Come One, Come All

September 2010 was filled with fun times and many visitors. Our cousins Rodney and Marine and their daughter Aiyana came to visit us for a few days. It was the first time Aiyana had flown in a plane, and the first time they had visited us in North Carolina. It was also the first time I met Aiyana, and the first time that she and Alyssa met. The weekend was filled with even more "firsts" as we took them to a few places in our area that we had never visited.

Getting used to walking on the mulch

Rodney, Marine, and Aiyana arrived on a Friday afternoon, and we spent the rest of the day catching up and relaxing. On Saturday morning, we walked to our development's playground and water fountain. The girls had fun climbing the jungle gym, and Aiyana loved going down the slides all by herself. Alyssa and Aiyana both loved looking at the water and flowers in the fountain. The girls liked the playground and fountain so much that we walked there again on Sunday. We also attended the 100th Anniversary of Burlington Carousel Festival. We rode the train and carousel and walked around all the booths and tents. We even ate delicious elephant ears even though it was so hot that day!

Wawa=Water fountain

Carousel Festival

On Monday, we drove to the North Carolina Zoo. which includes 500 acres of natural habitat exhibits and wooded trails. It was our first time at the zoo, and we learned that it is one of the largest zoos with 5 miles of pathways. We ate lunch outside the cafe before walking around and seeing many of the animals. In the North America part, we saw crocodiles, turtles, and frogs as well as different water plants. We also saw a sea lion and otter swimming in a pool that we could view from above as well as under ground. We then saw puffins and a sleeping polar bear before riding the Tram to the Africa area, which was filled with tropical plants and flowers. While there, we saw a lion sleeping behind some rocks and some chimpanzees, baboons, and a gorilla that urinated in front of us after eating a carrot :) The most beautiful part was seeing 3 antelope and 2 elephants from afar in a vast field. It looked like a mother and baby elephant, and it felt like we were in the grasslands with them. Since we only spent a few hours at the zoo, we hope to return next summer so that we can see the giraffes and more animals and exhibits. I also forgot my camera so I cannot wait to see the pictures Marine took.

On Tuesday morning, we went to the Greensboro Children's Museum for the first time. Alyssa had so much fun that we decided to purchase the family pass so that we can go more often. Alyssa especially loved the pretend grocery store and tot area where she rode different bikes and played in the tunnel. It was nice to walk outside and see the beautiful flowers and watch the chickens in their coop. After the museum, we ate at Natty Greene's in downtown Greensboro before the Davids had to be at the airport for their trip back to Texas.

The Big Red Chair

Shopping

Look how tall I am!

Group Pic

On Wednesday, Teta Samia and Giddu came to visit. We spent the first few days relaxing, and Alyssa had many tea parties with them. On Saturday morning, we drove 3.5 hours to Myrtle Beach. It was the first time Alyssa had been to the beach, and it was the second time since we got married that we have made the trip with Shereif's parents. We rented an umbrella and chairs and sat on the beach for a few hours before checking into our hotel. We went back to the beach for another hour, played in the hotel pools, and played in the tubes. Alyssa loved the machine that you use to wash the sand off your feet after walking on the beach. She was only slightly taller than it, so it sprayed water all over her body, and she laughed every time she went on it. She did not want to get off to let other people use it. Alyssa was not afraid of the ocean and tried to run into the water on numerous occasions too. She LOVED playing and kicking in the water and shoveling sand. The sand was too hot for her to walk on, but she still tried to run into the water on her own.

On the beach with Teta and Giddu

Playing in the sand

Playing in the water

Playing in the pools

All clean

We then showered, dressed, and ate the dinner that we had brought with us before driving to Boardwalk at the Beach. Alyssa fell asleep in the car and stayed asleep the entire time we were there. We went shopping and walked around while listening to the music. There were lots of people, and the weather started to cool down. Alyssa slept the entire night--probably because she was so tired from playing on the beach all day. The next morning, we decided to take Alyssa back to the Boardwalk so that she could see it and the ducks since she loves ducks so much. She and Daddy fed them, and we walked around all by ourselves since no one else was there before the stores opened. Afterward, we sat on the beach for about an hour before it started to rain. We left in the afternoon, and Alyssa took a short nap in the car on the way home.

