Happy First Birthday, Alyssa!

Yay! Alyssa turned 1 year old on Saturday, May 24th. The weekend was too crazy to even think about making a post, so here's a recap!

Alyssa and I ran around Raleigh picking up party supplies on Friday and she was such an angel! Everywhere we went, people were talking to her and remarking on how sweet she is. She kept her birthday princess tiara on throughout the stores! Several people commented on that as well... she obviously knew she was the queen of the show!

We had a birthday party for her at the Rolesville Park on Saturday afternoon and lots of friends came and celebrated with us. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the birthday song (kinda like "what are all of you looking at me for?")! We had fun watching her eat her very own puppy dog birthday cake like a little princess... very dainty and pretty tidy! She picked up bits of icing and cake with just the tips of her fingers and barely made a mess! This was very unlike her treatment of the watermelon... she had 4 or 5 wedges and got completely soaked!

Present time was fun. Like most kids, she enjoyed the wrapping and packaging just as much as the gifts! She got the hang of opening her presents in a hurry and can now do some serious damage to a bag with tissue paper. She got lots of adorable clothes and some really cool toys... puzzles, Care Bears!, Cabbage patch dolls, shape sorters, a chatter phone, a See & Say, some really nice books, a trainer shopping cart, tub toys, and lots of other neat things! My parents gave her a really nice Radio Flyer wagon that seats 2 kids with a canopy and a bunch of neat options. She loves it!

We all enjoyed watching her play with Gavin, our neighbors' nephew. She followed him around the picnic table for a while and they sat together in the wagon... check out the pictures below!

Before the party, Alyssa's Uncle Jeff stopped by for a few minutes to visit (he was in town for a bachelor party and was on a time crunch). We were all so glad to see him!

Thanks to everyone who came, and to everyone for all of the wonderful birthday presents. This child is so loved! We just can't believe we've already been able to love her for a whole year already!

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Firsts…

We've had a fun, busy, and VERY EXCITING week! Over the weekend, we took Alyssa to pick strawberries with my parents (a first for her Daddy, too!) Once she discovered that the red berries were very tasty, there was no stopping her! We sat her down between the rows and she was after any berry that she could reach. The juice was running down her chin and arms and she loved every second! Thankfully, Tula was quick with the Zout! and all the juice came right out of her dress.

After her bath, Alyssa got to ride on the tractor with Seanachai... she was waving frantically and squealing with delight. Another converted John Deere fan!

Finally, I told you that she has been standing on her own a bit over the last week or so. I told my parents on Thursday of last week that I thought she'd be walking by the end of the week. I was one day off because SHE STARTED ON MONDAY! At first, she was taking a step or two and then clapping for herself (a balance hazard on wobbly legs!) which made her fall down. She spent all day yesterday practicing her new skill... she would set herself against the windowsill or the bottom stair and then push off to give it a try! By the time Mike got home yesterday evening, she was able to walk 5 steps to get a hug from him! And the chase is on.......

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11 Months (Exactly this time!)

I can't believe we are really down to one month before the big O-N-E! Time really does fly (at least when you are past colic and sleeping through the night)!

Alyssa is so sweet... her personality is really coming out when I bring her to the office on Thursdays for the big switcheroo (trade-off with Mom for afternoons with Tula)! Today she was talking to everyone and giving everyone this funny pageant- grin. She has been coming out of her shell more and more with large groups of people in the last month. She used to get really quiet and serious when I would bring her in to visit. Cathy, a coworker, even said one time that she had never seen her smile (but she had seen her many times)!Not so anymore! She is showing her flirty side and even waving and blowing kisses. So cute!

I told you a while back that she was trying to climb the stairs a little... now she can go the whole way! We have a very long staircase (16 tall stairs in a row with no landing) so Mike and I are very nervous when she does it. We don't let her go above the second stair without us right behind her (we leave a gate there the rest of the time), but she is tickled when she gets to climb. She likes to turn and make sure we are with her and waves and squeals if the other one of us is watching. When we have the gate up, she likes to go up to the second stair and slide down on her rear. She gets to the bottom and yells "YAY!" and claps until we join her.  Definitely into the praise!

Again, I think we have a smarty pants on our hands... Mike says that she figured out how to use the roller on the mouse yesterday! She'll be playing World of Warcraft with him before she can talk!

Last tidbit... she is considering walking! All week we have seen her try to stand on her own without anything to lean on. She doesn't generally last too long. Until today! She stood in the bathroom with me for a full 30 seconds! I was completely stuck! I wanted to get the camera and also watch. So, sorry, no picture of it yet!

Well over 10 months old…

OK, call me a slacker. It's okay. I'll just say we've been busy! The latest accomplishments of little 'Lissy...

• Full arm wave (at the TV, cars driving by, anyone she thinks will respond)
• Dancing... the bounce move, only now she does it to any music (even commercials!) She still prefers the Irish music, though!
• Dancing in her seat (particularly when Seanachai gets her going) by bouncing just her shoulders in time to the music
• Clapping!
• Flirting (again, especially with Seanachai or other men)... she pulls her chin to her chest and her ear to her shoulder and grins this adorable grin. She gets ANYTHING she wants!
• Temper, temper... if we take something away from her, she'll put her hands to the sides and holler. AAAAHHH!
• Pointing! She points with her index finger at something she wants or wants to show you...
• Including Elmo! She recognizes and can point out Elmo in a book if you ask her to. Tula discovered this one on Thursday... She even has her own way of saying his name!

She got to meet my Uncle John and his wife Michele (and their dog... she has decided she LOVES dogs... they make her giggle!) over Easter. Our friends Bob and Bonnie from Vermont and my Uncle Mike from Minnesota have also visited in the last couple of weeks. We've been busy!

Some pics...

Happy Easter!

#2!

No not THAT kind! Tooth #2! Alyssa now has a second tooth on the bottom. No more chewing on Mommy or Daddy's fingers!

She is walking with the help of furniture and windowsills (and Mommy and Daddy, of course)! She can get around pretty quickly if there is something she can grab onto, but she definitely prefers crawling. She really flies on all fours!

Last Friday, she started a couple of new things... waving and playing "Sooooo big!" We were out shopping with my Mom and Grandmother when a salewoman waved at her. She waved back! Not the kind of wave where you move your hand back and forth, but the kind where you move just your fingers. She does it constantly now! She has been having fun looking at herself in the mirror lately, and now she likes to wave at her reflection and say "Baba!" It is so cute to watch! My grandmother started "Sooooo big"... if you ask her who is "Soooo big," she'll raise her arms (or sometimes just an arm) over her head and sometimes even wave. It has been fun to see!

One last item... she's a climber! She has discovered that she can climb the first stair all by herself! She has only done it a couple of times, and each time she gets so nervous that she has to get right back down. The first time she tried to sit (and went right over backwards!) She is a little less cavalier about it now and just slides down on her stomach if she can. Ah, the ever- increasing level of terror in a house with a baby!

Congratulations!

Another new baby! Congratulations are due to my friends, Angela and Kevin Page who welcomed their first child, daughter Aleigha Grace Page March 11, 2008. Stats... 8 pounds, 1 ounce, 20 inches long (the EXACT same stats as Alyssa!)

Congratulations on your beautiful little bundle!