Day 213- Future Lady Vol?

Nora has been long or tall for her age since birth. She has consistently measured in the 90-something percentile, and even as her weight has evened out around the 50th %ile, her height remains in the top 10%. Well, I decided to have her try on some of her new 24 month pajamas thinking they would probably be way too long for her because, well, she's not even 16 months old yet AND they looked very long to me.

Her 18 month PJs in this same brand now ride up to about her knees, so I suppose it's time to make the switch. My mother can feel free to ship me more of these in 24 months- my favorites found only at Walmart Canada- sometime soon!

Day 212- Yummy Treat

Nora really likes yogurt, but only when I saw these snack size ones while visiting my family, did I decide to start buying them regularly. Here is Nora enjoying a banana flavored one.

Day 211- Mixed Emotions

Nora can go from this...

To this...

In a matter of seconds.

See?

If this is her current disposition, I have a feeling that those emotional teenage years are going to be lots of fun.

Day 210- Hurricane Nora

Our house is certainly lived in, but we try to keep our livingroom neat. By afternoon, however, it's a maze of toys, books, blocks, and puzzle pieces.

I don't know what most people do, but we don't even try to clean up until Nora is in bed for the night. I suppose it's getting to be about that time when we should start to teach her to pick up after herself.

Also, we're dog-sitting for a friend this weekend, so Nora has a new "toy" to play with.

Day 209- Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Nora has always loved playing in the mirror. Here we are cheesin' for the mirror/camera.

Day 208- A Sort-Of Anniversary

July 26, 2010

POSITIVE!

July 26, 2011

So strong and alert at not even 4 months old.

July 26, 2012

Our big girl playing on our bed first thing in the morning.

Today was an ordinary day. Nora went to day care and had a blast playing outside with her friends. Brad went to work. I went back-to-school shopping and spent a couple of hours at my new school going over curriculum with a teacher friend. However, today also has extraordinary significance. I remember July 26, 2010 so clearly, and  several times today I commented to Brad or Nora how I couldn't believe that 2 years ago, we were just learning that our baby would be born. It feels like just yesterday, yet it also seems like Nora has always been ours. We never could have imagined how much love we would have for this silly and amazing little human.

Nora, you are the light of our lives today and every day.

Day 207- Vacation Mode

I went to bed last night and realized that not only had we not taken a single picture, but that I also hadn't posted anything here on Nora's blog. Luckily, I have a ton more pictures from our vacation that I can share.

If I look a little dishevled, it's because we were up at 3:30 a.m.

I can't get enough of these 2!

Leaning in for a kiss. Awwww!

Enjoying the cool, early morning, ocean breeze.

Hanging with the Gramps.

On a boardwalk mission.

In front of our boat after the Bras d'Or Lake tour.

My first baby love and my own baby love. (Since baby love #1 so grown??)

Smiling at X.

Day 206- Farewell to Nova Scotia

This morning, we packed up our suitcases for the last time from our hotel room near the Halifax airport and got ready for the long trek back to Knoxville. Nora got her first of what I know will be many stamps on her passport.

She was a real trooper on both flights with only a few real fussy periods.

Nora was so excited to get home and see her dogs. She had fun pulling all of her toys out of her toy box, and she took an extra long bath in her bathtub with all of her bath toys.

While I'm personally feeling a little sad to have left "the homeland", I know we'll all be happy to sleep in our own beds tonight.

Day 205- St.F.X: Whatsoever Things Are True

Whatsoever things are true.

This is St. Francis Xavier University's school motto. It comes from  St. Paul's letter to Philippians (4: 4-9). The remainder of the verse continues: "...whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report. If there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things."

My years at St. F.X. are cherished ones, and I was so excited to share a little bit of that with Nora for the first time today on our way back to Halifax. It was a scorcher of a day, so we weren't able to spend too much time walking the campus like we usually do, but we did get to hit a few of my favorite spots.

We capped off our visit at Bloomfield Center, where we picked up t-shirts for the whole family.

Day 204- Last Full Day

Today was our last full day in Cape Breton, and time flew way too quickly. It was so amazing to be home and to see Nora with my family. She took to them so quickly, as though she's always known them, and it made my heart so happy. At the same time, there was a little sadness hanging over the week, knowing we'd be leaving all too soon. I know it was especially tough for my Mom who said more than once that she didn't know which was worse- not having seen Nora OR having her home and then having to say good bye knowing that it will be another year before she sees her again.

