New Link to Megan's Photos

Hi!

Since the old link to our photo session this fall doesn't work anymore, you can still check out those photos (or order prints if you'd like) by clicking here

That reminds me, I need to schedule another session for this spring :)  She's so good!!

Pictures!

Here are some pictures from the last few days.  Alyce has become quite adapt at and interested in crawling - especially when she's charging after Murphy!  We decorated the tree and Alyce loves to ooh and ahh when the lights are on.  Crawling has also brought a new emotion, frustration.  We're discovering which outfits keep her warm and provide adequate traction for crawling at maximum speed!  

Alyce also finally got a high chair (we've been using a bumbo all this time).  She loves it and sits with us for meals and while we're cleaning up the kitchen or cooking.  Of course, many cheerios are being consumed by both Alyce and Murphy.  Her accuracy rating is about 60% of getting what she picks up to her mouth.  

Alyce's new car seat also arrived today.  As you can see, she discovered it quickly and went over to investigate.  Notice how well she sits up on her knees?? 

New wheels

Guess what? Much to our delight - our darling daughter is crawling :) She started last week, and is getting better and better. We are happy to report that she hasn't figured out that it's a way to get very far, just from one toy to the next (or usually something that we don't want her to get to). Murphy is leary of her new mobility, but has been very good with her. He even gives her a lick on the head from time to time which makes Alyce squeal! One thing that has suprised us is that she's put rolling on hold for the most part. She prefers her new "wheels"

Other new things Alyce can do...

Eat cheerios by herself

Sit up from lying down - sometimes in her sleep!

Wave hi and bye (especially in the mirror)

Say ba and (YAY!) mama

The snow is falling today - we're going to be buying our tree and getting the house all decked out for the holidays this weekend. Merry preperations for the holidays to you!

Nice cool tiles...

What did I used to do Saturday mornings? I have no idea! Here's last Saturday a.m. when Alyce rolled into the downstairs bathroom on her own and discovered a new sensation... nice cool, slippery bathroom tile. Such fun!

Notice when she gets up on all fours, she has a bit of a George W look on her face, don't you think?? :)

Have a wonderful day!

Vid of the Kid

Here's a little tidbit of what goes on around here lately. Lots of movin and shakin :) Alyce has especially started to do a lot of almost crawling around everywhere. Combined with the roll, she is unstoppable! Babyproofing is taking place daily... It's amazing what you find when your child becomes mobile!

We're always trying to catch her on camera reading her book, we'll hear her making cute noises at the babies inside and flipping through her book, but sure enough, when she sees the camera she hams it up :) Listen closely when she falls backward and you'll hear her toy turn on. Dad thought this was hillarious...

Here's the almost crawl, as demonstrated in her crib yesterday... she's the best at almost hitting her head on things.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!

Ah choo!

Lesson learned: The longer you don't post, the harder it is to get going again. There's just so much to tell! So for those of you who are still out there - thanks for checking in! I'll try to do better :)

In the past couple weeks, we've had a lot of firsts, here are just a few!

New foods!
Applesauce **yum**
Bananas - still not too sure, good in oatmeal!
Brocolli - suprisingly yum!
Avocado *gag*
Pears **yum**

Commando crawling - Alyce is becoming quite adept at crawling...backwards :) She's such a good wiggler though, we're sure she's so close to crawling! She worked her way backwards behind this couch cushion, then let out her "help me" shriek. Not before I snap a picture!! :)

2nd tooth! Came in about 8 days after the first. The second was definitely a little harder coming in, tougher on all of us. Mom thinks there is another one coming, although no sightings yet.

Alyce has had her first case of the sniffles, and maybe a slight cold for about a week now. Doesn't seem to bother her, although we've had to use that awful nose sucker-outer for the first time. Not a big hit with Alyce, her dad is much better at it than mom.

Grandma B came for a visit!

Her favorite toys right now are a variety of kitchen utensils and bowls. She can play with them for long stretches at a time. She's also becoming more interested in books, but still loves to chew on them best of all. Well, honestly, she chews on everything.

