Thanksgiving 2010

I am 10 months old!

Here I am at 10 months old! It has been a very growing two months since we talked, especially for Mom and Dad. First off, we had a BLAST on vacation in the Outerbanks. Wow, the ocean is so much cooler than my sound machine makes it out to be. I loved splashing in the water, playing in the sand and watching the seagulls. AND while I was there I learned to crawl!! Daddy called it my "leper crawl" when I first started because I keep one leg bent. But now I am quite quick and can get around great. It was fun to hang out with my cousins all week. AND Nana and Pappy. They read me lots of good books, which I am finally finding interesting! They were right, there's lots of cool stuff in books! On the way to vacation, we had an adventure: the car broke down in the tunnel of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge! Our car had to be towed and then we had to hang out in Wal-Mart for a few hours. Dad said he felt like we were homeless. BUT, we made it there.
A few weeks after being home, I got super sick with a fever virus for about a week. Mom and Dad took me to the doctor's three times in one week, but they kept saying nothing was wrong with me. I cried a lot and didn't sleep very well. I was sad to see Mommy crying with me sometimes. Before this I didn't like to eat much, except an occasional avocado, but then when I got sick- I didn't want to eat at all.
The next week, after I started to feel better, was my surgery. I already wrote to you about that, but I think it went pretty well. The worst part was a few days after when the pain started getting to me. I didn't feel like eating then either. I lost a few pounds so my parents were kind of worried. My scar is healing really well. Mom puts lots of different ointments on it and I pretty much leave it alone cause it still hurts and is all gooey.
So at the end of these few weeks when I wasn't eating or sleeping well. Mama said she was "bouttolosehermind" -whatever that is. I interpret "bouttolosehermind" as letting me cry it out at night and not sleep with Daddy. I was pretty mad about this, especially the first day. I was so mad that I threw up everywhere. Mommy said this was the hardest day of being a Mom EVER. Daddy says I am just like Mommy:stubborn. I like to think of it as persistent. But then I gave in, and as usual, they are right. It's pretty nice sleeping for long periods of time in my own bed. Boobs still comes in and feeds me once or twice, but for the most part I just go back to my dreams about ALL my boyfriends.
Speaking of boys, I am all settled in at my BFF's house, Jonah, with our Nanny Shirley. I go there three days a week. They have so many cool toys and Shirley thinks the world of me. The other days I am home with Mommy and sometimes I get to visit my other local boys Porter and Bodhi. I also have a friend Issac that I got to see this week. I wear all his big sister's clothes. I also get together with London sometimes, he is my NYC fling. Dad is concerned that I don't have any girlfriends, but it's okay- I have my cousins for that.
Something weird happened this week after I started sleeping more, I got hungry! One day I just decided to start opening my mouth when Mama tried to feeding me. WHOAH! Food is GOOD. I have eaten: apples, bananas, raspberries, ham, cheese, rice and beans, spaghetti. sweet potatoes, at least a half an avocado a day, bread, french fries. . . I feel like the VERY hungry caterpillar! I can't get enough! AND Mama tried dairy again and I don't have an allergy anymore. I love cheese and yogurt! I wonder if I will know if I am supposed to make a cocoon like the very hungry caterpillar does in the book?
Mommy and Daddy are really happy about all this eating. Daddy says he can't see my ribs anymore. And you know what more eating means. . . more pooping!
I also had my first real holiday- Halloween! It was really fun watching Mom and Dad get all excited when I wore the costumes. And I got to go to a baby party! All the other babies were in funny costumes and we ate puffs together. I am really starting to look forward to Thanksgiving when I get to see cousin Logan AND I hear there's LOTS of new food to try. hmmmmm. . . I wonder what turkey will taste like.
Gotta go- talk to you later!

Apple picking with Bodhi and Porter

Fall Festival

 
 
 

Helping Mommy in the Kitchen

The kitchen is one big adventure land! My favorite thing is emptying the dishwasher and playing drums with the wooden spoons. Sometimes I even crawl up on the door and get to look all around. I also love emptying the cupboards, especially the corner one with all the bottles. Once, I dumped a half bottle of soy sauce out all over me. Mama says she was going to eat me like a little piece of sushi. But what I REALLY love about the kitchen is Bella's dishes. When she is eating, she shares her food with me. Once I had a whole mouth full and Mommy made me spit it out! I also like splashing in her water dish. Our freezer is on the bottom so sometimes I get to crawl in and make all the bags go crinkle-crinkle. I love the rush of the cold air. And my cousins gave me a really fun magnet game for the fridge. PLUS there are stairs in the kitchen and I learned how to climb up them. Whew, I love the kitchen. And whenever I need Mom I just look for her legs and pull on her pants, once I pulled them clear down! Good thing no one else was around!

