Brandrea

One day a few months ago, I crept into Cora’s room to find her lying on her back, cheery and chatty after her nap. I said something to her and she swung her head from side to side. It was so cute! I called Brad in to witness the cuteness that was Cora ignorantly communicating to us. We asked her silly questions like “Do you want to get up?”, “Do you want to ever get married?”, “Do you want mommy and daddy to pay for college?” and cracked up every time she shook her head back at us.

I know it won’t always be this way, but her “saying” no is pretty cute right now. A couple of recent anecdotes:

- I was watching/listening to a sermon online when she woke up from her nap one afternoon. As I was finishing it up, she was playing along side me. We got to a part where the pastor was making a point by saying a statement, and them emphatically shouting “No!” Then he would make another statement, and another “No!” When he was doing this for the third time, I looked at Cora and realized that she was firmly shaking her head along with each “no!” It cracked me up!

- While we have tried to childproof most of the house (or have just surrendered parts of it over to Cora), there are still a handful of places that we have to watch out for and keep her from. One of those is the dogs food and water bowl. While I know it likely would not be a big danger if she got into the bowls, still…gross. In spite of (or perhaps because of?) our frequent interventions to keep her from the bowls, she doggedly (ha!) goes after them on a daily basis. One day, I found myself repeatedly chasing her down, picking her up as she got in reach of the bowls, and firmly telling her “no” before setting her back down by her toys. After five or six times of this, I looked down to see her headed back to the bowls again – only this time she was shaking her head to tell herself “No” on the way over! Unfortunately, I still had to intervene, but maybe one day her she will be able to self-correct, instead of just self-reprimand!

The idea of saying “No” as a parent feels like a big deal. I don’t think that knowing when and when not to say “no” is going to come naturally. We want Cora to grow up feeling loved in every way. We want her to be loved in our allowances and in what we forbid. I know there are many more Nos to come, and that they may include meltdowns, tears, and embarrassing public appearances. And Cora might have some issues with it to! We will cross all those bridges when we get to them, however and trust that the Holy Spirit will teach us how to teach!

And, because pictures make a post way more interesting…

This girl is so often on the move, that following photo probably shows the side of her I see the most often!

Playing outside at GlaMo’s house!

Cora is an incredibly friendly girl. It is so sweet and fun to take her places because I know it will always bring her excitement and joy – plus it will make me pretty happy to see her that way!

(zoo trip, 4/3/11)
The other day we were at Aldis (a grocery store) and were making our way down the aisle. I looked down at her sitting in the cart and realized she was leaning completely over to one side, just beaming at something. I followed her line of sight and realized she was grinning (and waving and “talking”) to an older couple two aisles over. They were enjoying it and waved back, which of course thrilled her even more. If she just gets one person to respond to or interact with her, all of the sudden she thinks she is all that! She will start looking around at everyone in sight, waving at them or smiling at them to try and get their attention. Sometimes she will blow raspberries at people to try and get them to laugh at her. Interacting with others is the highlight of her life!

(zoo trip, 4/3/11)
I love that she is such a cheerful and friendly baby. She certainly seems like an extrovert, and it makes me curious to see if that is something that sticks!

9 month pictures

A strange thing happened today. I was playing with Cora in her room and her mild fussiness suddenly became a loud cry. I looked at her and saw something strange. Immediately I stuck my finger in her mouth and rubbed it around, touching something completely foreign but also familiar. Her slick baby gums had been punctured by two rough ridges. I shouted for Brad, who immediately ran for the Orajel, while I briefly pontificated (possible?) on how I read something once about Orajel not being the best choice, blah blah, google, blah. He ignored me (totally fine in this scenario) and then I gave her some teething tablets after the Orajel application.

Never mind that we hadn’t checked her temperature all day. Neither had we tried any investigative methods to figure out the reason for the fussiness earlier in the day. But once we felt teeth, we promptly started handing out meds like candy.

After one minute, two minutes maximum, the excitement had died down. That’s when I started crying. I felt like I did not know this little one in my arms. I don’t have a daughter with teeth, so who is this?! Obviously, she is still Cora, still my daughter and still the same tousled-haired baby I took out of the crib this morning. But she is also changing, and sometimes, like today’s sudden discovery of two emerging teeth, I don’t even realize it. Unlike the first bike ride without training wheels or the walk across the stage at graduation, some of the moments of change will come unheralded. I will wake up, look at her and wonder. I think that is the best part of parenting. The Wonder.

Cora woke up little while ago, possibly disrupted by the teething pains. Brad held her for a while, but he said she kept looking around, looking for me. She loves her daddy (She tracked him down all day long while he was working from home, no matter what distractions I threw out there.) but in that moment she wanted me. I was happy to oblige, because I needed her for a little while. We cuddled, I rocked, she nuzzled. I slipped her pacifier out and rubbed her bottom gums. I needed to get acquainted with these new parts. I needed to get re-acquainted to my baby, the one who will now chew differently, nurse differently, smile differently. As she continues to grow, I am excited to learn more about my daughter in every new phase and to guide her through each new part.