Forslund Party

Nora is sitting in Matt's rocking chair from when he was little. She loved that she was able to get into the chair without help.

Great Grandma Neva and Nora

Great Grandma Barb and Great Grandpa Dick with Nora and Matt

We had a little get together since the Great Grandparents hadn't seen Nora walk. She ran around, chased the dog, ate alot of food, whined a little, but overall was a great little girl who loved being the center of attention. She loved playing with a toy that Grandma Anne got at PROP for $1. She was ready for bed when we left though as she had a big night with the grandparents the night before.

Gopher Game

Matt and I....go Gophers!

Adam and Kate

Goldy trying to get the crowd pumped up

Adam got tickets to the Gopher Hockey game vs Michigan Tech. Adam, Kate, Matt & I went to the game. Kate and I sat next to each other talking about life, wedding planning, etc (as we have NO IDEA about hockey). I did send Matt out to get me a snack and told Kate that everytime we have been to a hockey game and I ask him to do something, a goal is scored. Yep, same thing happened, Gophers scored while he was gone getting me popcorn! Sorry honey---I promise I don't do it on purpose. They did score 5 goals though so he got to watch a few other goals being scored. It was a very entertaining game, lots of fights and penalties. People got kicked out of game---that is the kind of game I like watching since I don't understand anything else regarding hockey.
We had fun with Kate and Adam and enjoyed a night off from Miss Nora, who was with Grandma and Grandpa Forslund. She had a blast with them.

Meeting a World Series MVP pitcher

Finally at the front of the line (the guy sitting down is the famous Jack Morris!)

The new Mega Menards is FINALLY open in Eden Prairie. Yes, I have been waiting for this day. I could live at Menards or Home Depot. I love wandering the aisles dreaming....I think I get this from my father! This Menards has groceries and I needed taco seasoning so I loved that I didn't have to stop at Rainbow to get it. Anyway, back to the post-the sunday ad said that Jack Morris would be at the new Menards signing autographs. I nonchalantly said this to Matt who then wet his pants and said "we are going to get his autograph". I thought he was joking, but no, he said no to a work dinner and we met in Eden Prairie to wait in line to meet the World Series MVP Jack Morris. Matt even had some dialogue with him

Matt: "my dad had to tape game 6 for me"
Jack: "that is a bummer"
Matt: "yeah, thanks so much for coming out tonight"
Jack: "have a good night"

It was exciting for us all!

Nora doesn't quite understand why she cannot play and chew on this 'precious' baseball!!

Playdate for Nora

We watched my cousin, Ashley's, little girl for a few days and Nora and Laney loved hanging out! We didn't get too many pictures since we were busing chasing after 2 kids under 14 months!!!

Laney didn't quite know what to do since Nora was invading her space in the bathtub!

Laney enjoying the high chair/booster toy. Nora was a bit jealous.

Mommy's Sick....

So after Nora was sick and nebbing, I ended up not being able to breath and got it checked out. The doctor thought I had pneumonia, as I am pregnant they decided to treat me as though I have pneumonia without doing an x-ray to confirm the infection.

Nora and I took turns nebbing and I got put on medicine. It has been hard to walk up the steps without being winded. I don't know how people with asthma or breathing problems do it....I felt so lightheaded from not having enough oxygen. I am glad it will hopefully be a short sickness and Nora and I will then hopefully STAY HEALTHY!

Matt has been healthy-Thank God!

Happy Valentinte's Day

Valentines Day-just another day here at the Forslund Home. Matt and I haven't really ever been big 'Hallmark Holiday' observers so this is just another one of those holidays! My sister was in town so we had her over for steak and sweet potatoes. Matt did buy 10 roses for me, 1 rose for Nora, and 1 rose for my dear sister....what a sweet guy huh? Nora got valentines from her daycare friends and her "boyfriend" William who lives behind us across the alley. He even came over to deliver it himself.

