March Milestones 09

It's official. Alora rolls! Last weekend, she rolled onto her side and then her belly. We had just seen the doctor for her four month shots and they said not to expect her rolling over completely until she was six months old. Well, she did it again Saturday and Sunday. She now tries to roll over if you take too long changing her! This past weekend, she's even popping her little behind up and clutching whatever she can. The swimming starts next. She's already kicking! Anyone who said it goes by quick wasn't kidding and by quick...every week there's something new...just like with Cole, the first year is almost gone. I'm so glad for photography or I would forget everything!

Alora at Four-Months-Old

Most babies, they say, will sleep through the night by four months of age. Cole definitely was, and still does most nights. Alora had a couple nights when she did sleep ten hours. Of course, I still had to get up to have enough breast milk for the day...but Alora still wakes up between 12 and 2 a.m. and then every three hours after that. It's all worth it! Look at this gorgeous girl! She's a happy baby and it shows. Sleep? I can hope that when she starts solids in May, I might be able to get more than three hours of sleep a night! Enjoy the photos!

Cole's Second Birthday

This year, it was just us. We got Cole a cake and littered the house with balloons which we had recently discovered, on our way home from eating at Red Robin, that Cole loves balloons. He paddled the Red Robin balloon all the way home laughing hysterically the whole ride.

He knew something was going on when all the attention turned to him to blow out his candle. And then...a present! He has been stealing Heath's pen out of his uniform and from the computer desk or wherever else he can find them. He tries to draw with them on anything in his way. What perfect gift than a coloring set? Washable markers to be exact. You expect a two-year-old to try and color on the tables, the walls...but what Cole wanted to do was eat the markers! He actually bit the tip off one! We color with him and he likes that, but as soon as you turn your head, in his mouth go the markers! What a terd! Heath and Cole had fun static-ing the balloons to the wall and sling-shotting them up in the air. Surprisingly, none of them have popped yet, even the ones Cole insisted on jumping on! All in all, it was a fun day.

Desert Snow!

Maybe you heard...it was probably in the news...it snowed here a week before Christmas! It was very exciting. I was at home with Cole, Alora was sleeping. "Look, Cole! Snow." We watched it fall for awhile, then Cole got bored. I couldn't stop watching...I thought how unlikely it was to have a white Christmas in Las Vegas, but here it was! It was beautiful. I had seen it snow here a couple times before, but the snow had always melted as it hit the ground or soon afterward. This snow lasted at least four days. There was about five inches on the car. It weighed down the branches of the tree in the front yard so much so that they touched the driveway! Heath and I threw snowballs at each other as I tried to make the second snow man ever in my life! I would have been nice if Cole could enjoy it the way we did, but maybe in a couple more years when he'll willingly agree to wear gloves!

Family Photos

A coworker of mine has a sister/sister-in-law starting a photography business. She's got a pretty good start going, but she's not very well known. She held a portrait party where we were able to go and have our photos taken without a sitting fee. She also has this great deal where she puts all of the photos onto a CD-ROM and you can buy that and the rights (she signs off on them) for a small fee. We did that. We tried to have Christmas cards made, but the photo shop's printer at Wal-mart kept crashing. They kept promising to redo the cards, but by the time their printers were working again, it was too late to send them out to everyone. You'all will have to settle for belated birth announcements...or the blog! Thanks to Moonlighting Photography for the beautiful photos! There's 90 total...if you want copies, let us know!

Pink Everything!

I was afraid that the last post would be the end of Alora's sweetness, but we have truly been blessed! She eats every three hours and sometimes goes six hours with her naps. Unfortunately for me, I can never tell when that's going to happen...it's usually during the day when Cole is running around screaming, so I have yet to sleep more than four hours a night with the exception of one or two nights, since we brought her home from the hospital! I have adjusted, I think. Even if she doesn't wake me up after four hours, I seem to startle myself awake to check on her...plus, I'm nursing, so I have to deal with the aches of that.

Alora doesn't cry much and when she does, it's not the piercing sound that you normally hear that makes you do anything to stop it. Her cry is progressive and could almost be described as singing. When she gets hungry, she starts out squirming and grunting. When she finally wakes herself up, she'll make a sound like she's calling you, Hello? After a few of those, she starts to sound like a baby crocodile. It's actually pleasant unless she continues to be ignored.

She smiles a lot. She even tries to talk to us. "Ah-oo...ah-oo..." especially after her diaper changes or feedings when she hasn't fallen back asleep.

We have also been blessed with an adorable supply of baby girl clothes...hand-me-downs from my friend/co-worker who had a little girl in April. Her baby grew so quickly, much of the clothes she didn't even get to wear! We have a generous supply for Alora's first year. Some of the newborn clothes are for the summer and we're in the winter, but I don't know if Alora will even get to wear it all. There's just so much! Thanks to Sarah and Paige! I am embracing the pink!

When we found out I was pregnant again, we were sure it was a boy. I held out on buying anything pink even after the first ultrasound when the said it was a girl. Afterall, doctors make mistakes sometimes. After the second ultrasound, all the pink stuff from Sarah, and the baby shower, I definitely embrace the pink! I have never really been and girly-girl, but that is changing! I want everything pink now, for Alora and I'm thinking about replacing my wardrobe! I love Alora! She is so sweet, an angel! If you think I'm crazy, you'll see...when you hold her, talk to her, or hear her cry! You'll be hooked, too!

Precious Gift

Alora...she's very sweet! Even when she cries, it's like she's an angel singing. I've never heard a baby cry the way she does. She eats every three hours or so, and it takes her three hours to eat, so we get to enjoy her company during that time while she is taking in everything. Heath especially likes to talk to her during this time. She'll look around and even smile...