Washing our new car with Daddy!

Halloween

YES, she had two costumes!!

Holidays

Halloween has lead me to consider how I want to celebrate holidays with Nori. I love the idea of establishing family traditions that not only she will remember but will cause us all to learn and grow. The past several years I have celebrated Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead.) This is a Latin American tradition that blends from teh catholic holiday of All Saints Day, which is November 1, and Halloween which also somehow originated from All Saints Day as well. The Day of the Dead is a time to celebrate those that have passed. This is done in the home by making a small altar with candles, the favorite foods of those passed, photos, flowers, and whatever you want to put on it! In Guatemala it was also celebrated by partying in the cemetery! People would bring favorite foods of the dead and drinks to the graves of family. Then there would be dancing and partying for several days.
For the first time this year we made an altar in our home, namely honoring Pete and I's grandparents as well as our late cat Lily.
I also made Pan de Muertos, Bread of the Dead, this year which we ate at a Day of the Dead celebration on Monday.
I have never loved autumn but my efforts to embrace it this year have been encouraged by these celebrations. As the leaves are falling and underfoot I have been thinking of the intimacy of God with the closeness of the leaves. Although I love the splendor of spring and blossoms, they are so far away high up in the trees! Now we can touch, feel and hear God in the crunch of the leaves. And with what splendor they die! It reminds me that as people die they also surrender to deep beauty before passing. Day of the Dead softens the "evilness" or fear and darkness that sometimes is connotated with Halloween.
I hope that we are able to teach Nori about the beauty of dying, of remembering loved ones in this time of year as well as to have fun dressing up and eating candy!!

The Spot Fairy Visit

Hi Everyone! I am home from my day at the hospital! I had a lot of fun in the beginning- they had lots of cool toys and sparkly things to look at. AND lots of cords, which I love. Then I began to get a little hungry and tired. So my nurse walked around with me and I hammed it up to everyone. They usually give kids my age medication when they leave their parents, but heck- I didn't need that- I love new people! When they put me on the stretcher to go to the OR it reminded me of riding in the grocery cart and I got a real kick out of it.
Then I got REALLY sleepy and had some wonderful dreams about the Spot Fairy coming to take away my spot and give it to another baby. When I woke up I had a sore throat and lots of things stuck in me, but I couldn't stay awake and kept falling back asleep.
Then I got to see Mommy and Daddy and take naps as they held me. I had on very special Fairy pajamas from my cousins. My nurses were super nice and mommy only cried a little bit. I don't feel much pain yet, but when we got home Mommy tried to give me some pain medicine and I threw up all over Mommy and Daddy. Now Daddy and I are going to take a looooooooooooong nap together.
Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts- I could feel them. But especially thanks for praying for parents, they needed it more than I did!
Love,
Nori (minus one spot)
ps attached are some photos I took for you!

Becoming a Mother

For the past two days I have been home with Nori because she has been sick. And by being home, I been being in the house all day. By being sick, I mean she doesn't want to be put down for more than 30 seconds. These two things have given me flashbacks to how I felt in the newborn days, only now with a different -didn't just pop a baby out- perspective.
Being a Mom is hard work. That is my- not new- but continued realization. Personally, it is hard for me to be home all day with her. I feel like I go in circles of cleaning, caring for Nori, caring for myself, answering phone calls. etc I don't like how there are not clear boundaries of work and rest, nor a clear sense of accomplishment. There is always something else to be done. I am learning to take moments of rest and to enjoy Nori. A few weeks ago when I was home with her it dawned on me that being a mom is the most challenging role I have. I be a decent wife and a good PA with relative ease. I like exercising, pushing myself physically, disciplining myself in prayer. I am pretty good friend to others. BUT, motherhood? Weekly, I am brought to my knees. I think I expect my time at home with her to be the easy part of my week, but just this realization of the magnitude of the job helps me.
But it is also truly bonding. For example, two days ago I had no problem going out in the evening while she was asleep, even though she was sick. Tonight, after being with her non stop for two days, I canceled my evening plans, unable to think of being away from her if not needed.
I had another flashback today to the newborn days. At one point she was crying so much I started crying with her. The most difficult and powerless part of being a mom is not knowing what is hurting her and not being able to make it better.
Yesterday, when she was super sick. I went into crazy busy mode when she was sleeping. I started canning, painting the bathroom and cleaning out my closet?!
I think that my instinct when I feel out of control is to focus on what I can control. That, as well as avoiding focusing on what scares me.
The other question that I have been asking this week that I also asked in the newborn days- do I give her what others can't (besides breastmilk)? I was told this week by others that when she is sick "she needs me." We truly believe in equal parenting and also in others' roles in her life. But there is a nurturing between us that is both wonderful and overwhelming.
I love her more and more. Especially in the sleepless nights lately, using every cell in my body to attempt to comfort and care for her. I feel myself in each of this new levels of commitment growing as a mom.

