I těžké dny přinášejí "ovoce"

Musím se pochlubit co zase Amy uvařila včera na večeři. Bylo to fakt tak dobré, že se o to musím podělit. Prostě u Wilsonů "hambáče" moc nejedou (ale taky je jíme, nebojte:-)
Z obrázku asi poznáte co bylo na talíři, ale kdyby náhodou tak to byla krůtí sekaná zapečená se sýrem a rozmixovanou zeleninou, čerstvě nasbírané zelené lusky lehce osmahlé s vlašskými ořechy, bramborová kaše s bylinkami a česnekem. K tomu čerstvá paprika a okurek jako chutná ozdoba. Prostě SUPER! Nezávidím Vám na co teď myslíte:-)
Tak zase někdy..., Leoš

Angel Baby Nora and On the Go Addy

I got to spend a special morning with my sweet angel baby Nora while Adela went with Leo, Papa and Grammy out on the canoe and to the park. I call Nora my sweet angel baby because she is amazingly easy to read and I can put her in her crib as soon as she is sleepy. She just smiles up at me, covers her eyes with one arm and sucks her thumb on the other. I usually stand there in awe that she could be so adorable and content. She can be fussy in the late afternoon or evening and likes to be held more, but for the most part she's, well, an angel! :) Here she is with her "lovey" and thumb.

Before Adela left to go out on the canoe, I asked her to send greetings to her friends, Monika and Kristina back in Brno! Ahoj, holky! Chybíte nám!

Hip Hip Hooray!!

On Wednesday, Dr. Frino announced that Nora's hip is now officially "normal!" So, we are shouting "Hip Hip Hooray!" She has to wear the brace at night and at naps (which I don't mind at all - I think it helps her sleep better since she can't roll around the bed in it). We thank the Lord for providing wise doctors who took perfect care of Nora. While we were waiting to see the orthopedic, we met another child that had to have the same brace. Her hip dysplasia wasn't discovered until she was 4 months old, so she had to be in a cast for 3 months and was wearing the brace to keep her hip in place. She was almost 2 and hated wearing the brace. So, we are especially grateful to her pediatrician, Dr. Winters, who first found that she had a "hip click" when she was just 5 days old. He immediately arranged an appointment with the orthopedic. I think I'll send him a carrot cake or cookies! :) Thanks to all of you who prayed for Nora.

This was Nora's last hip ultrasound. The technician, Klista, was so cheerful and always made us feel comfortable. Did you know that babies' hips are mostly cartilage at birth and slowly begin turning to bone around 3-6 months? http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/bones.html Nora will have a follow-up appointment and x-ray of her hips when she is 6 months old. Dr. Sapp was Nora's first orthopedic and was excellent at carefully explaining everything we needed to know about hip dysplasia. He also has a 4 month old at home.

Nora without her brace! Look at that smile!

Look at me, brace free! :)

Už mluvím!

Kdybyste nevěděli co říkám, tak se zeptejte mojí sestřenice Esterky. Ta vám to určitě poví. :) Kdyby ani Esterka nepomohla s překladem, tak vězte že Norinka přála babičce brzské uzdravení a ŠŤASTNÉ NAROZENINY!

In case you don't understand what I'm saying, just ask my cousin Ester. She can tell you. (Ester is Nora and Adéla's cousin who will turn 1 in June. Check out their blog on the right: Havleni. It's all in Czech, but you can enjoy the pictures! :)

Passing of Time

Nora at 12 weeks

Last night Leo was looking at some old video footage from my first year in the Czech Republic. I realized that I didn't even want to watch it. For some reason, it bothered me to see that I've gotten older and that those special days are already past. I didn't think I was a person who would mind "getting older." I even wondered if there was any point to videotaping events in our lives if I never wanted to watch them! I must admit though that I do like rewatching our wedding video. It was a fairytale wedding (I absolutely loved my dress) and truly a gift from the Lord that He would bless me with such an amazing and Christlike husband. I also love to videotape our daughters (wow! I have daughterS!) I like to compare pictures of Adela when she was 3 months old to pictures of Nora now. I'm constantly reminded how quickly time passes and the huge responsibility I have as a parent. May the Lord give me wisdom daily to use my time wisely to teach my sweet girls to walk in His ways. "Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways." Psalm 128:1

Nora Update 3

More good news today! Nora's hip has continued to improve. She will continue to wear the brace for the next 4 weeks at least until her next appointment on June 3rd. Thank you all again for your prayers. Here is a video of Nora in her crib. You can catch a hint of a smile. We think she looks more like Leo's side of the family.

Thumb Sucking

About 3 weeks ago, Nora or Norinka as we affectionately call her, discovered her thumb. Since then, she often happily soothes herself to sleep with her little thumb. I think it is cute and I'm actually quite happy that I don't have to keep up with a pacifier and that she can soothe herself. Of course, I have heard all the horror stories: "My son sucked his thumb until he was 12 and cost us thousands in dental work...oh,no, you have a thumb sucker, she'll never stop...it's easier to throw away a pacifier than to break them of a thumb..." I'm sure you've heard them too.
For now I think I'll take the advice of the authers of "What to Expect The First Year." Here is what they say about thumb sucking: "It isn't easy being a baby. Every time you latch on to something that gives you the comfort and satisfaction you're searching for, somebody wants to take it away from you...stop worrying and start letting your baby indulge himself." Of course though, "if you yourself are disturbed by the thumb sucking because of prior programming, try to psych yourself out of it. If that doesn't work, you might want to substitute a pacifier for your baby's thumb temporarily - assuming you don't also have an aversion to that. But, of course, that will leave you with a new habit to break."

Finally found that thumb!

Adela's idea of fun is loading Nora up with all her toys! This morning as I was doing some laundry, I noticed that Adela had gotten very quiet. I went down the hall to find her in the crib with Nora! She had used a step stool to climb over. She said she DIDN'T wake her, but I'm not so sure about that.