Alisa is ONE Year Old Today!!

It is hard to believe that Alisa is now ONE YEAR old! She survived her first year without any major mishaps. What an exciting--and tiring--year it has been...full of many new things for all of us!

Alisa's eyes are still blue so there's a good chance they will stay that way--hooray! I love blue eyes. My eyes and Craig's eyes are hazel (green with brown around the center, to be exact).

Alisa gained only 2 oz this month--she went from 21 lbs 11 oz to 21 lbs 13 oz. She grew about an inch taller, making her 29 1/2 inches. She is in the 50th-75th percentile (closer to 75th) for weight and height, which surprised me because she is so much chubbier than all the babies I've seen around town so I thought she was above the 75th. Her hair is longer with even more curls by her neck, but there's still not enough on top to put in a barrett or little pigtail. She has 4 teeth coming in at once on the top (with one further along than the rest). She helps us dress her by pushing her arms through the sleeves now.

She has been sleeping 11-12 1/2 hours each night and taking 2 naps (about 1-2 hours each). She has been protesting naps recently but usually only for 30 seconds, starting right after we put her in bed and are leaving the room. We put her on her back and she used to roll over right away and get comfy while sucking her thumb, but now she sits up right away and cries really hard and loudly.

She has enjoyed all the food we have given her--she didn't want a large amount of baby food in a sitting at the beginning of the month, but by the end of it she wanted a lot most of the time (even after an 8 oz bottle). She especially loves finger foods. We finally started feeding her some food from our plates (chicken, steak, tomatoes, sweet potato fries, tortillas, mashed potatoes, pasta, etc.) and she really enjoys that. I know she will now come begging for us to give her some of our food when she sees us eating it (just like our dog Minga does) since she's tasted the goodness. We will be introducing her to whole milk this week and make the switch away from formula and the bottle. She's learned how to drink water and juice from a sippy cup.

Alisa still pays attention to little details--she will find the smallest speck of dirt on a hard surface or piece of fuzz on the carpet and pick it up. She knows where certain foods and toys are kept so she points to them (or the area they are kept) when she wants them. If she sees an object she wants, she will often cry if she doesn't get to have it right then (oh boy).

This will be my last monthly post about Alisa. If you want to keep up with her happenings from now on, you can go directly to her website (which is updated frequently). The link to it is in the "links" section in the right-hand column on my main page, in case you hadn't noticed it before.



Alisa loves looking at and carrying this large card that Grandmom sent for Valentine's Day:











Standing on her own (3-13-08):



Mmmm, kiwi (3-17-08):











Alisa's favorite place to stand in the office (it's Minga's favorite place too so they are often both there side by side):



Walking practice (3-19-08):



She actually stayed asleep in her carseat when we brought it in the house and she even slept for another hour because we set it in her quiet room (3-21-08):



Her shirt says, "He's not just my Daddy, he's my hero!" (3-21-08...before Craig had his morning coffee):



Yes, she sometimes wears a dress (3-22-08):



Happy Easter (3-23-08):





She seemed afraid to put her leg in the grass because she kept it up in the air like this most of the time:







Last year's Easter basket from Grandmom:



New booster seat with toy tray, which is handy in restaurants when she's not eating (3-23-08):







Craig's friend Tory gave Alisa this funny pacifier (3-26-08):

























At Maclay Gardens, which is just up the road from our neighborhood (4-01-08):













First birthday! (4-07-08):









Lying by her many presents:



Birthday card and wrapped present from Nana (Alisa enjoyed the stickers on the wrapping):







Birthday dance with Daddy (a new tradition):

Alisa is 11 Months Old Today

Alisa gained 1 lb 4 oz this month--she went from 20 lbs 7 oz to 21 lbs 11 oz. Her hair is even longer with a more curls at the bottom (especially when it's raining outside). Her 3rd tooth (1st on top) is starting to cut through the gums and her 4th tooth (2nd on top) is getting ready to cut through.

She was sick this week after having been briefly around another baby at the end of last week who had been sick and still had a runny nose. She had a fever for 2 days and a runny nose and occasional cough for over a week. Her spirits were pretty high most of the time and after a few days of me constantly clearing out and wiping her nose, she stopped resisting and just let me do it.

This week she went back to sleeping 12 or more hours each night and taking 2-3 naps (about an hour each).



She outgrew all her 9-month-sized feety pajamas so I bought her some "big girl" pajamas, which are short-sleeved tops with matching pants or shorts.



