11 Months

Our Dear Alethea,

You are almost a year old, 11 months to be exact. So much has happened this past year and we thank God everyday that you are in our live. In just the last month you have grown up so much! You no longer have the 'baby' look about you, but look more like a toddler. You have so many great facial expressions, I could just sit and watch you smile all day. Your personality is becoming even more evident as you are learning to have more independence and experiencing new things. Whenever you want to get out attention you say "ahh", sometimes scream it, for some reason you have stopped saying the few words that you know. One of your favorite things to do is to be outside. You will go bang on the front door just because you want me to walk outside with you for a little bit. The keyboard is one of the favorite toys inside. You could sit on my lap and play the keyboard forever (if i let you).

We are still waiting  for you to take off walking, but you have taken a few steps here and there when we have encouraged you. You know how to walk around all your toys and even walk from toy to toy, but don't have the confidence yet to walk on your own. I know it will happen soon enough and once you get a hang of it, no one will be able to stop you. This past week you did so many exciting things! You can now stack your blocks! All by yourself!! You will sit on the floor with your blocks and just stack away. (although you are still working at stacking more than 2). Not only do you stack blocks, but you know how to put the rings on your ring toy! You get so excited when you are able to stack your blocks, and stack your rings.

I know that I have mentioned before that you love books, but I want to make a special note here. One of the  books that you love is one that I made filled with pictures from the first 5 months after your birth. You love to open the book and give kisses to the baby (you) and to all your relatives. It is so sweet to see how much you love to look at pictures of people that you know. You laugh every time you see a picture of Wallace. It's great to see the love you have for your dog. You are growing into such a wonderful girl! I can't wait to see what the next month has in store for us.

Here are some fun pictures!

Ut oh! Got with Daddy's Wallet!

Hey Wallace wanna eat my cheerios?

Hey mom can I see?

9 And 10 months

The past month was so crazy I completely forgot to post. We were just having too much fun as a family. You are now 10 months old and have grown and done so many things!! (you were 9 months on July 14th, and won't be 10 months until August 14th, but I'm posting this a little early) Stay tuned for her 10month picture with her bear, when she is "officially" 10 months old.

Our darling Alethea,
       If I thought you were crawling last month, man how you have surprised me. You are so quick! I am amazed at how fast you can crawl around on those little legs of yours. You love to sneak out of the living room and bolt right for Wallaces' food and water bowl. Not only do you love to go after his bowls and toys but you LOVE to chase him! Some days you and Wallace will spend what seems like hours chasing each other back and forth in the hallways and playing together. Wallace is very nice to you even though you are still learning to not pull his fur too hard. I am so thankful that we have you and Wallace and that you are able to have a play mate at home.

Her favorite spot in our hotel room while in Michigan. 

     There has been so many new things these past two months! You have now taken 2 trips to Michigan (over 8hours) and have done wonderful! We left in the middle of the night so you would sleep at least one way, and then on the way home we would usually do the trip in two days. You were great with the adjustments and all the new people, but did have some trouble sleeping. Most nights you ended up in bed with mommy and daddy, which was fine with me. :) I know there are only going to be so many times that you will be little and want to cuddle and sleep with us and I am glad to soak them up!

You would never know she had a fever in this picture...

     Some new things that you are now doing; climbing stair, eating solid food, giggling, and saying "da". You are talking so much more now! You say "mama", are working on "da da" and scream A LOT! Screaming is your main form of communication and we are trying to fix that. You have been great at learning signs and love your signing videos. You understand most of the signs you have been taught, and can sign 1 so far. (all done) We are hoping that as you continue to sign more the screaming will decrease. (not all the screaming is bad, most of it is for fun)

Crawling on the bed.. an everyday occurrence

     You have a new favorite toy! You use to love these wiffle balls that you loved! You would carry them around with you all over the house and even sleep with one, but not any more. You are now into books. You of course, have your favorite books but love them all. It is so great to see you sitting on the floor flipping through the same 2 books over and over again. Right now you love the 'pop up' book where the pages flip open. I hope that we will be able to get you some more like that since you love opening and closing the flaps so much! You also have your favorite book that you sleep with, and flip through as you are falling asleep. I love that you are into books and hopes this continues and is something that we can share together; a love of books!

after eating a cold ice cube

     I can't believe that you will soon by a year old. This past year has just flown by and you have grown so much! I can't wait to see how much you will grow in the next 2 months, but am also excited to just cherish the time we have together now. We love you so much Alethea! You are a light in this world and bring so much joy to not only us (your parents) but to everyone you interact with. It is wonderful to see how God is already using your life for His glory at your young age. God uses EVERYONE for His glory and you are proof of that. We love you so much sweetie!!

