How are you 4 months old already!

Dear Sweet Norah

You are 4 months old! You weighed in at 13 lbs, 14 oz and 25 inches long! You had so many firsts this month. Your first Halloween, your first laugh, first time you rolled over, first Thanksgiving, first time to visit Grammie and Papa's in Fresno, it’s been crazy wonderful!

This has been the month of you discovering the impact you can have on the world around you. You finally figured out your hands. You reach for things with such focus now, you’re still clumsy and often hit your face in your effort to bring ALL things to your mouth, but you’re learning. You also found your feet. You pull them up with your hands, bringing them as close to your mouth as you can get.

You also learned about people this month. You laughed for the first time just looking at your cousin Quinn. It was adorable! That same day you gave some laughs to your Grammie. We get a little more out of you everyday! You love to smile, pretty girl. You look around the room and make eye contact with people, eagerly waiting for them to smile at you. The moment they do you smile back gleefully, and then bashfully bury your face in my shoulder. I pray you always love people as you do now. You make no distinctions…people I’d never say hi to, you make light up with your smile. You’ve opened doors to conversations with strangers and bring out a genuine warmth in them. You’re teaching me to see people differently, more like Christ sees them. What a gift!

We had a terrible time with Daylight savings, you were waking up crazy early for a while, but we’re slowly recovering from that.  It seems like we are finally getting past the 45 minute intruder that has plagued your naps for so long, hooray! You still spit up, although there are some better days mixed in now.

I’m still learning what it means to be a mom, a wife, a professor, a friend, a sister, a church member, etc. Learning how to blend so many things, and ever aware that who I am today will greatly impact who you are tomorrow. I was really encouraged by a friend this month. We were talking about my situation, having to work part time, and she said, “Sometime we miss how God has already provided because we’re still looking for him to provide in the way we expected.” What true words those were. God has so generously provided for me with my job. A job I love, that allows me to be home with you the majority of the time. I hate the thought of leaving you more next semester, but it’s still less than what so many moms have to do. I just have to take it one semester at a time, trusting God to give me the grace to endure and the strength to pull it off.

You turned 4 months old on Thanksgiving day. It was quite an emotional day for me. It seems like yesterday I was at my mom’s for Thanksgiving, announcing you! And there I sat, looking around the room, a table full of faces I love, food that we eat year after year, and I watched it through your eyes. This family is all new to you, and I hope you will grow to love them as I have. I hope you will cherish the chaos, the loudness, the laughter, the traditions, the beauty, all of it. You are one of us. I hope this family brings you the strength it has brought me. I miss Papa. I missed Thanksgiving with him, I miss dinner with him, I miss conversations that aren't about cancer. But through this, what strength your aunties have given me. Love our entire family, and they LOVE you! Praying you will one day get to know the Papa I know!

Playing with Nonni

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving with Grandpa John and Gigi...also, first time in your Bumpo, a little hunched over :)

Fresno Trip

Halloween

Cousins!

Auntie Brooke

Best friends! It's been a big year for us! Sam got married, I had you, Whitney had Brynn, Natalie is pregnant with Johnny, Bri is pregnant with baby girl, and Brooke bought a house! Whew! God is good!

Pretty girl...wearing the dress Auntie Summer got you when we found out you were a girl. You wore it for the first time to her engagement party!

Me and you

Rolling over!

Papa and his grandbabies on Jude's 1st birthday

Norah Mae is 3 Months Old!

 Happy 3 months to us! I absolutely cannot believe you are already 3 months old! You are beautiful my dear, more so every day. You smile all the time now, when you wake up, when you eat, even when you're sleepy. It seriously melts our hearts. Actually the other day you smiled so much while eating I had to stop talking, you kept looking up at me and completely loosing focus. It was adorable. You smile at our friends and at strangers in the bank. You seem to love people, something I pray the Lord cultivates in your heart. Last weekend you slept through the night (11pm-8am) for the first time, and you've been keeping it up for the most part since then. While I'm grateful, I didn't feel a huge sense of relief like I thought I would at this moment. You are so quick to go back to bed in the middle of the night, I don't mind it. You still haven't given us a good laugh, although you coo and sort of gurgle in the back of your throat constantly. You are a really good eater now, but you still spit up after every meal. Can't wait until we outgrow that phase! You found your hands this month. You are quite uncoordinated with them, but when they do finally find each other, and then make their way to your mouth, you are delighted.

 Important news this month...your best friend was born! Brynn Olive McWhorter made her debut on September 27th! She is beautiful. You look gigantic next to her :)

Your Aunt (cousin?) Erin came to visit, so we got to spend lots of time with Auntie Camie and Quinn. You were so cute together. You both made eye contact and sort of cooed at each other.

 Spent a day in Oak Glenn with good friends from church. Below is you and Liana, so sweet!

Our family

Wedding dress shopping with your Nonni and Auntie's for Summer!

Time with Papa up in Wrightwood

 This month we also received terrible news, we found out that your Papa has cancer. I am so sad, so scared, yet hopeful. We serve a God who cares, who knows our deepest needs. I am choosing to trust Him in this, and praying desperately for healing. There are so many wonderful things your Papa still needs to teach you. This is the first time I couldn't just fall apart emotionally when something bad happened, I had to stay out of bed, keep functioning for you. You were still needing me, and still smiling. What a glimmer of joy you have been, and will continue to be on this long journey ahead of us. I'm so thankful to God for you.

 I love you sweet Norah Mae.

Two Months Old!

You and Aslan. You'll learn more about Him later, just wanted you to know He's been there all along ;)

Dear Norah Mae

Where did the time go? My sweet love you are 2 months old, and what a joy this month has been. You coo and smile at us all the time now. We can't get enough of your sweet faces! You should see the ridiculous things your daddy and I do trying to make you laugh. Can't wait for the first time we hear that!

You hold your neck up really well, but you HATE tummy time. You weighed in at 11.5 pounds and 23 inches long, right in the 50th percentile for everything. You HATED getting your shots. Your daddy and I were both ready to cry along with you! You still wake up once in the night to eat, but you are a master at eating and going right back to bed until we start our day at 8. We are pretty used to your schedule now, which means it's rare that you are fussy, we've got you figured out for the moment! The only glitch is when you wake up early from your naps. I tried letting you cry it out once, and when I came in after 10 minutes and saw your tears I cried too! We were both a mess. The good news, when you go down for naps the first time I can put you in your crib awake and you soothe yourself to sleep.

I started working this month. It's amazing how good God is, I didn't even feel sad leaving you. It helps that I only work 6 hours a week, but I'm also leaving you with your daddy or your Nonni, so that's not too bad. Your daddy calls Tuesday nights your date nights. :) Your Nonni loves watching you, and you LOVE her. I am really enjoying the opportunity to teach the CBS courses at CBU, which is such a blessing. If I have to work, this is definitely the best case scenario!

You now feel like a normal part of our life. We've figured out how to get out and about with you. It feels like you fit. You bring us joy daily. You are wonderful my darling girl!

  

 

You love your cousin Quinn

Papa and Grammy loving them some grandbabies!

First trip to Wrightwood

I mean seriously, you are gorgeous! And you love the beach as much as I do :)

Family date night in Balboa

You can't see it well, but in the background is Spot P, the lifeguard tower where your daddy proposed to me. It was amazing to be there with you!