LIVE at 5

Alyssa is 5 months old! Just as the leaves are changing colors, Alyssa is changing and growing every day. We cannot believe all that she is doing and has learned in just four short weeks!

Alyssa has outgrown Pampers and Huggies diapers size 1 and Huggies diapers size 1-2. She is wearing Pampers size 2 now, which fit her very well. She is still wearing 6 month clothing , but has started to wear a few outfits that are size 6-9 months. She loves wearing her warm, fall clothes and her Halo sleep sack at night as well as her Bundle Me blanket in the car seat.

Alyssa has more head control and focuses on the face of the person holding her (probably because her vision has improved so much). She loves to sit and pull forward, and she can sit unassisted for 15+ seconds with only her hands for support. She will even pull forward and sit up during her baths, and she loves to splash like crazy now. Alyssa also loves to reach for toys in the play gym and has started to turn her body to reach higher. She has mastered reaching for toys during tummy time, and we cannot wait for her to roll over since she looks like she is about to as she pushes up with both arms. She is too smart for her own good though because she will pull the blanket toward her to bring the toys closer rather than rolling over to get them. She grasps toys with more control and even uses her fingers to hold smaller objects. She used to grab her feet and toes only during diaper changes, but she loves to hold her feet whenever she can now. She also likes to grab Mommy's glasses, necklace, and hair and loves to hold onto and look at Mommy's watch.


Alyssa still folds her hands and sucks on them, and she still sleeps with both hands behind her head and each leg to the side (which is the same position when she gets startled). Alyssa has discovered that she can speak louder. We love listening to her "talk," but we know her playful screams will only get louder as she gets older. She has the hiccups less often, but still gets them quite a bit and gurgles and "spits" all the time so she has started to wear bibs. Alyssa also started playing in the exersaucer given to her by Aunt Gwen, Uncle Mike, and Reese. She was hesitant at first, but absolutely loves it now and plays in it every morning as Mommy gets ready.

Here is what we have been up to the past month (which was a lot):

We visited a local Pumpkin Patch with our friends. It was the first time each of us had visited a pumpkin patch, and it was extra special to have done it together. It was also the first time Alyssa sat in the stroller without the car seat. We took lots of pictures by the pumpkins, hay, and corn maze since it was such a beautiful, sunny day. We cannot wait for next year to ride the tractors and hayride together as a family.

Alyssa had a play date with her friend Mary. Mommy watched Mary for a few hours, and she and Alyssa had a great time. Alyssa was such a good girl and shared all of her toys.

We celebrated Mommy's birthday by travelling 2 hours to Blowing Rock, NC with friends. We ate lunch, visited the mountains, went shopping at local shops and an outlet mall, and ate dinner. We learned that the winds blowing against the rock formations cause it to snow upside-down.

We met some friends for lunch and shopping at the local Farmer's Market. We bought some delicious apples and looked at all the different kinds of squash. It was the first time Alyssa was in the stroller with the Bundle Me blanket. It kept her extremely warm on a cold day.

Alyssa dressed up as a pumpkin for our development's Halloween Parade and party. Alyssa had fun seeing all of the neighborhood kids dressed up in their costumes. We also took Alyssa trick-or-treating to a few of the neighbors' homes before the Fergusons came over for dinner and we passed out candy. Alyssa didn't mind that we ate her candy though.

Likes:
BebePod seat
Squeaky toys
Mommy's watch
Peek-a-boo
Splashing in the bath tub
Exersaucer
Blowing raspberries
Laughing: Alyssa is laughing more often now. She especially loves to laugh at Daddy's funny facial expressions and the party favors that unravel as you blow into them.

Dislikes:
Being tired and hungry
Getting nails trimmed
When the car stops at red lights and stop signs: Alyssa gets impatient when the car stops and always wants to be moving.

Model pose