Here are the few Attempts of trying to get her to sit still for her 9 month picture.. thought everyone would enjoy the candid shots

7 Months!

*I know that you are almost 8 months old now, but between school ending, work starting, and a trip to Michigan we have just been enjoying time together as a family!

Happy 7th Months Alethea!!
The time has come and our darling baby is 7th months old and already standing! Standing is one of your favorite things to do! As soon as you started spending time with the older girls, you are moving all over! You grab my fingers and pull yourself up to a standing positiong; you grab the storage ottoman and stand on that and you love to stand at your leap frog table and play. Not only are you standing, but you have gotten a lot better at moving around on your belly. You have not started crawling yet but are doing a great job scooting to where you want to go. (everywhere but forward). Your personality is showing more then ever now that you are moving and grooving! You are a go with the flow type of baby, but do need your mommy time to cuddle and get away from it all. My favorite time with you is bed time. I love spending so time starring at you, singing, and nursing you to sleep.  I love that we have that cuddle time together, just the 2 of us with no interruptions.  You love to grab my face while we lay next to each other and just stare into my eyes. You also love to play with me hair. Whenever you are fussy I can usually just let you play with me hair and your instantly calm down. You are growing up to be such a big girl and we love you so much!!

6 months

Alethea is 6 months old! It doesn't seem like it has been 6 months since our little sweetie was born.

Dear Alethea,

    Your are getting so big! I can hardly carry you in your car seat anymore. You are looking more and more like your daddy everyday. You have his eyes, light colored hair and wonderful expressions. You are such an expressive baby! I have learned to know exactly what you want based on your facial expressions, and raising of your eyebrows. Your new tired sign is when you start rubbing your eyes and your right ear. If I am holding you then you start to bury your face into my arm. No one other then mommy has been able to really get you to sleep, but as soon as I sit down to rock you and start singing you fall fast asleep. I love being able to sing and rock you to sleep and love that you know my voice. Your beautiful eyes look up at me as we rock and sing and your head slowly slides down into my arm and your eyes close. Singing you to sleep for naps and bedtimes are one of my favorite parts of our day together. It is a time that we get to spend together, just us, with no interruptions or worries. You are starting to settle into a bedtime routine and going to sleep earlier without waking up. Right now you go to bed around 730-8 and wake up twice to nurse (before 11pm) and then will only wake up once in the earlier morning (around 4am) to nurse again. You are such a happy baby when you wake up in the morning. You are getting such a great nights sleep that I wake up to my beautiful Alethea talking in her crib and looking at my eyes. There isn't a better way to wake up.

You are becomming more attached to your mommy everyday. You are constantly follwoing me around (with your eyes) and are always aware of where I am. You still let strangers hold you, but will be watching me to make sure that it is ok. Although, there are times where you will start crying if I leave the room or you can't see me anymore. I love it! I love that you know who your mommy is and that you want me. It is your way of showing me how much you love and need me. It's Wonderful! Pretty soon your will be crawling and moving all over the place. I love you and can't wait to see what the future holds for you.

Wallace wanted a picture with her bear too

5 month

My little sweetie is now 5 1/2months old.  She has grown up so much this past month I can't believe it. She has started eating cereal twice a day, and soon we will be adding other baby food. It is still hard to believe that my little baby is already eating "real" food. We are still nursing and loving it! YAY! I love having that one-on-one time with Alethea.

