So Thoughtful

So we know that Tia loves playing on the iPad. She usually gets a nightly dose of at least 30 to 40 minutes of playing her games.  What we've noticed that is hysterical is that when she is done, she'll swipe over to Daddy's page of stuff, she'll open Wee Rule, then hand him the iPad while saying 'here you go'.  She knows what game he plays and where to find it on the iPad.  At first, we thought it was coincidence, but nope, she does it every time now.  She also does it with ABC Player and hands it to him too. But when she does Wee Rule, we laugh so hard. She is very thoughtful for sure and I hope that continues. She has a very sweet and thoughtful side to her and I love seeing that.  For instance, she hates seeing people get hurt on TV. She makes a sad face.  If she knows someone is hurt in person, she'll go hug them.  Chris had a band-aid from getting a flu shot yesterday and she said 'boo boo' in a really sad voice, then leaned over and kissed it. On the iPad, she loves playing with Talking Tom and his friends. She'll tap his head until she knocks him out, he'll fall over and little birdies will spin around his head. She'll give him a 'aw' sound and lean over and kiss him. So sweet!

Shoe Fetish

OMG! Is it crazy or is it just me that Tia already has a shoe fetish? How boys automatically know about being rough and mean and girls know about shoes, make-up, and jewelry. Tia has always loved shoes. If she sees a pair, she'll bring them to the owner. Not sure how she always knows whose they are, but she does. She often brings Chris's to him and lately she just loves everyone's shoes. I had this silver pair of boots I tried to put on her this weekend but her feet are not long, but they are thick. Chris calls them yabba dabba feet. But she was very determined to wear it. She walked around and her foot was half way into the boot. She seriously looked like a pirate the way she was walking around with a limp. I lost it when Chris was saying 'Ahoy Matie'. She was determined and eventually she got it on. So I put the other one on her and told her to jump and she got it on too. We all looked and could tell that it was paining her to walk, but she wanted to have them on and refused to let us take them off. Talk about fashion over function as I know I have lived by many times! It wasn't for a good hour that we were able to switch her shoes back to her tennis shoes. We knew that she had a shoe fetish. I decided to buy her some play shoes at the store and saw a 4 pack of Disney princess ones and thought 'what the heck'. Got them home but I waited until Chris arrived before opening it and showing them to Tia. I had them on the table and was trying to take the plastic off. She walks over and her eyes got really big. She screamed 'shoes' and started jumping up and down in joy. I looked at Chris with amazement. The only part of the shoe you could see was the very front tip. I have no idea how she knew they were shoes. Chris was equally surprised and we were blown away by her response. We took the first pair out - the pink ones. She put them on and let's just say she would not take them off. She played with the other ones organizing on the shelf and then off again, then moving them around. She was grouping them together, etc. When it was bed time, Chris tried to take them off and she was upset, so I said...let her wear them to bed if she wants and she did. She was almost asleep when we heard her cry out. He goes in and she said 'help' because her shoe fell off. So funny that she couldn't go to bed because her shoe fell off. Chris was just laughing so hard about it. We finally got them off of her and snuck them away as she grew more tired, but it will start all over again tomorrow! She is such a cutie and so funny!

New Camera - Canon EOS Rebel T3i

We got a new camera that we purchased with a $2000 gift card I received for winning the top level dream rewards from Thirty-One. I also got a new MacBook Pro. We wanted something nice, but not too fancy that we couldn't figure it out. I have to say that I love this camera. It is a Canon EOS Rebel T3i. Chris did a lot of research and of course, we asked around a lot. This camera has been easy to use and takes great pictures. Plus, she's so cute!

My New Favorite Picture

I just love this picture. This is what happens every morning. Chris is still sleeping and he has Tia crawl on him and give him kisses. Eventually he wakes up. It is so cute watching her get so excited to see him in the mornings after she gets ready. She says 'Daddy' instantly and gets this giddy face when she knows she is going to wake him up. Love it.

