Nora gets short changed on the blog because she is the second child. Liam does everything first and therefore gets more airtime. But I love my sweet second child so much and am amazed by her on a daily basis, so I thought I better take note. She's growing and changing so fast these days that her sweet little quirks, habits, and sayings are likely fleeting.
Nora is talking more and more and more all the time. I'd say she's still lagging behind the average a bit, but definitely not stalled. And her sudden ability to communicate with the world is very satisfying to her. When you've understood her or repeat back what she's said she nods her head vigorously and firmly says "yes". But for a long time she never said yes, she only said ok. And she had about 42 different ways she would say it. For example, if you asked her if she wants dessert, she would clap and say "ok, ok, ok!" quickly and happily. If she was crying and you finally guessed what she wanted, she would draw it out in a really sad, low voice and say "okayyyyyy". Or if she felt indifferent about something, it would just come out as a nonchalant "ok".
Now there's actually less need for crying because we can understand what she wants more often. Sometimes things still come out jumbled though because her brain seems to move faster than her mouth… or maybe vice versa. And for some things she has created her own words. Like Cathleen = Khaki, kitchen = chicken (a mistake Liam used make too), breakfast = lunch, which she manages to pronounce without the L or N sounds, like “wuch”. And then there are a series of words that come out as profanity, which are super fun: crocs, bridge, fork, and peanuts. Asking her to repeat any of those words in particular combinations = hours of entertainment.
Nora will also eat anything. She prefers bold,savory flavors over mild or even sweet food. The other day she ditched her ice cream cone in favor of the crackers with salmon and caper dip I was having. She also enjoys miso soup, salsa, Indian food, olives, brussel sprouts, and horse radish. However, when she first wakes up from a nap, sometimes she’s so cranky that the only cure is a sweet snack.
And, Nora is a hugger. Since Liam has returned to school, she must really be missing him because he has been the lucky recipient of lots of Nora's hugs. Jason also gets a lot of Nora hugs. When she finds him back in our bed in the morning after he's been away, she climbs on his chest and presses her face into his. It's sweet, but she does it in a way that makes it hard to breath, so unfortunately he usually has to move his face before she's done giving her hug. She's also a huge fan of saying "hi" and "goodbye". Not just upon arrival, but repeatedly and anytime, really. When I'm with her, she often looks at me and says "hi mommy!" just out of the blue. When Beate, Manuel, Chris, and Charlotte were here last weekend, she sat at lunch repeatedly noticing that Manuel was across from her and saying hi to him. And every evening when I come home and Cathleen leaves, she runs to the window now to yell "goodbye" to Cathleen as she walks to her car. She adores her Khaki.
And finally, Nora is our little dancer. She dances to the music in her own head as well as any actual music that might be playing. When we went to Sydney’s dance recital at the beginning of the summer, her eyes were glued to the stage for a solid 45 minutes while we watched kids of various ages performing. When I play music for her she dramatically moves her arms and legs in big sweeping motions. She jumps and spins and prances and she does it all with feeling. The wooden deck behind Nana’s house reminds Nora of a stage and she often performs lengthy numbers there. This fall we have signed her up for dance lessons at the same dance school Sydney had gone to. I don’t know who is more excited – Nora or me.
Nora has a totally different way of playing than Liam. While he prefers to play independently with his cars or superheros, she wants adult attention. Also, she’s surprisingly domestic for a little girl who has a mother who is decidedly not. She sweeps and vacuums, she changes her babies diapers, and is constantly cooking in her little kitchen. Nora also loves to put on makeup and pack a purse complete with a phone and keys. Nora also has impeccable manners always saying "please" (peas), "thank you" (tanku), and "you're welcome" (wehcome). She wants to wear pretty dresses and now happily keeps a bow in her hair. In fact, some mornings she even requests one. One thing she is happy to do independently is reading books. She can sit for long periods of time next to the bookshelf leafing through books and “reading” to herself from the pictures.
So, basically, she’s amazing. Practically perfect. And if you don’t believe me, all you have to do is spend some time with her. Anyone who does, eventually tells me they would like to steal her. And while I would never allow that, I do see it as a good sign that Nora is turning our family and friends into kidnappers.
