A Funny Thing

Norah and I have been working on our nursing relationship! It's quite the journey and has had it's ups and downs. It's a special time for mom's to bond with their babes and I think it's a really awesome thing to invest yourself in! Maybe I'll post more about our journey at a later time. For now, there is a pretty funny breast pump one might want to invest in! Check out the website HERE. :) There are so many other cleaver products surrounding breast feeding. Here's one more - My Brest Friend

R&R

This past week I was able to take some much needed R&R in Qatar. It was extremely nice to: 1) not be in Iraq; 2) wear civilian clothes; 3) not wear a weapon; 4) have some beer (limited, of course, by the military); 5) go on some excursions; and 6) see some familiar faces--I met up with Mark & Martha, Kel's uncle and aunt. Although getting there involved some not-so-fun times on military aircraft, it was well worth the trip. Here are some highlights from my trip:

Downtown Doha in the background

Driving through Doha--very futuristic looking city (the architecture reminded me a bit of Hong Kong)

In the Souqs (specialized stores)

Not my flight, but an example of what it looks like inside a military aircraft. This one, actually, is the more comfortable plane.

Walking and talking with Mark in one of the malls in Doha. Qatar is a very wealthy country (lots of oil money), so the stores were way out of my price range!)

Norah's Growing Up Already!

Sentence Served: 126 days

Sentence Remaining: 53 days (8 weeks : 3,018 hours : 181,057 minutes & 10,863,425 seconds :))

We are now 70% of the way done with David's time in Iraq! Still thanking God for each day down :) Can't wait to have you back baby!

A CO Baby Shower!

Well, who would have guessed that I would have a wonderful baby shower the day I went into labor?! What a whirlwind of events that whole weekend brought... my cousins being in town, Steve and Colleen getting married, my baby shower and then the baby! Here are a few pictures from the wonderful shower.

Leah and Katie hosted and planned the whole shower! It was a hit and I think everyone had a great time. I sure did! Thank you ladies so much for blessing me and making Norah feel like she had all she needed to make her debut :)

A few of my friends from work that were able to make it.

Katie, Allison, Leslie, me, Liz & Grace

A few friends from church: Michele, Olivia, me, Cheri and Karen

More Love for Norah

I'm having a hard time getting pictures of me and my girl. I wish David were here to capture some of my love for Norah :) So, I'm trying to capture some of the love between us myself!

I cannot say it enough - I LOVE her hair! It's so soft and beautiful.

2 Weeks Old!

Here are a few pictures of our baby girl! She's over two weeks old already :)

Sleepin on Mama's lap

One of my FAVORITES, thanks auntie Kim

She's already taking after me!

Wrigley and Norah are both cuddlers!

Throwing the peace sign already!

During her first wash at home. Gotta love those long legs. Reminds me of the ultra sound picture where you could tell she took after both mom and dad!

Grandma Mae

Grandma Mae passed away last week after a long, well-lived life. She held on long enough to experience the miracles of Steve getting married and becoming a great-grandma (Norah "happened" to be born 5 weeks early, just in time for Grandma to see pictures and a video of her great-granddaughter). Her body had been failing the last year or two, but her mind was as sharp as ever. I could not have asked for a better Grandma. We had some really good times, whether it was at the cabin, at her house for Christmas, or having a coke with her after mowing her yard. She will be missed greatly by our family but we know she is in a much better place. We love you, Grandma.

This is the last picture taken with me and Grandma (sorry, Grandma....I meant Grandma and me--she was always correcting my grammar). It was taken right before I left for Iraq.

Making Mama Laugh at 4am!

Last night during a late night feeding, Norah stopped and looked up and then puked! She hasn't really spit up much so I was surprised. I was lifting her up to the sitting position and she did it again and then one final time as she was "sitting up". So I burp her with spit up all over my hand and really all over her little body and diaper.

Next, I take off her diaper and am wiping her body off with a wash cloth and then something about her changes. She goes from whimpering to a content little lady. I stood up to bring the wash cloth back to the bathroom only to find out Norah pooed on my bed! Oh Norah girl... you silly girl. So, I laughed and cleaned her little poo stain and put a new diaper on my girl. I am so looking forward to more fun stories just like this!!! I LOVE NORAH!!!!!!