Playing with the ducks

Daddy left to go to Columbus for work early Monday morning so we spent the day with Teta and Giddu. We went for a walk and looked at the pictures we took at the beach. They left early Tuesday morning, and Alyssa and Mommy went to Baby Fun Time and fed the neighbor's cat in the afternoon. We were exhausted, but we had a great time with all of our family. Alyssa finally had the chance to meet her cousin and to spend more time with her grandparents. She also experienced many new sites and playing in the ocean and sand for the first time at the beach. Hopefully, we can revisit these places again and again and establish annual trips so Alyssa can learn new things each time.

September was definitely a fun month and a great way to end the summer, and we know more fun times are in store for us over the next few months with the upcoming holidays!

16 Months

New kicks

Alyssa is 16 months old! We cannot believe how quickly she has mastered walking. Like with all of her motor skills, she quickly learns how to do them well. Teta and Jiddu even bought her new Nike tennis shoes to commemorate this big milestone. She is practicing walking in them and in her sandals, which she wore when she walked outside for the first time around our house.

At her 15 month appointment, her measurements were all in the 50th - 75th percentiles.
She weighed 22 lbs, 10 oz and was 30.75 inches tall with a head circumference of 46.4 inches. When the doctor showed us her graphs, we quickly noticed that her measurements are starting to "level off." Her weight gains are less noticeable, and her height and weight are in proportion to one another. Some of her old pants fit better now that she is thinner, but she is still wearing 18 month clothing and size 4 diapers.

Her teeth on both sides of the bottom middle teeth came in (the left one came in first, which seems to be the trend). She likes to pretend to bite Mommy when I feed her and laughs when I say ouch. She is getting better at feeding herself and uses her right hand predominantly to hold the utensils. She prefers to use a fork, but it is easier for her to handle a spoon (even with her pinky finger up); and she loves to eat yogurt and applesauce all by herself. If she gets food on her hands, though, she gets distracted and wants it wiped off before she will continue eating. She is always very neat (like her Mommy).

Spoonful of...

Alyssa went on her first true shopping trip since it was the first time she was able to walk around the mall. She loved shopping for clothes in Gymboree and for toys in Toys R Us. She even rode a couple of the tricycles in the store and loved to look at the clothes on the hangers at her level.

Test ride

Alyssa recently learned how to kick a ball and to knock. She uses her right hand (closed in a fist) to tap on a door. She also holds her her arms up and opens and closes her hands when she wants someone to carry her. She even waves her arm around when she knows something is hot or when something is "smelly," such as the garbage, a dirty diaper, or stinky feet :) She always laughs when you pretend to smell her feet or socks. She also waves her arm around when she sees a fly. She thinks it is hilarious when we swat at flies with the fly swatter, and she will hit her hand on the ground to imitate the sound.


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

We were in Cleveland for a week to attend a wedding and left after Labor Day weekend. Alyssa and I went with Teta and Great Aunt Rosy to listen to music at Legacy Village and to go shopping. We visited Great Grandma and Great Grandpa and saw Sarah and Christopher the next day too. Sarah was so kind to Alyssa and shared all of her toys with her. Alyssa loved playing with her cousin and her "big girl" toys.

One night, Teta and Jiddu babysat Alyssa while Shereif and I went to Hilarities with my brothers and some friends. It was one of the few nights we have gone out, and we stayed out until 1am! We had so much fun listening to the comedians perform. The next day, Alyssa and Mommy went raspberry picking and out to lunch with the Kost and Sidoti girls. Teta and Jiddu babysat Alyssa yet again that night while we went to cousin Mike's wedding rehearsal. After the rehearsal, we went out to eat downtown. Shereif had joked earlier in the day that he made dinner reservations for our Anniversary that night, but he hoped that I didn't mind that other people would be there to celebrate with us. So, we celebrated our 4th wedding Anniversary downtown without Alyssa. But, the next two days were spent with all of our families as we celebrated our niece Mia's baptism and witnessed Mike and Kristina get married.

