1 1/2 year old

Alleah Mae at 18 months:

Length: 32.5 inches (76th percentile)

Weight: 22.06 lbs (18th percentile)

Head circumference: 47.25 cm (71st percentile)

Alleah is such a great kid. She has her own funny personality. Just like any kid at her age she does throw tantrums & her doctor said it is normal. As her mother I have been getting a little frustrated at how many tantrums she does throw, but to hear from her doctor that everything she is doing is perfectly fine. I have been doing everything right :) which makes me feel awesome to hear that... specially from her doctor. (and my mother) but she's my mom... she has to be nice ;) haha. Alleah is learning so much each and every day. Its crazy to me how big she is getting and how fast its going, but I love every second of it. I just can't believe we have a 1 1/2 year old.

18 months: 

• can count to 3
• has 12 teeth (two of which are molars that are popped thru, but not all the way up)
• climbs on EVERYTHING she is a monkey. 
• can say more than 12 words. kitty, bye, hi, hello, papa, gama, mama, dada, wow, woah, uh oh, thank you, no, shut up (dunno where she got that from), pretty, baba, light, and many more. 
• can say "what is that?" "who is that?"
• has gone potty on the big girl potty TWICE :)
• goes to bed at 9-9:30 and wakes up in between 9-10:30
• takes one nap during the day that lasts 2-3 hrs long
• can help clean up her toys
• when she knows she did something to get in trouble she shrugs her shoulders & says "hi" or "hello" in a very high voice
• she LOVES to give kisses & hugs & as soon as she gives you a kiss she says bye. (guess its a kiss goodbye haha)
• she loves to go places & tells me by handing her coat & shoes to me haha 
• blow kisses
• feeds herself w/ a fork & spoon
• shes RIDICULOUS w/ technology... she can turn the ipad on, go to pandora & turn on the music. 
• she has gone in time out a couple times for hitting me & saying "NO" (has a little bit of an attitude)
• The list could go on..

She can do so many things it is hard to type it all. I am just so impressed with how much she is learning. I can't wait for many more years to come, but I would love her to stay my little toddler. They say at 18 months for a girl if you double the inches you get how tall she will be when full grown so I guess Alleah will be 5'5. I think she will end up taller than that, but who knows. 

Halloween

Alleah's 2nd Halloween

Trunk-or-Treat @ the church

Trick-or-Treat @ the uptown

That afternoon I introduced Alleah to her costume for the first time. Immediately she said "KITTY" Alleah loves cats. I thought the cat costume was perfect for her. (I ordered it off of Amazon.com) Love amazon. 

Anyway, at first when Joey & I tried to put it on her she was a little confused and kind of scared of it. Joey took her into the bathroom and showed her in the mirror. Yup, that helped. She then loved it. Kept saying "kitty" "meow." At first I was a little worried since Alleah hates wearing hats/bows on her head. I was thinking she might hate the ears. Nope, she loved the ears... didn't even try to take it off once. At 3:45 Joey & I took Alleah to the uptown in Richland to go around for Trick-or-Treating. At first it was just going to be me taking her since daddy had to work, but we got lucky & Joey got done with work early :) 

Alleah had so much fun Trick-or-Treating at the uptown. Daddy held her most of the time because I'm just a huge uncomfortable pregnant lady haha, but sometimes she got down and would walk beside us or run in front. She liked to carry her bucket up to the people as they put candy in. smart girl. Everyone thought she was soooo cute!! Once we were done I took off her costume and she got mad at me haha. Next year we will definitely take her to the uptown again :)

After Trick-or-Treating, we picked up dinner & ate it at my parents house then got ready to go to Trunk-or-Treating.This time we actually drew a nose and whiskers on her face to make her cat costume even cuter. She was not a fan of the process of putting the make-up on, but my mom managed to make her look super cute! We all left for trunk-or-treating (Grandma, Grandpa, Daddy, me & uncle Brayden) My mom came to take pictures with her fancy camera. Even tho Alleah barely had a nap (due to so many activities) She wasn't even cranky at all for any of this. She just had so much fun running around, getting candy, and playing. She enjoyed eating the candy too. At one car there was music playing so of course Alleah stopped and danced. She was so hilarious. We had a ton of fun with Alleah this year. She is such a silly kid. I was very happy that Joey didn't have to work and he was able to come enjoy it as well (he did loose his sleeping time tho). 

