Yesterday it was 87 degrees at my house! It has never been that hot since we moved here. Inland a little ways, yes, but not right where we live. Cora and I took advantage of our gorgeous day (Sean was working) by meeting a friend and her baby at the beach.
I was a little nervous taking a video of her down by the water. She is so fast and would easily dart off into the surf, since she really has no sense of danger yet. But we managed a slightly successful video.
I've been having trouble uploading some of my videos to my blog; hence the multiple video posts. I think perhaps they were too large, but I have finally figured it out. Thus ends the trilogy of iPhone video (for now). Some of these are a couple minutes long and probably only grandparent material, but I wanted to include stuff that she is doing as she gets older and changes so fast.
The following is a video I took back in January with our new HD camera. I could never get it to upload anywhere but finally got it on YouTube. Cora used to dance in place whenever she heard music, and I'm so glad I caught a little of it on video. She doesn't do this anymore.
This next one was taken when Cora and I went over to a friend's house for a playdate. She has a little boy who is 3 months older than Cora. We were chatting in another room when we heard hysterical laughter. We got a little of it on video after we went to see what was going on.
Another time we were at a different friend's house, Cora got to play with the garden hose for the first time. We live right near the coast, so it usually doesn't ever get above 70 degrees here. We really don't have the appropriate weather for an outdoor kiddy pool, so Cora doesn't get to play in water outside unless we go to a water park inland. My friend lives in a gorgeous sunbelt, and it was a beautiful, sunny, warm day when we visited. We also don't have grass in our yard, so Cora was in for a double treat.
At 19 months, Cora is running everywhere. Sometimes she just runs in circles and giggles. I was trying to get that on video in this next one, but she got distracted right away and proceeded to start looking through one of her animal picture books and making the sounds for all of them.
This last one is one of my favorites. Sean was laying flat on the living room floor, throwing a ball up in the air, and Cora was right beside him giggling hysterically. I started video taping right as she moved, but then I managed to catch her trying to get back into the spot she had just been in with her head directly next to his.
I shot this video a few days after Cora had switched from saying "Dada" to saying "Daddy." I just love the way she rolls her tongue a little around that last "d" syllable. It almost sounds like a little yodel to me sometimes. She does it really well at the end of the video right before she says "Mama."
I'm excited to have a child in this digital age. When she is doing something cute, I can just grab my phone and catch it on video. Hopefully one day I will get organized and put some of them on DVD, so she can have them when she is older.
...imitates us. She tries to brush her hair with her small brush. The other day I found her cabbage patch doll with the brush stuck in it's hair. She holds my cell phone up to her ear. If we show her how to play with toys, she will imitate us... like she will use the hammer to pound the round pegs into the holes of her little wooden toy and she will play her pull-a-tune xylophone the way it is supposed to be played.
...takes things out and puts them away. She has blocks that are in a little bag and she will spend tons of time taking them out and putting them back. She takes the ring stacker rings off and puts them on her wrists like bracelets and/or puts them back on the stacker, sometimes even in the correct order! She likes to take her Little People barn animals out of the silo and put them back or into the barn. I have found animals in the barn, along with a small ring and a sock. You know those other things that belong in the barn too. She especially loves to get at her diaper bag and empty it out and then put things back in the wrong places.
...likes to read, but not as much with us. She gets more fussy when you try to read with her lately, but she will spend lots of time emptying out all of her books from the basket they are in and paging through them as if she is reading them to herself. She will even turn a book right-side-up if she grabbed it the wrong way.
...has a few favorite foods but is still not the greatest eater. Good thing I am still nursing her or she would not get enough nutrition (although she would most likely eat more if that was the case). She likes berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries), pears, goldfish crackers (her favorite), hummus, cottage cheese, black beans, cheese, cheerios, apple juice, brown rice, green beans, scrambled eggs, and yogurt.
...loves her toy, Violet the LeapFrog dog. She gets it in the car when we have to drive somewhere, and she presses the paws over and over again without letting one song or phrase finish before she presses the paw to go on to the next one. Keeps her entertained amazingly, even if I do have to go through the day singing, "Me and my friend Cora..." in my head.
