Holiday Fever

We had planned a busy Friday this past week. However, that all changed when you woke up with a fever. A 103.5 fever . Yeah a serious fever. You refused to take any medicine or drink or even eat a popsicle! We cancelled all our plans. We didn't get to to go to Nonni's Christmas / retirement party or go out to dinner for Aunt Clare's birthday. You didn't get to visit my school and see the teachers who ask about you all the time. Instead we spent the day curled up together, snuggling with your blanket as we coaxed your fever down. I had to work Saturday and you got up every hour or two Friday night into Saturday. I was exhausted but finally on Saturday morning you woke up with a slight fever that vanished by the afternoon.

It physically hurt me to see you in pain. Your cry pierced my soul during the night. Something I haven't experienced since you were small and helpless. I was not very happy with this fever but how I cherished the time snuggling with you. You have not let me hold you while you sleep since you were a newborn. Your independence has always been welcomed and fostered but just for 24 hrs it was nice to have a snuggle bug. You reminded me no matter how big you get, you will always be my baby.

Falling into December

December is upon us and in full force. Christmas is fast approaching and I have done nothing. No decorating, no tree, no present buying or wrapping, no giving or helping the less fortunate. This lack of holiday festiveness does not appear to bother you. Although when Ms. Patti put up her Christmas tree on Monday, you became so thrilled and excited you began to jump and dance around. You love to point out Santa Claus in pictures or decorations and with quite a good amount of gusto you say "ho ho ho!" I am not sure how much you understand about what is going to happen on December 25.

This weekend was busy including helping Grandpa and Grandma pick up leaves in their yard. Of course jumping (or being thrown) into a giant pile leaves is icing on the cake after an afternoon of work. Your energy and spirit definitely keep us going sometimes.

Goodbye November!

Oh Nora! November 2010 can go down in our family history as a complete waste of time. Actually, you used the 30 days to somehow grow even more brilliant than you already are. Now you count to 10 proficiently and can answer questions such as "what number comes after 6?" or "what number comes before 4?" Besides those feats of mathematical wizardry, you now say most of the alphabet. You are excellent A through H and then things get fuzzy I through T but your back on track by the end for U through Z. You love love love to sing and can remember key words in songs and just sing them over and over, pretty much in tune. Pop Goes the Weasel and The Wheels on the Bus are absolute favorites.

In November, you and your father were fine. I was on death's door step. The doctor said it was just a simple viral infection. I thought it was black plague. After the illness faded around the middle of the month, I was slammed with exhaustion. I self diagnosed myself with secondary mono since I already had mono 10 years ago during my first semester at college. The doctor said one cannot get mono again. Whatever. I was so tired all the time. I slept 12-15 hrs when possible. At my desk at work I took naps. I think I slept through some of my hour drives home. I was too exhausted and recovering from the plague of November 2010 to do anything but be a blob. Looking back, it was rather glorious. Being a blob. You would toddle around my supine body while coloring over everything including my work laptop (oops) and the red ottoman. You put stickers all over the place. I still leave the house finding stickers on the bottom of my shoe. I found an entire water park set up in the dog bowl the other night. Fun times.

Anyway, let's catch up with a month in pictures:

You picked out your very own potty at the store. It is Elmo themed. Once we brought it home and took it out of the box, you sat on it for awhile until you stood up, squatted next to the Elmo potty and pooped on the dining room rug. Sigh.


We danced in the living room. Ok, you and Becca did most of the dancing.



You played with James.


We made Thanksgiving day peanut butter cookies with a chocolate kiss center in your "Everyone is Thankful for Me" shirt. You mainly liked to dip your fingers in the sugar and lick.



You ate Thanksgiving dinner with almost everyone at the table and remembered to say your prayers of thanksgiving:





Daddy built towers taller than you!


We ate delicious 'Hot Chocolate' flavored Italian Ice from a new local joint.


We froze our butts off at the annual Christmas lighted parade.


We went to the Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees with Ashley where you watched the toy trains, rode a toy train, a carousel and your very first LIVE pony!!!





We stuffed ourselves with french fries until all that was left was ketchup on our noses.


Just so you remember that I did not make up the plague of November 2010. Here is one of my many naps by the fire with you running wild.

Happy Halloween

It has been a whirlwind weekend. We went to a birthday party, went to Nonni and Nonna's house where you spent the night without Daddy or I. You visited great-grandma and all the residents where she lives in your purple dragon / dinosaur costume. Nonna brought you home today to a very sick Mommy. I was running a fever and was generally miserable with a horrible cold.

Daddy took you trick or treating at the mall and around to all our friends' houses in Westminster. I mustered enough energy to carve one of our backyard pumpkins with you. I also dragged myself over to the Wagmans where they spoiled you with an entire bag of corn! Candy corn. But you refer to it casually as corn. Today, you wore your Halloween shirt that said "Daddy's Under My Spell" which is very appropriate.

Sorry, I am so sick and too tired to go on so here are a few pictures of your adventures this Halloween weekend.

Buttons

You love buttons. If it's a button, you must press it. I can't tell you how many times we go to the driveway to find out you opened the doors to the van with the remote buttons. It's a good thing we live in a decent neighborhood. Buttons on the TV, CD player, remotes, phones, toys. You can turn on / off all your electronic toys. If it has a button, you know how to operate it.

This includes Mommy.

I have a lot of buttons and you know how to to press each and every one of them.
You know the exact moment and tone to whine in so I will give in. You know how to look at me with your golden eyes with wonder and sorrow. You know that when you declare "no!" we will still love you. You know that we will allow you to eat your dinner in three different chairs. You know how to cry to bring out the most sympathy. You know how to push all my buttons.

James came for a visit yesterday. James had a wonderful day playing downstairs, playing in your room, going to the playground. You? You were a brat all day. You wouldn't share. You wouldn't allow James to ride in your stroller (even though you have 2), you started playing with toys you haven't touched in months, just because James was interested. At dinner with Jessica and Ashley, you couldn't stay seated. You were pushing my buttons all day. Oh the pictures tell a different story, look how sweet James and Nora look together! They hold hands going down the slide together, they hug, they play so well together. For James, yes. He was so happy and amicable. You were a spoiled brat who needed to watch an episode of the "Get Along Gang."






I wonder....
Is it just your age? Is it that Daddy and I have spoiled you? Is it jealousy of a younger, handsome man? Or is it your love of buttons? God only knows.

Just Daddy

Did someone mention Daddy?!?!?
He has become quite a rock star in the Jothen family household. On the days I have off, we spend our time putzing around town, going to the gym and calling Daddy. Because from the moment you wake up you start to inquisitively call out, "Daddy?!? Daddy???!! DADDY?!?!" I explain that he is at work. You still pester me until I can distract you with Barney or breakfast. As soon as you see Daddy walking up the path to the house, the high pitched squeals begin. Sometimes followed by clapping, stomping, and jumping excitedly up and down.
I admit, I'm a little jealous of this new found obsession with Daddy. But it felt good tonight when I came home late and you came running full force into my arms screaming "mommy!!!"

The Halloween parade was Tuesday night. I had no intention of you being in it until Becca came over and had this brilliant idea of a princess and dragon. We signed you up for the parade last minute and it was quite fun. It was your third parade in 6 months... not a bad average.



Finally, any good evening should be spent riding the hound around the house...