Well, it's about time I posted an update on the goings-on of our family. We've had a whirlwind few weeks, what with house-sitting, school vacation, working weekends, and a sick baby. Finally, finally we have settled back home. The house is picked up, the little one has been fed and is happily playing with her toys and I finally feel like I can sit down for a few minutes to post before a good friend comes by to visit with her new baby.
Last week we took off to Acadia and hiked Cadillac Mountain with Diana. (Or as Kalen, and I'm sure one day Nora, calls her, Di-nana.) It was an amazingly gorgeous day. It felt more like July than April, and when we reached the top and sat down for lunch, there was barely a warm breeze in the air. The day couldn't have been more perfect, especially when we finished it off with an ice cream.
The rest of the week was spent visiting family while Shane worked his weekend job. He was able to take a couple mornings and bike for the first time of the season with a fellow teacher, which was great seeing as he will be riding in the Trek Across Maine in less than two months!
We returned home Sunday, with Nora starting to feel a bit warm to the touch. By the evening she was hot and Sunday night was filled with her tossing and turning, crying, and eventually just spending the night sprawled across my chest. To top it off, the poor thing scraped her head against the edge of Shane's yard sale armchair and was left with a nasty bruise down her forehead.
It was quite the bump, and she did cry a little, but it was Shane who needed the calming and reassurance. I'm pretty sure he hadn't ever seen an egg like this on a kid as little as Nora. He got over it, but we definitely know who's in charge in emergency situations now! (Don't worry, Shane, you'll have plenty of opportunities to step up your game!)
Finally, on a sad note, Barkley received a haircut on Friday. Normally, this wouldn't be so sad, but just take a look at the picture. The poor thing is embarrassed to go out in public.
This, of course, was Shane's doing. I fought him on it for a while and finally gave in. I think I'll definitely get some leverage out of this decision, though. Unfortunately, Barkley was the innocent bystander who was involved. Poor dog.
Tonight we're off to celebrate the opening of our brother-in-law's new restaurant, Brevetto Kitchen and Wine Bar in Camden. (Click link and scroll down to check out the press release.) We're very excited to check it out and sample some of the amazing food I know he'll be making. We'll fill you in tomorrow!

You give me fever...

Honestly, I really have been trying to post here, but we've been gone for the last four days. Of course, when we returned Nora started feeling a little warm and last night she was tossing and turning with a raging fever that never broke. Today she's still quite warm and a bit listless; definitely not her normal personality, so we're just laying low today. She's nursing a lot and I'm appreciating the snuggly baby that I don't usually have. I promise, as soon as things are looking up, you'll get a monster of a post from me. Until that times comes, a little sneak peak of our trip to Acadia:Have a great day!

Road Trip!

We're off to visit Acadia for the day, so no big post this morning. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and write all about it when we get home!

Springtime

This week is spring vacation for Shane, so we get to spend lots of time with him. Today we were outside for a good part of the day working on the yard. Tim came out and did a huge amount of work around the house, too. I must say, the yard does look pretty wonderful at this point. When the snow finally melted away all that was left was a gross, muddy wasteland. Now it has dried up a bit and has been raked. The flowers around the house are just starting to bloom and I planted a few herbs and some tomatoes in a few pots, too. We also hung Nora's swing up. Initally she was not at all interested, but after a few tries she started to really like it.
After spending the afternoon crawling around in the garden, Nora was ready for a bath. I was a little surprised the water didn't turn a nice shade of tan when she got in, but then again I had added an extra shake of her milky bath powder.
She was ready for bed soon after, probably due to the fact that she only had one nap today. Yup, there is a reason this blog is named so. Good night, everyone!

The 'Totty' Chronicles

I recently bought Nora a little training toilet just to have around so she could get used to seeing it and sitting on it. When I told Shane about the new 'potty', he immediately recoiled. 'Don't ever say the word potty again!' was the phrase I believe he used. Rather than fight with him over it, I told him to come up with some other term we can use, and thus, the 'totty' was born, as was the rule that it must be pronounced with a very fake British accent. Shane has it down pat.
In any case, I decided to sit her down on it this afternoon and see what her reaction would be. It was funny, to say the least-

Is this how Aunt Hayley does it?No, wait, this is!Okay Mum, all done!But how do I get off?Do I push myself up?Maybe I should reach over here?Yup, that did it.