I feel like every month I am saying how much you have grown, but I can't help it, you are growing so fast! In the past month you have learned to roll both ways, although you still do not like being on your stomach. You reach for people, mostly mommy and daddy but occasionally you will reach for nana. I love walking into a room and having your little arms reach out and grab me. You love to touch and grab my face (or whoever else is carrying you). It is the best feeling to feel your little tiny hands on my face and  your eyes starring into my eyes. The other major physical milestone that you have done is to sit supported! I say sit supported because I can't yet leave you on the floor by yourself sitting. Most of the time you do great sitting by yourself, but will on occasion fall to the side while reaching for a toy.

As you have grown older, mommy and daddy are always talking about who you look most like, and what your personality is. There is one thing that we ALWAYS agree you.... you are a TALKER! You love to talk, talk, talk, talk. This makes perfect sense, because your mommy and daddy both talk A LOT.

You are now eating rice cereal and sweet potatoes! You LOVE to eat! You get so excited whenever we put you in your highchair because you know that means you get to eat.

Oh how much your personality is beginning to show! Your are such a sweet little baby, but have started screaming when you can't reach a toy, or are not fed fast enough. One of the funniest stories this past month has been your new scared face. Daddy was playing rough with Wallace and Wallace growled at our daddy and you looked directly at me terrified then buried your head into my shoulder. We love seeing all the new faces and hearing the noises that you are making.

4 Months

My Dear Alethea

I am always late in writing a letter to you on the exact day you turn so many months old. I have just been too busy playing with you! :)

Today you are 4 months 15 days old. Everyday I look at you and am so thankful that God gave us you. You went for your 4 month doctors appointment and did great! It was a little harder for me to see you in pain with your shots, but I know it is for the best. You weigh 11lbs 13 oz. You are a tall petite little girl and we wouldn't change a thing about you!

Nana came with us to the doctors since daddy was working and you had such a fun time smiling at her and giggling. I expected you to be very cranky after you shots but you were great! You fussed a little bit whenever we touched or moved your leg but other then that you were wonderful. I never would have known that you had shots by your attitude.

Your are starting to have very strong opinions about who holds you and how you are being held. You will go to daddy fine most of the time, but have started crying when nana or anyone else will hold you if you can't see me. I love that you know who I am and want to see me all the time!

You have been coming to Bible study with me the past 3 weeks and everyone there loves you. It is so nice to see the ministry you are already doing at your young age. You sit in my lap and look around at everyone in our group, and usually voice your own opinion on the topic. (everyone LOVES hearing you talk)

You are now rolling over, from your back to stomach. The first day you did this was Thursday Feburary 23 2012. You haven't completly rolled over again, but you are always on your side and even sleep that way. Not only do you roll over, but you LOVE your exersaucer. You reach the the toys and are starting to move yourself around and jump. Your little squeal while you are jumping is so cute! The first time we heard you, daddy jumped up thinking something was wrong, only to see that you were smiling away. Everyday you are getting better at grasping toys and bringing them to your mouth.

Another favorite activity of yours is to go outside. The weather has been WONDERFUL here and we have been able to go outside at least 5 days a week for a while. You love being in your Moby wrap and looking around at everything outside. When you are fussy, one of the quickest ways to calm you down is to walk outside for a minute. I wonder if you are going to be an outside or inside girl.

I know this post is so long, but there is so much I want to remember about this time in your life. Your are doing wonderful sleeping through the night and will be starting cereal soon. We are still trying to get in a nap routine but you will usually take 3 naps a day for 45min-2hrs. You are such a big girl and growing up so fast! I can't believe by next month, you could be sitting up, eating food and moving all over the place. Your daddy and I love you so much!!! Happy 4 months our dear Alethea!!!

3 months(ish)

I know I'm WAY late on this post, but hey I was too busy playing with Alethea to write this. :)
This post was meant to be written as your 3 month old post, but now it is being written as 3 1/2 months since you will be 4 months in 2 weeks.

My Dear Alethea,

You are becoming such a sweet little girl. I love waking up everyday and seeing something new that you are doing. You have the most beautiful smile, with cute little dimples! Although you do smile at other people, you mostly smile at your mommy. Not only are you smiling, but you have started to giggle and talk. Your "talking" is just little sounds but you love to talk. When I come to get you out of bed you just look at me smile big and start talking. No matter how rough the night was, waking up to your smile and the joy you radiate when you see me just makes everything better. I can't wait to see what you start doing next!

