Tidbits of news

Wow! I can't believe how fast time went since last time I posted. Cora is getting braver with walking, but she still crawls everywhere. Once in a while we "catch" her taking a few steps on her own - mostly to get from one handhold to another. Or she'll start out walking for about 3 steps and then bend over and crawl. She's taken as many as 10 steps by herself when we've encouraged her to walk from one of us to the other. Often when is Cora is walking to me she'll get within about 2 steps away and then just fall, arms stretched out, into my lap like it's a big relief to have made it. It's quite cute.

She also cut her first molar! I'm not sure when exactly - she HATES it when I try to put my finger in her mouth. She clamps her jaw closed and purses her lips so I can't get in...Hand her hands are really accurate at moving my hands away from her mouth! So I haven't checked for a quite some time. But yesterday she was laughing really hard and threw her head back enough that I could see this white glimmer on her gums (top right side). Sure enough - it's a tooth!

We also think that Cora definitely knows the difference now between "mama" and "dada". Although she often refers to just about anything as "dada" or some variation of that. It seems like she's trying to imitate our sounds. These are some pretty consistent ones: when we say something is cold and "brrr" she tries to say "brr"; "uh-oh" is "uh" and usually looking at whatever was dropped accidentally; and when we tell her to say bye-bye she often says "ba ba" while waving! I'm more excited for her to talk than for her to walk. I guess I figure that she can get anywhere she wants to go right now by crawling so I don't feel like she's frustrated or missing out on the fun. But it is so exciting for communication to be happening!

Oh yes - we have tried to teach her a few useful signs like more, all done, please, thank you, eat and drink. Well, she has morphed all of these signs (which at one point she did a different sign consistently for each phrase, maybe not accurately) into pointing at whatever it is she wants and making a waving sign. That's right, she no longer signs anything for eat, more, please...It's now just point and demand! She will still do her "all done" sign but it doesn't seem that she usually means it. She'll sign "all done" and we'll start cleaning her up, then she'll point at her drink and ask for that! Anyway, it's an adventure one way or the other! We usually understand her and that's our main goal.

Brad turned 32 on Sunday! Happy Birthday, babe! Sunday is a long, busy day for him so we didn't do much celebrating. But Monday is his day off so we dropped Cora off at Grandma and Grandpa's in Montrose and we went on to Ridgway where we cross-country skied for a while. It was beautiful! And windy! Then we had a light lunch in Ouray and went to the hot springs. There is something so wonderful about sitting in 104 degree water while it's snowing outside! We had originally intended to go to Telluride for the day but there was a huge storm blocking the way and they had shut down the highway to get there. Anyway, we went back to Montrose and had a DELICIOUS prime rib that Mom made for dinner! The storm hit Montrose while we were eating so we hurried out after dinner. It was pretty close to a white-out for the first 15 minutes and then cleared up, thankfully, for the rest of the drive.

Another piece of news is that our dog, Jack, who is 10 and a half, has developed tumors. There are two obvious ones and a third that the vet found. The two are located behind his right ear and on top of his left shoulder. The one on his shoulder is about the size of a small plum and has stopped growing I think. The one behind his ear is currently the size of a baseball or softball and seems to get bigger every couple of days. Just this last week we've noticed a change in Jack's demeanor. He's not as quick to jump up to go outside with us and he doesn't seem as interested in eating. Now - he still eats, but previously he would be asking to eat as soon as we were done with our meal. The other night I forgot to feed him when Brad was gone and he never once whined or looked at me like I was forgetting something. This is very much not like him. When I remembered and fed him he ate just fine. But...the end may be coming soon for Jack. It will be a sad day, but I actually hope that we wake up one morning and find him peacefully gone. I would hate to have to make the decision to end his life but if he continues to change for the worse and seems to be in pain, I know we will have to. So if you're in the habit of praying for mercy for animals, pray that Jack goes quickly and peacefully, without much pain and without us having to do it to him!

Lastly, I have been subbing about 2 days a month and teaching piano lessons to 5 students (2 hours a week) with a new student adding on next week. This has been a good fit for all of us, I think. I really enjoy the piano lessons and it's good money. And subbing is usually enjoyable, if a little boring. Well, I have been asked to work 8 hours a week (a flexible 8 hours that I pretty much schedule) as a birth parent counselor for Bethany Christian services here in town. I met with the director this morning to find out more about it and it sounds like a neat position. My biggest dilemma is whether or not I want to commit to working 8 hours every week. In my mind it would take the place of subbing, but it's more of a commitment than subbing is. I feel blessed to have this opportunity offered to me but am unsure at this point what to do. I LOVE being home with Cora and being able to be home on days that Brad is home. Please pray for us as we weigh this opportunity and make a decision in the next week or two.

Sorry there is so much writing and no pictures this time!