After that, we dropped daddy off so he could sleep & we went to my parents house to just hang out & watched ghost busters. Alleah of course was just interested in the candy. She also helped Grandpa & Grandma pass out candy at the door. When we got home Alleah immediately fell asleep after bath time. To much excitement for one little girl :) 

Next year will be just as much fun & we will also have her sister there to have fun as well. :) 

Alleah & Baby Girl #2

<3 

The other night I watched the videos of Alleah in the hospital. I balled like a baby. I can't believe how fast Alleah is growing. I want her to stay my little girl forever. Today Alleah turned 16 months. WOAH! How did that happen?! She is such a joy in our lives. Such a funny little character. I will admit, she's a little stubborn sometimes (gets that from her daddy) Just kidding. No matter what we love that little girl more than anything in this whole world!

Alleah at 16 months:

• Climbs & runs. She's EVERYWHERE. I think everywhere is a little bit of an understatement haha
• Can say around 12 words. Her favorite words would have to be "ball, belly & kitty" When she says kitty to our cat it is just the cutest thing. She will follow him around saying "hi kitty"
• Has 8 teeth & a couple molars coming in (not quite all the way thru yet) 
• Still working on getting rid of that bottle... she has it at bed & that is it. 
• Takes one nap during the day at 2ish for about 2 hours. Goes to bed at 9pm & wakes up at 10am
• She knows where her belly, nose & eyes are if you ask her. (still working on other) :) 
• Knows a few animal sounds if you as her "what does a.... say?" (dog, cat, bear, cow)
• Favorite movie "The Lorax" She will sit & watch it & dance. She wont do that with any other movie
• She likes to rub my belly for some reason (but I'm pretty sure she has no idea there is a baby in there) 
• Her favorite food would have to be Fries
• Her favorite snack are those cinnamon maple sticks for babies
• She LOVES shoes & socks. She will go get them if you tell her too. She will also bring mine & Joey's shoes if we're going somewhere
• Definitely a dancer. If there is music... she will dance (no matter where she is)

She is learning so much each and everyday. I try to do my best as her mom to teach her things throughout the day. She definitely teaches me patience tho. 

Baby Girl #2:

We do have a name (for now) it could change. Joey however wants to keep the name a secret until she is born. That's what we did with Alleah. We would tell people names when we thought of them and got tired of people making fun of them. So we pretty much told family & a few other people. We absolutely love the name. I will say that we are going with the whole ABC theme for names :) Yes, we are weird. Who knows.. we might end up getting to D. But for right now we want 3 kids :) 

She is very healthy. At my last appointment everything looked great! She was still a girl. (since we found out early... who knows) I was hoping her to stay a her. She kicks like crazy. Love feeling her little kicks :) & watching her kick is so fun! She is measuring a week ahead, but they're not worried about it since I obviously have small babies (Alleah was 6lbs 14oz) This time I am DETERMINED to actually wait until my water breaks (unless there are other reasons the doctor gives me that I have to be induced) Last time I got my membranes stripped 4 days before my due date with Alleah. I want to experience the feeling of having my water break and then panicking for my husband to come home from work. Call me crazy, but it kinda sounds fun. Joey is the manager at one job (so definitely wont be hard for him to leave that job anyway) haha. Now that we think of it more and more Joey & I are just sooooo excited to have another girl. Ya a boy would be nice. But, it's gonna be so fun to have girls so close together (until they hit the teen stage) haha. Joey's exact words when I mentioned "watch out for when they're teenagers" was "BRING IT ON!" He's so funny. Lately Joey keeps saying "I want her here! I can't wait to be able to hold her." It seriously makes me feel like I love him SOOOO much more! He is an amazing dad. Even tho he is a pain in my butt sometimes I love him to death & everything he does for me, Alleah & this baby. Alleah loves her daddy. They have so much fun together. This baby will be just as loved :) 

We are a VERY happy & healthy family :) 

PARENTING...

Nobody said it was going to be easy.. because it is definitely not. 