...also likes noisy toys with buttons that play or do different things.
...fits in some 12-month and some 18-month clothes. She seems to have long legs, so many of the 12-month pants are getting to be too short even though she still fits in the shirts.
...dances. Hilarious. Every time she plays a tune on one of her toys or hears music on the TV or iPod, she moves back and forth in a sitting position.
I had been thinking a lot lately about all the things I wish I had shared on here as Cora is getting older. It seems that the more behind I get the more I just feel like I want to give up because I could never get caught up. I sometimes get very all-or-nothing about things.
But every day is so precious! I just have to make time and get right back on here even when I couldn't for a while because life just got too busy. I want to look back and read my blog posts and think, "Wow, I remember when she did that. Where does the time go?"
Where does the time go?!
My Cora is almost one. I feel sad and happily anticipating her next stage all at the same time. A dear friend told me today that she missed reading on here and that did it for me; I have to keep writing. I have to do it as often as I can. These moments are so fleeting, and I am one who has a hard time remembering very specific things in life after it has been too long. And this is my only written record.
I am sitting at my kitchen table with the fire roaring in the fireplace thinking back to a year ago at this time. I didn't know anything. I had barely ever changed a diaper, much less knew what kind of a parent I would be. All I could think about at the time was how uncomfortable I was and this pregnancy thing sure was the pits.
Who was this little Cora going to be (she finally had a name after much deliberating)? How was I going to know what she needed? What if I dropped her? How bad is the sleep deprivation really going to be? What is she was colicky and cried all the time and I had no idea what to do for her?
What did I know? Nothing. I couldn't know anything until I had experienced it all for myself. No amount of baby book reading or advice asking was going to help me. In fact most of the stuff I read was not even accurate or helpful. One must really pick and choose what to believe or use as a child rearing tool in books. In fact just chucking them out the window and going with your instincts will get you on the right path nearly every time. No one knows my child like I do.
Who knew that I would go completely against our pediatrician's advice and decide that I did not want to let my child cry herself to sleep at a young age? And even when we went backwards with the sleeping and she never really slept through the night, or even longer than six hours consistently, I still couldn't bring myself to follow the advice of the sleep books I was reading and what our pediatrician and multiple wonderful friends had told me to do. Who knew that now, at 11 months, if I was asked to name two things I love most about parenting that make me feel truly connected to Cora, I would say without hesitation - breastfeeding and co-sleeping? I never would have pegged myself as such a hippie character when it came to parenting. But I am.
Who knew that things I used to find important in my life would fade away to nothing in those moments as I held my little one? I used to love to watch movies. I rarely watch television anymore. I used to say that I will never, ever own a minivan and no one can make me. I just don't even care anymore. Does it run? Is it convenient for toting children in? OK, I'll take it. I'm sure we will get one eventually. I used to enjoy a glass of wine or two with dinner or more on occasion. Now I am afraid to ever drink too much to the point where I would not be at full brain capacity if anything were to ever happen to Cora, so I just gave it up entirely (and for other, longer reasons). I don't even miss it at all. I used to love going out to eat. Now I like to have all of my paraphernalia for feeding Cora conveniently, so I would just rather stay at home and cook.
I never could have imagined this love that I have. Different than any love that I have ever known. I want the very best for my Cora. And not the best in material things but the best of character. I want her to learn to be kind, generous, patient, sweet, merciful, thoughtful, caring. All of this and more I want for my precious girl.
She is God's child. Just on loan to me for this tiny amount of time. I want to teach her about Him and how he changed her Momma's life in so many ways. I want her to know Him for herself.
