Sarah Kathleen is here!

Sarah Kathleen Norris was born on February 17, 2009 at 8:12 am. She weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and was 19.5 inches long.

Sorry that it took me so long to update! Things are still a little bit crazy around the Norris household.

Dakoda's Big Spill

Yesterday afternoon it was so nice outside that I asked Darren to take Dakoda out for a walk around Mam and Pap's yard. They had a blast playing together and I could hear Dakoda's belly laughs from inside the house. But then I heard him start crying and knew immediately that something was wrong - it was definitely an "I'm in pain!" cry. He tripped or stepped in a hole or something, and hurt his left leg, and now refuses to put any weight on it. We took him to the pediatrician today and they x-rayed his ankle, which showed no breaks, and the doctor said that he probably just sprained it. But then a friend of ours recommended that we read up on toddler fractures - which is a fairly common spiral fracture of the shin bone - and we realized that Dakoda wasn't crying out when we touched or rubbed his ankle, but seemed to be in a lot of pain when we tried to rub his leg (and of course, when he tried to stand on it). So tomorrow after Sarah Kate is here, Darren and Pap are going to take Dakoda back to the pediatrician to have his leg x-rayed to make sure that it isn't broken. Please keep our little man in your prayers!

Sarah Kathleen is coming tomorrow!

I had a doctor's appointment today, and the doctor wanted to keep me on bed rest until my scheduled c-section next Tuesday due to my high blood pressure. I explained to her how difficult that would be considering that I have a toddler to care for, and asked if there was any way possible that we could move the delivery date up. We decided to try and schedule it for Friday, and she said that she would call me and let me know what time. Well, after we got home, we had a message saying that they weren't going to be able to do it on Friday, so they wanted to do it tomorrow! Big surprise, but we are so excited!! We cannot wait to meet our little girl!

Valentine's Day 2009

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day this year, even though Darren had to work and I was on bed rest. Mamaw (Darren's mom) spent the day with me and Dakoda and helped us get all our laundry done up just in case Miss Sarah Kathleen decided to come this week. Dakoda wanted to watch Playhouse Disney most of the day, but we didn't mind because we had a lot of fun singing the songs with him and watching him dance!

After Darren got off work, Mamaw and Papaw took Dakoda to their house because Darren had a big Valentine's Day surprise planned for me. He took me to dinner Regas in Knoxville, and had two dozen red roses waiting for me at the table! We enjoyed an absolutely wonderful meal, and then he took me to see "Confessions of a Shopaholic". It was definitely the best Valentine's Day that I have ever had!

Oh, and if you were wondering, I got Darren an iPod for his gift and filled it up with lots of his favorite music, a UT football highlights video, and a special Valentine's Day playlist. :)

Such a big boy!

As I've mentioned before, Dakoda is becoming Little Mr. Independent lately, especially at mealtime. This morning he refused to let me feed him his yogurt, so I decided to let him try it on his own. He did great!!! I'm so proud of my little man! :)

Dakoda Eugene

I have a few minutes to myself, so I thought that I would write a post about my little man. Dakoda is changing so much everyday. It is so amazing to watch him grow and change from a baby into a little boy right before my eyes.

He is extremely curious, and interested in everything around him. He loves to try and figure out how things fit together, and how things work. He is very aware of where things go, and how things are supposed to be. For example, if he notices that a door is open that is normally kept shut, he will make a beeline for it so that he can close it. He loves to help clean up by throwing things away and putting his toys away.

He is becoming much more independent at mealtimes. He likes to pick out his own food from out of the cabinet, and his drink from the fridge. He always wants to try to feed himself, which sometimes drives me nuts because it can be a very messy process! I am trying not to limit him too much, though. :)

Every morning he sits in his chair and watches Playhouse Disney. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is his favorite (and the only one that he will watch all the way through), but he also enjoys dancing to the songs and music on Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, and Imagination Movers.

His favorite toys these days are still "real" items, such as the phone, the mouse/keyboard, and the remote. And don't try to give him one that doesn't work, either, because he can tell the difference! His other favorite toys are BALLS! Football, basketball, baseball, bouncy ball, whatever kind of ball it is, he will LOVE it! He has excellent aim, too (which he has perfected by using Emma and Neyland for target practice).

He is still not talking much, but we can tell that he is trying harder to say words. When he wants something, he is sure to let you know about it, and if he doesn't get his way, watch out! He has quite the temper! (Of course, I have no idea where that comes from....)

He is very sweet and loving, and lots of times is content to just climb up in your lap with his monkey and his blankie and cuddle. Those are my favorite times of the day, of course. :)

He still absolutely adores his Daddy. Every evening around 5:45, he will start pointing at the door and asking for Daddy. Then when Darren gets home, Dakoda gets the biggest grin on his face and runs for the door. It is incredibly sweet! His favorite time of day is BATHTIME! That is his special time with Daddy, and every night after dinner he will start beating on the bathroom door, look at his Daddy, and ask for a "Baf!" After his bath, he usually lays on the couch with Daddy for a while and then it's bedtime.

I can hardly believe that in a few short months, he will turn 2 years old. The time really has flown by, and I am so incredibly thankful that I have been fortunate enough to be with him every single day and watch him grow.