We went to the Dr. for Nora's 12-month appointment on Wednesday. Besides a nasty diaper rash (apparently when babies start eating lots of different kinds of foods it can make their poo much more acidic) that we're treating with Maalox - yep, Maalox - Nora is healthy and right on track.
She's just under 22 pounds (around 55th percentile on the old growth chart and 70th on the breastfed babes chart), is 30 inches long (~ 75th percentile) and has an 18.5 inch noggin. Good growing baby girl!
Here's our big girl playing some games with Daddy the other day:
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Birthday Party No. 2
We had another (and final) successful Birthday party for Nora this past Saturday. Lots of friends and family came to celebrate and I think everyone had a great time - I know we did! Then my Dad and brothers came for a visit Sunday and Monday and got to see Nora at her silliest...I don't know if it was a sugar rush or a rush of happiness, but she was hilarious.
Yet again, Miss Nora downed her entire cupcake in one sitting. Our girl is no picky eater!
Nora, Alta and Sofia inside looking out...
Nora and Alta:
Nora and Sofia:
Opening presents w/ Zev and Ani...
Nora sharing with Jason and Ani...
The paparazzi, otherwise known as Great Grandma, Grandma and Aunt Beth...
Grandpa Rex finds the tickle spot...
With Uncle Kevin...
And Uncle Steve (and Daddy)...
Closing out the weekend with a healthy dinner - she actually ate the broccoli!
Sadie's hoping for some scraps. Nora has already learned to feed Sadie whatever she doesn't want to eat - what a team.
Yet again, Miss Nora downed her entire cupcake in one sitting. Our girl is no picky eater!
Nora, Alta and Sofia inside looking out...
Nora and Alta:
Nora and Sofia:
Opening presents w/ Zev and Ani...
Nora sharing with Jason and Ani...
The paparazzi, otherwise known as Great Grandma, Grandma and Aunt Beth...
Grandpa Rex finds the tickle spot...
With Uncle Kevin...
And Uncle Steve (and Daddy)...
Closing out the weekend with a healthy dinner - she actually ate the broccoli!
Sadie's hoping for some scraps. Nora has already learned to feed Sadie whatever she doesn't want to eat - what a team.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Baby's got a "new" pair of shoes
These were my little brother Kevin's shoes when he was a babe. Actually, I think Nora's feet are a good bit bigger than his b/c I remember him wearing these when he was a walking pro. Nonetheless, they're pretty cute! Thanks for the hand-me-down, Kev!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Happy Birthday Nora!!!
Dearest Nora,
I can't believe you're 1 today. You continue to be such an enormous source of joy and amusement and I learn something new from you every day (currently we're learning the art of gentle discipline and unconditional love as you struggle to grasp the lesson that it's not ok to bite me while nursing...ouch). You are definitely becoming a little person with desires and opinions and it's wonderful beyond explanation (and a little bittersweet, to be honest) to watch you evolving from a baby to a kid. I cannot imagine what this next year has in store for us, but I'm sure it will be no less amazing than the first.
I love you more than it is possible to express in words. I cannot, nor do I like to, imagine a world without you in it - it would most definitely be missing a special spark.
xoxoxo,
Mommy
Who's a big one year old girl? Nora!
The above pictures are from this morning, but don't be fooled into thinking she actually slept in the crib...it just serves as a play space while Chris and I get ready. How could you not want to snuggle up with that little one at night?!
I can't believe you're 1 today. You continue to be such an enormous source of joy and amusement and I learn something new from you every day (currently we're learning the art of gentle discipline and unconditional love as you struggle to grasp the lesson that it's not ok to bite me while nursing...ouch). You are definitely becoming a little person with desires and opinions and it's wonderful beyond explanation (and a little bittersweet, to be honest) to watch you evolving from a baby to a kid. I cannot imagine what this next year has in store for us, but I'm sure it will be no less amazing than the first.
I love you more than it is possible to express in words. I cannot, nor do I like to, imagine a world without you in it - it would most definitely be missing a special spark.
xoxoxo,
Mommy
Who's a big one year old girl? Nora!
