A year old!

For some reason my last 2 months (10 & 11) didn't post. When I tried to post the drafts again today, they were deleted :( Oh well, on to 12 months! (a little late)

Ally turned one November 30th!

She is standing on her own but not quite walking. She is saying many things (dad, momma, Gage, Cady, book, ball, uh-oh, bye-bye, and lots of other cute words). She was sick a couple of months ago so I let her sleep with me so I could watch her better (big mistake) so now she sleeps with mommy and daddy. I guess I can handle it for a little while longer :) I love to cuddle with this sweet baby.

After a fun experience with cheese cake, we found out Ally is allergic to peanuts and eggs. We had a small birthday party Sunday after church. Nana made an egg-less yummy chocolate cake.

Her one month checkup was good as usual. She weighs 20 lbs (all though I think their scale is off a couple of lbs). When we took her to the allergist, she weighed 23. She's moving along, no problems.

9 Months

Ally is 9 months old today. She had her check up this morning and is doing great.

She is in the 95 percentile for weight, height, and head circumference. She began crawling this week & is in to everything.

She's out of her baby bath and takes a big girl bath.

She is a really good eater, we've started giving her a few table foods (guacamole, carrots, potatoes, bread, & her new favorite, Nilla Wafers). 

She still only says dada unless she's repeating what we are trying to get her to say. She's a very happy, easy-going baby. 

8 Months

Ally's 8 months old today!

A few new things:

Ally has not learned to roll from her stomach to her back but she has figured out how to go from sitting to laying down on her tummy. She slides backwards to get around, it's cute. 

She says dada all the time but is starting to make other noises. She can say her name and Gage & Cady after hearing me say it a few times. She still only says momma when she's hurt or fussy. I'll take it. 

Whenever someone talks to her, Ally acts shy now and burrows her head in my chest.

I miss the nights when she slept so well, I guess it's teething that's making her wake every few hours. She has her 2 bottom teeth now. Even with the not sleeping all night, she's still my sweet baby (just a little fussy). 

She has started to dance and it is so cute. She basically rocks back and forth while sitting. 

*I can't help but think back to when I found out I was pregnant, I was so worried and felt horrible because of what could have happened to Ally because of the medicine I was taking. I kept thinking about what one of my doctor's told me: "If you become pregnant, by the time you find out the baby will probably be dead. If not, there will almost certainly be severe birth defects". This doctor wanted me to have a hysterectomy so that I wouldn't get pregnant, she said it was selfish to my other 2 children to put myself at risk. 

Things could have gone badly, I could have had a miscarriage or a baby with health problems. I could have even had clotting problems. God is still God, and we would have praised Him whatever the outcome was. We would have loved our baby just as much, whatever the challenges. But God was gracious and allowed us to have a living, completely healthy baby. He has blessed us with so much throughout our lives, having Ally has been an amazing addition to our family. I cannot imagine life without her and am glad that I did not give in to the pressure of that 1 doctor. While I appreciate doctors and heed most of their warnings when it comes to my health, I didn't feel that this particular advice was right for me. Doctors are not always correct, and even when they are, our children are a blessing, not a choice of circumstance and convenience. They are worth the risk & I'm glad I was able to take it with a positive outcome. 

Side Note

Happy Birthday to my niece who was born today.

7 lbs 19" 

I hope she & Ally will be the best of friends! 

7 Months

Ally was 7 months old Sunday. We were able to take a family vacation to GA & TN this week. Ally was wonderful and we all had a great time. We rented a cabin on a small lake in GA and were able to fish in the evenings. We drove to Chattanooga and visited Rock City, Ruby Falls, and the Aquarium. While at the aquarium, we took a 2 hour boat ride on the Tennessee River. On the way home we stopped by Noccalula Falls in AL. All in all it was a busy but fun week. 

Ally's first real word (one she understands) is dada. She loves saying it and we love hearing it (especially her dada). She finally has 2 visible teeth on the bottom. They haven't broken the skin, but they're there! She is sitting up on her own pretty well. I have to sit her up and she eventually falls over, but she's doing great. No rolling from stomach to back or crawling yet. 

My last day working at FDR was June 28th. I'm so excited I get to focus on my kiddos for a while. Maybe we can work on rolling over and crawling this summer :)

6 Months!

Ally is 6 months old and is happy and healthy as usual. She really is such a good baby. I've been working from home since a week or 2 before I found out I was pregnant but have decided to quit my job so that I can focus on the kiddos. It's just become too stressful to work and take care of my babies. Ally's next checkup is next week. I'm excited to see how much she weighs and what mile stones to expect. Tomorrow is Shannon B.'s baby shower! The girls and I are so happy to celebrate the upcoming birth of Peyton. We can't wait to meet her and see how her big brother Avery reacts. Gage graduated 5th grade last week. He received awards for art, a/b honor roll all year, and he also received the president's award. We're so proud of him! Cady finished up 1st grade and is so ready for 2nd. Where has the time gone? We're so blessed to have our amazing family. 

5 Months & Rolling

Ally is 5 months old today! Time is flying by. She finally rolled over this morning, it made her a very happy baby.

Her last doctor's visit was the 22nd, she had a little cold and ear infection. She weighs 16.8 pounds! Big girl!

Last Friday, we went to the kid's Field Day at their school. Ally was so good. She never cried and we were there for a few hours.

All in all, Ally is doing great. she's such a good baby. God keeps blessing this family!