She wasn't as interested in food this month as last month. She didn't finish many bottles and refused a lot of spoon foods. She never refused finger foods though (Cheerios, fruit puffs, bananas, pears, mango). We gave her some apple juice for the 1st time and she guzzled it down.





Eating Cheerios at a restaurant (2-27-08):



She can walk much better now while pushing her Walk 'N Ride toy around or while holding onto your hands or the table or ottoman.





She enjoys taking baths so much that if you take her in the bathroom while the tub is still filling with water she will scream and cry and try so hard to get in the tub immediately (before the water is the correct temperature). She stands up in the tub a lot and has stomped her legs quite a bit. She has also plopped down on her belly and excitedly kicked her legs and moved her arms almost like she's swimming.

Alisa's latest bathtime discovery is that it's fun to wave the washcloth around and slap things with it (water, walls, herself). It gets things really wet, including any bystanders (3-05-08):



Alisa loves feeling the various materials on the quilt Grandmom made for her (2-13-08):



Valentine's Day with monkey from Grandmom and holiday bib:





Alisa frequently does this leg lift (2-14-08):





Alisa loves bubbles (2-20-08):





Fun getting dirty at Lake Ella (2-29-08):





Alisa likes to stand under my desk but soon she won't be able to because she will be too tall (2-25-08):



Alisa's favorite spot under Craig's desk is the shelf that's supposed to be for the tower (which Craig doesn't need because he has a laptop):





Getting a closer look at the crib mobile animals (2-07-08):



Playing with my old stuffed animals for the 1st time (2-25-08):









Playing with her stuffed animals in the morning (mostly the penguin in these pics):













Craig bought Alisa a soccer ball (2-26-08):



Last time to wear this warm outfit (2-27-08):





Winter dress:









Enjoying the sunshine and flowers (2-19-08):



Enjoying her books:







Looking at the photo book with family pictures so she will recognize them when she sees them again (2-25-08):



Alisa loves looking at magazines...after while she will rip a page out and carry it--or more often, a piece of it--around for a long time:





Playing with the plush ABCs (2-18-08):





Playing with little dolls that each get tucked under their own little blanket on the larger blanket Aunt Janet made for her:









Silly doggie (2-26-08):



First day she constantly practiced standing up without holding onto anything--she used Craig's legs as a pushing off point (3-02-08):



New umbrella stroller for times when we don't need the big and bulky stroller (3-05-08):



New outfit for spring pictures (3-06-08):

Videos of Alisa - December

Alisa talks to the babies pictured on the box that her toys came in and makes heeee noises every once in awhile (first day to do that noise) (12-04-07):



Alisa shakes ring toys while sitting in Bumbo chair (12-04-07):



Alisa plays with the plastic Pillsbury Doughboy that Mommy got years ago with a cookbook order (12-04-07):



Alisa talks to the Pillsbury Doughboy (12-04-07):



Alisa sings and plays with Tigger in Bumbo chair (12-04-07):



Alisa says da-da and plays with rattle and feet on changing table (12-05-07):



Daddy takes Alisa's 1st Christmas present from Nana out of the packaging (12-09-07):



Daddy drops the shaker balls in the "Tiny Love Musical Stack & Play" toy that Nana sent to Alisa (12-09-07):



Daddy pats hand over Alisa's mouth while she makes noise resulting in the hubububba sound (12-09-07):



Daddy and Alisa laugh on hotel bed on the way to Tulsa for Christmas (12-15-07):



Daddy makes Alisa laugh then smooshes her cheeks at Grandmom & Grandad's house (12-17-07):

Videos of Alisa - November

Sorry these are so late. It takes more than an hour for each 1 minute video to upload the YouTube (and then just a few seconds to upload to my website after that) and I didn't get around to it until weeks after getting home from our Christmas visit to Tulsa.

Alisa crawling towards Minga (11-14-07):



Alisa crawls around while playing with Tigger (11-14-07):



Alisa plays with Tigger and gets up on her hands and feet (11-14-07):



Alisa sings while sitting in the Bumbo chair (11-14-07):



Alisa talks loudly to Minga (11-17-07):



Alisa laughs and shares Tigger with Minga (11-17-07):



Alisa pull a book off Daddy's little bookshelf and flips the pages with her thumb (11-23-07):



Alisa standing up using the Bumbo chair (11-24-07):



Alisa looks at the babies pictured on the box her Walk 'n Ride toy came in (11-29-07):

Alisa is 10 Months Old Today

Alisa gained 1 lb this month--she went from 19 lbs 7 oz to 20 lbs 7 oz. Her hair is noticeably longer with a bit of a curl at the bottom and her 2 bottom middle teeth are still the only ones showing. It is so hard to cut her fingernails these days because she is wiggling and constantly trying to grab the nail clippers. The best time to cut them is when she's sleeping but she rarely falls asleep in our arms nowadays. Her nails end up being pretty long by the time I get around to cutting them and she sometimes scratches her face at night.





