Bouncing Baby Girl

So, we just got a new computer and we're hoping that the videos will load better now. Thought we'd try it on this. A six month post is coming, but here is something to keep you coming back!

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Alyssa Update-Five Months

Wow, I can't believe that she is already five months old. She all of the sudden seems less like a baby. She is starting to sit on her own and today rolled over for the first time. See the video below. It's not a great video, but it gives you the gist.

Alyssa is really becoming very intertwined with her world. She especially loves her brothers. Kyle can really make her laugh, but all of them can definitely make her smile. She usually takes one two hour nap a day, and sometimes more than one. We aren't doing much better at night yet, she is still up anywhere from 1-6 times to put her pacifier back in. I am wondering how that will change now that she is rolling over.

She can consistenly get toys into her mouth, and her hands are always in there. She drools like a madwoman. My mom thinks there are teeth coming soon, but none of the boys had teeth until at least 8 months, so I'm not holding my breath.

She has wonderful smiles and you can tell that she is proud of herself just to be alive and be able to do all the things she can do.

She went to her first Cubs' game in the middle of June and luckily the Cubs won, because she did not particularly enjoy it. She cried every time the crowd clapped and cheered, and since we went to a Cubs-Sox game, that was pretty much every batter. She did finally go to sleep, but I think we'll wait awhile before she goes again.

Alyssa Update-Four Months

Okay, okay, so I know that she is going to be five months tomorrow. But, I missed three months and I didn't want to miss getting down on paper (or in cyberspace) what she was like at four months.

Alyssa continues to be our little peanut. She weighed in at 12 lbs. 1 oz. at her four month check. She was also 24 3/4 inches as well. She is in the 60th percentile for height, but only the 10th for weight.

Milestone-wise, however, she is right on track or maybe even a little ahead of the game. She has no desire to roll over, but I think she could if she wanted. She has found her feet and her hands just immediately go for them if she is laying on her back. She has even gotten them to her mouth a couple of times. She holds herself really well and the doctor thinks that she will be sitting by the time she goes in for her 6 month check.

We still are not sleeping all that great. As much as I love that the pacifier makes her a happier baby, it does give us problems at night. We are up anywhere from 1-5 times a night to plug that silly thing back in. We tried for about two weeks to let her "cry it out" and not go in and put it back in, but it never got any better, so we are putting that all on hold for a month or so. She is still going to bed late at night (around 9:30 or so), but she feeds around 4:30 or 5:00 and then goes back to sleep until about 8:00.

All in all, she is a very happy baby. She has discovered that she knows her brothers and Kyle can get her laughing like no one else can. She started laughing just after she was three months old.

Here are some pictures that I took right after she turned four months. She was getting tired by the time they were actually ready for her so her smile is not the best. She has this wonderful smile. She has a huge mouth! There are others on the JC Penney's website. Here is that info: Go to https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTPP0250111481JCP and then enter my first and last name as the customer name. You should be able to see them all.

Can't believe how quickly it is going by! We love our little peanut! All five of us!

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Tulip Time

Okay, so I'm a lot late in posting, but these last two months have just seemed to get away from me. At the beginning of May we went out to my in-laws in Pella for Tulip Time. We love to go every year and my mother-in-law has even made Dutch costumes for all the girls and manages to find wonderful costumes for all the boys. This year she even made Alyssa a costume that matches mine. I hope that she knows how special that was to me. It is such a wonderful time--all of my hubby's family finds a way to be there together. We come from Chicago and Denver and it has become more of a family affair than Christmas and it's very speical that way. Anyway, after much eating and parade-watching, here are some of the pictures that were taken.

Doesn't Jacob look extremely excited to be scrubbing streets?

Kyle did a great job! Maybe I should hire him permenantly!

Zachary pulls the "I'm too cute to work" face!

This is the Dutch costume my mother-in-law made for Alyssa. She looks so happy to be wearing it! Hopefully it will fit her again next year!

Here is the best picture that we have of the whole family. It's pretty good!

Looking forward to next year!

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Overheard

Zachary: What kind of shower talks?
Mom: I don't know, what kind?
Zachary: A TALKING SHOWER!
Mom: Oh, of course.
Zachary: That was a joke.
Mom: Oh, it was, huh?
Zachary: Was it funny?
Oh Zachary, not as funny as you are telling it!
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Overheard

Not sure if I remember the words exactly, but the conversation in the car this week went something like this:

Kyle: Mom, what happens if Dad dies before you do.
Mom: Well, I don't like to think about it, but we would be okay, I guess.
Kyle: Then I could marry you.
Mom: Well no, we don't marry our moms.
Kyle: Then who am I going to marry?
Mom: Well, I'm sure you will find a nice girl to marry someday when you are a grown-up.
Kyle: When I am 18 then I will be a grown up and I can get married.
Mom: You can get married then but most people don't get married until MUCH later than that!
Kyle: (after thinking for a minute or so) Mom, how will I find someone who has the same last name as me?

After a little giggle in my head, I explained that girls usually change their last name when they marry boys. Just another example of how my boys are growing up in the world and trying to understand it!
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Alyssa Update-Two Months

Well, officially, Alyssa will be two months old tomorrow, but since we were at the pediatrician today, I thought I would go ahead and give you all the update. She weighed in today at 9 pounds, 12 ounces, and was 22 3/4 inches long. Both of those put her at the 25th percentile, so the doctor thinks that we may just have a cute, little peanut on our hands. She has been hitting all her milestones. She loves to smile at us and has started to "talk" to us as well. However, I think she smiles and "talks" more to the star that lights up and plays music on her playmat than she does to us. Here is her most recent picture. I took this yesterday.

She has also continued to be a pretty good sleeper. The last two nights she has slept over 7 hours, so we have been able to start feeling a little more normal around here as well. Hopefully that will continue. Now that she has discovered that there is a world outside of her, she is less enthusiastic about taking naps, but will sleep for a couple hours in our arms. Oh well, they're only little once and we will never have another one this little again, so I am just trying to go with the flow. Before long she will be up and walking and walking away from me. Right now, I will just try to hold onto her while she is little.

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P.S. Here is one more picture. This was taken at 6 weeks, right when she started smiling.