PARTY TIME!

First of all I would like to send out a HUGE thank you to all of you that helped me with Alida's party!! Matt and I are so incredibly lucky to have friends and family like all of you!!

The party was a success! The balloons were deflated when I arrived in the morning....who knew that helium wouldn't last over night??!! i was tempted to run out and get more balloons but there just wasn't enough time! The day started off with some family pictures (the Lewandoski side) taken by my friend, Suzanne Collier. The picture process reminded me just how hot it was outside! UGH! It was pretty humid which made matters worse. Alida was quite clingy and not her usual self throughout the pictures but she didn't meltdown, which was good! The rest of the day is quite a blur. I'm not sure if I sat down or even got to talk to anyone. I felt like I was running around with my head cut off before the party even started. This is apparently common at first birthdays! Thank goodness it only happens once for each child :-) I think (at least I hope!) everyone enjoyed themselves, the food and was able to keep at least somewhat cool. The kids kept themselves busy in the baby pools....thank goodness we had them! We only forgot two things all day...the ice cream and the DVD. Considering the cake was huge and my wonderful sis-in-law, September, baked some absolutely delicious desserts I don't think the ice cream was missed. As for the DVD...since no one really knew it existed it wasn't a big deal. But we really wanted to show off our hard work in creating a slide show for her first year. I am hoping to figure out a way to download it to the blog....haven't been able to do it yet. But...all in all the party went quite well.

Alida held herself together quite well. She didn't nap as perfectly in the morning as I had hoped...I knew that would happen. But, she pulled through.....I don't remember any tantrums!

The little bubble blower

12 month stats

Alida had her 12 month well check-up this past Wednesday. She was a handful in the office! Waiting for the doctor to come in never felt so incredibly long before! This girl does not sit still these days! The past couple of nights have been a struggle getting her to bed….she just wants to stay up and play! We try to get her down at 8 pm or so but it’s been more like 9 or 10 pm these days!

Without further ado:
Weight: 18 lbs 10 oz (10th percentile)
Length: 28 inches (also 10th percentile)
Head: 18 ¾ (90th percentile! this girl's got brains!)
Teeth: 4 total

There is one thing that is a bit of a concern though. Alida does not use her left hand as efficiently as her right. At her age it is a cause for concern because handedness shouldn't be as apparent until babies are at least 3 years old. We have been referred to an Occupational Therapist who specializes in fine motor skills. Hopefully we are making a mountain out of a mole hill…but the doctor thought it best to get things checked out in case we can do something to increase her ability to use her left hand and avoid future problems. Besides that she has gotten a clean bill of health. She will have to go and get blood work done for the first time though....not looking forward to that!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALIDA!!

It has come and gone....just like that. A whole year before our eyes. Alida has grown from a tiny (surprisingly! wasn't my belly huge??!) baby to a petite toddler. WOW! I thought by now I would certainly feel like a 'mom'. But....I am still amazed that she's mine. Matt and I thank God every day for allowing us the gift of bringing such a beautiful, little angel into this world! To watch her grow is the most indescribably amazing thing I have ever witnessed. God's little miracle! I still look at her tiny features, play with her little fingers and toes, smooth her silky hair and just revel in HIS masterpiece. AMAZING! That's all I can say!! I am sure that Matt would agree....she has changed us (inside and out!) FOREVER!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our miracle....we love you Alida Marie...more than words will ever say!



Check out Alida enjoying her first cake! She LOVED it!!! Not too sure what to do with the candle but she loved the singing (imagine that - Matt and I are NOT singers!) and the cake!

It can't be true!?!

Next week....on Monday....only 3 days from now...Alida will be 1 year old!!!! I am in disbelief about it!! I cannot believe that a whole year has passed us by. It has been so exciting!!! To watch her grow and blossom into the little person she is has been such a blessing. She melts my heart every day (and Daddy's too!!)! In fact, she just started blowing kisses the other day....how precious!! Every time she does something new it amazes me. Matt and I are the luckiest parents in the world!!!


Daddy, they lost!!!!



Matt's favorite hair accessory! He wants one for himself!



Time to take a walk mommy! There's no excuse for that baby weight now!!



Mommy, are you gonna let this guy push me alone? Get over here!!



We took Alida to the Harleysville Fair the other day. It wasn't as baby friendly as I anticipated. Matt wouldn't allow Alida to go on any of the rides by herself. He did manage to win her a stuffed
whale though :-)


I guess the excitement of the crowds and the kids still wore her out.

I have to get better at this! I keep thinking of the most interesting things to write about but then I never get to it! It’s very frustrating!!! Not just for those checking to see the latest and greatest (sorry Aunt Kris!) but for myself as well. I plan to have this blog converted into a hard bound book once a year. I am stealing the idea from another blog that I keep up with. Apparently, blurb.com offers this at a great price!!

Anywho….without further ado, here is Miss Alida Marie Lewandoski performing the newest dance craze of 2008.



She loves to dance these days….her movements remind me of hip-hop. It’s hilarious. The “flow” has gotten much smoother….she was much “jerkier” when she first started dancing. She will now perform whenever she is asked and tends to dance whenever there is music. She can now groove to the beat while sitting as well as standing.

All Dried Up!!

Well....almost. Alida is 100% weaned! No more pumping...YAY!! She did incredibly well with the transition. I think it's because I took it pretty slow. I stopped one feeding per week until the last two were left - morning and night. I waited two weeks and then took the morning feeding away...then Matt could get up with her!!! HEHE! I waited another two weeks and stopped the night feeding. She really didn't seem to mind at all. She has been doing exceptionally well with the sippy cup these days and seems to really like whole milk. Thank goodness it went so seamlessly...I really was dreading it! Now I just can't wait to "dry up". I am quite uncomfortable right now. It's already been about a week and I am still full! I read online that it could take months!! I hope that's not the case! Although it is nice to have these things!!!! HA!

Alida has had a fever for the past few days...the poor thing. It's her first fever and I just feel so awful for her. She has handled it quite well though. Not nearly as grumpy/cranky as I would have thought. Hopefully tomorrow it will be gone. As sad as it is to see her not feeling well I have to admit that I really do enjoy the cuddling that she wants to do! Sooo sweet!

OH, and how could I forget!!! She is finally saying MA-MA!!!!! YAY!!! I knew it was coming but it felt like an eternity!!! So, she says two words, DA-DA and MA-MA. Wonder what will be next??!! We are working on animal noises and pointing to parts of our face. She knows where mommy's nose, teeth and eye are but not where they are on her face.

Let's see...what else is she doing? Oh, the cutest (and naughtiest) thing! She always finds something to play with that she's not supposed to have....she'll be playing nice and quiet with it until I notice...once I say something to her she takes one look at me, grabs the item and tries to run away! She looks back over her should as she tries to escape my grasp. It is sooo funny! She also knows when she shouldn't touch something...if I say 'no' and make like I am going to smack her hand she pulls it back really quick and flinches quite dramatically! You would think I beat her or something!! HAHA!!