Norah--6 months

weight: tba
length: tba

Half a year.  How our sweet baby has already completed 6 months of life is beyond me!  These days this girl enjoys her toys--and anything else she can grab (which is a lot).  She babbles loudly--lots of da-das, trills, gurgles and squawks.  In addition to her proficient rolling, she frequently pushes up to a plank or onto her hands and knees. Norah was a hit on our recent Utah trip and had a happy first Christmas.  She's still taking good naps but not sleeping quite as well at night.  Hoping to remedy that soon.

 Hair!

 Core workout.

 Christmas Eve jammies--to the moon and back!

 Santa.

 Christmas morning bedhead.

Merry Christmas, sweet Norah!

Norah--5 months

weight: 15 lbs

At 5 months, Norah seems to be learning and growing too fast for her age. She is officially mobile--rolling all over the place. You can leave her in the middle of the room for a moment and have to look around for her when you walk back in. She even made it under the kitchen table once! Now that she's mastered rolling, it means that she spits up all over the carpet instead of keeping it contained on a blanket.  I have my burp cloths and wipes within my reach at all times. She also rolls over at night when she's completely swaddled, so I occasionally find her sleeping on her tummy. She does lots of "superman" and is even starting to push herself up onto her knees!
She has also started playing with and reaching for toys. She's quite entertained by her little play gym and her Sofie the Giraffe. Anything she can grab immediately goes to her mouth. She's also at the stage where she grabs hold of her toes--especially when she's unclothed, which is just one of my favorite things ever.
Norah wakes up pretty regularly at 4:30 am for a quick feeding and then stays in bed until I get Emmett off to the bus stop. She has no patience for burping or any delay at all when changing sides during a feeding. She takes 3 naps a day--two short, one long.  She has wild hair--long on top, short on the sides (one side in particular) and long at the neck. She also has the best smile around and shares it frequently.  Now, take it easy, Norah, and stay a baby for a while!

 Toes!

 The living room is her world! No longer contained to a blanket...

Toys and hands working together.

Norah--4 months

Weight: 13 lb 13.5 oz (44%)

Length: 26 inches (97%)

Norah rolls from back to tummy and occasionally from tummy to back.  She jabbers, giggles and munches on her fingers all. the. time.  My favorite is when she manages to get 8 fingers in her mouth at once.  Her growing awareness means she notices (and sometimes complains) when you put her down, leave a room or move on to a task that doesn't involve talking with her.  She doesn't love the jumper yet, but she enjoys the baby swings at the park.  She is happy and patient and growing far too quickly.  

Norah--3 months

weight:  13.6 pounds
length:  ~24 inches

What this girl is up to:
• Jabbers often and loudly.  This is especially noticeable at church.
• Her hands and fingers are in her mouth almost all the time.
• Moves around way more than seems possible when lying on a blanket.
• Enjoys bath time but complains about getting her hair washed.
• Has had exactly one night of not sleeping well.  I suppose I can't really complain about that considering she's usually a rock star.
• Did great on her first long car ride (3 hrs) to and from the beach.
• Has chubby cheeks, more than one chin and is getting some good rolls on her thighs.
• Spits up regularly.
• Shows some signs of annoyance at her older sister's smothering.
• Can rock a pig tail on top of her head.

This Norah babe is really just the best little thing.  She's so content and pleasant the majority of the time.  Sleeps well, naps well, adapts to irregular schedules (3rd child problems). So grateful she's part of our family.  

 Babies is swimsuits are the best.

 Playing with friends.

 Pre-bedtime chats with mom.

 Those sweet cheeks.

 Pig tail!

 Fingers in mouth all. the. time.

Norah--2 months

Weight: 12 lbs 1.5 oz (89%)
Height: 24 inches (95%)

There isn't much newborn left in our growing baby girl. I feel like each morning I'm surprised at how big she's gotten.  Her cheeks and rolls continue to fill out nicely, and her legs and neck are stronger daily.  Little Norah is quick to share her bright smile and eagerly converses with anyone who stops to chat.  Her little coos are just as sweet as can be, and I always look forward to our late evening conversations.  I love her big, arched stretches when I unswaddle her in the morning, and I love her furrowed brow and her half smiles.
At two months of age, she's already flown across the country to be loved on by all sorts of family and relations (great traveler!), caught her first cold (and endured the NoseFrida!) and moved from baby tub to regular tub (too wiggly!). She's also discovered her hands which are fascinating to stare at and great to suck on, though quite easy to gag on.
She's still a practically perfect baby, though in recent weeks she has started to spit up more frequently (some days constantly) and she's regressed ever so slightly on her great sleeping (blaming it on being sick and traveling).  I certainly can't complain much about this sweet girl.  She's a beauty and a happy one at that.  Can't imagine life without her.

