Water can take your most precious possession

It is true. While I love the beach and the pool, I never felt completely comfortable in water. This year we have been using the pool at our apartment complex quite a bit. The first day the girls were really scared, the second day Jane started letting go of my hand and a few times later both her and Alyss were playing in the water and having fun. However, Alyss seemed to have a hard time not rolling face first in the water. We tried different life jackets and flotation devices and the only thing that seemed to keep her up and her face out of the water was an inflatable ring sewn inside a vest. Just yesterday she went all the way around the pool and floated everywhere and j thought that we finally found the flotation device that would keep her from getting face first in the water.

Well, today we went to the pool again. As the water was dirty with lots of leaves floating around I told the girls to only play on the stairs while I got the net and started gathering the little floaties. As I was engaged in this activity I kept checking on the girls, especially on Kaley who kept wanting to crawl out of the inflatable tub I'd put her in. For a second I forgot about the older girls who we're having fun together by the stairs. As I looked towards the water I see what I now describe as the most terrifying image of my life. Alyss was on her belly with her face in the water, struggling to lift herself up. I don't know what happened but for a split second I couldn't register what was happening. It was like I was watching a movie. I looked at her, then I looked at the kids playing and not noticing what was happening then I looked at her again. She wasn't really struggling anymore and was just lying there, face in the water. I got in and pulled her out. She wasn't responsive though she was conscious. She coughed a couple of times then just laid quietly in my arms. Her cheeks were still red from the heat but all around her mouth she was a pale green. Eventually the color returned to her face and she showed a desire to get back in the water though more cautiously. All I wanted was to leave and never return but I didn't want this experience to scar her and make her afraid of the water for the rest of her life, so we went back in. My hand never let go of her though and I know I'll be scared and paranoid for a while before I could trust that she will be ok.

The pool is usually a great place for us - 2014

Alyss at Two

Alyss loves Sulley and Monsters U

Fun on the slide

Disney Store in SLC

Happy Birthday our sweet Princess

Sulley cake made by daddy

Happy birthday our sweet Alyss!!!! Man, you're two years old! I can hardly believe it but you've grown so much and every day you show us more of your personality and of who you are and what you like.

Physically speaking, you still look like a toddler, with chunky legs and squishy rolls on your arms and cute, chubby cheeks but you are slowly transforming into a small child. Sometimes I think I see an older you when I look into your face but then I blink and your serene, innocent 2 year old face stares back at me. I just love your little face and everything else about you. I love you when you fight with me, when you bite your binky or when you throw yourself on the floor because I won't let you play with the iPad anymore. I love you when you cry and scream and I love you when you give me hugs and kisses and when you play wit Jane and when you love Kaley so much you can hardly stand it. I love how vibrant and spunky you are. I JUST LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU!

You are so lovely and smart and happy. You still copy many of the things Jane says but you are also becoming more and more independent and are learning how to use language in your favor. You are a talking machine. You know so many words and you put them together in sentences and are pretty easy to understand. The pediatrician is always amazed when she hears you talk, how coherent you are and how many words you know and understand. You also know lots of songs both in Romanian and English and you love to sing and dance. You also love to watch movies (Minions and Monsters being some of your faves) and to play on the iPad. 

I just thought of something really cute you do. You like to give me hugs and kiss me when I'm on the floor at your level, after I change your diaper. Yes, you're still wearing diapers even though sometimes you use the big potty and tell us now when you need a diaper change. It's a bit scary to let you run around naked because of the puddles and bombs we usually find all over the floor when that happens :) I guess this summer will be the time to help you learn more about using the potty all the time like all the big kids. And speaking of big kids, you also still LOVE your binky; so much in fact that you cry even when I move it from one onesie to the next. We'll see how we'll deal with ditching it but for now I just think that it's not that bad and that you'll eventually stop loving it so much eventually on your own.