Day 4 - No Binkie

I have to admit that I'm pretty stoked about Tia not having her binkie the last few days.  She is going on day 4 and she has been doing great with it. I thought the hard part would be her going to bed without her binkie, but it has been in the car when she is awake.  Although, I have to admit that Chris puts her to bed almost every night and he seems to have done a great job at getting her down without it.  Every now and then we can hear her crying for her kiki, but we stay strong, although it is hard because we just want to go running in there to scoop her up. We just look at each other and say '5 minutes' and usually she has gone to bed.  This morning she was up awfully early and crying for a while. I figured she'd go back to bed, but she never did. Chris brought her in with us (first time) and she snuggled up next to me and went back to sleep. I have to admit, it was pretty sweet having her right there. It reminded me of her newborn days when she was all swaddled up. The car rides have been the worst although not too terrible. Probably harder for Chris on the way home because I have nursery rhymes playing in my car in the morning now. She isn't totally into the songs except when she hears Twinkle Twinkle, Old McDonald, and Row Row Row Your Boat to which she sings and it is the sweetest! She'll cry out for Kiki often, but it seems to be less each time.  So as we go into the weekend, we've already told Katma about our efforts and we hope she sticks to her guns too.  If we make it through next week, I think I am condident there will be no more binkie for Tia - yay!  Then onto potty training!!!!!  Tia LOVES sitting on her little potty, but she obviously doesn't know all the logistics yet...daycare is working on it and we have been a bit here too.  I know that is the negative of us working all day - we can't really dedicate to potty training as much. We hope it doesn't take too long! Regardless, I just can't believe how big Tia is now!  So Big!

It's a Girl!

We had our 20 week appointment yesterday and we found out we are having another little girl in the Norris household. Boy is Chris going to have a lot of drama on his hands! We were excited to find out and plan for her arrival.  We didn't have a preference on a boy or a girl, as we plan to try for another in a couple years.  But hey, if we end up with 3 girls down the road, then Chris will have a lot of daddy's little girls on his hands. He did say he is going to have to load up on some baseball bats and scare tactics for all these boys that are going to be knocking down the door soon.  Tia already has a boyfriend at school. In fact, when she could barely hold her head up while laying on her belly, I saw them kiss.  His name is Vinny (Vincent) and his parents told school that all he talks about is Tia at home.  They said that every dinner he says 'Tia this...Tia that' and when I drop her off, he runs over and says hi Tia, etc.  Tia acts like the typical Gen Y girl and looks like she has an annoyed face and is wanting to say 'give me my space', but he just follows her around. I think it is super cute, but I wonder if this is the way it will be for her?  Or perhaps the other way around. I was an ugly duckling until mid-high school and I just pined over crushes for years but never had any boyfriends.  It humbled me to say the least and makes me appreciate the solid and true relationships with my husband and friends now.  So our little bun in the oven is going to be a little sister to Tia.  Practically speaking, we have all the girl stuff!  They can share a room and hopefully 'share' toys. OR will they be like my beloved nieces, Juliean and Janelle, who fight like cats and dogs over every thing. We have to buy 2 of everything for them. I guess we'll see. I have heard so many people tell me that the have and always have been best friends with their sisters that are a couple years ahead/behind...I hope my girls will be the same way. Some of my coworkers are not convinced the baby is a girl by looking at the Gender picture. I did some research last night and it was pretty obvious the boys from the girls, so I'm leaning towards the Sonographer being accurate! But don't worry, we'll have a boy name picked out just in case!

