December happenings...

All I want for Christmas...

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...and that's what Alyssa got. Her first tooth started breaking through over Thanksgiving, and the second wasn't far behind it. She loves showing off her teeth now...and really wants to start eating table food. No more mushy stuff for her.

Christmas Time is here!!

What a doll!

Don't ya just love the shoes!!

Ready for Santa!!

Well...we decided to combine Alyssa's 9 month portraits and Christmas pictures together. She took a little nap on the way to the studio, and was ready to go when we started. She did great, and got some really cute smiles. Alyssa is truly becoming a camera hog.

Bath time...

Alyssa had a pretty bad case of diaper rash from the antibiotic for the ear infection...So, we were bathing her in the sink to help by using baking soda in the water. (Hey...I got bathed in the sink...and I'm just fine!) Anyways, she's finally starting to get some hair...so I had to play with it when I washed it. She had a lot of fun splashing water all over the counter and Mommy.

Bubble beard!

She kept grabbing for the sprayer hose.

Can you see the mo-hawk??

I love this little girl!!!

Turkey Day Fun!

We had our family celebration at my mom's house this year. Most of my extended family was there. We had a great time visiting and eating great food too. The feast was a traditional turkey, ham, stuffing, etc....except Nana had to put an emergency call into my Uncle Melton ( Nana's big brother). It seems that Nana wasn't successful with the dumplings, and since his are the best ever, she called to see if he could save the day. He did, with much delight to the rest of us! Anyways, before we sat down to eat, I tried to get some pictures of the kiddo's. It's neat to see the next generation of our family. Our parents used to take pictures of my siblings and our cousins every year at Christmas, so I tried to keep up that tradition. Man...I know what a friend of mine means by herding cats now! I don't think I got one picture of all of them looking at me. Oh well...we'll try again at Christmas!

The next generation...from left to right:

Top: Destiny, Derek

Bottom: Andrew, Joseph, Clara, Alyssa, Alexander

Miss Clara..what a cutie!

I can get this ball!! YIPPEE!!

Aunt Shelly was tickling Alyssa..and she loved it!

Kristin & Alex..he was blowing kisses!

Such a happy face!!

Alex was chowing down on some cake!

Destiny & Alyssa...Destiny just loves playing with Alyssa, holding her, or anything that involves being around Alyssa.

Nana & the girls!

Clara and her big brother Joseph!

Such a sweet face...love those baby blues!!

Trouble on the move!!!

Now that Alyssa is crawling, she is getting into everything. She is figuring out how to crawl over, around, or through whatever may be in her way. Her favorite thing to do now is chase the dogs, especially Callie (Nanny & Pawpaw's dog). She chased Callie into their kitchen, around the dining table, and back into the living room. She'll chase our dog, Colby, all through the house. We have had to move the food bowls...she's tried to eat their food. It's so cute to see her crawl after the dogs, then stop and laugh at herself. I think we are going to invest in a baby gate to keep her in the living room...otherwise she takes off for the bedrooms. She's getting very fast...lol!

She's becoming a camera hog...she started crawling towards me when I took her picture.

Which way now??

Yummy in my tummy!!

I spent a weekend at my parents house a few weeks back while Mark was teaching a scuba class. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more...Alyssa or her Nana and Granddaddy. Nana brought home some KFC for dinner (I love their mashed potatoes). We put Alyssa in her new booster seat on the counter to eat her dinner, but she had other plans. She reached over for the tub of mashed potatoes and got a handful before I knew it. She loved it, so we put some on the tray and let her have at it. I think she really loves to feed herself now.

Love those potatoes.

What's so funny??

9 months old!!

Well...my little girl is now 9 months old. She is learning so much so quick. She is very fast at crawling and is becoming very inquisitive. She is 19 lbs 14 oz and 28 1/4 " long. Her doctor was very pleased with her development. We've had to start her on stage 3 foods, and she's started eating some table food. She really wants what Mommy & Daddy are eating rather than her food. We have to keep the puffs on hand for her.

She is also finally getting her first teeth..the top two teeth. I was beginning to wonder if she was ever going to get them. Our house has become a huge playroom for her, and her toys are all over our living room.

Not feeling good..

Our whole family has been sick this past weekend. Alyssa got sick at school on Friday, then decided to give the bug to Mommy, Granddaddy, Nana, and Daddy over the course of the weekend. She went to the doctor on Monday, and has an ear infection and pink eye. She is doing much better now.

I'll post some pictures later, just wanted to give an update on how the family is doing.

Breaking News!! Alyssa's Crawling!!

She saw Daddy stacking the blocks, getting ready to pounce!

Getting those feet out...
On the move!

Crawling's hard work!

Well...it happened. Alyssa started crawling this weekend. She has been leaning over from sitting for a few weeks now, but she sits right back up. It is soo cute to see her "pounce" on the floor. She almost falls over, but catches herself with her hands. Then she wiggles a little to get her feet behind her. I think what finally motivated her was Mark stacking up her blocks. Once she saw that, she took off towards the tower of blocks and knocked it over! Then she sat back up and laughed at us. A whole new world has opened up for her. Needless to say, we went to Home Depot yesterday to get baby proofing stuff for the cabinets and outlets. I can't believe she's growing up soo fast!!

Yes...I know there is food under her nose...she won't let me wash her face after dinner.