Now, a bit about your actual birthday. We went to Chuck E Cheese in Orem with Eni, Lia, Rodica and Maria and their kids and we had a great time playing and eating yummy food. You love to eat and are a great eater. I love how you try almost everything and are good at sitting down and eating your food. After this party we went home where daddy had another party for you. He had made a Sulley cake and decorated the living room with Monsters U stuff. It was so cute and the cake was delicious. Your daddy is an awesome cook! You then opened the presents and loved everything you received. Jane liked your new toys so much too and you two shared the little ponies that you got.

Our dear Alyss, you are such a sweet little girl and we love you more than you can imagine. This kind of love cannot be explained and you will too experience it when you have your own children. We want you to know that we are proud of you and so happy to have you in our lives. You are an independent and very happy little girl. You are not afraid to try things and you show no fear even going down the tall slide for big kids. You show me every day that life is to be lived. We love you and hope that you'll stay happy and adventurous and will keep saying "no" and being the independent little person that you are. Te iubesc Alisucu' meu mic si drag!

2013 - A Good Year

So, I don't know what others thought at the beginning of 2013 but I was a bit skeptical since this year ended with the number 13 which is sometimes thought to be a bad luck number. It turns out that 13 wasn't that bad of a number after all and 2013 was a good year for us.

Johansen Family - December 2013
Kaley (6 mo), Jane (3) and Alyss (1 yr 10 mo)

Here's what happened:

- Alyss turned one and started walking at 14 months

- We moved to Taylorsville at the beginning of June

- My mom (bica) came to visit in June and stayed with us until December 20

- Kaley was born on June 30 by successful VBAC

- David's parents moved to the States from Japan and came to visit in July

- Our apartment flooded in September

- David started a second job selling at Best Buy in September

- Jane turned three in November

- We loved trick-or-treating on Halloween, enjoyed our great Thanksgiving dinner and had fun opening presents at Christmas

Now for each person a little bit to remember...

Kaley - born on June 30 at 11:10pm, at 38 weeks. She was 7lb 14oz and 19.5 in long. She is exclusively breastfed and we introduced solid purées around 5 months of age. Kaley has a hole in her heart that we need to check on periodically. She doesn't seem to be bothered by it. She is a very happy, alert baby. She loves to be help and gives the best hugs. She smiles all the time and people often comment on how beautiful she is and how sparkly, like stars, her blue eyes are. She loves to kick and roll over and she enjoys eating sweet potatoes and squash and drinking from mommy's kefir. Up until 6 months she hasn't cut any teeth yet, to the enjoyment of her mom who is a bit worried about breastfeeding a baby who has teeth and likes to mischievously nibble and play with the source of her food :)

Alyss - man, what a dynamite girl she is! Especially since she likes Wreck it Ralph I think that the description fits her perfectly. She runs around and climbs on everything. She copies everything that Jane does and says. At her 18 months appointment when the doctor asked if she knows 10 words I almost started laughing. Not only does she know a lot more than 10 words but she also understands and speaks both English and Romanian words and even sentences. This baby is pretty much my dynamite baby. She is also very happy and loves to laugh. She already knows the ABC song, Twinkle twinkle little star, The itsy, bitsy spider and even some parts of a couple Christmas songs. She can count to ten almost without any help and knows lines from several movies by heart. She enjoys playing toddler iPad games and puzzles and also loves being outdoors where she loves the park and the swing and to play in the water. 

