It Takes a Village

I am learning to let loose a little when it come to worrying so much about germs from strangers... She’s not a newborn anymore... She’s never had immune issues... And all you have to do is watch the light in her face as she receives attention from new faces to see that the love she is feeling far outweighs the risk of catching a cold.... and honestly, knowing that she is A) fully immunized and B) still nursing has helped me feel more comfortable too.

As I was out attempting to restock our cabinets with food at the grocery store, Aliyah sat smiling in the front of the cart (with one of those germ protector covers on, I admit). The older woman bagging our groceries smiled at Aliyah. She reached out her hand instinctively to brush her arm with her finger but stopped herself. “Watch out, she’s ticklish” I said invitingly and Aliyah grinned ear to ear as she tickled the spot between her neck and shoulder.

I’m overlycautious by nature. My mind will always question "Is this safe? Is this appropriate?" but I’m also learning to weigh the risk against the reward and not let the fear and worry of “what ifs” keep Aliyah from the joy in new experiences - as long as her experiences still include a cart/highchair cover and a dinner mat for the table.

I believe that there is truth in the old saying “It takes a village to raise a child”

Just Another Day at the Wal-Mart Super Center

Aliyah is such a ROCKSTAR... I love that she will keep her shades on. Why ruin a good thing just because we go inside?

Dad pushed the cart and was on Aliyah duty - making sure she didn't chew on the cart - because our cart cover was at home in the wash. I collected a few groceries. All-in-all it was a fantastic afternoon!

Our Bathtub Looks Like Chuck-E-Cheese

We have started converting our office into Aliyah's playroom. The basement belongs to us while Aliyah has pretty much taken over the upstairs. It will be nice to have my sewing machine downstairs, so I can work while Aliyah is napping!

... back to the playroom... I found an great deal on 2 bags full of balls at a local consignment sale. I washed them off in the bathtub along with the cool plastic sandbox our awesome neighbors, Amanda and Keith, gave to us.

I figured a ball pit would be a better use for the sandbox this year so that she doesn't have to listen to me say over and over, "Aliyah, sweetie... don't eat the sand."

Tyler is pretty pumped to have a ball pit too and has loved hiding behind doors, popping out and attacking me with a ball or two. I think Tyler needs a play-date... Austin, Mark, Mojo, Mike??

Outside Adventures

This beautiful weather has me craving springtime real bad. I have been day-dreaming about all the fun things our family will do together this spring... and all that was going on last spring. Can you believe that this sweet dove is creeping up on the one year mark? yowza

Aliyah finally got to try out her very cool new wagon. There are many more wagon rides in this girl's future.

83rd Annual Academy Awards

My mom and I went to an fabulous Oscar party last Sunday! The theme was centered around "The King's Speech" including tea, finger sandwiches, cookies and British trivia. Our friend, Kristi, really knows how to throw a party. A big thanks to Tyler and Aliyah for keeping each other company so I could play dress-up with Grammy:

Not sure if you guys caught this nominee for best picture...

"127 Seconds"

Cute baby cuts off diaper with her binky in order to survive

Baby-Proofing

We are in the thick of whirlwind baby mode at our house. We have a lot of baby-proofing left to do and the way we’re figuring out what needs to be moved or changed is by letting Aliyah loose in our house and seeing where she goes. She’s more than happy to point out to us what decorative vases and items in our home need to be removed or baby-proofed!

As far as products we are using - We love love love This Play Yard. Yes it’s a big eyesore - but it’s the only thing that allows me to make a sandwich or check the mail when I'm home alone with Aliyah. We keep soft blankets and lots of fun toys in it to entertain her. She’s only in it for a small portion of her day but it’s a lifesaver when we need to put her somewhere that we know is safe and babyfriendly. We also likes to get in it with her - Tyler loves to read her books and I play the guitar. It’s so comfy that we’ve been known to get in it when she goes to bed and snuggle up. We have really spiced it up using her links and toys - Exhibit A:

We also decided on this play yard because our stairs are a funky shape and would not work with the typical baby gates. This gate can stretch across the up and down stairs with one go without any problems!

We already have the standard cabinet hooks on our kitchen cabinets we don't want her in from when we were doing foster care. Our goal is to baby-proof in chunks as she becomes more and more mobile. It feels a bit overwhelming to try to take it all on at one time! We are also in the process of ensuring her nursery is completely baby-proof so that she will have a room in our house where she can be left completely unsupervised to play on her own as she gets bigger.

The Doll House Suitcase

The coolest homemade doll house suitcase ever!!

Aliyah has a doll that looks very similar to this one in the picture. All I need to do is find a suitcase, fun fabric, decorate and design some stylish outfits for her doll....

mmmmmmm.... where could I find awesome craft ideas that would only require a glue gun and a stapler?!?