8 months

nora baby,

this past month has just been so much fun with you!  you are learning new things every day and i love watching you explore the world around you.  you love life and don't want to miss a minute of it! your happy spirit and little spitfire personality are quite contagious.  if i'm having a bad day at work, nothing lights up my world like your little smile :) 

this past month has been a month of changes.  you officially learned to crawl.  and boy do you crawl fast.  especially when you have your eye on something you want.  you also pull up on your knees and will balance on your knees to play.  sometimes you'll pull up and stand up, too.  your legs are getting stronger and stronger every day.  you cut your first tooth while we were on vacation in arizona.  you are growing so much more hair, have chubby little legs, and are quickly outgrowing your clothes!  you also got sick for the first time...like really sick--the flu bug hit you hard!  it was really scary to see you throw up in your sleep that night :( ever since then you became super clingy to me and only wanted to be held.  i'm okay with that, though :) 

you also started talking A LOT more!  you have so much to say and are constantly making noises.  in fact, on april 19th (your uncle kyle's birthday!) you said "mama" and "mum".  your grandma was there to witness!  now, i have no idea if you actually knew what you were saying or it had any real meaning behind it, but i'll go on believing that your first word was "mama".  you have yet to do it again though. 

we've enjoyed so many nice days outside this month and you went on your first swing ride!  on the nice afternoons, we like meeting friends at the park and going for long walks or runs. we also have been enjoying swim lessons every saturday with our yoga mom & baby friends!  you LOVE the water and splash the whole time you're in the pool. 

your first swing ride! 

hanging outside with the "wedding tree" 

i have NO idea how much you weigh these days, but i'm guessing somewhere in the 15.5 pound ballpark range.  i tried to weigh you at home, but you are so squirmy it doesn't really work.  we'll see at your 8 month dr appointment later this week.  

since you're crawling around so much, we had to "baby proof" our house...well, start baby proofing anyway.  i'm not ready to take down some of our vases and wine glasses, etc.  we just watch you extra carefully these days.  your dad put up the baby gates at the top of the stairs with the help of your grandpa.  we put some foam around the outside of the coffee table too.  i'm sure you'll be getting into everything pretty soon!

thank you, nora, for being such a sweet, smiley, happy, and loving baby. we love you to the moon and back! our mama & daddy hearts are so full!

xoxo,

mama & daddy

DOC Band

nora,

just after you turned 5 months, we started our "DOC Band Adventure"... we knew that your head was a little asymmetrical from the torticollis (letter about that sometime soon...) and we decided to get a free evaluation for your head.  sure enough, you needed a doc band.  they classified your need as "mild to moderate", but since insurance covered the band and we knew that it was necessary for your growth, we knew that getting it would be the right decision.  

the day you got your doc band on

mommy & baby selfie

of course we had so many questions about the band.  would you be comfortable? would you continue to make all the necessary milestones? would people understand what this was all about?  fortunately for all of us, everything went perfectly!  

the day after your 6 month birthday you got your doc band.  we started wearing it for 23 hours a day and you took to it wonderfully!  you were not bothered by it one bit.  we took it off for one hour a day during our evening playtime and bath time.  in fact, throughout the past 8 weeks you grew MORE hair, learned to sit, learned to crawl, AND learned to pull up in your crib.  we loved having the band on for an extra "protection" during these milestones!  

the last night you had it on, i kissed your head one last time before bed with the band on.

the OT that we saw the past 8 weeks gave you a "graduation" card and i tried to take your picture with it... you seemed more interested in eating it than taking a picture.  

at our exit appointment

with the creepy head-on-a-stick 

i love being able to cuddle with you and kiss your sweet little head without the doc band on.  however, i am very pleased with the results and i think that you'll be happy one day that you can wear pigtails and have them be symmetrical! :) 

xoxo

mom & dad

before & after pic 

i love looking at your sweet face without the band on :) those baby blues are just so sweet 

mommy & baby pic... you are way too busy to sit still for a picture these days! 

hoppy easter!

hoppy easter, nora! 

today we celebrated your first easter! here are some pictures of you from today...

your DOC Band needed some bunny ears!

so curious....

all dressed up for easter

your easter basket was much more exciting than taking pictures! (peeps were for daddy...)

playing with uncle mike & dad

woah! happy girl sitting up all by herself :) (nora vs her face.. nora's nails won)

with the georgalas men

family pic attempt #1

attempt #2... 

attempt #3... 

bunny ear teether = best easter basket goodie!

and a nap in the stroller for the win...

xoxo,

mama & daddy

Nora's first trip to AZ!

dear nora boo,

we took our first family vacation last week!  i was super nervous about traveling with you, mainly flying on an airplane, but you never cease to amaze me and did so so well.  i am not a huge fan of flying, but i always promised myself to not put my fears onto you (i never want you to inherent my fears!)  let's start out with a little play by play of the week... 

monday afternoon we loaded up the car (no such thing as traveling light anymore!) and headed to the airport.  i like to get there with plenty of time, just in case... we quickly checked our bags & headed to get a quick lunch.  you loved looking around at all the people (just like mama!)  you did okay on the plane.. not great, but could have been worse.  you were in the midst of teething so you were fairly cranky and high maintenance. 

3 people...1 suitcase.  & golf clubs.  & a stroller.  & a car seat... 

such a trooper with your DOC Band... only a few more weeks!

we arrived in sunny, hot scottsdale & quickly headed to the pool! you LOVE swimming and playing in the water!  we got you a pool float, but you felt more comfortable swimming in mom or dads arms rather than the float.  

grandpa jim bought you a pack n play and stocked the house with diapers & wipes so we'd be ready to play as soon as we arrived!  you slept so well this week, probably from all the sun & water!

every day was filled with early mornings (5am to be exact!), lots o' coffee for mom & dad, long walks to starbucks, swimming at the pool, and exploring new restaurants.  

we saw a few family friends in az and got to see auntie cindy's new house, too!  

during the week you officially cut your first tooth and learned how to crawl for real, not just army crawl.  you started pulling up on things, too.  something about the beautiful weather brought out new accomplishments in you, i guess!

your dad and i loved sharing these memories with you.  we've been coming to scottsdale for the past 5 years together, and your dad lived there for a short time after college.  arizona holds a special place in our hearts, and will hold an even more special place now that we shared our first family vacation together there.  my mom (your grandma) still talks about the first trip they took with me when i was your age (believe it or not!).  i know you won't remember this trip, but your dad and i will never forget it.  we love you, boo.  

xoxo,

mama & daddy