4 Months Old!

Alyssa is 4 months old! Time sure flies when you're on baby duty...

This milestone brings several new developments in our world. We have been feeding Alyssa rice cereal for a little less than 2 weeks now and she loves it! I assumed we would see more coming back out than staying in, but she has been doing really well with it. She figured out how to swallow it in a hurry! She gets almost frantic when we bring the spoon near her, flailing her arms and legs around. She is (occasionally) sleeping better at night and napping more during the day... it's amazing what a difference a full tummy can make!

Toys are becoming more interesting to her now. She is able to reach out and grab things that come into her field of vision, whether it be a pacifier, a teether, a toy, our clothes, my jewelry, or, my personal favorite, my hair (ouch... yet another reason to consider a "Mommy" haircut)! She has recently discovered her feet, too! Within the last few days she has realized that her feet are attached to her body and that they make fun playthings. Monday afternoon I found her with her big toe in her mouth. I knew it was only a matter of time!

Baby talk has replaced English as the primary language spoken at our house. Now that Alyssa has discovered her voice, she wants to talk (or squeal) all of the time! We'll copy her sounds back to her and she grins from ear to ear, so excited that she is having a "conversation" with us. I sometimes have to remind myself to come out of baby mode when talking to an adult since I have spent the day chatting with the baby!

We are having a blast watching her new personality emerge. I can't wait to see what's in store for us next!

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Congratulations are Overdue!

This is really the year of the baby! I mentioned back in the beginning of this blog that I know LOTS of ladies having babies this year... I believe the number was 13 back then. Two of these ladies are family! My cousin Spencer and his girlfriend Jenny (of Minnesota) had their first baby, a girl, on March 3rd. Evelyn Christine weighed 7lbs, 6oz. She looks just like him!

The other family baby was born to Mike's cousin Ethan and his wife Kaori (of Japan). Kaylee was almost 8lbs and almost 19 inches long when she was born on July 9th.

Congratulations to both families!

But where are all of the boys?!?!

Just Beautiful

Mommy, the smitten, here. Not much to say since it is late, but I just want to share a picture. Enjoy!

As Promised…

Back in June I wrote about the shower that my parents threw for us at their house while Mike's Mom was in town. I hadn't taken any pictures myself, so I had to wait until someone else sent me their pictures so I would have some to post. Thanks to Crissy and my Dad, here are some pictures of the day for your perusal...

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Busy Baby!

This little punkin is busy, busy, busy! She has started rolling from her back to her side over and over again. She has been doing it so many times in a row that she is now able to turn a full circle! It is very fun to watch. She has enjoyed flying overhead like an airplane (and Mommy likes it, too, because she has yet to spit up in the process... my opinion may change before too long!) I have been "bench-pressing" her as well... pushing her out to the full length of my arms and then bringing her in for a kiss. She seems to enjoy it and even laughed at me a little today. Not a belly laugh, just yet, but I am sure that is coming soon!

As always, it is amazing how much babies change. It is really surprising how much difference a day can make. The rolling happened from Tuesday to Wednesday of this week. You saw the pool pictures from the first try... She didn't know what to make of it. When we took her to the pool last night and she was grinning from ear to ear! Just a few days before these pictures were taken, she wouldn't wear anything on her head, and now look at her! Babies are amazing!

In other news... Ashleigh babysat a couple of weeks ago. She had a good time, and these pictures MUST be shared!

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