Bits and Pieces

The last few nights Nora has been waking up every few hours. I think this might be a growth spurt because she's eating a lot, too. She'll wake up, cry until I come in (she keeps crying if Daddy comes in), then half a minute later want to go back to her crib. Basically, it's just enough to really screw up my sleep cycles. Fun.

This morning Nora was leaning on the back door while I made her breakfast. I heard a few toots come from that area and I looked over. Nora reached down and very helpfully patted her diaper to show me where they had come from.

Last night Nora pulled all of her wipes out of the box. This was the second time that day she had done this and her Daddy picked her up to talk to her before she got a spanking. Nora kept making faces at him while he talked and he kept saying, aloud, in the middle of his sentences "Don't laugh" as a caution to himself.

Nora has found her old car seat and has been using it all morning as a seat/rocker.

We went to Walgreen's. I was letting Nora walk around when she saw a stuffed bunny on the floor. She ran over, grabbed it and yelled "Hop! Hop!", nearly giving the elderly lady standing next to it a heart attack.

In other news our mailbox has a new use. We live in an older neighborhood and the mailbox is one the front door. The other day we came home from running errands and playing in the park to find it packed with leaves and sticks. Matt cleaned it out (I wasn't about to stick my hand in there) and this morning I heard a noise at the door. I looked and saw a little bird refilling it. It's a very quick little bird and it's completely full again.

Helper Ant

Nora has become a big help around the house. She helps me unload the dryer and put the clothes in the living room to be folded. She takes the folded clothes to the bedrooms (although they usually need to be refolded) and loves to push the button to start the dryer. She will put her place mat on the table and choose a plate for dinner. The other day she helped me put away the groceries. This morning she decided to help me with the biggest project we've got. She packed a few of her books in an empty moving box and then climbed in after them. That's one less thing to pack!

My Kingdom For A Camera

After Matt got off of work today we were packing up in Nora's room (which is where we keep all of Matt's theology books and study type stuff). We closed the door to our bedroom and the bathroom, put up the gate and let Nora have the run of her room and the hallway while we worked. She amused herself for quite a while by pulling her clothes out of her dresser and throwing them over the gate. I would have given anything for a camera, though, when she wandered into her room wearing a sundress around her neck as a cape and Mardi Gras beads. She thought she looked great and wore it for another half hour or so!

TMI

Last night Matt's dad, Gary, came over for dinner. We ate late and Nora had to go to bed soon after. We followed the normal night time routine and gave her a bath before bringing her back to our bed to dress and diaper. Before the diaper was on Nora let go and peed all over my leg. We laughed, dressed her and brought her in to tell her Granddaddy good night. When we walked out I told him about Nora peeing on me. Nora heard and decided to add to the telling. She looked at Gary and pointed to where the pee came out. Such a lady-like little girl we're raising!

Out of Balance

I started packing for the move today. I started with Nora's closet, since it's a catch all for all sorts of junk. 3 hours later I had 4 boxes packed, labeled and ready to be stored. But I also had 3 boxes of things to give away, 1 of things to shred and a box and bag of trash. That is a really unbalanced ratio. I have a ton of crap to get rid off. I'll be so glad to have everything pared down when we move.

In other out of balance news, Nora has seemed a little out of whack herself lately. Yesterday was the crankiest she has been in a very long time. She's teething and I think something else is bothering her. She used to love having her shirt taken off because it gave her a chance to run around shirtless. But the last few days she's fought it and cried. I'm not sure what's going on, but I kinda wonder if she doesn't feel sore from her flu shot. If she's still like this in a few days I'll probably take her to the doctor.

18 Month Check-Up

Nora had her 18 month check-up today. In the words of her doctor "She is perfect." She weighed in at 23 pounds, which put her in the 30th percentile. She was in the 74th for height (I have no idea where that's coming from!) and the 90th for head size (no mystery there; that's her Dad's head!). The only thing he noted was that her right foot turned in a little when she walked. He hadn't noticed it at the last check-up. He told us to have her new doctor check it at her 2 year check-up.

She was set to have two shots today, a hepatitis shot and a follow-up flu shot. Unfortunately they had just ran out of the flu shot so they told me to call tomorrow. She got the other shot and we went home. A few hours later, just after she went down for her nap, the nurse called and told me the vaccines had just come in and to bring Nora in. So after her nap she went and got another shot! Poor kid! I felt terrible for the double visit so we went to Wendy's and got fries. She ate the whole thing in no time flat. I think I may be forgiven!

P.S.- There won't be any pictures for a while. My camera has officially been declared dead.

Still Around

It's been a while since my last post because we all went to Houston to visit my parents. We had a blast there and in Mississippi and Louisiana where we made pit stops. Nora really loved playing with her cousin Jack and getting spoiled by everyone. It's good to be home, even though we've had a mouse problem. Now it's on to packing up for the move!