Nora: Nine Months

Three quarters of a year old already. Nora weighs 16 lbs, 2 oz and is 29 1/2 inches long. Her weight is in the 25th percentile but height is 97th--she is as tall as Annie and Sophie were at 15 months. We will see if she remains my tallest girl as she grows! Nora is a happy baby and loves to play with her toys and can even play happily alone for several minutes. She is saying mama and dada sounds consistently and I think she is linking them to the Gent and me--maybe she will be my earliest talker, too? Nora likes yogurt and green beans and lots of other foods. She thinks eating is great and she is quite good at feeding herself. She is still nursing six times a day and doesn't seem interested in cutting back yet...though I would like her to drop that 5:30am feeding when she's ready. ;) Happy nine months, sweet baby girl!

One Thousand Gifts, 651-675

651. Daddy not having to work over the weekend.
652. Getting the front yard all cleaned up and ready for fall.
653. Carving pumpkins as a family.
654. Four little pumpkins sitting on our front porch.
655. Playing outside.
656. Kids' joy over being outside.
657. Sweet pictures of my babies.
658. Nora's grin and leg kicks when she gets excited.
659. Listening to her babble "mama" and "dada".
660. Sophie's decisiveness.
661. Listening to her sing lullabies to her baby dolls.
662. Jacob's goofy boy side.
663. Hearing about his shenanigans at church.
664. Annie's half smiles.
665. Hearing her recite poetry.
666. Freshly-planted pansies.
667. The Gent's homemade buttermilk biscuits.
668. Brie with my fig jam.
669. Having a supply of homemade dinners in the freezer.
670. A clean kitchen sink.
671. Annie asking, "Mama, will you cuddle with me?"
672. Catching up on magazines.
673. A morning at church with our whole family.
674. Rain, rain, rain after a dry spell.
675. Fun plans for the week ahead.

Belated Birthday Post

Sweet Zeke puppy had another birthday! He's starting to get to the age he doesn't want me to draw attention to the number anymore. ;) Though he was very interested in his pup-peroni treats and even (unwillingly) shared some with his brothers. Love this loyal boy!

Schedule

Here's how I'm keeping organized this year. I combined our weekly schedule and my to-do list into one Word document, and I update it each week with specifics. I just leave it open on my computer and highlight items as they are completed. It may not be pretty, but it keeps me on track. It also makes it easy to see where I have open time if I need to schedule an appointment. Have to be organized with four kids, three dogs, a house, yard, and me to manage!

One Thousand Gifts, 626-650

626. A good night's sleep.
627. Heated mattress pad!
628. Cute clothes.
629. Comfy clothes.
630. Boots!
631. Marking a book off my "to read" list.
632. Going to church with our whole family.
633. Worship music.
634. Fun family morning at the pumpkin festival.
635. The Gent.
636. The limited family time we are squeezing in to the Gent's busy work season.
637. Annie
638. Jacob
639. Sophie
640. Nora
641. Mailing birthday cards to cousins and friends.
642. Celebrating birthdays.
643. Starting my Christmas shopping.
644. Jacob's birth mother.
645. Emails from my grandmas.
646. Fall.
647. Faith.
648. Family.
649. Football.
650. Sunshine.

Remembrance Day

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I know many, many mamas (and daddies and families) have walked this road as we have. I read this article several months ago and thought I would share it here today: My Baby's Heart Stopped Beating Thanking God for all six of my babies today and trusting that He is continuing to bring about His good purpose.

One Thousand Gifts, 601-625

601. That my children are--for the most part--healthy and happy little munchkins.
602. That Annie and Jacob are loving school!
603. Hearing "can we do school now, Mama?"
604. Hearing Sophie say, "yes, I want to color, Mama!" (that's her "school")
605. Sophie recognizing her name written down (and wanting to write her name--with my help--on all her coloring pages)
606. Watching Nora play happily by herself when we are occupied with school.
607. Being Nora's favorite person right now.
608. Joining in Annie and Jacob's imaginative play.
609. The "concert" they hosted this weekend.
610. That our current "A-A-Apple" unit requires making an apple pie. (this was an optional activity, but I find it very important)
611. A little bit cooler weather.
612. Wearing fall clothes.
613. Planning fun weekend activities and trips.
614. Getting ready to begin Christmas shopping in earnest.
615. Reading chapter books with the kids.
616. Zeke's 11th birthday!
617. That Zeke got a professional grooming.
618. And that his thyroid supplement seems to be giving him some energy back.
619. A weekend away to visit the Gent's family.
620. Wedding shower to celebrate my soon to be sister-in-law.
621. Chik-fil-a.
622. Really good milkshakes.
623. Time to catch up on my magazines.
624. Our super-comfortable couch.
625. A crop of fall tomatoes.

One Thousand Gifts, 576-600

576. A calmer weekend where no one got sick.
577. Homemade blueberry muffins.
578. Honey and Poppa (and free babysitting).
579. A night out with friends from church.
580. Graeter's ice cream.
581. Family dinners.
582. The joy on Sophie's face at the football game.
583. Nora's strong preference for Mama. She'll go to the church nursery someday.
584. Snuggles from my munchkins.
585. Library time.
586. Watching Annie and Jacob enjoy their chosen activities: ballet and soccer.
587. Good memories of my Pap Paw.
588. The extended time we get to spend with family during football season.
589. Chili in the crock pot.
590. Lots and lots of dahlia blooms.
591. Making plans to be social again when the Gent's trial is over.
592. Almost time for Christmas shopping!
593. Looking ahead towards the fall festivals, pumpkin patches, and trick or treating.
594. Field trips for school.
595. Fostering a love of learning in my kids.
596. Picnic lunches in Daddy's office.
597. The Gent making me coffee every morning.
598. The relationships my munchkins have with their grandparents and great-grandparents.
599. An upcoming wedding.
600. Listening to Jacob wake up in the morning.

4K

For Annie and Jacob's school this year I am using a curriculum called God's Creation from A to Z. Each unit is about a letter and a concept (this week we learned about the letter "m," the moon, and the Bible truth "I am the light of the world"). The curriculum is cohesive and easy to follow and includes math, art, handwriting, reading-aloud, science, Bible, fine motor skills, and more. Annie and Jacob love it. For reading, we are using Phonics Pathways. We do school in the playroom. Sophie likes to sit and color with us and I let her participate as much as she wants. Nora usually sits on the floor and plays with her toys. The great thing about school at home is how flexible we can be. If we are home in the morning and school is going really well, we can do some extra things. On the days we have more activities we can focus on the important parts like our reading and Bible lessons. I've actually found that, surprisingly enough after all the studies I've heard about how kids focus best in the morning, late afternoon after rest time is a great time for us to do school. All in all, school is off to a good start! We don't take it too seriously and do lots of play. My main goal is for Annie and Jacob to be reading by first grade. The rest is just icing on the cake...yum, cake. Glad it's Friday!