A Few Christmas Pics

Alice in her fun new toy

Baking with Grandma

Mmmmmm....delicious monkey

"Opening" presents on Christmas Day

Happy Girl

Alice is super excited to see her Grandma and Grandpa who will be here tomorrow night from Las Vegas!

Play time

Sitting in the Pack n' Play watching the monkey on her rainforest toy

Yummy!


Alice is getting to be such a big girl...I can't believe how quickly she has grown! She is trying really hard to roll over (from her back to tummy), and really likes to practice when we put her in her crib at night. She gets a little frustrated because she gets so close, but can't quite roll herself over.

She is also getting better at sitting up while propped up with something (like the Boppy), and actually sat up unassisted today for a couple of seconds.


Watching the Vikings game with Daddy


Hiya!

Is it December already?

No-Coast craft fair was a hit. I guess by day's end, there had been 8,000 folks through the doors of the Midtown Global Market. Alice did good, for being there all day. (8 a.m.-8 p.m.)!!!! Sales were good for both Jaime and I. It was a good time.

Oh, and if you're wondering, Alice want's a Nintendo Wii for Christmas! ;)


I LOVE TRASH! Don't you Alice?


Strike a pose.

Busy week

Sorry for the lack of updates, but mommy and daddy have been very busy getting ready for the No Coast Craft-o-Rama on Friday and Saturday. Daddy is pretty well ready...mommy on the other hand is a bit of a procrastinator. That, on top of doing some work from home and taking care of Miss Alice has made this week a little stressful.

Alice had her 4 month appt. on Monday. She weighs 13 lbs 5 oz (50th percentile) and is 25 1/2 inches long (90th percentile) which makes her tall for her weight. We are both pretty confused about this. Maybe she will be the tall one in the family?

She had her second round of shots...no fun. She also has to go see a dermatologist for her eczema, which is now all over her body. Poor baby. It seems like we are always slathering her in lotions and creams, and none of it works. The only thing that does work is the prescription ointment, but it is harsh, so her doctor suggested only using it for a few days at a time and then taking a break for a few days.



Diaper changes have become a lot more difficult. As soon as she is on the changing table the legs go into air (and almost into the mouth...she's getting close)

Alice's new trick: She turns herself around 180 degrees in bed and we usually wake up to her a. hitting the spinning crab on her aquarium toy or b. crying because she has pulled her blanket over her head while turning herself around

Hanging out the in the swing with her Velcro kitty toy


Sitting in Grandma's lap on Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Alice Mae in: "Jive Talkin'"

Mr. Mom vs Mall of America

Today was my day with Alice. I'm currently taking two Wednesdays a month off (unpaid) from work, so I can spend more time with my kiddo. I decided it might be fun to go to the Mall of America, so we did. Alice saw the rollercoasters and Lego Land and Santa Claus. (She didn't FORMALLY meet Santa, I figured Mommy would kill me if she missed that).

Saw some super-awesome onsies at Hot Topic. Might have to go back and get one of those.

Alice went to the doctor last week because of super bad eczema. Her face was like an open sore, oozing fluid. It was gross and scary. Jaime took her in, and four days later, her skin is like new. Her cheeks are nice and smooth, and rosy today.

While there, she was weighed as well. Up to 13 lbs, 7 oz...more than twice her birth-weight. She's growin'!

Alice has also been EXTREMELY vocal and chatty lately. No words yet, but lots of reoccurring sounds. She's also laughing and starting to squeal. Her favorite joke is when Daddy says, "La." It gets her every time.

I'm compiling some video of her chatting and laughing, and should have that online sometime soon. I also brought the video camera with to the mall today, so that's coming as well.

And now...the photos!


Auntie Liz made the hoodie. So cute!


Lookin' cute, and ready to go to the mall.


Fussin'


She sure looks smart in her daddy's glasses!


Alice with her new favorite toy.

Quick Pics

Ok, I know that we have posted a lot of photos in the Vikings outfit...but she is just so darn cute in this picture, that I had to put it up


Drooling and smiling on the changing table

Hanging out in her swing

Getting ready to go to the store

Quick Update

My computer is on the fritz and keeps crashing with no warning...so I'm going to try to throw some pictures up while it's working.

