HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Ok, so I tried to capture a video of Nora doing her backwards scoot thing but she wouldn't perform for the camera. Here she is doing what she does best-rolling around! She prefers the hardwood floor to carpet, I think she just likes the squeaky sounds her hands make on it :)

*Thanks to Jayme & Nancy for supplying the cute outfit she's wearing!

good read

Thanks to Harlow's Monkey for bringing this article to my attention-"Did I Steal My Daughter?" by Elizabeth Larsen

It is posted on Mother Jones and it brought a whole lot of emotions to the surface.....

Just hanging 'round looking cute :)

2 months

Yesterday was our 2 monthiversary...I can't believe we have been home for 2 months!
It seems like Nora has been here forever but at the same time the past 2 months have totally flown by. Wasn't it just yesterday we were anxiously waiting for our phone to ring?

Nora has already grown & changed so much in the past 2 months.
It seems like every morning she is bigger and has learned some new trick overnight-it's totally wild! She is now 16 lbs and 26 inches tall!

Everybody's workin' for the weekend

Well, I've decided to start working part-time.

Ryan's new job calls for some overnight travel (sometimes for up to a week) and I need to be able to be more flexible with my schedule. I will probably end up working just a teensy-bit less than I am now but I won't feel like I am stuck on set days. I will still do Saturdays or Sundays and I will still do some holidays. It was a really hard decision to make-I will lose 3 weeks paid vacation and I will have to fund my own continuing education to maintain my license but really, the more I thought about it, none of that is important.

Spending more time with Nora is important.




Yeah, we'll probably be broke and I'll have to cut back on my Venti Chai intake from Starbucks and my shoe obsession will have to be curtailed but I think...no, I know it will all be worth it.


In other news, our new washing machine arrived and my house no longer stinks of dirty cloth diapers!

Ryan's Dad & Step mom finally made the trek up to visit Nora.....and to watch the Bears game!

We had a great time except that I was tired and frazzled (see photo below) because our washing machine broke and my house was a disaster. I felt better after we opened the bottle of wine:)

Ryan made a great meal and Nora ended up eating almost an entire sweet potato-I can't believe how much this girl eats!!

This is why I am always covered in dog hair......

Warm, clean laundry=dog bed

Maybe I need to be faster at getting things folded and put away.

milestones

At first I thought it was a fluke.

Nora pushed herself up on her hands and knees and did one scoot backwards...then she did it again...and again! Ok, now I know this probably isn't a big deal but she's sort of crawling, the wrong way, but its a start!
She's been rolling all over the place for a month or so but this backwards scoochy thing is new!
She is now also able to sit when placed in a sitting position for a little bit before toppling over. Plus, she has a great new high-pitched happy scream!

I think my baby is a genius:)

We survived!

Well okay, I survived since I knew all along that Nora would be just fine ;)

I didn't cry....got a little "misty" but didn't really shed a tear. Thankfully she wasn't upset when I left and had a great time with her Auntie Jen...she really only spent 1 hour there since Ryan got out of work a tad early. He said she was happy as a clam when he picked her up and she ended up staying awake until 7:45ish :)

My first day back wasn't bad either. We weren't terribly busy so I was able to ease into things a bit. I felt like I was gone for so long yet the time had totally flown by...weird. I was home by 3:30am and in bed and asleep by 4am.
I can tell you that I WILL be napping with Nora this morning and thankfully I am not due in again until Saturday.

Tag!

Jobs I've Had

1. Baskin-Robbins

2. Cinnabon-for one day!!

3. Security Guard-I wore a sweet brown polyester uniform!

4. Telemarketer

Places I've Lived

1. Madison, WI

2. Los Angeles, CA

3. Evanston, IL

4. Arlington Heights, IL

Food I Love

1. Chocolate chip cookie dough straight outta the tube

2. Peanut Butter n' Chocolate ice cream from Baskin-Robbins

3. Corned Beef & Cabbage

4. PB & J-gotta be on Wonder bread

Places I'd Rather Be

1. In the Caribbean on a beach drinking a frosty beverage

2. On the Gulf Coast of Mexico, laying on a beach drinking a frosty beverage

3. In Tahiti, floating on my back in crystal clear waters with a frosty beverage

4. Anywhere but here

Movies I Love

1. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure-all time favorite!