She has liked all the foods we've given her except cottage cheese (and it was even mixed with pureed fruit). She loves Cheerios and bananas, probably mostly because she gets to pick them up with her fingers. She has been easier to feed this month. She's focused when drinking her bottle (doesn't usually take breaks) and hasn't been getting too messy when eating spoon foods. We don't have to burp her anymore...she will burp on her own within minutes of finishing her bottle.





She sleeps 11 hours each night and started taking longer naps (1 to 1 1/2 hours). She doesn't usually get fussy before a nap anymore, but she will still suck her thumb off and on, slow down in her movements or become a little frustrated with toys. If she doesn't show signs of tiredness, we just put her in her crib about 2 hours after she started eating her last meal and she will lay down and fall asleep soon after (no crying!). She usually happily plays in her crib for 30 minutes to an hour or more upon awakening. However, she is usually fussy after her short evening nap--if she has one (depends on when her day started)--and wants to be held for awhile after (doesn't happily play in her crib upon awakening).



She is fearless when it comes to crawling on the edge of the bed or couch--she would dive off if we would let her (we have to hold her tight to keep her from landing on her head once she determines to take the plunge).



She can take a few steps while pushing her Walk 'N Ride toy around or while holding onto your hands or the table or ottoman (she's just not motivated to take more than a few steps yet). She loves crawling on hard floors. She enjoys taking baths and is constantly crawling and standing up in the tub.













She laughs and smiles a lot and also makes lots of puzzled faces in response to sounds and other new things. She loves hugging and kissing her stuffed animals (she does this in the morning and after every nap). She likes to clap her hands, my hands and even her stuffed animals' hands. She also loves pulling off her socks and playing with them.







We got her a learning table and she loves it. It lights up and plays various songs, sounds and words when different parts are pushed, spun, opened, etc.







She loves looking at books and magazines (especially those with pictures of babies in them). The 1st time I gave her a magazine to look at on her own, she kept putting it up to her face (1-24-08)...all the other times she'd turn the pages and eventually rip one out and carry it around:



Reading the Dr Seuss book "Mr Brown Can Moo, Can You?"...she loves the sounds I make when reading this book and joins in on the line "He can sound like a clock...he can tick, he can tock" by clucking her tongue (2-05-08):







She started pointing at things this month, which is handy for letting us know what she wants to take a closer look at. The 1st time she pointed at something (a large lizard sculpture on the wall) was when she was sitting in her friend Benjamin's highchair after eating lunch there (1-16-08):



Checking out her new giraffe shoes, which are super comfy and soft (good for babies who are starting to stand and/or walk):

















She cried after drinking her bottle because she was still hungry and didn't want to wait until I finished preparing her spoon food. After she stopped crying, she had one tear under each eye, as if they were intentionally placed there (1-15-08):







She always ends up playing under my desk when I'm working or playing on the computer:



She thinks it's so fun to sit in our office chairs and spin...here she is in my new chair (1-16-08):







New pajamas from Aunt Janet (so she'd be close to matching the pajamas of her older girl cousins on Christmas morning):





Alisa loves this new ball we got for her (1-20-08):















She always has something in her hand or mouth, even when crawling (1-24-08):



Standing for one of the 1st times without holding onto anything for support (1-23-08):



Alisa absolutely loves these little ducks (we were given 4 of them so there is one in each main room):



She thinks it's hilarious when I put or let her put toys in my mouth (1-27-08):







This is the face she made after I said "No" to touching the nightlight (2-06-08):

Alisa is 9 Months Old Today

Alisa gained 7 oz this month--she went from 19 lbs to 19 lbs 7 oz. Her hair is noticeably longer again and her 2 bottom middle teeth have fully emerged.

Alisa likes to stand, but is wobbly on her feet. She sleeps 11 hours each night and started taking shorter naps (usually 30 minutes).

She went on her first long distance trip (3 weeks in Tulsa for Christmas and New Year's). She was overwhelmed at times with all the new faces but she did warm up to the family. She enjoyed watching her older cousins play, but sometimes needed to get away from all the noise. I worked almost full time from the office in Tulsa during our visit (since I had to be considered an independent consultant after moving to Florida and I no longer get any paid vacation) so Craig and Grandmom took care of Alisa during the day.