Everything about parenting is hard. Ever since Alleah can & has been talking; I've been thinking a lot about how to deal with things when she gets in trouble. Since she is beginning to understand more.  Before now I think Alleah was way to young to act upon getting her in trouble. 

A lot of mothers have different opinions on how do handle things. & I respect that. I know whats best for my kids and that's all that matters. Yes, even partners have differences about how to handle their kids. Just got to work together (kids sense fear) haha just kidding. Luckily Joey and I have agreed on everything so far :) 

Alleah is a great kid. So much personality. She is fun and energetic. Lately she has learned the word "no" and "stop" (as of right now, I think its funny when she says it) but I do try and not laugh when around her. When I tell her "no" she will just say it back to me & not listen. I do not and will never believe in spanking my children. To me that is not okay. (others have different opinions on this... but this is my opinion). I have put Alleah in timeout for 2 mins once for hitting and it seemed to help but of course she said "no" while sitting there. As of right now that is my solution to things and I will continue it. So far I haven't had to put her in timeout again so it may have worked. Maybe 

15 Months :)

Alleah Mae: 

31 1/4 inches (75th percentile)

20.5 lbs (32nd percentile)

• Waves & says: "HI" 
• LOVES to dance & watch Disney movies
• Can say a bunch of words. I'll list a couple of them:  ball, hi, mamma, dada, babba, pretty, WOW, uh oh, bye, woah, papa... ect
• Totally mobile. She's been walking since 11 months old, but now its 10X worst... She runs!
• Went to the theater for the 1st time... (not doing that again) She was done after an hour of the movie
• Blows kisses
• Loves giving kisses & the best hug giver ever <3
• She points at what she wants and says "that" doesn't exactly sound like "that" but it's a form of it haha
• Climbs on EVERYTHING. I caught her on the middle of our kitchen table
• She does have a little bit of a tantrum when she doesn't get her way... She forces herself sitting while crying. 
• LOVES dada: when he gets home from work she runs to him and says "hi dada" 
• Her favorite food is french fries (takes after her momma) :) 
• Loves to make messes (what toddler doesn't?!)
• Sleeps 9:30pm-10am 
• Takes one nap 2-3hrs long :)
• I am still working on getting rid of the bottle. She just isn't a fan of sippy cups
• Sometimes when walking she will walk on her right foot on her tippy toes... no idea why (it isn't all the time) 
• She LOVES blankets. She will carry one everywhere she goes; no matter how big it is... she will try and carry it around. 
• Talks on my phone (gibberish) 

We absolutely love our Alleah. She is such a joy. We often think to ourselves how lucky we are to have her in our lives. Being parents is tough at times, but SOOOOO rewarding. Wouldn't change anything in the world. Our baby is PERFECT in our eyes :) She is growing so fast & we are loving every minute of it :) 

Loving Life

AMAZING NEWS :) 

Joey and I bought a new truck the other day :) It was an early graduation present for "me" (really Joey) but he deserves it. That guy is so hard working of course I couldn't say no to him buying himself a truck. But of course I'm happy because either way I will have a car during the day! YAY ME! Finally! If you know me, I am always stuck at home due to my husbands crazy work schedule so it was an awesome deal to me to finally have 2 cars for our family. Instead Joey will "eventually" buy me a desktop computer for me for graduating :) No rush.

August 19th Joey and I went to my regular OBGYN appointment thinking nothing of it, but when I asked Dr. Ortolano when I can get a gender reveal ultrasound he said "Lets do it right now!" Of course I was not going to pass that up. I called my mom and told her because I knew she wanted to be there. So she rushed over for the ultrasound. Everyone in the doctor office told us that it was a boy early on so we were expecting her to say boy. But nope it was a GIRL! :) Joey and I are sooooo excited to have another girl. Alleah is just so much fun, why not have another. They will be 20 months apart and be best friends! We have yet to come up with a girl name.

Joey got an unexpected call from the owner of Chem-Dry carpet cleaning thinking it was about work the next day... nope :) Joey's manager is moving and now Joey will take his position. Joey worked so hard for them and definitely was recognized for his hard work. It will be a lot different pay raise OH YA!!! :) It will be a lot more work & I will be helping with the paperwork (so yes I guess I'll be working for Joey) Joey is so over joyed right now. When he was told he was totally speechless he was so excited. I am so proud of Joey. He is such an amazing hard worker and he definitely deserves this promotion. He will be a GREAT manager.