Jenn and Nora

Nora in her outfit that Mommy made for her especially for Valentines Day (Matt said it looks a little "Little House on the Prairie"--oh well)

Nora and her boyfriend, William (he is wearing a shirt that says "chicks dig me"--love it!)

Nora's hair is getting SO LONG!

Using Utensils--such a big girl

Nora watched me eating with a fork and wanted to take it away from me, so I decided this meant she needed some utensils to eat with. Ikea has these that are the best utensils. She started using them and immediately 'got it'. Ok well looking at the photos below, she did end up with FOOD everywhere on her face, belly, the floor!

so happy to eat ice cream with my own spoon!

so so happy!

Here, I'll show you how its done: First put your spoon in the bowl.

Then put that filled spoon in your mouth!

or...the easiest way, just pick up the bowl and drink it like a cup!!

Turning into a 'little girl'...

I don't know why I thought it was a good idea, but I thought I would paint Nora's fingernails. She actually didn't mind it too much. She was brushing her teeth with one hand and I painted the other, then I used the blowdryer (on cool setting) to dry/cool the hand. Then we switched hands. She liked looking at her nails and smiling. I tried to get a few photos of our little princess!

Business Nora, needs to get some work done on her laptop!

Aren't my fingernails so pretty?

Super Bowl Sunday, pepper time....

Nora liked looking at Grandma Debbies jewelry.

Superbowl Sunday gave us great food and my parents were in town because they were flying out to Mexico the next day at 5am. Matt made some chicken wings and we had some great pineapple salsa. The salsa was SO hot-it called for one habanero pepper. I was in charge of cutting up the pineapple, the pepper, the onion and other ingredients. I did NOT realize that habanero peppers were that hot, I mean I had heard they are one of the hottest peppers but wow they are H O T! I diced the peppers not thinking anything of it, asked matt to taste a TINY little sliver because they sure didn't smell hot. His mouth was burning. I rubbed my eyes 4 hours later and my eyes were attacked with heat. I washed my hands 50 times (we now need new soap in the house) and my hands/eyes still burned. My mom had to take out my contacts because I couldn't touch my eyes again with my contaminated hands! Wow, learned my lesson--wear gloves when cutting hot peppers.

Date Night.....FINALLY

Our last date was probably months ago....I can't even remember when it was-that is how long it was! Matt and I dropped Nora off at Grandma and Grandpa Forslunds and headed to St. Paul to Cafe Latte for dinner. Cafe Latte is one of my favorite places to eat in St. Paul, not because of the food but probably because of the great college memories it dusts off for me. My college roommate and college basketball teammates would go down Grand Ave and eat at the Latte.

Matt and I shared a whole bunch of food....it was so wonderful and yummy! We then walked across the street to Cooks of Crocus Hill to look at kitchen stuff. I could look at kitchen/cooking things ALL the time. I love baking, I love cooking, I love coming up with recipes----If I had all the time in the world....I think I would bake/cook for Matt!

We had a blast just being out on a date, we needed it to rekindle the marriage!

14 Months Old

Uncle Tanner and Nora at the Lions Tap

Nora is 14 months old today! She is turning into quite the character. I feel like I say that at every "update" but it is so fascinating to see how her personality and knowledge changes daily/weekly/monthly! She is getting to be very independent and wants to try everything, albeit with her very cautious personality!

She loves going up the stairs; she will not even TRY going down the steps. I have tried numerous times to teach her.....she screams and cries and shakes her fists!

She likes any food dipped in ketchup, she also likes to still get her hair as sticky and dirty as possible when eating any food.

She can say puppa (Puppy), bubba (baby), mama, dada and uh oh....she is REALLY good at saying 'uh oh'...she drops food and says it, she trips and says it, a door closes and she says it!

She is 'getting it'. When you ask her to do something she will 'sometimes' do it. Today I said "Bring mommy her phone" and she brought it over and actually dropped it in my hand!!!! I know, this doesn't happen ALL (or even most) of the time, but atleast we know she is getting what we say! Now we REALLY need to watch what we say in front of her.

