The Countdown to 1, and A New School

Today was a big day.

It's the first day of Nora's twelfth month. Yesterday was her 11-month birthday, and we're a little bit weepy (well, not the stoic dada - just mama) and awestruck (both of us) at the way time apparently twisted in on itself and delivered up a whole year in about 14 seconds.

And so, the 11-month ode to milestones ... She's pulling herself to standing; ever so carefully easing herself back down to sitting via the cutest little cautious squat you've ever seen; saying long strings of sounds ("Weeooweeshhhhwwhooaaaa blaloo blaloo hee HEEE!"); bouncing around like a manic chimpanzee in her crib; frowning at everybody and then laughing hysterically; spending minutes on end trying to take apart her xylophone; eating frozen blueberries delicately lifted from the tray between forefinger and thumb, and eating sweet potatoes and cottage cheese roughly grabbed and squeezed out through her fingers; sleeping 7:30-7:30 (except for this recent rough patch of breaking through two massive top front teeth); having what we think are night terrors way to often for such a wee thing; cracking herself up; waving bye bye, often with both hands at once; raising her arms above her head to mimic mama; doing a very naughty ninja flip during diaper changes that requires a) distracting her by giving her the nasal aspirator (ewww) or the sunscreen bottle, both of which she examines lovingly, b) speaking to her in shocked, hushed, rapid tones as if we're about to reveal The Biggest Most Exciting News Ever, or c) holding down her torso with our forearm while frantically trying to Pamperize her ... and so many more tiny, wondrous miracles. She's beautiful, and the infant is giving way far too fast to the little girl ... Happy Birthday, BeeBoo! You're our greatest joy.

Today was also Nora's first day at a brand new nursery school. We stumbled quite luckily upon a lovely new place filled with wooden toys and pretty curtains and gentle ladies in colorful skirts - that welcomes babies! We're really hoping that it works out better than the last time we tried this, when Nora was kicked to the curb for "being too much work" (um yeah. she was five months old fer-cryin'-out-loud!). This is an entirely better and different situation. (With a price tag to match. Gulp. When it comes to paid maternity leave Bulgaria or Vietnam are looking mighty nice.)

The very first thing she did at school was crawl onto the bottom shelf of the changing table and smile very proudly at her audience, giggling smartly at finding such a nest. While mama sat at her desk crying and coming down with a disabling migraine, Nora played and played and played. She had a very good day, despite taking only one, very short nap and coming home with a big goose egg on the side of her head from a nasty tumble. We think it's gonna be alright ...

Here she is, smiley and overjoyed to be alive this mornin. Let the countdown to the #1 birthday begin! Cupcakes, anyone?