Teeth are poppin' in!

Here's a quick pic of Norah one month ago with her one fang tooth :)

**This week she got her two front teeth but no pictures yet of that!

Destination FL

Last week we returned from a great time in Florida! We went to Orlando to celebrate David's cousin's wedding. Emily and Ian threw a great destination wedding and I think everyone who came had a great time relaxing and catching up. Here are a few pictures from our adventures in FL!

We went to FL a few days early to enjoy the area. One day we drove to Cocoa Beach and saw David's parents & Keith and Kristin. We boogie boarded in the ocean and had a really great seafood dinner! Norah had her first experience in the ocean, but she didn't like it!

Yes, this is the same type of whale that recently killed a trainer. Sad, but a truly amazing creature.

The following day the three of us went to Sea World. I cried a few times while we were there remembering The Cove, a documentary we recently watched (if you have two minutes watch this You Tube clip). It was fun but very hot!

A quick bath via the sink :)

Bachelorette party fun with my sistas!

Boys chillin at the pool!

Chuck, Keith, David, Eric & Ken

The whole Kolnes Klan!

David was an usher and had the honor of walking his aunt Kris down the aisle!

The beautiful Bride and her father.

It's always so special to watch the bride make her way to her groom at the front :)

Missing Steve! He couldn't make it due to work complications :(

Norah goes Shopping

36 Hours

Norah has successfully survived 36 hours sans pacifier. I think this is goodbye to the paci for our little Love!

**I know these pictures are older but they are just too cute. 1. When she was sad sometimes the paci would calm her :) 2. A picture of a very funny paci... we were trying to figure out just which one she would choose.**

Our baby girl is ONE year old today!! It's been such a huge year for us and we feel blessed beyond words.

Let me tell you a little about Norah currently!

Temperament: She is so happy! So many times I've had people tell me, "I've never heard Norah cry, does she ever cry?" To which I respond, yes occassionaly. We are so blessed with a very content baby... maybe we have this idea that all babies are as content and self entertaining as Norah.

Social Skilz: Norah is very social girl already! She loves people and smiles at strangers all the time (little flirt). She also is willing to let just about anyone hold her. For example: we were just in FL for a wedding and the maid of honor was speaking so Norah and I were standing in the back. One of the servers was next to us and making faces at her, all the sudden Norah reaches to this lady with both arms and her full body! It was surprising but super cute. The lady LOVED to hold her :) She's probably so socially great do to the fact that we've gotten to travel so much this past year (Norah has been on 20 flights!).

Here's Norah in her birthday suite in Florida last week!

Development: Norah has been crawling since July 4th, so about 3 months! She's now walking behing rolling toys (I'll post a video soon) and she even stands on her own for about 10 seconds here and there. Aunt Colleen says Norah will probably walk a few steps in the next month or so! Scary!!! She also dances to any music that's on the radio or t.v. even if it's only for a few seconds she starts to jive. She also climbs stairs very quickly! Norah also has one tooth, the one next to the top middle and is currently cutting two more (the top middle).

Language: Norah has been signing "milk" since around 5 months. Now she signs, "Doggie"/"Wrigley", "more" and "hi/bye"... I think that's it. Oh yeah, she also claps when she's happy or to mimic someone clapping. I wish I knew more signs to do but that's almost all I've been doing with her.

It's so amazing how much she understands even though she cannot form words yet. For example: when she wakes up from a nap or night time I come and great her and say "spit out your paci(fier)" and she does it! Once it's out I'll pick her up. So smart! She also said "Mam/Mom" since around 4 months when she wanted milk or for me to pick her up. Now she's dropped the word "Mom" and says "Dadadadadada" or "Nanananaanana"... not really referring to anyone or the anything. She does definitely try and say the word paci but it comes out more like, "Asi" as she points to her pacifier.

Sleep update: Last week she basically slept through the night and went down like a champ! I think all your prayers have helped us make some beautiful progress. We just needed some encouragement and prayers, thank you. She still takes a little extra love to get to sleep and then for the most part wakes up for one-two feeding per night. What a blessing for David and myself.

Kim Got Married!!

We were in MN for my sister's wedding! The whole week was a blast and the wedding was spectacular! Kim was a stunning and radiant bride. Here are some great pictures that capture the week and the big day.

Hitting up the MN State Fair was a MUST!

Mani/Pedi for the bride!

It was so fun catching up with long time friends, like Scott!

Practicing for the big day.

Excited!

My only shot with the Bride!!! I hope someone else got more, isn't she stunning!?

The wonderful parents. Ewald & Karen Toldt and Diane and Randy Moselle

Norah was the flower girl! She can't walk yet so David helped her get down the aisle :)

Sealing the deal!

*One of the many special things about this day... Kim wore my Mom's wedding gown. My mom was just as stunning in it 30 something years ago!

It was a little hot at this outdoor wedding but that didn't stop us from dancing!

