Here is Norah before her first "bath" since the cast. We are gathering signatures as we go along, and I have since decorated it with stars and flowers....
The sink bath didn't go well. She was confused and scared, and screamed the whole time. Afterwards,she said "big bath" meaning she wanted to take a REAL bath in the tub....sorry Norah....
Friday, March 27, 2009
Bathtime! (improvised...)
Tired girls!
Norah and I look pretty tired after our long night. Uncle Nick and Sunny came to sign the cast/say goodbye/give Norah a get well gift, and we thought we would all pose for a photo. Norah loves the little horse, Nick and Sunny!
Two hours to go....
Norah and I were in MI for 6 days, and in the last 2 hours before her bedtime on the last day, she fell and broke her leg!!!!
She was "dancing" at Aunt Alessia and Uncle Jim's house, which for Norah involves spinning in circles, giggling, and getting very dizzy. Well, she must have fallen just right, because we heard a thump followed by about 45 minutes of crying (NOT normal for Norah). So, I called the doctor, and they suggested I bring her to the ER, since she wasn't putting any weight on her leg.
We were at the ER from 8:00 pm to 1:00 am, and emerged with confirmation that Norah had broken her tibia (shin bone) and her leg in a cast from the foot to the hip. They told us it could be 4-6 weeks of sponge baths, no walking, and no swimming! All I could think was, "Good thing it's not summer right now!!!"
When they put the cast on, Norah was intrigued by the "big sock" they were putting on her leg. First, the doctor put a liner on her leg, to protect the skin. Then, he wrapped several layers of soft cotton around the leg, to protect and cushion it. Then, he wrapped several layers of fiberglass casting around her leg. Norah kept saying, "Big Sock" or "Hard Sock" as he was doing this. After he left, she said, "Sock OFF!" She had already had enough after 10 minutes!
Thank you to Alessia who stayed in the hospital with us. We were both so tired by 1:00 am, and Norah was at her slap-happy/talkative stage of sleep deprivation. She was busy opening and closing her wipes container and saying "Open! Close! Open! Close!" very excitedly while Alessia and I tried to rest in our chairs. What a long night!
Here is Norah the next morning, after getting only 6 hours of sleep (compared to her usual 11-12....). Not a happy camper at this point.
Nice Weather!
Alessia and I took the babies for a walk with her dog, Zero. This double stroller is great! Norah and Ethan kept talking to one another in baby-speak. Ethan would say "ba!" and then Norah would reply, "ba!" and Ethan would laugh and say "ba!" again.....and so on! They really had a good time. We caught them holding hands, too. So sweet!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Monkey Bars
This is meant to be an optical illusion, leading you to believe that Chiara can still cross monkey-bars! I don't know how I ever did it! I used to be quite the pro!
At Shawmut Park
Norah, Nonna, and I went to Shawmut School to play on the playground. Here is Norah getting ready to explore the big tunnel!
At the Zoo
Norah and Christopher and Alexandra and I went to the zoo one morning while Norah and I were in GR. They had a great time seeing the bears, wild cats, lions, and monkeys!
Bubble Joy
It's difficult to get Norah to smile for photos anymore. Candid shots of her happy face are always nice to get--however few and far between!
The Bubble Baron
James is the best bubbler in bubble-town. That sure is cheesy, but it's true! He can make some BIG bubbles!
Bubble face
This is Norah's "I am so excited that Daddy got the bubbles out!" face. Note the clenched fists and ready stance to do some serious bubble-busting!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
You
I don't remember if I have written this yet, but Norah refers to herself as "You." If you think about it, it makes sense, since we always say things like, "Do YOU want some milk?" and "Are YOU tired?" and "How did YOU sleep?"
I KNOW she has the capacity to say her name, but she just won't do it. I will ask her to say Norah and she will just ignore me. If I asked her to say "inconsequential", she would give it a shot, but she WON'T say "Norah."
I have heard her playing and covering her face and saying her version of "Where's Norah?", but she never says Norah, she just babbles and uses the intonation I would use. It is really strange.
So, for now, I guess I have to live with it when she sees her photo and shouts, "YOU!" and whenever she sees Dora the Explorer, she doesn't call her Dora, she calls her YOU.
I guess pronouns are tricky little things!
I KNOW she has the capacity to say her name, but she just won't do it. I will ask her to say Norah and she will just ignore me. If I asked her to say "inconsequential", she would give it a shot, but she WON'T say "Norah."
I have heard her playing and covering her face and saying her version of "Where's Norah?", but she never says Norah, she just babbles and uses the intonation I would use. It is really strange.
So, for now, I guess I have to live with it when she sees her photo and shouts, "YOU!" and whenever she sees Dora the Explorer, she doesn't call her Dora, she calls her YOU.
I guess pronouns are tricky little things!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Some thoughts before I forget them....
It has been really fun watching Norah's language development over the last 1-2 months. She is really talking a LOT now. I feel like we can have little conversations, which is really exciting!
