The Day I Was Dreading is Here!

When I took Cora to the doctor for her 1 month well check, we shared the scale room (cubby) with a sweet little chubby-cheeked 9 month old boy.  As soon as the nurse tried to put him on the scale, he started crying and protesting.  He recognized the nurse, and he KNEW!  He knew what was in store for him.  Ever since then, I've been dreading the day when Cora KNEW.  Cora is not nearly as perceptive as this kiddo because it took her to 18 months before awareness dawned in her mind.  But, nevertheless, the day has come!

Ohh, and did I mention Cora's favorite word is 'no'?  (Most accurately, 'NO! NO! NO!')

When the nurse popped her head in the door to call for Cora, it began.  She protested being weighed (22 lbs, 8 oz - 25th percentile - a-woo-hoo!).  She protested being measured (30 1/2 inches - 25th percentile - yippee!).  She protested the special head measure-thingy - yes that is the medical term for it!! (46.9cm - 60th percentile - hah!)  She hated every little poke and prod that Dr. Mitchell had to do.  But, everything checked out normal, thanks be to God!!

Oh wait, how could I forget?!  She HATED the vaccination.   Thankfully, this is our last vaccination until she turns 4.  Yea!!

We are going to work on using a utensil to eat and drinking out of a cup (with no sippy lid).  Can it be that my sweet baby girl is ready for utensils and no sippy lids?!  (cue the music) Sunrise, sunset. . .

Celebrating with Yia Yia and Dado

Cora is very fortunate to have two sets of caring grandparents around her.  We got to spend Christmas and the following weekend with her Yia Yia and Dado.  You'll remember this early Christmas present which Cora LOVES.  Christmas Eve, there were a few more presents under the tree for little missy like this fun little remote control airplane.  You can see from the picture that she was not totally enthralled at first. . .in the picture she's playing with the dog leash(!).  But, she's warming up to it.

She also got a new puzzle with farm animals and one of Max Lucado's children's books.  She likes the puzzle and book a lot.  In fact, she likes to bring me the dog from her puzzle.

John and I got her a V-Tech toddler laptop.  (Okay, I admit it!  It's really a present for us.  It's the "let's keep Cora occupied during road trips" toy.)  She seemed to like it on the drive back even though she threw it over the side of the carseat after about 20 minutes.  Oh well!

We are having fun here with all of our new toys.  Last but not least, here is sweet baby girl in her new dress.  I told you it would be worth the wait!

Cuter than a box of puppies, right?!

Cora and her Dado ready for a fabulous Christmas dinner!

Wordless Wednesday

Parenting Lesson #364

Y'all, you should always lock the keys on your cell phones.

Witness the events that took place as we were packing to go to Yia Yia and Dado's for Christmas.

Parents in the bedroom packing; Cora in the living room playing with toys.
John:  Do you know where my tie is?
Me:  Hmm, I'm not really sure.  Is it with the clothes on the bed?
From the living room, we hear muffled voices coming from a cell phone.
Cora: Uh, oh!
Silence. . .
Parents run to the living room. . .
Cell phone rings. . .
John:  Hello?
Operator:  This is 911 dispatch we received a hang-up call from this number.  Is everything okay?


Yeesh! Somehow Cora managed to dial 911 on John's phone. We're not really sure exactly how.  But, we are grateful to the dispatcher who was so patient and understanding.  No more cell phone for Cora!

Return of the Push Popper

When my brother was a toddler one of his favorite toys was a push popper.  When my sweet niece was old enough to have one, Mema and P-pa got one for her because her daddy loved it so much.  

"Ha ha!!" I thought.  "I've escaped that noisy fate!  My favorite toy was my quiet little giraffe scooter."

And, God laughed!!

Here is Cora with her vintage push popper.  This was a most accidental present.  I was shopping for a kids' cd player for little missy.  What I didn't know is that I'm totally behind the times. . . they don't really make kids' cd players. . .they make kids' ipod docks.  Yeah, umm, no!  I thought maybe I would have some luck finding the dinosaur I was looking for at a children's consignment store.  While I was looking around, Cora wandered over to the toy section and found this bad boy.  Once she figured out how to use it, she would not let it go.  She pushed the blessed thing all over the store.  In fact, I think it broke her heart a little when she had to hand it over to the salesman so I could pay for it!  Nevertheless, there it was under the Christmas tree for little missy (and me ; ) to enjoy!  Noisy Good Times!

Merry Christmas!

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.  Luke 2:11

Merry Christmas with love from our family to yours!

We're Ready. . .

for you, Santa!

(Photo by Chris Powell.)

The Saddest Little Fashion Show Ever!

You saw the adorable outfit my mom made for Cora in a previous post.  My mom wanted to make sure she got some pictures of Cora in her new outfit.  What better time to get pictures than the present?!

You can see we had a very willing model!

The fashion show ended rather abruptly!

