The View Is Better From Up Here

While we were packing to leave NY, we sat Allie down with some toys to play. She normally doesn't go anywhere so we weren't too concerned. I noticed she was playing with the stroller but didn't think much of it. I was packing the camera so I snapped a picture.

I walked back out of the room and came back to find this:

I called Nick into the room. We sat on the couch with the camera ready and watched to see what she would do. To our amazement, she did this, all by herself:

We were so proud and started clapping and cheering for her. Being the clapper that she is, she let go of the stroller to clap for herself. Unfortunately, she hasn't mastered balance and as soon as she let go of the stroller, she fell, face-first into the ground. I guess we need to work on that balance thing...and probably start baby-proofing the house.

7 Months Old!

I know I'm VERY late in posting this but Allie is now 7 Months Old. Is it just me or does 7 seem SOOOOOOO much older than 6? I can't believe it. She's inching closer to 1 as we speak.


She's become very active this month. She claps and waves all.the.time now and loves to babble. Her words of choice thus far are Da-da (dad), da (dog), Da-da (I know she really means ma-ma), eehhh (yay) and I swear she said something resembling good job the other day. She has also started dancing. Every morning when Ellen dances on her TV show, Allie will stop dead in her tracks and start dancing. When the music stops, she claps. It is hilarious. The kid loves music and dancing.

She has become a champion sleeper most days and seems to love sleeping in her own room. She has mastered the pincher grasp to feed herself and we're slowly working up to more table foods. She LOVES puffs (little flavored rice puffs, similar to cheerios) and can eat them all by herself. So far she loves every food we've tried with the exception of avocado and blueberries. She's not a fan of those at all. She really seems to enjoy emptying a basket of toys over and over again rather than playing with one at a time and loves to swing, especially when Daddy counts to 3.

Perhaps the biggest advancement this month is that she's on the verge of crawling! She gets up on her knees and pushes her head against the ground to get where she wants to go. Hopefully she'll figure out how to use her arms soon or her face is going to get sore.

Why do you take so many pictures Mom?

She's so much fun and I can't believe she's 7 months old. My little baby is growing up! Happy 7 Months Alligator! Mommy and Daddy love you!

I Love New York

Lately, I'd really been missing my best friend Beth. I saw her briefly at Christmas but had not seen her since. Nick and I decided to pack the truck and head to NY to visit Beth and Rob for a long weekend! We drove through the night on Friday and arrived around 6:30am. Luckily, Beth works nights at the hospital so we were all able to take a short nap when we arrived before getting the day started. Allie did wonderfully on the trip, sleeping the entire way.

Sunday we went to Ithaca to walk around and have lunch. After lunch we went to Taughannock Falls State Park. It was Allie's 1st (of many, we hope) visit to a State Park. We weren't really dressed for hiking so we just admired the Falls from afar. It was so nice to be outside and enjoy the beautiful weather and scenery.

Uncle Rob had been away at OCS for the Army but he was able to come home Sunday night and play with us! We had a wonderful pasta meal and Mommy even had a glass (or three...or four) of wonderful NY State wine!

Monday we just relaxed around the house and hung out in the backyard. Beth grilled some of the best ribs we have ever tasted, showing her true Texas colors. We put Allie to bed and sat around the fire talking and drinking wine. It was so good to spend time with friends that know so much about you. It's like no time has passed and you're able to pick up right where you left off the last time.

Tuesday morning we got up and packed while Beth and Rob went to work. We met for lunch at Panera and had to say goodbye. I wish we could have stayed longer (or live closer together) but we had a fantastic time. It was just what I needed after a rough week.

Thanks Beth and Rob for your hospitality and your wonderful friendship. I wish we could see you guys more often!

Allie's First (and ONLY) Dog

Nick's parent's bought Allie this little dog from Tiny Love. It moves forward, barks, growls and even plays a little song. It's supposed to entice kids to crawl but it doesn't work quite as well as they say it will. She loves that little dog though. She pets it's head, gives it kisses and stares at it when it barks. She's a little rough with it (think pulling ears, picking it up by it's tail, throwing it, etc) so it's probably a good thing that we'll never have a real dog. Plus, it doesn't poop, doesn't need to go on walks or take baths and has an off switch for the barking! It's the perfect pet! The dog doesn't have a name yet. Right now we just call it Dog-Dog. We'll let Allie pick one when she's older.

Poop Face

Allie makes the funniest faces when she's pooping. I was lucky enough to capture some on camera this week. I'm sure she'll thank me for posting these later.

All done and back to my happy self!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

We've been so busy lately, I forgot to post about Nick's first Father's Day. Obviously I'm not Nick, but I think he had a pretty great Father's Day. We started the day out with a special card from his little Alligator. She picked it out herself, I promise.

After church, we went to Nick's parent's house to grill out. We had missed the family celebration the day before due to a wedding, so it was just us and his parents, which was perfect! Allie and I got Nick a stepping stone kit to put in his garden.

We tried to put her foot prints in it, but she wasn't a big fan of the concrete so the feet look a little strange. It will still be a great reminder of how little she was though.

Allie wanted to get Daddy a boat for Father's Day but it just wasn't in the cards for this year. Looks like this is the only boating she'll be doing for now.

After a little bit of playing, we had a fantastic dinner on the grill and called it a night.

Happy Father's Day Nick! Allie thinks you're the best Daddy in the whole wide world and I tend to agree!

Go Reds!

Allie and I got Nick tickets to a Cincinnati Reds game as part of his Father's Day gift. It was Allie's first game and she had a blast! Aunt Holli and Uncle Brian joined us for the game, making it that much more special. Allie wore her adorable "My 1st Reds Tee" shirt from Uncle Red and looked so cute! We got a few innings in before it started raining, but Allie seemed to enjoy the rain delay just as much as the game itself. She loved dancing to the music and learned to clap! We tried to get her on the jumbotron but didn't have much luck. We can't wait to take her back for another game.

Dressed and ready to go. Thanks Uncle Red for the shirt!

Very excited to be heading to the game!

Standing outside the stadium. Taking the game very seriously.

First picture inside the stadium!

Watching the action with Aunt Holli & Uncle Brian.

Family picture.

Reds games are so much fun!

Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Dancing her heart out to get on the jumbotron.

All tuckered out after so much dancing.