Worth the Weight

Consolidating

2008-12-13T12:56:00.001-06:00

I have been consolidating a lot lately. Cutting down the bulk. Doing anything to make our busy, overly-detailed, hectic life a little more simple.

So.

I decided I am going to consolidate my blogs too. I am (obviously) no longer able to keep up with posting on three seperate blogs. And rather than not blogging at all, I am going to only post on Dialogue of a Wallflower from now on. So check here for updates on the family, the babies, my thoughts, exciting news, trials we face, and any other tidbits I find time to write about.

Hobo

2008-11-23T22:20:00.000-06:00

Little Helper

2008-11-23T22:14:00.002-06:00

Sophia "helped" me make a batch of cookies...

And after all that hard work, she got to lick the spoon. She nearly ate the spoon.

My little helper

Sophia can WALK!!!!

2008-11-16T19:13:00.004-06:00

Cry Baby

2008-11-14T18:23:00.003-06:00

Now every time Jazlyn starts crying, Sophie makes this face and says, "Bebe."

Daily Devotions

2008-11-14T17:35:00.004-06:00

Sophia reading her baby bible aloud

"Quiet time"

Booooo!

2008-11-07T13:30:00.002-06:00

Roll Film!

2008-11-07T13:22:00.003-06:00

I'm ready for the movie, Mama.

Mmm.

Reeeeally into the movie. That Elmo sure can grab her attention!

Trick-or-Treat!

2008-11-02T23:42:00.004-06:00

Three-eyed monster

Trick-or-treating at Papa Nourse's
Walking with Daddy

Trick-or-treating at Grandma and Grandpa'

Grandma and her little monster

Stopping to see the cousins

Making the rounds

Trick-or-treat!

Enjoying the fruits of her labor after a hard day's work

Grins and Giggles

2008-10-25T17:09:00.002-05:00

Hungry? Help Yourself, Dear

2008-10-23T20:22:00.001-05:00

Big Sister, Big Helper

2008-10-19T13:50:00.004-05:00

Soothing baby's chapped lips with some chapstick.

(= rubbing the closed tube all over baby's face)

Helping her sister with her nuk.

(= jamming the pacifier down Jaz's throat)

So Confused

2008-10-18T14:37:00.002-05:00

My daughter confuses me sometimes. Lately, she has been having trouble with nap time. After several hours of being awake, playing, eating, crawling around and getting into ev-ery-thing in the house, she enters the comatose mode. She sits and stares. She rubs her eyes. She gets cranky if we don't take action right away to get her to bed. It is quite obvious when she is ready for a nap.

We give her a bottle of warm milk, lay her in the crib and all is quite... for about 10 minutes.

Then she starts talking. And giggling. And playing. For an hour. Or more. Then sometimes she falls asleep. Sometimes she doesn't.

What is happening here? Has this happened to any of you other moms? Am I doing something wrong?

Sophie of the Hood

2008-10-15T20:58:00.003-05:00

Duddy

2008-10-02T09:38:00.003-05:00

Sophia calls her Duddy (duh-dee) by name now. It is the one of the sweetest things I have ever seen to watch how Jared's face lights up every time she calls for her Duddy.

Whenever Jared walks into the room and she sees him, a huge smile spreads across her face, she throws her arm out towards him and says excitedly, "Duddy!!!"

When it is nap time, and I'm giving her a bottle, she constantly breaks from drinking, looks towards the door to the other room where she knows Jared is, and asks, "Duddy?" It's all he can do to keep from running in to his little girl.

Even in the morning, right when she wakes up, we hear her sweet little voice over the monitor saying, "Duddy? Duddy! Dada! Da! Duddy!?"

Jared's joy culminated yesterday when we were on a walk, and I said, "Sophia, say Ma-ma. Maaa-maaa." She looked up at me, smiled, and boldly said, "Daaah-deeee."

Bundle Me!

2008-10-01T07:51:00.003-05:00

It was COLD outside yesterday, so I brought out the big guns.

Ahhhh, the joys of a hat that straps on.

She looks pretty darn cute too. Thanks Hannah!

Birthday Cone

2008-09-28T11:48:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was Sophia's first birthday. To celebrate, we strapped her into her new big girl car seat, and headed to our favorite ice cream shop in Stillwater-- Nelson's. We ordered the child size Butter Brickle on a sugar cone, which was WAY more than all three of us could eat (4 scoops higher than the cone)! We had to put three scoops in a cup so the cone was more manageable.

Let me tell you- SOPHIA. LOVED. EVERY. LICK. She dove at the cone with her mouth, and sucked the scoop til it was nothing but a puddle.

First licks

Starting to get into it

Dada, this is COLD!

Gimme some more!
She did not take her eyes off the cone once.

I stole a lick, and Sophia's look said "Mama! How could you!?"

Then she kissed me as if to say sorry.

But she did take matters into her own hands after that.

And nooked on that cone till it was gone.

Still My Baby

2008-09-26T18:30:00.003-05:00

I was on my computer today and heard Sophie giggling behind me. I turned and looked, and this is what I saw:

She found all the baby things I put out yesterday in preparation for Baby 2's arrival, and she was having a BALL!!! Laughing and giggling, batting at the kick-toys, bouncing up and down, putting her feet up... I think she remembers that they were hers not more than a few months ago.

Go, Sophie! Go!

2008-09-22T18:13:00.005-05:00

This is one of the gifts she got for her birthday. Daddy put it together last night so Soph could try it out right away. She surprised us both!

Last Night

Today (she's still got it!)

1st Birthday Party!

