"Big Girl Bed"

This past Friday night was Aliya's first night in her "big girl bed" in her own room. We are having some work done on our house and they needed to be doing some work in our room over the weekend so we decided this was the best time to try Aliya out in her crib. She is doing great! She is sleeping better, and honestly, so are we! In her bassinet in our room she couldn't stretch out but now she sleeps with both arms straight out to her sides!

Her nightly routine starts around 8:15p with PJ's and cuddle time on mommy or daddy's chest. Then we wake her up right before we go to be to feed her as much as she'll take. She's up sometime between 3a-4a for a quick 2oz snack then she's back to bed till at least 7:30a. She had a stretch for sleeping until 4:45a for about 4 days, but that didn't last. Oh well! I'll take what I can get!

My Bithday today...

Today has been one of the greatest birthday's ever! We were a little rushed this morning before church with the time change, but we managed! Jon, Joel, and Aliya had a beautiful card and gift waiting for me when I came down this morning. A new watch! My watched stopped working a few weeks ago and it's been driving me crazy not to know what time it is every second of the day. (I'm a bit OCD in that way) We headed to church and came home after to get ready for our social worker visit. It was visit 3!! We are half way there!!! Just three more to go! Then we went to lunch at Brio (we'd never been, plus we had a gift card!!). Lunch was great! They did screw my order up though so the took my meal off of our bill, nice but not necessary! We ended the meal sharing birthday ice cream! Then it was off to Meijer, there's one here in town going under so sales where through the roof! We spent way too much for only three bags...but we had fun and got some really good deals! Oh, I almost forgot, one of the best parts of today is that Joel was with us. It was actually his mom's weekend, but due to the weather yesterday and them working today we got to keep him all day (until 7pm) it was the best, having BOTH my kids with me on my special day. Anyway, where was I? Oh, then we came home and after almost 30 minutes of trying, we got our webcam on line and up and running! We chatted with my brother and his family out in AZ. They have a 9 month old daughter we haven't met yet, and they haven't met Aliya yet, so it was really nice! Fun too! Then we ate dinner (steak, yummy...yep, just steak, no veggies or potato's...just meat!) while we watched a movie. Then right around 11:15p while my little brother was singing happy birthday to me Jon rushes in the garage...I hung up with Greg, called Martha back and within minutes found Jon emerging from the garage, birthday cake with candles in hand, singing!!! Oh the caked looked so good and I said, "It reminds me of a Bill Knaps cake, do you remember those?"....guess what? IT WAS A BILL KNAPS CAKE!! Childhood memories came rushing back to me as I cut into the double layer chocolate cake! I got to talk to almost everyone today, lots of calls singing happy birthday! I can't remember a year that has been better! Thank you everyone (esp Jon) for making this one of my best birthdays ever!

Grandma & Grandpa B.

A few more...

More Pictures

Unoffical stats and Meeing Grandma & Grandpa B.

Aliya is growing like a weed! Over the weekend I boxed up her newborn clothes and several of her 0-3 sleepers with the feet in them. I have to stop and remember we got her when she was 5 weeks old, so her outgrowing her newborn stuff "already" should not be a mystery to me! Over the weekend I also did some "unofficial measuring" of Aliya. According to my tape measure she is 23 1/2" long and 12.5#. She doesn't go back to the doctor for another month, so we will see if I am even close.

Tonight Aliya got to meet her great grandma and grandpa B. They have been snowbirds in FL since before we got Aliya and made stop in Dayton on their way back up to NW Ohio tonight! Aliya took to then almost as fast as they took to her! It was an amazing visit!! We met up with them at their hotel room and visited and took a TON of pictures before we headed to Bob Evan's for dinner. While at dinner grandma fed her, and told everyone that walked by that this was her Beautiful great grand daughter! She was so proud! They are staying the night just down the road from our house, so in the morning Aliya and I will head over for a last minute good bye kiss before they hit the road and I head to work! I'm so glad they finally got to meet her!!! Grandma said her herself, "pictures don't do that girl justice, she's so much more beautiful in person" (I agree!)*pictures of our evening coming soon*

Grandma Sylvia's visit

Jon's mom, Sylvia, came up from FL this past week to meet her first (and only) grand daughter. Here are a few pictures from her visit.