2 for 1!

When the end of August was rolling around and I realized I still hadn't posted all about Allison's eighth month of life, I figured I might as well wait and do a two for one special! Hey, don't judge. It's been a busy summer. Month 7 and month 8 have been such a blast and it is hard to believe that our little girl is 9 months old. She had her 9 month check up a few days ago and she is developmentally right on track. Size wise, she is a bit of a peanut. She is up about two pounds from her last appointment weighing in at 17 pounds and 10 ounces (28th percentile), grew an inch to be up to 27 inches (37th percentile), and that head is at a staggering 45.4 cm (86th percentile). Since she started moving this month, the doctors were not too concerned about her weight. She doesn't exactly have it in her genes to be too big anyways.

With a little help of her daily calendar, here are 17 things about our little Allison from the past 2 months as she enters her 9th month!

1.) Travel Bug. This little girl sure has logged the miles on Delta. With 3 flights under her belt, she looks forward to another flight to Ohio this week and her first trip to California at the end of the month. Good thing she still flies for free!

2.) Mighty Mississippi. Allison took a boat ride down the Mississippi in August with Mom, Dad, and our good friends Brent and Brenda. She LOVED it! She even got a certificate to Dairy Queen from the sheriff for wearing her life vest. Since Ali is quite old enough for ice cream, Mom will happily take care of that one :)

3.) Water, water everywhere. Our little water baby not only loves the water to swim and bathe in, but she loves water from a water bottle. As soon as that cap comes off, her mouth opens and she reaches for the bottle. We've tried juice and she just gives us the sour face. What can I say, she's easy to please :)

4.)Chatter Box. Back in early July, Allison started up with "dadadadada" and "babababa". She doesn't associate those with anyone or anything yet, but she has definitely found her voice!

5.) And 5 make a mouthful. At the end of July, Allison's top teeth popped through. Not one, not two, but three. All. At. Once. It was a bit of a rough week, but she looks so cute with that little mouthful. It is so bittersweet. More teeth means eating is easier. Nursing, eh, sometimes it doesn't mix so well with those teeth.

6.) Puffs! Speaking of eating, Allison has mastered the art of the pincer grasp and picking up puffs. I can't say she always make it from the tray to her mouth. But hey, maybe she gets her hand-eye coordination from her mom.

7.) Sister. Sister. Babysitter. We have been super blessed with hitting a babysitter jackpot. A pair of sister (Sam and Syd) come to watch Allison when grandma and grandpa are out of town. They are awesome and Allison just loves them. Having a date night every now and then is amazing. We are so grateful to have found them!

8.)Pull ups. One day while we were packing for a trip and Allison was hanging out in her crib, she decided it would be the perfect time to pull herself up with the first time. We were so proud of her! And then immediately lowered the mattress in the crib. Which is a good thing because...

9.) Up everywhere! She is pulling herself up all day long now! The coffee tables, entertainment centers, and everything else within reach have been cleared off. If she can see it, she is determined to get it.

10.) Determination. Speaking of determination, this girl knows what she wants and how to get it. I find it so amazing that she can have all the toys in the world, and she wants keys, phones, electrical cords, remotes, hair brushes, etc. If she wants it, she'll get it. All of this has been made much easier with the new ability to...

11.) Crawl! It started with a face plant crawl. Which evolved into a full blown, fast paced, climb over anything crawl. It is so fun to see her explore and finally be able to get to where she wants to go. It keeps her busy and us even busier.

12.)Dancing Queen. Turn on some music and this girl starts to shake it. We love to dance around the house and when she hears a beat, she gets it going. It is so funny to watch that little girl try to dance. But then again, her parents dancing is pretty humorous as well.

13.)Stair climber. I think Allison is learning that when she is at her grandparent's, she can get away with just about anything. While at Eric's parents this past week, Allison decided to take up the art of climbing stairs. She hasn't quite mastered it yet, but good enough that gates have been purchased and will be set up soon.