The above pictures are from this morning, but don't be fooled into thinking she actually slept in the crib...it just serves as a play space while Chris and I get ready. How could you not want to snuggle up with that little one at night?!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Birthday Party No. 1
Last weekend we headed down to Yellow Springs for the first of Nora's two Birthday parties. Lots of great friends and admirers came over to my Mom's house for snacks and cupcakes and singing and presents. It was great and, as always, Nora was a wonderful guest of honor. She got lots of great gifts and LOVED her cupcake (the term "cupcake" may be deceiving - this was more like barely sweetened banana bread w/ cream cheese icing)!
Here are some highlights from the party:
Diving in!
Nora discovering the power she holds over her crowd of onlookers...
Opening all her gifts:
Here are some highlights from the party:
Diving in!
Nora discovering the power she holds over her crowd of onlookers...
Opening all her gifts:
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Countdown to Birthday Week
As Nora approaches her first birthday, she's been showing some big signs of maturity. Not only is she playing piano and opening doors (see last post), but she's taken up reading to her friends and my personal favorite... she's giving high-5s! I don't have any pictures of the latter yet, but I do have a couple pictures of her reading:
She also accompanied Naomi & me on an afternoon of canvassing in our neighborhood two weeks back. We were among 50+ volunteers in Ward 17 who walked the streets and knocked on doors, registering new voters, handing out mail-in ballot applications, and generally informing people about the voting process. If they wanted to know why we're voting for Barack Obama, we were more than happy to share this information with them as well! (More on this to come in a subsequent post)
Last weekend, we drove down to Yellow Springs for the fall Street Fair. They estimate over 10,000 people come into town for the festival these days. I'd say they cover that easily. The place was packed!
Nora took a little break with nature as we scarfed some Indian food
That night, Uncle Kevin played in his regular season soccer finale. It was Senior Night and he represented well with three goals and plenty of exciting plays. The Bulldogs shut out the visiting Eagles 9-0 (or was it 10-0? we lost count, and so did the scorekeeper!).
The Seniors were asked to bring their families out on the field before the game. Here's our crew, with Rex, Naomi, Kevin, Nora, Linda, and Steve:
Nora liked the view from the second deck the best:
The next day, Steve took us out for lunch in Columbus's Short North district. Rumor had it that North Star featured one of the best veggie burgers in existence... the rumors were true!
Uncle Steve fed Nora some "off-the-menu" delectables:
She also accompanied Naomi & me on an afternoon of canvassing in our neighborhood two weeks back. We were among 50+ volunteers in Ward 17 who walked the streets and knocked on doors, registering new voters, handing out mail-in ballot applications, and generally informing people about the voting process. If they wanted to know why we're voting for Barack Obama, we were more than happy to share this information with them as well! (More on this to come in a subsequent post)Last weekend, we drove down to Yellow Springs for the fall Street Fair. They estimate over 10,000 people come into town for the festival these days. I'd say they cover that easily. The place was packed!
Nora took a little break with nature as we scarfed some Indian food
That night, Uncle Kevin played in his regular season soccer finale. It was Senior Night and he represented well with three goals and plenty of exciting plays. The Bulldogs shut out the visiting Eagles 9-0 (or was it 10-0? we lost count, and so did the scorekeeper!).
The Seniors were asked to bring their families out on the field before the game. Here's our crew, with Rex, Naomi, Kevin, Nora, Linda, and Steve:
Nora liked the view from the second deck the best:
The next day, Steve took us out for lunch in Columbus's Short North district. Rumor had it that North Star featured one of the best veggie burgers in existence... the rumors were true!Uncle Steve fed Nora some "off-the-menu" delectables:
Monday, October 6, 2008
Fall is coming
The crisp weather and smells of autumn have been zooming me back to this time last year - I was BIG and we had no idea how amazing the little person was who was about to join our family. It gives me chills sometimes when I realize it's almost been a year. Time really does fly when you're having fun, huh?