A bad rap

How come Brussels sprouts are given such a bad rap? They were on sale this week so I bought some. Tonight as I scourged the fridge and cupboards for what to make I found them and some tri-colored rotini pasta. I cooked the Brussels sprouts and pasta up, made a white sauce and put it together. I kinda felt like Rachel Ray, since I just came up with it of the top of my head and didn't even measure anything or use a recipe! And it was delicious! It probably sounds strange, and maybe I was hungry enough that anything would have been good. But Cora ate it too (minus the white sauce) and Brad wasn't here to remind me that food without meat doesn't comprise a meal. I enjoyed it.

Anyway, Cora is starting to take a few steps on her own! She' been standing very steadily for "long" periods of time for a number of weeks, and walking holding on to furniture or fingers. But we've never really encouraged her to actually take a few steps by herself. Last night Brad and I helped her walk between us and she took about 3 steps a couple of times. Of course we didn't get that on video. Tonight while Brad was gone I thought I'd try again, with the camera ready and I caught her taking a few steps - so now you all can enjoy!

Brad's had a number of adventures this last week. Last Saturday the three of us went cross-country skiing on the Mesa, then popped into Montrose to see Mom and Dad Bierma. It's so great being close enough to see them frequently. It's a little far to "just drop in" whenever, but we came down the Mesa the back way, which takes us through Delta. That's only 25 - 30 minutes to their place and we had no plans for the rest of the day. I'm glad they let us drop in!
Then on Monday, Brad and Mark, our pastor, went kayaking down the Colorado River. They stayed on the section that goes right through town and it took them only an hour and a half! They were both pretty bundled up and ready for the worst, but thankfully everything went well. I'm not sure which one of them came up with the idea - they both love kayaking and a little adventure.
Then Friday night to Saturday Brad went snow camping on the Mesa with our friends Jeremy and Brian. They made a snow cave to sleep in. Now they can say they've done it, but - NO - that's not good enough. Now Brad knows what needs to happen to do it better so I won't be surprised if he heads back up there this winter to make some improvements! He said there were lots of frustrating things that you just don't think about until you're out there freezing. Like how a tea-light candle burning on top of ice melts a hole down into the ice and doesn't last long. And that it's too cold for batteries to work, or his butane lighter, or the heater that comes with the MRE he brought for dinner. So, to him it's a new challenge to try and do it better!

No cabin fever in this family! Click here to see an album of pictures - including Brad's winter kayaking and snow camping adventures.

Link to Christmas pictures

Hi! Just wanted to post a link to some Christmas-time pictures for those of you not already on Facebook (what's your problem, by the way? Kidding...)
Click here to go to the facebook album of pictures.

12 mo. check-up

I know some are interested in these details so here's a real quick note. We had Cora's 12 month checkup yesterday. She did great! Boy, does she love to rip up the paper liner on the patient bed! It must have reminded her of opening presents!

She weighed in at 20 lbs (33%), 30 inches tall (90%) and her head was 18.5 inches (95%). So she's been growing at a steady rate with nothing to be concerned about. What a blessing! It was also a convenient time to have an appointment anyway since she has had a cold this week. It was nice to have the doctor check her over and confirm that it's just an upper respiratory infection and should clear up on its own.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy 1st Birthday, Cora!

This has been such a wonderful year that we have spent with Cora! Brad and I frequently marvel at what a blessing she is to us and what a huge responsibility we have as her parents.

She has grown leaps and bounds! Sometimes it seems like she even changes overnight. It was fun for Brad to be able to spend a full two weeks with her while we were in MI. He said that spending that much time with her he was really able to see and enjoy the little things that she learns. He noticed that she's gaining more precise use of her fingers, neatly picking up small pieces of food (or anything on the ground!) and putting them easily in her mouth. I know my parents enjoyed spending so much time with her, too, and commented at how she gained better balance at standing on her own over the time we were with them. Then when we got home I noticed that Cora has started "sorting". She likes to take things out and put them back in - whether it's food from her bowl to highchair tray or toys from box to floor. Tonight she spent a good ten minutes standing at the clothes drier and taking out the washcloths I had left inside and putting them on the ground. Then picking them up and putting them back in...and doing it all over again.

We were privileged to celebrate her birthday twice - once in MI with Cora's grandparents, great-grandparents and uncle and aunt. Then again yesterday with Grandma and Grandpa Bierma and some of our friends here in GJ. Click HERE to see a photo album of Cora's birthday parties!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year

Just a quick note to say that we definetly had a merry Christmastime and a Happy New Year. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate the season with our families in MI. We also recieved some joy-filled news: my sister, Deb, and her husband, Eric, are expecting their first child to be born in August. So as we gave thanks for the Christ-child born years ago, we also looked forward with joy to another child to be born this year! Deb and Eric, may God bless your baby and guard it as it grows inside your womb and hearts. I know you'll be wonderful parents!