14.) Food. Food. Food. We are still working on getting all sorts of foods in Allison. So far she has had sweet potatoes, avocados, butternut and acorn squash, pears, zucchini, apples, mangos, summer squash, pumpkin, blueberries, bananas (still hates those), peas, carrots, canteloupe, and most recently- chicken! We are on the path to a full blown Thanksgiving dinner.

15.) Now I get it. Allison has figured out some of her toys recently and she is just too proud of herself. She has a jack in the box that she just figured out how to open and a giraffe that makes noise when she puts the ball down the slide. She thinks she is just the most awesome little baby out there for figuring those out. But I suppose she is :)

16.)Bull face. Allison is quickly learning how to get her way. And when she wants something and doesn't get it, she scrunches up her little nose, pouts up those little lips and snorts like a bull. It is hilarious. She looks so stinkin' cute that she usually gets whatever it is she wasn't allowed. How does she have us figured out already??

17.) Book Worm. Allison has seemed to enjoy being read to from the beginning, but just recently she wants her books all to herself. She is so good at taking her books one by one and flipping the pages. It is almost as if she is studying each page and then flips it to the next one. Let's work on keeping up this habit.

Phew! If you made it all the way to here, you have the determination of Allison. Here are a couple videos of her and her most recent accomplishments! Pardon my voice in both :)

On a Healthy Lifestyle

As I was clearing out the DVR a few weeks ago, I came across the last episodes of the Oprah show. And as I was watching, I got to thinking about the things in my life that I truly value. Family and Friends came up first. And then faith. And, as a fan of alliteration (dork), fitness and food rounded out the top five. At first I felt guilty about those last two. As if my very pricey, er, important education should have made the cut. But seeing as though changing diapers, playing patty cake, making dinner, folding laundry, and dominating the elliptical do not require an RN, that education fell to an honorable mention #6. Sorry, SMC.

And though those first three are very near and dear to my heart, I wanted to focus a little about the last two. First things first, I am not a “health nut.” I try hard to live a healthy lifestyle, but I really enjoy beef burgers, all things sweet, and the occasional red bull (plus or minus the vodka) too much to ever think about giving them up completely. That being said, as we start to introduce “real food” to Allison, we want to create an environment in which healthy eating is the norm, every meal is well rounded, and each day consists of some form of heart rate raising physical activity.

When we were living in Phoenix, we had access to a great farmer’s market that I took advantage of regularly. Each dinner we ate soon consisted of at least 3 parts: a protein (usually meat or fish), a grain/starch/carb, and a veggie. This appealed to “I love buffets for the million different choices” side of me and it became engrained in us that each dinner should be like that. Now, if we do not have a vegetable with dinner, our meal does not seem complete. I want that to be passed on to Allison.

We have also been working at incorporating healthier staples into our meals. Swapping out beef for lean ground turkey in our burgers, potatoes for quinoa, and starting every dinner with a spinach salad. (Side note on that- I started to really crave raw spinach salads in place of regular lettuce when I was pregnant and we just never made the switch back.) Granted, we still eat greasy cheeseburgers and French fries when we want them, but everything in moderation, right? I have found the easiest way to make sure our diets are well rounded is to do a weekly meal plan. This allows me to look over what we will be eating that week and make adjustments accordingly. It is also really helpful in minimizing grocery store trips. Plus, I just really love making lists.

Eating right, though, really is only half of it. Fitness plays an important role in our life as a family. Most of the things that we enjoy doing together involve being outdoors and being active. When I grew up, it wasn’t “are you going to play a sport?” it was “which sport are you going to play?” And I think I tried them all. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy going to the gym and going out for a run. Treadmills and elliptical are fun for me. Eric, not so much. But, 3-4 days a week, he goes and plays pickup basketball. This does not sound fun to me, but he really enjoys it. Either way, we are both working up a sweat and keeping our bodies in shape. We feel so much better after a workout and can really take pride in how our bodies look and what they can accomplish. Some may not believe in a “runner’s high”, but to them I would say train for and then run a race. Any distance. That feeling of crossing the finish line is something that beyond words.