2008-09-22T17:53:00.006-05:00

We celebrated Sophia's 1st birthday this weekend! I can hardly believe she is already ONE. The year went by so fast. She is getting so big, and so smart. She surprises us every day with her new discoveries. She brings so much joy into our lives, and we feel so blessed that this beautiful girl is our daughter.

Happy 1st Birthday Sophia!!!

Sophie and Auntie Shinae

All the girls: Sophia, Natalie, Emma, Eva, Shirley
Princess cake

Playing with her pink balloon from Papa Nourse

Getting excited to go outside and eat her cake!

Yum!
She got Mama covered too

The fam on Sophia's 1st birthday

A very cute hat from Grandma Edie

Very intrigued by the baby making noises

Cute little lamb!

Sleeping is for Babies

2008-09-16T11:40:00.003-05:00

Sophia is pretty sure she is a big girl now that she is almost 1, and that napping is for babies. Therefore, she DOES NOT need a nap. And how dare you, Mama, to think she would.

Apple Orchard!

2008-09-10T08:20:00.006-05:00

Last weekend, we had a family date to Afton Apple Orchard! It was Sophia's 2nd year at an orchard already! We brought her last year when she was 2 weeks old! We love the orchard. While we were there, we went on a hay ride, picked apples, looked at animals, went on the swing, and ate a cidar slush! It was a very fun day for all of us.

Getting ready to go on the hayride!

Riding with Mama

I'm very excited for my first hay ride!

Enjoying a peaceful moment

Discovering hay

What IS this stuff?

Hmmm. I don't think I can reach those apples Daddy.

Daddy teaching her how it's done.

Look what I picked!

This is my treasure.

Swinging is the most fun thing I ever did!

Cookie Monster

2008-09-04T08:43:00.005-05:00

Mommy has been enjoying Oreo cookies so much lately, and I am always right there to watch her wolf them down. So today, I gave her my cutest, most endearing smile and she was finally inclined to share one with me. I tried to eat it just like you, Momma, so I shoved it in my mouth...

It didn't work so well. Mama, you have a big mouth.

But after I got the hang of it...

I had to get every last crumb!

Before I knew it, my cookie was all gone!

Boy was that good. Now I understand, Mama.

Uh Oh.

2008-08-30T10:15:00.006-05:00

Look what we discovered...

State Fair!

2008-08-26T13:33:00.007-05:00

Sophia's first time at the MN State Fair!

Tasting a french fry. Mmm!

Relaxing with her feet up. Now that's the way to get around the fair!

Evidence of healthy food for dinner :) It's hard to find.

Already a natural at public transportation.

Our second trip to the fair this week, with my family.

Welcome back to the fair.

If you're going to be a fair veteran, you have to try the mini donuts.

First taste. And the verdict is...

...no need to explain. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Bye bye Fair! We'll be back next year.

Pepper Fest Parade

2008-08-18T10:14:00.005-05:00

Sophia and I went to the Pepper Fest parade in North Hudson on Saturday morning. Unfortunatly Jared had to work and couldn't join us. It was very fun, but it was the LOOOOOOOONGEST parade I've ever been to. Way too long. It was over 2 hours. Sophia (and I) were completely done about an hour in, but it just kept going like the Energizer bunny. Here are some pictures from the day...

Papa (Gary) bought her a new Dora chair!

Lounging in her new chair, waiting for the parade to start

Playing with Mama

Here come the fire trucks!

Cover those ears! Those trucks are LOUD!
The fire trucks are a little bit scary. Hold me, Mama!

Budweiser Clydesdales

All the pretty little horses... (one of Sophia's favorite lullabies)

Beads!

Snuggling with Papa. SO ready for a nap

Dear Kara Jo,

2008-08-13T22:33:00.006-05:00

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this pretty pink shirt! It is my (and Mommy's) very favorite. I feel so pretty and all growed up in my new shirt. Mommy says I look like a big girl.

Love, Sophia

Here's me in my pretty pink shirt.

See? I'm a big girl!

"Wearing my new shirt, makes me wanna dance, my butt wags and wiggles, like there's ants in my pants... Doot doo doo!"

Everyone's Girlfriend

2008-08-13T22:11:00.004-05:00

Jared took his two best girls out for breakfast at McDonald's yesterday. We had the pleasure of meeting the entire elderly population of Maplewood. It was actually very sweet. The majority was made up of older gentlemen who walked in with newspaper tucked safely under arm, ordered their coffee and McMuffin, and then stopped to oodle and canoodle Sophia. She made at least 5 boyfriends over breakfast. She was a real show stopper in her sweatsuit.

Go Sophia! Go!

2008-08-08T00:57:00.003-05:00

My little cheerleader

Showing off her wicked baton twirling skills...

...
...
...ta dah!

Her proud finish!

Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken

2008-08-06T22:09:00.004-05:00

Multitasking

2008-07-29T21:05:00.004-05:00

From Day One...

The Daily Norm

2008-07-29T20:50:00.004-05:00

Sophia can pull herself up now. She decided to stand up for a better look.

Looking through her books
She is in the hilarious habit of crawling along, finding a toy, putting it in her mouth, and continuing on her way. My little puppy girl.
Playing under the table, one of her favorite spots.
Sittin with Uncle Nate
Cuddle time with Uncle Nay Nay

Banana Slip N Slide

2008-07-27T19:58:00.003-05:00

After lunch, we were sitting around with my family chatting and I let Sophia crawl on the table (I know, horrible mother). She crawled to the fruit bowl and helped herself to an overly ripe banana. That's when all the fun began...

Snack Time!

2008-07-27T19:51:00.002-05:00

When Mom doesn't stay on the ball, I'll have to take matters into my own hands...