2. Office Space

3. Sixteen Candles

4. Drop Dead Fred

TV Shows I Watch

1. The Office

2. ER

3. Law & Order SVU

4. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Friends I'm Tagging

1. Jamie

2. Cathy

3. Stacie

4. Diane

It's the final countdown.....

Cue the 1980's Europe hit!

I'm going back to work tomorrow! ACK!

Ryan started his new job yesterday. His 1st day consisted of overnight training in Springfield-he left the house Monday early am and won't be back until tonight. It hasn't been too bad without him here, we had breakfast & shopping in the city with Grandma yesterday then we hung around the house the rest of the afternoon. Nora was in bed by 7pm and the dogs & I stayed up with a glass of wine and watched all of my shows from the TiVo. Neither of us slept well though, she was up a couple of times and I couldn't sleep because the dogs were hogging the bed.

Funny, we have a king sized bed and I had LESS room last night....even though we were minus one 6'3, 200lb person!

Well, I'll let you know how my 1st day back goes, and how Nora does with her Auntie Jen!

Hey Mom! These are for you!

Oktoberfest

On Saturday we hit the Oktoberfest celebration down in Long Grove....totally on accident! We were driving around, looking for something to do and we stumbled upon it.

Unfortunately for Ryan we didn't have enough cash on us for beer or brats, but it was a beautiful day to wander around anyway.

We did manage to scrape together enough to share a cup of hot cocoa & a giant peanut butter cup from The Long Grove Confectionery

We spent the rest of the weekend just loungin' around, watching football:)

Interesting read

Please read this great essay about hair in Brain, Child Magazine (Thanks Sarah!)
http://www.brainchildmag.com/essays/fall2007_friedman.asp

Pickin' Punkins

We traveled north to Apple Holler this afternoon to grab some pumpkins, hay bales and corn stalks....oh, and some apple pies, apple dumplings, hot apple cider and apple donut holes (yum!)

Yeah, we went a little overboard but autumn is my favorite time of year AND Halloween is my favorite holiday so we kinda had to get a little crazy. It was pretty freakin' cold out...I really prefer a gradual introduction into fall/winter-not 90 one day and 52 the next-my body goes into shock and all I want to do is eat (see 1st paragraph!)

Anwhoo, we took some cute pictures of Nora T

This time next week....

I'll be at work :( Hmmm, I'll be about 40 minutes into my shift...

Ugh, I'm totally dreading it.

It is going to be difficult seeing that I have been in bed by 9 (10 if I'm feeling wild n' crazy!) every night for the past 8 weeks.

How am I possibly going to get into the groove of working until 2am?!

blech!

I luv Sundays

Ahhhhh....Sundays are nice.

Our new ritual is to get up & head over to Starbucks in our jammies bright n' early for Chai & breakfast sandwiches. We sit and chat for awhile...Nora is always in a good mood just after her 7am bottle..life is good :)

It's not even noon and it is already scorchin' hot outside! We slapped our sun hats on (still in our pj's, c'mon its Sunday!) and sat outside and watched Papa toil in the yard....hehehe

Please check out this great post over at Heart, Mind and Seoul

http://heartmindandseoul.typepad.com/weblog/

Nora is finally enjoying bath time now that she can pretty much sit up on her own in the tub.

She never hated it, she just sort tolerated it. Bath time was always a fast operation around here.

Now we take our time....and splash like crazy!

me + baked treats = HAPPINESS

How is it that I keep finding fantastic places to eat in the city now that we've moved to the 'burbs?

Maybe it's better this way.

I mean, I couldn't possibly eat this everyday...

Could I??

The Faker

Nora's new trick is to "cough" at the dogs when they aren't paying attention to her. She can be very dramatic.

Here she is "coughing" at Miss Peanut.

All Miss P wanted to do was take a nap.

YES!!!!!

WE HAVE CHILDCARE!!!!! Whew!

It was getting close to the wire and I was starting to panic (a little bit) but its all good now.

My cousin, who lives like 4 blocks from me, is going to watch Nora.
I really should have asked her in the first place since she offered before Nora was even home but I felt bad because she just had a baby less than 3 weeks ago and I didn't want to put her on the spot. Plus, I figured her plate was probably a little full anyway.
Well, I asked her and she said yes! She doesn't want me to pay her but that's crazy. She's gettin' paid.
I'm also really excited because our girls will become really close, like sisters, and that is invaluable.

Oh, I am so excited I could just scream!! Nora's napping so I should probably just keep my mouth shut :)