All in all, I think that we are doing pretty good in the “health” scheme of things. We could definitely improve some areas, but we are pleased with how things are right now. The key for us is to just keep things fresh. Changing up a workout and trying new recipes are two really easy ways to do that. Here are some of our favorite “healthier” recipes we’ve enjoyed lately. Give them a try!


Quinoa, Edamame, and Feta Salad
Green Monsters
Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers
Avocado, Tomato, and Arugula Salad
Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad
Cuban Black Beans <-- Add a jalepeno and green pepper and serve over brown rice. Yum!

Better Late Than Never!

Whoa! Where has July gone?? We have had such an eventful summer, I almost forgot to tell all about our little 7 month cutie. Allison's sixth month of life was an eventful one for sure! I still find it hard to believe how much she has grown over the past month. She looks like a giant baby next to her new buddy Mollie. Yet, put her next to her cousins and she is still my little peanut. No checkup this month (which also means no shots! yay!). I had to cheat a little and go back to her June calendar to make up our list of 7! So, even though a little delayed, here are 7 things for the record book for the month of June!

1.) Pool Babe. Little Miss Allison is a bona fide pool babe. She loves the water and loves the kids at the pool even more. It is hilarious to watch her splash water in her face and then react like "who did that??". Still not a huge fan of being dunked though...

2.) Toothies. At the beginning of June, Allison cut her first tooth. The day after the little lower left tooth cut, the lower right cut. This whole teething business is pretty much everything it was was cracked up to be. But with the help of Oragel, a mesh feeder with ice in it, and lots of snuggling, we grinded through. Those two little chompers look so stinkin' cute that it is hard to get mad at her when she bites...

3.)Foodie. Cereal marked the beginning of Allison's culinary crawl and it has been quite the adventure. Though she was not a huge fan of some foods at first, she found her favorite early on. This girl LOVES butternut squash. One thing she isn't a huge fan of (and by not a huge fan, I mean she took one bite and threw up everywhere) is bananas. We have since tried twice, even mixing it in with cereal or squash, and she cannot be fooled. At least we know she has a palate able to distinguish different taste. I think that is just a nice way of saying she may be picky :)

4.) Rolly Polly. At the beginning of June, Allison FINALLY rolled from her tummy to her back! She had been rolling from back to belly quite a bit, but was a little late to the belly to back game. After my brief celebration, I quickly realized that she can now get to anything she has her eye on by rolling and rolling to it. Time for gates??

5.) Belly Sleeper. Ever since she learned to roll from back to belly, Allison started to sleep on her side. But once she figured out the full 360, she is flat on her belly. It is a little unnerving to walk into her room to check on her and see her with her face smashed into the mattress, but she likes it. And if that allows her to sleep through the night, who am I to complain? So when do I start sleeping through the night??

6.) Sitting Pretty. Sometime in the middle of June, Allison mastered sitting on her own. She loves sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by her toys. She is my little big girl. Please stop growing so fast!

7.) Look A Like. From day one, everyone has said how much Allison and Eric look alike. So when I heard there was a Father/Child look alike contest going on, I knew I had to enter them. And they won! Though she probably did not enjoy the new Toro mower as much as her dad did, we like to think she was excited. It was her first Father's Day present to Eric. Big shoes to fill for next year :)

And June seems like a walk in the park compared to July! Can't wait to tell you all about our adventures we had this month! Until then, I'll leave you with a little video of Allison's first time eating avocados up in Ada, MN!

6 Month Sweetie

Has it really been 6 months already?? Since Allison was born, we heard "Don't blink because she will be graduating college before you know it" from a number of people. And looking at this little one on her half birthday, I completely understand what they meant. This past half year has flown by. Eric and I have probably learned more in the last 6 months than ever before. And in that time, we have experienced such awesome happiness and love, all stemming from 16 pound ball of giggles.

Allison had her 6 month check up on Wednesday and here are her stats:
Up 2 pound from last appointment, weighing in at 15 pounds 14 ounces (50th percentile)
Gained an inch in length at 26 inches (50th percentile)
Head circumference topping out at 437 cm (85th percentile- Thanks Dad!)