All of the girls

We went to Church on Saturday for Mia's baptism, which was held before Mass. After her baptism, we spent a few hours at Teta Samia and Giddu's house before the guests arrived for lunch. It was our first time meeting our beautiful niece, and Alyssa loved looking at her "bebe" cousin. We ate a delicious meal and spent time with the Danials. Mia is such a good-natured baby, and we cannot wait for Alyssa and she to see each other and to play again soon.

The Danial brothers and their little girls

The next day, Shereif left early in the morning to get ready for Mike's wedding since he was a groomsman. Alyssa, Teta, and I attended the ceremony at St. Maron's Church. I was asked to record the ceremony so I had to handle a camcorder and a toddler at the same time, which was overwhelming. But, Alyssa did great and loved seeing the balloons that the guests released into the sky after the wedding. The entire family went to the reception, and Alyssa enjoyed listening to all of the Arabic music. It was her first time dancing at a wedding, and she was even able to walk on the dance floor! We stayed late into the night, and Alyssa fell asleep in her stroller as Mommy and Daddy danced some more.

At the reception
(Disclaimer: Alyssa was eating appetizers with Jiddu and Teta while this picture was taken)

After we returned to NC, Shereif and I had dentist appointments. They were uneventful except for the fact that Shereif had told me that the dentist would probably ask him if he was grinding his teeth. I was confused, but he said that he noticed that he grinds his teeth when he is around Alyssa because he thinks she is so adorable. Sure enough, the dentist asked Shereif and laughed when he told her the reason for it. I felt special after my cleaning and exam because the receptionist recognized me from the commercial I was in for the dentist's office. I have yet to see it, and I even asked when it would be on; but, I have not been able to catch it.

We went to the park and rode the Carousel again. We also rode the train for the first time, and Alyssa finally had a chance to go on the swings for the first time ever. She was leery of the swings, but she loved being able to finally walk around the park. She also enjoyed riding the train since there was a nice breeze on such a hot day.

Swing high, swing low

Park Picture

The David family visited us mid-month for a few days. After their visit, Teta Samia and Giddu Azmy visited us for a few days too (post to follow). Daddy left a day before they did to go to Columbus for work. Alyssa and Mommy watched our friend's cat Pepper while the Fergusons were at the beach and Daddy was away. Alyssa likes to look at all pets, but she never gets too close.

Likes
Walking outside with Daddy to get the mail: Alyssa loves to walk outside to help get the mail
Shopping and playing with all the clothes and toys that she is now able to reach
Her new tennis shoes
Eating by herself
Water fountains: Alyssa loves looking at the water fountain at the front of our development. We take walks to it, and she always points and says "wawa."
THE BEACH

Dislikes
Not being able to get food on her fork
Sitting in the stroller because she wants to walk around

15 Months

Alyssa is 15 months old! The biggest news is that Alyssa is WALKING! She has been walking the past few months with the help of push toys and holding Mommy's and Daddy's hands, but she started taking more than a couple steps all on her own at Teta and Jiddu's house while we were in Cleveland. When we returned to North Carolina after Labor Day, Alyssa started walking all around the house. Like with all of her gross motor skills, she was somewhat of a "late bloomer" with walking; but, she is definitely getting more proficient in it QUICKLY. It is funny to see her stumble and be clumsy at times, but she always gets up right away and starts walking again without any problems.

This is a video of Alyssa walking for the first time (which was more than the usual 2-3 steps she used to take on her own).

Walk like an Egyptian-Lebanese!

Alyssa's other skills are also improving. She can put together her Mega blocks now and not just take them apart. She also knows how to push all the buttons on all of her toys. She tries to put blocks in the shape sorter too but quickly gives up by lifting the lid off of the box to put the toys in. Alyssa can reach higher now and tries to grab things off the kitchen counters. We finally put a gate at the bottom of the stairs so that Alyssa would not climb them without supervision.

