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!

8 is Gr8t

Alyssa just turned 8 months old! The biggest news is that her bottom 2 front TEETH came in! The right one is above the gum, and the left one cut through a few days ago. The teething rings seem to help relieve some of her pain since Alyssa is biting her fingers, and I think the top ones are going to come in soon too. She started eating 2nd stage foods when she turned 7 months old. As a result, she seems to have less diaper changes each day, but much worse messes. The new foods on Alyssa's menu consist of mixed foods and include apricots with mixed fruit; apples, bananas, and strawberries; spinach, peas, and carrots; sweet potatoes and corn; and green beans with rice, which seems to be her favorite. It is funny that she likes that meal the most since it is a very popular Middle Eastern dish, except with a tomato sauce. She is eating more oatmeal and loves it plain. Mommy has tried mixing it with fruit, but you can tell that Alyssa prefers it much more without anything in it. She just started eating meat and has tried turkey with squash and chicken with sweet potatoes. Alyssa has never had a disgusted look on her face after trying any of the foods (except maybe rice cereal) and seems to like all kinds of food. She just takes a long time to eat (like her Mommy).

Biting on my teething ring

Vegetable Mustache

In addition to Alyssa getting bigger and growing, her hair is getting longer, especially on the sides. As a result, it is starting to "feather" on the top and sides and even looks lighter in color in certain spots. Alyssa is wearing Pampers and Huggies size 2 diapers. She is wearing more size 12 month outfits and is more mobile now too. She is getting better at rolling (but only seems to do it when Daddy is around) and loves to lunge forward onto her stomach when she is sitting and playing. As a result, Alyssa incurred her first injury when she fell forward onto a block. She didn't cry, but she has a small cut on her forehead. She also does the "precrawl" exercise where she rocks back and forth on her hands and knees. She grabs onto anything and everything. If she sees you holding something, she wants to hold it too.

I'm cool like that

...and cool like this

Alyssa likes to imitate us when we wave to her and when we make silly noises with our tongues. She loves to stick her tongue out and curl it in all different directions. We finally found some of Alyssa's ticklish spots. She seems to laugh and smile more when we tickle her under her chin, her right underarm, and her thighs. She also laughs and sticks out her tongue when air or wind is blowing on her. She loves when a fan is on, and Mommy makes Alyssa laugh by squeezing her squirt toys on her arms and neck so the air blows on her.

Another video of Alyssa waving


Alyssa used to get fussy around 5:30pm, but now she gets slap happy before bedtime. It makes the evenings more fun with her. She loves playing with all of her new toys, especially the rings and blocks from Uncle Joe as well as the rubber ducky and squirties when she takes a bath. It's funny to watch her play with the tags, strings, and zippers on toys rather than the toys themselves. She also entertains herself by pulling Mommy's hair. Even if I have my hair in a ponytail, Alyssa reaches around my head to grab my hair. In the past week, she has started to hold onto the hair in the back of my head whenever I carry her as if my hair is a handlebar or leash. :)

Playing with the blocks from Uncle Joe

Playing with the Learning Farm from Uncle Patrick

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

We had our friends over for New Year's Eve. After the kids went to bed, the adults stayed up to ring in the New Year. It was a fun-filled night, and Alyssa had her first true sleepover since Mary slept in her room until her parents left after midnight. The New Year reminded us how fortunate we are to have Alyssa in our lives and in our family, and we look forward to all that 2010 brings us.

We tried to take Alyssa's Christening pictures when we took our Christmas pictures, but Alyssa was tired by the end of the photo shoot. As a result, we tried again after returning home from Cleveland. The pictures turned out great, and it was nice to see Alyssa in her beautiful dress again.

Alyssa's friend Mary had her 1st birthday party. The theme was Hello Kitty, and Alyssa enjoyed seeing the candle on Mary's cake and hearing everyone sing Happy Birthday. We cannot wait to celebrate Alyssa's first birthday in a few months!

The weather was nice for a few days so Mommy took Alyssa outside for walks in the stroller. It was amazing to see more homes that had been built in our development that were not there a few short months ago when we used to go for daily strolls.

Daddy went to Virginia for a couple days for work, and we missed him tremendously. It was just the girls with Alyssa and Mommy alone, but we had fun running errands and spending time together.

We started going to a local library for Baby Story Time that has a group for 0-10 month olds. Alyssa loves listening to the music and songs, looking at the books, and playing with the props. We cannot wait to go every week!

Getting ready to go out

Likes
Food
Being tickled
Blocks and rings
Tags, strings, zippers
Teething rings
Pulling Mommy's hair

Dislikes
Missing naps
Getting hurt

For some strange reason, Alyssa started laughing like crazy when I was using the paper cutter one day. This video is of her laughing after she had been doing it for about 10 minutes.

2009 Year in Review

2009

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us...

This sentence from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens sums up the year 2009 for us very well. The past year was a "season of Darkness" for us as it was filled with the passing of both of Shereif's grandmothers, my uncle, our close neighbor, and many other family members and friends. With age, comes more hardships and responsibilities. But, with each hardship, we learn more about ourselves and how to become stronger and better individuals. Shereif and I grew stronger as a couple and as friends as we prepared to become parents and to deal with the cards that life dealt us. Shereif was laid off from his job early in the year, which worried us since the economy is so bad and we needed medical coverage for the pregnancy. God answered our prayers, however, by providing Shereif with a great severance package and an amazing job that he absolutely loves now. Shereif looks forward to work every day and learns more about his job each day, which many people are not fortunate to have.

