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!