Practice makes perfect

Get me outta here!

Alyssa's hair is much longer in the back; and her clothes are fitting better and less tightly around her thighs since she is getting taller and starting to lose her baby fat (which makes Daddy sad). She still eats very good and has had many different kinds of foods. She even tasted her first fast food--Chik-fil-A chicken nuggets--and loved them! She also loves to dance. Her dance moves have evolved over the past few months from swaying her head and clapping to swaying her upper body and waving her arms (especially the right one) in the air.

Dancing Queen

She also loves to pretend to yawn by covering her mouth and putting her hand on our mouths when we yawn. She can say "mouth" and "knee" and can point to all of the following body parts on herself or on us:
1. Head/Hair
2. Face
3. Eyes
4. Nose
5. Mouth
6. Tongue: Alyssa wiggles her tongue and sticks it out when we ask her where her tongue is
7. Ears
8. Arms
9. Hands
10. Fingers: Alyssa wiggles her fingers and shakes her hands when we ask her where her fingers are
11. Legs
12. Belly-button: Alyssa lifts up her shirt to look for her belly-button
13. Tummy
14. Feet: When you ask Alyssa where her feet are, she automatically points to her foot or lifts one foot up (usually the right one) and makes her "stinky face" while sniffing. She thinks it is hysterical to pretend that any one's feet are stinky.
15. Toes

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

Alyssa had a play date with Connor at his house. They ate snacks and played nicely until Connor started to climb over Alyssa. It was cute to see Alyssa hold her own, and she loved playing with Connor's refrigerator magnet toys.

"Grown" Up

We stopped by our development's National Night Out with the Ferguson family. We walked to the clubhouse while the girls rode in Mary's wagon, and we ate hot dogs and chips while talking to some of the neighbors. Alyssa enjoyed looking at the fire truck and police car, and the girls received firemen hats.

Fire Chief Alyssa

We went to Cleveland so that Shereif could attend cousin Mike's bachelor party weekend. The guys went to the race track, played golf and paintball, and went out at night. While Daddy was away, Alyssa, Teta, and Mommy went to see cousin Sarah in a fashion show at the mall. Sarah looked beautiful in her back-to-school outfit. We celebrated Teta and Jiddu's 35th wedding anniversary by going out to dinner at Brio's with Uncle Joe and Uncle Patrick.

We went to Chuck-E-Cheese's for our neighbor Tahani's 5th birthday. It was the first time Alyssa rode a ride (other than the Carousel at the park). Alyssa loved riding in the cars with Barney and Chuck-E-Cheese, but she was unsure about the roller coaster and motorized swing. We had our picture drawn and enjoyed watching Daddy play some of the games so that he could earn Alyssa a prize. She loved the bracelets we won and eating pizza with the other kids.

Road rage?

We invited the Rinaldi family over for another play date so that we could go to the pool again before it closed. We had fun talking, playing, and watching Rob jump into the pool.

We got ready for yet another drive back to Cleveland.

Likes
Skype: Alyssa loves to show Jiddu, Teta, Uncle Joe, and Uncle Patrick everything she has learned. It is amazing to be able to talk to and see our family whenever we want even though we live 500 miles apart.
Playing peek-a-boo: Alyssa loves to pretend to hide from us and gets excited when she surprises us.
Walking
Pizza
Finger painting: Alyssa played with finger paints for the first time, and she made a birthday card for Daddy before his special day. She was hesitant to get messy at first, but she loved to swirl all of the colors together with just one finger. I painted her palm so that we could put her hand print on the card, and she quickly wanted to wash the paint off.

Colors!

Peek-a-boo!

Dislikes
Shape sorter
Gates
Getting dirty

14 Months

Alyssa is 14 months old and growing more independent and bigger every day. She now sits in a forward-facing car seat and loves looking at all the cars that drive by. We packed away her infant car seat along with other equipment and had to lower her crib again. It is sad each time we put away things that Alyssa can no longer use or wear, but it is exciting to see her use and play with new things as she learns more and is able to do more "big girl" things.