Wordless Wednesday

(Photo by Chris Powell)

Christmas with Mema and P-pa

This past weekend we got to visit Mema and P-pa to celebrate Christmas with my family.  Though Cora is not quite old enough to fully understand, she did enjoy getting some new toys to play with.  The really great part was that everyone found toys for her that did not require batteries!  She got a bunch of new musical instruments including a tambourine, maracas, cymbals, and the xylophone you see below.

She also got her own baby doll with a blanket, bib, milk bottle, and juice sippy cup.  She would walk around my parents house with her baby saying "oh, baby!" and patting her on the back.  So cute!!

Cora also received some new outfits.  My mom is an excellent seamstress, so Cora always gets a one of a kind outfit.  This Christmas, it is a lovely blue corduroy dress with a matching hat.  (More on that to come.)And, she got this kicky vest outfit from my grandma, Gamma.  Can't wait to have the fashion show of Cora in her new outfits!

She Learned It From a Monkey

Cora's vocabulary is really expanding as of late.  She is a jabber mouth even though most conversations sound like gibberish . . . at least to me.  There is no doubt Cora knows what she is saying!  Cora's newly expanded list of words includes

• more
• cracker
• uh-oh
• dada
• mama
• please (sounds like "mese")
• dog/puppy (sounds like "bidey")
• ball
• baby
• hi
• bye bye
• OOHH! (when we turn on the Christmas lights)
• up
• no
• go (usually "go, go, go!" when watching sports. . . wonder where she gets that from?!)
• okay
• bubble
• Penny (sounds like "minnie")
• amen ("mamen")
• good girl ("goo gir")

Today we were in Target (where else would we be?!) as I was trying to finish up our Christmas shopping.  Cora was muttering a little bit under her breath, and when I stopped to listen to what she was actually saying, I heard this:

"ooh, ooh, ah, ah, bye bye"

Parents out there, do you know where she got that?!  Yeppers, that's the closing song to Playhouse Disney.  I think she's maybe heard it twice in her life, but it must have made a big impression on her!  Now, if I say "ooh, ooh" to her, she'll respond "ah, ah, bye bye."  Makes me giggle!

The Post by Cora

(also titled Wordless Wednesday)

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A Matter of Priorities

My priorities are:

1. Get pictures for blog
2. Rescue from discomfort

Cora usually does not get to have her paci unless she is napping or in the car.  However, she is quite an opportunist and will gladly grab and enjoy one if presented with favorable circumstances.  It seems that circumstance were quite favorable for Cora when she crawled under the coffee table to grab an errant pacifier.  That is, until she got stuck.  Being the compassionate and caring mom that I am, I first grabbed the camera to shoot this future blackmail fodder before rescuing sweet baby girl.  But, I mean seriously, she crawled under there. . . shouldn't she be able to get out?

You can tell she is not very happy under there.  But, she did get the paci.  I think it's safe to say that her priorities are:

1. Locate and retrieve pacis - no matter what the danger
2. Get stuck and get upset
3. Get rescued and use pacifier to soothe self

She's a clever one!

Date Night

This weekend John and I got to go out on a date.  It had been almost six months since we had been out sans bébé. And, because I am married to a wonderfully loving man, he allowed me to make our plans for the date. Call me a geek, but I freaked out a little when I found out that Riverdance would be coming here AND that this is the farewell tour. I have loved that show since before it became well known in the States. So, I spent more than I have spent in a long time to get some good tickets - early Christmas present for me! We are so lucky to have a wonderful neighbor, Auntie Linda, who also gave us an early Christmas present and kept little missy for us.


Y'all Riverdance was AMAZING! There were some points in the show where I had to consciously work to keep myself from doing a little tap dance in my boots. I think I'm going to have to add the music to my mp3 player for the gym. It's hard to be still with those rhythms in your head! Linda was kind enough to take a picture of us after the show. It's not often we get to be all fancified!

Is There Anything Sweeter. . .

Than a little girl and her daddy?

It's Like One of Those Hallmark Commercials

Something about being a mom has made me extra sappy and sensitive.  I cannot tell you how many songs have come on the radio that make me just burst into tears thinking about sweet baby girl.  (Okay, okay maybe I was slightly this way before Cora, but I know that mommy hormones have definitely had an effect on me being able to listen to the radio safely while driving!!)  There's a song by Sidewalk Prophets that has been on the radio a lot lately.  Every time I hear the chorus to "The Words I Would Say" I can't help but think of Cora.  I hope that we can speak these words into her life.

Be strong in the Lord and,
Never give up hope,

You're going to do great things,

I already know,

God's got His hand on you so,

Don't live life in fear,

Forgive and forget,

But don't forget why you're here,

Take your time and pray,

Thank God for each day,

His love will find a way,

These are the words I would say 

Gosh, I'm tearing up already!  What songs really speak to you?

