The 13th Month - March 2016

Nova's thirteenth month has been extraordinary.  A wise woman (Jenn) once told me that parenting just gets better and better.  So far, that has proven to be totally true.

First, I want to chronicle Nova's various hair styles.  Her hair is getting just long enough to be in her eyes, so I'm trying to find a solution that helps her...and doesn't get destroyed as soon as she realizes something has been done to her hair.

The comb over.  This look is exceptionally adorable, but doesn't stay in place very long.  If it doesn't fall on its own back into her eyes, then it's covered in peanut butter.

The Breckie Hat.  Auntie Brecky gave Nova a whole host of wonderful gifts for her birthday.  This hat was one of them.  She is so cute in it, and it's obviously very comfortable or she'd rip it right off.  The only downside is that the weather has been turning, so I can't use it again until next fall.  :( 

Pigtails!  This is difficult to pull off because her hair isn't quite long enough.  But you can't deny that the look is lovely!

The Pony!  Nova looks so wonderful in a pony tail!  I put one in almost every day.  But, recently, she's figured out how to pull it out.  After she does, she tries to put it back in again....but her dexterity isn't quite up to it.  Instead, I am replacing it a hundred times a day.  Ugh.

The Leave it Alone.  This is her natural hairstyle that hasn't yet fallen victim to one of my manicured looks.  While this is also super cute, it does get in her eyes.  So, I've decided there is no perfect solution.  We will just have to wait until it grows out.

Trouble!

Nova has been getting into more and more trouble lately.  Her curiosity has increased and she is showing definite preferences for certain toys or objects.  She also loves being outside, which I'm so pleased about.  

Here she is outside, sporting her new, hard-soled shoes, and reveling in the joys of gifts!  A friend from work gave us all of her HappyBaby oatmeal, but Nova loved it so much, she ate it all in short order.  I ordered more in bulk, and Nova cannot wait to have more.  

Blurry running!  Nova isn't quite running yet, but this month she's made her first attempts.  She'll speed up those little feet and promptly trip.  Keep practicing baby!  Soon you'll be faster than your Daddy!

She loves shoes, especially Lynn's.  She tries to put them on several times a day.  She also gives them to me, since she knows how much I love stinky man shoes.  

Disregard for barriers.  Nova has mastered stepping over the bar on our (many) baby gates.  She can't open them when they're locked, of course, but if they are open, she loves to play with the gate door and walk over the bar over and over and over.  Also featured here: A sweet outfit from Grandma Nancy and shoes from Auntie Jodi.

The Ladder.  We left this ladder in Nova's room after the Energy Auditor came through on March 8.  We leave it on the floor (as pictured) and she loves to climb through over the steps like it's an obstacle course.  Kermit loves to, too. 

Sleep.  Nova is a very good sleeper.  She sleeps from 6:30 pm-5:54 am consistently.  But, her naps have gotten a bit unpredictable.  She used to nap from 9-10 am and again from 1-2:30 pm.  But beacause she only takes one nap at daycare, she's been thrown off lately.  Sometimes she naps at 9 am, sometimes she won't go down until 11.  Sometimes she naps again at 2 or 3, sometimes she doesn't.  A few days I've been home alone with her and she's only taken a single 30 minute nap!   This has been tough on her mom and dad, who used to enjoy a good nap themselves.  I'm sure it will all be sorted out, though!

The candle!  Though the candle is not featured here, Nova is asking me to light it.  It's way out of her reach, but she loves to see it glowing from above.  She is very adament about it, pointing, clapping (which means 'more') and saying, "DA!!" I say, "Candle?" and she says, "Da!" over and over again.  Da is also the name for dog, cat, squirrel, daddy, etc.   

Rubiks Cube.  While I would like to pretend as though I care about completing the rubiks cube challenge, I do not.  My husband, does.  Here Nova is caught red-handed trying to mess up Daddy's hard work on it.

Socks.  Nova can pull off her socks, and does so if the other toys around her are simply too boring.  Here she's proudly displaying her stinky sock to me on a chilly Mach morning. (I know it's morning because her hair is all over the place!)  Also featured: a "gray duck" shirt from Auntie Laurie.  "Duck Duck Gray Duck" and not "Duck Duck Goose" reigns supreme in our household.

Nova also wants to feed herself, and her talking has gotten more varied and interesting.  Check out this video.  It is one of my very favorites.

Nova also loves watching herself on my phone.  Enjoy this selfie.

Final video.  Here she is going up and down the indoor slide.  She is so happy.

Friends

Nova makes friends easily.  She is a bit shy nowadays, but once she warms up, she's a sweet friend, giving people morsels to eat and then promptly taking them away.  Hmmm...I guess that's not the best etiquette, but she's very cute while stealing food that folks forgive her immediately.

 Auntie Megan and Nova, enjoying some fries (a rare treat) at the Shake Shack in Dupont Circle.  I had to work on Saturday, March 5 and Lynn was out of town.  Megan met up with us, watching Novav while I worked, and then I treated both of them to lunch.  Thanks Meg-o!

Our weekly Friday dates with Jack and Katie have persisted!  Nova and Jack love hanging out together, knocking each other over, and talking over each other.  Here, they are shown playing and singing a duet.  While Katie and I couldn't make out the lyrics, we assumed they included, "Our mommies are the beeeeeeeest!"

Home Improvements

As you know, we moved into our new home in December.  It was built in 1976 and needs a bit of work.  One item that needed to be replaced was our roof.  Did you know that roofs are expensive?  Well, believe you me, they are!  But, it's great peace of mind knowing that our house will not collapse in on us.  On March 8, we got our new roof!

At first, I was not happy with the color.  I thought it looked more purple than red, clashing with the brick.  But, I've gotten used to it now and really like it.  We got 'architectural' shingles so there's a bit of texture to it, adding to my appreciation for it. 

  The roof is supposed to last  for 50 years. We don't plan to be in this house for 50 years, though: By 2066, Lynn and I plan to move to the moon.

Nova is a big fan of the new roof too!  Lynn and I don't always agree on what we should do next.  Next up on Lynn's list?  Chimney repair, electrical box replacement, insulation upgrade. Next up on mine? New shutters, paint, and carpet.  We arm wrestled, and surprisingly, Lynn won.  So, we are fixing the chimney in April.

13 Months!  The photos above are a mixture of shots taken throughout March.  This last photo (above) was taken a few days ago.  Doesn't she look older and taller? And her hair is longer - curving into her eyes instead of just ending in them.  I think she had a major growth spurt this month on all fronts.