We went to a really neat farm to pick a pumpkin today. The farm is called Blooms and Berries and is located in Loveland. The weather was just perfect in the morning, and started to really heat up near lunch time.
The hay ride was very neat. It started out in a field, meandered through the woods, and ended up in a remote pumpkin patch. Alaina really enjoyed walking around the patch looking at all of the different pumpkins.
Ever since Alaina began walking she has been surprising us with new mobile advancements. Lately she has been running instead of walking. Why delay getting somewhere any more than necessary? She’s also been spinning in place and making herself dizzy.
Today we visited Sharon Woods again and took a stab at the big kid playground. After showing her once how to climb the stairs and go down the slide, she was on her own.
So we’ve been having some computer issues for the past week or so, hence the absence of postings. However, in that time, Alaina took her first steps. So, with a new laptop in hand, we’re now able to bring you the evidence that you’re likely hoping for.
Her first steps were on July 8th, around 7:00 in the evening. I would know, because I was in class when I got a video text from Claire of the news. So, as I am listening to a group presentation on the board of directors of McDonalds, half-way across the city, my first born child is walking.
She is still not loving the concept yet. She’ll unknowlingly let go of her cart or a table. Then after about 3 or 4 steps, she’ll realize her mistake and sit down and resume crawling to her destination.
Alaina was zipping along in the driveway today with her pink cart. She was loving the freedom to move around outside the confines of the living room and kitchen. We were thankful to give the carpet a break from where she was wearing a path in it.
After several laps around the driveway, she finally slipped up and landed square on her knees. Without skipping a beat, she got back up and kept on motoring…no cries, no whimpers…all business.
Alaina had her first birthday party over the weekend. It was very neat to see all of our family and friends and all of their children over playing and eating loads of cake. At the height of the party there were 12 kids under the age of 8 and a couple more that will soon be joining the club in a very short time!
Picture Descriptions:
1) She didn’t dig into her cake as much as we hoped. Although, the sugar did keep her up and going well past her bed time.
2) We were warned that a group shot of the kids wouldn’t work. As you can see, this picture is missing about 2/3 of them…
3) We did it. We made it through the first year!
4) Claire baked the cake and made the icing. Her sister Julie helped decorate.
Alaina enjoyed her first pool experience! We bought a pop up pool with a 50 spf canopy. There’s enough room for her and me with room to spare. I am excited to use it a lot this summer.
Today was Alaina’s first trip to the Cincinnati Zoo. Claire and Grammy were in tow to show her all of the neat animals. First stop was to see the Elephants…big, but lacking the ‘wow’ factor for Alaina. Instead, she loved watching the Gorillas pick lettuce off the ground and eat. It must have reminded her of meal times. She even chimed in with her own “ooo–ooo—ahhh” Gorilla sound imitation.
Next stop was over to Manatee Springs where Alaina fell in love with her favorite aquatic mammal. She was face to face with the Manatee against the glass (two adult and one calf). She was giggling and laughing as they lumbered by. She was also very entertained by two Polar Bears as they walked about.
As a side note: The zoo was in full bloom. All of the trees, tulips, hyacinth, and more were exploding with color. I highly recommend a visit to the zoo during the spring months. We are already looking forward to our visit in May (almost here) to see the Zoo Babies exhibit!
Finally, a trip to the gift shop rounded out the day to commemorate her first zoo visit (thanks Grammy)!
April the Manatee
We are convinced that “Dog” is Alaina’s first word. Or as she says it, “og” or “gog”. She has been infatuated with Jerzey from the very beginning. It only makes sense it’s her first word. She also knows book, or “ook”… a close second to “gog”.
Take a look for yourself…
Another milestone for our girl. Alaina finally started crawling over the weekend. So, now we both have shifted into baby proofing mode. The gates have gone up, outlet covers are in place, cords are properly stowed, and a clever plexi-glass cover to protect the entertainment center has been put up (thanks Lisa).
As you can see in the video, the dog is a much better motivator than either Mom or Dad.
Alaina had her first sleepover last night! She stayed at Aunt Julie and Uncle Jason’s house. It was a great icebreaker for both Alaina and us. We were over there to celebrate Claire’s birthday so she fell asleep for the night while we were still there. Then Julie brought her to church in the morning. So really not much time was spent away. Hopefully this will make future sleepovers a little easier now…right??? To be honest, I think it was harder on us than it was on Alaina. But we did enjoy a quiet morning, and actually stayed up and watched a little Saturday Night Live.
Caleb and Nathan were incredibly cute about their baby cousin staying over. It is so special to watch them interact with our daughter and to see the love they have for her. They love to sing songs, talk baby talk, and play with her. It’s very tender.
Your thoughts…