I know the whole family is already counting down until next year.... and I'm really, really hoping to get my parents down some time in between. (Ahem.. hint, hint... passports, Mother.)
Here are some pictures of Nora on her last day in CB with the family.

Day 203- Bras d'Or

Today was the Big Wave festival on the Bras d'Or Lake. One of the activities early in the day is a tour of the lake. You can sign up to be on board of a local fishing boat, which will take you on an approximately 2.5 hour tour. Every boat has a different atmosphere, and the one we ended up on was a bit of a "party" boat. Nora did incredibly well. I'm sure some people were raising an eyebrow when they saw me get on board with her, but she smiled and waved and high fived the other guests while they ate, drank, and danced.
Here are some pictures of Nora enjoying her first time out on the water.

Day 202- On the Boardwalk

When we woke up this morning, we thought we'd go down to The Great Big Giant Fiddle and the Boardwalk for some fresh air. We knew before we even got there that it was going to be a challenge because Nora had a meltdown in the middle of Tim Hortons, where we stopped for breakfast. Brad had to carry her out of the restaurant kicking and screaming, but we thought we'd attempt to visit the fiddle anyway.
We got 1 picture before we called it a bust and headed back to my parents' house.

After a nap (or 2), we decided to try again. We skipped the fiddle this time and opted for the Boardwalk instead. It was a gorgeous afternoon. The sun was shining, but there was a nice breeze and no humidity. Nora enjoyed walking on the boardwalk with her Daddy much more than being pushed in her stroller.

Day 201- Playdate and Photo Ops

Today, we got to see one of my high school besties, Leasa, and her little 4.5 month old man, Ty!  I am so sad I didn't get any pictures. Ty was down for a nap by the time I thought about my camera. Nora had fun pointing to the baby and the giant dog, Jaxon while watching Elmo's World.
Later in the day, we took the Nora and Ruby for pictures at Walmart in their super cute and coordinating purple, frilly outfits. It was stressful and exhausting trying to get two 15-16 month olds to both stay still and smile for the camera, but in the end, we got some great shots! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics on my camera- all I have is this one of Nora in her dress with Tessa.

Nora also tried Chinese food for the first time: Fried rice and beef with broccoli from Auntie Laura's restaurant, King Fortune. She loved it!

Day 200- Early Bird

Yesterday was an off day for Nora because we were running around so much, and she missed her afternoon nap. As a result, she went to bed for the night early, and because of that, she woke up early, too. At 5:45 a.m.

We're packed in pretty tight here at my Mom and Dad's, so my niece Tessa was asleep on the couch. We decided the only thing to do was to get Nora into the car and go somewhere. Our first stop was (obviously) Tim's for a little breakfast.

Then, we took a scenic drive through the Pier, South Bar, Victoria Mines, and New Waterford. We stopped at a look-out point in South Bar to take some pictures. It was a little cool and drizzly, so we didn't stay long.

We got back to my parents place at 7:40 a.m., and Nora was already asleep in the car. Thankfully, she also took another nap later in the morning, which meant both Brad and I were able to catch a couple of zzzzzs before carrying on with our day.

Day 199- Nora's First Concert

Today, Nora went to see her first live concert- Duncan and the Apple in a Tree Band! They were playing at the Two Rivers Wildlife Park for the annual "Teddy Bear Picnic". It was a hot afternoon, and it was about Nora's nap time, but she ended up having a great time. She danced and she clapped to the music, and she even got a special "Shout Out" from Grampy while he was on stage.

Day 198- Archibald Avenue

39 Archibald Avenue is where my maternal grandparents lived for my whole life. It was truly my 2nd home, and we always referred to it as "down the house" as in, "When do you want to go down the house?" Since Jennie, Papa, and Nana have all been gone, my Uncle Pat bought the house, and while it no longer feels like "home", I'm glad that the house is still in the family. I hope Nora has a chance to be in and around Archibald Ave. as she grows, as it holds so many special memories for me.

Day 197- Cousins

One of the things that I was most excited about for our visit was seeing Nora and her cousin Ruby together. Ruby is exactly 1 month younger than Nora, so we anticipated them having SO much fun together.

While they are still getting used to one another, their first encounter did not disappoint. Ruby was squealing with delight. Nora was a little nervous, but she eventually warmed up to the attention. Talia and Tessa were also so excited to meet and snuggle their "new"cousin.