Crinkly Things

Alena has a fascination for all things that make a crinkly sound! She is always looking for where the sounds come from and HAS to touch and put whatever it is in her mouth!

Check out how frantic she is with the bag of chips! Her little wrists flex and she has mega drool going on! She just can't get enough of the bag!

This is what happens when we take something crinkly away from her!

Apple Picking

Alena has chosen her special baby apple

Yum yum!

Family pic on the wagon (tractor in background)

A couple weekends ago, on a gorgeous September Saturday, we made the trip up to Hillside Apples near Casco. Eric and I go apple picking every fall, but usually at the Elegant Farmer in Mukwonago. This year we started a new tradition with Alena :) She loved being outside and looking around. She got to pick her own baby apple and get a taste of Mommy's tasty apple, too! Yum yum! Daddy thought that her favorite part was going on the wagon behind a tractor (I'm sure that was Daddy's favorite part).

On the way home, went by Uncle Ken's farm, saw Ken and Ann outside, and decided to stop for a visit. They had been picking pears from the tree in their yard angd gave some to us (lots were made into baby food)! We also got to tour their new milking parlor and meet Cheyenne, a sweet mannered cow. Alena really didn't know what to think of all he noises, smells (E & I really likethe smell of manure!), and new animals!

We had such a great family day! Woo Hoo!

Day at the Beach

Looking at the waves with the SS Badger and downtown Manitowoc in the background
Chillin on the breakwater

Last week, I took Alena down to downtown Manitowoc's harbor where the SS Badger car ferry docks. I had never seen the huge ship come in to port and always wondered how it maneuvered in such a small space. Alena wasn't so interested in the ferry, even though it blew its horn a couple of times. She was more concerned about the waves crashing up on the rocks next to us. She was a little nervous about it at first, but got used to it after a while! We ended up walking out on the breakwater out to the point :)

Exploring on the beach. Gotta love that huge baby gut hanging out! At least she's happy!

Daddy and baby

Last Friday, Eric had the great idea to go for a walk at Silver Creek Park. He was jealous about the walks that Alena and I go on during the day and he wanted in on the fun. I had never been to this park, and, frankly, didn't even know it was there! It had lots of trails going through the woods, and the whole park is next to Lake Michigan. Of course we went by the water. Alena just loves being outside and really enjoyed the time with Mommy and Daddy!

Hungry hungry hippo... I mean baby!

Got carrots all over the place and is was so much fun!Check out my hands, Mom! And, yes, she is just in her diaper, thank God! She got a bath soon after :)

I've been making lots and lots of baby food for my ever-growing and hungry baby! So far, in addition to rice cereal, she's had carrots (as is evident in these photos), sweet potatoes, peaches, bananas, and avocado. I've been blending up and freezing summer squash, apples (that I canned last year), and pears in the last few days. We're trying new foods one at a time as recommended, so that we'll know if she's allergic to any of them. I really don't think she will be, but ya never know!

Needless to say, she loves to eat! She gives us the "mmm" sound if we don't give her one spoonful immediately after another! Many times, she still has food in her mouth as she's requesting more... such a goof! Another fav of mine is when she gets whiney while eating and then spews little bits of food all over me, everything around me, and herself.

I'm still nursing her which I think is sometimes easier than going through the trouble to feed her! It's kind of a wake up call for me to see her getting nourishment from another source. She's growing up before my very eyes! On the flip side, when she eats "real" food, Eric can feed her. The only time he could before this was if I pumped and he gave her a bottle. We both know, though, that it has always been easier for me to nurse her than have to pump, so I nursed her myself pretty much whenever I was around. Ah, the life of a mommy :)

Packers Regular Season

Grandma Hawkins was nice enough to buy a DD jersey for Alena :) We made sure that she donned it for the season opener on Sunday night! Mommy thought that Alena should have been wearing a Greg Jennings #85 jersey, her favorite player! And yes, Alena has a onesie on under the jersey, she's just going pantsless since she was so warm earlier in the day. Gotta love the Michelin man chunky legs!

Labor Day Weekend at the Cabin

Alena's special treat, since it was her 6 month birthday, was to go for a 4 wheeler ride with Daddy and Mommy. She really enjoyed it and made lots of "comments" along the way!Here we are chillin' outside by the fire, looking cute!What a lucky girl to cuddle on Grandma's lap and watch the fire! Checking out Daddy & Mommy's bed in style.
Alena's thinking, "What is this? I wonder if it tastes good?" She found out that pinecones are slighly prickly on the tongue!

We fought the traffic and made it back up to the Cerkas cabin :) Grandma and Grandpa Cerkas came up, too. We had days filled with relaxing, eating, and generally being lazy. It was pretty nice - very few mosquitoes, but the hornets were pesky. The weather was gorgeous; we couldn't ask for anything more! Alena slept great the first night, but was fussy for the second two. We think it was a combo of teething, constipation (She didn't poop the whole time we were up there if you don't count the blowout on the way up. What a change from last time!), and not being at home. She was kinda crabby as the weekend went on. Hopefully her screaming and crying didn't irritate the new neighbors too much!

First Tooth

And we thought at first she was crabby from just getting over sickness and the weekend away from home! Last Monday, I noticed a spot on her gums. On Tuesday, she had a sharp little tooth sticking up! This shot is from a few days later. We love how it's coming in nice and crooked already! Oh well!