Schooling: I am almost graduated!!! YAY I just have to wait back on the results of my final and then its official. :)

So many crazy awesome things are happening to this family!! Hard work definitely pays off :) We couldn't be any happier and feel really blessed :)

Vacation :)

Lincoln City

Joey and I took a weekend getaway for our 2 year wedding anniversary to Lincoln City. I tried surprising Joey with it, but since we both have access to the bank statement (oops) he saw the large amount I spent that said "Lincoln City" on it. So, now that he knew it was easier to plan.

We drove there on Saturday morning after Joey got off work. I drove to Portland to let Joey sleep and there we went shopping at the Nike outlet store. We both got a pair of shoes and Joey also got a pair of shorts. We were going to go to lunch there but got really frustrated at the traffic so we traveled some more to Salem and ate at Claim Jumper. Joey really enjoyed that restaurant, to be honest I wasn't to fond of it probably because I got something lame. That night Joey fell asleep early and I spent the night relaxing watching netflix on my Ipad.

The next day: Joey and I went to breakfast at pig'Npancake; we loved it! Also got free hot chocolate because they felt bad for taking so long on our food. Bonus :) After that we went shopping and bought stuff for each other, Alleah & souvenirs for my family since they watched Alleah all weekend. We went to the beach for a few hours and hung out, built a sand castle. It was wayyy to cold to get in the water. We then went to dinner at Mo's seafood restaurant. I finally got my seafood :) We decided to watch the sunset from our backyard to pass the time because we were going to see a movie that night. We don't do that very often in the Tri-cities.

We enjoyed every minute of it. It was nice to get away, but we definitely missed Alleah like crazy. I cried dropping her off. It was soo tough. Every time my mom sent me a picture I got teary eyed. We needed time alone, but I was happy to see Alleah when we got home :)

One Crazy & Fun Week 

Last week started off a little rough. My family had planned a trip to Leavenworth for a night and everyone was so excited to go. The night before the day we were going to leave was a little tough. Alleah had almost no sleep. Then that morning her nose was runny. I knew it was a start of a cold. I gave her some medicine and we were on our way. Alleah had fun throughout the day on our adventures, but then night came again and it seemed to have gotten worst. The runny nose turned into gunky eyes & really runny nose. It was also an odd color and not just clear so of course I made a doctors appointment for the next day we would be in town. We then got home Monday night around 6pm and Joey and I were just getting worried with how Alleah was acting (the ride home I may add... was hard). We took her to immediate care and they told us she had Pharingitis. Got her on Antibiotics and Tylenol hoping she would get better... but that was only the beginning. 

The next day, I canceled Alleah's actual doctors appointment since we ended up going to immediate care. Later that day I was changing Alleah's diaper and she tried to run away from me so when she turned around I noticed something on her upper bum lower back. A bump. I felt it and it was Hard. I immediately freaked out, tried to call my mom... she didn't answer. Called my dad, he told me to come over so he could look at it. So I did. He told me to go straight to immediate care. He thought it was a spider bite of some sort. Again to immediate care. The lady came in, looked at it and told me to put a hot compress on it. I knew she didn't think much of it so I wanted to double check and made an appointment with Alleah's doctor. The next day we went and saw him. As soon as he saw it he said "go to the ER." He was furious the immediate care people were so clueless. Staph infections are dangerous, specially on a baby so little. We went to the ER and got it drained. It was so hard to see Alleah in so much pain. I of course cried. I was crying as soon as we walked in the entrance. I was so scared for my little girl, and the pain she was about to go thru and that she was already going thru. It is so hard for a mother to see your daughter go thru that. I am sooo thankful for a husband who kept me strong. He kept telling me it was going to be ok; that Alleah is in good hands. I did love the doctor who was in the ER. He was great. My dad came to the hospital before the procedure was started; Joey and my dad gave Alleah a blessing. It definitely put my mind at ease. They put her on antibiotics and sent us home. Later today I am going to an appointment for her to follow up everything that happened. 

