Disney Magic!

Today was a great day - for the most part. After a horrible drive there, Nora, Cort and I met up with Jessica and Maya and went for an awesome 2+ hour hike at the state park. The dogs had a blast, Nora snuck in a backpack nap and all and all it was perfect! We got home, had lunch and with a tired baby and a tired dog I was able to get a little cleaning done around here and get ready for a night out. Morgan (from my internship at OSU) and her husband Ben are at Disney this week so we met up with them for dinner and a stroll around Downtown Disney. It was fun to catch up with them and watch Nora clap and bop to the Irish music while she was enthralled by the dancers at Raglan Road. Then after dinner the 5 of us walked around Downtown Disney...yes, all 5 of us. Nora was a walking machine!! And of course, pitched a fit every time she was removed from her feet by one of us. Let the fun of new found independence begin!

Wonder Week

Check her out! It has been a week of quick learning around here. Nora's sign language has clicked and kicked into full gear, letting us know pretty much what she wants, when she wants it (please) - especially as it relates to food. Also, after a major backslide in the walking department over the last few weeks, tonight this happened! Yep, walking all around on her own. She was all over the living room, into the kitchen...ladies and gents, we have a walker! To top everything off, she's been a chatterbox, blurting out a well timed "bubble" of sorts (that was picked up by other moms too) at story time today and finding a few other new "words" here and there. Most of it isn't necessarily understandable to the general public yet but in the context of situation and conversation the words are definitely there. She's showing off "puff" minus the fs when referring to the craft pom I was holding out to her in the video. Amazing how it all kind of snowballed!! She's cramming in what she can under the wire of her first year!

Sushing the Sounds

Kyle's back to working on the guest room doors to put the finishing touches on and hang up the moulding...then, we paint! Today's step, putting in some sound insulation.

Tent Time

Who doesn't love to spend a little time on a Saturday in a tiny tent?! For that matter, who doesn't love to have a tiny tent set up in their living room!? Clearly, we are quite the wild bunch. Funny thing is, this is the smallest tent we've ever had set up in the living room...In other news, we went on a family bike ride today - Cort included. I even got brave enough to bike him and Nora at the same time! Like I said, we're pretty wild!

Play the Day Away!

After a cloudy start, today has been gorgeous! Sunny, 80, perfection! After some pretty serious dance parties this morning, a kind of weak nap and a good lunch, Nora and I climbed aboard the bike and headed to the playground. She had a blast in the couple hours that we spent there; swinging, climbing, sliding, watching kids, tennis matches & squirrels, meeting a puppy, and even doing some walking. Best part, she tuckered herself out and was ready for a nap when we got home!

Having a Ball

Water beads - sooo cool and super fun! And, after a rough day where NOTHING kept Nora occupied for more than a few seconds and everything was driving me nuts, they did the trick. Kyle's been in Miami since yesterday so by this afternoon I was done...it's amazing how much having him home in the evenings helps me refresh for the next day! Anyway, back to the beads, I was entranced with them too and when Kyle got home tonight it didn't take long for him to get sucked in. They're super absorbent polymer beads, usually used for flower arrangement type stuff. They start as small as pin heads and you soak them in water for a few hours and they steadily grow into marble size rubbery balls that bounce on hard surfaces and feel smooth and slimy in a container, but they're not slimy or messy. SO COOL! Highly recommend them for sensory play or as an experiment to do with or without a light panel. I got ours for a couple of dollars at Michaels in the floral department and less than a quarter of the pouch made all these.

Take a Hike!

The weather warmed up a little today, but hasn't gotten too warm yet (it's supposed to be hot this weekend) so we took advantage and went for a hike with Jessica and Maya. Cort was off leash and off collar and did AWESOME. We still need to work on him understanding that Florida big water means alligators not swimming, but other than that we all had a nice long hike and even saw a bald eagle. Now we just have to wait and see if he's tired!