Jane - our cute, sensitive, dainty Jane! She is such a girl. She puts her hair behind her easy, pulls on her sleeves so that they don't ride up her arms and likes to wear cute clothes. I love how when people say that she is pretty she simply answers "yes" :) She knows she is beautiful and I sure hope she will hold unto that knowledge for ever. As much as she's grown and is more of a child than a toddler now, Jane still likes to crawl around under tables and climb up on tables. She likes to watch a bunch of movies on the computer and play toddler and preschool games on the iPad. She talks a lot and sometimes I wonder how and where she learned some of the things she says. I just love how she actually forms correct sentences and phrases and how we can actually have a conversation. Jane is a very sensitive girl who observes those around her and their feelings. She is touched by music and likes to dance and twirl around with her toys, epically her puppy toys. She loves puppy toys, the 'noceros' (rhinoceros) and the reindeer bath toys and she carries around her beloved pillow what she used to take out in the car but now she just leaves on the couch when we go out. One time we were at the mall and a nice, slow pop song was playing at the radio and Jane almost started crying. I had the same feeling so I totally understood her but I was surprised to see how soft she is. Jane enjoys going to IKEA and to the "parking park" and the dinosaurs at City Creek. She loves her two younger sisters even though she doesn't show it very much. She always makes sure that Alyss also gets gummies, water, apple or whatever Jane asks for. She sometimes holds Kaley and likes to kiss her head. Even though she more often than not makes a mess by leaving toys and books everywhere in the house, Jane also helps mommy with stuff around the house and helps pick up the messes she and Alyss make. Both Jane and Alyss like our sleepy time routine of brushing teeth and reading books and they even 'read' the books to us and know parts of the rhymes in them. Jane's favorite color is pink and her favorite letter is W. She knows many songs and loves to sing. I love how Jane and Alyss sing "oac, oac, diri, diri, dai" or "Monkeys on the bed" while actually jumping even though both the song and mommy tell them no to. 

Dahlee - so, pretty much the biggest, happiest moment this year for me was the birth of our third cutie pie, Kaley Olivia. The birth wasn't too difficult, the only part I didn't enjoy being the labor pain and the painful epidural, and the pushing only lasted a couple of minutes. I still needed an episiotomy but it wasn't as unbearable as last time afterwards this time around. The doctor was amazing and very nice. The other great accomplishment for me is successfully breastfeeding Kaley. She was exclusively breastfed until she was 5 months and we are still doing it and having a good time. I love the closeness breastfeeding brings and even though it gets hard sometimes especially because of having three children so young and close in age it is also very rewarding and comes in handy at night or when we're out and about. I've gotten pretty good at the whole nursing in public thing and not only do I not get embarrassed anymore I actually enjoy doing it. The other thing that I've been learning and working on is the type of parent I want to be for our girls. There are many days when I can't help but wonder "what was I thinking having so many kids so close on age?" but then I look at them and am so proud of every little thing they do, so happy to see them smile and play and giggle, so thankful to see them healthy that I forget all the hard times and just want them to feel loved and happy. We must not be such bad parents after all :) I'm learning about RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) and attachment parenting and I try to help the girls be independent while knowing that we are there for them and love them unconditionally. I'm far from being a perfect parent but I'm seeing my mistakes and am trying to be a bit better every day. Now, If I could only stop yelling :) One other thing that I've researched quite a bit and started applying in our,livesmismhealthy, greener living. I try to get greener products for our home and for ourselves and I also try eating better and using natural remedies and health options. We take multivitamins and minerals, cod liver oil and probiotics and try to go out for walks every day. I hope that we can get better at living a healthy lifestyle and feel great while doing it.

David - our hardworking daddy. I honestly don't know how he does it. He leaves before 8 in the morning and some days doesn't get home until midnight. Oh, how I wish that he had one job that he loved and provided enough so that he didn't have to work menial jobs and be away from me and the girls so much. There have been days when the girls wouldn't see daddy for two or three days in a row and it really saddens me to see them ask for daddy and want to be with him when he has to be at work to provide for us. We love daddy so much and hope that 2014 is the year when our dream of having one great job and daddy home more will come true. The sad thing is that David is so good and knowledgeable at working with Macs and iPads; he is great at teaching people how to use them; he can troubleshoot and fix computer problems while helping others understand the problems; he wrote a book about the use of iPads in the school district where he works, was invited to speak at several educational technology conferences and was asked to help and tutor several people and companies. Yet, he is underpaid and not able to get a better paying job because of not having a degree in educational technology which would require money and time that he doesn't have. There also isn't a huge job market for technology teaching. He could work for a company but we haven't been directed towards such opportunities and are not aware of many companies who would give him an opportunity to show what he knows and can do. So, he keeps trying and learning more every day. He is also a really good and loving dad. He plays with the girls and I love seeing him hold both Jane and Alyss in his arms when we are out and they are tired of walking. He reads to the girls and helps them get ready for bed and almost always stays with them until they fall asleep. He is also a great husband. Who would come home from a long day at work to do dishes and vacuum the living room because Mommy had a rough day and didn't get to do it? I just love him and my girls so much and feel, so lucky to have such a wonderful family.

