I hope it’s obvious why it’s been such a long time since an update — we’ve clearly been busy chasing Nora around the house! It boggles my mind to think back to one year ago today. Our evenings were spent bouncing with an unhappy baby for hours and hours wondering when she’d settle down so we could try to get some sleep. Trish was waking up every couple of hours to feed Nora and, sometimes, change a diaper (or two!). Again I sit here with the monitor quietly humming interrupted occasionally by the rustle of blankets in Nora’s crib appreciating how far we’ve all come — mostly Nora :-)

She’s on the go

For starters, let’s talk about just how we’re chasing her. It all started out with Nora lying on her belly flailing her arms and legs upset about her predicament. One day a little light bulb went off and instead of flailing, the limbs started being used for crawling.

It’s hard to picture her on the floor flailing now as I chase after (on my hands and knees of course, it’s only fair) around our apartment. It’s a multi-stage event with stops at every drawer (that she’s allowed to go into). She empties each drawer of most, if not all, of its contents. There’s Daddy’s shirt drawer, there’s her linen drawer, there’s her junk drawer in the kitchen (filled with tupperware (for chewing), ginger bread cookie cutters (also for chewing) and various wooden kitchen utensils). One complete lap takes around 20 minutes if we don’t also hit the books on her toy chest in her room. Did I mention that she’s walking?

It all happened so quickly Trish and I weren’t even sure it actually happened. Daddy was lying on the floor in the kitchen while Nora played with her the things in her junk drawer. Mommy gave her a piece of dried mango to munch on as a little snack. Eventually Nora got bored with the junk drawer and wanted to move along to the next station of destruction but she faced a perplexing situation: her hands were full yet she wanted to move. In hindsight I think I remember seeing it click in her head — "Oh yeah!", followed by about a half dozen little baby steps. It was incredible.

She’s got pipes

Nora has always been fond of her voice, particularly the high (and loud) notes. Not much has changed, except for the sweet, sweet ballads she belts out. Words are getting more and more elaborate, the sentences more deliberate. Something is trying to be said, it’s a complete mystery to us what we’re missing. One thing is clear, she’s listening to us (scary :-/), she’s trying to talk to us and she’s understanding us. If we’re all done emptying out her clothes drawer and we ask her to “please help put the clothes back in”, she’ll usually oblige with a few of her clothes and help put them back in the drawer. Now let’s just get that going for her toys before nap time and we’ll be all set!

Most of you know about Nora’s relationship with our resident feline, Sophie. As Nora’s grown and become more mobile and interactive Sophie hasn’t missed a beat. She still follows Nora around the house from time to time looking for attention and, sometimes, abuse. It was a bumpy ride but Nora is gentler than ever with Sophie. It’s an every day occurrence for Nora to crawl/walk over to Sophie and rest her head on her (hugging) or go nose-to-nose with her (kissing). One of these days the camera will magically appear for that.

Happy Holidays!

As I finish this post it’s Christmas Eve. Nora’s sleeping soundly in her crib, the kitty’s curled up next to me. Mommy just finished up baking some delicious Christmas cookies. My how things change! We couldn’t be happier — we hope you all are, too. Happy Holidays, see you again in the New Year!