Making Giggles

Who knew it was so much WORK? Enjoy.

A series of firsts

Alyssa had lots of firsts on our recent trip to Utah:
FIRST airplane ride
FIRST time meeting grammy, great grandpa, grandma gould, grandpa gould (all four of my parents' parents are still alive and living in Utah)
FIRST time meeting a decent amount of my aunts and uncles on both sides
FIRST giggles! Grammy has the magic touch. Scotty is also good and getting her to laugh. Videos to come once I get them edited for length.
FIRST time meeting what remains of our Provo friends. So fun to see you!

Scotty had a few firsts of his own:
FIRST airplane ride in his own seat
FIRST stitches! We were hoping to avoid that one but honestly I'm surprised he lasted this long. Special thanks to my Uncle Roark for stitching him up for free on a rainy Sunday night. Scotty was pretty upset at the idea of "pokies" so we tried to calm him down by explaining what Dr. Roark was going to do. Papa said: "Do you trust Uncle Roark?" Scotty, after looking him up and down firmly declared: "No! Don't cut my head off!" I later realized that he picked that phrase up from our scripture reading....guess I picked a bad week to cover the story of Laban and the brass plates! Ah the blessings of scripture study... It was heartbreaking to hear him pleading with me not to hurt him, but he really handled it well and was back to his usual happy self almost instantly. And I managed not to pass out by wisely sitting down on the bench for a little rest :o)

My firsts?
FIRST time traveling with both kids without Eric along to help....though both my mom and dad came with me so I had plenty of help :o)
FIRST time holding a sleeping baby while on an airplane. Makes me remember how anti-cuddling Scotty was as an infant.
FIRST time cross-country skiing in over a decade.

Overall it was a fabulous trip.

All on a Wednesday Morning

well it's that time again: time for laundry, packing, and cleaning the house before we leave for Utah tomorrow. Which means I have my two helpers, one in the sling drooling all over everything and one providing commentary. Some gems:

"Hey Megan (yes, he's started calling me Megan all the time. Makes me feel like the babysitter, especially when we're out and about). Megan, Alyssa has some yuckies coming out."

Meg: "from her mouth?"

Scottish: "no."

Meg: "her diaper?"

Scottish: "no, from her head."

Meg questioningly: "her head?"

Scottish: "yeah, the nose part of her head. and it's blowing bubbles."

Thanks for the clarification, kiddo.

As I was unpacking a few things still in bags from last trip (hey, to my credit it's only been 2 weeks) Scotty excitedly declared: "this smells like Grandpa Woodhouse!" It was in fact something from his house, so I suppose he has a distinct aura about him.

He's also taken to correcting me whenever I say a "not nice" word. Unfortunately, his definition is a little vague. When I told him "no" he couldn't have fruit snacks for breakfast this morning he jumped all over me: "That's not a nice word you said, Megan. You better say sorry for saying that not nice word to me. You better say yes, because that's a nice word."

Rub a dub dub

There are a few parenting milestones that really hit home and make me feel like I'm raising my own little family instead of just playing pretend. One was Scotty's first day of nursery. Another was taking a road trip (x4) in the family minivan (handily nicknamed Vanessa). Yet another happened last week, when Scotty had his first full day in primary as a sunbeam. I love seeing him on the front row trying to sing all the songs with me! The newest "real family feeling" happened tonight just before bedtime.

That's right, rub a dub dub, two kids in a tub. Now that Alyssa is reasonably stable by herself, Scotty can provide a little support and leverage and she can play in the big bathtub! She loved swimming her arms and looking at Scotty while he showed her all of his bath toys. After a little bit I asked Scotty if he was ready for me to take Alyssa out so he could have bubbles and splash around and he got upset: "I just want Alyssa in my bathtub, mama. I'll trade the bubbles for my sister." Couldn't ask for a better big brother.

Four months and counting

It's time for an Alyssa update. I'd tell you how fast she's growing, but it makes me feel like a cereal commercial.

Here is the current resume:

Alyssa Leanne

Age: 4 months
Weight: 13 lb. 14 oz. (60%)
Height: 25" (75%)
Head Circumference: 42 cm (75%)
Center of gravity: round baby belly and thunder thighs. This girl has like 5 separate sets of rolls. She needs something to balance out the noggin.
Eyes: Still big and still blue. Some days they have a gray cast but it looks like they will stay blue.
Hair: Still long and still crazy (minus the bald spot from rubbing in her swing). Her hair sticks straight up like it's dealing with serious static electricity but it's totally natural. Also, looking more red everyday. Who knows!
Favorite time of day: 9 am. She is full of smiles and wants to play. Unfortunately the only people who get to see her during the happy time are Scotty and me. Sorry, Eric!
Worst time of day: anytime between her afternoon nap and bedtime. And 9pm-1amish if she's short on sleep.
Cartoon likeness: it's a toss up.

Favorite pastimes: sucking on anything she can get to her mouth. Drooling. Snuggling mama. Eating frequently. Diaper changes.
Least favorite things: drinking from a bottle. Being away from mom for more than 2 hours. Her car seat.
New tricks: rolling from back to front (but not the other way except on accident) but she's ambidextrous and flips over either shoulder. grabbing for toys and switching hands. Focusing her bug eyes on pictures and faces. An occasional giggle. Grabbing her feet. Sitting on her own for decent periods of time. Pushing her pacifier into her mouth instead of just pulling it out.
Biggest parenting success: getting her to sleep more than 3 hours at a time. Getting her to sleep in her crib.
Biggest parenting fail: hearing a "THUMP" and realizing she managed to roll herself off the hotel bed and onto the floor. She went from immobile to very mobile literally overnight.

We love you Lyssabelle!