Nine Months Old

Our baby girl turned nine months old on December 30.  It seems like it's been so long and so short at the same time.  I guess that is a good thing; although I have had the baby bug every since she was born - so the longer she stays small and in this baby phase the longer I can fight off wanting to have number three!  ;)

Never more than a few days pass without wondering what Joseph was up to at **insert Alaina's current age here** months old.  I frequently open our old photo files and look back to compare the two siblings in looks, and find the corresponding blog post and see how different and similar they are.

This time I came across these gems: 

This sweet boy could light up a room with his smile and giggles.

And nary a soul can glance her direction and not be infected by that contagious grin.

Both had big baby blues and the same chubby thighs and the softest cheeks in the world.

Nine month old Joseph was a cheerio eating fool, and little Alaina is barely making her way through the food world.  Slow and steady wins the race.

At this pace, she is certainly the winner.

Alaina and Joseph got a dual wellness checkup for his Four Year and her Nine Month.  That was both fun and saved time, and we lucked out and got Daddy to come too.  It was a whole big ol' event!

Alaina got the award for the least tears (barely even flinched when they stuck her toe for an iron check) and Joseph was apparently traumatized by a hearing and vision test in his past life, and in this life was pretty turned off by it all.  Just the sight of those hearing test ear phones struck fear in him, but he survived and even enjoyed it a bit after all was said and done.  But for all those darn needle sticks a special trip to Mickey D's was in order on the way home.

I got the award for Strong Mama While Her Babies Get Shots and Cry.  I needed Mickey D's too.  We are emotional eaters in this family. 

Growing Girl's stats:
Weight:  19lbs 9oz, 69th%
Height:  26.5", 9th%

 Happy Nine Month Birthday to Alaina Faye!

Boy Oh Boy

 ...oh boy oh boy oh boy!  The day I've been waiting for is finally here!

After several months of trying baby food, Miss Alaina decided she was ready to chow down!!  And boy did she chow.

I had convinced myself that surely she was hungry for more than mama's milk - and we all know by the looks of those thighs and cheeks that she certainly was not starving, but every time I tried to feed her she would gag, and gag and gag some more.  I thought that whatever physiological process between the mouth and brain that told her to taste then swallow wasn't mature enough yet.  That sounds like it makes sense right?

Every couple of weeks I'd try again and this time we hit the jackpot!  Although I tried rice cereal with her, it's not my preference for baby food.  First of all it's not tasty and I think the texture trips her up.  We skipped it with Joseph too - but did use it occasionally later in his babyhood for mixing flavors.

I popped open a jar of sweet potato and that baby girl ate HALF the jar on her first try! I had a couple jars of the Tom Thumb brand organic baby food and have been super impressed with the taste and texture so I think that's the winner for now.
 

Joseph had to peek and make sure all was well.  It seems like forever ago we were trying baby food with him.  He took to it a lot faster than Alaina and ate almost everything we tried on him, so Alaina has given me a chance to expand my mommy skills. 

I just couldn't believe how easy it was compared to all the other times I tried.  It was night and day!  She would open her mouth, only gagged twice out of half a jar, and never shuddered or spit it out!  I know we all love the new-food-baby-shudder but I was pretty thrilled to see a happy baby.  :)

Now I need to go log it in the baby book before I get sidetracked.   
First baby food:  sweet potatoes, two days shy of 9 months old!  You seemed to really like it and were so patient and CUTE!  You loved to take a bite off of the spoon then put your fingers in your mouth and suck them...messes are fun!  Go baby girl, go! 

Alaina by Mommy

We all know this mommy is so in love with her little girl, but throw open the blinds for some beautiful natural light, spread out a white sheet, get rid of her skivvies, and watch the magic happen.  I could stare into those baby blues all day.  And that sweet little grin...forget about it, she's got me wrapped around her little finger. 

There Is a New King in Town...

...the Lego King!  Josh has seriously been waiting for this day since Joseph was born.  He grew up loving Legos and now has a reason to play with them again!

One day while we were sitting on the couch Josh told me he thought Joseph was ready for the big switch.  Up to now, he had been playing with Duplos and other big building bricks and his small motor skills was improving all the time.  Spur of the moment one afternoon we headed to the mall to visit the Lego Store.  It was awesome!

We started out with a few small kits and a few accessories.  Joseph took to it like a pro and I was so surprised at how easily he could read and follow the instructions. 

We have a full blown Lego Maniac!  He has such a great imagination, he can sit and play with them all day, building and rebuilding and running a little town. 