Alyssa continues to practice walking and loves to cruise around and use her push toys and cars. Her primary mode of mobility is still crawling, and it is hilarious to see her do a "gorilla walk" when she wears dresses. She loves when we chase her, and she has learned to climb stairs after practicing at Teta and Jiddu's house since they have only 2 steps in their family room. She now completes the task quickly so we timed her one day, and she climbed our staircase (which is 17 large steps) in under 1 minute. She is so happy when she reaches the top!

Learning to go up the steps at Teta and Jiddu's house

Climbing the stairs at home


I made it!


The "gorilla walk"

Alyssa also learned to pull up on the lower shelf of the pantry and the refrigerator. It is funny to see her grab snacks, and she always closes the pantry door when we leave it open. In addition, she now opens drawers and tries to reach doorknobs. As a result, we had to put locks on the cabinets, and it is only a matter of time before we will have to childproof the doors too.

Getting into trouble

Alyssa's vocabulary is improving, and the following list includes the words she says on her own on a regular basis:
Mama
Dada
Teta (Grandmother in Arabic), which sounds like "Te-ta"

baby, which sounds like "Bebe"

bubble, which sounds like "Bubba"

bye-bye, which sounds like "bah-bye"
hello, which sounds like "hey-o"
nena (Arabic baby-talk for food), which she says when she is hungry and/or when she hears the microwave or toaster oven beep
uh-oh, which she says any time she (or any one else) drops something

Alyssa also signs "more" and puts her hands up for us to hold her in addition to waving hello and goodbye to everyone. She also waves her hand to say thank you. When she hears the phone ring, she automatically puts her hand to her ear and says hello. She also loves to put on anything that resembles a bracelet or necklace. I am not sure where she learned this. Alyssa also imitates much of what we do and loves to feed herself and (pretend to) wipe her mouth when she is finished with her meal. She eats more food and takes less time to do so, which Mommy likes since I do not have to distract her as often during meals now.

A girl has to accessorize

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

Alyssa helped Mommy volunteer and deliver the development's monthly newsletters. We spent one afternoon walking to each of the houses, and Alyssa loved watching Mommy deliver the calendars and waving to all the neighbors.

We traveled to Cleveland again for our cousin's wedding and the July 4th holiday. Teta Samia had a birthday cake for Alyssa as soon as we arrived. Since Shereif's parents had just returned from Egypt when we saw them last time, they did not have a chance to celebrate Alyssa's birthday so we sang Happy Birthday again and ate more cake (Alyssa's 4th birthday cake). We also visited Teta and Giddu each evening while we were in Cleveland. We also visited great grandma and great grandpa. Great Uncle Chuck and Deb visited Alyssa one night too.

Before the wedding, we went to Aladdin's bakery, which was the first time Alyssa was in a Middle Eastern bakery. We bought bread, spinach pies (which Alyssa loves to eat), and feta cheese pizzas.

Our family at the wedding

Packing to go back home

We returned to North Carolina and attended our friends Scott and Rochelle's wedding. Shereif's friend from Michigan, Tim, and his girlfriend Marcia stayed with us for the weekend too. Alyssa was sick (with her second viral infection) and was not her sweet self. She was extremely fussy, and she developed a rash after her fever broke.

Alyssa had a great time at Connor's 1st Birthday party, and we loved the monkey theme and eating banana splits for dessert. Alyssa especially loved playing with all of Connor's new toys. The Rinaldis were kind enough to give Alyssa a favor bag filled with a monkey toy, a snack, and a bowl with a picture of Cinderella on it. It is Alyssa's first Disney Princess item, and I am sure she will get many more in the coming years.

The theme for the month for Baby Fun Time was farm animals.

