Christmas 2009 - Part 1

Christmas 2009 has been split into 3 stages: Stage 1, with Grandpa Rex in Cleveland; Stage 2 with the Sikes family in Yellow Springs; and Stage 3 still to come in Cleveland with the Bongornos. Here are some of the most prized moments of the first two stages, which has been captured on our new camera - a Christmas present from Rex! This also happens to be our excuse for not having any pictures of Stage 1... our old camera was out of order!

Nora has a newfound love for her sit 'n' spin:

She also loves reading on her little book bench:

Cute, anyone?

Nora got a new wagon for Christmas from Grandpa Rex:

Nora & Papa, caught dancing:

We practiced using the "smile meter" on our new camera, which Nora nearly broke with this big adorable dimple grin!

Nora got a new carseat from Grandma and Grandpa B:

Which definitely did the trick on the ride down to Yellow Springs:

Poor Sadie, crammed in the boot of our Subaru for the ride:

Down in Yellow Springs, where we baked cookies on Christmas Eve:

Nora and "Bull" played with toys, which was just adorable:

Then she got a new dollhouse from Grandma Mimi:

And a couple Christmas books from Mama & Papa:

But that wasn't enough... she snuck another one under the tree while we weren't looking!

The rest of us enjoyed a "Yankee Swap" after that, including some real gems:

Great Grandpa Sikes read Nora some Christmas tales before bedtime:

Christmas Day and more, coming soon!

Happy Holidays!!!

Love,
Naomi, Nora & Chris

A month and a half to go!!

Apparently, being pregnant and chasing around a 2 year old has dire consequences for this blog. So sorry, loyal readers. This will be short and will, hopefully, be followed up with some more substantive updates on our wonderful Nora and our growing little b!

I'm feeling good (assuming the normal complaints of late pregnancy). I seem to be carrying the same as last time - perhaps slightly lower - but everything else about this pregnancy feels totally different to me! Little b is a big time mover (although s/he is getting a bit cramped) and I get to frequently enjoy those wonderful sensations of feet/butt in the ribs, punching of the bladder, and that weird (TMI) feeling that can only be described as him/her "pinching" my cervix. I love feeling the baby move, but am a little worried that it means we're going to have a "no sleeper"! Ah well, we'll love him/her anyway.

Here's me earlier this week (at 33 weeks):


And, me at 34 weeks with Nora (wearing the same pants)!


Nora is growing more adorable and hilarious by the minute. Last night she was fighting sleep (again) and chatting in her crib (while I lay on our bed) and said "Mama! Mama! Whatcha' doin', Mama?! when she received no response: Mama! What's your name, Mama?! no response again...Nomi - Nomi Bongorno". SO cute!

Here she is walking across Wade Oval last weekend at the annual Holiday Circlefest...



With Papa, at the Natural History Museum...


Petting a reindeer!


With her pal, Sofia...


And, a cute pic with G'ma B...


Until next time!

The Many Moods of Nora

Nora has been a riot of late. As some of you surely saw, I posted on Facebook the other day that she said her superhero name is "Ats" and that her super power is dancing - So true! Her favorite words are "delicious" and "apple piss," which of course means octopus. We've got tons of ladybugs around the house (happens every fall... not sure why) and she's enamored with them. She's named the baby in mommy's belly "Joe," no matter if it's a boy or girl. Her sentences have gotten longer and more coherent. She's also been great at making faces on cue. The best one may be the "hairy eyeball," which is hard to capture on camera and can intimidate even the hardest among us. Here are a few of them and a video roundup to boot!

Surprise, part 1 (this makes me think of me for some reason):

Full surprise face:

So sad:

Don't mess with Nora! Angry face:

Watch out! It's the hairy eyeball!



Here are a few other photos from post-birthday. Nora has been loving her new stroller, doll house, big-girl booster seat, and STICKERS (they're everywhere!). It's impossible to cook anything without her pushing a stool across the kitchen, saying "Nora help Papa/Mama."

The only downside to this is that she's a bit of a slow, deliberate walker!

One of the aforementioned ladybugs:

Cooking with Papa:

Sitting on her Mama perch:

We spent Halloween weekend in Yellow Springs. It was great to trick-or-treat with Corrie & Tiger (the ginger bread woman) around Naomi's old neighborhood, where Mimi and Carolion (Corrie's mom) live. Naomi made the most awesome flamingo costume for Nora. She loved it and wore it proud! See for yourself:

Corrie doing the makeup:

Nora & Naomi get ready for the cold YS night:

Nora's fabulous headdress:

Tiger & Nora's first treat, from Big Foot/Sideshow Bob (?) (Donna):

Nora & Tiger started out in the bike buggy, pushed by Corrie:

It didn't last long, as they had to run up to every house for candy!

In other news, Nora is still kicking me out of bed when she's ready for mommy to "nurse mums" so she can go to sleep. I'll get her washed up (baths are enjoyable again - hooray!) and brush her teeth and then we read books until lights-out. Then she starts pushing me out of bed with her "papa moose please!" It hurts my feelings a little bit, but it's so cute! One of my favorite times with her since day one has been the towel wrap-up immediately after bathtime. Sure, she's bigger now than she once was, but she still fits snugly in an adult-sized towel and I just love to wrap her up and hold her in front of the mirror to show her that she's still my little baby. It's one of those things that I'd like to believe neither of us will ever forget.

Terrific Two's!

Our baby girl turned 2 on 10.23.09. Here are some fun facts about our Nora at age 2:

1. She's hilarious, adorable, stubborn, smart smart smart, caring, and fun!
2. She's got a respectable amount of hair that will, occasionally, even hold a little clip!
3. She's about 25.5 lbs, and 34 and a bit inches tall.
4. She speaks in full sentences (no perfect grammar, of course) and is a great storyteller (her current favorites are "two guys way up high on roof", "baby come down, go boom boom", and "
5. She likes to reverse roles when things aren't going her way (ie, she points at herself and says "mama now" and points at me "nora now" and sometimes both Chris and I are Nora and she's the single parent).
6. She is still a wonderful and creative dancer and absolutely loves music.
7. She loves to kiss my belly and talk to the baby. She often asks when the baby will come out and says "loves baby" - she also points to different parts of my belly and says "little feet, little bum, little legs, etc." When asked whether she thinks the baby is a boy or a girl she responds, "just baby".
8. She's becoming a very good sharer, although it's still challenging at times - she seems to really understand the concepts of taking turns and trading
9. She's shy in new situations or around a lot of people, but is quite the ham around familiar friends/family
10. I tell her that when the baby comes the baby is going to have mums (nurse) a lot and she can have mums too if she wants, she responds with "no, just baby has mums". We'll see if she sticks to that!

In short, she continues to amaze us regularly and I learn something from her every day. Here are a few pictures from her Bday party (we were having so much fun we didn't get many good pics!) and our apple picking/Fun Fest outing the next day.


Opening a present with new hat and neck warmer on, hand-made by our friend Jen!


With Great Gma Miller...


The Bongorno's at Patterson's...


Her first pony ride!




With Mimi...