Visiting Corey

This past weekend we took a trip to Bloomington, IL to visit Corey. He had to work on Saturday night so we had lunch with him then went to the ISU basketball game. Ally enjoyed the atmosphere much better there since it wasn't nearly as loud as Mackey Arena. The Redbirds won the game and we got to see Corey in all of his "ticket office staff" glory. Mom and Dew also made the trip so it was a fun weekend. Ally loves her uncle Corey!

Karl carrying Ally into the game in the Bjorn

Ally sporting her winter hat

Uncle Corey with Ally in her red and white Redbirds gear (its the only red she owns!)

Home Videos Take 1

Just before Ally was born, Karl bought one of the new HD Flip video cameras. Its a super small digital video camera we can use to record and document things then plug right into the computer to make movies. Its really easy to use and here are my first attempts: Ally enjoying some tummy time followed by Ella stealing her toy. As I learn more about it, I hope to get more advanced with my movie making.

2 Month Check-Up

Today Ally had her two month check up with our pediatrician, Dr. Ho. She checked out perfectly weighing in at 11.5 pounds and 22.25 inches in length. She really has grown so much! This puts her in the 65% for weight and the 55% for height but this will change as she grows. Today she also got her first round of shots- 2 in the left leg, 1 in the right leg and one given orally. She took them like a champ and only cried for a brief second. We go back for our next visit in another two months.

2 Months Old

While we were in Oshkosh, Ally celebrated her two month birthday. She has really changed a lot since week 6 and seems noticeably bigger in size, more expressive and much more talkative. She can hold her head up very well when sitting and is still working to push herself up with her hands when she is on her tummy. She makes all kinds of noises and even smiles at you when she is happy or you do something she likes. She has her two month check-up and gets her first round of shots tomorrow so I will have her stats to report then. Here are some of the things that I have learned in the first two months of her life (in no particular order):

- No two brands of diapers and wipes are the same. Newborn huggies are bigger than newborn pampers and huggies wipes are terrible! We just graduated to size 1 diapers last week and our current favorite is Pampers.
- Ally hates to have a wet diaper. If she seems to start crying for no reason, its a safe bet that she is in need of a new diaper. On the same subject- don't jump the gun or she will pee mid change then you have to start all over and include a change of clothes.
- The swing is awesome! She is now starting to enjoy it so I don't feel bad putting her in it so I can get some things done. Sometimes she falls asleep but most of the time she just looks at things.
- Managing a dog and a baby is not easy, I don't know how people with multiple kids handle it if I can barely get the dog outside while Ally is awake.
- Having family around is priceless. Its hard not being near my family all the time but its awesome to see everyone interact with Ally when we do get to see them. Even with Karl's parents in town we don't see them that much so the time she does spend with everyone is even more special. She is a lucky girl!
- I enjoy being home with Ally during the day but I miss work. Not actually doing work but I really miss being in the loop and going to events.
- Driving with a screaming child in the back stresses me out, I hate it but hopefully I get over it because there is usually nothing I can do about it.
- Taking a shower is one of the highlights of my day. I have always used showers as my "thinking time" but now it really is my only time to myself so I like it even more. There is no way I could survive without a daily shower.
- Its hard to love a new baby, a dog and a husband equally- someone is always feeling left out or attention deprived. Its a work in progress to ensure that Karl and I aren't always the last ones to have their needs met.
- Nursing is a much harder undertaking than I ever expected but I am proud of myself for sticking it out and continuing to improve every week. Seems like any idiot can do it but that is not true!
- Baby girl clothes are so cute and even though we usually aren't going anywhere where anyone will see what she has on, I still feel the need to think carefully about what she is going to wear each day. I know it won't last long and I know she doesn't care but I try to switch up colors and styles each day.
- Sleep sacks are a great invention as is the bundle me for the car seat. A warm baby is a happy baby.
- I can run on much less sleep than I ever thought possible and I can now fall asleep instantly anywhere/anytime.

Here are some of my favorite photos from month two with Allyson:

Happy Thanksgiving

To celebrate Allyson's first Thanksgiving we packed up everyone (baby, dog and injured Karl) and headed to Oshkosh. Karl's parents went on a cruise over the holiday so we went to visit my family and spend some time there. It was quite the chore to get everything packed and the car loaded but once we finally got on the road, everything went fairly well. Both Ally and Ella slept almost the whole way- Ella riding shotgun and me and Ally in the back. We enjoyed our first Thanksgiving meal of the day with Grandma Sandy, Grandpa Paul, Aunt Judy, dad and Patty then we headed over to Aunt Kelly's for Thanksgiving meal #2 with the other side of the family. Ally was loved by everyone and Ella got to spend time running around with Jake in a big fenced in yard at Kelly's. Karl was able to get a walking boot right before we left and has learned how to use it enough so he doesn't have to use the walker. He is still in some pain and his staples look pretty nasty but its healing well and he was able to get around easily while we were away. We were able to spend almost a week there so Ally could have lots of time with the family to show off how much she has grown. We visited the outlet mall, went to brunch at Robbins (were Ally decided to fill her entire diaper and outfit with poop, requiring an immediate wardrobe change and lots of laundry when we got back to dad's house) and just relaxed. Ally was given this bib as a gift to celebrate her first Thanksgiving so we had to show it off during dinner.