Mr. & Mrs. Toldt!

The morning following the wedding we were lucky enough to have the bride and groom to ourselves (both immediate families). They came back to my parents house and opened gifts and we reminisced about the wonderful wedding. What a fun week!
L to R: (top row) Ewald, Aaron, Karen, Sarah, Randy, Adam, David & Hannah (bottom row) Diane, Nathan, Kim, Kelly, Norah

New Neighbors!

The first full week we were moved into our new house we were out on the deck grilling away and we hear "knock knock, can we come in?!" Our neighbors on the North side were at our fence door wanting to come in to our yard to bring us some welcoming fruit! It honestly made me cry right then and there... basically all our neighbors in CO pretended we didn't exist. It's already been so wonderful to have such friendly generous neighbors, we feel like we know and trust them already. God is good!

Here is the beautiful raspberries they picked from their yard and the fresh local peaches...

and here's what we made for breakfast the next day!

YUM.

Church Search

We've been in Spokane now for 5 Sunday services at 5 different churches. We are so ready and excited to find our church home but each time we've been to a new church we get tired all over again. It's like this thrill that maybe today we'll find it... and then we feel exhausted once we are there, trying to give each church as much energy and attention that we gave last week's church. We are so eager to find out place here in Spokane and knew it would take a while... but we're just really ready!! We haven't visited any bad churches, we are just trying to visit a few more to get a good feel of our options. We are hoping to find a church that is dynamic and different but has some of the traditions we are used to from our past. We are praying for great preaching coupled with a diverse congregation and options for deeper Bible studies. Cheers to God leading us and giving us peace of mind as to where we need to land! Thanks for your prayers.

Baby Items Overview

So last year my friend Abby and recently Erika did a post about baby items and I thought to myself that I would do a similar post to let you in on a few items I like as a new mom!

Ergo Baby Carrier - When Norah was a newborn I tried a few different baby carriers (four) and finally landed on the Ergo. I cannot stress enough how amazing the Ergo is. We use it almost everyday still and I honestly don't know how I would function (just not as well I guess) without it! When we go to the store, when Norah is tired or upset (especially if we are out), if I need to do random things around the house and don't want her getting into stuff or we're going on a hike... we click on the Ergo and we're off! It's awesome. You can wear your baby on your front, side or back. We mostly wear her on the front since it's comfortable and we can see her. There is a hood in place to either hold her head if she's sleeping or block the sun. You can use this carrier for up to 40lbs I believe. It's very comfortable and not too hot, which I found the Moby wrap to be.

Pack'n'Play - Since we had a rather large bedroom we used this instead of a bassinet in our room for a while. It is nice now to bring with us when we travel (by car) or a friend is over and they have a little one that needs to nap! Both Grandma's have purchased one for their homes and it's been such a blessing for Norah to have her own little bed when we visit.

Sally the Sea Horse - We named her when Norah first got her from her Grandma and have called her Sally ever since. When Norah was more of a new born Sally's music would sooth her to sleep (plays for 5 min) and the belly lights up to give a nice ambiance. I remember falling asleep to this music too a few months ago too!

Nursing Tank Tops - as a new mom it was essential to have nursing tank tops! I have no idea how you experienced mom did it without them! I have basically worn nursing tank tops for a year straight because it's so easy to nurse and keep my modesty as well as layer and look stylish!

Thirsties - Of course I wouldn't go without my cloth diapers... I mean Norah's cloth diapers :)

Sophie - This is an adorable squeaky giraffe that is meant for teething babies. Sophie has been Norah's #1 favorite toy basically her whole life! She gets very excited when she sees Sophie and just loved to chew on her head. It's made of all natural rubber and all natural paint that is safe for babies. It's been great!

Sleep Sack - When Norah was younger we used the sleep sack for her and it just felt more safe. It's a blanket/sleeping bag thing that your child wears like overalls. It's safer because they can't pull the blanket over their head or suffocate from it etc. but still keeps them warm! *I got this picture off the internet, it's not Norah*

There were some things we tried that everyone was saying we couldn't live without but in the end we could have lived without. Here are some of the items I think you can skip and be just fine!

bouncer seat and swing - while they are both nice items, Norah didn't care for them. Maybe it was the type of seats we had but she was just as content if not more content being on her play mat on the floor.

Stroller system - While having the full out stroller that goes with our car-seat has been a great asset, if you are trying to live simply skip the big stroller! I would suggest using the Ergo when baby is young for walks and then getting a much less pricey umbrella stroller (found at garage sales and thrift stores alike!). You can even get an umbrella stroller that has a basket on it to help carry all your baby junk.

Boppy - This is a pillow designed to help mom nurse her new baby. I honestly am glad I have had the Boppy but if I could redo I wouldn't get it. It wasn't thick enough to actually help me with nursing so I would always have to add another pillow so it became pointless. I found it nice to help encourage tummy time and when Norah was learning to sit up.