Nana (Craig's mom) mailed Alisa's Christmas presents from West Virginia and we opened them early since we didn't have room in the car for them during our trip to Tulsa. Here Alisa is playing with the "Tiny Love Musical Stack & Play" toy (it lights up and plays various sounds and songs when you drop a shaker ball in the elephant's head):



Craig adorned her with the elephant parts from her toy and, surprisingly, the ring stayed on her head for quite awhile:



Alisa loves playing with the nesting cups:



Tasty bath finger puppets:



Fun with bow that was on 2nd Christmas present she received (mailed from my friend Joyce in Texas):



Looking at the "Happy Baby Colors" book that Nana sent:



Lifting a flap on the "My Little People Farm Lift-the-Flap PlayBook" that Nana sent:



Sliding the book around on the carpet:



Looking at Reader's Digest with Grandmom (my mom):



With the grandparents in Tulsa:



Laughing with Grandad (my dad):



Baby's 1st Christmas hat:



Sitting on Jonathan's lap (my cousin). I think he was the only one she didn't get clingy and upset during the initial encounter. I think it's because he was smiling so big and he's such a joyful person that it put her at ease. She doesn't usually let people hold her when she first meets them and he got to hold her almost right away!





She couldn't get enough of standing by the popcorn tin and banging on it with a spoon:



Eating breakfast on the day she first said ma-ma (ironic that she said it when daddy was feeding her):









Grandmom was thoughtful and borrowed this highchair for Alisa from her church during our visit:



Alisa loved crawling under the chairs in the dining room at Grandmom & Grandad's house:



She made this face for the first time in Tulsa...and she did it repeatedly:





Alisa couldn't resist the ornaments on the tree:



Fun with Aunt Karen:



Alisa loved crawling on the hard floors at Grandmom & Grandad's house:





After opening first present on Christmas morning:



Christmas dress:



Playing with cousin Anna's new water baby:



Playing with Aunt Lindsay's necklace:



Anna loved playing with her youngest cousin Alisa:



Cousin Anna was very helpful:



Alisa scraped her forehead and nose on the coffee table at our friends' house. She was recovering from an illness, but kept wanting to stand and play at the table. She was a bit weak still and ended up falling and hitting the table with her chin and then forehead before I could catch her. Her forehead didn't bleed at all as just a thin layer of skin was scraped off...but it sure scabbed over well and looked bad.





New Walk 'N Ride toy:

October Visitors

My long time friend Sheryl and her husband Daniel came to visit us from Seattle at the beginning of October. We went to the beach twice (St George Island and Shell Point Beach) and Alisa wore her swimsuit and enjoyed the water for the first time.

Our spot at St George Island (10-04-07):



Eating at The Blue Parrot on St George Island:







At Shell Point Beach (10-06-07):









My Mom, Dad and brother Greg visited in the middle of October. We went to Maclay Gardens, Shell Point Beach and then Jacksonville Beach for the first time.



Relaxing at the park at Maclay Gardens (10-14-07):









Walking around the gardens:







This tree has branches that grew down to the ground and even started going under the ground in a few places:















St George Island is our favorite beach so far (1 hour and 50 minutes away). It's always been quite empty when we've gone and the sand and small waves are nice. It has good bathrooms and a shower to rinse off all the salt and sand. There are also several restaurants nearby (with one right on the beach).

Shell Point Beach is the closest (45 minutes away), but doesn't really have waves to enjoy. It does have hermit crabs to watch at low tide and shells to scavenge (which makes the sand not so soft and feet friendly). There are no restaurants nearby.

Our spot at Shell Point Beach (10-16-07):

















Jacksonville Beach was stinky because of the seaweed that had washed ashore on the day we went. I'm not sure if it's normally like that. If so, then it's not worth the 3 hour drive for us. I think you had to pay to go out on the pier. The sand was nice though and there were lots of shops and restaurants nearby.

Our spot at Jacksonville Beach (10-17-07):

Alisa is 8 Months Old Today

Alisa had more new solids this month (squash, green beans, peas, mango, pears) and she likes them all. She gets excited when it's time to eat spoon foods. I prepare them in batches by pureeing them with water in the Magic Bullet (like a small blender) that a friend recommended and then freezing them in serving size portions using ice cube trays with plastic wrap over them. Once the portions are frozen, I put them in labeled Ziplock freezer bags. Before bed, I put the portions that she will eat the next day in baby bowls with lids and they are thawed by the next morning. I just mix some cereal for her right before feeding her and the meal is complete. That Cube Food Method is described in the book "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. The book has so much information on how to prepare your own baby food, what foods can safely be introduced at what ages, recipes, and so much more. I highly recommend it.