I am so grateful for what how she is changing me, breaking me, and making me her mother.

Outerbanks

Outerbanks

Outerbanks: My first beach Vacation

I am EIGHT months old!!

I am 8!! months old and feeling great! You haven't heard from me in 2 months because I have been just too busy to write. I am very happy to tell you about my new Nanny!! It is so much fun going to my new friend Jonah's house. AND (Thank God) Mommy has stopped worrying so much. At first I thought they were saying Nana was going to watch me, but then I realized this woman wasn't Nana, she has an island accent 'cause she's from the Carribbean! (I wish Nana was from the Carribbean then I could go visit her.)
Wish brings me to my next point- I LOVE the water. I have only been swimming twice, but it was so fun and I kicked just like in the bathtub. We are leaving tomorrow, on my 8 month b-day, to go to the beach for the WHOLE week. I am super jazzed and figure by the time I get back I will be a little fish. Mama says there is a pool and the ocean there! I saw the ocean again last week and tried to do an interview but despite my talking really loud, it just seemed to say the same thing over and over- "sleep, sleep. . ." It makes the same noise as my sound machine that plays waves in my bedroom at night and tells me to go nighty night.
I really REALLY love talking. I can make all sorts of noises and can communicate what I want and think already. When something is loud and new I get loud back and try to figure it out. When something surprises me I can go "huuuuh?" When I am playing, I can make role play noises for all my animals. When I am tired, I draw out my moans like "blah blah blah, someone put me to bed."
I recently learned to "cluck" with my tongue. Bella especially likes this one. And when I get mad, whew!- you don't want to be around. I open a can of good ole whoop ass. But despite my broad language and musical skills, my favorite noise is still laughing. And trust me, with these two (Boobs and Small Eyes), there is lots to laugh about. My favorite game is hide and go seek with the towel. I just learned how to cover and uncover my face. This makes me laugh so much sometimes I can't stop.
Mom and Dad are also starting to do sign language with me. They talk really slow and loud and then do the sign with the word as though I am deaf instead of just a baby. But I am learning and think they will like it when I start to sign back in baby sign language.
With all this talking and playing, I have still found time to develop my movement. Mommy says that I am a typical girl cause I am more advanced in my talking than moving. But this past week I decided to master the "scootch." They are saying it is not crawling, but it is my own patented move. I tuck one leg in, indian (native american) style, and then use my hands and the other leg to get around. Then when I am ready to sit back up, BAM, my crossed leg balances me upright. I think I am going to market this to other babies, so shhhhhh . . don't share this info with any other babies!!
All of this talking and moving makes me hungry. I am eating three solid meals a day now. Mom has been fussing about whether I should start formula or not to supplement. The past week I have been waking up at night cause my tummy says FEED me. My fav is still breast milk, but sometimes I just can't get enough. Which, I don't mind, but Mama says is a little inconvenient at 1 am (and 3 am and 5 am.)
I had a terrible. NO GOOD, very bad, day about a month ago. I was eating yogurt and bananas when I started to get super itching ALL over. Then my eyes started swelling shut and I couldn't stop crying. Mama lost her mind! She called the doctor and when he asked her if I was breathing she said, "I don't know!" The doctor reminded her if I was screaming then I was breathing. So I screamed the whole way to the Rite Aid, just to make her feel better. Then in the Rite Aid she opened the benadryl in the aisle and started pouring it in my mouth. This made me scream even more. Eventually we made it to the doctor's and he said I was probably allergic to milk protein. Then I took the longest nap of my life, thanks to all that benadryl.
So, no more yogurt for me for now. I was reading on the other baby blogs and it seems like most babies outgrow these allergies by age one. I hope so, because as happy as ice cream makes my mom, I can't wait to try it!
The other medical update I have to share is that my surgery was rescheduled for October 29th. I hope Mom and Dad still let me go to my Halloween party.
Okay, I gotta go finish packing for my beach vacation. I have three swimsuits. my clogs and my shades. I think that is all I will need. Daddy says I am not allowed to wear my bikini if there are other boy babies around. I can't wait to build my first sand castle, try boogie boarding and play with my cousins. Talk to you when I get back!!

Should I eat my toes or the biscuit? or both at once?