One of your new found loves is to sit on the changing table without any clothes or diaper on. Sometime Mommy and Daddy will bring your changing mat to the couch and let you lay on the couch with us naked. As soon as we start walking towards the changing mat you stop crying and start smiling. It is such a joy to see your big smile and giggles when you know you are going to be "free" of your diaper. Not only do you like to be naked on the changing table, but it is your FAVORITE time to talk to mommy, daddy or nana. You will talk non-stop with anyone who will listen. Maybe this mean you will be a talker? (and an easy child to potty train)

There are so many new things that you are doing now! (so to other I apologize for the long post).  You have started to cry when people other than your mommy are holding you. Sometimes, (even when daddy is holding you) you will cry when I leave the room. It is so sweet to see that you know who I am and miss me when I am gone.  Right now I LOVE this! I love that you only want your mommy and that I am an instant comfort to you, but I have a feeling this will become harder as you get older.

Here is a quick (hopefully) list of all the things you are now doing:

1.scooting around on the play mat (I will put you under one toy and come back a minute later and you are either turned around or off the play mat)

2. starting to try to roll over (Right now you can get your legs and butt turned over but not quite the top half of your body. You are also really starting to enjoy your tummy time and are doing a great job building up your arm and neck muscles)

3. grasping for objects (not only are you JUST grasping for objects, but now you will hold them and put them towards your mouth to chew on. Teething maybe?)


4.  a sweet personality (I love seeing your personality evolve! You are such a good baby, not fussy [except in the early evening hours], very smiling. giggling and bashful. You love to "flirt" with the older women at church by smiling then turning your head into my shoulder. You are a laid back girl and tend to go with the flow of things. Hopefully this will continue to be true.)

5. Along with that personality come whining. (your cries have started changing to "big girl cries" and you have began to whine more because you don't like a certain position or want your mommy)

You are such a big girl! At your 3 months doctor appointment you weighted 11lbs!!! We are so proud of you to be that big!! The doctor says you are growing great and have improved amazingly since your last visit.  (at your 2month appointment you were 8.8) Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!!

World Series

(This was written a while ago, but somehow never got posted so here it is)

Our daughter is a HUGE sports fan. Sure she only weighed in at 6 Lbs 2 Ounces. Her birth and first few weeks have been told before, but not from an boisterous/hilarious/sports adventurous angle.

It was a dark night, many nights are dark, but this night, it was very dark. Perhaps someone had forgotten to turn on the night lights in the sky, or perhaps the narrator of this story is wearing sunglasses. Either way, it was dark. It was Friday, the weekend was looming. For many hours labor persisted, with groans, striving, sweat and tears, the labor continued. The hospital room was all in a buzz, nurses shouting, cheering, even chanting. Throughout the night there were ups and downs, highs and lows. Breathing at some points was difficult, but effort was always being given all for the sake of the goal. And that goal was almost in reach. For you see dear reader, it was game six of a best of seven series between the Milwaukee Brewers(the bad guys), and the St. Louis Cardinals (the good guys). The Cards were tied in the series 2-2, locked in an epic battle with their foes. 

But the night of her birth was not the only piece of evidence we had in discovering Alethea's passion for sports. She already has watched many football games, these games usually have been games in which her two favorite teams played: J-E-T-S (NY), and Lions(DET). Is it true that Alethea already has shown more sports passion in 5 weeks than most humans in their entire lives? Yes. Is it also true that Alethea has already learned how to throw a 90 MPH Fastball? No. But even if she never does, Alethea already has had a life filled with sports highlights. 

Alethea, As the narrator of this post I have to convey the message from your parents. They say to tell you they love you and always remember how big a fan you were, even on the dark, dark night on which you were born!

2 Months!

Alethea was 2 months old on December 14th! (Sorry it took so long to write this post) I am finally in the groove of things. Now that I feel normal and am no longer recovering from surgery and pregnancy, I finally feel like I am doing what I am called to do. I love staying home and watching you grow. It has taken 2 months, but I am now able to take care of you, wallace, daddy and household chores.  Each day I look at you and see how you have grown and changed. You still look A LOT like your daddy and I love that. Although you look like daddy, you have taken on mommy's easy-going personality and whinyness.

