Nora: 19 months

19 months yesterday!







Nora thinks she can definitely do everything her older siblings can. She is able to do a lot of it! She is speaking more and more in sentences, has her favorite books (Freight Train and Goodnight Moon), and knows what the tv remote is for (considering the limited use that thing gets around here, I'm impressed). She loves to eat and holds up her plate for more after every meal and snack. She is nursing just at bedtime and we plan to wean this month. She is starting to get interested in the potty so maybe we will potty train soon after her birthday...we will see. We love this sweet girl and her big personality!

A few summer pictures

I know it has been a little quiet on here the past few weeks. We are enjoying the last of summer and getting ready to start school soon. Jacob has passed his swim test and is so proud, and the older girls are about to begin ballet classes. Lots of reading going on, as usual, and some sensory play (aka mess-making) and lots and lots of games the kids make up. Happy end of summer to you!

Annie


Jacob and Daddy: the boys have to stick together!


Sophie


Nora

Psalm 33:20-22

Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart is glad in Him,
because we trust in His holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

Recent Reads

Been doing lots of reading myself lately. Two notable books:

Hope Heals, by Katherine and Jay Wolf
Beautiful true story of how Katherine and Jay and their family survived a stroke that should have left Katherine dead, rebuilt their life, and learned to trust God fully as an anchor for the soul even in times of suffering and desperation.

Sweetening the Pill: Or How We Got Hooked on Hormonal Birth Control, by Holly Grigg-Spall
This book has been on my list for a while. I have lots of thoughts/opinions about birth control and this was an interesting read by a woman I likely have nothing in common with except our desire to not use the Pill (including the ring, patch, implant, Depo-Provera, and Mirena). My favorite quote: "Neither pregnancy nor fertility should be viewed as an illness that requires treatment with pharmaceuticals or surgery" (p. 74). The author made this point over and over again. Why do millions of healthy women take a Pill every day for 20+ years of their life, a Pill that impacts every part of your body (not just your reproductive system)? Hormones are not bad. Cycles are not bad. I don't think Ms Grigg-Spall shares my spiritual views, but as a Christian I know that my body is working just as God designed it. Fertility is not a disease and there are plenty of non-hormonal birth control options that most doctors do not offer as options to their patients, they just push the Pill because that is what you do. IUDs (copper and Mirena) cause a constant state of inflammation in the body. And the Pill can have some very serious side effects. I think women are often afraid to discuss these because they think "everyone takes it and I'm the only one who has this problem." The author also touched on the use of the Pill to treat all kinds of "female problems" like acne, heavy periods, irregular periods, etc, and how using the Pill only covers up the problem instead of actually treating it. A woman's cycle is a primary window into her whole body health. Tricking your body with fake periods and a fake hormone cycle can cover up health--and especially fertility--problems. Overall, there was plenty in this book I disagreed with, but plenty of food for thought mixed in.

Book Lists

I'm a sucker for a good book list. I keep a running list of books I want to read and another list of books I read each year. There are so many book lists out there for kids and the list-checker in me wants to do them all. And we do read out-loud an awful lot! But my two favorite resources are Books Children Love by Elizabeth Wilson and Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt. My mom used the first editions of these books when she was homeschooling my brother and me, and they've just gotten better with time. There's too much fluff out there and not enough time to waste on that--read real, living books that actually interest you and your kids!

Nora: 18 months

side ponytail


sweet little profile!


trying to find her siblings


A year and a half already. Nora thinks she can do everything her older siblings can, and she does get to do a lot of it. She's had way more cake and cookies than they ever had at her age, that's for sure. :) This month she has started speaking short sentences. Her favorites are "Where's Mama?" and "Where's Dada?" Sometimes she is calling us Mommy and Daddy. Not sure I'm ready for that quite yet. She is wearing Puddle Jumpers at the pool now instead of using her baby float. She has cut all her 1 year molars and 2 more teeth in the past month and a half. She still loves to play baby dolls with her sisters and read Freight Train. She is down to nursing once a day most days, so almost weaned. I love being Mama to this sweet and spunky girl!