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Showing posts with label standing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label standing. Show all posts

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Baby Daredevil

The adorable baby daredevil preparing to impress

Up she goes
 
Future thrillseeker!
 

Alina learned to walk just over a month ago, and has since become a tiny daredevil! She climbs up anywhere she possibly can. Her new favorite thrill is climbing on top of her toddler push car and slowly trying to extend herself to a full stand. Each time she does it, she laughs and giggles like crazy, while mom and dad quickly rush over to rescue her from a potential fall. It makes me so nervous every time she climbs, but she certainly loves it and refuses to stop. I can tell this little cutie is going to be a future thrillseeker.
 
 

Riding the car properly, but notice that
pouty face she wants to thrillseek!!

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Seven Month Milestones; Crawling & Talking!

Our baby crawler! - Photos by Christy Leopold


Apparently seven-months is a golden age for baby Alina, because she has hit many HUGE milestones all within this month. She is now officially crawling! On March 26th, at seven-months-three-weeks-old, she crawled all the way down the hallway into my arms; the furthest she has gone yet. She was so proud of herself, almost as proud as her beaming mama :) She has also learned to pull herself up to stand. She usually does this when playing at her little activity table. This toy used to be Elise's favorite and it is proving its worth yet again in keeping Alina entertained for hours.



Little doll in mama's arms; her favorite place to be


Kisses for my sweet baby girl


Another huge milestone is that baby Alina recently said her first word!!! Much to my chagrin, her first word is; "MAMA". I've been celebrating this for days upon end, and of course rubbing it in dad's face. Elise's first word was, "dada", so this is very exciting that I've got a sweet little mama's girl in the making. She said it three times while in her crib, I picked her up each time to reward her with kisses. As you can imagine, it was the absolute sweetest moment.


Cheese! Showing off her new top teeth


Alina's top two teeth are now poking through. So she officially has 4 teeth before hitting the eight-month mark. She was extra fussy and drooly over the past few weeks, so we anticipated that those top two chompers were coming through. We have been feeding her more baby food as all she wants to do is chew. She loves steamed veggies and fresh fruit. Broccoli, baby carrots, bananas, raspberries and blueberries are her current favorites. She also eats baby rice puffs like they're going out of style. I started supplementing with formula right around seven-and-a-half-months as she just started daycare three days a week. I pump during the days I go to work, so she only needs to be supplemented for one feeding. In addition to nursing morning, afternoon and evening, she has one formula bottle per day plus breakfast, lunch and dinner foods. She's a content little girl and a great eater thus far, however, she does make the funniest sourpuss face when you give her something new to try. Usually she stops making the sourpuss face after acclimating to the first couple bites, unless she really dislikes something (ahem peas and brown rice).



Muah, looking for hugs and kisses :)


We are so proud of our little seven-month-old doll. She has come a long way in just a few short months, and has us pondering what new milestones she will reach before her first birthday. We love you beautiful baby Alina!


Baby Alina doll at seven-months-old

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Rainy Sundays

Elise with her Disney figurine collection

The colorful medley of characters

Kisses, muah

Happy baby Alina enjoying the rainy Sunday
  
We had such gorgeous weather in January and February, that I thought it may just continue on until spring, but thankfully we finally received some much needed rain mid-March. Rainy Sundays indoors, have become fun times for the girls. Elise likes to bring all her toys out to the front room and play. She especially enjoys playing with her myriad of Disney figurines. Alina likes to chew on anything she can get her hands on, and (much to Elise's dismay) has a craving for those very same Disney figurines. Mom and Dad are grateful for the rainy days as well. Watching the babies play together has become an enjoyable new past time. Plus, we stayed extremely busy during January and February, and did quite a bit of traveling, so it has been nice to just relax at home and enjoy a weekend with no plans, as it rarely ever happens anymore.
 
 
In baby Alina news, she is quickly mastering the art of mobility. She started sitting up on her own at 7 months old. One week later and she can now sit up for extended periods of time very well. Alina is sooo close to fully crawling! She is creeping all over the place. This mainly consists of rolling, army crawling and inch-worming to get where she wants to go. When I put her down she moves immediately and can pretty much span an entire room using her patented roll, pull, inch-worm technique. She is getting better each day and as of now, I predict she will be officially crawling within another 3-4 weeks!  She is also a baby chatterbox. Her vocabulary primarily consists of ma, da, ba, wa and ga. She has been saying "ga-ga" for about a week now, and I think she is very close to saying "ma-ma". Trust me, I'm working all the angles to ensure that "ma-ma" is her first word.


Little doll sitting up on her own

Tiny feet and butterfly baby shoes

Hair swirl :) I'm gonna miss these cute short baby locks

Flashing the cheese smile just for mommy

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Goodbye 2011...Happy New Year 2012!