We hope that your 2013 was a great year and wish you all a new year with much love, health and happiness. Happy New Year 2014!

Our Sweet Little Girls

Alyss Lucy Johansen

 Alyss Lucy Johansen - a work in progress :)

3 Years Old

2 Years Old

1.5 Years Old

1 Year Old

11 Months

10 Months

9 Months

8 Months

7 Months

6 Months

5 Months

4 Months

3 Months

2 Months

1 Month

Newborn

Alyss is One!!!

Alyss loves to eat! :)

Wow, Alyss, I really can't believe that you're one already! You've grown so much and learned a lot of things. You're really close to walking by yourself. You crawl everywhere and are really fast and good at it but you also stand up while holding unto things. You've been standing like that and walking along furniture since you were 9 months old but your most favorite way of 'walking' for now is still crawling.
You also know how to say lots of words and even short phrases, like 'up'n down' that you learned from Jane. You love doing everything Jane does and saying what Jane says. It's so cute seeing you talk and it's pretty amazing that we understand you pretty well.
Some things that you like doing are going on walks, going to the park and to Burger King and eating. You eat everything and you don't really want the baby purees anymore, but the real food that mommy and daddy eat. You like playing with Jane and by yourself and you get so excited every evening when daddy comes home from work.
Your birthday party was really cool. You had a Tinker Bell cake and you got it all over your face and body and had a lot of fun eating it. Everyone at the party brought you nice gifts that you really enjoyed opening. What a nice party with good friends!
Our sweet Alyss, we love you very, very much and always will be here for you. We love your sweetness and your maturity and how fearless and always wanting to try new things by yourself. Never give that up and you'll discover wonderful things in this world. Te iubim din toata inima, puiule drag si mic!

Not afraid to sit on Jane's car

Happy first birthday, Alyss!

Trying to walk 

Merry Christmas 2012!

Jane, David, Dahlee (+ baby 3) and Alyss

Another year coming to a close... Many things have happened; some we welcomed and others we wish took their time to show up, but overall we had a good and fruitful year.

David’s major accomplishment was to get a new job with the Jordan School District as an IT professional. We are all happy for this new job that provides experience, insurance and a step in the right direction. He is also working on publishing a book on the iTunes store, which will be used by the teachers of the schools where he works. Another thing that David got really good at is being a father. He takes good care of our two girls and helps out around the house a lot, especially with laundry and dishes. He’s also become an expert in making peanut butter cookies. Everyone loves his cookies and asks for them whenever they get a chance. J

Jane is a busy two year old. She now runs and is getting pretty good at jumping, which she’s been practicing for a few good months now. Her talking skills have grown quite a bit too. She talks, asks for the things she likes, wants or needs and knows how to express herself pretty well both in Romanian and in English. She is a good big sister too; gives Alyss her binky or bottle and lets us know whenever Alyss is crying. Jane knows seven letters, “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, “Old McDonald” and, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and can count to 3 by herself and to 8 with help. We are also working on potty training and are being pretty successful. She forgets about it sometimes while other times she herself brings the potty to us. One major accomplishment is the fact that she now sleeps through the night, which makes us really happy. She loves Toy Story and has a pretty big crush on Buzz so of course we know what the major theme of this year’s Christmas gifts will be.. We love our baby girl so much!

