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!

Nora Borrows Her Sister's Clothes

In my last post, some of you were amazed at how big Nora had gotten! She really does look like she's almost as big as Phoebe... and she feels like it, too! (She weighs about five pounds less than Phoebe right now.)

I always wanted a sister growing up so that I could share clothes with someone. Phoebe and Nora are starting this pretty early on. What do you think?


Oh yes. You read that shirt correctly. Nora's also going to be a big sister, just in time for Phoebe's third birthday! I also promise I wasn't telling a fib when I said we were not pregnant; I'd had a couple of negative pregnancy tests that week, in spite of evidence to the contrary. (Evidently I can tell I'm pregnant much sooner than EPT can?)

We went to the OB last Thursday, and my due date is somewhere around March 7. I had an ultrasound, but it was a little too early to detect a heartbeat... this may push my due date a little further towards March 14 (Phoebe's birthday). I'll have another ultrasound next Thursday, so we'll know more then. It was still absolutely wonderful to have a glimpse at our tiny developing baby!

By the way, Phoebe's hoping for another little sister with whom she can share clothes...

Things...

These "Things" have been keeping me pretty busy lately! In the midst of our normally busy life at home, we also have had a couple of viruses, Nora's got an ear infection, and I'm just trying to make sure we're eating and wearing clean clothes. (We are, by the way!) Thankfully, it sounds like those "Things" have finally settled in for their naps... so I'm going to go take one, too, while I still can!

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!