Alyce is also quite taken with herself in the mirror, and loves pictures of other babies in her books. She greets them like old friends :)

Speaking of old friends, we are off to baby school this morning. Hope you have a wonderful day!

It's a big deal!

We have a new tooth in the family, and it's in Alyce's mouth :) :) :) It poked it's way through on Saturday evening... Alyce has been handling what must be an awful experience very well (there's a reason we don't have memories of being babies)! There's another little tooth right next to it that I think will poke through in the next week or so. I'm trying to get her to let me take a picture of her gums, so far, an impossible task! I'll miss her gummy little smile, but our little darling is growing up!

Here are a couple pics from the last week...

First Halloween!! Alyce's was dressed up as the cutest baby ever!!! Ok...I'm biased...

A lovely little ladybug named Bryn came by for a visit. Alyce thinks she is fantastic :)

Get out and vote!!

Early voting today...Matt will be out of town for the election next week. Suprisingly smooth sailing for early voting (great job GF County!), lots of people, but went very quickly. Alyce was a big hit, and we had to take a few pictures to commererate her first presidential election. It's historic! Please don't forget to vote!!

Um...hello?

Wow, it's October 26th already... we had our first snow today here. Blustery and cold, now it's gone and the wind has settled down. Just an early indicator of what's to come. Our house is busy with activity, and settling in for winter. I'm not sure where the time is going, but it sure is going fast!

Alyce is rolling with purpose and intention now. She gets up on straight arms and rocks back and forth and side to side, we are sure that crawling is right around the corner. She's a happy baby most of the time, pretty rarely frustrated at this point because there are so many new things she can do. Sitting is a breeze now, and she does so with confidence. Talking is still dadada's, but with a ba or a bo every now and then. She's making some Mmmm sounds that Matt is sure are mama. I'm excited to hear her mama coming soon :)

Alyce lets us know she is hungry by smacking her lips together. There are no teeth yet, but she can make some cool clicking noises by clicking her tongue off her top gums.

...sidenote - I started this two days ago, now it's Tuesday and I'm going to post it so that I can get something up :) Here are a few more pics from the past couple weeks!

Alyce has been helping me bake bread - she loves the mixer :)

Upside down is fun!

This was after a rolling session that went around the couch and to the dining room table where mommy was! Now, if we can just get that tummy off the ground, she'll be off and crawling!

Where in the world are the Spearls??

Hi everyone!

We've had a busy couple of weeks.  First to Minneapolis then home, and then back on the road to Madison, WI.  We got to go with Matt to 2 conferences, and we were so glad to be travelling with him!  It's nice to be home though, and we're getting settled back in.  Lots to report on... not only is Alyce very mobile with her rolling, she's started talking (Daddy won with Da Da Da being her word of choice!), and LAUGHING!!  Her giggles make her mom tear up.  I'll get more pictures up, but for now... a video with dad and Alyce in the back seat on the last 30 miles back home.  You can hear dad working out some giggles...then that lovely Dadada  :)  Sniff!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Pictures!

Alyce's pictures are online...check them out at
http://www.alyce.photoherald.com/

Which ones are your favorites??

Oh - and we're home :) For now...

Roll on highway, roll on along...

Here we are in Minneapolis, I don't have any new pics for you :( but just thought I'd give a quick update on what we've been doing. We got here on Sunday, the car ride went really well - Alyce was great! Matt's conference started on Sunday evening, Alyce and I have seen a couple of really good friends for lunch and dinner, and otherwise have kept ourselves busy while daddy is working. Alyce figured out on Saturday afternoon how to get back off her tummy and now she's moving EVERYWHERE. What a sudden change of events! Now putting a blanket on the floor for her to play on is more of a suggestion, and we're getting used to keeping a much closer eye on Alyce as she motors around on the floor. Life as we knew it has changed with the addition of a mobile baby :)