We went to the pool a couple more times this month, and Alyssa and Mommy even went on our own. We had fun in the baby pool and trying to learn to swim in the big pool (which entailed Mommy "dragging" Alyssa while she kicked and splashed).

Likes

Climbing stairs
Necklaces and bracelets
LOVES to eat cheese and toast!
Riding toys
Watching Daddy cut the grass: Alyssa loves to watch Daddy from the front door, patio door, and living room windows. As soon as she hears the lawn mower, she races to the window while making a "rrrrrr" sound.

Hi, Daddy!

Dislikes
Not being allowed to climb the stairs by herself or to go into the cupboards
Being sick
Leaving Cleveland and all of our family and friends

There's no place like home...There's no place like home

Toddlerhood

Alyssa is 13 months old and officially a toddler! She is no longer labelled "a baby," and all products for her age (e.g., food and toys) specify "toddler appropriate." We can't believe that she is not our baby anymore, but we will always think of her as our Nenewsa (our nickname for her, which means "little" in Arabic).

Our Nenewsa

Alyssa wears size 4 Pampers and Huggies diapers. She also wears more clothes that are size 18 months and shoes in size 3 or 4. Since Alyssa turned one, we have started the weaning process and she is now drinking cow's milk. She doesn't like to drink milk from a sippy cup as much as she likes it in her cereal and oatmeal though. She has tried more foods and loves all kinds of fruit! She doesn't seem to like fish or eggs, and clementines have proven to be a hard food for her to eat since she leaves the peel in her mouth after she sucks out the pulp. It is also hard for her to eat big pieces of food since she doesn't like to bite into anything. As a result, I have to cut everything into small pieces or Alyssa now rips things into smaller bites. Alyssa tries to feed herself with a spoon or fork too. Ever since she started eating solids, I have given her a spoon to hold during meals. Now, she loves to hold her own utensil and tries to feed herself or Mommy. She is getting better at placing the spoon into her mouth, and it is funny to see her attempt to scoop food up with the spoon or pierce food with a fork using either hand.

Drinking Milk for the 1st time

Should I use the salad fork or the dinner fork?

Alyssa has learned to open cabinet doors and loves to open our bathroom cabinets and the cupboards in the kitchen, especially the one filled with Tupperware. She has also started to climb up 1-3 steps on our staircase since she learned to climb up the stairs in the living room at Teta and Jiddu's house. She still manages to move around wearing her first pair of sandals too. I am glad that Alyssa has also learned to obey Mommy and Daddy when we tell her not to touch certain things and to follow us when we go into other rooms. She also loves to imitate us when we say certain sounds and words, especially when she hears Mommy or Daddy yell "Yeah" when one of us is calling the other person from another room.

Getting stuck in a bowl

Say "Yeah!"

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

We went to the pool for the first time after Alyssa's neighborhood birthday party. She loved splashing in the water and playing with her toys. We spent most of the time in the baby pool, but we also ventured into the "big" pool.

Splash!

Alyssa also played in her own pool (given to her by the Karam family) in our backyard. She loved filling her cups and dumping water on the grass.

My big girl pool

We took more walks outside, but the weather started to warm up more and get too hot. Alyssa also got sick for the first time so we stayed home for about a week. She had a viral infection as well as a rash after her fever broke. Daddy was out of town for work in Las Vegas when Alyssa got sick, and I could tell that she was not feeling well because she was not her happy self. I thought her fussiness was due to teething, but her fever lasted a couple days before I took her to the pediatrician. Unfortunately, there was nothing that we could do for the infection other than wait until it passed. Fortunately, Alyssa was a good girl the entire time she was sick, and I loved that she wanted to cuddle more.

Playing

We went to our neighbor Ron's birthday party at the clubhouse one evening and sat by the pool. Another neighbor celebrated his 2nd birthday by inviting lots of family and friends over for a Hawaiian themed party. Most of the big kids played outside with water toys and sand, but Alyssa and Mommy stayed inside out of the heat.