January 2011: 1 1/2-year-old Elise with daddy


February 2011
 
March 2011

April 2011

May 2011: Elise and Alina (6-months along)

June 2011: Elise at 2-years-old

July 2011: Our family of four; Alina due in just over a month


2011 is now behind us, and we will always look back on the year as one of the most special times of our lives. In 2011, we became a family of four; mom and dad gained a beautiful little baby daughter, and Elise gained a sweet little sister, whom she loves to pieces. This new family dynamic has kept us busier than ever because we have one more little one to love and care for. Alina owns the rights to the 2011 birth year :) so I focused primarily on her in the monthly photo recaps from August onward. Isn't she just adorable? I have been cuddling her continuously since August, and doing everything possible to cherish each moment of her newborn stage. Alina turns five-months-old on the 12th of January, and I already feel like she's growing up too fast. Each time, I kiss her perfectly chubby cheeks, wisp her fluffy baby locks from her eyes, cuddle her close to calm her from crying, or elicit those darling baby giggles and smiles, I'm reminded that years from now I will look back on these very moments as some of the best memories of our lives.

2012 is sure to be another monumental year. Alina will be reaching all the incredibly special first year milestones; crawling, standing, walking and talking. I'm eager to see Alina's little personality emerge. Right now, she is the most mellow and easy baby. She rarely ever cries or squirms, she just loves relaxing in mommy or daddy's arms.  I wonder what all her likes and dislikes will be? Will she follow in big sister's footsteps or be entirely different in her interests? Either way, there is no doubt that the two of them will be best of friends for life. I can already see it; the way they laugh and smile at each other is the absolute visual definition of joy. They will always be by each other's side; sisters and best friends. I am so grateful for each and every moment of 2011. Our family has grown and the love we have for each other is immeasurable. Goodbye 2011 and Happy New Year 2012!


August 2011: Alina at 1-day-old

1-week-old



 September 2011: 1-month-old



 First real smiles at six-weeks-old!


October 2011: 2-months-old

2-month-old cutie on her first Halloween
  
November 2011: 3-months-old

Sweet little baby

Big smiles at 3-months-old!



December 2011: 4-months-old



Practicing standing; she loves it



Our beautiful 4-month-old doll; the best gift of 2011

Friday, November 25, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

Baby Alina's very first Thanksgiving. She's now standing!

Sweet Thanksgiving moments

Elise having fun with her Play-doh

This year, we have so much to be thankful for. I think it is often easy to lose sight of just how special each and every moment is, especially when working full-time and trying to just keep up with the day-to-day hustle of raising young children and maintaining a functioning household. Admittedly, there have been many times that I find myself overwhelmed and frusterated, because I have a constant to-do-list embedded in my brain and some days when the routine isn't running smoothly it's easy to feel defeated. However, when I sit back and think about all the things our family has to be grateful for, it puts any little routine complaint in perspective.

First off, I am thankful for the little moments of wonder that make raising kids so special. It's been these moments that have most captured my heart. Elise coming up and saying, "I love you mommy/daddy/baby sissy" or simply expressing one of her favorite phrases, "I'm happy", with a huge smile and love flashing in her eyes. Alina cooing and babbling, and staring up at me with those adorable babydoll eyes and precious toothless grin as if to say, "you're doing everything right mommy" and "my little heart is content". Moments like these are what we are most thankful for; just knowing that our two girls feel immensely loved and want to share that feeling with us.

I am thankful for our new family of four! With the long awaited arrival of little Alina, our family now feels complete. I am especially thankful that she is such a healthy and happy little girl. I am also quite thankful that I have the chance to once again experience the joys a new baby brings. I'm thankful that Elise is the BEST big sister imaginable and that daddy is truly one-of-a-kind and loves his three girls with all his heart.

I am thankful for each and every person in our lives. Not just our wonderful family and relatives, but friends and those that we choose to accompany us in life, simply because we enjoy their presence and desire to share special moments with them. Our family is shaped by those around us, and we are incredibly thankful for all of you bringing special significance to our lives.

I am thankful for the grandparents! I don't say this enough, but they (all four of them) are incredible people and very involved in our daughters lives. Elise LOVES taking turns visiting both her grandparents every Friday. She looks forward to it all week long, and gets so excited waiting for them to pick her up in the morning. When the doorbell rings she immediately squeals with excitement! I'm sure Alina will feel the same once she is old enough to start making full day visits. I know that spending time with my grandparents brought some of my absolute best childhood memories. I am thankful that our girls will have the opportunity to build a close bond with their grandparents. 

Lastly, I am thankful for all the Thanksgiving turkeys. You poor souls give your life, so we can enjoy a delicious meal. PETA may hate me for this, but I could never imagine a Thanksgiving without turkey!


Enjoying our Thanksgiving family dinner

More Thanksgiving sweetness

Our beautiful three-month-old doll, Alina

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Thanksgiving from Elise's Perspective

Elise and her ride

Finding the nearest book to read

Having fun with her cousin


We don't have any photos of Elise eating at the dinner table this Thanksgiving because she was all too busy playing with her cousin and other relatives. She was far more interested in getting into toys and riding around the house on her mini car than sitting still long enough to eat. When she finally decided she was hungry we made her up a plate of turkey and she ate every bite. She loves turkey and has certainly helped us out at home with all the leftovers. Elise enjoyed spending time with all her relatives, and this Thanksgiving was even more special as she met her great grandpa for the very first time.


Little cuties

Elise holding her littlest cousin - baby Jacob
  
Elise laughing with daddy, papa and great-grandpa
Elise's holiday art