Alyce didn't sleep well the first night here, it always takes a little adjusting when we go somewhere new. But thankfully for all of us, she was back to her good sleeping self last night - and we all got some much needed rest. Matt's conference ends today, so we're looking forward to spending some time together - we'll be heading home tomorrow and then - more pictures :)

Much love,
Lisa, Matt, Alyce and Murphy (who is with his grandparents :)

30 seconds of Alyce

So the 15 seconds of Alyce segment didn't go so smoothly last week. Fear not! Here is 30 (technically 35 :) seconds of Alyce... all that new drool and spit makes GREAT new noises! I was in stealth mode sneaking up on her, she always stops when she sees the camera!

YAY - our PICTURES!!

I'm so excited!!!  We had pictures taken about two weeks ago, our photographer Megan does amazing photos, and I've been stalking her website waiting for our pics to go up :)  Now they are!!  Check them out at http://meganphoto.typepad.com/megans_photo_blog/2008/09/alyce.html.  I love how she blogs, and what she said about Alyce is sweet!  She'll be sending us a code to access all of the photos she took, that way prints can be ordered, etc...  I'll post it when we get it, for now it's bath time for our favorite girl...then to bed.

Goodnight!

Help! I'm on my tummy again! HELP!

Hi everyone!  What's new with you?

Here - squash is the word...  Alyce started squash on Saturday, and we took our positions to take a video of what we assumed would be a hilarious reaction to a new taste. The butternut squash I made is not at all sweet, and since it was a perfect consistency after baking and pureeing, no sweet milk was added.  However, she took it in stride, gobbling it up with nary a spit.  We'll keep the tapes rolling though, in a few days we'll be moving on to green beans (mmmmm)!  

Alyce continues to amaze, rolling onto her tummy a split second after she gets put down.  She still is not rolling back over though, which has resulted in a couple middle of the night panic sessions, when she finds herself sleepily on her tummy and none too happy about it.  I'm predicting it will be soon though, that she will master the art of the back and forth roll.  

As you can see here, she has also become quite good at sitting up, although it never lasts too long, she weebles and wobbles admiring her new position in the world.  She is also FASCINATED with Murphy, whenever he comes into the room, her whole world stops while she stares at that big dog.  Murphy, on the other hand, does not pay much attention at all to Alyce, except when she knocks a spoonful of cereal to the floor, then he's there to lick it up straightaway!

More to come...stay tuned!

Mmmmm...?

Here's sweet Alyce and her first experience with food other than her rice cereal. We pureed some sweet potatoes and gave it a try last night. She was a little suspicious, but she did eat it! I hope she gets her dad's more adventurous palate... I'm determined to make sure she develops his love for vegetables!

Our little Alyce is growing like a beanpole! She was at the Dr. last Thursday, current measurements are 27" long and 17 lbs, 11 oz! Of course, that wasn't a naked weight, and we all know the scales at the Dr.'s office weigh heavy :) Alyce is in the 95th percentile for both length and weight...we're wondering, maybe she'll be tall??? That would be a surprise!

She's mastering rolling over from her back to her tummy, but has forgotten how to get back to her back. This is a real source of frustration for her, she definitely lets us know when she's ready to be flipped back over! I've predicted she'll master the art of the flip back and forth within a week. I'll let you know if I'm right!

Other news, I'm proud as a peacock! The canning of applesauce went great this weekend, it may not seem like a big deal, but for me it was!  I've been wanting to can for years...now I know I can do it.  Next, tomatoes...mmmmmm.... 

For those of you with a love for Murphy dog, here is an update... We are continuing to work to alleviate the problems he's been having with his neck. His course of steroids is almost done, and he's off the muscle relaxers. We think we are seeing a bit of recurrence of his symptoms in the past few days, but generally he's been doing much better. If medication is the way to keep him happy and comfortable, that's what we'll do...

We hope you have a wonderful week!

love,
Lisa, Matt, Alyce and Murphy

Here are some new pics!