Now what?Good night everyone! Listen for the peepers tonight!

An Afternoon Together

Another fun day was spent mostly outside for Nora and I. We got up with the sun to take Shane into work, then had the day to ourselves. We first headed over to Waterville to visit Emily and Casey and the new sweet little boy, Jonas. What a cutie and so tiny, too! It doesn't seem like so long ago that Nora was that small, but then again, she isn't that big now. A little sneak peak for those who haven't met him yet-
For the rest of the day Nora and I headed back to town to wait out Shane. We picked up some lunch and brought it down to the water. Once again, Nora was enthralled by her new favorite toy, the grass.
I tried to relax and have some lunch, but as many of you know, Nora doesn't understand the concept of relaxation. She was off, crawling down the hill, within a few seconds.
I ran after her and dragged her back a few times until she was distracted by the large, granite bench I was sitting on. That kept her occupied for close to a minute.
She was soon bored again, though, and took off. I had to run to catch her before she disappeared.Just kidding, she was only about ten steps away. I do love a nice wide angle shot. We spent the remainder of the afternoon playing with leaves and sticks and napping in the car. It was a simple but satisfying time, just what I love. Have a good day, everyone.

Lovely.

It's days like these that remind me why I love living here in Maine. Nora and I went outside before breakfast this morning and didn't want to come back inside. At 7:45am it was already gorgeous and the rest of the day was no less beautiful.
Granted, this thermometer was in the sun, but so were we, and it was lovely. We took a nice walk around the perimeter of the field, dawdling so as not to have to go inside, but our stomachs were rumbling so we reluctantly headed in. Nora wasn't so unhappy when I brought out the yogurt and cereal, though.
Later in the day, after a nice nap together in the sun on the couch (just heavenly!) we went back outside. This time it was much warmer and even more sunny. I don't think Nora could remember the last time she crawled around on the bare ground. I plopped her down and she literally sat in one spot for ten minutes, she was so transfixed by the new textures.
She finally figured out she could crawl-
and was off like a bandit. Possibly the cutest bandit I've ever met.
It was such a lovely day, and so sweet to watch Nora explore.
I know more days will be spent out than in if the weather keeps up. Enjoy it!

*****

A quick note of congratulations goes out to my good friend Emily, and her husband, Casey. They welcomed their new son, Jonas Warren into the world yesterday afternoon. Congratulations!

Well, it's about time!

Finally, finally, I'm getting around to putting together a post! We have been house-sitting and haven't exactly been sticking to our routine, but thankfully little Nora fell asleep on the couch beside me. Here at the house we have wireless internet and satellite television! I feel so spoiled, but I think it will be a good thing when we go back home this weekend. I have been watching just a tad too much TBS and TLC. We're also dog-sitting here, and have two extra dogs to play with. Badge and Leah absolutely love their walks in the woods, and I have to admit, I have really enjoyed walking outside everyday with them, and Barkley, of course. It's much easier to get going when I have these two chomping at the bit to get outside for a run.
Time Out: Let me pause for just a moment to brag about my amazing parenting/juggling skills. Nora started to squirm on the couch just now, so I had to put the computer down to pick her up and soothe her back to sleep. Of course, as soon as I had done that I realized I wasn't going to be able to put her back down without waking her up. I carefully packed the laptop in the diaper bag, slung it over my shoulder, turned off the television, turned off all the lights, put the gate up and closed the door for the dogs, came upstairs, took out my contacts, brushed my teeth, went to the bathroom and got into bed, all while holding Nora, who stayed asleep the entire time. Dang, I'm handy. I knew I went to college for a reason.
I think I can finally stop rambling and finish this post, though, and we all know that's what you want. So, here goes.
We spent a little time at Nanny and Grampy's house last week, where Nora received her monthly bath (But I kid. Or do I?) and a filling snack of bathwater and puffed rice. And we wonder why the kid is such a string bean.
We visited with Grandma and Grandpa during the week, and Nora took control of her personal hygiene and started bathing in the dishwasher. (This time I'm really kidding. No, really, I am.)
Over the weekend we headed back to Nanny and Grampy's house to visit with friends and family from near and far and to celebrate my birthday. Shane, being such the caring, thoughtful and wonderful husband he is, picked up this beautiful masterpiece. It made me feel so special.
That, folks, was our week in a nutshell. I hope yours was just as enjoyable. Stay tuned, we'll be posting a lot more often now that I'm back in the swing of things. (Of course, knowing you're expecting a post is a little bit of a motivator, too.) Au revoir!