Eating sweet potatoes (for first time) and rice cereal (11-03-07):



We got her a highchair and she looks so small sitting in it:





Wearing bib from Grandmom on Thanksgiving:



Alisa gained just over 1 lb this month--she went from 17 lbs 13 oz to 19 lbs. Her hair is noticeably longer and her 2 bottom middle teeth are emerging. She wiggled all the way out of her Bumbo chair for the first time in just a few seconds a couple of days ago. She also started making a new funny noise this week that sounds like a long drawn out heeeeee sound or like she's gasping for air. She thinks it's hilarious (and so do we), especially when she really draws it out. Silly girl!

We had to put the baby gate up by the living room because Alisa is so mobile and we don't want her falling down the stairs. We originally bought the gate for Minga when she was a puppy and slept in the kitchen in our apartment (we hadn't used it at this house until now). Alisa is a fast and excellent crawler and she can quickly pull herself up using whatever is around (Bumbo chair, door, coffee table, ottoman, our legs, stool, chair, baby gate).







She loves standing, climbing over things (Minga, our legs, Bumbo chair) and looking at pictures of babies (she talks to the baby pictured on the big diaper box).







Minga is very good about letting Alisa climb over her. It's funny because sometimes Minga will look at us like "Do I have to take this right now? I'm tired!" However, she knows if Alisa is really bothering her she can just get up and walk away.







Alisa spends lots of time talking to and touching the pictures of the babies on the diaper box and the boxes her large toys were packaged in:



She sleeps 11 hours (instead of 12 hours) each night and started taking longer naps (1 hour to 2 1/2 hours). We lowered her crib mattress since she stands up frequently after napping and a few times was trying to get out of the crib (yikes!). These pictures were before we lowered the crib:







She pulled books off the bookshelves in the office for the first time 2 weeks ago (she tried before that but didn't actually pull any off). I was impressed that instead of ripping or slobbering on the book, she just flipped the pages over and over with her thumb:



Choosing next book to pull off:



We also got her an Exersaucer this month. I meant to buy one sooner but wanted to find the right one and I was just so busy with work and Alisa that it took me awhile to get around to it. We chose one that will last a long time--it can be transformed into a play table once she's walking and too tall to use it as an Exersaucer.





She says da-da all the time and occasionally says da-dee. It is super cute!

Good times with Daddy:















Sitting in toy bin (11-08-07):



Choosing toy from toy bin (11-26-07):



The Pillsbury Doughboy is a new toy that I dug out of a box (got him free when I ordered a cookbook many years ago) and Alisa loved him immediately:



See the resemblance? (11-16-07):









Alisa shares Tigger with Minga (11-07-07):



She is always going after the jingly tag on Minga's collar (11-14-07):



Sometimes she plays with Minga's ear and tries to suck on them (11-26-07):

Alisa Enjoys the Beaches

Alisa first went to the beach when she was almost 6 weeks old, but she wasn't able to really enjoy it then because she just nursed and slept the whole time (5-17-07):



She was afraid of the waves on St George Island (10-04-07):











She enjoyed the calm waters at Shell Point Beach (10-06-07):









She played in the sand for the first time at Silver Lake (11-03-07):

Alisa is 7 Months Old Today

Alisa's first solids after having rice cereal were fork-mashed avocados, bananas and sweet potatoes (introduced one at a time with a 3-day period between each one to make sure she didn't have any allergic reactions). She liked them all, though surprisingly I had to really water down the mashed bananas.

Rice cereal on her face:





Avocado on her face:



Daddy feeding her bananas and rice cereal:



Eating banana puffs:



She gained 1 lb this month--she went from 16 lbs 13 oz to 17 lbs 13 oz. She slept in the bassinet part of the Pack 'N Play in our room for the 1st half of the month because we had guests staying up in her room. Her first night upstairs in her crib (far away from Mommy and Daddy) was 10-25-07. She woke up at 12:30am (4 hours after going to bed) and needed to be comforted...she was back in her crib sound asleep half an hour later. The following nights in her crib were without incident. With the fall time change, she has been going to bed around 8 or 9 PM (used to be closer to 9:30 PM) and sleeps an average of 12 hours each night. She still takes 3 naps (30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours long) each day (she misses one occasionally).