Crawl Baby

2008-07-26T12:59:00.003-05:00

No Doubt

2008-07-22T12:37:00.006-05:00

There is no doubt about who Sophia looks like...

Left: Jared at 6 months
Right: Sophia at 6 months

New Discoveries

2008-07-21T20:50:00.007-05:00

Her Tongue:

She frequently sticks out her tongue during meal times and play time. When I stick out my tongue in return, she is fascinated and tries to grab it.

Her Thumb:

She has started sucking on her thumb a little. Not often- her Nuk is still #1.

"So big!" or "All done!"

She occasionally throws up her arms to show us how big she is! She also does this when she is done eating though, so in this case it may mean "All done."

Daddy's XBox:

Sophia has become a proficient crawler now and can get any and everywhere she wants to go. She finds the most interesting things now that she can actually reach them. One of her favorites is Daddy's XBox controller.

Her Legs:

A common sight after nap time these days. She can pull herself up on things.

"Rescue me, Mama!"

Drawers:

She is intrigued by drawers ever since she figured out how to open them this week. Time to Sophie-proof the house!

Baby Boat

2008-07-15T19:29:00.008-05:00

We got Sophia a baby floaty. Jared quickly turned it into a speed boat (of course). She LOVES it and has SO MUCH FUN with Daddy.

Zoom

Vroom vroom!

Hahaha! I like going fast!

Game on, Daddy. It's bumper boats time.
Sophia: Bumper Boat Champ

Ha! Take that sucka'!

I'm gonna take the wheel for awhile Dada.
Heeeeere fishy, fishy, fishy!

I loooove boating.

My motor died. Oh nuts!

Exhausted after a long day at sea.

Baby Einstein

2008-07-15T19:23:00.002-05:00

Sophia LOVES Baby Einstein videos...

(Gotta love her pink long johns too, right!?)

Zoo Time!

2008-07-12T11:12:00.006-05:00

Sophia had her first trip to the zoo this week! We packed up a picnic lunch on Thursday and headed to Como Zoo for a fun family day. Our first stop was a carousel ride, which Sophia loved! There was so much to look at as the world whizzed around in circles. After the ride, we visited flamingos, monkeys, zebras, seals, and fish. Then we ran for the car because storm clouds were threatening. We ate our picnic lunch in the car, and as we ate, rain started pounding the windshield. Whew! We were safe, dry, and well fed. We headed home for nap time.

Look Sophia! We are going to ride on the horsies!

Excitedly waiting to ride the carousel with Dada

Ready to ride!

Ridin' with Mama!

So much to look at!

Riding with Dada. Hold on with those toes, Babe.

Pretty flamingos

Soph watching the flamingos

Sophie's reaction to the zebras. Mouth agape.

Watching the seals swim

So curious about the fishies

So True

2008-07-11T22:31:00.003-05:00

4th of July

2008-07-07T10:23:00.003-05:00

Sophia and I packed up Saturday morning to head to the Hudson 4th of July parade. We were both pretty sad that Jared had to work and couldn't come. We got all the gear in the car and headed for Hudson. We arrived about 10 minutes before the parade began. I got stuck on Main St (the parade route) and couldn't turn off down any side streets because people were blocking every street! Finally, I was able to turn off and found an excellent parking spot only 2 blocks from where the family was sitting.
When Sophie and I walked up, we were shocked to find Daddy sitting with everyone! He surprised us and took a half-day off so he could be a part of Sophie's first Fourth. It was such a wonderful surprise!

The fam waiting for the parade to start

Sophie was especially curious about the loud fire trucks.

Watching our first 4th parade as a family!

Sophia had loads of fun with the mini bottle of bubbles she got!

Sittin with Daddy watching the marching band

More Goldfish Please!

2008-06-25T13:31:00.006-05:00

We have been working on baby signs with Sophia since she was 6 months old (almost 3 months now!). When she woke up this morning, it must have clicked. She has been signing the word "more" every time she eats (without any prompting)!!! She also understands when she's suppose to use it. She signs "more" inbetween bites. She signs it, and then puts more food in her mouth. And, she doesn't do it any other time during the day. I am so proud!

The One-Armed Army Crawl

2008-06-24T22:14:00.003-05:00

Praisin'

2008-06-24T22:05:00.004-05:00

Sophia praising the Lord baby-style during church last Sunday...

Summer "Firsts"

2008-06-19T22:15:00.006-05:00

Sophia had a big day today! We have been trying to take advantage of the warm weather and get out as much as we can. So today, I packed a picnic lunch and we headed for the park.

Sophia's First Picnic:

Lunchtime!
After lunch, we laid in the shade and played for awhile

Smiles
...and giggles
After Jared got home from work, we all ate dinner, took a walk, and then got into our swimsuits and played in the pool. We blew up a bigger one for Jared and me, and Sophia had her own little pool! Hers was warmer though, so I crammed myself into her pool too ;)

After we were cooled off, we got dressed and headed to Sophia's first parade! It is SummerFest in Oakdale this weekend, and the festivities started at 7pm.

Sophia's First Parade:

When the clowns went by...

Picking up candy!

Sucking on a wrapped sucker

After we realized that at some point she got the wrapper off...

A good shot of her blue tongue

First parade as a family!

Waving to the floats

Heading home

All American Baby

2008-06-19T07:40:00.004-05:00

We are gettin' all geared up around here for Sophia's first Fourth of July. Here are some my favorite shots from our patriotic photo shoot!

Learning to Crawl!

2008-06-13T13:57:00.005-05:00

Lured by a Reeses wrapper, Sophia tries her hand at crawling...

