To celebrate I want to share with you some of the joy that Nora has brought into our life.
We'll start with 2 years old because she really didn't do anything more than eat, sleep, poop, and look cute for the first years of her life.
2 Years Old:
For her second birthday we gave Nora a two wheel scooter. She would sit and watch Elise, Cameron and Kaitlin play on their scooters and one day she picked up Elise's scooter and started trying to ride it. She was a determined little thing and by the time her birthday rolled around she could ride those scooters as good as her siblings. She was so excited to get her scooter that she didn't even wait to take it outside, she hopped right on and started riding through the house. She would ride up and down the block on it doing one of two things: 1) she'd say "bye mom" or 2) she'd roar like a dinosaur.
Speaking of roaring like a dinosaur... this was something that Nora did before she was two years old but it really picked up around this time. She used to chase the older kids around the house with a foam sword belting out her dino war cry. This is how she earned the name Norasaurus and that name undoubtedly started her love of dinosaurs.
There was a point in time when Nora stopped responding to her name and would only respond if you called her Norasaurus.
Me: "Where's Nora?"
Nora keeps her back to me reading a book.
Me: "Where's Nora? Nora?"
Nora continues to ignore me.
Me: "Where's Norasaurus?"
Nora: "Raaaaaaarrrrr!!!"
To this day Nora still loves dinosaurs and every now and then you'll hear her war cry.
Nora is 4 in the pictures above, unfortunately I don't have any pictures of her with her dinosaurs when she first began to love them. If you don't remember the story behind these pictures click here and here.
3 Years Old:
Jaime served a 7 month tour to Afghanistan during this year. He sent Nora a floppy stuffed dog for her birthday and she promptly named him Daddy Puppy. Daddy Puppy quickly became her surrogate dad, she clung to him the same way she clung to Jaime. I'd often find her in her room talking to Jaime on her play phone with one arm tightly around Daddy Puppy.
She was obsessed with Daddy Puppy, talking to Jaime (whether pretending on her phone or actually talking to him on our phone) and milk. She was a milkaholic, not joking here, you could tell when she needed a fix and once you handed her that sippy cup (don't even think about taking that cup from her until she's done!) she'd chug it down and then let out the most need fulfilled, deep down, satisfied sigh.
It was during this year that Nora started loving flip-flops; you'd often find her flopping around the house in a pair. This, along with a few other things, was the inspiration for a series of books I wrote. You've never read them but Cameron and the others absolutely love them. So far Nora has had the adventure of being a flip-flop thief, turing into a dinosaur, and of getting a sidekick; along with some other short story adventures.
4 Years Old:
This is where it gets fun because now Nora has an excellent grasp on talking and her personality starts to shine through her words.
Here's a sampling:
After leaving Classic Skating on a hot summer day and seeing 7-11... "Who's cheering for Swurpee's?!"
After I asked Nora why she likes her new friend... "She always cute, she always smiles, and she always not executed."
Nora dancing from foot to foot: "Did you know Kaitlin has a new crayon? It's WILD pink, wild pink, ya. Well, actually", she pauses to think and then states seriously, "it's wild strawberry."
Me: "Oh? Is it totally wild to color with?"
Nora: "No."
And the very best one:
Nora was upset with me for something, I probably said she couldn't have more milk... She picks up a toy wand and waves it around at me, in a little-miss-prissy offended voice she says, "Boppity-boo, turn you into a chicken." Her eyes narrow and malice enters her voice as she pokes the wand at me and continues, "An ugly one."
This is also the year that Nora started making up nicknames for me and her. It started with Bagel Buddy, I was really into Asiago Cheese Bagels from Einstein Bro.'s while I was pregnant with Lily. Once or twice a week Nora and I would go get a bagel; we would sit at the counter by the window and watch traffic go by and play I Spy. From there, any time we would go get food together we got a new name. To date we are Bagel Buddies, Pretzel Pals, Chocolate Chums, Jamba Juice Jammers, Slice Sisters (referring to the bread we'd get from Great Harvest), Dessert Darlin's, Fry Friends, Salsa Slammers, and a non food one Giggle Gals. Nora doesn't hesitate in using these names to try and get what she wants... Big puppy dog eyes and pouting lip are in full force, her hands are clasped and tucked up under her chin with her head to one side, "Can I have this? Pleeease?? Bagel... Buddy... We are Bagel Buddies, right?"
5 Years Old:
Nora is continually making us laugh.
She went through a period of time where she was passively violent. Any time Jaime or I would reprimand her for not doing as she was asked she would squint those little eyes and make a fist and ever so slightly air punch at us. One time when I made her stand with her nose in the corner for not helping clean her messy room she held up her hands, one was open flat the other was in a fist...
She went through a period of time where she was passively violent. Any time Jaime or I would reprimand her for not doing as she was asked she would squint those little eyes and make a fist and ever so slightly air punch at us. One time when I made her stand with her nose in the corner for not helping clean her messy room she held up her hands, one was open flat the other was in a fist...
"This is you." Referring to the open hand.
"This is me." Referring to the fist.
She then proceeds to punch "me".
February: "Mom, I'm going to let Cameron get cake first because I'm not in school and I don't have breast-es growing."
March: Nora has a dollar store bead necklace on, it's up over her ears and runs down under her nose, like oxygen tubes, Kaitlin also has one on in the same fashion. They are facing each other with their fists raised. Nora: "GRANNY FIGHT!"
May: I'm in the front room crocheting and Nora walks in from the kitchen: "Mom? Can I... (pause)... Oh, you are practicing being a grandma." Nora walks away.
December: I'm pulling a turkey out of the oven. Nora: "Mom, what's that?" Me: "A turkey." Nora: "Did you hunt it or not?"
January: Nora and Jaime are watching a show about Grizzly Bears, a bear and wolf are fighting over food. Nora: "I wish we could speak their talk, I'd say... (in a you-guys-are-idiots voice)... 'share the food.'"
What hoot this girl is! Happy Birthday Bagel Buddy!
No comments:
Post a Comment