Allison also had to get 4 vaccines, three of which were shots in her perfectly chubby thighs. If all goes as planned though, the next check up is needle free!

And as Allison coasts into her 6 month of life, here are 6 things about our little peanut that have defined the past 30 days :)

1.) Roll over, roll over. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a rolling machine. It started on Mother's Day at bath time. As Allison was laying on her back getting ready for bath time, she spotted her lotion and was determined to get it. I called down to Eric and just as he came up and got the camera rolling, she succeeded! Now, it is all she wants to do. She still only rolls from back to belly, but when she gets to her belly she thinks she is just the coolest thing out there.

2.) "Hey, I know you!" There is no question as to whether or not Allison is a momma's girl. But when the two of us spend just about every second of her waking hours together, who can blame her? Over the past few weeks though, she is definitely recognizing her Dad. When he walks in the room, she gets so excited, kicking her legs and squealing nonstop. She follows him around the room with her eyes and smiles from ear to ear just looking at him. He's always been able to make her smile, but now that she seems to know who "Daddy" is, she loves it even more.

3.) Nature Lover. This is a little girl who loves to be outdoors. We have been breaking in our new jogging stroller and she could not be more content. She is also a huge fan of walks down to the water in the Baby Bjorn. I am not sure what it is about being outside, but it makes her happy. Which makes us happy.

4.) Boys are gross. Well, maybe not gross. But they do seem to scare her. Allison and I were out grocery shopping and she was in the Bjorn, happy as a clam. An old couple came up and the woman was talknig to Allison and Allison was just loving it. Her smiles quickly turned to a frown and even some tears, though, when the older man tried to say hello. I think it is the low voice. Whatever it is, let's hope she thinks boys are scarey for about 18 more years...

5.) Stand up, sit down. Allison has loved standing since her knees have been able to lock in place. I've mentioned before how she loves to stand in the bathtub, but now she is loving standing outside of the bathtub. She can hold on to the side and keep herself up. She is a strong little lady. She has also been sitting up on her own! She isn't 100% steady, but she can pretty much "tripod" on her own without any tumbles. Uh oh. I just realized that crawling will be next. Eek!




6.) Cereal! The time has come to join the ranks of the rest of the world and eat "real" food. We started Allison on rice cereal on Monday and she seems to really like it. She is only getting it at dinner right now, but we will move it to breakfast on Sunday and start other foods at dinner. So far we are planning on sweet potatoes, avocados, and squash. That should take up a couple weeks and we'll go from there. We can't wait until all of our garden veggies come in so she can eat those too!

Love you little Allison!



Just ignore my irritating voice :)

5 Months Old!

Our little Allison turned 5 months old this past week! Time has sure flown by. It seems like just yesterday we brought her home and the we spent the first night staring at her as we camped out in the living room. That first month was pretty tough, definitely tougher than we anticipated. Now, though, she is learning something new each day and interacting with us. She is, as her Dad describes her, "like a little real person."

Since there was no doctor's appointment this month, Allison joined mom on the scale at the gym. Fully clothed, the peanut weighed in over 15 pounds! I know those tiny jeans and her mini sweater account for some poundage, but our munchkin is definitely growing! We've got a big milestone next in June as the princess with be turning 6 months and will get to start real food. Until then, I leave you with our 5 most favorite things about Allison Claire this month!

1.) "What's my real name?" By now, you have probably realized that Allison goes by about 10 different names. Allison, Ali, Princess, Peanut, Munchkin, Pumpkin, Pretty, etc. When we call "Allison," she does not turn around. Call out for "Princess" though, and her eyes find you right away. We have created a monster.

2.)Tuesdays with Mommy and Wednesdays with Dad. Now that golf league has started, Allison gets a girl's night on Tuesday nights and her and Dad hang out alone on Wednesday nights. We love spending time as a family, but there is something special about that time at night we get to spend alone with her.

3.)Baby Hugs. Sure it may be one of those "safety reflexes," but when we pick up Allison and hold her against our chests, she will wrap her little arms around us. This little baby hug is one of the best feelings in the world. And she executes it to perfection.

