Well, the picture feature doesn't seem to be working right now, so I'll give you a rundown on the life of Alana!

Eats: Alana's favorite food, and main source of nutrition, is still breast milk. She finds breast feeding interesting because there are always new ways to obtain nourishment. She can crawl over to her mommy, lie on her back and twist her neck around, sit up and nurse, lie on her tummy and nurse, and so many other cool things!

She also loves bananas, puffs, peas, YoBaby and sweet potatoes! Finger foods aren't going so well, but part of that is Mommy and Daddy's fault for being afraid she will choke.

She doesn't drink from a bottle, or a sippy cup- just from the tap.

Cool tricks: Alana can Army crawl, big kid crawl, stand while holding onto something, go from crawling to sitting unassisted, push up to an upside-down "v" shape, has the pincer grasp down like a pro and can get into mischief within a matter of seconds!

Wardrobe: Alana hangs out in her sleepers, for the most part. When she feels like getting all fancy, she'll wear a dress with argyle Baby Legs to keep her warm.

Sleeping arrangements: Alana prefers to sleep on her Mommy's side. Partially because that is her favorite spot, partially because her crib is in storage.

Likes: Being independent, crawling, noming on cords, eating things that aren't edible, sitting up on her own, cuddling, using her roll/crawl combo to get underneath the television/coffee table/her stroller or anywhere that feels like a cool fort, crawling over to Mommy to nurse, her Bjorn, lying on the ground and kicking her legs, putting her hands into people's mouths, pulling hair, playing Patty Cake, and naked time after her bath.

Dislikes: Her new duckie tub (which is a shame because she's too big for her infant tub), bubble baths, being restrained from crawling all over the place, bedtime (she hates bedtime), getting dressed/undressed (a relatively new thing), being pounded on the back when Mommy and Daddy are trying to get non-food items out of her mouth, not getting attention, and lying in bed when she's awake.

Favorite colors: Pink and purple. Although this is clearly speculation by her Mommy, they have to be pink and purple.

Other things Alana enjoys: Sparkly things (like Mommy's rings), long walks on the beach, fancy dinners, Coach purses, designer heels, shopping, and dresses.

Our visit to the Easter Bunny

Alana had a play date with her little buddy, Aden! We went to Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood and our babies saw the Easter Bunny! Alana was very tired, as it was her nap time, and I was afraid she would scream when the Easter Bunny held her.

I plopped her down on Easter Bunny's lap and she gave me a helpless look as I walked away, but the look was fleeting. She smiled at me! I started dancing around and singing "Alana! Alana!" and she smiled even more! I was glad she smiled because seriously, I looked like an idiot. The picture is adorable and so worth it! I'll have to scan it and post it here :o)

In the milestone department... Miss Alana is now crawling longer distances, and a real, up on her knees crawl rather than an Army crawl. She also pushes up on her hands and feet with her booty in the air. Another baby friend she has, Maggy, uses this method for standing, so I think we're going to have a stander-girl on our hands very soon! She also very much enjoys standing while holding onto a couch, mommy, daddy or anything else at the perfect level.

Aden was kissing Alana and putting his arm around her, it was adorable! Alana smiled and looked at him. Michelle (that would be Aden's mommy) and I just loved watching them interact. Alana doesn't get much baby time, so it was great to see her with a friend!

I'll post pictures of Alana and Aden in a separate entry!

Pictures of Alana- a summary of the last 6 months.

Hanging out with mommy in the grass at Wixsom Park in Selah (3 months old)

This stuff is COOL Mommy!

Our favorite 3 month professional picture

Our family on our way to two weddings. What a day! Alana was 3 months

Our little Einstein, only 3 months old, contemplating a new, more eco-friendly energy solution.

Mommy and Alana at 3 months. I love the picture because she hadn't fallen asleep on my chest since she was just a few days old.

Alana at 4 months old, hanging out and cuddling with Mommy!

Alana meets President Obama at 4 months!

Daddy and Alana in Ellensburg. Alana is 4 months.

Alana stew! One of my favorite pictures ever taken of Alana. 6 months.

Alana and Mommy hanging out on Christmas.

Another favorite professional picture, 6 months.

One of the few times she DIDN'T have the bow in her mouth.

Alana's first attempts at rice cereal, 7 months. Not quite sure what to make of it!

"Yeah, Mommy, I don't like this, can we just stick with breast milk?"

"Oh, there's breast milk IN here? It's not so bad!"

"Nevermind. I don't like it."

Standing up, on her 8 month birthday, holding onto a toy at the Children's Museum.

Enjoying life in the foam toy pit at the Children's Museum.

"SHAPES, Mommy, check out all of these really cool shapes!"

Alana and her daddy at 8 months (on Mommy and Daddy's anniversary!)

All clean (and cuter than ever) after bath time.

Mommy loves her Alana so much! 

"Look at my super cool teeth! I give you the side eye."

"Mommy, look! I'm so cute and I'm happy! I just love life!"

"I'm almost 9 months! I'm so excited I can't contain myself!"

This is Alana's phony laugh. She knows and appreciates only the finest humor.

Don't let the crawling stance fool ya, this girl is on the verge of standing! Slow down, baby girl.

This Irish lass has beautiful eyes and long long eyelashes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I think it's time for some pictures of our beautiful little daughter! She's doing very well, growing like a weed and is nearly 12lbs! She has her 2 month Well-Baby Visit on Wednesday and will get a series of shots. None of us are looking forward to it. I might have to leave the room while Allen holds her. I tend to cry when she's in pain.

The good news- she's smiling up a storm! She giggles and smiles while I'm changing her.

This pic is in her profile, but I'm completely in love with it. It's one of the first smiles we caught on camera!


This picture falls into the "...because we can.." category. She loves her daddy, but has no idea he's mocking her.




It rained here in Yakima (a rare occurrence) so we took her outside for a second to see how she would react. She didn't seem to react at all, but it was still cute.

First post!

Everything is going really well since we came home from the hospital! Her cord stump fell off on Sunday while we were still there, which was a momentus occasion.

Her vomiting has slowed down- she does it, at the most, twice a day. She's still feeding well and is overall a very happy baby. The four days that she was sick were pretty terrifying. It's heartbreaking to see your little one sick.

Motherhood has been wonderful. I love everything about it, even being woken up to breastfeed intermittently throughout the night. Breastfeeding is a wonderful bonding experience for us. Plus, she shuts up quickly and looks like she's in Heaven after she's done ;D

Today, I left her laying on the couch for a second, walked five feet to change the load of laundry, and she had already rolled over from her back to her stomach!

As soon as I can obtain a reader for my XD card, I will begin to post pictures!

It sounds like she's making me a nice present in her diaper, so I had better go :o)