She loves the tupperware cabinet, the plastic bowls, and her toy chest! She carries tupperware around the house. She pushes plastic and glass bowls all over the floor (we have to wash most things again before we use them!) and her toy chest is perfect because she opens it up and takes out her toys herself!

She is turning into more of a mama's girl....which I love and find hard all at the same time!

She is just perfect in all ways, and she makes both Matt and I so happy each and every day. It is hard to imagine that we will be SHARING our time/love/energy with 2 kiddos in a few short months!

Finally able to play outside

For the first time in this L O N G cold winter we played outside with Nora!

She did not quite enjoy 'getting ready' to be outside, but she liked being outside for the first 15 minutes. Then we tried sledding down a hill, which is really just a big pile of snow in our neighbors back yard, and she did not enjoy that and wanted to be held by daddy. It was so fun to see how she would touch the snow and walk through the maze of snow. The snow piles in our front yard are taller than her. It was a fun sunny day in Minnesota, this is why we live here!

Getting Ready, lots and lots of layers, aquaphor on the cheeks to protect from the cold, we don't have boots for her so she wore tights, socks and shoes!!

First close up look at snow, sitting in it, daddy made a snowball...hmmm what does she think?

Such a classic 'Nora Look'

Liking walking around

Look at how tall the snowbanks are!

On the porch, pulled the hat off!

Getting pulled by daddy on the sled! Enjoying it/Tolerating it so far!!

DONE being outside, bring me in!

Wednesday Book Club

We our reading "Simple Secrets Every Couple Should Know". It is a good book and we are so enjoying everyone at group. We have been in this group for 5 years now, wow how time flies!

We have a great babysitter who takes care of Nora while we are gone. She cleans up the house, plays with Nora, and she(Nora) is almost always sleeping when we get home at 8:45!!!!

Nebbing Nora

No this is not a new rap song.....Nebbing Nora, Neb Nebbing Nora!!!!

When I woke Nora up this morning she looked like she got hit by a truck. Her right eye was swollen and goopy and her nose was all crusty and red. Her cheeks have been chapped so they were all red and dry as well. I felt horrible. Poor little daughter of mine!

I made an appointment to see if there was anything we could do. She has been on antibiotics 2 times in last 2 months and it has really cleared her nose and eye and ears up but then 5-7 days later it COMES BACK!!!! The doctor took her oxygen levels and then did a nebulizer at the clinic to see if the neb would help her wheezing/oxygen levels. We got sent home with a brand new nebulizer (Dr. Nebulizer to be exact) and a prescription for some medicines. It was WAY too cold, -8 degrees, so I dropped Nora off at home with Matt and went to Target to get the drugs.

Nora took the first neb treatment in the clinic like a pro, didn't cry, didn't fight it, just opened her mouth and breathed! Yeah not so much the second time around. She was ok for first 5 minutes and then wanted the mask off her. The doctor told us to do another treatment right before bed, yeah WRONG! Nora was bouncing off the walls. She laid down for bedtime at 7:45 like a little angel, so tired and so peaceful. 8 o'clock she is pounding the walls in her room and I can hear her jumping up and down in her crib---she is talking to herself and singing along to her lullaby music. I let her play thinking she will calm down and go to sleep. Matt and I are in bed at 9, she is STILL talking, pounding, singing! Then crying, I go and rock her and she is quiet for a while, then I need to rock her again, then she coughs so violently that her nuk is thrown out of crib and so on....this little routine lasted all night! I did finally get innovative at midnight at took one of the nuk straps and fastened it to her pj's so the nuk wouldn't go flying out of crib(pretty smart considering I was so exhausted myself!) She did finally settle down and sleep restlessly for awhile. I am hoping and praying the nebulizer and antibiotics will help her fight this cold and keep it at bay!!!

poor poor Nora!