Alyss is now ten months old. She was born in February and was 7lb 10 oz and 19 in long. She loves to stand up all by herself. She loves to play with Jane and does everything that Jane does. She claps and says ‘bye bye’ and ‘bravo’, loves music and dances a lot and loves food. She eats everything that we eat. She is a clam baby and usually cries only when she needs something. She plays with Jane’s toys and observes everything we do. She is such a sweet little girl who gives really nice hugs. I just love it when she looks into my eyes and touches my face.

As for myself, I am really busy staying home with the girls. It’s a full time job that doesn’t give you any vacation time but it does provide plenty of benefits. I love being home with the girls and watch them grow. I learn more about being a mother every day and it’s wonderful. We go on walks a lot; go to the park on nice days and to the library. The girls like our walks and enjoy being outdoors which makes me happy. A piece of news some of you might not be aware of, we are expecting our third baby in June or July. This pregnancy’s been a little harder on me so far; more morning sickness mainly, but other than that I’m feeling ok and can’t wait to find out in about ten more weeks the gender of our new baby. We love having girls so, another girl will make us very happy, while having a baby boy would also be wonderful. In a couple of weeks we’ll have the first ultrasound and I’m excited for that as well. Seeing the tiny baby move inside my belly always makes me happy and even more excited for the new arrival.

We are all thankful for the good year we’ve had and are looking forward to more adventures the year to come. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas and a new year with love, health and many accomplishments!

Johansens 2012

Alyss Months 7 and 8

Finally sitting up at 7 months

A short post about our cutie pie, Alyss, who is now 8.5 months old. Well, she has the right little tooth on the bottom gum, she tries to crawl and she scoots everywhere. She is quite fast. I like to call her 'boomerang baby' because you push her to the side and she just comes back really fast. She is still a very good baby. She likes to be on the floor where she would play for quite some time. It's really cute how Jane sometimes joins her and they scoot together to the kitchen or bathroom floor where they start tapping and making noises with their little palms. I just love seeing them play together. Jane gets really excited to see Alyss sit up (she finally managed it at 7 months) and I think they will have a wonderful time playing together when Alyss will be able to crawl and later on walk. On Halloween, Jane taught Alyss to say 'bye bye' and to wave when she says it and now Alyss does it all the time. She also says 'mama' especially when she is sad or upset and she says 'baba' when she is about to take a bath. I'm amazed of how much she talks. She seems to understand the meaning of the word 'no' and when she doesn't get picked up right away or we take something away from her she cries and gets upset. Sometimes she even pretends to be crying just to get what she wants and it's pretty funny to see her scream and then get quiet as soon as we pick her up. I just love this little girl so much. She is developing such a cute personality and am excited to see her grow and turn into a toddler in not too long.

Sad Alyss...

