I Eat Apple

This past Sunday afternoon, we captured Nora eating her new favorite snack: an apple. This was her first time to actually hold the apple and take bites out of it. She was attached. Sorry it's so long, but she is a cutie.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today my wonderful husband is 29 years old! He is such a gift to both Nora and I, and he has grown so much into an amazing father and husband over the past few years. I am so excited that he will have a son this year...a little man to train and to teach in the ways of biblical manhood! With the grace and wisdom of the Lord, I know Jonathan will be a great example to our little boy!

Because he has such a busy work schedule this week, the only day Nora and I could arrange to have lunch with Jonathan was yesterday. We bundled up and heading to work with Daddy's favorite lunch, Chick-fil-a, and a cookie cake to share with the office.






I love you, my boy! I pray the Lord has wonderful things in store for you this year!

17 Months

Nora Stands Up!

So, I apologize now for my obnoxious voice in this video. In case you can't tell, I am just a bit excited about my baby girl standing up! It's about time!




P.S. That's Parks Worley in the background! He came over to play today for a little while.

Charleston Trip

This past weekend, our little family of 3 traveled to Charleston to visit some of our closest friends from dental school. Brynn and Lance are living in Charleston through June while Brynn completes her pediatric dentistry residency at MUSC. They are then heading home to Baton Rouge where they are both from. Jonathan, Brynn, and Lauren (another really great friend of ours) were super close during school and after Hurricane Katrina relocated us all to Baton Rouge for the remainder of dental school, all of us started hanging out and even started a supper club! We haven't seen Brynn or Lance since graduation (May 2007), so we were so excited to spend time with them and introduce them to Nora.

We made the drive in a little under 7 hours which felt like a breeze compared to the trek to New Orleans. Nora was such a little trooper! The weather over the weekend was pretty cold, so we were limited in how much sight-seeing we could do, but we did get a great driving tour of downtown Charleston and several of the surrounding islands. It has definitely whet our appetites to return in the future.

I feel like all we did while we were down there was eat! The food in Charleston is amazing, and Brynn and Lance appreciate good cooking just as much as we do. I guess it must be a Lousiana thing! I kept telling Brynn that Charleston reminded me so much of New Orleans minus the big party scene. There is so much culture and history there, with incredible architecture and beautiful homes and churches. I hope we can tour some of the homes when we return.

Lunch at Poe's Tavern:

Jonathan, Edgar & Lance

Lance & Brynn

Awesome mural of Poe on the fireplace
Nora & Liz
Liz is Brynn and Lance's roommate. She is a resident with Brynn, and her husband lives in Las Vegas. She moved in with them several months back with her dog Punkie (a Welsh terrier). Loved her! She was so much fun and so sweet.

Ellie (Shoe)--sounds like LSU--is Brynn and Lance's beloved chocolate lab. Lance reading to Nora in front of the fire.
Family pic on the beach at Sullivan's Island. I cannot begin to tell you how incredibly freezing it was. We were on the beach for one minute, literally!Nora, Ellie & Punkie

We had such a great weekend! Jonathan and I said several times how neat it was that even though it had been more than a year and a half since we last saw Brynn and Lance, it was like we just saw them yesterday. They are such great friends and were so hospitable! Love you guys!

Glucose, Schmlucose

Last Friday, I had my 24 week check-up with the required glucose test. For those of you who aren't familiar with all of the pregnancy "hoops" you must jump through, the glucose test makes sure that I am not having blood sugar issues brought on by gestational diabetes. It's typically pretty uneventful---you have to drink a really sweet and sugary drink, then wait for an hour. Then, your blood is drawn to test for any problems, and hopefully all is okay. If not, you are required to come back and take another 3 hour glucose test! I don't know what happens after that. I was blessed to have a good test result for my pregnancy with Nora and hopefully that will be the same this go round.