Screw crawling, scooting is faster...

Making Faces

2008-06-11T20:03:00.006-05:00

All of these photos were taken within one minute...

Li'l Lounger

2008-06-11T19:58:00.004-05:00

Roseola :(

2008-06-10T19:41:00.006-05:00

Sophie has roseola. Poor girl.

After four days of high fever and diarrhea, we were so hopeful when it finally broke today. Then this evening during bath time, the rosie rash rapidly appeared covering her entire back. I knew this was the progression of roseola, though I knew nothing else about the virus. So after she was safely tucked in bed, I ran to the computer in a panic, unsure of the severity of her ailment.

To my relief, it sounds like a fairly common, mild virus for 6 month-24 month-olds. The most common age to get it is around 9 months (right on track). It said the fever usually last for 3-5 days, then 12-24 hours after the fever breaks, a rash rapidly appears. The rash lasts for 1-2 days. Then it will clear itself up. Most cases resolve themselves without treatment. Phew. If anyone else has any knowledge of the sickness (Hannah? Abby? Megan?) and wants to add, please do!

I don't like watching my child endure sickness. I hope she feels better soon. Poor baby.

I hope and pray that she did not spread it to any of you. It is not a very contagious virus, but is spread through saliva. I know she has been passing out lots of kisses. It takes 9-10 days to show up. I am really sorry to anyone who might get a fever in a few days...

My Little Helper

2008-05-28T12:39:00.003-05:00

Sunday Mornin'

2008-05-27T21:51:00.005-05:00

Tasting the fridge while Mama makes breakfast

Echh. Mama, that doesn't taste very good.

Playtime while Mama gets ready to go see Ben and Ariel
I think she bounced a mile

Soooooooo much fun!

Happy to see Aunt Ariel and Uncle Ben
Lookin at her uncle

Ben, Ariel and Baby Norquist

Sophia's First Pool!

2008-05-22T19:49:00.008-05:00

This is for ME!??

I love swimming!!!

Splash!

Ooooooh. There is something outside my pool...

What's all this green stuff???

Sunbathing

I wanna do it too Momma! Is this how you do it?

Whoa! That sun is bright.

Better put on my shades

Our Motto: "Barefoot is best"

Melon Heads!

2008-05-22T12:42:00.005-05:00

Jared loves a juicy piece of watermelon in the summer. It is one of the signs that summer has finally arrived. You know, kind of like sweet corn.

Well, apparently someone else loves watermelon too...

I do not care for watermelon much at all, so this can be a fun summer tradition for my two

Melonheads

Soph actually started crying when we took away the watermelon. For awhile. Oh boy.

A Day in the Life: Sophia Nourse

2008-05-17T12:32:00.006-05:00

Saying Good Morning to Daddy on the phone

Doin' the morning work-out routine. Push-ups til she drops.

Helping Momma make lunch

Every chef knows you gotta taste your food

Hugs for Ruby

Kitty Kisses

Cuddlin'

Growing Up

2008-05-12T21:59:00.004-05:00

Sophia grew up like three months in one day. She totally amazes me. I got to witness a handful of new discoveries that I have never seen her do before.

She started the day at 4am by wetting her bed for the first time. I think her diaper just couldn't hold any more. She was soaked. Yuck. But funny. (Okay, not really a discovery, but it was a first.)
She discovered a new way to twist her face up, and let me know when she was unhappy by flashing me the "sourpuss" face several times. She even showed it to Daddy a few times.
She is really starting to move! She rolls over and over until she reaches what she wants. Today I recorded her rolling all over in about a 5 foot area. She can also scoot herself forward a little on her belly. She is starting to get into the crawling position too, but she just rocks back and forth until she flops onto her belly.
Most exciting of all--- she learned how to wave bye bye!!! This morning, I was moving her arm up and down waving bye bye, and after I let go, she did it all by herself! Then this evening, we were saying goodnight to Papa, and he waved at her, and she waved back without any help from me at all!!! It was so exciting! It is really funny too, cuz she waves her entire arm from above her head, down to her butt. If I can get it on tape, I will definitely post it.

NOT happy, Daddy

Sourpuss

Helping Momma with the laundry

I hafta refold everything Momma folds. I do it better.

Daddy's Little Buddy

2008-05-12T21:49:00.002-05:00

Impeccable Aim

2008-05-06T17:50:00.004-05:00

WARNING: Graphic content

My daughter is very talented.

After a small afternoon snack at the milk bar, Sophia was sitting on my lap looking around and rubbing her eyes. It was nap time. She buried her face in my chest, just like she always does when she is tired. As she was surfacing again, I felt a warm trickle running down the valley between the Twin Teats. Somehow she had managed to launch a bellyful of milk down the 1/4-inch opening of my shirt, without getting any on the actual shirt.

That is impeccable aim.

Cool Shades, Baby!

2008-05-03T14:22:00.004-05:00

Sorry, I just couldn't stop...

What's on my face?
Wow! There is no sun in my eyes!
I love my new shades!I could get used to this!
Gotta use my shades to hold all that hair out of my eyes, just like Mommy

We are best buds!

She wore her pretty new sunglasses for the entire walk (about 20 minutes long)!!! I can't believe she kept them on. What an angel!

Calling Names

2008-04-30T11:39:00.003-05:00

Names my baby has been called this week...

Rocket baby
Cock head (refering to the way her head was tilted to the side)
Rose petal butt
Button (humorously, by a punk with a raspy smoker's voice, earrings, and a tan)
Boo
Punky Brewster
Noodle

Weirdest thing a stranger said this week:

"Well, you're pretty! Good thing you were a girl!"

