Our Little Valentine

Happy late Valentine's Day!

4 Months Old

*Warning. This is one lengthy post, but since it is about Alayna, I'm sure you won't mind.

Another month has flown by which means Alayna is now 4 months.

Time, where did you go?

She had her 4 month check up on Monday. She weighs in at 13 lbs. 3 oz. (50th percentile) and is 24 3/4 inches long (75th percentile). We just knew she had gained a few pounds. It is definitely becoming a workout to carry her in her car seat.

Don't worry, my arm muscles are undoubtedly stronger than they used to be.

She also received her shots yet again, and this was the result of the 5 minute drive home.

One tired baby. The following pictures are evidence of what our sweet little girl has been up to.

Over the last few weeks Alayna has gotten into the routine of "talking" herself to sleep. It seems at least once a day after I lay her down for a nap, she feels she needs to tell herself a good story before she can finally doze off.

It is quite funny to stand outside the door and listen to her ramblings.

There really is no purpose of including this picture, except to see that cute little face and those big, bright eyes.

When visiting family this weekend, everyone seemed to mention how alert she is. I think I have mentioned this before, but here is the proof.

You can't get much more alert than that.

Bumbo chair! We recently have been using this sweet little invention numerous times a day. (Thanks Grandma and Grand Dad!)

Although I think Alayna has yet to decide what she thinks of it, since the ENTIRE time she was in it, she would not crack one single smile.

She may just be in awe at the fact that she is sitting up and can see everything with little effort, which is what this picture suggests.

This picture has captured a reoccurring scene at our house when it comes to Alayna.

If you look closely, you will see a string of slobber hanging out of her mouth.

This is one slobbery child.

Hence the bibs that you see in a few of the pictures.

Last Thursday Alayna mastered something that I have been wanting for a while.

The reach and grab.

Yea! The little things that can bring such joy.

Here you can clearly see a nice reach...

And the grab that goes directly in to the mouth.

In this case she got a bonus...

her finger.

For the record. I am excited that she has gotten this down, but I am also not liking the fact that I am the picker-upper.

(You know, she successfully reaches, grabs, then DROPS, and I pick up. And the whole process begins again.)

Thankfully she is not doing this on purpose now, but I have a feeling that is soon to come.

Darn.

Rings are not the only thing she can reach and grab.

Anything and everything cloth, is also enjoyed by Miss Alayna.

And who doesn't love those big, cheesy grins that melt your heart. As we all

know, she is quite famous for those gigantic smiles...well, at least in our house.

Alayna is also getting more talkative. Her favorite noises to make are a high-pitched squeal (which you will see in the video below),

what we call the "puppy dog whine", which occurs anytime something happens that she doesn't like (ex: being put down, drops a toy, is getting tired, etc.) It pretty much replaces a cry when she is in a good mood. (Unfortunately I do not have documentation of this, but I am working on it.),

And a giggle. She giggled for the first time about a week ago and we now will do just about anything to hear it.

And now the proof.

Grandpa and Alayna

Here are a few darling pictures that my dad was able to capture during our visit.


This is Alayna before Grandpa smiles at her. And Alayna after Grandpa smiles at her.

I think she might be just a little bit excited. I think Alayna associates smiling with opening her mouth as wide as it will go. Silly girl.



And a darling picture of Alayna and Grandpa before church.

We had so much fun spending time with you, Dad, we can't wait to see you next month!

A Precious Moment

This weekend Dan, Alayna, and I went up to Pleasant Grove. My Dad was there so we couldn't pass up the opportunity to see him as well as my Grammy and my Grandparents. It was such a fun time.


Alayna was loving all the attention and she had a new experience...

Dancing with Grand Dad.


It was so cute to watch them.


Take a look at this precious moment.

Proof that she actually did smile (even though it looks like she is just opening her mouth wide.) while dancing with Grand Dad.

Thanks for being such a 'GREAT' Grand Dad.

More to come on our fun trip.

Hallelujah!

I feel like a new woman.

Well, a more rested one anyway.

Alayna slept for 8 hours straight!

Woohoo!

Thanks Layna!

I was SO excited when I woke up and looked at the clock...

And Dan was even more excited because this meant he wasn't on "Binky patrol".

(When Alayna cries at night, if it has only been a few hours, Dan gets up and puts her binky in.)

Now that we have the daytime napping pretty much mastered, we are working on the nighttime.

Ahh, success.

What a good feeling.

Although, I am sure I will feel even better when I don't have to get up at all.

But for now, once is good with me.

Please don't let me jinx myself by writing this post. I hope this is not a short lived victory.

Get Your Craft On

My sister saw this on a friend's blog and then decided to give it the name Craft It Forward, which I think is perfect. As soon as I read it, I knew I wanted to join. So, is anyone else ready to get their "Craft On"?

Craft It Forward Exchange is based on the concept of the movie "Pay it forward". I will send a hand made gift to the first three people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join the CIF exchange. All the gifts will be made and posted out 'sometime within the next year'. How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive! What you need to do in return, is craft it forward by making the same promise on your blog. This exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME 'CRAFT IT FORWARD' MESSAGE ONTO YOUR BLOG, WHICH MUST BE ACTIVE IN ORDER TO PLAY. YOU WILL CRAFT IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG. I'd love for you to join me! Will you? Other comments are welcome, but only the first three will be my Craft It Forward recipients. Come and join me who doesn't love a gift or giving gifts???

One Little Monkey...

sitting on Alayna.

(Well, laying actually, but that just doesn't sound as good.)

I have recently gotten this valentine monkey out of storage

and Alayna has loved playing with him.

And by playing, I mean talking to him and her favorite is to

actually eat him.

She was hugging him quite tight to get him closer to her

mouth, but this video mainly shows her just having a nice

chat with the monkey.

He can't seem to get a single word in edgewise since

Miss Talker pretty much doesn't stop.

In case you were wondering, the gurggling noise at the end of the video is Dan just being wierd.