Lookin' fine at 9

Alyssa just turned 9 months old! The biggest news this month is that her top front teeth came in so Alyssa now has 4 pearly whites to show off when she smiles! The top teeth recently cut through (the left one first) and are harder to see, but the bottom teeth are getting bigger each day. At her well visit, Alyssa weighed 20 pounds, 4 ounces. She is 28 inches long, and her head circumference is 45.1 cm, which puts her in the 75-90th percentile for all measurements.

Smile!

Alyssa wears Pampers size 2-3 diapers and size 12 month outfits, but many of her pants are difficult to get on since her thighs are so chunky. :) Her hair is getting so long that the ends are starting to curl up. She has tried many different kinds of fruits, vegetables, and meats and has started eating thicker foods (Stage 3). Her favorite foods seem to be oatmeal, green beans, and mangoes. She used to suck her bottom lip when she saw people eating or drinking, but now she just reaches for their food or cup. Alyssa has also started to eat cereal puffs, and I think the texture worried her at first. She is trying to learn how to use the sippy cup too and likes the taste of diluted apple juice.

Mohawk

Alyssa is quite the comedienne as she always tries to make us laugh. She grabs things very quickly and even pretends to cough to make us start laughing. She loves to giggle all the time and has started to scrunch up her nose when she smiles! I think she has also learned to play peek-a-boo with us since she covers her face with her towel, blankets, or toys and quickly pulls them down to look at us. She also loves to bang her toys together or on different things to make different sounds.

Peek-a-boo

Alyssa absolutely loves music and her musical toys. She likes to play with her toy piano from Uncle Joe and the ukulele that we bought in Hawaii on our honeymoon. She likes to "sing" along and has even started dancing by swaying her upper body and head from side-to-side when she hears music. Alyssa enjoys "talking" by babbling random consonants and vowels together, especially "dididada" (which sounds like the Arabic words for "bad Daddy"). It's cute to see her tongue move in different ways to make different sounds. She stops "talking" in public though and when Teta and anyone else tries to talk to her on the phone.

Dancing

Let's party!


Babbling
If you watch closely, you can see Alyssa's no-look ring toss.
We promise no dolls were harmed in the making of this film.

Alyssa frequently falls forward onto her tummy from sitting when she tries to reach too far. She also tries to sit up during diaper changes, which is funny to watch. It is as if she is trying to do a sit-up with her legs straight, but her abdominal muscles are not yet strong enough. Her leg muscles, however, are much stronger. Alyssa stands with some support, and we can tell by the smile on her face that she loves having a new vantage point from which to see everything now.

Standing like a big girl

New wheels

Alyssa is more "opinionated" now and lets us know when she is unhappy by throwing herself backwards. She does not like being washed and will whine at times when we try to give her a bath instead of letting her simply play in the water. She loves to hug our necks and give us kisses though. We think (or hope that) she gives us kisses when she opens her mouth on our chins, cheeks, or necks.

"No" should mean "yes"

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

It snowed for the first time in NC while we were home (and the second time this year). It was also the most snow the state has had in a very long time. Most businesses and all the schools closed early the day it was forecasted that a snowstorm was coming. It started snowing at 6pm one evening and did not stop until the following night. The streets were covered with snow, and everyone was advised not to drive. Even though it did not seem like a lot of snow to us, we spent that weekend at home; and the following week, the schools were closed every day. The next week, a very big wind storm blew into town, and we lost power for a couple hours too. To combat cabin fever, we had fun taking lots of pictures and videos of Alyssa.

Snow on our street

Alyssa and friends

Little Orphan An-derson Varejao...Go Cavs!

Mary spent one day with us, and Alyssa and she had a great time playing once they got used to each other. Every time Mary started crying because she missed her parents, Alyssa started crying too. I think Alyssa was feeling empathetic, but the girls soon started playing; and I hope no more tears will be shed when they are together in the future.

The next day, we went to dinner with Mary and her parents at a restaurant downtown for the first time. It was also Alyssa's first time sitting in a high chair at a restaurant and "eating out."

Super Bowl Sunday was spent at our friends' house in Winston-Salem. The Rinaldis have a son named Connor who is 2 months younger than Alyssa. It was cute to see them play next to each other even though they did not really seem to notice one another. Daddy liked that since he does not want Connor to get too close to Alyssa. :)

We have been going to Baby Fun Time at the Library each. This month, more Mommies were in attendance with their children, and Alyssa was more interested in the kids than the books. She loves listening to the music and hearing the books read.

We celebrated our first Valentine's Day as a family by staying home and relaxing. Alyssa surprised Daddy with a homemade Valentine's card, and Daddy gave Alyssa her first heart-shaped balloon, which she loved looking at and pulling the string from. Teta, Jiddu, Uncle Joe, and Uncle Pat surprised Alyssa with an adorable Valentine bear that she received in the mail a few days before the holiday.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Daddy went to Columbus for a few days so Mommy and Alyssa spent their time together running errands and shopping.

It finally warmed up so we took a walk one day and had a cook out with the Fergusons. Alyssa and Mary enjoyed playing together again.

Likes:
Standing
Toys, especially musical instruments
Story Time
Playful surprises
Knocking down the block towers that Mommy and Daddy build: Alyssa used to always knock down the blocks when she would try to pick up the top block. Now, she can pick up the top block without knocking all of them down, but she still loves to playfully hit them.

Block Tower

Dislikes:
Having face and hands washed, especially with cold water
Hearing other babies crying
Loud noises

My future is so bright, I have to wear shades!