you're getting more used to it.

you've been rolling over like crazy this month! i've got it on video a few times, too!  you also are starting to laugh.  it sounds more like a high-pitched scream, but it is accompanied by the biggest, gummy smile!  dad is usually the one that can get you to laugh! 

nora, these past 3 months have been by far, the best months of my life.  i am so happy i have been able to be home with you, even if some of the days were really rough (we were still learning together, right?!).  you are the happiest baby and bring so much joy to our lives. i'm so thankful that we've made it out of "the fourth trimester" and i know only great things are to come.  i'll be back at work after thanksgiving and it makes me so sad to leave you every day.  i wish i could spend every minute at home with you, but i know that i need to be a role model for you... i want to show you that you can have it all one day, little lady.  you can be a working woman and a great mom/wife/daughter/sister/friend, too.  you might not get any sleep and feel stretched thin, but you can do whatever you set your mind to!  

we love you to the moon and back!

xoxo,

mommy & daddy