Happy Christmas Eve

Truth be told, I am not feeling a lot of Christmas cheer this year.  I miss my dad.  I am missing my family, even though I didn't consider traveling home because I didn't think I could handle being on the west coast after what the holidays turned into last year.  I am missing Vickie, who has to work through the weekend because she is low woman on the totem pole.

But Billy and Nora are carrying me through, and their love reminds me that future Christmases will be better than this one.  Nora is trying her hardest to keep me out of a funk, even though she doesn't know what Christmas is.

For starters, she looks adorable in the handmade holiday onesies that arrived in the mail from my high school friend, D.  This one is modeled after the White Stag Portland landmark, which dons a red nose every holiday season:

These days, Nora greets me almost every morning with plenty of smiles.  Waking up to this face each day reminds me how much I still have to be thankful for.

And finally, she is getting very vocal and learning how to play.  In this video, you can see her smiles in real time, catch a glimpse of the toy she can now grasp and bring to her mouth, and if you turn up the volume, you can even hear a few coos.  Happy baby= happy mama!



I hope these images of Nora will add some Christmas cheer to your weekend.  And for those of you missing my dad as much as I am, I hope they'll warm your aching heart, at least a little.