Nora is Nine Months Old!

Nine months? Really? These months with our Norabelle have flown by. I don't know if it's having a toddler in the house or what... but it seems like just a moment ago that I was pregnant with Nora. I'm amazed that she has now been here with us as long as she was gestating.


Nora remains our happy little love. She still seems like such a baby to me, where I know at nine months, Phoebe seemed like such a little grownup. I love that Nora still seems so small. (If anyone can figure out a way to keep our babies small for longer...)

And yet, even though Nora is still so small... she's getting bigger by the minute! At nine months, Nora is...

• starting to move! Nora has not yet perfected her crawling technique (hallelujah!), but she can army-crawl her way across the room. I prayed she would be a late crawler... I'm so thankful that she is! (We started blanket training her yesterday so that I can get some peace. I forgot how Itty Bitties are little magnets for Itty Bitty Whatevers on the floor!)
• putting herself in a sitting position. This can be frustrating for her at naptime!
• eating...everything. She prefers table food to baby food, and has gotten really good at the tray-to-mouth motion. I don't think Nora has met a food she doesn't like!
  
• taking two good naps each day, and sleeping well at night. She is still rises earlier than her sister... but is there a sweeter way to wake up than to your happy sister?
• toothless, still. She's gumming hard and seems to be teething... but I'm terrible when it comes to these first teeth. She'll probably get them in September.
  
• clapping and signing "more"... although she's inconsistent with the "more" sign, I'm trying to be more consistent about not giving in to her whining for more food.
• babbling "Dada" and other sweet strings of syllables.
  
• generally a happy camper! She gets a little cranky around 5:30... in fact, I've debated moving her back to a 3rd nap and a later bedtime with Phoebe... but for now, we like that she crashes a little earlier than her big sister.
  
• in love with her big sister. Phoebe can almost always make Nora happier!
• loves to be in the water. She gets so excited when the bath starts running, and she LOVES to swim in Nan and Boom's pool!
  

This past month has been particularly fun with Nora...she is changing so fast! She continues to delight and surprise us!

The Truth

Last night as we were getting ready to eat dinner, Michael was telling Phoebe about all the people he loved. He'd named all the usual suspects, as you would expect. And then he said,

"Phoebe, who does Daddy love most of all?"

And without missing a beat, Phoebe answered:

"Jesus!"

May our little girls always know that Jesus is to be loved most of all...

Recovering

For over a week, Phoebe has talked about getting on Pops' boat and using her pink "fishy" pole. She finally got her wish on Saturday (although the only fishing she did that day was out of a goldfish snack pack). But y'all, I'm beat. More to come when these bags get unpacked and the grocery shopping is done.

Introducing...Karen

About a month ago, my Uncle Steve introduced Phoebe to a new friend. I wasn't sure what Phoebe would think of this new friend; she is, well, a little different. But much to my surprise the girls became fast friends, and the relationship has continued to blossom since then.

Meet Karen:


Karen likes taking naps with Phoebe, going for car rides, doing arts and crafts... I'm amazed at how similar their interests are! Sometimes Phoebe decides that she needs a break from Karen for a little while, and she'll conveniently lose her for a few days. Sometimes we'll find her shoved in a couch cushion or under the bed; I really should talk with Phoebe about being kind to her friends.


Karen isn't quite as coordinated as Phoebe, so Phoebe kindly helps her friend out when she needs a hand. Karen will also sometimes keep Phoebe up talking when they should be napping. That's okay, they both fall asleep quickly enough.


Phoebe even wants to dress like Karen. Just the other day, I heard her hunting for a pink belt. Sadly, Phoebe owns no belts -- although I think she should, especially now that her diaper is no longer around to hold up her pants. I'm so glad that Karen is a good influence on Phoebe.

Library Bag Favorites #2

We had another winning library bag this week! Some of our favorites from our most recent trip are (in no particular order):