Thursday, we headed to Canada for a family reunion (the doctor in the ER said Alleah should be fine to travel) It was a lot of fun. Riding horses, hanging out with family. Alleah rode a horse with my mom. I rode a horse the day before and I was so sore to even get onto that horse. But it was a ton of fun. Alleah didn't even seem to notice her pain. (she's on ibprofen as well)
I somehow got a sore throat and ended up loosing my voice... so of course I sounded like a 50 year old smoker at the reunion. But that's okay. 

I was bummed this all happened during the time Desiree, Justin & Brooklyn were in town & when Joey had work off for the first time in forever. But I am glad I had the support from everyone of them going thru this with me. I wouldn't of been able to do it on my own. I am strong, for the most part, but when it comes to Alleah being in pain I am the biggest baby in the world. I just wish I could take all her pain away. I wish I was the one going through what she did and not her. But I am strong enough to be there for her when she needs it (crying or not) mostly crying, but no matter what she is my #1 priority! & nothing will EVER change that! 

:) 

P.S. Her bump is getting smaller... it is not yet gone, but hopefully soon. She is her happy little self still, but not when that bump is touched. 

LOVE :)

<3

I've decided to take a break with homework and write a little something about Joey.  (bragging time) 

JOEY:)

He is such an amazing man. Considering what he has been through and dealt with; he is still a strong and loving guy. He has the biggest heart. He works so freaking hard it is unbelievable. I know some people know he works two jobs, but they never really realize what his jobs do to him and how much he is actually working. Both jobs are hard labor non of this desk jobs stuff. He is constantly on his feet lifting stuff and ect. The most he has worked in a day is about 20 hrs. (how is that even possible with 24hrs in a day) believe me.... he has done it. At times yes... he does get a little on edge with lack of sleep, but he is the most selfless guy ever. I appreciate everything he does for this family. He made it possible for us to buy a house before we were married for 2 years... now I'd say that's hard work. It's not easy to buy a house haha... A LOT of saving and managing money goes into play. I know he works hard for this family and Alleah and I miss him a lot when he is gone, but when he is here it makes the time together so much more special. 

Joey is an AWESOME dad. He loves being a dad. One thing he said that made him love me (there are other reasons too) but the main one was: I wanted to be a mom. & he really wanted to be a dad. That's probably why we started having kids so early in our marriage. Alleah absolutely loves her dad. When he gets off work she gets sooooo excited she literally runs to him smiling and holding out her arms for him to pick her up. Watching those two play together just makes my heart melt. Joey is so excited for baby number 2 to be here. before Alleah was born he did want a boy. Now that he just loves his little girl to pieces he actually wants all girls (he's crazy) He would love a boy, but he loves his little girl so much he wont be sad if he never gets his boy. Everytime I eat something he says "feed our baby" :) It makes me love him so much more when he talks about our children and when we come up with names together. 

Love: Joey & I have been married for 2 years & have been together for almost 3 years. BEST almost 3 years ever!! Yes we have had some hard times, but what couple hasn't? we work thru it and in the end love each other more than anything. He is my best friend. I can tell him everything and he will do the same for me. When I'm upset about something that has happened I will just lay there and cry on his chest and he will tell me its okay and he's here for me. I am so grateful for that. I love having this man by my side through thick and thin, better or for worse. He is my rock. I love just laughing and goofing off with him. He is truly an amazing husband, father & friend. 

Alleah & I Love you Joey :)  

Our Crazy Family :)

Update:

Joey: busy, busy, busy. Joey is constantly on the go. He works a lot to provide for this family. He does an awesome job at it. He is tired a lot, but he has a "can do" attitude. He gets 5 hrs of sleep.... maybe less & he is still able to work sometimes 18hr days. He knows why he's doing it & he enjoys doing it (most of the time) I tell him "quit one of your jobs" but he actually enjoys both jobs. He has no idea which one he'd quit. Bonus he actually likes his jobs or I think he wouldn't have that positive attitude. He has recently decided to go back to school and continue his education in becoming a firefighter; he will be going back either end of this year, or beginning of next.