Alice is doing pretty good. Very smiley and chatty. Her cradle cap/eczema is getting pretty bad. I bought some cradle cap treatment to use before her bath tomorrow night. Hope it works because she is looking a little crusty. Poor girl!

She has had a little trouble getting to sleep the past four or so nights, probably because her bedtime routine has changed each of those nights for one reason or another. Hopefully we'll get her back on track tomorrow.

And now the pictures...

Why babies shouldn't wear turtlenecks...or is she trying to hide her face in shame because the Vikes are doing so bad?


Happy Halloween! Alice modeling her scary witch hat from Auntie Jenessa

Halloween "costume" #2 - Alice shows off her kitty hat from Auntie Carrie and kicks off her kitty booties (which she later tried to eat)

Alice hanging out on mommy and daddy's bed


Taken by Mr. Mom after waking up from a nap on the couch

Cranky Sunday

The upside to a day full of fussin' is that Alice went RIGHT to bed. Yes. Here's some pics:


Jaime and Alice, self-portrait in the Bjorn.


Alice using her new found "grab everything and shove in mouth" kung-fu technique on her bunny and "whoozit".


"I shall call her, 'Mini Me.'"

Goodbye Velcro

Velcro went to sleep tonight for the last time.

In the last month, Velcro had been fighting ailing kidneys. In the period of about a week and a half, she lost about 2 pounds because she refused to eat, and what she did eat, she threw up. She spent the last week with the vet, and they did a battery of things to her to make her better, but in the end...she didn't pull through.

We got to see her a few days ago, and she was looking okay. But since she wouldn't eat, she had an IV hooked up. We got to spend a nice amount of time petting her, and telling her that we loved her. At that point, the doctors had told us that if she doesn't start eating, it's the end of the road for her.

Jaime got "the call" today, and she was put to sleep somewhere around 6 p.m.

She'll be greatly missed in our house. We're both very sad that Alice won't know her growing up.

Velcro is survived by Nipsy and Icky, two of her offspring that live with us.

I was telling Jaime that I hope that some night I'm woken up by a cat stepping on my chest, or some night I'm woken up by hearing a cat scratch WAY TOO LONG in the litter box, or some night I trip over an obstinate cat that just won't get out of my way in the hallway...and I hope that's Velcro, paying us a visit from wherever she is right now.

We love you Velcro, and we miss you.

SKOL!

I'm pretty sure Alice had something to do with the Vikes' win in Seattle last Sunday. :)


Alice has been pretty good lately. A little fussy, but nothing crazy. Well, sometimes.

She went with Jaime to work today. Alice was so fussy, Jaime doesn't think she got a whole lot actual work done, but she's going to try it again tomorrow. Alice's pack-and-play crib is currently at Jaime's office.

It's pretty cool that they're letting Jaime try this out. Too bad Alice isn't more cooperative. *shrug*

Alice has also been vocalizing a lot lately. I'll put another video up pretty soon of her new noises. I don't think we're too far away from a first word...but I suppose I could be totaly wrong.

Alice Mae in: "Smiley Faces"

See her smile, hear her coo and squeak and sneeze to this catchy diddy by Gnarls Barkley! Yay!

Daddy's Girl

Just thought I'd post this pic because it's so cute.

Need an update?

Well, it's been a while since an update. Not a lot is happening, but time seems to be getting short to do anything but pay attention to Alice. :)

Jaime has been in and out of work the last week, and has been doing work from home. So, that means I'm in charge of Alice when I get home so Jaime can get some part-time stuff done. But then I need to find time to do my freelance, and it's getting hard...

But, the good news is, Alice's sleeping schedule is evening out. She's hard to get to sleep on time (between 7-8:30) but she has been pretty consistent on sleeping though the night. (Often 9 hours!) She's usually in bed by 10:30 p.m. I think the latest she's stayed up in the last few weeks is midnight. So, that's nice for us. My problem is, by the time I get her to sleep, I'm tired too--and usually crash right afterwards.