4.)Standing Tall. We are so blessed that this little one is so pleasant. SHe has the best smile and always seems to be happy. One of her favorite times, though, is the time right before bath time. We "skin the bunny" (sidenote- are my parents the only parents who used this phrase? Eric had never heard of it and pointed out how horrible the phrase actually is lol) and stand that little peanut up in the bathrub. She thinks she is just the coolest kid out there. She will rest her hands on the side of the tub and squeal in delight. She does love "standing" all the time, but this is definitely her favorite.

5.) "Who's that cutie??" We recently put together Allison's Exersaucer and she loves it! She is constantly trying to eat the apple on it and loves hitting the different buttons to get them to light up and make noise. Our built in babysitter, though, is the mirror that sits on it at her eye level. She stares at herself (she hopefully outgrows this and the "Princess" phase by teen years) for the longest time. When she "sees" this other baby looking back at her, she squeals as if saying "Hi! Who are you?!?" It is pretty much the funniest thing ever.



And forgive the Christmas onesie. Someone (me) bought a 3-6 month onesie before she was born thinking it would fit. Ha!

We hope you are enjoying watching out peanut grow! She has brought such joy to our lives already and continues to do so everyday. Happy Spring everyone!

Who Knew??

Allison and I went to the gym this morning just like we do every morning. Except this morning was different. This morning, when I stepped on the scale, my weight read ONE POUND away from my prepregnancy weight. I almost cried I was so happy. My body is still not what I want it to be, but I feel so much better than I did 3 months ago when I was finally allowed back to the gym.

My question, though, is who knew it would be so hard to lose baby weight?? Everyone I talked to said the same thing "Oh, you're breastfeeding? The weight will come right off." Um, no. Though I chose to breastfeed for a hundred reasons besides weightloss, I was thinking that was a great perk. But did you know that when you breastfeed, you want to eat absolutely everything in sight? Or is that just me? I eat as much as, if not more than, Eric. And even if I wasn't as hungry as a horse at all times of the day, I don't believe dieting is in the best interest of someone who wants their child to actually grow and gain weight.

Losing these 10 pounds have been really hard. Harder than hard. And to mommas with more than one kiddo, I am amazed by you. Moms who work? You are super stars. I have been lucky enough to stay home with my peanut which allows for 2 hours at the gym everyday. Also, our gym allows babies to be on the gym floor so as long as she gets a good nursing in and I rock her to sleep, I can get at least 45 minutes of cardio in before she wakes up.

So this may be me gloating or tooting my own horn. But I haven't been this excited about the number on a scale since, well, forever. I wanted to shout it out in the locker room. But I guess I'll just blog about it for now :)

4 Months Old!

Today we headed over to Mayo with the little peanut for her 4 month well baby check up. She is healthy as can be! She tipped the scale just shy of 14 lbs, weighing in at 13 lbs and 15.5 ounces, and finally broke the 2 foot barrier at 25 inches. Her little (big) head was toward the top of the charts at 22.5 cm. But like her Uncle Tim said “Big heads run in the family. Need room for all of those brains." She also got 3 vaccinations while she was there, two of which were shots in her pudgy little thighs. I cried. She cried. It was no fun. She is good to go for another 2 months though!

This past month we hit a bit of a snafu. A little piece of disaster commonly known as RSV. RSV is a respiratory virus (Respiratory Syncytial Virus to be exact) that hits babies hard. I'm pretty sure everyone can get it but it seems to have an affinity toward the cute, chubby cheeked little ones. Who can blame it, though? Those cheeks are hard to resist. Anyways, Allison got RSV in early March. The sleeping through the night that we worked so hard to accomplish went out the window. The pack and play went back up next to our bed and the blue bulb suction was working overtime. A very long three weeks later, she was symptom free. This coincided perfectly with the arrival of Grandma and Grandpa Schorsten to Rochester and the departure of Eric and I to Vegas! Allison got to spend 4 days getting spoiled by them and Grandma Deutsch (lucky girl!) while her parents enjoyed some alone time, sunshine, and no dirty diapers (luckier us!). We had a blast seeing our good friends Shane and Rachael but missed the peanut terribly and were pretty excited to get home to her.

