My BIG girl

Tonight, we hosted Nora's last parenting group meeting.  Wow.  Her group came and went so fast!  Almost overnight, they went from little babies to crawling machines, some of them even close to walking.  We had them over tonight for pizza and play time.

After they left and we had baths and Nora went to bed, Tess and I were picking up a little bit.  We were cleaning off the kitchen table and Tess blew out the candle in the centerpiece.  She said, "It's like my birthday!"  And then I realized.... IT IS her birthday! 

Tess is exactly three-and-a-half today. 

I tried to explain to her what that means, but I don't think she understood.  All she heard was, "IT IS your birthday, Tess!"  So we lit the candle again and I sang 'Happy three-and-a-half Birthday to you.'  She loved it, of course.  And amazingly, she didn't demand any cake.  A miracle, I tell you.

So then we went upstairs and found Mr. Birthday Bear.

And we put a new measurement on the growth chart.  40.5" tall.

Oh, how time flies.

Nora's nine month pics (and stats)

Nora had her nine month appointment last week. Here are her stats:

• Weight:  20lbs, 10.5 oz (77th percentile)
• Length:  29" (90th percentile)
• Head:  47cm (100+ percentile)

And here are some of  her favorite activities at the moment:

• Crawling, crawling everywhere.
• Opening and closing doors and drawers (so much that we had to take the knobs off of her dresser so that she doesn't pinch her fingers in the drawers... now I've effectively locked myself out of them as well).
• Clapping hands.
• Taking swipes (with an open claw-type hand) at the closest face.  And it hurts.  I am getting good at anticipating and can usually get out of dodge when she starts winding up.  We've resorted to calling her Swiper.  "Swiper, no swiping!"
• Saying "da-da" and an occasional "ma-ma" - though it's obvious that she isn't associating the words with us just yet.
• Occasionally signing "milk" with her right hand.  She also sometimes claps her hands together after I sign "more"... only time will tell if she is picking up on that one too.
• Eating Cheerios and puffs and little pieces of whatever we're eating (preferably ice cream!).
• Playing with any remote, my cell phone or Dad's Blackberry (most preferred).  And no, and old used cell phone doesn't cut it.  She knows the difference.
• Playing with whatever her big sister doesn't want her to play with.  Instead of having a panic attack and yelling "No, Nora!," Tess is learning the art of switching out the coveted item with something else that Nora is permitted to touch... at least at that moment, until Tess changes her mind and wants that back too.  That's what happens when Nora looks like she's having too much fun with something, no matter what it is.  Nora needs a better poker face if she wants to keep her toys.
• Pulling herself up onto her knees whether it be in her bed, next to the couch, on her music table, or to look at herself in the mirror on the door in our bedroom. 
• Bath time and swimming time!  The more splashes in the face, the better.  

  And here are her official nine months pictures.  Enjoy!

Oh, how we wish you were here...

Or we could also call this, "while you were away...."  This is because we're missing Daddy who is off  gallivanting around the world, er, working his tail off.  Poor Daddy.  We miss him a LOT.  Here is a recap so everyone (including Dad), can follow along with what we've been up to lately.

We'll start with Great Grandma Ellen's 80th birthday party.  Tess and Nora had fun reconnecting with some cousins that we haven't seen in a while, namely Mr. Will, who is one cute little dude.  Ok, let's be real...  Will ain't so little, and that's what makes him so darn adorable.  Look at those cheeks!!! 

Nora and Will

The gang

Watching Grandma open presents

(Picture courtesy of Uncle Bill.  Thanks!)

With the Birthday Lady and Great Grandpa

Next, we went to one of the last Tigers games of the year.  It was chilly and so windy that we almost blew away!  Wait.  My $100 sunglasses DID blow away.  And yes, I got them back, but not before the sidewalk ate them up and spit them out.  About 27 times.  Sweet. 

A wind-blown Meena and Nora

Carousel fun

Tess is wondering why her belly got chilly all of a sudden

Rooooooaaaaaaar!

Nora is happy as ever.  Even to hold up her big sister.

At the foot paw of the big tiger outside the park.

Nora walked to the car.  It only took her about 14 hours. 
And Papa is now scheduled for back surgery.  (But his hips held up!)

Lucky for Nora, Papa volunteered to fill-in for Dad at Nora's swim class this week (and next week).  Nora said that Papa did just swell and she can't wait for him to take her again.  She even got to sport a new "Y" t-shirt that Papa brought for her.  (Note that it's a "Y" shirt and not a "YMCA" shirt... you can read all about it here.)

Lucky for you, I am sparing you the close-ups that Tess took of Meena and me while waiting for
Nora's class to end. You're very welcome.

Hurry back, Dad!  We miss you a whole bunch. ♥  

Another one...

So pretty much everything that comes out of Tess' mouth lately is pretty hysterical.  Oh, to be three and innocent...

Today, we were in the car listening to our Disney music CD (yes, MY Disney CD that dates alllllll the way back to college, thanks to Murf!)  and "It's a Small World" came on.  This song is not in our usual rotation of songs (which currently include Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, Jungle Book and Snow White).

Tess:  "What's this song called again?"

Me:  "It's a Small World."

Tess:  "Oh.  What's the small girl's name?"

Say what?

Last night, Tess disappeared upstairs by herself for a bit to "get something." After a few minutes, when I realized she hadn't come back and it was really quiet up there, I called up to her...

Me:  "Tess, are you okay?"

Tess:  "Yeah."

Me:  "What are you doing up there?"

Tess:  "Reading stories to pretend children."

Oh, Oh, Ohio!

So this post is a little late, but we certainly didn't want to forget about it...

Over the recent Labor Day weekend, we traveled down to Ohio to meet up with Papa Art and Grandma and to visit with some cousins and family friends!  It ended up being like a mini-reunion!  Papa Art and Grandma brought their boat all the way from the hills of West Virginia to go for a spin around a lake in Ohio.  Tess got to swim in the lake with Dad, and Dad and Papa Art even got a little skiing in.  Tess' favorite part was getting to know her cousins (and new buddies), Lainey and Cole.

Tess also got her first glimpse of the original "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" movie as it was on TV when we were getting ready for bed at the hotel. She loved it (all 20 minutes that she saw). The next morning, it took me a minute to figure out what she meant when she asked to watch "the little green men and their children" again.

On the boat!

Driving with Papa Art

Dad, Nora and Grandma

Snack time

Thumbs up for Cheetos

Ready to get wet

Hopefully, there are no stingrays in this water

Dad doin' his thing

Papa's turn

The spectators

Tess, Cole, Lainey and Nora watching Toy Story

Trampoline time

Enamored with the iPhone

Pool time!

On the way home

Nora on the phone (again... geez)