6 MONTHS, more Pumpkins, new things, lots of coughs and MORE !!

Last Sunday in the dress from Grandma Lynne ~ so Pretty !

We have been busy bees this past week ( then again, when are we not busy with a baby ?!?!) Allison had a pretty bad cold, in fact last Sunday night, she was up so many times because of her cough that it would make her throw up. We had to change her crib sheets 3 times because of it. We felt SO bad for her - you could just tell that it hurt her throat to cough. We gave her some Tylenol, used her vaporizer, suctioned her nose, saline drops, elevated her crib and even sat in a hot steamy bathroom to help her out. But it was so bad, that we decided to bring her in to see the Dr on Monday. Thank God I was off of work because of Columbus Day so I was able to bring her. We got an appointment @ 11:30. This was my first visit to the Dr alone with Allison. It seems that every other time, Jody or my mom has been able to go... but we managed.

Get outta my way bear ... I am SO BIG !

I was excited to see how much she weighed though ! She tipped the scale at 16.6 lbs !! My girl is getting big! She has already more than doubled her birth weight of 8 lbs 2 oz !! When the Dr came to see her, I told him that we were worried about her cough. They checked her oxygen levels, listened to her lungs and checked her ears and they were all OK. She had the classic postnasal drip and red throat. So, all in all - the common cold. But it is so miserable for a 6 month old - YES, I said it - 6 months old !!!!!! He told us to keep doing what we were doing and she will eventually get better. As of today, she still is coughing - sometimes even choking a bit on the ickyness in her throat, sometimes even throwing it up. We have her 6 month checkup next week and I would hope that it will have subsided by then - it seems to be hanging around longer that I would have expected. But other than that, she is happy !!

With Grandma Scheeringa @ her house Sunday after church ~ it was a BEAUTIFUL day !

Oh, totally off topic - we won 1st Prize for our Snow Princess pumpkin !!! I was suprised :) We got a Target gift card which I promptly used to buy baby stuff :) It seems that is all we buy these days, but I don't mind. Before I know it, we will be buying school supplies!!

Practicing her new trick!

Allie has mastered the skill of rolling from her back to her tummy. She was able to do it before, but now, she has it down pat. She loves to turn to her left side, lift her head up on its side and turn over. I will leave her in her crib and when I come back 2 minutes later, she is hanging out on her tummy looking at herself in her mirror. She is doing so many new things these days! She transfers things from hand to hand, she tries to hold her bottle ( we are going to attempt the Sippy Cup very soon) She makes sounds like an Owl ( Whooo Whooo) She takes out her binky and puts it back it, sometimes the right way ! She "talks" a lot !! She is starting to notice strangers and get upset when they hold her :( Aunt Wendy even said that she started to fuss when I dropped her off on Monday and walked out the door !

She looks so determined doesn't she ?? I'm gonna get you water !!

Another one of her new favorite things is the water. She LOVES to "play" with the water when I rinse her in her bathtub. She tries to grab at the water. It is so cute! I "rinse" her off numerous times so that she can play. She is noticing so much more these days and most of it, she reaches for !! That includes the computer keyboard when she is on Daddy's lap!

Allie is going to write in her own blog soon !!

Attempting to eat her oatmeal

We have been trying to give Allie cereal every night - either rice or oatmeal. She doesn't always eat alot, but she is learning. I am going to try my hand at homemade baby food. I ordered a kit online and it actually looks very easy ! Not to mention that it will be cheaper and I know exactly what she is eating. Don't get me wrong, there may be sometimes where she will have to eat some jarred food, I am not opposed to it, I just really want to try to do this for my daughter. Plus, it seems like fun ! I am going to try to start it this weekend and into next week since Jody is on vacation and I have some days off next week. Since she is turning 6 months - I said it again - I cannot believe it - 6 months on Wednesday, it is time for her to get some solid foods. I am pretty overwhelmed by it all - when to give it, how much.... Since Allison isn't really on a "eating/sleeping" schedule, except for bedtime, it has been a source of concern for me. Since I am not with her all day everyday, it is hard for me to figure one out. I know that it is not necessary, but I think that it would help. But chances are, her schedule will be a loose one, not one that is regulated strictly, just because we are so flexible with our schedules and also because it would be almost impossible for me to start one -but we will see how it goes.

Last Tuesday, we decided to put up our Halloween decorations since it was fairly nice outside. We took out Allie's Pack N Play and we let her play with her toys out in the fresh air. She seemed to be having a pretty good time !! And we got our stuff done to boot !!
Chillin' outside in my Pack N Play!

We went to have Allison's 6 month ( I said it again !! UGH ! ) pictures today at JC Penney. Many people would say " Why do you need more pictures, Val? You have like 3000 already" I guess I want to have those nice studio pics for her. Granted she was not having any of it today because she was sleepy, we still got some really cute shots. I still spent almost $100 too !!! They know how to suck you in, they know you aren't going to turn down your own child. And by knowing that, when you pick up your pictures, they print "extra" sheets to show you and you KNOW you are going to buy them. At least I do because I don't want them to throw away my baby ! OK, so I am a sucker !! I admit it !!! So, I will be suckered again on November 2 when I can go pick them up :)

Allie & Mommy under an apple tree :)

This past Sunday, we went out to an old coworker of mine's house in Crown Point. Cheryl and her husband have grown pumpkins for years and I knew I wanted to go out and see her because she had not met Allison yet. In fact, the last time I saw her was at my baby shower. She also has llamas, which we didn 't get any pictures of, I am bummed about that. But we did get some cute shots with the pumpkins. We got 3 pumpkins - one for each of us- and of course Cheryl refused to let us pay for them !! I must say, she has beautiful pumpkins, it was very hard to pick them out :) It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed visiting with Cheryl and spending some time outdoors.... because very soon we will all be stuck inside !

I want that one Mommy !! Gotta love that cheese !!

Well, last but not least ( but definitely the most annoying) is that they are working on our street STILL ! They are pouring the curbs today & tomorrow we will not be able to use our driveway for at least a week. This will be interesting because we do not have alley access like most everyone else on the block and we have to park there !! UGH ! Try lugging all of the baby stuff all over the place and that will make you crabby !!... OK, now I have vented :)

I think she is getting ready to run away!

Well, Allison is waking up from her late nap and it it time for cereal, a bath, jammies, possibly a story and bedtime... at least that is the plan!! Ta ta for now !!