A Special Treat

Christmas came a bit early for little Nora this past week when a giant package arrived from her grandma and grandpa in Ohio. If you know me, then you know I am completely against opening any gifts before Christmas, but the box was too big to fit under the tree, so I opened it to unpack the presents I knew were in it. Also inside, waiting for Nora, was an awesome caterpillar rocking toy.Nora was very excited. We don't have a lot of toys here at the apartment (no room!) so it was nice for something new to show up. I'm sure she'll have plenty to play with after Christmas, but this was a nice little treat. Now, every morning after we get up she heads into the living room for a little ride on her caterpillar. She's even gone so far as to offer her pacifier to it. (I swear I didn't tell her to do that, I promise!) I think they're going to be great friends.

Of course, the real star of the show was the packing material. Nora spent a significant amount of time sifting through the box and bringing me 'soup' (packing peanuts) in an empty yogurt cup.

Also included in our holiday package (I promise I didn't unwrap it- it came this way) was a cute Christmas dress. Nora thought the dress was okay. (I think it's adorable, for what it's worth!) What she really, really loved was the pair of underwear that came with it. Just this morning she was wandering around the apartment repeating some word and getting more and more frustrated as I didn't understand her. Finally, I figured out she was saying 'underwear' and we had to go on a search for these so she could wear them. (Over her clothes, of course. Isn't that how we all wear our underwear?)

Thank you so much for the big box of gifts, Grandma and Grandpa! We miss you!
On another note, Nora and I are now completely gluten-free. We've been going back and forth, and I won't give you all the gross details, but Nora's digestive system has never really seemed right. So finally, after trying out a few different diets and getting some blood work done (a terrifying process for me, not to mention how scary it was for Nora) we have decided to go the gluten-free route. Celiac disease runs in my family, so there is a pretty good chance that Nora could have it, although it is hard to diagnose when she is so young. For now, we'll just eat gluten-free, which really isn't too hard if you've had experience with it and already seems to have affected (effected? Someone tell me.) her digestive system.
Today I decided to try out a gluten-free bread mix that I picked up at the grocery store. I was very impressed with the results. For those of you who don't know, gluten-free bread does not usually look like this. It tastes great, too, which is really the most important thing.

Aren't those lovely bananas in the background? If I could just get myself in gear, I would make a (gluten-free) loaf of banana bread with them. Or let them rot on the counter. One or the other.

The inside of the loaf actually looks like 'regular' bread. This was very exciting for me. For Nora, too, in fact in this next picture she's grinning with joy over the texture of the loaf on the counter. I tell you, it doesn't take much to entertain this girl. Happy holidays, everyone!