Back to Portland!

We've just returned from a trip to Oregon to meet our family's newest addition, Everett James!  All in all, it was a fantastic trip, and I loved getting the chance to see so many of my family members and friends who feel like family.  It was also fun to see them interact with Nora.  Since she last saw her West Coast family, she has perfected walking and begun to really engage with people.  Since we say every stage of her life is our "favorite," we were glad to be able to share this favorite stage.

We arrived late on the 11th, so the first thing we did when we woke up on the 12th was go to Dad's niche to pay him a visit on the second anniversary of his death.  I took one of our New Year's cards to leave there, and before we left I wrote a short note on the back and traced Nora's hand.  She picked the pen up and started scribbling all over it, which she has never done before even with prompting.  I don't read scribble, so I'm not sure what her message was, but it warmed my heart to know she was leaving him one.  The trip up there was an emotional one for me, but Billy was as supportive as ever and having Nora along reminded me that, as Bubbles says on The Wire, "Ain't no shame in holding onto grief as long as you make room for other things, too."

We spent the rest of the day hanging out with my mom.  Nora was not a fan of flying this time around, so it was a relief to have a low-key day to recover from traveling.  It was great to spend time with Mom, and I think she liked getting the chance to play with Nora.  We also took a walk to the library, where Mom helped Nora play with legos and a giant abacus.  Mom also tried to read Nora a few books but learned that her attention span is pretty short in exciting new places.  My mom's spaghetti is my favorite, and Nora enjoyed it just as much as I do!  As an added bonus, we even got to watch the Ravens make an amazing comeback against the Broncos.  In addition to letting us relax, I was glad Mom got the chance to share in a fairly "typical" day with Nora.

On Sunday, we paid a visit to Jordan, Krista, Clara, and Evie.  Clara had been so excited to see "Baby Nora" that we were all disappointed she wasn't feeling up to playing with her when we arrived.  Nonetheless, it was fun to have a quick chance to hear in person how they have all been doing, and we got to spend enough time with Evie to see how much she has grown since we visited in July.  At that point, she was talking a lot in her own language, but this time it was much easier for me to understand her.  Nora even got to practice her scribbling again on the cardboard castle from Clara's birthday party.  Jordan is exploring possibilities for grad school next year, so I am crossing my fingers for a Pennsylvania placement that would allow us to get together more frequently than every six months!!  Even though it isn't the best picture of any of us, I'm thankful we remembered to get one of all the girls together.  Krista and her girls have been such a big help to me and Nora as we find our way-- I just wish we could go back and tell 15 year old Liz and Krista that our lives would continue to get better every year.

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with the Shiras.  We made it for the tail end of Connor's basketball game, which they won in the last minute!  Nora surprised me by sitting fairly still while she took in all the new sights and sounds.  After the game we went back to their house for dinner, which was delicious, and it gave Nora a chance to play with the boys.  Connor and Caleb were so sweet with her, and it was fun to watch her warm up to them over the course of the evening.  I can't believe how old the boys are getting! I know Dad would have loved to see Connor, Caleb, and Nora playing together.  At one point, they gave Nora the ball signed by one of Connor's teams that Dad helped coach, and Connor snapped a picture.  After we left, I promised her that next time she'd be allowed to play with Bogey, the newest addition to their family.  But since she is so small and he is a big bundle of puppy energy, they were doomed to the fate of star-crossed lovers for this visit.

On Monday, we made the trip to Bend to meet our family's newest addition-- Everett James!  But that's a post for another day, so you'll have to stay tuned. : )