Sweetie Pie

Well, this is kind of a sad and worrisome post but I'll write it anyway to have it in our records. I'll start with Alyss' 6 months appointment. Everything went great and the doctor said that she is very proportionate and healthy. She was in the 50th percentile for everything, weighing 15lb and measuring 26in. We haven't had many problems concerning her health since she was born. She had some colic when she was 2 months old and a couple of mild colds that pretty much gave her a runny nose but other than that she's been mostly healthy and happy. She's only had breast milk which is the best food for babies and protects them from bad stuff too. At her appointment she got her shots as part of the shots study. She did really well but that evening she ran a pretty high fever of 103. She had a fever at after her 4 months shots but it went away and she felt much better even the day after. This time though things didn't get better the next day when she started vomiting and not being able to keep anything down. All she was able to drink was Pedyalite. The next day I took her to the doctor and he told me to keep giving her Tylenol and Advil and to keep taking her temperature. With the medication the fever subsided and went away only to return about a week later. In the mean time she also had diarrhea for a couple of days but thanks goodness I had the Pedyalite which seemed to help her stay hydrated. The day the fever returned Alyss started crying really bad soon after she woke up int he morning, and after about two ours of it I took her to the doctor once more. He said that she has a sore throat and gave her some antibiotic and more Tylenol. She got better after a couple of days and finished the treatment in 5 days. Even though I didn't think she was 100 percent better, at least she wasn't as hot and fussy as she was before I took her to the doctor so I thought that she was finally getting better. At the beginning of September David got pretty sick, after him Jane started having a temperature, coughing and not feeling well and eventually it caught up with Alyss who got a high fever again and started not eating. Tried giving her Tylenol and she threw in up so I decided to give her FeverAll suppositories which helped almost immediately. The next day her fever went down a bit but I could tell that it was still there because whenever the effects of the FeverAll went away she would feel hot again. Today I took her to the clinic to get her blood drawn for the vaccine study and while I was there I decided to ask the nurse about the symptoms Alyss's been having. ONe of the doctors said that she is available to look at her and after checking her lungs, heart and ears said that nothing seems wrong but that she might have a Urinary Tract Infection, which gets passed over many times by doctors even though is pretty common in little girls. So, she inserted a catheter to get some urine and said that the initial results seem to point to a UTI. There were white blood cells in her urine and the Ph was a bit higher than normal. We still need to wait for 3 more days for the culture to grow and in a way I hope that the result is a UTI and not something more dangerous, like an immune system compromise, that the doctor mentioned as a possibility. Don't know why she would have an immune system compromise or a chronic infection of any kind...
Update: she took the antibiotic and her fever went down, she is not fussy and is just happy and as cute as can be. The doctor said that she didn't have a UTI. We'll see if she gets a fever again without a reason and if she does than we'd want to check her health more in depth.
I'm so nervous and I get pretty scared whenever her fever goes back up or when she just cries and is not happy. I want to make it all better but it seems that she is in a bit of a bad place right now. I'll write more in here when we find out the results and the course of action. Let's hope that our little sweetie pie is ok and healthy. We love you so much Alyss and really hope that you'll feel better real soon. Te iubesc mult puiul meu mic si drag.
Update: Alyss hasn't had a fever since. She is healthy and happy. She had her two flu shots at 7 and at 8 months and she did really well. She didn't cry much and she didn't get sick at all. I'm a bit nervous for her 9 months shots but I hope that her little body is stronger now and will fight off the bad stuff. Sanatate multa puiutule drag!

Alyss has a fever

Alyss is 6 Months Old!

Time just flies! I can't believe that our little Alyss just turned 6 months. She is such a cutie pie and as happy as she can be. She talks all the time, loves to play with Jane and screams in a really cute way when she's left alone or if she wants to be picked up. She is a really good baby though and doesn't cry much at all.

At the 6 months doctor's appointment she weighted 15lb (50%) and was 26in long (50%) - very proportionate. She got the last round of vaccines in the vaccine study which she took really well. She even made $40 from it! :) However, that evening she started vomiting and had a fever of 101F. The next day we went to the Seven Peaks pool and she was ok all day but in the evening she got really fussy and started vomiting even more I took her to the doctor the next morning and he said that her temperature was still high (101.4F) but she didn't find any infections. So, he recommended infant Tylenol and Advil and plenty of Pedyalite. After drinking it for a couple of days her vomiting stopped and her fever went away but she was left with a pretty nasty, foul smelling diarrhea, which we're still fighting. Every ounce of milk she drinks comes out so only Pedyalite seems to be working at the moment. At least she stays hydrated but I know she's not getting enough nutrients. We'll try some rice water and little bits of breast milk in between and hopefully she gets better soon. It's been 5 days since she started being sick. She looks happy but we just need to get rid of the diarrhea now. 

On a different note, we just got an envelope in the mail saying that Alyss also won a prize at the Springville Baby Contest for Best eyes. She got a $10 Walmart gift card and a $15 gift certificate to a place that does baby hand/foot prints. I wanna make an appointment for both Jane and Alyss and have them use their gift certificates. It will be so cute to have their prints together.

