Lee and I were just looking back at photos of Cora over the last year and a couple months. I think it is officially time to take a look at how Cora has grown over her short time so far here on Earth. Enjoy!
Just 2 days old.
1 month old and already showing off her amazing personality.
My beautiful 2 month old brunette. ;)
The cutest 3 month old in rainbow leggings that you will ever see.
My beautiful 4 month old curly redhead. ??
My beautiful 5 month old blonde????? What is going on with her hair color? I thought it was eye color that was supposed to change in their first year of life.
Let's hear it for a cute-as-a-button 6 month old!
Precious 7 months old
Pretty Petunia is 8 months old.
9 months old and finally hitting a growth spurt. The little bird is no longer little.
Who is so lucky to have such great hair at 10 months old??
Sweet-as-Pie 11 months old.
Pure innocence with a side of mischief at 1 year old.
Wow!! 13 months old and no longer looking like an infant.
My incredibly beautiful little girl at 14 months old. There is nothing in my life that is sweeter, but don't let that smile fool you. She is developing some independence.
All attitude at 15 months old. I couldn't resist this non-smiling picture. She has gained so much independence. I am so proud of this part of her. She is growing and developing into such an amazing toddler. Attitude and all.
We had a fabulous Easter this year. We decided we would stay home and enjoy the spring weather right here in Edmonton. If you remember, last year we packed our bags and headed to the mountains for Easter weekend. It was so nice and cozy staying home on a holiday.
The Easter Bunny visited Cora this year. She really doesn't have a clue yet, but she really enjoyed her new toys. The Easter Bunny brought her a gossamer silk "Garden Rose" play canopy and a duck on stick. She really loves both of these. We have set up her table and chairs under the canopy. They are a perfect fit. I see many tea parties under the canopy in her future. The duck cracks us up. It took her no time to figure out how it works (in fact, she actually figured it out at the store...shhhh). She pushes it around saying quack quack. I can't even express in words just how cute this little girl is. Every step she takes melts me.
Say it with me...Awwwwwwwwww! Cora often looks just like a porcelain doll to me. I am constantly having to remind myself that this beautiful little girl isn't some random baby girl airbrushed for a magazine, but rather my incredibly precious little girl.
Here is Cora's play canopy. As you can see, Lee can fully stand inside of it. The silk is 7ft long. I am going to get bean bags to hold it in place on the floor. Hopefully that will reduce the amount of times Cora gets tangled up in it.
Reggie behaving like he is being forced to be in the same room as us. Yeah right.
Cora pushing her duck on a stick around her room. Lee and I both had these when we were younger. We first saw them at a store when I was pregnant. We vowed we'd be back in a couple years to buy one. When Lee and I were deciding what two presents we were going to get Cora (we each got to pick one), Lee asked me to go get one of these ducks. There was only one left and it was the floor model. I snagged it up. This duck has been used and abused. It is chipped, scuffed, and scratched. I love it though. It looks like it has been used by loving kids for the last 50 years. Plus, I got a discount. Score.
We dyed Easter eggs on Sunday. Cora had a great time. She intently watched Lee dip and dunk each egg. She helped quite a bit, too. There is a picture of dyed finger tips from pulling eggs out. I of course have some video as well. We (read: Lee) had fun getting her all hopped up on sugar. He introduced her to pop rocks (the candy that jumps around in your mouth), homemade M&M cookies which led to lots of M&M's being eaten during the baking process. Cora has helped make all kinds of homemade goodies the last couple of weeks. She officially knows what a beater is and demands to help lick it off. She is my daughter!!!
I had to get a picture of her hand. You can see the layers of colors on her fingers.
After her eggs were dry, she would carry one over to me, act like she was going to give it to me, and then take it back and run off squealing in delight. Also you'll notice I am still sewing her Easter basket on the day of Easter. BAD MOM! To this day, it still doesn't have handles. I suck. But I really love how it looks so far. Oh yeah, and notice Reggie is sleeping again. He is completely unaware of the crazy 1 year old hopped up on chocolate and sugar.
So innocent. Or so she wants you to believe.
Cora is planting the coneflowers she got from Grandma and Grandpa B. She got all kinds of cool gardening tools from them. Hopefully Cora's mom, who has a brown thumb, can actually get these flowers to grow. Keep your fingers crossed. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa B!!
Cora turned 15 months old on March 23. Wow! What a month March was. Cora's little brain is such a sponge. She is taking in all she possible can. You can see her trying to process new information. She studies everything in her world. Each little pebble on the sidewalk is thoroughly inspected. Each word that comes out of my mouth is intently listened to. Each little step every other kid takes is watched and later tried. This brings up her latest skill. She can jump....errr....well, she thinks she can. Her friend, Claire, has been showing her how to jump. Now, Cora will squat down and then stand up really fast. This is her form of jumping. We've nicknamed her yet again. Her latest moniker is Air Jordan aka Michael Jordan. He is the only human who can truly fly. :) She even wags her tongue around for effect.