We had a busy weekend and we'll update you on that when we have a bit more time. In the meantime, here are a few cute shots from the last few days.
You can't take your eye off this one for even a second...she's quick!
Playing piano at G&G Bongorno's. Happy Birthday Birdie/Bobbie/Mom/Grandma!
Last Sunday we had a visit from Paula...I only wish it could've lasted longer.
I think she's watching one of the cats escape into the basement (no doubt they'd just endured some "gentle pats").
What a big strong girl!
Finally, Nora has been putting in some long hours in the studio practicing these smooth moves...the music she's dancing to is JJ Magazine, a local band of some friends of ours.
We had a busy weekend and we'll update you on that when we have a bit more time. In the meantime, here are a few cute shots from the last few days.
You can't take your eye off this one for even a second...she's quick!
Playing piano at G&G Bongorno's. Happy Birthday Birdie/Bobbie/Mom/Grandma!
Last Sunday we had a visit from Paula...I only wish it could've lasted longer.
I think she's watching one of the cats escape into the basement (no doubt they'd just endured some "gentle pats").
What a big strong girl!
Finally, Nora has been putting in some long hours in the studio practicing these smooth moves...the music she's dancing to is JJ Magazine, a local band of some friends of ours.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Big City Girl Wedding Finale
It's been brought to my attention that it's been a while since I've posted. Well, you've asked for it... a full length Daddy B post!
It appears that we've made it through another year of weddings (we're not forgetting anyone, right?). Last weekend, we were in Chicago for the wedding of Erin & Henry, two of our much-missed neighbors from back in Ohio City. They've been in Chicago for over a year now and have now tied the knot! Congrats guys! We had a blast!
We took the Megabus on Friday morning from Tower City in Cleveland to Union Station in Chicago. The ride was nice and we sat on the second level! Since we got to Chicago in the early afternoon and had nowhere to be, I convinced Naomi that we should walk to the hotel (about 1.5 miles). When I pulled out the camera, Naomi told me that she thought, "oh great, now everyone's going to know we're tourists," but then she looked at our entourage - 6 bags and a baby - and realized that the gig was already up. I snapped a couple sweet pictures along the way.
We were on the 32nd floor, which was great! We rested at the hotel for a spell and then headed out to Michigan Avenue for some shopping. We knew we needed to be back in time for the big presidential debate, so we stopped off at Trader Joe's for a bottle of wine and some snacks and ordered a Chicago-style "stuffed" pizza from the restaurant downstairs. When I got tired of watching the candidates yammering on, I moved over to the window and took some pics from our room, including this gem:
Needless to say, I took a bunch more in the morning. This view, to the southeast, includes a glimpse of Millennium Park's Cloud Gate (more later) and the Field Museum in the distance.
Nora played a little Nintendo (not really, we're too cheap to pay for that stuff) on Saturday morning before we headed out for a lovely walk along the Chicago River.
Seeing as she'd spent a lot of time looking out the window of our hotel room the night before, she wanted to point out everything that she recognized!
We took a few more shots on the riverfront before Joe, Norma & Fiona picked us up for brunch in Wicker Park. We went to Feast, which was delicious! Yes, those are the same Boyds from Cleveland. They're from Chicago and were coincidentally home for a visit the same weekend!
The Bongornos hung around in the neighborhood a while longer after brunch and ran into Sarah Palin at Marc Jacobs, looking militant as ever:
From there, we hopped on the Blue Line and headed for Millennium Park:
Millennium Park is a new addition to the expansive Grant Park along Lake Michigan. One of its most distinctive features is the gigantic shiny lima bean space ship, also know as Cloud Gate. If it looks high brow, consider that there is a cornhole area directly in front of it (unfortunately, it's part of a restaurant). Still, nice contrast!
