Half Birthday Girl

Yesterday was Nora's half birthday, but I can hardly believe she's already a year and a half old!  We have entered full-blown toddlerhood around here.  She may be short, but with a full head of hair and a full mouth of teeth, she looks nothing like her baby self.  She is constantly on the move!  My attempts to capture some half birthday photos all left me with one conclusion: she's much too busy for my iPhone camera these days.

Nora has so many "skills" these days that it would take me all day to try to remember and list them, but I'll try to give the nutshell version.  She's talking all the time, acquiring 1-2 new words every day.  It's easy to understand her most of the time, but she does have a few "words" she says regularly that we don't understand.  She sings parts of her favorites songs, she loves to dance, and she is thrilled by every dog she sees.  Lately she has taken up running at full speed and has the skinned knees to prove it.  She's very friendly and outgoing around people she knows but shy in new situations until she gets comfortable.  She can properly identify and point to few body parts, Elmo, and several family members and classmates in pictures and/or on screens.  She makes us laugh constantly.  She's very affectionate, and spirited, and proud of herself, and silly, and curious.  She knows some multiple word phrases, and when I say "I'm Mama," she knows to point to herself and say "I'm Nora," so she's on her way to sentences.

The other very welcome development of this week is that she has finally warmed up to the BOB stroller!  She let me kick off her half birthday with a three mile run on my favorite nearby trail, and every time we passed someone walking or running with a dog, she would call out "doggie!"  The soreness in my arms confirms she is much heavier now than she was the last time we attempted this!

Her 18 month doctor's appointment today went off without a hitch.  She only got one shot, which she didn't really mind since it was over before she was really felt it.  When I picked her up, I said "I know that hurt, but it is much better than getting Hepatitis.  I promise," to which she responded "Okay" as if she actually understood.  : )  She weighs 23 lbs 13 oz, is 30 3/14" tall, and her head circumference is 19".  Our pediatrician says these are all good improvements, mostly on pace with her previous growth, though she did move up a bit in height percentile.  She's into 18 month clothes now, although she sometimes fits better into 24 month tops because of her little buddha belly.

But maybe you'd rather see for yourself what she's up to these days.  Here is a video we shot last week to wish her Uncle Nate a happy birthday!