Since we have been home, we've had plenty of beautiful weather and are eager for spring and summer! The stroller has made it's debut outside (and not just as a means of getting in and out of the gym!) and we've started scoping out where we will hang her swing (Thanks Markey family!). So with one more month under our belt, I give you the 4 things that defined our princess this past March.

1.) TOES! Despite my complete disdain for it, Little Miss Deutsch is trying her hardest to be a thumb sucker. She thinks she is so crafty sometimes as she tries to hide it, even sticking it into her pacifier as she is falling asleep. Then, one night after her bath, she thought to herself "Mom may keep taking my thumb out of my mouth, but if I can reach my toes, maybe that will be ok..." And she did. And in the mouth they went. They have quickly become her favorite chew toys. Lay this little one on her back and as those legs come up, she grasps onto her calf with white knuckles and chomps away to her heart's content. And as I watch in amazement of her flexibility, I realize she is right. How can I take away those toes when she looks just too darn cute??

2.) DADDY! I spend all day, every day with Allison. She is my appendage, my accessory, my "if I don't have her, something doesn't feel right". I read her stories, feed her, change her diaper, and do everything I can think of to make her laugh. And then Eric walks in the room. And just by saying "Hi Allison!", he wins her over. She stares at him, wants to sit on his lap, watches him as he eats. He's the bee's knees. The shiniest toy on the shelf. The coolest kid on the block. Not that I am bitter or anything ;) It actually melts my heart to see her so mesmerized with him. Though I think she is just working on getting him wrapped around her finger for her teen years...

3.)SKYPE! Every couple of days, Allison and I hop on the computer and Skype with her cousins and Aunts. A lot of times, she is fixated on the light above the desk, but she is quickly learning that the people on the screen are talking to her. And she LOVES to talk back. She is making new and different noises every day. We hope that this helps her get to know her cousins and vice versa. We don't want to be "those one set of relatives that live out in Minnesota..what are their names??"

4.)READ! Allison loves books. We started to read her books right when we got home from the hospital and now she can't get enough of them. We have a bath book called "Water, Water Everywhere" and she is obsessed with it. When she is in her bath, she turns her head and stares at that book until you take it off the shelf and read it to her. Her eyes get really big and her arms and legs splash all around as you open it up. After we are done reading it, we place it back on the shelf and her head turns back to stare at the book and the process repeats itself until she is a wrinkly raisin. This is also a great trick for keep her happy in a restaurant. If there is a menu with pictures, she is one happy girl. Ergo, we are two happy parents :)

We have so much to look forward to this month as Easter is around the corner, swimming lessons start, the weather warms up and the golf course opens. We haven't decided how we are going to golf with her, but we'll make it work. Happy 4 months Allison!

3 Months Old!

Our little Allison is 3 months old and as cute as can be! We don’t have an appointment until 4 months so no stats for now. This little munchkin is definitely growing, though, as evidenced by the increasing number of outfits joining the newborn clothes in the “outgrown” box. This is such a bittersweet thing for me. I love that those chubby thighs, multiple chins, and big round belly remind me that she is eating well and growing. However, they are all also a reminder that she won’t be my little baby forever. I guess I’ll spend extra time cuddling her while she still lets me J

Our biggest event this month was Allison’s baptism! We were so lucky to be joined by her God Parents Melissa and Lang (and Declan!) from Pittsburgh, my parents and Allison’s Aunts Beth and Lisa from Ohio, Eric’s parents, Allison’s Uncle Tim from Minneapolis, and all of our other family and friends! She looked like such a doll in her white dress and couldn’t have been better. And, in true girl fashion, spent most of the brunch afterward squealing more than she ever has! Thanks again, Christie, for being her chatter buddy J

It is so hard to narrow it down to 3 things for this month, but here goes…

1.) Allison loves the mirror! We worry that we have a little diva on our hands already. If you want to see a little princess smile and squeal, plop this girl in front of a mirror. She thinks it is just the funniest thing!