What?!

My Little Girl is Getting Big

2008-04-28T16:48:00.005-05:00

Picnic on the kitchen floor

Playing with her bud, Emma

Hee hee. Eating supper at Red Robin. Thanks for the hat Erin:)

What!?

What a beautiful smile

Oh Momma! No more kisses.

I just can't help myself when your face is this cute!

Family Photo

2008-04-27T13:42:00.003-05:00

Dada

2008-04-23T14:48:00.005-05:00

Sophia has been making some big steps this week. Her first exciting accomplishment was when she started saying "dada." She does not correlate it with Jared yet, but it is really fun to hear.

She has also been enjoying some finger foods now and loves chewing on her teething cookies and apple puffs. She got to order her first meal last night at a restaurant! Papa brought us all to IHOP and she got some mashed potatoes and applesauce! It is so fun to watch her grow and enjoy new flavors.

The last bit of big news for this week is that Sophia is back in her "own room" again in her crib! When we moved in with Gary, we put the crib in our room, and she would NOT sleep in it. So she ended up in the bed with us again until last week. We cleared out the game room, and made it a small nursery. She has a heater to keep her warm, a CD player crooning lullabies in the darkness, and her comfy crib. I was really worried about how the transition would go, since she was moving to her crib, and another room all at once, but she has been an angel. The first two nights were hard, and I was up about 12 times. The third night, however, she made a huge improvement, and only woke up 3 times! Every night since then she wakes up twice and easily falls back to sleep. She is to the point now that I can lay her down while she is still awake, but very sleepy, and she will fall asleep on her own! This may sound like a late accomplishment since she is almost seven months old, but anyone who's had trouble transitioning a co-sleeping child knows how exciting this is for us!

She Gets It

2008-04-14T09:10:00.008-05:00

I have been starting to do some baby signing with Sophia. I started with the sign for milk, which is opening and closing your fist like milking a cow. Every time I am getting ready to nurse, I ask Sophia "Do you want some milk?" while signing milk. I have been doing this for about three weeks. Now, when she sees the sign for milk, she gets a big smile on her face, starts flailing in excitement, and immediately turns her face to my chest.

She gets it.

First Barrette

2008-04-11T20:06:00.004-05:00

I have been waiting for this moment for six months... (Natalie and Shirley- I'm jealous.)

Splish Splash!

2008-04-11T19:55:00.004-05:00

Sophia went swimming for the first time yesterday morning! We brought her to the YMCA and met my mom and Anna. Unfortunately, the kiddy pool (which is of course ten times warmer than the big pool) was closed. Some kiddo had a poo poo in the kiddy pool the night before and they must have triple shocked it. It was scheduled to open at 8:30am. We arrived at 9am, and it was still closed. We swam until 10:00, and when we left, it still had twice the acceptable chlorine level to be open. Oh well. We had lots of fun splashing and swimming in the big pool. Sophia did surprisingly well, despite the cold temperature of the water-- better than her momma in fact. I finally got so cold that I got out. I bundled up Soph and we went into the family dressing room and took a warm shower together.
I am so happy that Sophia loves the water so much. The highlight of her evening is always bath time. As a young girl, I was terrified of the water, so I am glad she is already so comfortable in it.

Seriously! Can You Get Any Cuter, Sophia?

2008-04-10T18:59:00.001-05:00

Pink Bunny Hopper

2008-04-09T08:05:00.004-05:00

Every night after bathtime, we wrap Sophia up in her pink bunny towel, and then sing a song about our pink bunny hopper, as we bounce her all the way back to our room. If anyone (Mommy, Daddy or Uncle Na Na) is on our way to the bedroom, we always make a stop and bounce in front of them for a minute. Sophia loves being the pink bunny hopper, and is always a smiley bunny.

Pink bunny hopper hopping along!

Watch out, the pink bunny hopper is coming!

Pretty pink bunny hopper

Stopping to visit daddy

Family Photo

2008-04-06T11:22:00.002-05:00

Any of you who know Sophia, know that her arms are always in the air. She may be rubbing off on us...

Cool Hat, Baby!

2008-03-30T15:39:00.013-05:00

We entered this photo of Sophia in the "Cool Hat, Baby! 2008 Photo Contest" hosted by Parents magazine! Winners are chosen via viewers votes.

Go VOTE for Sophia!

(You will have to create a members account to vote, but it is completely free, and they won't send you anything if you uncheck the boxes.)

You can vote for her up to 5 times per day! The contest ends April 7, 2008. The grand prize is $1,000.

Thanks for your votes!!

CORRECTION: Contest ends April 5th. Again, thanks to all who voted daily for Sophia!

My Little Daredevil

2008-03-24T15:56:00.004-05:00

It's official. Sophia is her father's child. I never would have risked this at 6 months. Or 6 years.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-24T09:43:00.006-05:00

Sophia had a wonderful first Easter. We started the day with an excellent sermon by Pastor Porter. Then off to Great Grandma Betty's for family meal. After playing with all the relatives, we headed back to Papa Nourse's for another feast and Easter basket hunt. It was a long, but wonderful day.

On our way to Grandma's

Kisses for Mommy

Eagerly awaiting her Easter feast of peaches and sweet potatos

Finding her Easter basket from Papa Nourse

Resting after a long day and wonderful meal

My beautiful little girlybug

Pretty princess in her pretty dress

The Many Faces of Me

2008-03-20T22:01:00.006-05:00

"Momma! Let me show you all my faces. Watch!"

I had carrots last night for dinner. Yuck.

Get lost little boy. I'm not impressed.

