Steppin'

FINALLY!  Last night, Cora took her first steps.  Just two, but two steps with no hands.  Then she sat down.  Little booger.  She really doesn't need to hold onto anything or anyone anymore for support, but she THINKS she does.  I'm predicting by the end of this month she'll be walking on her own.  Maybe not as fast as she's crawling right now(roadrunner, I tell you) but walking on her own.  I'm pumped about this new phase!

Sleepless in Chattanooga

Our family has been participating in something called a "Sleep Fast".  Its where you give up sleeping for 3 nights straight and see how many times you can get up and down out of the bed in one evening.  Of course, the whole idea was Cora's.  Except she gets to stay in her bed, if thats what she wants.  About every hour or so, she spits her pacifier out and cries until someone walks in her room and gives her paci back or changes her diaper or picks her up and rocks her or...You get the picture.  Geron and I haven't been doing so hot, needless to say.  And apparently Cora hasn't been either. 

 

When one fasts from sleep one begins to wonder WHY one is fasting from sleep.  They look for signs.  Usually the person who has come up with the idea to fast from sleep is the one showing said signs.  So, we looked to Cora.  This morning, she gave us some very definite signs.  Sign one:  I sat her in the high chair and she threw up what looked like banana pudding BEFORE i could even feed her breakfast.  Sign two:  she threw up apple juice in the van on the way to the sitter's.  So, we went back home.  Sign three: she slept ALL DAY--woke for maybe half an hour, had one poopy diaper and one peepee diaper all day long.  Sign four:  fever.  So, we finally went to the doctor's office this afternoon.  To sum it all up, the reason we've been fasting from sleep is because Cora has two ear infections. 

We're now on meds, well Cora is, but that means we are getting our sleeping pills finally! HA!  Hopefully tonight our fast will be over and perhaps things will start to be back to normal tomorrow.  Please pray for our little girl. 

Baby Sign Language

Experts encourage parents to use simple sign language with their babies as a way to communicate until they learn to SAY real words.  I think its a great idea.  I even have Baby Sign Language for Dummies, or whatever its called.  But, I don't use it.  I'm sure its been successful for many parents and I tried to start with Cora, but just didn't get into it.  I wasn't committed, I confess.  I learned the sign for "More" to use with her as she ate, but having to put the spoon down every time I needed to say "more" became rather frustrating for me AND for Cora.  That girl eats FAST!  My mom tried to use that sign with Cora once after we'd long given up on using it.  We quickly developed a running joke that the sign for "more" actually meant "Granny" in our house. 

 

Cora's been a happy baby without sign language and has been able to communicate her needs by routine.  I would say that I never set a routine for her, but learned to go by her cues.  Her cries were very distinct from early on.  If she was hungry, we'd get a kind of "laaa laaa" sound.  If she was in pain, her cry was piercing.  And if she were wet or dirty, we could tell by the smell. (Ha!)  Her 'schedule' for her meals and naps became predictable.  She'd wake up and want to eat first, play for two hours, have a snack bottle, take a nap, eat lunch, take a nap, have a snack, play a few hours, eat supper, play a few hours, have a bedtime bottle and go to sleep, all about the same time every day. 

 

Now, Cora is able to give us more definite signs of her needs, and my favorite is her "I'm sleepy" sign.  Around 9 / 9:15 she starts to rub her eyes and cry for a cup.  I give her milk and hold her as she drinks it.  Then, she looks around for her paci.  I give it to her and she pops it in her mouth.  She tries to lay down and snuggle in my arms, but can't seem to get comfortable, so I sit her on the floor.  If she goes after a toy, then she's not quite ready for bed--this is obviously not the part I would call my favorite.  What I LOVE is when she finishes the cup, I sit her on the floor, and she lays down on her belly with her bottom up in the air and her legs pulled up underneath her.  This says "I'm sleepy, Mommy.  Please take me to bed."  I pick her up, we go to her room, and turn off all the lights.  I turn her lullabies on and push the ocean sounds button on her alarm clock.  We snuggle just a few moments and I lay her in her crib.  She falls asleep almost instantly as I pray over her.   I turn on her humidifier before leaving the room.  The whole routine takes about 5 minutes.  By the time I walk out and close her door, she's sound asleep.  Sometimes I linger just to watch her sleep. She is so precious. 

 

So, its not that actual sign language didn't work for us.  We just weren't committed to seeing it through.  Cora is a happy and sweet little girl who understands our commands and is learning to obey pretty well.  Her giggles, waves, cries, and laying down in the middle of the floor communicate to us what she needs.  And we are more than happy to give her all the GOOD things she desires! 

A Grand Baby

Celebrating!

A year ago this Thursday, God delivered to us our beautiful daughter, Cora.  As we anticipate the beginning of her second year, we give thanks to God for Cora and his faithfulness to her and to us.  The Lord has brought miraculous healing to Cora's little body.  We thank Him for healing her RSV, hip dysplasia, bronchiolitis, numerous ear infections, and most recently, pneumonia and kidney infection.  We thank Him that she has achieved the common baby milestones:  rolling over, crawling, saying "Mama" and "Dada" and waving bye bye.  We anticipate her first steps any day now.  And eagerly await her first piano recital when she will play a Beethoven Sonata (HA!)  Cora has brought much sunshine into our lives and we thank the Lord for entrusting her to us.  Happy Birthday, Cora!  We love you so much! 

Walking ???

Cora is ALMOST 1 year old and ALMOST walking.  I guess it was Sunday when she performed her newest trick--walking while holding just one hand.  I hadn't even seen her "cruise" yet, and here she was, holding my hand, walking down the hall, through the living room like she was a big girl ready to go do her own thing.  I won't be surprised if she's walking alone by her first birthday.  I'm loving this stage because she understands that we are delighted in her and responds to our encouragement.  BUT, she IS growing up too fast!!  What a darling daughter, though.  Thank you, Jesus, for our precious little girl!

Uh-bye

I love her!  I love her!  I love her!  My baby girl tickles me pink!  Lately, we've been working with Cora on waving and saying bye-bye.  She is finally getting it, although, she chooses to say it under her circumstances and not ours.  For instance, this morning at breakfast, she popped her hand up in the air, waved like a princess and said "Uh-bye  Uh-bye".  When I left for work, I waved and said "Bye bye" to her.  Did she respond in kind?  No, just looked at me as if to say "These blocks are fun, mom.  Do you want to build with me?"  As Geron drove her to TonTon's house, she waved in the van--at noone--and said "Uh-bye Uh-bye  Uh-bye"  to noone in particular but her daddy.  When Geron dropped her off at TonTon's, did Cora wave to him?  Probably not, but I imagine 2-year-old Lucy blew him a kiss.  When I picked her up from TonTon's did she wave then?  No, just gave the look that said "My mommy's here.  I like my mommy.  I wonder what's for dinner."  But today, when we went to the grocery store, she waved at Miss Charlotte, a friendly cashier who we barely know from Adam.  She grinned and waved and said "Uh bye" soooo sweetly.  What the???

Why do babies wave bye-bye to strangers but look at their parents like they're retarded when asked to wave to PawPaw or Granny?  Please explain.