Alida's Beach Trip

Alida's first run with cereal

At the beach.


Feeling the sand for the first time with her friend Devyn.


With Aunt Kris.


All bundled up on a windy day.



Hi all!! Alida had her first beach experience this past week. She loved it!! The ocean waves captivated her and the feel of the sand on her little toes made her squeal!! It was adorable! We spent 3 days in LBI with Mom-Mom and a few of her friends. Alida adapted so easily to her new surroundings. She took her regular naps and slept the nights through without incident (well, except for one 3 am feeding). I have to say that time and again she impresses me!!

She is still growing like a weed! She was at the docs about 2 weeks ago....she weighed 13 lbs 13 oz and was 25 inches long. We started cereal (oatmeal and rice), she seems to be ok with it....not too excited but she eats it pretty well.

Alida has apparently decided that she doesn't really want to take the bottle anymore, which has been an issue for some time but after getting better has gotten worse again. We've tried different nipples and different bottles but she just seems to really like nursing more than anything. It's a really hard thing to deal with....the guilt is not easily dismissed :-( All I can do is hope that God finds a way for me to be with her more and more each day.

4 months have come and gone!!

Alida as a Scarecrow!!

In the corn maize.

Alida with Mason and Olivia :-)

In the pumpkin patch.

On the hayride with Daddy.

Can you believe it??!! 4 months have come and gone!!! I am still in shock at how quickly my little itty bitty baby is growing up! I want to have another little one!! Did I just say that?! HA!! I guess Matt’s in for more trouble than he expected. Recently we discussed how many children we would like to have…Matt is happy with just Alida but I am dying to have at least 3 children! He says that 2 is the limit!! :-( I guess I will have to give it some time and see where God leads us!
This past Sunday we met up with friends at Freddy Hill Farms for some Fall Fun!! Alida couldn’t enjoy it but she sure got some visual stimulation!! I had a great time! We went on a hayride, through a corn maize, picked pumpkins in the pumpkin patch, and watched the pig races!! It was so much fun! I think that Matt even enjoyed it. It will be even better when Alida can run around and take it all in!!

Her Old Navy Romper....

I had to post these pics real quick. I just think they turned out so good!! Her outfit is sooo cute! ENJOY!

It's been a while....

Alida staring at her fingers....


In my favorite little outfit! It has flowers on the rear too!! :)


Blowing bubbles!!


Alida and her favorite person :) (until she turns 16!!)


Smiling at Mom-Mom!

I absolutely cannot believe how fast Alida is growing!!! Matt and I measured her the other night because she seems to be outgrowing her PJ's already!!! (they are 3 - 6 month size) She is 25 inches long already!!! We go back to the doctor in about 2 weeks - I'll bet that she weighs a good 13 pounds! She has been doing all kinds of cute things these days....she picks up some of her toys, she brings her hands together and clasps them and then brings them to her mouth, she blows lots of bubbles and even makes a cute noise when doing it, she giggles at all kinds of stuff (and then usually gets the hiccups if she laughs hard enough), she smiles constantly at everything and everyone, she lets out playful little screams on occasion, she babbles a lot more than she used to, she is inches from rolling over from her back to her belly, she does 180's when she is lying on her back, the list goes on and on.....can you tell that I am a proud momma or what??!!


Well, work has been ok...I miss Alida terribly and pray for a miracle so that I can spend more time with her. Matt has started his new job and seems to really love it!!! I hope it works out well for us. Soon we will be putting our home on the market so that I can go back to school...hopefully it all works out. Hope everyone is doing well!!!!

My little Dutch baby!!

Every time I go to post a picture I can never decide which ones to put in!! I take about 5 - 10 pictures every day ( I have been told that I NEED to stop doing that). It's just so hard not to!!

Well, I had to share the most recent....I LOVE the last one. My granny (Alida's great-granny and namesake) knitted the hat, sweater and booties before she passed away. I just love how cute they look on her - just like a little Dutch baby!!!

Not much is new - Alida is still sleeping through the night - 10 hours like a champ and growing like crazy - 11 lbs 12 oz last time we checked. I head to work this Monday (I'm trying not to think about it too much). I will miss Alida terribly but I know she will be in good hands!! I will probably be posting a lot more once work starts - I get a little bored there sometimes :-)

Back to work :-(

This is Alida at her first picnic in VA!

This is Alida and her best friend Olivia!!

Daddy burping Alida...she always looks so much older when she sits up :-)

A smile actually caught on camera!!!

I cannot believe how time has flown!!! In two weeks I have to return to work :-( Something that I am not looking forward to! I absolutely love being a mom and spending time with my little angel!!! I don't necessarily hate my job but who wouldn't rather spend time with this beautiful little baby?! Every day she changes a little bit more. I remember thinking that I couldn't wait until she could smile at me.....now I can't wait till she laughs!
She went to the doc the other day...she already weighs 11 lbs and 6 oz!! She is growing so fast - she measured 22 1/2 inches long. Almost 4 lbs and 3 inches since birth!!
She is still sleeping through the night....every single night!! Anywhere between 8 and 10 hours! I am not looking forward to the nights where she wakes at 3 am and won't go back to sleep. I pray to God every night that she keeps sleeping like a champ. I am sure that she will be up all night the night before I go back to work.
So, for motherhood....I love it! I feel as though I could join my sister and have 7 more!!! Matt would never ever agree to it though :-)

Growing and Changing!

Here are some pics of her in recent days. It's so hard to pick which ones to post....I love them all!! The last one was taken by a photographer frined of mine - http://collierimages.com/ - I just love it!!!!

The days seem to be flying by!! I keep trying to post something and then something else pops up and I don't get a chance. I sure thought that I would be keeping up with this a lot better than I have!! Alida is growing and changing soooo much every single day. Sometimes I look at her and still can't believe that she's my little girl. She "talks" all the time and seems to be quite full of smiles these days :-) I find myself spending most of the time having "conversations" with her. It's just so freaking cute!! Her favorite word right now is "Hu-ka" - I love it!! It sounds so adorable when she says it over and over. WE spent the weekend in VA and she did wonderfully!! She still sleeps all the time and rarely cries. She still fusses a good bit in the evenings but it has gotten considerably better. She now sleeps between 8 and 10 hours every night!!!! I still don't understand what it's like to be up all hours of the night....I am hoping that I never will!! :-)