Me: I am not as busy as Joey, but I do consider myself busy. I am still at home with Alleah & finishing up my schooling. I should be done end of next month if all goes well. If I don't, I will buy an extension (4 months) I might not even need all that time, but that's what they have to offer. I absolutely love being at home with Alleah... Its so rewarding. Love watching her & her cute little personality
My Birthday: It was so much fun. I definitely got spoiled by Joey & my family. I spent the day swimming with family & then had my dad & mom make my favorite dinner. BBQ chicken & cheesey potatoes. Then that following Monday (Joey's day off) Joey took me to Fujiyamas Japanese steak house. He decided to take me there for my birthday since its so expensive & it was a special occasion :) After that we went & saw Despicable me 2 :) It was a great time.

Alleah: She's always on the go. Ever since she started walking (11 months) she never stops. When she crawled she'd sit and play. No not anymore. This kid insists to be walking most of the time. She will carry toys and what not, but she will not sit and play for very long. Unless its in her room looking at books. She LOVES books. I'm afraid she will tear the paper books, but she does just sit and look at them. She has learned how to wave and say "hi" it is the CUTEST thing ever! She has developed a little temper. It last like a second and she gets over it, but I've been trying to teach her that its not okay. She's almost 14 months old & its crazy! I love our little toddler. She is just so much fun. She loves to play with her daddy.

Baby #2: Not much to update here.... almost out of the 1st trimester & I'm feeling great! Sickness lasted about 2 weeks & now it's gone. I am exhausted more often, but that's normal. Can't wait to find out the gender end of next month!!! :)

UPDATE

Life with the Perry's 

Yesterday was a super busy fun day! We all went to Dr. Ortolano's office for my very 1st check up for Baby #2. I've got to say... It was really weird being back there. Everyone remembered us. (sidenote) Dr. Ortolano used to be Joey's dad's partner... then everyone in that office left him and stayed with Ortolano after what happened. Anyway, they all knew Joey right away. I'd have to say everyone knowing my husband made me feel better about everything. They treated us amazing. I LOVE the ultrasound tech. She is amazing. Libby has done every single ultrasound of mine. We always have the same nurse... she is so cool. I really like her. Most of the people in that office are members of the Church which is also a bonus. It was so cool seeing an ultrasound of the baby...again. In my mind I was like "that's in me" Just didn't seem real yet until I saw an ultrasound I guess. Everything looked awesome they said. The heartbeat was SUPER fast. 185. That's even faster than what Alleah's was her whole pregnancy. So, guesses are GIRL. But my guess... is Boy. Just to make my husband happy. I'd thought I'd guess what he's guessing. Either way... we will be super happy if its another girl (Alleah has a best friend) or a boy :) We are super excited to become parents again. Joey's face when he saw the ultrasound... Priceless. He's such a good Daddy to Alleah. I know he will be a good Daddy to this baby as well. He's so great! Alleah & I love him so much!

Also, Alleah turned 13 months old yesterday as well :)
She is such a big girl. At the office in the waiting room she was just walking around playing with the other toys. She loved it.

For the past month Alleah has hit a few milestones. Not to many since I wrote about her turning 1. But Alleah has gotten so smart. We are teaching her the animal sounds. She knows how to bark when I say "what does a dog say" & she meows when I say "what does a cat say." She is the cutest. Also, lately she has been learning to walk over, hand me what she has when I ask for it. Sometimes she gives me it anyway when I don't ask. But she is learning to listen to me. She also got 2 more teeth!! total: 7 teeth: 4 on top. 3 on bottom. Thats about it. She just has such a personality. She is so fun. She talks to us as if we can understand... and when we laugh she "fake" laughs. Like its not a giggle. Its like she's in the conversation haha. It is so fun to take her out to restaurants. She just has a blast. Just yesterday I was craving breakfast food... & we literally had none. So we went to Sharis. Alleah loved it. She was just talking away eating the food we let her feed herself & talked away. Everywhere we go Alleah is complimented. Lucky girl. We love her. & hope baby #2 is much like her. :) Sleeper, eats good & loves to play. Perfect baby :)

Yesterday Joey finally went swimming with Alleah and I. Alleah has a kitty pool at our house.. but she hates it. I have no idea why. I even warm it up for her. But at the big pool Alleah has a blast. I loved watching Joey and Alleah play. It was so fun. Can't wait to do that more often :)

My schooling: I am supposed to be done my school end of August. I have done so much on it. But I'm getting stressed for time. I can buy an extension, but I hope I wont have to. I just might tho. If I do its an extension for 4 months.
Joey: Still working his butt off.