It truly was the circle of life as new lives replaced those lost, and we celebrated the births of our friends' and cousins' children in addition to experiencing the new life in our own family. Alyssa's birth made 2009 extra special and a memorable year for us. It was the "spring of hope" in May as we welcomed Alyssa into our family and transitioned from being just a couple to becoming a family of three. She has taught us a great deal about being parents and better people. We have learned more patience, love, and admiration for another person than we could have ever imagined. We were reminded of how fortunate we are to have such amazing family and friends who visited us and helped us. We cannot thank all of you enough for all of your continued love and support.

Even though our blog is filled with mostly good news and recounts happy times in our lives, many sad and scary things happen too. We choose to be optimistic and want to look back at our journal as one filled with mainly blessed events. May 2010 be a blessed year for everyone and one filled with continued success, happiness, and health! May it only be the "best of times!"

7th Heaven

Alyssa turned 7 months old the day we returned home from Cleveland. Since the day was spent driving in the car, the realization that she is one month older did not settle in until days later.

Alyssa is still wearing Pampers size 2 and 9-12 month outfits. She outgrew her winter bunting in one month so she now wears a winter jacket that she loves. She, however, does not care for her winter hat. Her sitting has improved greatly, and she loves to reach out with both arms for objects that she wants and for Mommy to get her. Alyssa has also started waving and usually uses her right hand to wave back at people. It is so interesting to watch her look at her hands when she waves as if she is practicing to get it just right. Sometimes her waves face her, which makes it even more adorable. The cutest thing is that she shakes her head "no" too. We practice having Alyssa stand daily, and she is standing with full weight on both of her legs. She can also hold onto the couch for short periods of time while standing too.

Hi!

Alyssa is always very sociable and loves looking at other people, but she gets very quiet around strangers and still uses her defense mechanism (hands behind her head) any time someone gets too close to her too soon after first meeting her. Her cries are also louder now (and keep getting louder each week). Alyssa soothes herself to sleep though by rubbing her head or gently pulling the hair on the back of her head. Even though we did not have much of a routine while we were away in Cleveland, we have settled back into our bedtime and nap time routine. Alyssa sleeps all night and takes 2 one hour naps during the day.

Helping Daddy do some work

Alyssa likes to mimic sounds and gestures and babble to get attention. She has mastered the sounds for "Mama" and "im" (which is the Arabic word for Mom), and she continually practices saying "Dada" and "baba" (which, ironically, is the Arabic word for Dad). She likes to make panting noises too. She curls her tongue in different ways. One way, in which she makes a U shape, is from Daddy who inherited it from his mom. She loves to curl her tongue and make all sorts of sounds and bubbles with it.

Alyssa is eating more solids. In addition to the green vegetables, she has tried carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, bananas, peaches, pears, and apple sauce. She also eats oatmeal every morning, which she absolutely loves. Her favorite foods seem to be the sweet vegetables.

You can't tell by my face, but I love carrots!

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

We spent the beginning of the month doing our Christmas shopping. Alyssa loves to go to the stores and watch all the people, but it was difficult navigating the stroller through all the aisles.

We attended our development's Children's Holiday Party. Alyssa met Santa Claus for the first time, and all the neighbors loved Alyssa's outfit and how well-behaved she was at the party. Alyssa enjoyed looking at the beautiful Christmas tree in the clubhouse.

I've been a good girl

We took our first professional Christmas pictures and sent out holiday cards with a picture of our family. We tried taking pictures of Alyssa in her christening outfit, but she was too tired.

We travelled to Ohio for the third time since Alyssa was born. We wanted to share Alyssa's first Christmas with our families, and Daddy had his work holiday party in Columbus. Teta babysat Alyssa while Mommy and Daddy went to the party. Teta said Alyssa did great and went to sleep without any problems. We visited Aunt Hena and Uncle Ahmed at their home in Columbus for the first time before we drove back to Cleveland. It snowed in NC the day we left for Cleveland, and our neighbor sent us a picture of our house covered in snow. We have not seen snow at home since we came back, but it did snow in Cleveland while we were there. It was the first and only time Alyssa saw the white powder!

Snow in Cleveland

While in Cleveland, Alyssa had another play date with Reese, Isabella, and Maggie. The Dads joined the Moms and kids this time. We also saw lots of relatives and visited Teta and Giddu almost every day so that they could spend time with Alyssa.

We attended Mass on Christmas Eve. Everyone kept smiling at Alyssa, and she loved listening to the music. She would babble as the music played and then stop as soon as the music stopped. After Mass, Alyssa opened a couple Christmas gifts from Teta and Jiddu. They gave her a stocking with her initial on it. After Alyssa went to bed, we opened our gifts from each other.
On Christmas morning, Alyssa opened the rest of her gifts from Teta and Jiddu, Uncle Joe, and Uncle Pat. She received a ton of toys and clothes from them. Alyssa would get scared if the wrapping paper was ripped too quickly or loudly. She loved playing with the tissue paper though. After visiting Great Grandma and Great Grandpa, we then went to Great Aunt Rosy's for lunch where we opened more gifts. We had dinner at Shereif's aunt's new house with his family. Alyssa received more toys and clothes from them too. It was a hectic, but memorable day as we celebrated our first Christmas together as a family of three.

Can you find me?

Our 1st Christmas

Ready to eat

Likes:
Christmas lights
Christmas music
Tissue Paper
Family
Sweet vegetables and oatmeal
Waving
Panting and curling tongue

Dislikes:
Having mouth wiped after eating
Winter hats
Not adhering to a daily routine (e.g., skipping naps, going to bed late)

A couple short videos of Alyssa laughing with Snoopy and waving to Jiddu.

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