Hi-yaaa! Watch out, I know karate.

My fellow Americans...

Did you see all my faces Momma? Aren't you proud!

My Big Sitter

2008-03-20T11:32:00.003-05:00

Sophia learned how to sit up on her own this week! She has been working on it for the past week and a half now. we have been sitting her up every chance we get. Now she's an old pro! She loves to play sitting up all by herself! It won't be long now until she starts to crawl...

It's Gonna Be a Bright, Bright Sunshiny Day

2008-03-14T09:37:00.005-05:00

I was absolutely smitten with the weather yesterday. I woke up and spent the first couple hours of the morning inside. Then I had to run out to the car to get something, and couldn't believe the sunshine. So I ran back inside, got myself together, kissed Jared and Sophia goodbye (they were taking a nap together), and went to revel in the warm sun. I did several errands, including wandering the aisles of Wal-Mart for 1.5 hours, looking at everything I wanted to look at. I haven't had much "me time" lately, so this was a special treat. Then I came home, whisked Sophia from Jared's arms, and brought her out for her first ever stroller ride!! (By the time she was born last fall, the weather was already too cold to bring her out on walks.) We had a nice long walk, stopped back at home to grab some lunch, then were off again to drive around for awhile and soak up the sun. I just really couldn't get enough and found any excuse I could think of to go out yesterday. It was pure bliss.

Dinnertime!

2008-03-09T12:02:00.011-05:00

Sophia sat in her highchair for the first time last night for dinner! Perviously, we fed her in the exersaucer. She also tried pureed bananas for the first time. Too funny! It is so much fun introducing new things to her. Her reactions never disappoint.

In her highchair for the first time

Aren't I cute sitting in my new highchair, Mom?

I'm ready to eat! I want to try bananas!

That's bananas? Yuck.

I don't think I like bananas very much.

Yup. I'm pretty sure bananas are gross.

Mommy, please, no more bananas.

Sophia, what did you think of your bananas?

Bright Eyes

2008-03-06T22:15:00.003-06:00

Sittin' Pretty

2008-03-05T19:38:00.005-06:00

Look at what a big girl Sophia is becoming! She is really working on sitting up on her own now. I have her play sitting up for awhile each day, while I spot her. If she starts to fall, mommy is there to catch her, but otherwise I let her try to balance herself. She is so close.

She has no problem lounging in the easy chair however...

Rice!

2008-03-02T22:18:00.005-06:00

On Sunday, after we moved, we sat down to enjoy some pizza. Sophia was grabbing at our pizza and watching each bite travel to our mouths (she had been doing this at every meal for quite some time now). She had also been displaying all the other signs of "readiness," so we decided it was time to give her some rice cereal. We got out the camcorder, and in front of several relatives, she tried her first bites of rice. Yum! She liked it! Everytime she saw the spoon coming, she got very excited and leaned towards it. Everytime the spoon entered her mouth, she bite down, and I had to wiggle the spoon out of her strong clamp! She did a very good job and stayed fairly clean too! Yay for big girl food!

She has been eating rice cereal for dinner every night now, and just loves it. She has a bottomless stomach when it comes to her cereal, and most of the time, we just have to cut her off because she would eat the whole box if we let her. I can't wait to see how she likes fruit and veggies!

Dinner at Josh and Shinae's

2008-03-02T22:13:00.005-06:00

"Oooo! Juice!"

"I think it's for me!"

"Mommy, look! Uncle Josh gave me some juice!"

"Alright. Ready to try this."

"Echh. This is funny tasting juice Uncle Josh.*"

*She did not really taste any. Just so we're clear;)

The Hardest Yet

2008-02-26T21:42:00.004-06:00

The past four months have been difficult in the sleep department for Sophia and me. She is the world's lightest sleeper. I'm not kidding. She awoke this morning when I was slipping ever-so-quietly into my pants from across the entire room. Ahh, the soft rustle of jeans rings like the morning rooster's crow in her delicate little ears.

So I decided it was time to try something new. She needs to be on a good sleep schedule before Poppy arrives, or this momma will go cuckoo. I realize I have some time, but now is a good time to start. I would like to get some sleep during this pregnancy.

On any given night, I nurse Sophia and she falls asleep in my arms. I hold her for awhile, then gently ease her into the crib. Whether or not she remains asleep is very hit-or-miss. Sometimes she does great all night. Mostly though, she wakes up immediatly. The process starts all over again, and by the middle of the night I am so exhausted that she usually ends up in bed with us (where she is guaranteed to sleep soundly all night. Happy baby. Happy mommy.)

So tonight, I nursed her and cuddled for a few minutes. While she was still drowsy, but not asleep, I laid her in the crib. Of course the crying started immediatly. I quietly walked toward the door and allowed her to cry. I sat in the living room, listening to my baby cry her eyes out. It took everything in my being not to go in there and rescue her from her peril. Every ten minutes or so, I walked in, stuck her nuk back in her mouth, gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and reassured her of my love, then turned around and walked out again. It was seriously one of the hardest "mommy moments" yet. Soon the tears started flowing down my face as well. Gary came downstairs and prayed with me. I am so glad that God sent him down to encourage me. I needed it. (Jared is out helping a friend tonight, or he would have been by my side too.) After what seemed like an eternity, the moniter stopped screaming at me and the room grew quiet.

She has been peacefully sleeping for 30 minutes now. I am encouraged, and exhausted. Listening to your child cry like that and not running to their rescue takes a lot of strength. But God is watching over her, and teaching us both through the process. I love my little girl. I hope she always knows that.

Sheeeee'll Scratch Your Eye Out!

