A Conversation with Phoebe

While Daddy was watching some baseball with Phoebe curled up on his lap:
Michael: Phoebe, what team does Daddy like?
Phoebe: (Thinks for a minute)...the Braves!
M: Good girl! What team does Pops like?
P: Mmmm...Red Sox!
M: Phoebe, what team do you like?
P: (Thinks for a long time)....Phoebe like pink!

Nora is 11 Months Old!

Nora, my "itty bitty", is certainly not very itty bitty anymore. A month away from one (!), she becomes more of a little person every day. Since Nora's ten month day fell during my break from blogging, it's been a while since Nora has had an update all to herself. It's amazing how much this little eleven month old can do!


At eleven months, Nora...

• is a beautiful, predictable sleeper...most of the time. She generally takes a nap in the morning (1.5-2 hours) and a nap in the afternoon (2 hours), and she sleeps about twelve hours at night.
  
• has two teeth. I'm hoping she gets about six more this weekend, since she's been a little fussy friend all week. I'm not holding my breath.
• crawls very fast, cruises on the furniture, and will occasionally stand unassisted (until she realizes that she's doing it). Nora can also walk with a push-walker, but this doesn't seem to be much fun to her.
  
• loves to eat! Mealtime is, laughably, a tale of two sisters. I cannot think of a food that Nora doesn't like or won't eat. We gave up baby food...a long time ago. She just wants to eat whatever Phoebe has! (Nora also still takes 4 bottles a day, but if she can get her hands on her sister's sippy cup of milk, she's all set.)
  
• talks, babbles, and chirps all day long. The other night, we heard "Daddy" when she was particularly sad... but as far as we can tell, she hasn't said any "real" words yet.
• signs "more" and "all done"
• is into everything, which means we are training in full force. Nora understands "no touch" and "no ma'am"... and she is so sensitive to training! (I want to cry right along with her!) After a really tough day yesterday, I'm determined to get her blanket trained - even though that's going to mean we're both crying for a few days!
• loves to read, especially board books with pictures of babies. She surprised me yesterday by sitting still for most of an Eric Carle book (one of Phoebe's library books), but generally her attention span is two to three short board books.
• loves water. When bathtime comes along, I can't get her in the tub fast enough. She's also fearless in the pool. Water time is happy time!
• is starting to experience separation anxiety. When I leave the room, it isn't pretty. Bless her heart, that sweet little lip comes out and she wails. I love that she loves her mommy (and daddy - she does this for him, too), but it breaks my heart to see her so sad about a quick potty break for Mommy!
• thinks her sister is the best. Wherever Phoebe is, that's where Nora wants to be. Whatever Phoebe does, that's what Nora wants to do. Nora's learning a lot from her big sister!

We sure do love our Norabelle! Happy Eleven Months, Nora...

The Third

Yesterday, I sat with a chirping Norabelle in my lap and was overwhelmed with delight in her. What a precious gift she is! She is so different from the sister that she adores, and yet no less wonderful. And at that moment, I could hardly contain my excitement over this newest baby, set to arrive in just six months!

My hands are certainly full -- and will be moreso when the new baby arrives -- but my heart is overflowing with joy. This has been hard to explain to others, who often wonder why on earth we'd want to have three children under three. But when I was reading in Stepping Heavenward a few weeks ago, I came across this passage that was extraordinarily encouraging to me. Since I have a couple of friends who are going through a similar season, I thought I'd share this here...

[They say] I shall now have one mouth the more to fill and two feet the more to shoe, more disturbed nights, more laborious days, and less leisure or visiting, reading, music and drawing.
Well! This is one side of the story, to be sure, but I look at the other. Here is a sweet, fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God; and the body in which it dwells is worthy all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ's name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother's heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers!
from Stepping Heavenward, by Elizabeth Prentiss

Yes, little one, you are a welcome gift from God! We can't wait to hold you!

Returning

It wasn't my intention at first to stay silent for my entire first trimester. But the truth is, I had a more intense trimester than with either of the girls and I found myself with literally nothing to say. Once the sickness hit at six weeks and I started napping for the girls' entire naptime every day, I had to strip down my commitments to the bare minimum. Fortunately, survival mode only lasted about five weeks...and then we went out of town for ten days.

While I've missed recording things here, it was good to take a break. Now that I'm feeling better and (slowly) adding things back into my daily routine, I'm eager to get back to blogging -- at least so I can remember these sweet days that we're in.

Besides...I'm sure all of you have been missing these sweet faces!

It's good to be back!