It'll all get straightened out eventually. Right?

Alice spent all day yesterday in Big Lake with auntie Joanna. It was the first FULL DAY of someone watching Alice, and things went well. Jaime's trying to keep up on milk-storage for these occasions, and I think she'll have no problem doing that. Alice has been fussy during the days lately, but Joanna said she was good, and alert, all day.

Anyway, today we are going to our friend's Adam & Sara's house to check out their garage/art sale (that I have a few prints in), so Alice will get a chance to see Mae and Ada again. Fun times!

Mommy and Alice sleeping on the couch when I got home from work this week.


What a cute outfit!


Fun times in the bouncy-chair with Daddy.


What I think is the cutest picture taken so far. Jaime snapped this while I was at work. Awwwww.

10 weeks

Alice is 10 weeks old today!

The last couple of nights have been a little rough, as Alice has decided she doesn't want to go to bed early anymore. It has been after midnight the past two nights before she has fallen asleep. Not as bad as the 3 or 4 a.m. nights, but we had gotten used to the earlier bedtime. It was nice being able to get some stuff done around the house (or freelance work in Lon's case) at night. Maybe she'll be good tonight? My fingers are crossed.

Alice has discovered her hands and has started to suck her thumb, which is a good thing since she tends to spit out her pacifier as soon as we get it into her mouth. This is especially helpful when she is in her crib trying to fall asleep. She is able to soothe herself and even fall asleep on her own sometimes.

Alice is also starting to become very vocal. Lots of coos and new sounds, even a screechy sound today. Alright, on to the pics!!

Entraced by the flashing lights on her Pack n Play toy


Sucking her thumb and posing for the camera

Looking cute and smiley in her green kitten outfit. Too bad mommy cut off her head in the picture. :(

Luck or good parenting?

The last few nights, Alice has done something amazing...

Sleep.

The doctor gave us some ideas of how we should be doing it, and we tried it...and it worked. We've been putting Alice in her crib (yup, no more sleeping in Mommy and Daddy's room) somewhere between 7-9 p.m., and she's been sleeping through the night. (With a few feedings here and there), but the last few nights have had 5-6 hour stretches. It's a HUGE break for Jaime, who's been brought to tears by long nights of fussyness and feedings, and nice for me--as it will allow me time at night to get back on the freelance wagon (that is currently rolling along at a pretty good pace).

We went to an art opening at the FIRST AMENDMENT gallery (the gallery in the print studio I'm part of, along with Burlesque of North America, Amy Jo and others), and Alice slept the whole time. I guess she didn't feel like talking to anyone, and Mike's DJ skills were tailor-made for baby meditation.

When we got home, Jaime fed her quick, and now she's sound asleep. Yay! Can this become routine? I sure hope so. Three days in a row gives me hope.

Jaime and Alice were hanging out today (while I was at work), and Velcro decided to be friends with Alice. When she got near, Alice waved her arms around (like she does...I guess she doesn't quite have control over them yet), and that was close enough to petting for Velcro. Photo attached.

Shots

Alice had her 2 month check up today. Everything is looking good! She weighs 11 lbs 4 oz and is 23 inches long. This puts her at about the 60th percentile for weight and the 75th for height. Dr. Deroche said her head and neck control look good too.

Alice unforunately has eczema and cradle cap, which makes me a little worried about the dry months to come. Hopefully we can get a handle on her dry skin before then. Dr. Deroche gave us suggestions for some lotions to try, so hopefully something will work.

Alice also had to get three shots. The nurse did the shots as quickly as she could. Alice cried, but not too much and actually calmed down pretty quickly and fell asleep in her car seat. This may also have something to do with the fact that she didn't go to sleep for the "night" until after 4:00 this morning. Dr. Deroche gave us some suggestions to fix her sleep schedule too, so wish us luck tonight!


Alice at home with mommy after her dr. appointment

More pics

Alice hanging out with mommy. Check out the chubby little arms.

Alice taking a nap with daddy.

Modeling her Lil Tuffy onesie. Thanks Dale and Amy Jo!

Smiley!