Funny thing. I was sitting in the room drinking my orange-flavored glucose koolaid stuff. It was in a little bottle with about 12 ounces or so of juice. I had the fleeting thought that it seemed that I had more to drink this time than I remembered with Nora, but with my "pregnancy brain" these days, I didn't really think much of it. I was drinking slowly because it is so sickenly sweet, and I can only tolerate small sips at a time. The nurse comes to check on me because apparently things were taking longer than they should have. She and the nurse in charge of my glucose test say a few things back and forth about "the 3 hour test" and I assume they are referring to another patient. A little red flag went up in my head and I decided to make sure they weren't talking about me. Surely not, I was only there for the 1 hour test. They know that! Right?

Oh no! There was some confusion going on there and this nurse thought I was there for the 3 hour. She quickly looked at my chart, then looked at me, and says, "How much did you drink?" I managed to get half of it down. Praise the Lord! I had just enough...maybe a little more than necessary, but thankfully, I didn't finish it all and wouldn't have to wait around for three hours! Whew. My results should be back sometime today, so hopefully no phone calls from the dr.'s office.

Apart from the glucose drama, all else seems great with my little man. I am gaining weight steadily (shocker!) and am measuring a week ahead at 25 weeks. I also heard his precious heartbeat! I have been really impressed with this doctor's office throughout the entire process so far. Every doctor, nurse practitioner, and nurse has been so helpful and kind and informative. Our next appointment is in four weeks. Hard to believe that I'll be 28 weeks at that point! Wow!

More Video of Nora

I managed to catch her dancing for a few moments, but it wasn't long before I was discovered.


Reading a magazine.

Girlie Girl

So, today I am going to post a few videos. Just bare with me. I know not everyone thinks my child is as adorable as I do. Anyway, this first one is of Nora with her purse. She is such a girl, growing daily in her love for purses, shoes, makeup, etc. This little purse on her arm was a birthday gift. I brought it out for her a week or so ago and showed her ONCE how to carry it on her shoulder. That was all it took. At first, she was getting really frustrated because the purse wouldn't stay up on her shoulder. As she scooted, the purse would fall down to her elbow. She would then bring the purse to me to put back on her shoulder. It didn't take her long, however, to figure out that if she just holds her arm out to the side while she scoots, the purse stays right where it belongs on her shoulder. So, she constantly looks like she's hailing a taxi, but that purse is behaving!




Another thing you'll notice in the videos is that Nora seems intrigued with my new camera. Anytime she sees that I'm recording her, she becomes obsessed with trying to watch herself, thus making my attempts futile.

"Big Girl Room" Progress

Nora's new furniture has arrived! We weren't expecting to be able to pick it up until Thursday evening, but when I called to check on the status of the order earlier this week, the store told us we could pick it up last night (Tuesday). We were pumped about that because we are heading out of town on Friday morning for the long weekend and would really like to get the furniture put together before we leave. Atleast, I am dying to have the room set up. (I think I'm already nesting.) Anyway, Jonathan and I went to pick up the furniture last night, and we were able to fit everything in our car except for the twin bed foot and headboard. So, after work, JB is heading out to pick up the last box. I can't wait! I hope I can talk him in to putting the furniture together so I can work on Nora's room tomorrow. You have no idea how having those boxes in the room unopened is killing me!

Here are some pictures of what we have accomplished so far. You can notice the beautiful paint job that Jonathan did. There are new curtains and the crib we bought off of Craig's List that will be Nora's until she grows in to the twin.

It's currently a mess in there, but it shouldn't be long before we move Miss Nora in! How fun!

24 Weeks

I am 24 weeks pregnant today! Hard to believe that this baby boy is due in just 16 weeks or a little less than 4 months. The reality of how quickly that will be here is hitting me. Wow, time is really flying by. My appointment is not until Friday morning, so I won't have an update until then, but I thought I'd share a picture with you to show how big our boy is these days (approximately). He is the size of a papaya!

He certainly is a strong little man and likes to move around a ton.