Here is one example: The other day, I went into her room after her nap, and said, "Hi! Did you have a good nap?" Norah said, "Yes". I said, "Did you have pleasant dreams?" She said, "Yes!". I said, "What did you dream about?" (not expecting an answer). She said, very clearly, "Cat-ta-pa-la" (Caterpillars!!!) I laughed, and said, "Oh, that must have been a very fun dream, to dream about caterpillars!"
She also has a sense of observation that I don't always give her enough credit for. The other day, she was looking for daddy, and for some reason I didn't understand what she wanted. So, she tried another route by saying "Dad-dy [cough cough]" You see, James has had a cough for about a week, and she associates coughing with Daddy, now!
She also has a great memory. She was eating lunch the other day, and was staring pointedly at one of the chairs at the dining room table. I asked her what she was looking at and she said, "Joe chair" (Joel's chair). Our friend Joel had recently been over playing board games, and he had been sitting in that chair for the games. Then she pointed at another chair and said "Daddy chair" (where James had been sitting).
Other things she is doing:
She loves to play hide-and-seek. Her favorite thing is to hide in the closets and not come out until we find her.
She loves to watch me cook and see what I am cooking. She always says, "Hot!!!" so that I know she knows not to touch it!
She plays with her baby doll, and really gets into it by dressing her, feeding her, putting her down for naps, putting her in the bouncy seat that Cyrus uses when he is here, reading books with her, etc. It is really fun to see that.
She loves to have tea parties with James and I, and will pour the tea like a little lady.
There is so much more to say, but I am sure I have bored you enough already!
Here is one example: The other day, I went into her room after her nap, and said, "Hi! Did you have a good nap?" Norah said, "Yes". I said, "Did you have pleasant dreams?" She said, "Yes!". I said, "What did you dream about?" (not expecting an answer). She said, very clearly, "Cat-ta-pa-la" (Caterpillars!!!) I laughed, and said, "Oh, that must have been a very fun dream, to dream about caterpillars!"
She also has a sense of observation that I don't always give her enough credit for. The other day, she was looking for daddy, and for some reason I didn't understand what she wanted. So, she tried another route by saying "Dad-dy [cough cough]" You see, James has had a cough for about a week, and she associates coughing with Daddy, now!
She also has a great memory. She was eating lunch the other day, and was staring pointedly at one of the chairs at the dining room table. I asked her what she was looking at and she said, "Joe chair" (Joel's chair). Our friend Joel had recently been over playing board games, and he had been sitting in that chair for the games. Then she pointed at another chair and said "Daddy chair" (where James had been sitting).
Other things she is doing:
She loves to play hide-and-seek. Her favorite thing is to hide in the closets and not come out until we find her.
She loves to watch me cook and see what I am cooking. She always says, "Hot!!!" so that I know she knows not to touch it!
She plays with her baby doll, and really gets into it by dressing her, feeding her, putting her down for naps, putting her in the bouncy seat that Cyrus uses when he is here, reading books with her, etc. It is really fun to see that.
She loves to have tea parties with James and I, and will pour the tea like a little lady.
There is so much more to say, but I am sure I have bored you enough already!
Norah's new trick 2
Notice how EVERY book is off the shelf, but she is kind enough to leave the videos and photo boxes untouched. I appreciate her thoughtfulness in matters like these.
Norah's new trick
Norah's new trick is to read books by pulling them ALL off the shelf, and then reading whichever one she finds intriguing. It's funny to watch (she really had a system as to how she pulls them down) but not funny to pick up 3 times a day!
My only picture of Sunny!
Just so we know that Sunny was there, too! Here she is after (or before?) brunch...
Brunch 2
Norah busied herself with the dollhouse that Sunny has for her niece. I don't think Norah moved from this spot for more than an hour!
Brunch
Nick and Sunny had all of us over to their house for brunch. It was delicious, and very fun to hang out in a new place. Thanks Nick and Sunny!
John Ball Zoo
Norah was entranced by the monkeys for quite some time!
We had to lure her away with the promise of seeing an alligator, which she calls "a-ghi-ghi"!
John Ball Zoo
We took Norah to the zoo to see the indoor exhibits like the penguins, fish, lizards, and monkeys. Here is Norah with uncle Nick looking at the penguins.
Bri and Norah
Norah and Bri got along much better this trip! There was less fighting, and more squealing, which is a good sign that they will be life-long friends!
IKEA trip
The van was so packed on the way back that there were boxes leaning on the front seats. Alessia doesn't look worried at all, does she?
Trip to Michigan
In late January, we went up to Michigan. James had a Worship Symposium at Calvin College, and I visited family.
We took a road trip to IKEA to get some things; here are Jarrod and Francesca chillin' in the back of the huge conversion van we took.
Indonesia
One of James' favorite games is "Indonesia", a trading game. As you can plainly see, it is quite complicated (but he INSISTS it is fun!). He and 3 other played a round lasting 5 HOURS!!!! Not my idea of a fun time. I think my limit is 2.5 hours--then I definitely need a change of scenery, theme, company, etc.
One other game-day participant likened this area of the house to an opium den, since the four players were so involved in this game for so long, barely leaving their seats!
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