Fresh Start

As this year comes to a close, I have a number of things I want to do better next year.  I am looking forward to a new start and excited for this opportunity.  2010 was a fabulous year with lots of changes mostly encompassing the addition of a child to our family.  We are so glad she is here and that I get to spend all my time with her.

However, with the addition of Alice, our lives have become a bit chaotic and unorganized.  My primary goal for 2011 is to establish some routines in our lives and organize my home. 

Alice is starting to move, so baby proofing my home is a must, and I am excited to really go through it and organize it better and maybe even make some improvements like paint and new furniture :)

Alice is also a terrible sleeper, so we are going to try to get a good routine going to where we can have regular times for naps and bedtime.  We need to make this a priority so that she can get the rest she needs.

With my new found time in her naps (assuming that goes well), I plan to finish the crafts and projects that are half done, blog more regularly and get and keep my house organized and clean.

Our family goals also include more dates excluding the baby, more regular temple attendance, and more regular family home evening. 

I know I have a lot on the docket this year, but I am excited and ready for this renewed spirit and fresh start.

Oops, Christmas Came Early

So, I left my baby unattended while I cleaned up the kitchen from the baking I did.  I put her in the middle of the floor, with nothing in reach.  Ten minutes later, Dusty came home, and called out my unattentiveness.  This is what we saw.

 

She had completely opened the gift, was eating the paper, and playing with the gift.  Mom has to be more careful as we now have a mobile baby.

Note: We blurred out the gift as to not ruin Christmas for my siblings which perhaps will open a similar gift on Christmas day. 

Holiday Baking

I always do a little holiday baking, but this year, I wanted to try a few new things.  Almond Roca, and Bon Bons.

First, I tried Almond Roca.  My mom makes this every year to perfection and I always get to enjoy some.  This delicious treat is fabulous if made right, and not so fabulous otherwise.  Cook it too long, and it taste burnt, and cook it too short and it is sticky and chewy.  In past years, I have tried and ruined it both ways.  My Mom insists on cooking it until it starts to burn and smoke.  I trusted her this year, and it worked.  It turned out perfect!

Second, I tried Bon Bons.  These are chocolate covered peanut butter balls.  This is a family favorite and always made by my aunt Julie.  She makes tons of these every year, I mean in the hundreds.  I made about 50, and I will first thank my aunt for making these.  They are a little complicated, and very time consuming to first grind all the ingredients into dust, roll all the little balls, and dip them all in chocolate.  Mine turned out great.  It took a few dippings to get the temperature of the chocolate right, and develop my own technique, but they look almost as good as Aunt Julie's.

I then made fudge, which I usually make; however, it turned out horrible this year.  It is crumbly and gritty.  Probably won't be delivering much of that :(.

I still plan to make Spritz cookies, and hope to get those done tonight.  I have made them a few times this year already, and I love them.

8 Months

My baby is 8 months old as of yesterday.  She is now 16.5 lbs, 25 1/4 inches tall, and her head is 16.5 inches.  She has become a bit more busy lately and has just remembered how to roll over again.  She still is not very mobile, but she sits great and has a very long reach.  She gets frustrated when she wants something that is just beyond her reach, and is just now trying harder to get it rather than just whining.  She cut her second tooth last Thursday, and she must have more coming because she is still pretty cranky.

She really wants that pen and works hard for it.

She is a terrible napper, and we are trying some different things to get her sleeping better.  She still sleeps in our room most nights, but is spending more and more time sleeping in her crib in her room.  It has been a VERY gradual transition.  I think we are planning to get through the holidays, then really focus on the routines, sleeping, and getting rid of the pacifiers.

She has some new sounds including something that sounds like a machine gun, as well clicking her tongue.  She is also experimenting with the baba and dada sounds.  She still likes to spit, blow raspberries, cough, and growl.

Here is the machine gun sound.

Overall she is a happy little girl (most of the time) and we think she is just adorable.  We love our little Alice and can't get enough of her.

Finally here

That is Alice's first tooth.  Just a couple days past 7 months, her bottom right tooth has made it appearance this morning.  It is still hard to get a picture of it, but this is the best we could do.  I am hoping this will ease her fussiness, but I have a feeling the bottom left one is shortly behind. 

Snow?

I have heard that this is supposed to be a cold cold winter.  We have had a few cold winters in the past, but last year we did not see a single snowflake at our house. 

Today, before Thanksgiving, on November 21st, we are seeing the snow fall outside.  It has been snowing for a couple hours.  It is sticking to the roofs, grass, trees, and it is pretty.  I missed seeing snow last year.  I love it when it snows a lot, and the whole city seems to shut down as we are so ill prepared for snow.  Things tend to get quiet, and the pace of life seems to slow when the flakes fall. 

7 Months

Current stats - 16 lbs, 24.5 inches tall, and 16.5 in 42cm head circumference. 

New developments include

• sitting well on her own
• rolled over last week for the first time from back to tummy.  She hasn't done it since, and also appears to not roll over either way.  Perhaps sitting made her forget.
• Her naps have started to improve, and this last week, most days she has taken a decent nap, and she is even in her crib today.  YEAH!
• She has been fairly fussy due to the first tooth that I think is almost here.  
• She likes to eat solids, and is a big fan of carrots and sweet potatoes, she also really likes bananas.  She also has fun playing with cheerios.  She can pick them up, but it is hard to get them out of her hand into her mouth.  Bella loves it though because most end up on the floor.

We are very busy most days with Christmas projects, visiting friends and family, and fun activities like library storytime and football games.  I will now move onto some other specific posts that I have been way behind on.