Yum, yum, yum.....Hummus!

For the longest time, I didn't think I liked hummus. I don't know if it just took such a long time before I had some that was actually delicious or if I just had a close-minded approach to the stuff. Plain, ground up chickpeas aren't really that appetizing, if we're being honest here, and some restaurants cover the dip with feta (blek!). However, over the past year or so, I have become SUPER fond of this yummy Greek treat and have had some amazing versions. If you haven't tried it yet, try out the hummus at The Tomato Head in Market Square. Supreme! I have really been wanting to find a good recipe so I could make some for us at home, and my friend Katie shared hers with me. I whipped up a batch this afternoon in a matter of minutes and let me just say: oh. my. goodness.

Let me warn you: it's addicting and super easy and very healthy!

Katie's Hummus

1 15 oz. can of chickpeas
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if you don't prefer spicy food)
juice of 2-3 lemons (preferably fresh-squeezed)
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is smooth or your desired texture. Serve with pita slices/tortillas and fresh vegetables. Cucumbers and carrots are best!

**I adjusted Katie's original recipe just a bit. She recommended 1 Tablespoon of cayenne pepper, but I decided to take it easy due to the fact that I'm pregnant, and I had visions of sleepless nights due to heartburn. I used only 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and it was PLENTY spicy for me, and I'm from New Orleans. Katie must love her some spice. My advice: start small and add if you think it's needed.

**This recipe is wonderful! I have an idea to add green olives to the list of ingredients to be processed for my next batch because I am obsessed with green olives. I could eat them on anything. I bet sun-dried tomatoes would be a great addition as well.

**Tahini was a challenge for me to find at the grocery store, but I found it at my Kroger in the olive section, next to all the fancy olives. It looks like peanut butter, but it's made of ground sesame seeds.

Our Lazy, Rainy Saturday Morning

Anyone in Knoxville knows that yesterday was just a rainy, cold, dreary day. We all slept in a little later than usual (Thanks, Nora!), and then had a nice breakfast together of waffles and bananas and oatmeal. Here are a few pictures of us taken by Jonathan via his new iPhone. Jonathan got a new iPhone for Christmas and is just the smallest bit excited about it. It's pretty cool, I have to admit, and the pictures came out pretty well!

Daddy, that's MY milk!

My two favorite people, a little sleepy-eyed.

I post this only to be fair...we were all tired and in our pjs.

Our sweet girl

Could it be?

This is the most hysterical thing I have seen in a while. I have been having SO much fun playing with this new feature on the Volkswagon website (www.vw.com). This is part of their advertisement for the new Routan minivan. You can download pictures of you and your spouse to see what your baby will look like! Here are a few that we "made." Have a good laugh!

Do you think any of these could look like our little baby boy?

Do you think any of these looks like me or Jonathan?

I have my opinions.....one looks a lot like my hubby!








P.S. Thanks, Jessica, for posting this on your blog and getting me hooked on this thing!

What's New With Nora- 16 month edition

Nora's been 16 months for a few weeks now, but I thought I should record some of the new things she is doing before I forget and never remember the precious nuances of her at such a young age. She blows me away with how quickly she learns things. So many nights as Jonathan and I lay in bed about to fall asleep, our conversation turns to Nora--how much we love her, funny things she did that we recall and laugh about, how crazy it is that she is almost a year and a half old. I have been trying to appreciate her and cherish every little moment with her and hope that I keep that motivation over the next four months...the last four months that we will have JUST Nora. I know my attention will be divided once baby boy arrives, so I am trying to eat up all the time my little girl and I have together.

Here's what's new with my Nora Kathryn:

***Teeth- Last night I discovered that Nora has at least two of her molars that have broken through the gum line. There may be three, but I am only willing to keep my fingers in her mouth for a few daring seconds. That makes ten teeth! I think several more are in the works because I've noticed her gums appear swollen in some areas.