Alyssa graduated to the next level for Baby Fun Time! She is no longer in the Lap Time group, and we now attend the group for walkers which includes 12-24 month olds. Alyssa didn't know anyone at first, but she now waves to the other children and parents and enjoys sitting in the larger room since there are more kids in the new group. The theme for the month was Daddies.

Ready to go the library

Alyssa sent Uncle Patrick a card for his birthday that had pictures of the both of them from the past year. Happy 25th Birthday Uncle Patrick!

We spent Father's Day morning taking Alyssa's 1st year professional pictures. We also took another family picture to commemorate Alyssa's 1st birthday. Alyssa wore the dress that we bought her last year on her first shopping trip after she was born. I always think of that day when she wears that outfit. We celebrated Father's Day by going out to dinner at a local steakhouse since Daddy was craving steak. Alyssa gave Daddy a card filled with pictures of her and him over the past year too. Daddy loved his 2nd Father's Day!

I'm 1!

Daddy had the chance to spend an afternoon alone with Alyssa while Mommy went to see a movie with her friend. They had fun together eating lunch, playing, and taking a walk.

Likes
The pool
(LOVES) Strawberries
All her new toys
Bubbles: Alyssa loves to hold the bubble wand and put it in the soap solution before giving it to Mommy to blow bubbles.

Bubbles!

Laughing with Daddy

Drawing: Alyssa loves to play with crayons. She holds them in her right hand (usually upside- down) and scribbles on the paper as she laughs.

I love to draw!

Dislikes
Water splashing into her eyes
Sour foods: I gave Alyssa a kiwi one day to try for the first time. I thought it tasted a bit sour, but Alyssa seemed to love eating it. After giving her almost all of it, she suddenly started screaming and spit it out. She must have finally tasted the sourness.
Not getting her way

Here comes trouble...

And I am on my way to being "2" cool

1st Birthday Party x 2

Happy 1st Birthday to our lil' cupcake!

On Alyssa's true birthday (May 27th), we practiced for the festivities yet to come. She had her first smash cake (cake #1) while we were in Cleveland. Teta, Jiddu, Great Aunt Rosy, Mommy, and Daddy sang Happy Birthday to Alyssa for the first time. Mommy helped blow out her #1 candle, and Alyssa loved touching the rainbow frosting and large sprinkles after a few minutes of looking at everything. She had a few bites of the vanilla cake, and then we each had a piece to celebrate Alyssa's special day.

Before

After
Smash cake #1

We celebrated Alyssa's 1st Birthday with 2 parties. Both parties had a cupcake theme for our lil' cupcake. When deciding on a theme for Alyssa's 1st birthday party, I thought cupcakes would be cute after seeing a giant cupcake mold at the store a few months ago. After searching online for party supplies with a cupcake theme, I found a great one to use. Ironically, the sample in the catalog had the name "Alyssa" on all of the personalized items. It was fate! I made the invitations in the shape of a cupcake, which opened to reveal the details of the party. I also made a poster that included Alyssa's pictures from each of the past 12 months that she took with Snoopy to show how much she was growing. Teta and I also made a "Pin-the-Candle-on-the-Cupcake" game using felt for the kids to play during the parties while Daddy helped make a 6 minute long video slide show filled with pictures of Alyssa over the past year. The music in the video is "Happy Birthday" by the Beatles as well as a song entitled "Alyssa's Eyes" by Martin Nievera, which we absolutely love and still sing all the time.

The invitation

Pin-the-Candle-on-the-Cupcake

The birthday banner and some of Alyssa's birthday cards


The video slide show

Alyssa's first 1st birthday party was at Teta and Jiddu's house. We celebrated with Teta, Jiddu, Uncle Joe, Uncle Patrick, Great Aunt Rosy, the Saluan families, the Karam family, the Freitas family, and our friends the Kosts, the Sidotis, and the Smolks. Alyssa wore pink leggings with a pink, green, and yellow dress that said "My 1st Birthday" on it with pictures of cupcakes. She also had a "Birthday Girl" bib and a pink #1 crown. Alyssa had a great time playing with all the kids. We woke her up from her nap though to eat cake. She did not want to taste her smash cake (cake #2) even though Mommy tried to be healthy and made a sugar-free banana cake with pink cream cheese frosting in the shape of a giant cupcake for her big day.