Best Eyes Award

She got a hold of Jane's crackers :)

Alyss - Months 4 and 5

Well, got pretty busy and didn't find the time to write in here but here's a little update on sweet Alyss. At her 4 months appointment she weighted 13 lb and was 24.5 in long. She was in the 50th percentile in all her measurements and the doc was pretty happy with how she looked. He suggested that I start feeding her cereal and fruits and veggie purées and even to let her drink from a sippy cup. I gave her cereal when she turned 5 months but haven't tried anything else yet. She still drinks breast milk and is happy with it. We'll continue with it as long as I can provide it. I think it's the best food an infant can have. At the doctors she also got her shots (two again, one in each leg) and a $80 check for being in the shots study. She's already earning her keep. Hahaha! After the shots she got a bit fussy and her right leg hurt a bit and even got a red hard bump that didn't go away for a month. In August will have the last round of shots in the study and after that just the regular shot schedule.
At 5 months Alyss is such a good and happy baby. She cries when is left alone (I think she might be getting separation anxiety) and when she is tired or hungry but otherwise she just plays, talks (she says "ba ba" and "ma ma", she gargles and blows and says the sounds 'p' and 'f') and smiles a lot all the time. She rolls over on both sides, holds her bottle and puts her binky in her mouth and is very curious and alert. I LOVE it when she looks at me straight in the eye and grabs either my face or my neck or even my arm if I'm feeding her. She likes to play with everything Jane plays with and loves to put everything in her mouth. She sleeps well but cries a few times every night to ask for a bottle. She drinks at least 10 oz per night and another 15 oz during the day. She's gotten pretty chubby and even cuter than she was before. Up until July 11th bunica took care of Alyss a lot and even had her sleep in the same bed with her a few times but since bunica left we've been sleeping her on the mattress that Jane used to sleep on and gave Jane the twin bed that bunica used to sleep on. Jane loves her new bed and Alyss loves hers. We all sleep in the master bedroom like a big happy family. :)
Jane's gotten more used to having Alyss around even though she still gets jealous and upset when I hold Alyss or tend to her. That's being a toddler for you. She's happy and tickles or plays with Alyss one minute and scratches her or pokes her in the eye the next. She does help me change Alyss' diaper or feed her and sometimes out of the blue she just comes and kisses Alyss on the head. I love watching them interact and play with each other. You can already tell that Alyss adores Jane. She looks at her a lot all the time, smiles and even laughs and squeals when Jane talks to her. She wants to play with everything that Jane touches. This annoys Jane sometimes, especially when she doesn't wanna be touched, but they manage to get along with some help from me. I hope they'll be good friends.
At the beginning of July we went to California and visited Disneyland and it was the first time for Alyss to go on a big trip, to meet great-grandma and great-grandpa Barlow and great-grandma Johansen, to go to the beach and in the ocean and to go to Disneyland. She enjoyed it all and was very good and only cried when she was really tired. She was also really good during the car ride there and back.
Great grandmas Barlow and Johansen and grandma and grandpa Jo when they came by to visit were very happy to meet Alyss this summer and loved to hold her and take care of her. They all marveled at how good of a baby she is.
Forgot to mention that Alyss won the Springville baby photo contest for "best eyes" in the 0 to 6 months category and a $10 Walmart gift card. She sure has beautiful, sparkly eyes.
We love you so much little Alyss and are so happy to have you in our family.

My first 4th

Huntington Beach - First time at the beach

Holding my bottle

Bunica and Alyss

Happy Alyss at 3 Months

Just a short post about how good of a baby Alyss is. She smiles at everyone A LOT and talks all the time. She also loves to eat and sleep and prefers to fall asleep on the bed, not in someone's arms. She also likes to lie on the bed or floor and just play with her hands, suck on her fingers and kick her legs. She is just the cutest baby and so easy to take care of. We love you little Alyss.