These first three pictures are of Cora eating a pear. She sits up on the counter while I cook. The fruit bowl is close by and she got her hands on this ripe pear. She ate the whole thing. I love her expression in the second photo. She is still a wonderful eater. Her eating has really slowed down since Reggie has arrived. I think part of that is due to her not growing as quickly. The other part is due to her feeding him all of her food and then not getting seconds. I'm a mean Mom. ;)
Did I mention Cora was 15 months?? Here are her official 15 month photos on the good ol' couch.
Of course, she was not cooperative at the start and wouldn't sit up straight. So, I did what any person would do. I let her stand for all the photos.
I love this picture. It exemplifies so much of who Cora is. She is made up of about 90% attitude. I love it. She is quite sensitive as well. She doesn't like to get in trouble, but she'll test to see exactly what she can get away with. I was talking to my Dad the other day. We both agreed that Cora may not look a thing like me, but she is chocked full of personality that closely resembles me as a child.
Playing Patty Cake.
I know everyone has been anxiously waiting for a list of new milestones that Cora has reached in the last month. Wait no longer!
Starting with words
Peek-a-Boo (sounds like bah-boo)
nice (in reference to "Be NICE to Reggie")
NOOOOOO! Hahaha. She still only says it to Reggie when he is trying to eat food in her hands.
Quack Quack
Duck
Signs
Duck (while saying quack quack)
Bear (while saying Arghhhh)
Bye
Other
She jumps
She pretends to talk on the phone which includes a lot of words that make her sounds like E.T. and the occasional chuckle (check out the video at the end)
She can locate her nose, belly button, and tongue
She hates her crib. I mean, hates it. If I leave her in her crib, she screams until she craps herself. It's horrible. Right now her mattress is on the floor in our bedroom. I think she'll be moving to a toddler bed soon.
She really likes to make noise. Any kind of noise.
She forces farts out because it makes people laugh. I am worried she'll pop a vein in her forehead.
She has discovered gravity. She'll throw anything down the stairs to see how far it will go and how loud it will be. Reggie better look out.
A couple more Kodak moments!
I want to say something really quick before everyone watches this video. There is random furniture scattered all over the house. Cora is capable of moving every piece of furniture except for the couch. She moves chairs to make a race track to run circles around the living room. I really don't decorate this way.
Last weekend we made a quick trip to Bozeman, Montana to pick up Good Ol' Reg. We were in Bozeman just long enough to remember why we love Montana and Wyoming. I have been waiting to make this trek to pick him up since about January 2008. I really love this dog. For those of you who personally know Reggie, you know that he is a bit self-centered. He doesn't like to compete for attention and will pout in a corner if another dog is around. I was planning for him to act in a similar way around Cora. At most, I expected Reggie to completely ignore Cora. Boy, was I wrong! They love each other...most of the time. The have slept together, played together, fed each other, the list goes on. Reggie has been so patient and understanding with her. She lays on him, pulls his hair, feels his cold nose, sticks her fingers in his mouth, tries to eat his food, and he does nothing except maybe walk away from her. Of course we had to deal with Cora smacking Reggie in the face. Reggie is not perfect either. He likes to gently take food from her. You know, since he took it nicely it is OK. Ha! Cora will tell you different when she is screaming NO, NO, NO! and crying. LOL. I had never heard her say "no" until Reggie came back.
We have now had Reggie here one full week. It has been perfect bliss. Really, I love having him here. Cora laughs so hard when he barks at her. She thinks it is the most funny thing on Earth when he wrestles his toys. Reg is definitely getting old. He tires out quickly and spends most of his time sleeping. We had friends over yesterday for brunch and he got off his bed twice. Once when they showed up and again when they left. He has big bursts of energy but just wears down quickly. I keep saying he is old, but he is. Reggie turned 12 this last February. He behaves like a perfect elderly dog. It is actually really nice that he is chill and mellow with Cora around. She doesn't get knocked around quite as much as she would with rambunctious pup.
Cora is reading to Reggie. She gets scolded at the end, but it is still a cute video.
This video is of the two buds watching a rabbit outside.
Cora and Reggie have made my heart swell about 16 times too big. Seeing them together reminds me of Tod and Copper from The Fox and the Hound. I had to add the lyrics from the song "The Best of Friends" because it was just so appropriate for this blog entry.
When you're the best of friends
Having so much fun together
You're not even aware, you're such a funny pair
You're the best of friends
Life's a happy game
You could clown around forever
Neither one of you sees, your natural boundaries
Life's one happy game
If only the world wouldn't get in the way
If only people would just let you play
They say you're both being fools
You're breaking all the rules
They can't understand, the magic of your wonderland
When you're the best of friends
Sharing all that you discover
When that moment has past, will that friendship last?
Who can say? There's a way!
Oh I hope... I hope it never ends
'Cause you're the best of friends
P.S. I didn't add captions to the photos because I really think they speak for themselves. :)
I am a graduate student in biology at the University of Alberta. I have been married to the man of my dreams for 6 years. We welcomed our most beautiful baby girl to this world Dec 23, 2008. She is the reason I have started this blog. On Apr 29, 2012, our incredibly handsome son was born. My kids are the reason I continue writing this blog. They are my world.
