Nora's favorite things

Favorite Books:
The Lorax
Blueberries for Sal
Make Way for Ducklings
Snuggle Puppy
Red Hat, Green Hat (oops!)

Favorite Toys:
Her kitchen and her learning tower (so she can play in mom and dad's kitchen)
Anything she can hammer
Stacking toys and blocks
Her Bilibo's
Her babies

Favorite things to do:
Play outside - especially if there is water or a swing involved
Stories
Sing

Favorite Songs:
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Old McDonald Had a Farm

Favorite Color:
Orange! (I think it might be the only color she knows right now).

Favorite Food:
Blueberries, strawberries, watermelon

37 weeks!

I'm 37 weeks along with baby #2 now! It's amazing that sometime in the next 5 weeks, Nora will become a big sister! She loves babies, but I'm still a little concerned about how she'll react. We've had a lot of big changes lately, and she's struggling a bit, but adapting well. I have stopped working for the chiropractor - which was a great place to meet people - and for Nora to see lots of babies! I think we are both going to miss the job, but I'm sure we'll find other things to fill our time!

So far, this pregnancy has been pretty easy. I'm tired and have definitely slowed down (I have a hard time catching Nora when she runs off outside now). In the last week, I have started having problems sleeping, but overall, I've been feeling pretty good, no major complaints! At my 36 week appointment, the midwife estimated that this baby will be just about the same size as Nora (about 10 pounds, with a big butt!). At least I'm consistent!

21 months!

Nora is 21 months old! It's really hard to believe how much she's changed in the last 3 months! She's much more stable at running and climbing, she can go up and down stairs without much help (she uses the railing or a wall). She still loves books! Her current favorites are Snuggle Puppy, Click Clack Moo - Cows that Type, and any book with Kitty Cats in them. She loves to play outside - rain or shine. I'm very glad I got Nora rain paints this year, we have made use of them very often to go stomp in puddles. Her vocabulary is really coming along, she speaks in phrases up to 5-6 words now, and often surprises us! We have to be careful what we say in front of her as she has hit the parrot stage. She also has started singing songs - row row row your boat and rock a bye baby are the two she sings the most. She asks us to sing a lot now as well. It has been such a joy to watch her grow.

Fingerpainting!

In the past, whenever Nora and I have fingerpainted, she would stick one finger in the paint, swirl it on paper and then ask for her hand to be cleaned before touching another color. She typically does not like having dirty hands. Well, today, she started off that way, but then decided it was fun to get paint all over everything. The problem came when she decided she was tired and rubbed her face/eyes! Straight into the tub we went!

4th of July Fun

On July 3rd and 5th, we went down to Danielle and Jeff's house for BBQ and fun. Nora had a great time! She got to eat watermelon, play in a kiddie pool (although, she REALLY wanted to go in the big pool - it was just too cold!), play badminton, and of course, see Danielle and Jeff - two of her favorite people! The weather was pretty nice and we really enjoyed relaxing and having some fun.

"I'm ready...hit it to me"

Who's really playing here, Nora, or Jeff?

Trying to figure out how to fill this squirting toy so I can get everyone else wet!

This is the life...being fed watermelon while standing in the pool!

Backyard Fun

We have managed to collect a number of fun backyard toys for Nora. We purchased a toddler swing, which is bolted to the underside of the deck. Nora loves it! We also got a Little Tykes playhouse, a climbing structure with a slide, a sandbox and a small inflatable pool. It's been great for the past few weeks because the playgrounds are pretty crowded (when it's not raining) and Nora loves to run and play outside. We don't have a flat enough spot for a swingset, but we have plenty to keep her busy right now!

Here she is swinging - and almost falling asleep!

Davis Farmland

We went to the Davis Farmland in Sterling, MA a few weeks ago. It's a great place to go with small children. They have a big farm area where the kids can run around and pet/feed the miniature goats. They also have a lot of different play areas with swings and slides and such, and a great splash zone for cooling off in. We packed a picnic lunch and played there until Nora completely wore herself out! She loved feeding the goats as long as it was on her terms. If she could approach the goat, she was happy. I had a hard time not laughing at her when she had her feed cup in her hand and a goat came up to eat and she backed away and said "no, no goat." Of course, the goat was hungry, so he just kept following her. Overall, she really enjoyed seeing all the animals!

Toddler Bed

We decided to move Nora into a toddler bed in June. She was getting pretty good at climbing and was able to climb into her crib, so we took the drop gate off and put the toddler rail on. She can get in and out of the bed herself. She has not gotten up out of bed at night, but sometimes during nap, she gets up to move. Here is a photo of where she napped the day after we put her in the toddler bed:

Memorial Weekend Camping Trip

We went camping with my dad, Danielle and Jeff over Memorial Weekend. Seems so long ago now, but it was a great weekend! I'm glad we went when we did, as the summer has not been real warm and sunny. The camping trip was very different than last year. Last year, Nora was not mobile and would stay on a blanket. She also fell asleep in the stroller. This year, she was much more mobile and interested in exploring. To entertain her at the campsite, we gave her a bucket and she collected acorns. This kept her occupied for quite a long time! She also loved riding in the bike seat on the back of Andy's bike. Lucky for us, wearing her me-mut (helmet) was fun - we actually had difficulty getting her to take it off! Nora enjoyed her very first s'more as well. She didn't much like sleeping in the tent - she would only sleep if we were with her, so Andy and I ended up keeping her up a bit late (about 9pm) and then all going to bed together. Andy and Jeff had a good time chopping up some of the downed wood from the ice storm. Overall, it was a great weekend!

Long Time...No Blogging

I've fallen into the realm of the blogging slacker. Sorry to all my family members who have been waiting for photo updates! With an active toddler and another one on the way, it's been a busy few months! I'll try to get caught up now - but then it may be awhile again!