Our dear Alethea, as soon as we think we have figured out your schedule you change it up. Most days you are awake somewhere between 730-8am and ready to start your day. If we are lucky you will sleep for 1.5-2 hours sometime in the morning and take another hour nap in the afternoon. Some days you like to go to sleep at 730-8pm and will sleep for 5hours straight and other nights you like to stay up late with daddy.

You have so many funny facial expressions and have started to giggle. I just love to look at you and see a huge smile on your face and listening to you giggle in your sleep.  It is great to see you developing a personality and we are learning what you do and do not like. You love to get your diaper changed! I have never seen a baby who hates to be wet as much as you do and who gets SO happy when they are sat on the changing table. We have some of our best bonding moments while you are getting changed. Not only do you talk to mommy and daddy, but you have also starting "talking" to your toy flower that looks at you during diaper changes. I have a feeling you will love playing with stuffed animals and spend hours talking to them.

Bath time is another one of your favorite activities. You can be pitching a fit but the moment you get in your little bath seat and the water touches you, you instantly relax. I am savoring the moments where you lie still in the bathtub and look up at us with your bath time smile. :)  I know that sometime in the near future you will be sitting up and start splashing in the tub and no longer my newborn baby.

I am looking forward to watching you grow up and start rolling over and seeing more of your silly faces. We love you Alethea!

7 weeks old!

Dear Alethea,

You are 7 weeks old today and so big! You are now over 8lbs and almost completely out of your newborn clothing. Everyday I look at you and see that you have grown. You are now smiling all the time and love when your daddy sings to you.

This is a little video of you and daddy. Daddy was finishing up a paper for one of his classes while you watched and helped him sing.

You are so big and awesome Alethea! We love you and love sharing life with you!

Mommy and Daddy

1 Month Old!

Alethea is 1 month old today! Tuesday November 14, 2011.  (I apologize this is late but I'm having a hard time keeping up with writing and posting on time.)

Our Dear Alethea,

I can not believe that you are already 1 month old! It seems like only yesterday we were anxiously awaiting your arrival. You have brought so much joy and love to our lives that I can not even begin to explain. It amazes me that you know your mommy and daddy. Sometimes I can't believe that you are the little child that was inside me for so long.

You are such a laid back baby girl. Although you are fussy at times when not being held, you are generally happy. You have done great with letting people other then mommy and daddy hold you. (I really hope that is something that stays) One of my favorite things is when you are upset when someone else is holding you and how you calm down immediately when I pick you up. You already know your mommy and prefer me to other people.

When you were first born you looked a lot like your daddy and now you look like a perfect mixture between the two of us. You have you daddy's ears, eyes and feet as well as his "go with the flow" personality. You did a great job switching between nursing and bottles from day one in the hospital which gives mommy a break and allows daddy to feed you. Daddy feeding you has been such a great bonding experience. You also amazed us when you were the perfect angle (not crying at a well, and taking formula) the whole time mommy was in the hospital and recovery (you were 3 weeks old). We have already been through a lot as a family this past month and you have handled it wonderfully! We are so thankful to have you as our daughter.

You are such a tiny little thing! At your 1 month doctors appointment that doctor said  that your are a tiny feisty little baby. You only weighed 6.89lbs but had grown to 21.5 inches. Mommy and Daddy are now working very hard to get more meat on your bones. We spend a lot of time feeding you and are enjoying the special time to bond while you are staring into our eyes and eating. Although you are not sleeping through the night, most of the time we get a good 3-4hours stretch of sleep. You love to be held in the middle of the night and look at mommy and daddy as you fall asleep. As tiring as it is for us to be up with you so long rocking you to sleep, I know these times won't last forever and are treasuring them.  You are eating every 2.5-3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night. You are still in newborn clothes, although they are fitting you more snug and are also in newbonr diapers. You are our tiny little girl and we thank God every day that you are in our life.

We love you so much and could not imagine our lives without you. Our family feels more complete with you apart of it and I can't remember what life was like without you. We would do anything to provide and care for you. We are treasuring the time we have now when you are this little and just learning to see the world around you and are also so excited for the future! You have recently started smiling at us and we can't wait to see more smiles as you grow. We love you!