D-A-D

On June 20, 2011 · 6 Comments · In nora

Nora’s first Father’s Day gift was…

…this.

I came across this idea online when doing Google searches for photo gifts, and figured it was perfect. Especially since Michael is in need of some photos to grace his desk at work.

Hopefully we’ll be able to update it year after year as part of his gift. New D-A-D pictures will become a family tradition!

 

Nora’s Daddy’s Day

On June 20, 2011 · Leave a Comment · In holidays, nora
We, of course, celebrated Michael’s first Father’s Day today.

Nora’s first gift was letting him (us!) sleep in. Once we were up, though, she was ready to give him the present she had worked so hard on. (Well, with a little help from Mommy. But more on that gift tomorrow.)

She was very excited about the hot pink wrapping paper.

After her morning nap, she got dressed in a special shirt just for Daddy. And then we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s for dinner.

After we ate, Nora was happy to pose for lots of pics with Daddy. She was sure to ask him to model the hat she made for him at daycare on Friday–isn’t it pretty? It has her handprints all over it.

I always knew Michael would be a great father, but it’s wonderful to see him in action every day. I am so grateful that Nora has him in her life, and can’t wait to see how the father-daughter relationship continues to blossom between them. You know, before she disowns us during the teenage years.

Michael–Thank you for everything you do for Nora (and me). I’m so glad to have you as a partner in this whole parenthood gig! Happy Father’s Day!

 

Joy Riding

On June 19, 2011 · 1 Comment · In baby gear, nora

My brother and his wife had a birthday party for their son, Hunter, on Saturday. It was a few weeks late (he turned two in May), but it was a perfect day to be outside for a barbecue, so it worked out. And hey, he’s two–he didn’t know the difference!

At the party, Nora had fun playing with some of Hunter’s toys–including a little push car that she LOVED. I think she would’ve sat in it forever if we had let her.

How is it that they know exactly how to put their hands on the wheel? :)

I think *someone* is going to need one of these for her birthday. Or sooner.

 

Big Girl

On June 17, 2011 · 4 Comments · In baby gear, nora

Over the weekend, we transitioned Nora to her “big girl” car seat.

For the last several weeks, it has become increasingly difficult to lug her infant seat around. Although her pediatrician originally estimated that Nora would hit 17 lbs. around 12 months, I think she’s probably already 16+ lbs. now, so apparently she has been doing some catching up lately! We’ll find out for sure at her 9-month appointment on Monday.

Regardless, she’s big enough now that she likes to be out of the seat when we’re out running errands. So, we’ve been removing her from the car seat and leaving it in the car for a while now, which gets complicated when you only have one car seat and two bases. To resolve this, we decided to take the plunge and buy one of her convertible car seats now.

Doesn’t she look like such a big girl now? :( Funny how that happens, even though she technically appears smaller relative to the size of the seat!

I posted a while ago asking for recommendations, and after doing some more research and taking Nora to the store to actually place her in the seats, we decided to go with the Britax Marathon 70. We were originally considering the Roundabout, but felt that the Marathon was a bit more padded and “safe” looking. Plus, we really like that the shoulder straps are adjustable without needing to re-thread them.

We installed the Marathon in my car on Saturday morning, and Michael is keeping the infant seat in his car for now. Assuming we continue liking the Marathon as much as we do now, we’ll buy a second one for Michael’s car soon.

In other news, Nora seemed to be THISCLOSE to clapping her hands tonight. I was applauding her for something she did, and she got all excited and was moving her arms, and appeared to be trying to put her hands together while doing it. I almost died from the cuteness.

*sniff, sniff* Our girl is growing so fast.

 

Outtakes

On June 13, 2011 · 9 Comments · In nora

In case anyone is ever under the impression that Nora’s monthly photo shoots are easy to do, I figured I’d set the record straight by posting some of the outtakes from her 9-month “session.”

Oh, and before anyone tells me what terrible parents we are for letting our girl nearly take a nosedive off of the chair (multiple times!)–Michael was RIGHT there the whole time. No worries.

Now that she is CONSTANTLY.MOVING, this was the hardest one yet. I’ll consider it a major accomplishment if we get the next three months of photos done, because WOW.