Personality

Nora is doing some really amazing things right now, as she teeters on the edge of toddler-hood.

She loves to stand — all the time — and doesn’t even really need to hold on to things anymore.  She’s figured out how to play independently and will just crawl into her room to look at books or play with her toys…when she’s not busy getting into other things:

She’s even started to try to climb: mostly in and out of the bath tub, but she’s also very interested in our stairs.

Today, she made a huge mess of our pots and pans while I was cooking dinner and she’s still drawn to Pip’s food and water bowls, so she definitely knows how to be mischievous.

What Nora really wants to do, though, every waking moment, is practice walking.  We march back and forth through out the house at regular intervals throughout the day, from her bedroom to the kitchen and back again.  I don’t know how she doesn’t get tired of it; I sure do.  (Oh, and she has zero interest in using the walker wagon that I found and refurbished for her…)

It’s amazing how quickly Nora’s personality has bloomed.  She’s kind of stubborn (which she definitely got from me), and will not hesitate to tell you (with a mini tantrum) when something isn’t going the way she would like it to go.

She’s a great communicator; she regularly does the sign for milk and has just started trying to sign “more.”  She’s been saying “doggy” (which sounds like “Dahg-nah”)  for almost three weeks now, and for about two has been saying “no” (sounds like “nah”).  Her “no” makes us laugh, because it’s usually accompanied by a dismissive hand wave, not too dissimilar from a valley girl “talk to the hand” motion.  The “no” first started when she didn’t want food, but now Nora will say no if you try to kiss her and she doesn’t want to give kisses, if she doesn’t want to have a particular book read to her, and whenever Chris tries to put on his glasses. (I’m not really sure what that’s all about).

She’s tremendously loving: she likes to share

Rice cake, Mama?

and she is obsessed with giving kisses right now.  She gives them to her baby dolls and to all her stuffed animals, and sometimes even to Dada and me.

She also is really interested in Mr. S, the little guy that I watch infrequently.  She likes to pat him on the head, give him toys, and play the music for him on the bouncy seat.It’s just so amazing how quickly she went from sitting in that chair to standing next to it. I remember how giddy we were the first time she intentionally hit the toys hanging from the bar.  We were so excited, that we made a video.  If my camera wasn’t broken and I could make videos of her now, there would be a lot more action to record.  I’m not sure where the official line between baby and toddler is, but she’s hovering right on the precipice.  And it’s a little bit sad but super exciting, too.