2008-02-25T11:48:00.004-06:00

Yesterday morning before church, Sophia and I were enjoying some early morning moments together. We were sitting on the couch, talking and playing, when suddenly her razor nails came full speed at my eye. Before I could even react, she made a nice clean slice across my cornea. YOWZA!!! My eye slammed shut, and remained that way for the rest of the day. It stung and burned when my eye was closed. It stung and burned when my eyes were open. It even stung and burned while I took a nap.

After "the incident," I toughed up and got ready for church. We made it, late of course. By the end of the service, all my resolve melted and I turned into a pool of self pity. My eye was drooling more than Sophia, and my nose was trying to keep up. I had a kleenex for my eye, and a kleenex for my nose-- both soaked. This kept up fo the rest of the day. So after church, I eagerly took my dad's invitation to let them care for me while Jared did some more packing. I got to spend the afternoon under the watchful care of my dad. He administered eye drops and antibiotics when needed. He made up the bed for me so I could take a nap. He found an eye mask to keep out the light. (Which I wore for several hours, including during lunch. Going about the day blind gave me quite a different perspective. It was so frustrating.) All the while, Grandma, Aunt Anna, Aunt Shinae, and Uncle Josh took care of the wee babe. Thanks everyone for your help.

Last night when I went to bed, not only did my eye burn, but it was also swollen and red. I awoke this morning to a new eye. It feels so much better and I can actually use it again! Not completely restored, but a huge step up from yesterday.

Rough Start

2008-02-22T15:31:00.003-06:00

We moved into Jared's dad's house on Wednesday night. This is the beginning of our 1-year plan. As I anticipated, it has been somewhat of a rough transition for Sophia... at night. I believe she knows our home, and feels comfortable and relaxed there. It will probably take awhile for her to adjust to our new home.

My brilliant plan was to use the pack 'n play as a crib until we are able to transfer her crib to Gary's. Yeah, that's not going to work. The pack 'n play has two mattress levels. When it is on the lower one, it is way too low to lay her down without nearly dropping her (much less waking her up)! The higher level is at a good height, but is suspended in such a way that is sways back and forth like a hammock, making a ruckus every time she moves, which also wakes her up.

There is the bassinet option. She barely fits anymore. She is too tall. It can be done, but when I lay her in it, there is no extra room for me to get my arm out from under her. So, if I stood over her bassinet all night that option could be a winner. But alas, not happening.

So there's the bed. The double bed. Me. Jared. Sophia. And the arm she's laying on. All fast asleep in the bed. Sigh.

The "F" Word

2008-02-19T12:43:00.005-06:00

The Little Miss in our house has been developing quite a personality lately!

She has learned how to show frustration. While she is lying on her changing table and she decides she has had enough wiping and diapering, she flexes her whole body and her face scrunches up. Then she looks like she is pushing with all of her might (it really kind of looks like she is trying to "push one out"). Then, from deep within her throat arises a loud grunting wail (it also sounds like she is trying to "push one out"). She follows this same routine when she has had enough playtime in her exersaucer, or flings a toy off the edge, or in general needs attention. It is actually kind of cute. Here is what it looks like...

Sick Day

2008-02-16T11:43:00.005-06:00

Yesterday afternoon, Sophia started coughing. It was nothing too serious, but it was obvious a cold was brewing. Last night, when we were getting ready for bed, she got very congested. Her coughing got much worse, and before long it got so bad that she threw up. This was no normal baby spit-up. It was throw up. She was exhausted and went to sleep by 9:30. An hour later, she started to stir, so I went in to check on her. She felt like a furnance. I stripped off her blanket sleeper, and rushed her into a cooler room (hers is heated warmer than the rest of the house). I took her temp and it was 101.9! I scurried around the house looking for the infant tylenol, and of course, couldn't find it. So Jared threw his pants on and rushed to the store. By the time he returned, her fever was down to 100.7. An hour later, the fever was gone, and she was out cold. This morning, a little fever returned of 99.5, and she is still coughing and congested.

I have been feeling very crampy and nauseous today, so we are having a sick day together on the couch, cuddled up with with pillows and blankets.

Poppy

2008-02-14T07:47:00.001-06:00

Check out my new blog!

The Biting Has Begun

2008-02-12T11:13:00.003-06:00

Enough said.

Teephers!!

2008-02-08T14:12:00.001-06:00

This morning, I was reading over the feeding chart I have hanging on the fridge, going through the checklist of what Sophia has to accomplish before we give her infant cereal.

Sits with help (check!)
Pushes up with straight elbows while on tummy (check!)
Holds mouth open as spoon approaches (hmmm... I don't know. Let's check.)

I went to the silverware drawer and grabbed the only baby spoon we have, which is metal. I brought it to her mouth. She turned away. I drew the spoon back and tried again. This time she opened wide and I put the spoon in. She bit down, and I heard click click click.

My eyes widened as I threw the spoon on the counter and replaced it with my finger. I traced her gumline and felt not one, but two teeth!!! I drew back her lip, and here is what I saw...

A New Day, A New Discovery

2008-02-08T11:02:00.001-06:00

I have been realizing that Sophia falls asleep really quickly (when she is tired) on her contoured changing table pad. So last night, the light bulb went off...

It was a good night. No games. Just sleep. Praise God.

Playing Games

2008-02-06T09:36:00.001-06:00

Sophia has added a new trick to her repertoire. She has learned how to play mommy like a violin. Here is how the night goes...