Thats our life :)

BIG NEWS

BABY #2 :)

Yes it is true we are expecting another baby :) It's estimated due date is January 30th, 2014. I have not gone to the doctor quite yet. My first appointment is in a couple weeks and I'm super excited to see the first ultrasound. I am going back to my old doctor. Dr. Ortolano. I loved him. He treated me and Alleah so great. So it was definitely a must to go back :) 

Joey and I *cough* *cough* (Joey) were having baby fever. Don't get me wrong... I was having baby fever. But Joey was way more baby feverish than me. We were planning on trying for another baby in late August early September; that way Alleah and the new baby would be around exactly 2 years apart. But we decided a couple months earlier we wanted to try for one. They will be 20 months apart. PERFECT. Alleah will be talking by then so I am not worried one bit about it. I'm actually really excited they'll be semi close together. BONUS: We are in a big house so TONS of space for another baby.  

Which brings me to my next point... Another girl! That would be so much fun to have another girl. They would be best friends!! But of course... Joey wants a boy. But then again... A boy would be so much fun as well. So this pregnancy... I'm happy with whatever gender we get :) Last pregnancy I wanted a girl and I got one :) I know Joey needs his boy. But if its a girl; he said he'd be happy either way. He even said he'd be happy with all girls... ok... now that's crazy talk.

We feel truly blessed in our lives right now. Alleah being so healthy, happy & amazing little toddler, our awesome house we just bought & with this baby on the way. If you work hard... GREAT things do happen :) 

Our Baby is ONE

1st Birthday Party :)

Alleah Mae

Time is just flying! I feel like it was just yesterday when we just met Alleah for the first time... now she is a 1 year old! I love watching her grow and learn each and every day. I absolutely love being at home with her.

ONE year old:

• Walks completely. No more crawling for this gal (trying to run... oh boy)
• Can stand up without holding onto anything 
• No more Formula
• Sleeps 9pm-9am :) Naps twice a day 
• Copy cat... literally. When the cat meows... She meows
• LOVES to dance... she even tries to sing. Goes into a high voice & kinda hums 
• Gives hi-fives 
• Acts like she's talking to you... when she's only speaking gibberish. Cutest thing ever
• Developing an attitude. Throws the thing she has when you say no
• Waves bye-bye when you tell her to
• Starting to say "hi" 
• Understands when mommy & daddy say no
• Feeds herself
• Entertains herself with books, toys, ect. 
• Holds my phone to her ear & act like she's talking to someone
• She's starting to learn how to pick something back up and put it back in the bin... not quite there yet. but its the cutest when she tries
• Actually wearing 12 month clothes (for once she fits in the right size) :)
• 29 1/4 inches long 75% 17lbs 8oz 15% She's definitely long and skinny. Her Dr. isn't concerned... look at her daddy
• Loves all foods...except pickles
• 5 teeth. Had her first dentist check up. 
• Loves playing in our back yard
• Was a mommy's girl... but lately she's definitely a daddy's girl 
• LOVES to play peek-a-boo

That's our girl :) She is just so much fun! Never a dull moment. She just has so much personality its the greatest. She makes me laugh so hard sometimes. We love our little girl so dang much! miss our newborn but love our toddler :) 

Alleah's first birthday party was so much fun! She had a blast. She had so much fun after I washed her off from smashing into her cake... she passed out for a few hours. It was so nice for family and friends to come help us celebrate Alleah's special day. Here are some pictures of her fun day :)

My mom made Alleah's smash cake :) 

Alleah's CUTE smash cake

Birthday girl :) 

My little baby is almost ONE. 3 more days!!!

Here are some pictures of the past year :) (not in order) 

This has been the BEST year of our lives. I can't even imagine life without this little girl. We love her to death! She is such a joy. She means the world to us. I absolutely love being this little girls mother. I could go on about how much this little person means to us. :)