Cora vs. Santa 2009 Edition

You may recall this unfortunate incident from last Christmas.  I think it is safe to say that I am one of the only 30-something people who has had her picture taken with Santa.  This year, I was determined to do it up right. No cheap polyester Santa suit. No draped sheets as a backdrop.  No pet food one aisle over.  This year, we're going to the mall!

I did my research.  No way were we going to repeat last year's trauma.  So, I did a quick survey of the locals to find out which mall has the best Santa.  The results were overwhelmingly (that may be an exaggeration), umm, tied.  So, with no clear cut winner, I did what every other lazy person would do and picked the mall closest to me.  I can tell you, I was not disappointed by the set up.  Santa in a fancy suit with a REAL beard!  Beautiful tree with a fireplace.  Real photographers accustomed to young children.  Score!  Here is the result of my research and careful planning.

As you can see, Cora LOVED it.  In fact, the photographers couldn't get over how sweet and compliant she was.  I know they wish every child was as easy to photograph as Cora.  (I may be exaggerating a little. . .or a lot!)

As we were standing in line waiting, I kept pointing to Santa and talking about Santa.  We watched other kids get photos taken.  And, I asked Cora if she wanted to get her picture taken.  She vigorously shook her head no.  But, I was sure that she didn't understand what I was saying. . .

Turns out she did.  As we walked toward him, she proceeded to tighten her death grip on my scarf.  As I lowered her into Santa's arms, she screamed (SCREAMED) and the water works started.  They quickly snapped a picture, so I could rescue sweet baby girl from the terrifying man.  (I don't think Santa was too upset to let her go, either.)  $25 later, we have a memory to last a lifetime.  Wonder how much the therapy bill is going to be?!

High Chair Embargo

Yesterday Cora decided she would no longer sit in her high chair.

Mmm-kay. . .

So, we did what any other parents would do.  We tied her to a chair at the table.  (Hey, that's what my parents did to me, and I turned out normal.  Right?!?)

We happen to have a set of barstools that have been in my family for years (YEARS!)  They were my great, great aunt's.  We don't get rid of things.  We just keep it moving!  And, it just happens to work out perfectly here.  Take a vinyl strap, strap newly grown-up baby in, and voila!  New  high chair!

I'm sure I was strapped to the very same chair as a child.

Breakfast of Champions - donut holes and banana!

I could not get her to put the food down and smile for the life of me.  Girlfriend knows what she wants!

It's Snowing It Snowed

I will resist the urge to make some sort of reference to Cora as a snow angel. . .

Although she is. . .

And, she's an adorable one. . .

I am biased. . .

But, I don't care!  {wink}

Anywho. . .

Winter came to our neck of the woods for about 20 minutes today.  Cora and I were walking out of HEB when the little flurries started floating down.  We had to hightail it back to the house so I could get some (adorable) pictures of little missy.

Can you see the teeny snow flurries?  Cora was pretty unimpressed by the whole episode.  In fact, she was more interested in playing with her ball and picking up acorn caps.

Penny seemed to be more interested in the whole process.  But, don't get me wrong, she was the first to squeeze through the kitchen door when it was time to go in.

Did I mention how hard it is to take pictures of tiny-might?  But, I did manage to snap a few cute ones of my snow angel bunny.

       

How's the weather where you are?

That Can't Be Comfortable

A Peculiar Little Christmas Related Habit

I get my inability to pack lightly from my parents.  When I was young, my family would take a long vacation every summer.  We always drove, so I've likely been to more states than your average American.  (Hence the obsession with picking up 4 new states on our recent family vacation!) And, we always drove a very full station wagon.  There wasn't much room for souvenirs due to the cargo we had with us.  I don't apologize for being a heavy packer.  It's like the boy scouts say "Be prepared!"  So, even if it is the middle of summer at the beach, I will have some sort of sweater and at least one fancy outfit just in case.  My mom got in the habit of buying Christmas ornaments from all the places we traveled to.  I don't know if it had to do with the fact that they are small and easy to transport in a laden car, but I'm sure the fact that they are small and easily portable was definitely a bonus.  And, her tree is now full (FULL) of memories.  I love helping her put it up and thinking about all the things we have done.  So, when I got married, I decided to continue the tradition.  My tree is not nearly as full as hers, but I've only just begun.  Here are some of the ornaments I have picked up over the years.

I got a few from our road trip to Virginia this summer.

Some ornaments from our favorite beach.  (I try to get a different lighthouse each time we go.)

Some random ones from other vacations. (The teddy bear started the tradition for me.  It came from NYC.)

Cora is even getting in on the action though she may not realize it, yet.  Here is her collection of ornaments.  The glass bulb has a tiny little Rudolph face on it that she made at preschool last year.  They used her big toe to make the face.  (How cute is that?!)

And finally, not to be left out. . .

So there is a glimpse of our memory tree.  Next year an Alaska ornament?