Still here!

I just wanted to let everyone know that we're still around! We've been house-sitting for the last week and will continue for the next week. Also, Grandma and Grandpa have been visiting from Ohio, so we've been a little busy spending time with them. Nora went right to both of them with no problem, and continues to give them plenty of smiles. We'll be sad when they leave tomorrow, and we'll have to start planning our next trip out west!Until then, have a great week, everyone. I'll be sure to post as often as possible here. Also, I'll be thinking positive labor vibes for my friend Emily- she's due any day now!!

Glamour Shots

Some days I scroll through the posts I've made to this blog and think to myself how wonderful life with Nora (and Shane and Bark) is. We live in a beautiful area, are healthy and happy and I'm lucky enough to get to stay home every day with Nora. Of course, other days I think to myself that I get to stay home every day with Nora. As in, 24/7, 365 days a year. Now, I'm not necessarily complaining, because I know I've got it good. However, I don't want to trick anyone into thinking that our lives are anywhere near perfect. At all. Case in point:
Nora was having a bit of a cranky day today and though she wouldn't go down for a nap, she wanted to be held. I was madly trying to get the house cleaned/laundry done/dishes washed/sap boiled/everyone packed before my Dad came to pick us up. I had run outside quickly with Nora on my back to grab something and it was drizzling slightly, so it came as no surprise that my shirt felt a little damp once inside. Mind you, I hadn't heard a peep from the little one. Imagine my shock when I reached back to hand her the pacifier and my fingers slid through this:
Yeah, totally gross, I know, but I had to post it to give you a slightly more realistic perspective. I promise that as soon as I had snapped the pic she was off my back and cleaned up, as was I. And actually, I think I was more grossed out than she was. I buckled her in the highchair, gave her a few toys to play with, and within ten minutes she was asleep. Apparently she just needed to clean out her system a little.
In any case, she seems to be feeling better and hopefully will be up for a nice visit with Nanny and Grampy tonight, and Grandma and Grandpa this week! Have a nice weekend, everyone!

The only things certain in life...

I hope everyone had a wonderful April Fool's Day on Tuesday! I know mine was the best I've had so far. I promise, if we ever are pregnant again, (and don't expect that at any point in the near future) we will call the grandparents right away!
Today Shane has taken the camera with him to work, so you won't be getting any maple pictures, but I will say we have a nice large pot of sap boiling away outside. Yesterday we cooked our first batch, and unfortunately I didn't let it boil down enough, so we have a nice 'kind-of' maple syrup. It tastes superb, but I think we'll keep that batch for ourselves and hope the next one fares better.
For the rest of the day I'll be having fun doing taxes for my parents and sister. I say this without a trace of sarcasm. Really. I am one of the few weird people who really enjoy doing their taxes. Of course, with the help of Turbo Tax it is so easy and so much more satisfying. I can see the return calculated as I work. You have no idea what pleasure that brings me. Sad, I know, but true. I'm a numbers gal, and I'm okay with that. And yes, this is a picture of Nora being leashed in by Shane. I expect she'll start barking soon if she's anything like her Dad.
Good Thursday, everyone! The weekend is almost here!

Ummm...

We really weren't going to do this again so soon. We had our minds all made up and had started putting away the baby stuff, but sometimes life takes a left turn when you want to go right! So, here we are, back at square one again it seems. Round about mid November we will add one more to the family! Total shock and surprise, I know. Believe me, I know. I just hope Shane decides to come home from work today instead of running far, far away...
In other news, Nora is still ridiculously cute!