My birthday ensemble

Smash cake #2

Teta and Great Aunt Rosy spent countless hours preparing food for Alyssa's party. The appetizers, dishes, and desserts were delicious! We had crackers and cheese, chips, vegetables and dip, pizza, hummus, falafel, kibbee, spinach pies, tabouli, chicken kabobs, kafta, rice (thanks to Great Aunt Rosy), and pasta salad (thanks to Great Aunt Mary Ann). For dessert, we had vanilla cupcakes, fruit salad, Middle Eastern pastries, and a trifle (thanks to Great Aunt Mary Ann). Alyssa's birthday cake was a cassada cake decorated with pink and purple flowers. After eating dessert, cousins Sarah and Christopher helped Alyssa open her gifts. She received lots of clothes and toys, and she couldn't wait to start playing with everything!

Some of the delicious food

To thank the guests, Alyssa gave the girls favor bags filled with cupcake-themed art supplies. The boys received Cavs headbands and wrist bands and water toys since Alyssa loves the Cavs and water :)

Favor bags, party hats, and poster

#1 cupcakes

After we returned to North Carolina from Cleveland, we had a second 1st birthday party for Alyssa with our neighbors and friends. Almost everyone from our street came to celebrate Alyssa's special day. We grilled chicken kabobs, hamburgers, and hot dogs and ate cheese and crackers, chips, salad, pasta salad, pizza, and oven roasted potatoes. For dessert, we ate strawberries, grapes, pineapple, watermelon, cheesecake cups that resembled cupcakes, ice cream, and chocolate and vanilla cupcakes with sprinkles. Alyssa loved playing with all the kids, and she decided not to get dirty again and not to smash her giant cupcake (cake #3). She did, however, smash one of the smaller cupcakes and taste it.

Smash cake #3

Opening gifts with Mommy

Alyssa received even more adorable clothes and fun toys from our neighbors and friends. After the guests left, Alyssa opened her gifts from Mommy and Daddy. We hope to give Alyssa a personalized book (hopefully, with a story that incorporates the theme of her party from that year) rather than a card each year. She loves to "read" books, and we hope her love of reading will continue and that she will cherish the books and our messages. In addition, we bought Alyssa a beach pail set, a float for the pool, a bathing suit, sunglasses, and a terry cloth robe. We know how much she loves the water, and we hope to spend a lot of time at the pool this summer. We also hope to take Alyssa to the beach for the first time soon. Now, she is all set with her pool and beach accessories.

Opening the gifts from Mommy and Daddy

Thank you to everyone for making Alyssa's 1st birthday so special and for making this past year even more memorable for all of us. We are truly blessed, and we cannot wait to celebrate even more birthdays with Alyssa surrounded by our loved ones.

Just for Fun:
I came across an article in Parents magazine that asked parents a series of questions after their children turned one. I thought it would be nice to answer the same questions about Alyssa so that she can look back at them, and we can see if the answers change next year.

One word to describe her: Dainty--a lot of people call her this
Tell us more: Alyssa is usually very neat and content most of the time and loves to make us laugh
How many teeth? 4 (with one more coming through)
Drinks from cup? Yes
Walking yet? No, but loves to move around
First words: Dow (light in Arabic), Dada, Mama
Favorite thing in the world: Books and music
Favorite food: Green beans
What makes her laugh? If she hears someone laugh, she laughs too; but, she loves to be surprised with funny noises
Favorite book: I Love You Because You're You by Liza Baker
Favorite song: If you're happy and you know it...
First reaction to new people: Shy, but then warms up once around them for a few minutes
It drives me crazy when: She takes everything out of the kitchen or bathroom cabinets
Cutest thing she does: Imitates us when we laugh or cough
Favorite game: Pat-a-cake and Peek-a-boo