2.) If we are out to eat, Allison doesn’t want to hang out in her car seat. She wants to sit on your lap! She is happy as can be sitting on anyone’s lap and looking around. She wants to be part of the action too.

3.) Allison’s neck is getting so strong and she will hopefully no longer be a bobble head! She spends part of each day on her tummy and sitting in her Bumbo to work on her neck muscles. She is really getting the hang of it!

We love you, our sweet girl, and can’t wait to see what the month of March holds for you!

Our little 2 month old!

Allison had her 2 month appointment last week and she is doing great! I cannot believe that he is already 2 months old. Where has the time gone?? She grew 3 inches since her last appointment (up to 23 inches!) and, weighing in at 11 pounds and 2 ounces, she gained almost a full 4 pounds! She also had to get her vaccinations which included 3 shots :( She was not too happy with those, but I think I cried more. She is so healthy, though, and that is more than we could ask for.

The past two months have definitely been an adjustment, but she has made it relatively easy on us. Starting around 1 month of age, Allison started sleeping 7 hours straight through the night! She has been a champion eater (and pooper!) and is getting into a very nice schedule. She even took her first plane ride to Ohio to visit my family. She slept from take off to touch down both there are back, so we were very pleased (as were all of the other passengers!).

She has discovered her hands and chomps on them all throughout the day. Another one of her favorite things is her activity mat. The lights and sounds just fascinate her. As silly as it may be, one of my proudest moments so far is when she reached out and snagged the rings on it. Yay Allison!

Stealing the idea from Kristin @ www.bkhagerman.blogspot.com , here are 2 things about our little 2 month old that make her, well, her.

1.) She loves her bathtime! During our visit to Ohio, Allison used her cousin Michael and Nicky's bathtub. We always used the sling in her bathtub at home, but since this one didn't have the sling, we made do. And she LOVED it! Needless to say, when we got home, we got rid of the sling and haven't looked back. She splashes and laughes the entire time. Her head turns as soon as she hears that water running.

2.) Little Miss Allison has a million expressions and sounds to match. She coo's, goo's, and smiles all day long but her newest favorite is squealing. This little lady is bound to be a chatter. She will "talk" to anyone who listens and talks back.

We just love our little peanut and feel so blessed to have her in our lives. Happy 2 months Princess!

Just Add Baby!

From the moment we opened up the envelope and found out that our little nugget would be a perfect little princess, we couldn't wait to get started on her room! We started off with a blank slate. The room had old pale blue carpet, white walls, and a hunter green wall paper trim. First thing to go was carpet. We went through Home Designs Studio in Rochester to have the new flooring put in. We thought about doing wainscoting in the room, but decided that since the flooring matched the baseboards already, we would stick with that.

After the floors went in, I steamed down the wall paper trim. We then spent a good 20 hours taping off the room and painting the walls green with white stripes. This is not an easy task to take on. If you ever plan on doing painting stripes in a room, let us know and we can give you so VERY helpful tips that would have saved us loads of time. In the end, though, the stripes turned out better than we could have hoped.

After the painting came reinstalling the baseboards. This is not as easy as it sounds. Think putting together a jigsaw puzzle that needs to fit perfectly. And the pieces are large and cumbersome. With nails. Eek! We survived though, and so did the walls.

Next came the ceiling fan. We wanted to install a dimmer and a ceiling fan, which would require a little rewiring. This task was left entirely to Eric and our go-to handy guy/good friend Brent. Together, they put in the fan (and it is still up!) and put the whole system on a dimmer. It could not have worked out better.

I made some wall art with canvas, mod podge, scrapbooking pages, and ribbon. We added her furniture, clothes, a rug, and hung everything on the walls. Now we are good to go! We just need to add baby, which will happen this week. We are going in for induction tomorrow night and we could not be more excited. Or more nervous! We cannot wait to meet our not so punctual princess. She will be the perfect last addition to the room that we are just so proud of :)