***Walking- No we're not on two feet yet, but she's getting closer every day. Cruising (walking by holding on to furniture or something else, for those who don't know that term) is a constant action and she has really improved in her balancing and confidence. A few times she's been daring enough to let go altogether and stand alone, but this is only for fractions of a second. She's also gotten better at walking behind a few of her toys that have wheels (her car or her new baby stroller). I'm convinced that when this girl DOES walk, she will go straight to running.

***Talking- As I have stated time and again, Nora is chatty! She will repeat almost anything you ask her to say to the best of her ability. My latest attempts have been to get her to say "brother." It sounds pretty close, but we have a few months to get it down. Right now it sounds like "bubby" or "bruba" or some other variation.

Here are some other words Nora has mastered: Layla ("ya-ya"), juice, milk, baby, bear, ball, bed, Elmo, Gumbo (my parent's dog), Grandpa ("Gampaw"), Nana, Granna, oh boy, oh my, come here ("'mere"), book ("boop").

One of my favorite things to hear Nora says usually happens after a tickle fest or when we are just being goofy and laughing. When I tickle her, she laughs really hard and lately she has started ending her laughs with "oooohhh Mommy." As if to say, "Mom, you are so funny." It melts my heart.

***Big Girl Room- We've been busy preparing for the baby's arrival in May. Over the Christmas holiday break, Jonathan painted our second guest bedroom a cheery yellow. This will be Nora's big girl room, and we are hoping to move her in in the next few weeks. We've got her "new" crib set up in there, and I've moved lots of toys in there. We're waiting for the rest of the furniture before we finish setting it up, but it's adorable. I'll have to post pictures soon. For the record, the new baby will move in to Nora's current room...so the nursery will remain the nursery.

Long Distance Friends

I have several girlfriends in New Orleans that I will always be friends with. No matter the distance. No matter the time that passes between phone calls and emails. No matter how busy life gets. These friends are wonderful because whenever we reconnect over the phone or in person, we pick up right where we left off. The history is so thick between us. The memories, the drama, the years of growing up together.

I was so blessed to be able to visit with a few of these girls during our visit to New Orleans. Chrissy, Stephanie, and Hope are three of my best girlfriends from home that I have known since I was seven or eight years old. We are all married now. Chrissy has two beautiful girls: Ava Coryn (2) and Sam Alexis (almost 1). Steph has one precious daughter named Lydia Grace who is only two weeks younger than Nora. It was so fun finding out that we were pregnant at the same time and that our girls would be born so close together. Lastly, Hope is still a newlywed and has just announced that she and her hubby are expecting this summer. (I must not fail to mention that Hope is married to Stephanie's baby brother). So much excitement and change in all of our lives!

Anyway, here are a few pictures of our get-together. I am terrible at remembering to take pictures of much else besides the kiddos. You may see a few adults in the background, but I must try harder at getting group shots of us big girls next time.

Nora and Lydia playing

Ava- You should see the eyes on this child. And the hair.
She is just beautiful.

My beloved ham!

Lydia, being serious.

For whatever reason, Nora wasn't in the best of moods this day. Probably because her Momma had been dragging her from here to Kingdom Come for the past few days. Watch the pitiful drama unfold as sweet Lydia tries to play with Nora in the balls.

Here I am taking pictures and Nora is whining for me to rescue her.

I ignore her. So in true girl fashion, she goes into "Drama Queen" mode. It runs in the family.

Dear Stephanie saves the day while I continue to snap away and laugh at my child. Where does she get it? Mystery.

Lunch- Burger King for the kiddos, Chinese for the Mommas

Aah, Sam Alexis. Another one with eyes to die for.

Lydia chowing down.

Friends forever.

I hope our children will always be in each other's lives to some extent. I pray that as the years go on, we are all able to keep in touch and let out girls get reacquainted whenever we're in town.

More to come: Pics of another lifelong, long-distance girlfriend: Brigette and her precious baby boy, Eli.