Nora 1.5

Nora is officially eighteen months today. I suppose she is growing up, but in my mind she is still very much a baby. When fellow church members find out how old she is, the usual enthusiastic response is "Nursery age!" But Nora has already spent about half her life in there, since that is where I am every Sunday.  She's still pretty possessive of me, like when I'm holding other children, but she never so much as peeps when I have to leave the room. 

Nora is just beginning to throw tantrums (for reasons mostly involving a desire to stay out of the house), but in general, she is a joy. The other day at bedtime, she ran off to the boys room and came back carrying this Spiderman shirt. She would not rest until we put it on her, then proceeded to dance around, flashing her webs and pointing out the spider on her chest. How weird is it that it almost fits her?

Especially when just eighteen months ago, this is what it looked like on her then-four-year-old brother?

Nora has a very tidy, responsible personality. She is fairly adept at using a spoon and a fork, and keeps her area pretty clean at mealtimes. When she accidentally broke one of the Christmas decorations while I was putting them away in boxes, she ran off to find a broom before anyone even noticed. I've never had to keep the bathroom closed off to her. She knows toilets are yucky, doesn't go though garbage, and responds immediately when I tell her not to touch things.

Nora loves naps and bedtime. We have our routine of reading books in the rocking chair beforehand, and one of her favorites is "Wheels on the Bus." On almost every page is a dog, which she points out repeatedly until I acknowledge it. She also loves to point out letters in books and requests the ABC song in reference to them.

During our massive basement cleaning overhaul, she found the frog potty, and wanted to keep it in her room. She sits on it every now and then, and announces "Done!" just like Peter does when he's finished. She doesn't do anything of course, but I'm thinking potty training actually might not be too far off. Especially when she tells me she's making a "P.U." and then runs over to sit, fully clothed, on the potty. Funny girl. She's definitely growing up! And faster than I'd like to admit.