First Steps

Alison took her first steps last night!!! Of course we couldn't get it on film because we were too busy catching her and cheering. Three times she would take a few steps unassisted in between Ben and I. She's been learning so many new tricks I can't keep up with her. If we ask for a kiss she'll pucker her lips and make a big smacking noise-it's super cute and I'll post a video as soon as I get a good shot. She can say "up" when she wants to be picked up and she started signing 'more' today for animal crackers. Her favorite game now is chase (I guess you could call it that). If we say, "I'm going to get you" in a silly voice and start to chase her she'll squeal and crawl as fast as she can away. Every night during her bath, Alison tries to drink out of the cup we use to pour water on her. I never let her actually drink the water because it grosses me out too much, but even if she's in the bathroom with me while I'm getting ready she'll find the empty cup and try to drink out of it. So this afternoon I decided she was messy enough already (who knew animal crackers could ruin an outfit) I'd let her try to drink out of a non-sippy cup. Yes, the minuscule amount of water I put in the cup ended up all of her, but it was completely worth it for how happy it made her.


Ben has been working long hours this week but was able to come home for about an hour yesterday afternoon. He brought his guitar home to practice some songs for the youth event that evening. I find my self thinking every day, "I'm not sure Alison could be any more like her dad." I think these are my new favorite pictures.

It's been awhile

I know it's been awhile since I've posted. Life has been super busy. Alison and I went to visit my family and meet my new niece last week. The plane ride went smoothly but the airline put the carseat on the wrong flight. Thankfully my parents were waiting for us when we were arrived and were able to entertain Alison while I figured out the carseat situation. It must happen frequently because the airline was able to give me a carseat they had there. My niece, Katherine (I call her baby Kate), is the most beautiful baby. I couldn't believe how great Beth looked and we had a great week of lovin' on Kate. Alison loved being wherever the baby was and spent lots of times standing at Beth's legs while she nursed Kate sharing a snack of Teddy Grahams. She fell in love with Aunt Beth's Teddy Grahams, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find the oatmeal flavor here. We spent an afternoon at the pool with Cara and had a lunch date with Nana. I enjoyed being able to go for runs while Alison was napping and soaked in the peacefulness of Kansas. Alison learned how to climb stairs while we were there and crawled "normal" for a day. She also apparently likes Kansas food much better because her appetite completely changed and my family was able to get her eat lots of new foods. My mom even made her a little hamburger one night and she loved it!









Some of our friends let us borrow a walker this week. It took Alison awhile to figure it out, but now she races through the house. You know how they say, "Oh, she's really going to take off when she starts walking"? Yeah, I think we're really going to be in for it. Our little girl doesn't just kind of mosey through the house, she really sprints!



On a personal note, I'm running my first race since Alison was born this Sunday. It's only a 5K, but for me it will be a big accomplishment. I've been training with a friend from church. She's a cross country coach and has a 1 1/2 year old son. We both having jogging strollers so we usually take the kids, but this week our husbands have graciously taken turns watching them so we can get a feel for running without pushing 30 extra pounds before the race.

Pasta Is Good...

(Ben Posting) These photos require no words...

Couldn't Resist

(ben posting) Took this while feeding Alison lunch today, couldn't resist posting it because it was so cute.

Teeth

(Ben posting) I got home last night after spending a week away from Jen and Alison. It is very hard to be away for any length of time, I feel like I miss so much. Alison was asleep last night when I got home, but this morning when I got to hold her she just hugged me back and put her head on my shoulder; very sweet. My week away was to take a class at Reformed Theological Seminary. It was a preaching class which is very timely since I am preaching this Sunday at Knox.


Anyway, Alison has two top teeth coming in at the same time. It's kind of hard to see in the picture, but it's pretty easy to see in person. I can't imagine two top teeth coming in at the same time feels very good. Although painful, it'll be great when she can chew with two sets of teeth.

First Fruits

Three summers ago Doug Yoder helped me and Jen plant a strawberry garden. Every year we've grown more and more. Last fall I expanded the strawberry garden and this summer we are going to be up to our ears in them. The berries just started to ripen this week and I must say, they are delicious.
And because a post on this blog without a picture of Alison just wouldn't be right, below you will find a picture I took of Alison discovering the diaper bag. She saw it on the chair as she was prowling the living room. She climbed up the chair by herself and proceeded to take inventory of the contents of the bag (spilling crackers all over the floor too). I know you can't see her face, but it's still a cute picture.

Bows

I've mentioned before Alison's crazy hair. I must admit that her hair looks like boy-hair. Well, we finally have a solution! Yesterday I was cleaning Alison's closet and came across a bow Olivia Boomer had given me when I was pregnant. When we went to say good-bye before they moved she took it out of her hair and said she wanted the baby to have it. I pray that Alison will have the same giving qualities some day. Olivia must have know Alison would have wild hair. I put the bow in and it was perfect. It didn't move, she didn't pull it out, she finally looks like a girl and she can't choke on it!

Our good friends Tim and Abby moved to Boston today. It's hard to see them go because they were like family to Ben and I. I loved how Abby knew Alison to a 'T' and loved her like her own. This picture is from their going away party. Alison was a bit tired and made this face the entire night.

Ben finally got a taste of what my life is like yesterday. I got home from work and he said,"Now I know what you mean! I was chased all morning!" Alison wants to be walked around all day, but gets very upset if you lean her on something stationary.

This is for you Ben

I'll be posting a lot this summer since Ben is going to be gone about every other week and he'll want to see pictures of his baby...just so you know. She was so attached to these rattle balls today that she even tried crawling with them in her hands. I guess I should add the reasoning behind the head band. Alison hair is CRAZY! Every time I get her out of her crib it's standing on all ends. I haven't had any success finding baby bows to help the situation so I resorted to my old work-out head band. It does it's taming job.

10 Months

Alison crawling has really opened my eyes how dirty our house gets. I clean every day, but still her hands get covered in gross stuff from the floor. It makes me wonder why all the rage about hard wood floors. Forget wood! I want carpet! And forget getting anything beside walking Alison around the house done, because she will hunt you down and climb up your legs and stick her little head between your knees. I admit it can be frustrating always having a child pulling on my pants, but it constantly reminds me that the dishes can wait until after she's in bed and my time is precious with her so I should savor every minute I have-even if it means walking slowly around the house with her head between my knees. As I mentioned before we have had a challenge getting Alison to eat. I've had success with yogurt and pizza and most of the time I can trick her as long as I use my spoon instead of her baby ones. I know the pizza part is a shocker, but just keep in mind who her dad is and then it won't seem so weird. If it makes you feel any better, I sneak carrots in it. I even made macaroni and cheese with formula this week but that brilliant idea was also a flop.
Month 10 was definitely the biggest changing month of Alison's life. Her calendar was full of firsts and I'm so proud of my little stander-upper.