 Mixed feelings about thumb/finger sucking...

90th great-grandchild on the Moulton side

Emmett turns 5!

Emmett could not wait for his birthday this year.  The months slowly turned to weeks until finally August 14--his big day--was here.  It was so fun to watch his excitement about everything to do with his birthday.  He had such high expectations about everything that I started to get a little nervous that he might come away a little disappointed, but luckily that turned out not to be the case.  I think we made most of his 5-year-old dreams come true.

Since his birthday was on a Sunday this year, we took him and a couple of friends out on Saturday night for a birthday activity of miniature golfing.  I was surprised by 1) how awful the mini golf course was--by far the most boring, uncreative course ever designed.  And 2) the boys' lack of mini golf form.  We tried to help them improve their technique, but it was a bit of a lost cause.  :) Regardless, the boys had loads of fun.
On Sunday evening we did presents and birthday cake so Emmett could actually turn 5 years old.  He loved the cake and loved his presents and is pretty thrilled to be 5.

Emmett's birthday interview:
Q:  How old are you turning?
A:  Five!
Q:  What's your favorite tv show?
A:  Land Before Time
Q:  What's your favorite color?
A:  Dark grey and dark blue
Q:  What's your favorite food?
A:  Spaghetti
Q:  What's your favorite vegetable?
A:  Salad
Q:  What's your favorite animal?
A:  Elephant
Q:  What do you want to be when you grow up?
A:  A builder
Q:  What do you love about kindergarten?
A:  I love recess because I play basketball
Q:  Why are you excited to turn five?
A:  Because I'm excited to eat my birthday cake and get all my presents.

 Mini golf with Ethan T and Ethan G--two of his best buddies.

 Dino cake!

 We think the dino gift were a success.

 More successful bday gifts from Grandma and Pop Pop. Emmett actually got to go the toy store with Grandma and Beth and pick out his gift.  He came home with some toy dinosaurs and a little dino excavating kit.

A little about 5-year-old Emmett:
• He goes to kindergarten and loves it--even though it's sometimes a long day. His favorite parts of the day are recess and using the computers.  He usually plays basketball at recess.  He impresses me frequently with his new reading skills and I absolutely love phonetic/inventive spelling. With his new schedule he is always starving for dinner by 4:30 or 5 pm.
• On the bus ride home he usually draws or plays with a toy dinosaur he packs in his back pack.
• When he gets home he's anxious to play video games or print a picture on the computer.  He loves his screen time.  His favorite video game is definitely Mega Man, followed by Bubble Bobble.  He's very active when he plays--always moving about and jumping and sticking his tongue in and out!
• His biggest interest right now is dinosaurs.  He plays with them, draws them, writes songs about them, make books about them, etc.
• He is no longer scared to put his head underwater at the pool.  We recently started swimming lessons which has been a great success.
• He loves, loves playing with cousins.
• He's a great hiker and enjoys time in the mountains.  He was awesome when we hiked the Y this summer.
• He still holds his pencil with his fist.  Not sure how to correct that one...
• He loves doing hidden picture activities, word searches and workbook pages.
• He enjoys reading chapter books with mom.  We recently finished all 3 books of My Father's Dragon, which he really liked.
• He does not love to perform in front of crowds.  His first attempt at a primary talk this summer involved him hiding behind the picture he was holding and me saying all the words.
• He loves jumping on trampolines, riding bikes, climbing, playing on playgrounds and general outdoor adventuring.
• He likes to his clothes to match, but he also likes to pick out his own clothes. This sometimes causes tears but I've learned to often let go and let him wear whatever he thinks looks good without too much intervention.  He has decided he doesn't like sleeveless shirts and hasn't worn one all summer.
• Emmett loves his sisters.  He is so sweet with Norah--often wanting to take pics with her and referring to her as "my sweet baby girl." He and Caroline have a bit more of a love/hate relationship.  They can be so silly and have so much fun together or they can drive each other crazy.  :)