Alisa loves playing with the fountain on our porch, though the water is very cold (10-09-07):





10-15-07 was the first day she was sitting up in her crib in the morning when I got up to get her. She was in the bassinet part of the Pack 'N Play so she was able to see all around the room. We kept telling ourselves that after our guests left the next week, we'd put her up in her room to sleep, but we liked having her in our room so much that we didn't make the change right away. What finally got us moving was that we had a couple of cold nights so our room was very cold in the morning (the bottom floor is 10 degrees colder than the top floor). Alisa's little hands were so cold that we decided we shouldn't delay the move. Also, if I didn't get up and get in the shower before she woke up and sat up, then I wouldn't be able to shower until later because I couldn't sneak by with her sitting up. Once she saw us, she'd persistently cry for us to get her out of bed. If she didn't see us, she'd happily talk and play with her feet for about half an hour.

By 10-21-07, she could stand holding onto coffee table or ottoman for a good while if you placed her there. Then her legs would start shaking and she had a scared look on her face that said "I'm tired of standing but I don't know what to do...I'm afraid to move."



On 11-01-07:



She started clucking her tongue on 10-22-07. We realized that we had been doing it a lot when trying to get her attention or make her laugh with funny noises. I was so proud and impressed that she figured out how to do that at such a young age!

On 10-26-07, she first did her version of the "downward dog" yoga pose (hands and feet on floor with legs straight and butt up in the air). She began to do it all the time, sometimes as a way of getting from her tummy to a sitting position. I found it to be so adorable and fun to watch when she did it repeatedly.





She started pulling herself up using things such as Craig's laundry basket and the coffee table on 10-27-07. Once she did that, she always wanted to be standing at the coffee table banging things on it.



Here she is about to pull herself up to a standing position (10-29-07):



She was a bumblebee for Halloween, though she ended up taking an unusually long nap that night so we didn't go anywhere. She had already worn her costume to the monthly playgroup and 2 other occasions.









At the monthly playgroup:



Some of the babies in costumes:



I absolutely love Benjamin's mummy costume...his mom made it! So cute and clever!

Videos of Alisa - October

Alisa splashes in the ocean for the first time at Shell Point Beach (10-06-07):



Alisa licks the glass doors in the office for first time--good thing I just cleaned them the day before she did it (10-07-07):



Alisa bangs on the glass doors in the office for the first time (10-07-07):



Alisa makes noises while sitting in bouncy seat (10-08-07):



Alisa plays with the fountain on our porch for the first time (10-09-07):



Alisa eats a banana grain puff for one of the first times (10-11-07):



Alisa clucks her tongue while playing with toys (10-24-07):



Alisa talks to her reflection in the mirror (10-25-07):

Videos of Alisa - Late September

Alisa plays with pacifier while lying in Boppy on ottoman as "Car Talk" radio show is on in the background (9-21-07):



Alisa plays with playgym toys while Minga watches (9-23-07):



Alisa scatters seeds from Nana by the creek (9-23-07):



Alisa talks to herself in the mirror (9-26-07):



Alisa plays with the toys on her playgym while Minga watches (9-26-07):



Alisa plays with Daddy on the floor (9-29-07):

Alisa is 6 Months Old Today

We went out a few times and had friends over at the beginning of the month and Alisa cried each time because she was tired and around strangers. I realized I need to take her out more so she can get used to being around more people. One time she cried because 2 boisterous ladies in line ahead of me at a clothing store saw Alisa and started talking about how fat she was and they seemed shocked like they had never seen a chubby baby before. Alisa started crying as if she knew they were insulting her. I wasn't really offended because I knew those ladies were just ignorant.

At the beginning of the month, we started putting Alisa in the Bumbo chair to get her ready for sitting. By the middle of the month, she could sit up without it with assistance from us. She was wobbly and didn't last long though. By the end of the month, she could sit very well unassisted with her legs spread out straight (sometimes she's practically doing the splits). She loves sitting so much now that she tries to sit up straight when we are feeding her or when she's in her swing or not yet strapped into her carseat.

Getting help sitting by holding onto the playgym toys and from Mommy's foot (9-13-07):



She is holding onto this toy tightly to keep her balance while sitting (9-16-07):



Sitting up unassisted! (9-21-07):



She still sleeps 12-13 hours every night and takes 3 naps (30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours long) every day. She goes to bed around 9 or 9:30 PM and is still sleeping in the bassinet part of the Pack 'N Play in our room. She had a runny nose and cough a few days after going to the monthly playgroup that some of us girls from the breastfeeding support group just started. Thankfully, it didn't become bad enough to constantly block her nostrils or keep her up at night. Her coughing became worse when she cried so she coughed more around naptime if she protested the nap. She lets us know she was ready for a nap by getting frustrated with her toys and fussing. When we put her in her crib (not the Pack 'N Play) she'd either cry for a few minutes or go right to sleep.