• Caps for Sale. I remember seeing this book on Reading Rainbow growing up, and I remember loving it. I wasn't sure if it would be too long for Phoebe, but she loves hats... and she loves monkeys... so it was a sure-fire win. She's chosen it several times for our bedtime read, and she's even tried to read it to Nora. (Nora was, by the way, more interested in the book jacket.) It's a classic worth reading; we'll probably be buying a copy.
• Hooray for Fish. Oh fish, how we love thee...especially this week, since Phoebe got to watch Finding Nemo last weekend. I love the vivid illustrations of the fish and the unique fish pictured. Smaller children would love this book because there's little text and bold illustrations. Hooray for this book! (This is also by the author of the Maisy books, if you're interested.)
• Roar! When I opened this book, I dreamed up about six different third grade reading block lessons I could do...but you're probably not interested in why this is a great book for third grade literacy. It was great for Phoebe because of the bright colors, the variety of animals, and the really interesting language used in the text. We learned a lot about animal sounds and movements. And we read it a lot, since I kept it in the bathroom for the first day of potty training. She liked it more the more we read it.
• Noah's Ark. This is a wordless picture book that is beautifully illustrated. We loved examining the pictures and telling the story of Noah. Phoebe particularly loved noticing little things in the pictures, and it caused her to ask a lot of questions. This would be a great addition to a family library. My favorite part of the book is the opening poem, a sixteenth century Dutch poem about Noah... and God's grace.
• Put it on the List. Oh my goodness, did I ever empathize with the Mom in this book... except I'm the one guilty of not putting things on the list. Great illustrations, funny little story... and a sweet reminder to write things down so I'm not wandering Target with a hungry toddler and a fussy baby wondering what on earth I was supposed to get.

I should add...if you want a great resource for finding good, age-appropriate children's books, I would highly recommend Honey for a Child's Heart. It's a good overview of why you should have literature in the home, but it is fantastic because of its appendix of high-quality children's literature. It has an emphasis on classics, and the book is written from a Christian worldview. If you're wondering where to start in the library, books like this are a great resource!

Catching Up

My coffee hasn't kicked in yet, especially since I switched it to half-caf last week. But since everyone's dying to know about potty training...and the minutia of our days...I figured I'd throw up a random post to tide me over until I can write something of substance.

• Michael put together our new grill this weekend. The old one...well, it bit the dust. And then became a nest for some Carolina wrens. I am ridiculously excited about this grill. I'm conspiring to cook everything we eat on it or in the slow cooker in order to keep the house cool this summer.
• We've been potty training for a week. I arrogantly thought I'd have Phoebe trained in a day, like the book suggested. We all know that pride cometh before a fall, right? We've had some good days and some bad days, but I think she's starting to get the hang of it. Phoebe's biggest hurdle is remembering to go when she's having fun...who wants to go potty when they're watching Elmo, for instance?
  
• Nora is everywhere. She's army crawling like a maniac, and seeks out teeny tiny everythings to eat. As soon as I feel more comfortable about this potty training thing, we're bringing out the blanket for some training...post haste!
• My friends need to stop having babies. I have got the fever something fierce, especially now that Nora seems more like a big girl and less like a baby. Three babies in three weeks... I told one friend that her little sleepy munchkin was making my uterus hurt.
  
• The Shred works. Seriously. I went for my annual a couple of weeks ago, and I'd lost fifteen pounds since November. (About half of that was baby weight... but I'm lighter now than I was when I got pregnant with Phoebe.) I'm certainly not teeny, but I'm wearing clothes that I bought the summer before I got married...and some of them are loose. I'm also more toned than I think I've ever been. It's good to know all that sweat is worth it!
  
  

We also have some front row seats to some really exciting "God things" right now. It's too early to blog about any of it (no, I'm not pregnant), but we're seeing the answers come to light to some prayers we've prayed for a very long time. God's timing is incredible!

Snippets

We've been potty training this week, as if you hadn't noticed. Save for a brief hiatus yesterday afternoon when I thought Phoebe was catching a stomach bug, we've been all potty, all the time, since Tuesday morning. Which means that every twenty minutes or so, we're singing songs in the bathroom while Phoebe hangs out on the potty chair.

About eighty-nine percent of my mental energy is expended on potty thoughts. And it feels like that same percentage of my day is spent doing "potty" things: checking, helping, changing, and washing. Which is what I think you're supposed to do when you're potty training.

When I started planning for this week, I figured I would get nothing done. I made peace with my dust and the smudgy kitchen floor, and I planned to work on only my daily minimum. That meant the house wouldn't spiral into total chaos this week, but I wasn't planning to actually clean. Or cook. Or really do anything but potty train. But now that it's Friday, I can look back on this week and see that, to my surprise, I've gotten a lot done.


I'm starting to take advantage of snippets of time -- five minutes here and there -- that add up to a lot getting done, if they're used wisely. In five minutes, I can wash a few dishes, wipe down the counters, and sweep the kitchen. I've found that it only takes about ten minutes to clean my guest bathroom. All those little, nagging chores can be completed in just a few minutes - here and there - to lead to a lot of productivity.

I'm pretty sure I've linked to these messages before... but these messages on time management have really impacted how I use my time during the day. I'm still working through this, and I've listened to these messages several times now, and I have to pray through my schedule and my list several times a day. But to my friends with small children - and to my friends that are looking to just use their minutes a little better - these are a "must listen".

Time Management
Managing your time with Small Children

Now I'm off to go use this snippet of time before the girls wake up!