Last weekend we went out to visit Robyn and Perry (and Norm and Gracie their dogs!) at their house west of town.  We picked apples for applesauce, or maybe a pie!  I have lofty goals of maybe even canning some of the 'sauce if it turns out well.  

Hey, I'm a mom now, I should can something!  And it will be good practice for the tomatos that I keep hoping will ripen before fall really sets in!

Layin around in our pajamas!  

15 seconds of Alyce

Matt had a great idea yesterday while we were feeding (and enjoying) darling Alyce.  "You should post a video everyday so everyone can see her..."  Yes!  Great idea!  But I'm shooting for a weekly dose of 15 seconds of Alyce.  Today, giggles and wiggles with a rattle on the bed!

Um - I think Alyce is hungry

This made Matt and I laugh and laugh. Matt was feeding Alyce tonight, and I guess it wasn't quite quick enough, she found some food that had spilled on her tray. Turn up the volume to hear the slurping noises :)

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Alyce's first play date!

Our very good friend Jill was passing through town with her parents, and they stopped by for us to meet Elliet, Jill and Jeff's darling daughter!  Elliet is almost 10 months old, so it was a lot of fun to see what is in store for us.  She was such a sweetie, very gentle with Alyce.  Elliet is an expert at the splits, sits up REALLY well, and almost gave us a demonstration of how she can pull herself up! Check out those beautiful blue eyes too! It was great to get to visit with Jill and her parents, such a fun way to spend a Sunday morning!

Alyce has never really interacted with another baby, so it was a blast to watch her check out Elliet. She did great!  No crying or fussing, just lots of smiles for everyone!

This girl's got something to say!

Our Alyce is a talker, a squeaker, and a squeeler! I don't know where she gets it from :)

Here is a short clip of some serious conversation she was having with her dad the other day. I wish I could upload longer videos, but I'm restricted to pretty small clips on this site :(

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Ah - it's almost September. Matt and I love September, it's the beginning of fall, the month we got married, and the time the tomatoes REALLY start coming in :) I ran out to the garden today to grab some peppers and onions for chili I'm making, and I was suprised by this beautiful bounty. It was a quick look, I'll have to go back out this evening and do a more thorough inspection, these cucumbers caught me by suprise!

We all know why you're really here though, so here's some shots of sweet Alyce! She's just the absolute best! She hasn't quite rolled over from her back yet, but she does strike a nice pose while trying. That darn hand is such a distraction when it gets in the way of her mouth :)













Other news, we had a garage sale last weekend! Grandma B came up to help (she was such a big help and made it so much easier!) plus she got to spend some quality time with Alyce. They were best buddies by the time the weekend ended, and got some good snuggles in on the couch. The garage sale? It was fun, I'd do it again, which I think is saying a lot... But not for a few years!

Comments please!

Hi!

I've just changed the settings on our blog to make commenting easier. Since this is a baby book of sorts for Alyce, we'd love to have you leave any comments you'd like. You should not have to log in or register in any way to post a comment, just click the comments link at the bottom of each post. You then can type in your comments, then click name and type in your name. Simple as that! We'd love to hear from you!!

Love,

Lisa, Matt, Alyce and Murphy the dog...

We're Back!

Living the Hilton life... Not the Hilton's life :)

Hi everyone,

Sorry we dropped off the face of the earth for a while. We've had some fun adventures the past couple of weeks and are anxious to share. Alyce, her dad and myself spent this past week in Omaha. Matt had a conference to attend, and we were able to make the drive (yes drive) relatively unscathed :) Our first family roadtrip! Alyce was a super trooper!

We got to introduce Alyce to some family Matt has in Omaha, his uncle Tom, aunt Chong and cousin Jennifer. Here's Alyce with Tom and Chong. It was so nice to see them!



Alyce also has started eating rice cereal! Just a little every night before bed. Her tongue doesn't always cooperate, but she's getting the hang of it...



Yes, we are feeding her without a bib, it was our first time, we learned our lesson :)

My how big you've grown!

