This is our favorite question to ask Alyssa these days as it seems she's always got something in her hands or in her mouth that she shouldn't. A week ago, Alyssa figured out how to crawl and get to where she wanted to go. Since then, nothing is safe. Anything on the couch, floor, or coffee table is fair game - she finds a way to grab it all. Alyssa was definitely a little awkward when she first started crawling, her left leg kind of drug along behind her and then she tried keeping it out to the side, but she's now got in figured out. This morning she followed me from the living room and back the hallway; I think she'd have made it the whole way to her room if she hadn't got sidetracked in the bathroom. She even managed to pull herself to standing on the side of the tub. Although she can now crawl, she definitely prefers to be standing. If all the rest of her milestones are any sign, she'll be walking in just a few months! We miss being able to set her in one place and know that she'll be there when we get back.
We do of course have a few fun little stories to share:
After pulling herself to standing while holding on to the pillow cushions of the couch, Alyssa spotted Roni's scratch pad around the side of the couch. She got to it and picked it up. By picking it up, she dumped all the loose cardboard and catnip all over herself and the floor. So she was covered in cardboard and Roni was rolling around on the floor next to her. I think he was a little confused by wanting to be so close to her!
I put Alyssa down for a nap one morning. I turned her mobile on, I heard the music play for a while and she fussed for a bit, but then things got quiet, so I assumed she had gone to sleep. After a few minutes, I heard the music on her mobile start up again. I couldn't figure out how that had happened. I went to check and Alyssa was standing up, playing with the animals on her mobile and turning them, which made the music play. I told her if she wasn't going to sleep she had to come play more, so I put her in her jumper in the living room. Within two minutes, she was sucking her thumb, had her head laid down on the seat and her eyes closed - silly girl!
I was in Austin, TX this past Sunday to Tuesday, so Aaron had Alyssa all to himself. They went to visit Aunt Stacy on Sunday afternoon. While Aunt Stacy was giving her one of her bottles, Alyssa held it herself. This in and of itself, isn't so exciting because she's been doing that for a while, but what was impressive is that she used both her hands and her feet to hold it!
Alyssa had her first experience in a lake and a swimming pool last week. After a walk around one of the lakes, we stopped and swung on the swings and stuck our feet in the lake. Alyssa didn't know quite what to make of the small waves lapping at her feet. It was one of only a handful of times that I've seen her freeze and not know what to do. She was quite intrigued by the water. Later that afternoon, Alyssa took a dip in her very own swimming pool. She donned one of her two swimsuits and splashed in the water. You could see her staring at her hands in the water and being startled when she splashed water on her face. I think she may be a water baby!
We had an unexpected trip to the doctors a few weeks ago because Alyssa had a flare up of eczema. He prescribed hydrocortisone cream, which cleared it up pretty quickly. Alyssa also has her first bruise, right on her forehead. She bumped her head on one of the chairs at day care, so she has a nice little brown mark. She's hit her head on several things. This morning, she was trying to stand, using the door frame to pull herself up, but she kept hitting her head on the frame. It was kind of funny to watch (only because she wasn't hitting it hard of course!). When she does hit it, she cries for a minute, but once you pick her up, she stops almost immediately. She must have a higher tolerance for pain than me.
That's the latest on Alyssa. She's spending Saturday night at Grandma & Grandpa Menke's so Aaron and I can celebrate our anniversary (better late than never). I don't know where we're headed, but Aaron promises me it will be fun - we'll see! Hope you too have a great weekend.
