08/10/12

This big ball just keeps on spinning…

I’m playing catch up and hopefully no one will notice that the last few posts showed up all of a sudden as I tried to remember the last year with Cora in tow.

Sean and I have been travelling a bunch, had some sad losses in our lives, been juggling full careers all while trying to spend as much time as possible with our little creation.

Cora’s up to 6 teeth this month, has learned to wave (the classic ‘baby waves to self’ wave, what a trip!), decided to start crawling on hands and knees instead of the belly drag. She has learned to stand up on her own and keep her balance (as long as that big ole noggin of her’s doesn’t get to whipping around too fast!). Her little lips are constantly flapping with baby jargon and I swear she is telling me what *I* need to be doing.

Coming up this month is my first solo trip without Cora (and conversely, Sean’s first solo with Cora!)  and her FIRST BIRTHDAY!!! and Sean’s first birthday as a daddy. We’re looking forward to all these things and hope we survive the month with all that’s going on.

07/24/12

Farewell, Miss Marilyn

It’s been a tragically full summer thus far for our family. On July 16th, we lost Cora’s current sitter, Marilyn. It was a surprise to our family and hers and a huge shock to our lives after just recently losing Sean’s grandmother.  Cora’s short life has already been punctuated with much sadness. We are only grateful that she is so young and will most likely not remember, at least not with the sadness that typically comes with such events.

We sent our condolences to Marilyn’s family and made a donation to the Seattle Parks Foundation in her memory. She shared the parks with Cora and the other kids in her care over her 30+ years as a provider.  Rest in peace, Miss Marilyn.

07/9/12

Cora, 10 Months, No WAY!

Well it’s come and gone really, and I can’t even begin to understand where the time has gone.

Pictures of some of the adventures are here.

And some details to share on the activities of the last month. Cora has now officially been in every time zone in the continental US. Not sure if that’s a good thing or not, but I’ve definitely enjoyed the travel to see family. She has now met all the grandparents and aunts and uncles on Sean’s side of the family. Come her 1 year birthday, she will have met most of her family on both my parents’ sides as well. Really a lot of fun sharing her with folks who love her unconditionally.

07/6/12

Happy Birthday, USA

Cora, Cora, how big you’ve gotten! Old enough to celebrate the birth of her nation with a smile and spirit.

Dipping her feet in Kelly’s Creek to cool off.

We celebrated Independence Day between Hurricane, Glasgow and Mammoth, West Virginia with the Beard Family. It was a scorcher for the area, averaging 97 degrees each day that we were here. Which was a real treat after the freak storms that hit the area, disabling electric service for over 200,000 people.

We celebrated nonetheless, enjoying cousins, aunts and uncles aplenty. And my favorite person to visit, Toots, Grandma Beard! She makes a great hostess and is such a fun lady to share with Cora. I hope she gets to share many more visits with us.

For Cora’s milestones, this trip saw more pulling up on the furniture and standing on her own. Lots of squats and pull-ups to get stronger for the walking she is bound to do soon enough.

More pictures can be found here.

06/9/12

Cora, Month 9

Some of my favorite things from this month:

Frantic arm waving/giggling/body shaking at the sight of water or food; that ticklish spot on her collarbones and the resulting laughter, the slow smile she gives when her daddy enters the room; how amazing it is she can recognize her grandparents via Skype when it’s been months since she’s seen them in person; grabbing my hands to clap them together (but not clapping on her own); rolling, rolling, rolling around.

Some pictures from her 9th month on the outside (equal time out as inside, says her dad).

 

 

 

05/28/12

Memorial Day 2012 – Family Fail

We had a nice trip planned to the Tri-Cities area of Washington. Sean was going to play in a men’s baseball tourney with a local team and some of his Dodger’s teammates. Cora and I would cheer proudly from the sidelines and as a family we would sneak in some sun and water play on the Columbia River with the kayak.