Alyce had her four month check up last Monday, I forgot to tell everyone just how big she's gotten! She weighed in at 15 lbs, 6 oz. Her dad and I bet that she would be over 16 lbs, so we were wrong (and mom gets 3 days worth of dishes done out of the deal!). She's also 23 1/2 inches long. So if you're keeping track, she's grown 4 1/2 inches and gained 9 lbs 9 oz since she was born!

We're having so much fun, Alyce is talking and squealing more and more every day. She's almost rolling over from her back, we find her on her side more and more in her crib. Going to sleep is not as fun as it used to be for her, but once she has a nook it's off to dreamland :)

She also enjoys trying to get her whole fist in her mouth.

Rollin, rollin, rollin

It happened! Alyce officially rolled from her tummy to her back (both right and left I might add) on Sunday morning. It was so exciting for her mom and dad - and it seemed a little exciting for Alyce as well! I put her on her tummy and the first thing we noticed was that she was pushing up on her hands (which she hadn't done before) and holding her head way up. Luckily daddy had just come in to bring mom some bacon (good daddy) when she just flopped over like she'd always been doing it! Eeek! I put her back on her tummy and flop - right over again! Of course, then we got the camera and tried to tape a little video for your enjoyment and of course - nothing. So we'll work on getting a little footage for you to see. Yay Alyce!! Oh - best part, notice on the pic below, she's wearing her "That's How I Roll" onesie for the first time when she rolled. Coincidence??? Hilarious...

I know I haven't been so good about posting as much lately - here are some pictures from the last week or so.

Alyce after the first roll (mom with bacon :)

Check out the onesie!!

Splish splash I was takin a bath...(just learning those legs are good for something)

Me and Daddy

Alyce laughing

We've been anxiously waiting for Alyce to burst out in a belly laugh, but so far that hasn't happened. Here's as close as we've gotten so far... what a goof ball!

Cute socks!

Alyce and her dad did great without mom around last week. And mom did have a great time (although I was excited to come home). This past week Alyce has been growing and continues to sleep through the night (what a blessing). Our scale needs a new battery, so I'm not sure what she weighs, but I'd bet she's close to 16 pounds now. She has a checkup in a week or so (4 months!!) and I'll let you know just how big she's gotten.

This morning, I got a suprise when Alyce woke up from her nap, she was on her side in her crib!! Uh oh - the beginning of the roll is near I fear. What a great milestone, but it will change our lives as we know it! No longer will she stay where put! I'll keep you updated when the actual "roll" occurs for the first time.

Look how good Alyce can sit up! Or is it "look how well Alyce can sit up"? Oh well - either way, we're very impressed!

Can't wait to see what the next week will bring!!

Mom is leaving town (dun dun dunnnn)

Mom is taking a little mini-vacation with a good friend to the lake tomorrow night. When I say mini-vacation, I mean mini (just one night). I am looking forward to it, and Alyce and her dad will have a great time I'm sure! Maybe I can get him to blog about it! So wish me luck on my first night away...I'm hoping to come home a little tanner and a little relaxed!

Here are some cute shots of Alyce from today. We were playing "sit up", which is rewarded handsomely with a suck on mom's fingers :)

Alyce and her grandparents

We had a good fourth of July weekend (ok, we slept through the fireworks)... Grandma Betty was in town for a visit and Grandma Mary and Grandpa Tony came over for dinner on Saturday night. We still haven't figured out what to call the grandparents to keep them straight without using names. We know Alyce will figure that out for us :)

Here's Alyce with her Grandpa. She loves to listen to his voice (although here she's giving a little pouty lip)

And here she is with grandmas.

And - very exciting... Alyce in a dress! It's a rare sighting! Her mom in her pajamas...not so rare :)

We have the best neighbors

Last week our neighborhood had it's semi-annual block party. Everyone finally got to meet Alyce. Unknown to us, they had planned a shower for us as well, what a fun suprise! Best of all for mom - cupcakes!!! Alyce got lots of cute things...