Pearly Whites

Norah's not the only one tackling new "firsts" around here.  Avery recently had her first visit to the dentist!  The week after her 3rd birthday she had an appointment for a cleaning.  Although there's not much that really needs to be done at this point, Dr Dove suggested this would be a good age to start bringing her in so she can get used to the idea of dentist visits from a young age and hopefully curb any fears or nerves she might have about it.  Erich stayed home with Norah and I took Avery to her appointment.  We prepped her about what was going to happen so she'd know what to expect.  She seemed excited about the idea of it, but in the car on the way there nerves started to settle in and she let me know that she changed her mind and she wouldn't be going to the dentist after all.  When I broke the news that we would indeed be showing up for her appointment she said, "Well mom, my teeth are very sharp and I don't want the dentist to hurt his hand when he touches my teeth so we better just go home."  Nice try babe.  Given her trepidation on the car ride, I braced myself for an embarrassing scene once we arrived but I had nothing to worry about.  Everyone at the office was especially sweet to Avery and made such a fuss over what a cute little girl she is.  All the attention put her at ease and she was a CHAMP.  She was so brave and was a perfect angel in the dentist chair.  Dr Dove and all of his staff went out of their way to compliment her behavior.  She had no cavities and got a great report!  

Avery is growing up so quickly.  We're proud of our sweet girl!

Baby's first bite

Unbelievable! Wasn't Norah just a tiny little newborn coming home from the hospital... like, yesterday?  I blinked my eyes and all of a sudden this girl is rolling over, sleeping on her tummy, cutting teeth, working on sitting up, and starting solids.  I either need to learn how to stop my kids from growing up or keep having babies forever so I can always have a tiny baby to hold (not sure Erich would be on board with that second idea).  As much as I mourn the loss of the early months, I welcome the changes of a growing baby.  Each new stage brings so much fun and joy.  I love celebrating all of Norah's firsts.     At around 5 months old we started baby cereal.  We've been doing that once a day for about a month now and just this week I spent an afternoon making lots of baby food and we're starting in on vegetables.  So far she's tried zucchini which was met with a mediocre response, but she seems to be warming up to the idea :)  Here are few photos of Norah's first time eating solids.  She got the hang of it almost immediately and seems to enjoy the addition to her diet.

Helping Daddy

One of the many things we appreciate about our house is the big deck in the backyard.  With a great park just down the street we don't feel like we really need a big yard or a swing set (maybe we'll change our mind about the swing set down the road, but for now we are happy to walk to the park).  The deck, however, is perfect for hanging out, grilling out, blowing bubbles, sitting on the porch swing (new this year!), or lounging in the relaxers (the most comfortable deck chairs ever).  To get the deck ready for action each spring, Erich scrubs it down and washes away all the dirt and grime that has accumulated over the past year.  Last year Avery was excited to help Daddy, but at barely two years old, helping really meant splashing around in the bucket for a while until she got bored and was ready to come inside.  Fast forward to this year and our now three year old was an unstoppable machine.  She loves spending time with her Daddy and is proud to be his special sidekick.  She scrubbed her heart out and made countless trips up and down the deck steps from the soapy water bucket to her designated scrubbing post.  Finally, after almost two hours of going nonstop, she said, "Daddy, I think I need a break."  Avery is a bundle of energy and that was the first time we've ever heard her utter those words. The girl was working hard!  After a quick break and a snack she was back at it and didn't stop until the job was done.  That night Avery went to bed at 6pm and slept in until 9:30 the next morning.  It was at that point that we started to wonder if we broke some sort of child labor law the day before.  She was clearly exhausted!  But she had a great time and soaked up every minute with her Dad.  She's already looking forward to next year.  I wonder how old Avery will be when scrubbing the deck becomes a dreaded chore instead of a fun Saturday morning with Daddy.  Until then, we'll enjoy her happy hard working attitude!

Odds and Ends

Life seems to be flying by at a record pace. Spring weather came early this year which only added to the feeling that time was speeding quickly along.  We didn't get hardly any snow this winter. Instead we were going for walks with the stroller in February!  You won't hear me complaining one bit about that.  A long walk through the neighborhood with my girls is one of my favorite things about the warm weather months.  You'll see us out there most days of the week.  Norah loves the lulling feeling of the stroller and usually falls asleep before we get to the end of the driveway.  Avery has been having fun learning "left" and "right" and has our usual route memorized now, always navigating and telling me which way to turn.  

Norah's first stroller ride in early February.  When she's riding in the stroller she's either smiling or sleeping. 

Avery loves the double stroller and has claimed the front seat as her "driver's seat". 

 Another fun activity that we enjoyed this winter was visits to Imagination Station (formerly COSI).  We got a year long family membership through a groupon deal for a steal.  I'm so thankful we saw the groupon opportunity because this probably isn't something we would have splurged on otherwise and it was such a fun place to go during the chilly winter months.  Sadly, our membership expires at the end of the month and we don't plan to renew (I just can't stomach paying full price after the amazing deal we got).  They have such an impressive interactive toddler/pre-school area that we never even explored the rest of the building. I have no idea what else is there, but I hear it's great! The pre-school area encourages creativity and imagination.  It has a pretend grocery store, hospital (complete with an ambulance), fire truck, a giant tree house, a water play area, a little house, giant legos, and all sorts of other fun things to explore.  I'm sure we'll go back from time to time to visit.  I'm thankful that we discovered this Toledo gem!

 Avery and her friend Grace playing in the intake area of the "hospital"

 Avery the firefighter with Norah and Momma

 Norah spends a lot of time in the sleepy wrap. It makes it a lot easier to keep up with Avery when my hands are free.  Thankfully Norah is happy and content to ride around in there!

 Avery and Grace checking out with their groceries at the store.

One last random photo....  Norah is one laid back little baby.  Although she has her fussy moments, most of the time she's content to go with the flow and do her own thing.  Norah spends a lot of time playing in her exersaucer while I play with Avery or work in the kitchen.  On more than one occasion I've noticed that things are awfully quiet and when I go in to check on her, this is what I find... 

 

I love this sweet sleepy girl!