Nora makes a leafy offering to the Cloud Gate
After shooting ourselves in the "bean," we walked for a while, looking for some grass for Nora to play in. It wasn't as easy as it should've been because a large part of the park was closed for some fancy event (boo!). When we did find a nice shaded patch, Nora decided she wanted to play on the sewer drain instead! She came to her senses after a few minutes and really enjoyed playing in the grass:
Nora took a couple old-timey shots of Mommy & Daddy for posterity:
Oh, don't worry, we didn't forget about the wedding. It was Saturday evening at the Museum of Contemporary Art. We had such a good time that we didn't get to take very many pictures!
Waiting for the hotel elevator:
The beautiful setting at the Museum:
Nora is enamored with the beautiful bride, Erin:
Come Sunday Morning, Nora was pooped (and hung over, I might add). We had to get on the 8:45 Megabus, though, so no rest for the weary. Back to Cleveland!
It appears that we've made it through another year of weddings (we're not forgetting anyone, right?). Last weekend, we were in Chicago for the wedding of Erin & Henry, two of our much-missed neighbors from back in Ohio City. They've been in Chicago for over a year now and have now tied the knot! Congrats guys! We had a blast!
We took the Megabus on Friday morning from Tower City in Cleveland to Union Station in Chicago. The ride was nice and we sat on the second level! Since we got to Chicago in the early afternoon and had nowhere to be, I convinced Naomi that we should walk to the hotel (about 1.5 miles). When I pulled out the camera, Naomi told me that she thought, "oh great, now everyone's going to know we're tourists," but then she looked at our entourage - 6 bags and a baby - and realized that the gig was already up. I snapped a couple sweet pictures along the way.
We were on the 32nd floor, which was great! We rested at the hotel for a spell and then headed out to Michigan Avenue for some shopping. We knew we needed to be back in time for the big presidential debate, so we stopped off at Trader Joe's for a bottle of wine and some snacks and ordered a Chicago-style "stuffed" pizza from the restaurant downstairs. When I got tired of watching the candidates yammering on, I moved over to the window and took some pics from our room, including this gem:
Needless to say, I took a bunch more in the morning. This view, to the southeast, includes a glimpse of Millennium Park's Cloud Gate (more later) and the Field Museum in the distance.
Nora played a little Nintendo (not really, we're too cheap to pay for that stuff) on Saturday morning before we headed out for a lovely walk along the Chicago River.
Seeing as she'd spent a lot of time looking out the window of our hotel room the night before, she wanted to point out everything that she recognized!We took a few more shots on the riverfront before Joe, Norma & Fiona picked us up for brunch in Wicker Park. We went to Feast, which was delicious! Yes, those are the same Boyds from Cleveland. They're from Chicago and were coincidentally home for a visit the same weekend!
The Bongornos hung around in the neighborhood a while longer after brunch and ran into Sarah Palin at Marc Jacobs, looking militant as ever:
From there, we hopped on the Blue Line and headed for Millennium Park:
Millennium Park is a new addition to the expansive Grant Park along Lake Michigan. One of its most distinctive features is the gigantic shiny lima bean space ship, also know as Cloud Gate. If it looks high brow, consider that there is a cornhole area directly in front of it (unfortunately, it's part of a restaurant). Still, nice contrast!
Nora makes a leafy offering to the Cloud Gate
After shooting ourselves in the "bean," we walked for a while, looking for some grass for Nora to play in. It wasn't as easy as it should've been because a large part of the park was closed for some fancy event (boo!). When we did find a nice shaded patch, Nora decided she wanted to play on the sewer drain instead! She came to her senses after a few minutes and really enjoyed playing in the grass:
Nora took a couple old-timey shots of Mommy & Daddy for posterity:Oh, don't worry, we didn't forget about the wedding. It was Saturday evening at the Museum of Contemporary Art. We had such a good time that we didn't get to take very many pictures!
Waiting for the hotel elevator:
The beautiful setting at the Museum:
Nora is enamored with the beautiful bride, Erin:
Come Sunday Morning, Nora was pooped (and hung over, I might add). We had to get on the 8:45 Megabus, though, so no rest for the weary. Back to Cleveland!
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