She gained almost 1 1/2 lbs and outgrew many outfits this month. She is in the 75th percentile for weight, height and head circumference. She is better at eating rice cereal so I really should give her other solids soon. She still enjoys frequent walks in the carrier. She spends a lot of time playing with the toys on her playgym and loves looking at herself in the mirror. A week after she had sitting under control, she started to change from a sitting position to her tummy and back to sitting. She's better at scooting forward and occasionally crawls on her hands and knees for a few paces. She's been playing with her buddy Benjamin once a week and doesn't cry around him like she did the first few times. She ate a banana puff baby snack (melts in her mouth) for the first time when Benjamin was over. She didn't know what to make of it at first, but liked it days later when I bought some (fun to pick up and put in mouth).

Laughing with Daddy (9-08-07 and 9-16-07):









I love this picture (9-17-07):



Sitting on Mommy's lap looking at the "Squishy Turtle" book (9-17-07):



Fascinated by Mommy's pants (9-19-07):



Talking to her tabby blanket (9-19-07):







Craig loves John Deere so he was thrilled that I found a John Deere tabby blanket (9-21-07):





Scattering seeds that Nana sent us along the bank of the creek (9-24-07):



I love this picture too (9-27-07):







New duck toy has mirror on back (9-27-07):



Pausing after figuring out how to crawl on her hands and knees (9-27-07):



Benjamin and Alisa play together again (9-28-07):



Trying to pick up banana puffs:



Fun with the mirror:



Alisa with rice cereal on her face (9-28-07):





Leaning forward to suck on bouncy seat toy (9-30-07):



Alisa discovered that it is fun to lick and bang on the sliding glass doors (10-07-07):

Videos of Alisa - Early September

Alisa talking as she wakes up from a nap on 9-13-07 (I'm filming in such a way so Alisa won't see me because once she sees the camera, she usually stops talking):



I told Craig I wanted him to take a picture of Alisa in the baby carrier before we went on a walk (9-16-07). He started video recording first and I wasn't sure what he had planned, so I slowly walked outside with Alisa thinking he was going to stop it any second.



I am filming Alisa and I while trying to watch where I step as I go down the hill in our yard (and hoping my aim is good). Alisa loves riding in the carrier...she makes happy noises, waves her arms and kicks her legs a lot.



I kiss Alisa all over before putting her pajamas on (9-16-07). She's extra giggly before bed:



Now Craig kisses Alisa to make her laugh (9-16-07):



Alisa plays with Piglet toy while sitting in her bouncy seat (9-17-07):

Cutie Pie

It's amazing how everything my baby does is cute! Every movement, from the wave of her hand to the wiggling of her toes, is cute and fun to watch. I love how much she uses her legs too when playing with toys. She puts her hands and feet on the toys...even the toys hanging from the arch of the playgym overhead!





Every sound she makes is cute or hilarious. I check on her often during naps and after she's gone to bed because I just love looking at her.



Her personality is starting to show now. She's a bit shy at times, especially when she just wakes up. She has started to really watch me when I eat and drink while holding her and she tries to grab my food or glass. Her mouth has been producing more drool than ever and she has taken to doing what I call "spit talking." She spits as she makes noises and moves her tongue and lips. If you watch closely it really looks like she's trying to form words as the spit bubbles at her lips and drips out. It's different than her other types of talking in the way it sounds...also, it's quieter and her mouth doesn't open as much. It's very cute, but messy!

Alisa and Minga are already good buddies. Minga is gentle with Alisa as Alisa reaches out to grab her when she's near. It's cute to hear Alisa make noises to try to get Minga's attention when she's across the room. When Minga goes near Alisa she is always on the lookout for spit-up to lick up. Alisa thinks Minga is sooooo funny. When Minga bounces and rolls around while playing with her toys, Alisa watches and laughs. She also laughs when Minga licks her feet. Craig sometimes puts Minga's toy bone in her collar and we watch as she jumps around while batting at it with her paw and shaking her head trying to get it out. It takes her awhile to succeed so we laugh a lot while watching her. Alisa really likes that game.



