Shortly after I posted the last time, Alyssa and I went downtown to "Baby Loves Disco"; it was part of LaughFest, a 10-day event in Grand Rapids to raise money for a cancer-support/awareness organization. So Alyssa got dressed up and headed to the B.O.B. for the dance party. Alyssa was a little overwhelmed by all the people and the loud music (think as loud as a club or bar) and the guy who was trying to keep the crowd dancing. While she did dance on and off, she really spent a lot of time watching everyone else dance. She also got her nails painted, a "tattoo" put on her hand, her hair put in a ponytail, and made a puppet. For the next week, she kept saying "Me like dance party" and "I wanna go to dance party". I think it was a hit.
We picked the girls up a little early one afternoon during my Spring Break and headed to Frederik Meijer Gardens. There is a butterfly exhibit going on, so we thought the girls would enjoy seeing them. There were some really beautiful butterflies. Lauren wanted to reach out and touch them and after one of them landed on Alyssa, she wanted nothing to do with them anymore.
The girls both enjoyed St. Patrick's Day. They wore matching green shirts that day and Alyssa told everyone "Happy St. Patrick's Day." I made her green eggs that morning, and since that when you ask her if she wants eggs, she'll say "green eggs?".
Aaron traveled out to Lake Tahoe with a group of friends - some who are in Minnesota and others who live in California - for the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. Alyssa was really sad when we dropped him off at the airport, but since then she sees an airplane and asks if it's Daddy's. Nana and Pappap Fleming came out to visit that weekend, and I think everyone had a good time. We did a lot of playing, went to the store, visited Meijer Gardens, and planned Aunt Dena's baby shower. We think she's going to like it :)
That weekend, Lauren had her 9-month check up. She's up to 19 lbs, 13 ounces and 27.75 inches long; her percentiles are right around the same as last time...75th for weight and 25th for length. She such a little "chunker". One of the concerns we've been having is that she's still eating at least once during over night; after checking in with the doctor, we decided we're going to have to all deal with some "tough love". So this is the weekend, hold on tight, we think it's going to be a long one!
Before Aaron headed out of town, we made him some chocolate cookies to take with him. We had such a good time doing it, and Alyssa was such a helper. She helped put the ingredients in the bowl and mix things up. The best part was when we put the chocolate chips in. She reached down and picked one out and ate it. She then said "I like these momma". I let her eat a couple and then told her that was enough, she looked at me and said "Just one more?" How can you resist that? (Look closely in her hand and you'll see a chocolate chip in there.)
Since that weekend, Alyssa has been doing awesome with the potty training. She's wearing pullups and even "going potty" while at day care. She will ask to go when out and about too - church, the store, a restaurant. She continues to grow and become a bigger girl. She likes to "get in car by (my)self" and put on her coat and shoes herself. She's been loving the slightly warmer temperatures because it means we can "play outside". She and Aaron found some "deer poop" from the family of deer that hangs out in the back yard, so she's become a little obsessed with that. She looks for it when outside but she will also tell you that she has some on her shoes even when she doesn't!
The weekend Aaron was out of town, Alyssa was upstairs in the bathroom with "baby" while I was getting ready in the morning. She said baby pooped and took off. I didn't think too much of it. I continued to dry and fix my hair. After a while, I thought to myself that I should probably go check on her. Good thing I did...Baby was in the play bath tub and soaked. Alyssa had her body soap and wash cloth from the bathroom in their too. I asked her what happened and she told me "Baby get bath. Poop up back." I was so annoyed but it was really pretty funny. I spent a good 10 minutes trying to get the soap off baby, but the bubbles just kept on coming. I finally gave up and just let her sit to dry. She's the best smelling baby ever.
I was out of town this past weekend, at a conference in Chicago. We were excited to figure out that we can be in downtown Chicago within 3 hours. The conference was good, but I missed the girls. Aaron & the girls had a good weekend. They went to the library, the store, and had fun playing at the house.
Lauren continues to become stronger. She's moving around holding on to things - tables, chairs, the couch. She'll also push her little "cart" around and walk across the room. She's a quick little crawler, especially when she sees her bright green big koosh ball, the dishwasher or refrigerator open, or a plant. She loves to play in the dirt of the plants and even tear some of the leaves apart. She had another tooth poke through, she's up to three on bottom and three on top. She's started feeding herself a little - rice puffs, cheese, peas, little bits of bread and pasta, green beans. She, like the rest of us, also has a sweet tooth; she's a big fan of popsicles and ice cream. She now waves and says "bye bye". Her little waves is so funny because she moves her whole arm up and down.
Both girls are a lot of fun and just happy go lucky kids most of the time. We are really enjoying our time with them. I know there are more good stories but they're not just coming to me at the moment. Wish us luck this weekend with the tough love, we're going to need it!