No Binkie - Day #2

So we've known for a while that we were going to have to start getting rid of Tia's binkie habit. We just got into a habit of letting her have it when she wanted it. She called it KiKi and she loves that thing.  She needs it to go to bed, to nap, and to ride in the car. Besides that she can usually do without.  Last week, Lisa watched Tia for us when I had my work event and she didn't realize that Tia still had a binkie habit.  Tia was excessively tired and of course it was past her bed time, Lisa was able to distract her with some music and get her down without a binkie.  I remember when we got home from our event after Lisa left...we went into see her.  I noticed right away that she didn't have a binkie and I looked all around for one and couldn't find one in her crib.  We both had amazed faces as if 'no way did she go to bed without one'. With us, she calls out immediately 'kiki' at bedtime.  It is part of the ritual.  So we knew there was hope thanks to Aunt Liza!  So we picked this week to really try hard to rid the binkie or at least start. I have been working on it in the car rides and we were making progress slowly but surely.  I decided to get some of her favorite nursery rhyme music for the car to try to distract her and yesterday we set out without the binkie.  She was calling for it the minute I put the car into reverse and she seriously called out for it the entire way.  I put the music on and she would get distracted but then she'd call out for it. It normally takes about half an hour to get to daycare and some how, we made it the entire way.  I could not believe it. It was a bit emotionally draining because she cried out a few times in desperation, but I held strong. I told her teachers of our mission and they vowed to help.  When I picked her up from daycare, her teacher said 'she cried out for it at nap time, but we held strong and didn't give it to her....we patted her on the back and eventually she went to sleep'. I think I had tears of joy in my eyes...so exciting.  So all the way home she called out for it, but I held strong again and we made it home even though traffic made it a 45 minute trip.  Chris said 'should we try it at bed time' and I know we were both thinking it would be impossible, but Chris said 'if Lisa can do it..then...' and so we tried. She cried out for it many times and so many moments we wanted to run to her aid, but we didn't. She cried out several times and every time we just hated hearing her, but after about 20 minutes, she was out.  She never broke into a full out cry or else we would have gave in, but rather she just whined for it so we held strong, yet again.  When she woke up this morning with no binkie, I was just so excited...over 24 hours straight with no binkie - what an accomplishment!  I did it again this morning on the drive and she asked for it right at first and then about mid-way 'Kiki...Kiki...kiki...' in a demanding voice. I just ignored her and switched her songs to distract her. She had her favorite teddy bear and her blankie, so she was quite distracted. We made it again - wfew!  I told the teachers and they know the plan....so hopefully this is a good sign!  Rough times ahead, but I have a lot of hope!  yay!

Oh My Back

The past week, my back has been killing me. I'm not sure if I did something specifically to hurt it OR if it is just another ramification of being pregnant, but I can say with certainty that I don't like it!  It feels like my lower back bone is separating from my tail bone. Hard to explain, but it just aches. Sometimes after sitting for a while, I get up and I can barely walk and picking things up is a bear, namely Tia.  I don't want to have to go to a doctor, but if this continues much longer, I may have to see a Chiropractor or someone who can help me in this area. I go to see my OBGYN this week, so I'm going to see what he suggests. Oh my back is my saying of the week!!

20 Weeks!

I can't believe that I'm 20 weeks along. Half way there and counting...Last night before I went to bed, I put my hands on my belly and see if lil one will respond. Most times he or she does, but last night lil one was really interacting. I'd move my hand to one side and I'd feel a big kick, then the other which resulted in another kick....and so on. I seriously felt a body part of the baby - I'm thinking the leg was pushed up far enough where I could feel it. I know I'm pregnant, but it really made me know I'm really really pregnant now!  I got my belly yesterday and now I feel like I have a big ole beer belly. I don't like that look, but I know we all have to go through it.  I gained more weight early on last time so I think my belly was hidden for longer. This time, I haven't gained much, but I have a feeling that is about to change!  I can't wait until next week when we find out if it is a boy or a girl!!!!!! So fun.

Baby Bump

I've been getting a lot of ridicule for not even having a baby bump the past 4 and a half months. I haven't gained much weight and I don't even look like I'm pregnant. But I have a feeling that it is all about to change because I woke up yesterday and my belly was magically there.  I can't fit into anything anymore and I have a feeling I'm going to start really showing any minute! So don't worry folks, it's coming!  Here is a picture of Tia this morning...isn't she so beautiful?