11:00- Put Sophia down in her crib for the night. Creep out of the room. She usually sleeps well for several hours. Then the games begin...
3:00- Sophia whimpers. My ears perk up and I wait, listening for more. Sophia whimpers again, louder this time. I wait. Then she starts crying. I get out of bed and walk to her room. By the time I get there, I peek in the door, and she is out like a light, fast asleep. Looks like she hasn't moved in hours. I go back to bed.
3:12- Repeat previous step
4:00- Repeat again
4:05- And again
4:20- I wait longer this time after she starts whimpering. I wait until she is crying for a minute. Go to her room. Guess what? Silent as a lamb. Out like a light.
4:30- Repeat all steps throughout the remainder of the night until I give up on trying to sleep, and just get up.

Now people, it literally is 10 STEPS from my bedside to hers. How she accomplishes this new trick baffles me. In fact, on one of my trips back to my bed last night, I actually considered the possibility that the moniter next to my bed is no moniter at all. It is a pre-recorded tape player.

Natalie Ann

2008-02-01T18:21:00.001-06:00

Congratulations Sarah and Aaron on the birth of their baby girl, Natalie Ann.
Head over to Erin's blog for all the stats.
We went to visit Natalie this afternoon. She looks like her momma! Sophia wanted to meet her new friend! Here are some photos of our visit.

The happy new family

Look at all that hair!!! I just want to brush it and put barretts in it!

Sophie meeting her new friend for the first time. They really hit it off!

Natalie and Sophia, friends since Day #1

I already forgot how tiny they are!!

My Little Secret

2008-01-31T06:21:00.002-06:00

(click on photo to view larger)

I am finally ready to share with the world the secret behind my babybody-bounce-back success. I must admit that I have been hoarding this dirty little secret to myself, but now it is finally time to let you all in on my secret formula. My favorite flavor is the Kahlua.

Apologies

2008-01-29T14:06:00.001-06:00

There are so many new developments to share! Sophie has been surprising me everyday with new accomplishments. I am so proud of her. This week in the news...

Anytime she is laid on her back, she cranks her head up, basically doing a tummy crunch, trying to get up. With only a little help, she can pull herself upright when holding our fingers. She is a very strong little girl.

She is learning how to swim! She has always been comfortable in the water, and loves bath time. But this week Jared has been giving her baby swimming lessons by dipping her face in the water for half a second. She usually holds her breath or blows bubbles. I am so happy that Jared does that with her, because it makes me too nervous. I want her to be comfortable in the water though, since I was terrified of water until I was eleven. In honor of her progress, we bought her first swimsuit this week. Grandpa and Gram want to take her to the "Y" to swim.

She is really getting her hand/eye coordination down! When she sees something she is interested in, she can usually grab it. It has been very exciting watching her make this connection. Going along with that...
...she is becoming very interested in food. Her eyes follow my food as it travels from my plate to my mouth. She is just starting to grab at it as it goes by.

She started playing in her exer-saucer. She is strong enough now to keep herself upright in it. She started out by just moving her legs a little, and spinning herself slowly in it. Now, however, she is a seasoned saucer queen. She grabs at the toys, bounces herself up and down, and spins, all while talking and shrieking in delight.

Gram and Gramps Norquist have a walker that she tried out this week. Her feet touched the ground perfectly and she figured out how to scoot herself forwards and backwards all around the kitchen and living room! She was so excited to be able to move on her own. Mommy and Daddy were VERY proud.

And finally, she slept in her crib for the first time last night! She has been in a bassinet by our bed up until now. She is getting to be such a big girl, and slept all by herself in her own room.

A Peek Into Our Daily Life

2008-01-23T10:38:00.001-06:00

It is so fun to watch Sophia as she makes new discoveries every week. She has become very observant and can pick my face out of a crowd now. When there are several people standing around her, she scans the faces and when her eyes come to rest upon my face, she hesitates and smiles. That makes me feel so special.
She is also beginning to take interest in grabbing things. If we hold a toy up in front of her face, she will try to reach out and grab it. Her depth perception is still a little off, but she trying!
Another exciting development is that Sophie can sit up when she is supported! So many nights, she sits next to us on the couch while we eat dinner.

Our big girl, sitting in the rocking chair.
Bundled up and not able to move an inch!
Rocking my girls at naptime
Sophie cuddling her teddy

Dirty Mouth? Clean it Up!

2008-01-18T13:26:00.002-06:00

For a Good Clean Feeling, No Matter What!

If their motto is true, then my baby needs some Orbit gum! She got dirty nuk mouth after we gave her a liquid vitamin supplement. I stuck her nuk in her mouth right after squirting the liquid in her mouth, hoping she would suck it down while sucking on her nuk. She is talented. She managed to spit out the liquid while continuing to suck on her nuk... resulting in dirty, sticky nuk mouth.

Sophia displaying dirty nuk mouth

Sophia thinking dirty nuk mouth is no big deal

Paparazzi, ugh.

Playtime With Daddy

2008-01-17T18:10:00.001-06:00

Going, Going, Gone

2008-01-17T18:00:00.001-06:00

Sophia is teething. She was displaying random fits of fussiness, and drooling a river. She also would chew on anything that came near her mouth. I checked her gums a few weeks ago and saw a faint white spot on her front lower gums. Then I checked again yesterday, and saw a very distinct white spot in the same place. The tooth looks like it is just below the surface.

We got her some teething toys that she is getting very good at holding herself. She especially likes to bite her butterfly's head...

Going...

Gone!

Baby's First Tear

2008-01-17T13:56:00.001-06:00

Last week Sophie was crying in her bouncy seat, and I came over to find her first tear running down her cheek. Adorably cute, but heart breaking too!

My Baby Can Boogie

2008-01-12T09:26:00.002-06:00