Tonight we took Cora for her first swimming "lesson" at the Sports Center. She loved it. What a fun time we all had! The lesson is a half hour long for 6-month to 3-year-olds and the instructor has us sing songs and do little things that teach the kids how to be in the water and just get used to it. All the different age groups have sea animal names. Cora is in the Starfish category. It is adorable. I can't wait to go again.
first time in the water
she was very interested in being buoyant
fun leg splashing
how very interesting this water is!
she became quite attached to the rubber ducky the instructor gave all the little ones to try to "swim" to
...sitting up well. She is unable to pull herself into a sitting position yet from lying, but she can stay sitting for quite a while and play with toys or look around at things in front of her.
...waving. Her first wave was this last week when we stood at the window and waved at Daddy as he got into the car to go to work. Since then she waved at Gramma and at one stranger (usually she gets shy in front of strangers, but one lady got her to do it).
...giving kisses. She loves to kiss her stuffed animals, especially a white bear she just met named Irene (the bear was actually a wedding gift to us from our nieces but it is a new toy for Cora). She leans in and puts her mouth on said bear but doesn't pucker yet.
...stringing together consonants and vowels with more than one syllable and different inflections to achieve much more sophisticated babble. And adding raspberries in there too.
...taking only two naps a day instead of three. She started doing that a little after 7 months.
...bracing her feet on ledges when she is sitting on a lap or in her high chair.
...standing on her own for a few moments if you lean her chest against a steady surface.
I like to take little videos of Cora even if there are not of anything all that interesting, so I can look back when she is older and remember how she looked and acted at certain stages. Here are a few recent ones.
Banging toys. Taken 8/4/11 at 7 1/2 months.
Giggly girl. Taken on 8/15/11.
Here is Brigita ruining my video with her incessant barking. Just needed to get that on record.
Cora loves her pink, stuffed dog. She is always smiling at it when we get it out. And she giggles when we make it give her kisses. Taken on 8/17/11.
We bought Cora a little walker now that sitting in the baby swing seems to not be a good idea for her. I needed a place where I could just put her if I need to set her down for a little while. She really likes it!
I never posted anything when Cora turned 5 months on May 24th, so I wanted to share a collection of pictures and videos that just shows what she is doing and where she is at in her development at this point. Then we can look back and see what we were up to when she is in college.
Blah, blah, blah.
Ok, so I just take too many pictures and videos and needed an excuse to share them with you.
had to immortalize those chubby thighs - I just want to kiss her all day
definitely have the grasping down...
...and the smiling...
...and the putting everything graspable into the mouth
yes I had food
She loves to talk and screech. And I love to listen.
When Cora was born, I toyed with the idea of making my own baby food. After she started cereal, I decided that I would like to take the project on. My friend told me about this great thing called the Baby Bullet, and Sean and I decided that buying it would be a good investment since I will be planning on making food for future kids as well.
I. LOVE. IT.
It pretty much works like a food processor or nice blender would, but it is mini so you can make extremely fresh stuff because you are not having to make larger amounts and freeze them (unless you want to).
So the whole thing came in the mail last Saturday, and I was really excited to get started with it. It also included a great book with what to feed at different stages, recipes for all stages, and even a "picking the best produce" section where it tells you what to look for with different fruits and veggies when shopping... did I mention how much I love it?
On Sunday after church (Sean had to work) I went to two different places looking for an organic sweet potato which is what I had decided to start with. I blended an avocado as well, so I would have food for the whole week.
On Monday morning, I steamed my sweet potato to keep all those great nutrients in and blended it to perfection by following my little directions with how much water to add.
sweet potato and avocado
Then Sean and I got out the iPhone and switched it to video mode, placed Cora in the Bumbo seat with her little bib, and proceeded to attempt to feed her the first non-milk flavored food. We were so excited.
What a momentous experience.
Afterwards I couldn't help but think it was slightly anticlimactic after all of my preparations.
We sure did keep trying for an amusingly long amount of time. We would also prefer to not be judged for the ending where we decided it would be a good idea to shove the food in her mouth, thinking that would make a difference in her appreciation for it. We plead temporary insanity.
It's so easy to forget that babies are people too. They have their own personalities, likes and dislikes, opinions... and they are very adept at telling us if we would just pause to listen.
Cora teaches me new things every day. I love being a parent.
