Alyssa's Ancestors

Most people say that Alyssa looks just like her father.  You can see from this picture of him at three months that they do have a lot of similarities.

When he's holding her I can't help but think they look like twins!  However, recently my cousin Mary shared the following picture with me.  It's my father's mother and his older sister Shelley, taken in 1925.  I was stunned at Baby Shelley's resemblance to Alyssa.  I guess she has a bit of my family in her after all!

Two Girls in the Bath

Tonight I stuck Alyssa in the bath with Kelly for the first time since Alyssa could actually sit up and be somewhat self-sufficient.  They had fun together!

Alyssa enjoyed her first "big girl bath!"

6 Month Checkup

In a belated visit to the pediatrician for her 6 month check up (she was already 6.5 months old), we found out that Alyssa was 17lb10oz (73rd percentile), 26in (49th percentile), and has a 17.5 inch head circumference (90th percentile).  That's my girl!  The doctor commented on what a happy baby she was.  Always nice to hear.  She barely cried in spite of getting 3 shots.

Alyssa Sits Up

In the past week Alyssa has been getting better and better at sitting up on her own (especially if we prop her up in tripod fashion!) 

Playing the xylophone

Eating the xylophone mallet

Happy baby!!

Six Months Old!!!

It's hard to believe my baby is already half a year old!  Each milestone and passing day is bittersweet because I know we're leaving another stage behind.  Still, it's so exciting to see Alyssa grow into a little girl!  Our newest pleasure is riding in the shopping cart.  Kelly and I have been talking about where "baby sister" would some day sit since before she was born, so it is so exciting to finally have her there!  Please excuse Kelly's expressions.  Unfortunately, this is what you get when you ask her to smile. 

 

  

  

  

  

Kelly giving Alyssa a hug or something.  She has some odd ways of showing affection....

 

Sorry for all the pictures, but as you can see there weren't any clear "good" ones.  So, I just posted them all for their comedic value. 

Not Quite Crawling

Alyssa is rolling all over the place and pushing up like a champ.  She acts like she wants to crawl but the best she does is lie on he stomach, raise her hands and feet, and do a fast frog kick.  Its really pretty funny!

 

  

 

That's me trying to get her to crawl to me.  I think she'll have to get her tummy off the floor first, but I was hoping for at least an army crawl!

Just Pictures

Just some pictures from Daddy practicing with his new camera lens...

Isa's 9th Birthday

Last week we went to Luis and Keri's house to celebrate Isa's 9th birthday.  I can't believe how old she's getting!

Kelly sporting her Valentine's Day/Party Dress again...

The crazy birthday girl

Alyssa being entertained by the big girls

Obligatory baby-with-beer-bottle shots

 

 

Kelly sitting with the big girls for cake.  Crazy that they're three times her age.  The second picture is "silly faces..." Kind of hard to tell, I know.

Pho Sho

Today Kelly, Alyssa, and I were treated to a snow-delayed birthday lunch by Lisa, Ryan, and Evan at our local Pho restaurant. While the meal was delicious, the biggest treat was my good little girls. For the first time ever I put Alyssa in a restaurant high chair where she perched happily.

Kelly also did great, thoroughly enjoying her soup and repeatedly asking for more (especially impressive considering her increasing pickiness). I was so pleased with how nicely they sat next to each other.

Ryan is certainly more adventurous and kept trying to explore the restaurant. At the end of the meal, Kelly held his hand, which kept him in one place for a few moments. I think she had the idea because the last time we all had lunch together (about 3 months ago) they held hands to cross the parking lot. So cute!

Alyssa Sits Up

I like to glance back at old posts to see what Kelly was doing when she was Alyssa's age, so when I saw Alyssa do this today I knew we needed a flashback post.