Minga is hoping to catch some spit-up soon:



I usually take the girls outside for a walk before Alisa's afternoon nap. Minga gets really excited when she sees me put on the baby carrier because she knows it's time to play outside. Alisa gets excited when I put her in the carrier because she loves riding in it. She makes happy noises and kicks her legs repeatedly during our walk. It's so great! She also likes watching Minga fetch sticks & frisbees and splash in the creek. And she laughs the most when I spray Minga with the hose to clean her off before going back inside. Minga absolutely loves the hose so she jumps around like crazy trying to catch the spray in her mouth.

Walking in our yard on 9-08-07:



Unfortunately, I have to bring a spit rag with me everywhere Alisa goes...you can see Minga waiting for us in the background (9-16-07):









One good thing about the fact that Alisa didn't gain a lot of weight until this past month is that she was able to wear her clothes longer. At 5 1/2 months, she just now outgrew some of the 3-month-old sized clothes. She just started wearing size 3 diapers this week. It's funny how big those diapers seem to me right now. Whenever she goes up a size in diapers it takes a little while for me to see them as the new norm and not as large. She is just over 16 lbs (over the 50 percentile for weight) and has almost caught up to her buddy Benjamin in weight.



At Benjamin's house on 9-13-07:



Sadly we have to say goodbye to the following cute outfits (to show a few) that Alisa just outgrew....



Her new jingle ball toy:



Crying because ready for a nap:









Reaching for the plush bee on the play blanket:



Here comes that spit-up!:

Happy Baby

Alisa has been super happy this past week. She hasn't been eating as much as before (she hasn't been finishing all her 8 oz bottles), but she's been full of smiles and laughs in between feedings. We were shopping at Sam's last week and she was laughing and making happy noises the entire time. It was so great! She also giggles a lot before bedtime.

Here is what we bought at Sam's:







It has a metal frame inside all that padding so kids can sit on it (supports up to 140 lbs!). It's for ages 3 and up but she can enjoy it now with our supervision. She already loves petting it. They also had a lion, a tiger and an elephant but the giraffe was the best in my opinion for many reasons (it's my favorite animal, it won't show dirt as much as the others, it has the cool ossicones/horns on top and great nostrils). I couldn't believe that it only cost $24.99!

I took Alisa to her first playgroup yesterday. It was started by several of us from the breastfeeding support group that I attended every week for 4+ months. We plan to get together once a month at someone's house or at a park or some such place. It was so cute to see our babies interacting. Most of them were born the same week as Alisa.

6 of the 9 babies at the playgroup (Top row, left to right - Brady, Alisa, Benjamin and bottom row, left to right - Alejandro, Abigail, Tristan):



Brady (we met at his house):



Alisa and Benjamin:



Benjamin:



Alejandro:



Abigail (the oldest by about a month) and Tristan:



Logan:



Nicolette holding red-head Claire (the youngest by 2 months):



McKenzie is Alisa's age but has lots of fun hair (her mom is a friend of one of the moms from the group so I just met her for the 1st time at the playgroup):



Alisa and Brady interacted quite a bit:



Starting to cry because Brady is invading her space:





Trying to get Brady to move back a little:



Tangling legs:

Alisa is 5 Months Old Today

It's frustrating having a baby who spits up all the time! Sometimes she spits up such massive amounts that the burp cloth must be thrown straight into the hamper...because if we wiped it off, it would still leave a large crusty spot when the remainder dried. Alisa loves being on her tummy but that only makes her spit up even more because of the pressure put upon it. It is when she is playing on her tummy (even 2+ hours after eating) that she spits up massive amounts on the burp cloth we laid under her. I went and bought more burp clothes again this week (large ones for over-the-shoulder burping and to lay under her head when she's lounging in the Boppy or playing with the toys on her gym and small ones for wiping her spit-up from her mouth and whatever else it gets on). She was officially diagnosed with reflux a couple of months ago so she has been taking medication twice a day that minimizes her heartburn because it neutralizes her stomach acids. She doesn't cry much anymore when spitting up, so that's a relief because she used to really scream and cry before she was on the medication.

We need to have Alisa work on sitting up more because she is lacking in that area. We bought her a Bumbo chair which is supposed to help her strengthen her back muscles and make it easier to learn to sit. Even with that though she still would rather fold forward and suck her toes.







Check out that string of drool hanging from her foot:



She does sit up straight occasionally in the chair if we put the tray on it:



Without any assistance, she just hunches over or folds all the way forward like this:



Alisa has been gaining weight rapidly over the past month. She gained 1 pound in 5 days (insane!) and has gained half a pound for the past two weeks. She is now just over 15 lbs. The pediatrician says this is fine because she is just over the 50th percentile for weight. She must just be playing catch-up from the weeks she didn't gain any weight during the first few months and was u