Lego friends, we're fueled and ready for take-off! 

Happy Halloween!

Got the pumpkin carved and shining bright!

Found the second best costume for the boy and the cutest pink poodle for the girl!

Activated our glow sticks and we were ready to hit the pavement!

Happy Halloween to all and to all a good night!

Off to the Pumpkin Patch!

One of our favorite Fall traditions is finding the best pumpkin patch.  I had heard this one was good and although pretty far away, we couldn't wait to check it out.  The Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch stated on their website that a competitor set up in the adjacent field and tries to wave you in to their patch.  It's true!  The nerve of some people!  But hardly anyone was at the "other" pumpkin patch and clearly the original was the place to be! It was hopping!

This was one of the first pictures where I tried to get Joseph to hold Alaina.  The outtakes are pretty good for this little pose.  I should have posted them instead!

They had a mini kid maze that Josh and I ran through with Joseph.  It was pretty much the epitome of a fall pumpkin patch day!

The hay had a amazing quality of absorbing almost all sound, so if one were to misplace their child in the hay maze, anticipating hearing their cries of help wouldn't be a good solution.  Joseph didn't have any desire...at this point...to go in by himself though so I didn't have to worry about the hay maze swallowing my child whole. 

This was classic!  "DO NOT CLIMB" and "KEEP OFF TOP OF MAZE"!  Yea right...try telling that to a bunch of young kids having the time of their lives!

At one point all heck broke loose when Joseph decided to go inside the 'big' maze by himself.  He wasn't tall enough to see us and us him, and the sound absorbing quality of the hay made it impossible to know where he was.  I started to panic just a teensy bit and decided to go in after him.  While inside I encountered at least two other crying children who couldn't find their way out and also assisted several parents who were on the outside in finding their kids!  It was a full on rescue effort!  It was a serious maze, folks!  

After the hay ride, there was a graveyard area with a haunted tree that had carvings in it.  I thought it was a pretty cool  and spooooky idea.

'Whooooo' loved the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch?!  We did!

We were all looking forward to heading to Uncle Michael and Aunt Tammy's for their annual pumpkin decorating party.  Daddy was off to Austin to see his college roommate get married and we sure wished he could join us, but at least he would be back in time for Halloween trick or treating. 

We donned our Halloween shirts and gear and arrived ready to party!

A sweet Aunt Tammy kitty entertained Alaina while Joseph and I got to work. 

The scene was all set and there were adornments galore to fix up our pumpkins.

I decided to give a witch on her broom stick a go and pretty much butchered it.  Cause I didn't have my, uh, ahem professional brushes.  Yeah that's it!  I didn't have the right tools!

Alaina and Gigi hung around until it was a little too chilly and someone needed a nap, then headed in. 

This is where I found them awhile later.  Gigi was getting some sweet sleeping baby cuddles!

There was some bobbing for apples fun in the back yard, but Joseph decided it wasn't fun sticking his face in water...he used his hand to grab his apple snack!

Then back inside, a jam session ensued!  Nothing like some Halloween carols to complete a fabulous Pumpkin Party!  Joseph and Connor jammed out just like the pros. 

Maybe next year he'll be a groovy bongo player for Halloween?  At least I know for sure that we'll be in attendance at the O'Brien Halloween Party! 

 
After we sent Daddy off to Austin for his college roommate's wedding, we headed to Gigi's for a few photos.  I wanted to get a few Halloween shots and I'm starting to learn how hard it's going to be now that I have two smiles to coordinate.  These kids can sure wear a mommy-photographer out!

 But then...even though Alaina isn't looking, I'll capture a shot like this one with Joseph's sweet expression and it's all right.

I fell in love with Josh's eyes when he smiles back when we started dating.  I can tell he is going to smile before his mouth even curves into one.  That little puffy wrinkle under his eyes starts to form it's own smile first and is so endearing to me.  Joseph inherited that same little puffy eye-wrinkle smile and this picture totally captured it.

Gigi's backyard is always such a fun place to wander around, with her love of gardening.  We like to scope out all the flower beds and see what there is to see.  And the colorful jingling suncatchers and chimes are fun too.

 I can never pass up a good profile shot.  It's one of my favorite photos to capture.

But then Joseph gets tried of having the camera in his face and starts giving me photos like this.  I can't tell you how many pictures I have through the years of him holding a berry, or flower, or stick, or some other found object right in the lens.  Thank goodness he's as tolerant as he is...and I have a great collection of fun little treasure pictures!