God Bless the Child

Christening outfit

Alyssa was baptized and confirmed at St. Maron's Church on November 29th, 2009. Mommy and Daddy were married by the same priest in the same Church; and, Teta and Jiddu were married in the same Church 34 years ago. Mommy also received the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation at St. Maron's. It is remarkable that 3 generations could be blessed in the same place.

Beginning of Sacrament

Alyssa's special day began with our family meeting at the Church after 11am Mass. The priest and deacon went through the beginning of the ceremony before walking to the "fountain" where Fr. Karam poured holy water on Alyssa's head and made the sign of the cross on her forehead with holy oil. The towel that was used to dry Alyssa's head was returned to us so that we could wring out the holy water and pour it onto the garden. This ritual signifies new life, and the holy water helps the plants to grow and flourish.

Holy water

After the ceremony, we took pictures and then gathered at the reception venue (The Hilton Garden Inn) across the street, which is the same location as Mommy and Daddy's rehearsal dinner. Alyssa gave each family a crystal cross as a favor. She also had an outfit change into her party dress given to her by her Godmother, Great Aunt Rosy. Alyssa's christening outfit, shoes, and bib were also gifts from Great Aunt Rosy. Uncle Joe is Alyssa's Godfather, and he gave an amazing speech in which he remembered those who passed away and could not be with us that day and that Alyssa had a great foundation for a life filled with love because of our amazing family. Alyssa is truly fortunate to have such wonderful godparents, and she gave each of them an engraved photo album and religious figurine as a small token of her appreciation. The album also included the following poem:

As parents, we are chosen by God above.

Godparents are chosen for devotion and love.

Of all the people we admire so much,

It is you who has the spiritual touch.

As you assume this honor of guidance and direction,

Please accept this gift with our love and affection.

Godmother, Great Aunt Rosy and Godfather, Uncle Joe

The proud parents and godparents

Appetizers at the luncheon included tabouleh, kibbi, and spinach pies. Dinner was oven-roasted chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans and carrots. A chocolate cake with raspberry filling was served for dessert; but, we also had a personalized cassada cake for Alyssa, a wide variety of Middle Eastern pastries, and fruit salad. After Mommy and Daddy cut the cake with Alyssa, Great Aunt Mary Ann gave Alyssa some of the frosting, which she absolutely loved!

The crystal cross favors

The dessert table

Cutting the cake

Eating the frosting

Alyssa was exhausted by the end of the day. She had a great time with our family, and she loved being held by everyone. Thank you to our families who travelled from near and far to celebrate Alyssa's christening and for all of your love, support, and guidance. We are eternally grateful for all that you have done for us and continue to do.

So peaceful

1/2 Year in Review

Wow! We cannot believe that half a year has passed since Alyssa arrived and became a part of our family! Alyssa is 6 months old, and she has changed so much in such a short period of time. We cannot remember what life was like without her, and time is just going by way too fast!

As a newborn, Alyssa used to peck at my shoulder to let me know that she was hungry. We called it "the chicken." Now, she opens her mouth really wide, nuzzles my shoulder, and sometimes sucks on my shirt so we call it "the vampire." She no longer has her other vampire-like tendencies though. The sunshine does not bother her as much, and she sleeps less during the day. Alyssa takes a longer morning nap approximately 2 hours after she wakes up and 1-2 shorter naps in the afternoon to early evening. She still sleeps through the night and loves taking a bath before bedtime. She sits up in her tub and kicks and splashes so much that water gets everywhere.

The Vampire

Alyssa is still wearing Pampers diapers size 2 and now wears 9 month clothing. She has started to wear size 12 month onesies since they seem to run small. We can tell that she is taller, and it looks as though her legs are a little less chubby and much longer. Alyssa's sitting improves with each passing day. She loves to lean forward and even throw herself back, which means that Mommy always has her hands on Alyssa for safety. She grabs large and small objects with improved coordination and control and loves to try to pick up the cross on Mommy's necklace and the ribbons on her play blankets. As a result, her fine motor skills have improved as well as the strength of her hands and neck and back muscles. During tummy time, Alyssa scoots backwards since she pushes up on her arms so well now. She loves to kick her legs, especially her right leg so we call her "Bronco" too.

Scooting off the blanket

The Bronco practicing her screams
(Warning: You might want to turn your volume down)

Alyssa says many different consonant and vowel sounds, and she loves to change the inflection of her voice when she is happy. She has also started to combine sounds and loves when we imitate her "screams."She knows when we leave the room and gets sad when we are gone for long periods of time. She has a big smile on her face when we return though.

Since Alyssa continues to change each month, we have compiled a list of her characteristics and attributes that we think are similar to Mommy and Daddy:

Like Mommy

1. Hair
2. Eyelashes
   
3. Nose
4. Mouth
5. Fingers (except thumbs)
6. Legs (knees and cankles) :)
   
7. Shyness
8. Eats slowly

Like Daddy

1. Eyes
2. Ears
3. Chin
4. Cheeks
5. Thumbs
6. Toes
7. Morning person
8. Smile

Here is what we have been up to the past month:

Alyssa had her first taste of rice cereal for dinner early in the month. She did not eat very much, but she opened her mouth for each bite. Since she was showing signs of being hungry (e.g., looking intently at Mommy's oatmeal bars and opening her mouth really wide when she was hungry and we were eating), we decided to start her on solids. More cereal was probably on her bib than in her mouth, but we will never forget Alyssa's facial expressions and Shereif's ability to make airplane noises for the spoon to fly into her mouth. Alyssa tried green beans for the first time too as we ate Thanksgiving dinner. She likes her green vegetables more than the cereal, which is a good sign. When she is particularly hungry, she puts both hands up and shakes them while leaning forward with her mouth open. She definitely loves food, but she takes her time eating during most meals.

First taste of cereal

Alyssa had her ears pierced by the pediatrician. At the appointment, she weighed 18 pounds, 11 ounces (almost another 3 pounds since her last weigh-in) with her clothes on. Alyssa received gold studs, and Mommy cannot wait to have her wear lots of different earrings after a few months. Teta Odie bought her emerald earrings, Alyssa's birthstone, when she born; and we know they are going to look adorable on her.

Newly pierced ears!

We went to Shereif's friend's birthday party. Everyone thought Alyssa was well-behaved and wanted to hold her.

We travelled to Cleveland for the second time with Alyssa. We went for Thanksgiving and loved spending time with our families. Daddy went to Columbus for work so Alyssa and Mommy stayed with Teta and Jiddu while he was away. They had fun visiting family and friends and having visitors too. Hena and Ahmad and Aunt Lina and Aunt Nana visited. We visited Aunt Mouna and great grandma and great grandpa. Alyssa also had a play date with Reese, Maggie, and Isabella.

Alyssa was baptized in Cleveland. More details about her special day to follow in another post...

Alyssa had her 6 month appointment when we returned from Cleveland. She weighed 18 pounds, 8 ounces (90th percentile), was 27 in. long (90th percentile), and her head circumference was 41.4 cm. The doctor was impressed with her measurements and told us to continue working with Alyssa on sitting and standing. He also recommended starting her on oatmeal. Alyssa received 3 immunizations (and an oral vaccination) and the first booster of the H1N1 vaccine. Mommy and Daddy received the vaccines too before Alyssa turned 6 months since she was too young at the time.
Likes:
Baths
Eating
Sleeping
Toys and books that make noise
Songs (especially The Itsy Bitsy Spider, the Alphabet, Patty Cake, and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)

Reading and listening to her Elmo book from cousins Christopher and Sarah

Dislikes:
Small clothes
Being alone
Getting her face wiped, especially if the towel is cold