Generation Z

Tia falls into the Generation Z category, also known as the Net Generation. My parents fall into the Baby Boomer category, I fall into the Generation X category, and right now the ones coming out of high school and college are the Generation Y kids also known as the Millennials.  Chris said it best the other day when we were talking about technology and how these kids are so much more advanced than we ever were.  I didn't have email until I got into college and we had to stand in line for a computer at the library to even check it. It looked like a dos prompt. I got a cell phone after college and it was a shoe phone that only called out. It wasn't until I was about 25 that I was able to text for the first time, but it wasn't an easy task and many others couldn't so it was almost pointless. It really wasn't until I hit 30 that text messaging was a common way to communicate and then shortly after getting email and internet on my phone was habit.  So when Chris said 'I really don't want to get older and feel like my parents and grandparents did about technology when our kids get to be our age'...you all know how that is. Someone in your parents or grandparents age need to know how to send an email or better yet, how to turn on the computer.  Chris and I are both extremely technical, but it wouldn't surprise me if we get to be 50 or 60 and we have to ask our kids how to do something that is new and progressive.  We are doing our best to stay ahead of the curve!  Tia loves our iPad.  I got it last year for my birthday from some loved ones and we love it.  Chris and I watch shows on there, check email, sometimes play a game or two, or just surf the net.  It is an amazing, convenient tool. Well, Tia has been into it as well. I put a few games on there to see if she'd be able to play and surprisingly, she is a wiz. The girl knows how to turn the iPad on, turn it off, move her finger to scan from page to page, open the game she wants, perform each game, get out of each game and go to the next, and figure out things.  In fact, I watched her on this one that has a pop up that says 'download premium version' or 'play again' and she knows which one is the one that brings her back to play again. I was just amazed. She is only 1 and knows more about technology than I ever did at 10.  Amazing and it is only going to get better for them. . My joke is that these kids will be brainiacs, but all be wearing glasses because all they do is watch TV and play video games on their hand-held devices.

I Love You, You Love Me

I remember when I heard the Barney song for the first time about 10 years ago. 'I love you, you love me, we're a happy family, with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won't you say you love me too'.  Now it has come full circle because we hear it quite often in our household with Tia's DVDs.  What is super cute is that she is at that singing stage where she dances and sings the songs. Most of the time, she is just sort of mumbling along but we started singing the Barney song over and over and she has the first two lines of the song down pat. It is soooo cute to hear her sing 'I love you, you love me..' and the rest she is still getting a word or two here and there.  But she is so cute. I'm going to work on her this week to see if she can learn the rest of the song. She can count to 5 and say about 50 works including several full sentences, so why not learn an entire song, right?   If you hear her sing it, it will melt your heart!

Counting

Tia has started counting which is so cute. I've heard her for a while now, but now she is counting in chronological order.  In fact, when Chris says 1, 2, 3 when she is going to be in trouble if she continues to ignore him, she has started chiming in. So he'll say 1 and she'll say 2, he'll say 3, and she'll say 4.  Now, how hard is it not to laugh at her cuteness.  She is too smart for her own good right now. Definitely very much a diva, but we love her so much!

Dentists Have Lasers!

Every day I learn something new and what I learned yesterday is that dentists have lasers!  I'm talking ones they can perform surgical type procedures and I now know what that is like...and it is not fun. I can say that it doesn't hurt, but the experience was not what I would have wanted to endure. I think for me, it is the thought of not knowing what was going to happen. So I had braces for 6 months and once I got them off, the doctor put permanent retainers in behind my front teeth and my bottom teeth.  This way, I don't have to wear that annoying retainer that MANY people do not do after a while and their teeth grow back to before they had braces.  I like the convenience of having these permanent retainers so I don't have to worry about it! Well, about 2 weeks after I had the permanent retainers put in, my top gums had started to swell really bad. So bad that I couldn't eat for about 2 weeks and I did not even attempt to brush up there during that time because it would bleed.  I know this is graphic, but to give you an example. I was eating cheerios and I bit down and all of a sudden my milk was now strawberry milk. Ew!  So I went to the doc yesterday and he said he was going to have to take some off.  I immediately said 'take some WHAT off'? and he said 'your gums'. I was thinking what! How? Why? Ouch!  And that is exactly what he did. The funny part is after he was numbing it which seemed like forever and in my head a bit painful (although it truly wasn't), I said 'is it over' and he just started laughing and said, 'no dear, that was just numbing it up'. Ha!  So next thing I know, he puts these fancy glasses on all of us and brings this utensil into my mouth with a bright red tip.  I couldn't feel anything, but subconsciously, IT HURT...even though physically I didn't feel a thing.  I was so afraid to rub my tongue up there because he had essentially burned the roof of my mouth off. The gum was growing over the retainer and it had started to heal that way, so he had to remove the excess gums.  I had never heard of it and I learned that even dentists have lasers!  He said it would feel like a pizza burn and it does, but I hate the every now and then burnt taste I get from time to time.  Last night about an hour after the procedure, the numbness started to wear off and boy did that hurt!  Now, it has been about 15 hours since the procedure and now it is a bit sore.  And I think it is puffy again...does that mean he'll have to it again. He did say that the front of my gum is also puffy and swollen and that if it wasn't healed and down within a week, he'd have to do it on the front too. UGH!!!!