Alas, it was not meant to be. Instead, we leave much later than anticipated on Friday night amidst a flurry of facial tissue, fussy baby, and horrible traffic at Snoqualmie Pass. Who schedules construction lane closures on the way to the sun on Memorial Day weekend?!?! Turns out all three of us were on our way to fevers, congestion, and coughs, why rush?

We check in to our hotel very late, and Cora wakes up very early the next morning, with some delightful congestion to match her cough. We find some breakfast, feeling super fine, then make our way to the first game of the tourney. Cora and I set up a nice picnic, where I proceed to be completely controlled by my illness. We try to take naps in the car and make our way to the hotel after the game. To add to the fun, I got a thorn in the stroller tire and we’re on a flat for the only thing that could keep Cora happy and my nose a little clear. What’s not funny in this tragic comedy?

Despite having paid the hotel in full for the weekend, and having to leave the team short a man, the Beards packed it in. We loaded up the car Saturday evening and scurried on home to the comfort of our own beds and large supply of tissue. There’s always next time.

 

 

05/22/12

Mobility NOW!

I had no idea what it was like to have my baby able to move on her own until it suddenly just WAS. She is officially mobile. The rolling around only got her so far and she usually got bored with it before too long. This week however, my little gal is fit for the army with her creeping on elbows and hands movement. It’s not a full blown crawl, but she can get clear across the room and into anything she finds interesting in less time than it takes to tell a bad joke.

She also is really into food now, too. Can I get an A-MEN? Because something has to keep that girl full and I just haven’t been able to keep up!

I’ll dig up some pictures (hopefully a useful video) to add to this but it’s so hard to just enjoy her while trying to capture it all on camera sometimes …

05/6/12

Happy 2/3 Year Old Birthday

I can’t even believe how fast time flies. Cora turned 8 months old yesterday and she’s so different than that first day we brought her home.

We’ve tried to capture as much of the wonder that is a little baby growing up in pictures and video. In stories we’ve got a few choice tales to tell.

Her paternal grandparents got Cora a bike trailer for Christmas and the weather shared a nice day for us to go on a ride in it for the first time last week. Despite some hiccups getting started, she seemed to really enjoy the ride. I know I did. I’m enjoying the improving weather and opportunities to take Cora out in it.

For the big kids in the family, the baseball season has started and Cora and I went gone out to cheer on Sean at his first game last weekend.

I’m playing league ultimate with several friends from Rice on a fun and laid back team. It’s nice to get back on the field to play snd have Cora there on the sideline to snuggle between points.

There’s more going on but I don’t want to bore you and frankly I’m happy I got this much into a post!

 

04/13/12

Having Fun – 7 month musings

PICTURES! – Cora Month 6

More PICTURES! – Cora Month 7

and yet more PICTURES – Cora’s First Easter

Well folks the time sure does fly when you’re having fun. And Cora is a ball of fun most days of the week. She gives us a LOT to laugh about.

Some fun she’s thrown our way since 6 months old:

  • Sprouted two new teeth
  • Rolling over from front to back, back to front and using these skills to move across the room when we’re not looking (which isn’t that often, HONEST)
  • Sitting up on her own
  • Eating “solids” (seriously why do they call this stuff solids, it’s practically all liquid!)
  • Feeding herself (hand held foods) and occasionally the spoon makes it to her mouth
  • Been to her first ComicCon
  • and conversely, is teaching her mama about dressing like a lady*

She has continued to be quite the chatterbox. We’re pretty sure “mama” and “dada” have escaped her lips and we’re happy to possibly even be the intended subject BUT we’re still waiting to claim first word for non-babble words with purpose. Stay tuned there.

Pictures have been added to the gallery and it was really fun taking Cora and her birth buddy Orion out to Madrona Park to take pictures and “play”.

The move has really afforded us easy access to green space and beautiful views. I hope that Cora is learning to appreciate the beautiful things around us and personally that I never lose my awe and wonder at them either.

* If you know me at all, you know this has been a struggle 🙂