Alyss wearing her new earrings

Two Months Old Alyssuca

Alyss at 2 Months

Our little Alyss is already two months old and as happy as she can be. She eats a lot (about 3.5oz at a shot) and loves to sleep. If you interrupt her sleep she will make sure to let you know how unhappy she is. :) She is also really smart. She smiles a lot and when she sees videos of herself moves her arms and starts to talk. She talks quite a bit, especially when anyone looks at her and talks to her. She's grown 3.5 inches and gained 3 pounds. She weighs 10.6 lbs and is 22.5in long (50th percentile) which is great and very proportionate. The doctor said that she looks very happy and healthy and he also said that he didn't notice any clicks in her hips. We'll have to do another ultrasound at 4 months to be sure but until then he said that we shouldn't worry because he thinks that she's fine and healthy. I'm glad that my instincts that told me not to worry and that everything will be ok proved to be right so far. Even though my brain told me to worry, I never felt that she needed to be put in a sling and I had a feeling that she is ok. I hope that the ultrasound will confirm that.

Alyss at 2.5 Months

Since her 2 months check-up she had a runny nose but didn't upset her too much. We've been breastfeeding full time and she loves mommy's milk. We also have a lady friend who shares her baby's milk with us to supplement when mommy doesn't make quite enough. I hope to be able to keep this up at least until she's 6 months old. Another thing that she does that amazes me is that she moves a lot in her sleep. I put her on her back and she turns on her side and snuggles next to me. She sometimes lifts herself up on her elbow in her sleep too. We co-sleep, which I love and so I can take notice of everything she does. She goes to sleep for the night around midnight, after an entire day of sleeping most of the time, feeds a little bit around 3am and then sleeps until 8am when she feeds again in her sleep and sleeps until 10am. I love how good of a sleeper she is and I hope she keeps it up at night. 

Outside, in grandma Lucy's arms

At her 2 months appointment Alyss had her first round of shots and we're participating in a study where they combined 3 vaccines into one so she only got 2 shots instead of 3. She reacted really well and didn't get sick. She was a bit fussy the day of and got a small lump at the injection site but it all went away within a day. It was a little sad to see the nurse draw blood from her little arm and to see her and another nurse stab Alyss with a shot in each leg at the same time but it all went away pretty quickly and she calmed down almost immediately after I picked her up in my arms. 

Cute smile

I love to feel her little body close to mine. I love to kiss her round, chubby cheeks and her perfectly round head. I love to see her serene smile and to hear her coos. I love to see Jane look at Alyss with a lot of love in her eyes even though sometimes Alyss' cries upset her or she gets an little jealous when David or I hold Alyss. I love to see David hold Alyss and Jane in his arms or on his legs. I just love my cute family and my adorable babies. I'm so blessed to have them and David and I wouldn't change my life for anything. 

Updates

Alyss is such a tiny, sweet baby. She eats a lot and sleeps almost all night long and during the day quite a bit, and occasionally has some colics which make her cry but go away when I give her Cocyntal herbal drops. She is very alert and happy. She likes to be held and cuddles next to me in her sleep. We breastfeed but because I don't make too much (about 3.5oz every 4 hours) we also use milk from a friend who has a 4 months old baby and is kind enough to share her milk with us.

I feel better too. The episiotomy's healed more and doesn't hurt as much. At the 6 weeks check-up I received an IUC (IUD without hormones) which I can keep in as long as 10 years but can take out any time we want to try for another baby. I love not having to worry about birth control. I was pretty scared before I went in but even though the doctor said that I might be feeling pinches or pressure I didn't feel a thing and I sure was happy about it.

Having my mom here is wonderful and a lot of help. She takes care of Alyss a lot so that I could spend time with Jane and take naps during the day. We have a great time going on walks, eating at Burger King and watching Romanian television on her laptop. :)

Jane's gotten a lot better about accepting Alyss. She gives her the binky and the bottle even when ALyss doesn't want them :) and calls Alyss by name. On occasion she still gets upset but doesn't cry uncontrollably or throws huge fits any more. I really hope that they'll be best friends when they grow up.

Too many chocolate eggs :)

Alyss' First Easter

Cutie pie