Another Soccer Player?

So I've been waiting for some fluttering feelings to arrive the past few weeks, since that is what most women feel when they are about 18 or 19 months.  The other night, in the middle of the night, I woke up to my stomach being in almost a ball.  It reminded me of when I was pregnant with Tia and she'd ball up and be on top of my belly, like she floated to the top.  Hence, why we nick named her when she was in my belly as Tia Pot Pie.  Well, I think this baby is going to be the same way.  I put my hands around this tiny little ball sitting on top of my belly and I felt a hard kick.  At first, I thought it was my imagination but I waited and sure enough, there was another big kick.  I couldn't believe it. I guess I hadn't paid attention to how big the baby is by now.  I looked it up and the baby should be bigger than a deli sized pickle, so I guess big enough to feel some movement.  I was just surprised at the power this early on.  I woke Chris up, but it was hard for him to feel anything. The next night, I woke up several times and felt several kicks. It just makes me smile every time.   I think we have another little soccer player on our hands!

1, 2, 3

How many times have you heard yourself or other parents say that real slow and in a really stern voice. That has become part of our vocabulary too.  I hate that it feels like we are constantly saying no to Tia, but I guess houses are not always fully baby proofed and we have to be careful with what we let Tia get in to.  She really knows what it means too. Chris has adopted it faster than I have.  He just gets really stern and says 1...2...and by the time he says 3, Tia has sprinted over and done exactly what he tells her to do or walked away from the things she is not supposed to mess with.  It works, so we'll definitely use it.  She knows exactly what it means and it does make me so proud of her that she listens...maybe not the first time, but she knows how to work it and go as long as she needs.  Just love her little personality.  I can just watch her all night and smile, laugh, and just be amazed that she's my kid.  She so darn cute!

Favorite Teacher

Tia has one teacher at school that she absolutely loves. I don't even know her name since she has several teachers, but it never fails. The minute she sees this teacher, she runs and hugs her.  When I drop her off at daycare each morning, she is hesitant to go to anyone and hugs my leg like she isn't going to let me leave. The ONLY thing that can save me is this one teacher who just walks over to Tia, puts her arms out and Tia happily goes to her with open arms.  I have to admit, I am always wishing she will be there every morning, but unfortunately, we arrive a few minutes earlier than she does most days.  The whole cliche of giving an apple to your favorite teacher came into play today.  As we all know, Tia knows about 15 or so words in sign language and after this morning, I'm thinking she knows more, but Chris and I haven't picked up on them.  We walk into daycare and her favorite teacher is right there. I put Tia down, and said 'go ahead' and she ran over and gave her a hug.  She hesitated for a second, but then realized I wasn't leaving right away so the three of us walked to her classroom.  On the way, Tia says 'Apple' and pokes her finger on her cheek.  I had never seen her do that before and the teacher didn't prompt her.  Tia looks up at her with a big, proud smile and the teacher said 'yep, Apple' and she poked her own cheek.  I was just so amazed.  So the apple for her teacher came into play already. Tia is going to be a pleaser for sure and it just makes me know how smart she is, yet again.