The Past Two Months

I suppose it's time for another update.

First came Christmas and a much needed break for Steve. Steve's parents came for another quick visit a week before Christmas for a total of three visits in 2010. Aliyah's going to get spoiled:) We then headed down to my parents' for a few days, including Christmas Eve and morning. We had a nice time and Aliyah seemed to enjoy herself, although some of the older children (Michael) were a little upset that they had to wait for the baby to wake up Christmas morning before we could open presents. We enjoyed a leisurely day,then joined Betsy and her family for Christmas dinner. Yum!Didn't matter what it was, as long as she could chew on it.

(Mommy made her Christmas leg warmers and her stocking)

One of the presents we got for Christmas was a book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child." Up to this point, Aliyah had not been a very good sleeper, and it was only getting worse. She had gotten so bad that after sleeping an initial three hours, she would wake up every hour at least. We decided enough was enough, and after reading a couple chapters of the book, decided to start sleep training that night. No more fighting her to sleep or responding to every cry. As hard as it might be, after reading a little, we realized that it ultimately would be better for her because she would finally be able to get the adequate amount of sleep that her little body needs. So, we put her down awake for the first that night and she cried for 1 1/2 hours. It was a very difficult hour and a half, but after that, a miracle happened, she slept for almost 8 hours! Then, after being fed, she slept another 4, without waking up at all! The next day, we laid her down for her first nap, and no crying, she went right to sleep. Ever since, life in the Brown household has been much happier. We occasionally have relapses and she cries for a little while, but never too long. Aliyah now sleeps 13 hours a night waking up only once or twice to eat! I saw a baby onsie that said "All Mommy wants for Christmas is a Silent Night." Couldn't be more true, best present ever!
We spent New Years at my parents' house as well. Good thing too, because both Steve and I got super sick with some sort of stomach bug and I'm not sure how we would have taken care of Aliyah if we had been on our own. We were very grateful that Grandma and Grandpa were there to watch her, as well as take care of us. Needless to say, this was definitely not my favorite New Year's ever.

We spent the rest of our break relaxing and enjoying not having anything to do. We also went to visit our friend Stephen up in Bellingham, leaving Aliyah behind for our first night alone in 7 months! And she did great, thank you Betsy! Steve was also able to go to the Seahawks playoff game with his brothers. He had a great time! Said it was the best game he'd ever been to! I'm glad he was able to go :)

Aliyah at 7 months

Right around 7 months old, Aliyah got tired of sitting in one spot. Although she still can't crawl, she can roll from one side of the room to the other. Only problem is, she gets to the wall and tries to keep rolling. She is also really good at scooting backwards, the problem with this is that she's trying to go forward, so she often backs herself into things and gets mad because she's getting further and further from the things she's trying to get. It's so fun to watch her discover the different things she can do!

This past month she has also discovered that she LOVES to jump. We started putting her in the Jumperoo again, and instead of just sitting there looking at the toys, she jumps, and she jumps hard. It's great because now I just stick her in it while I get ready for the day or pick up the bedroom, since the only doorways to put it in are either to the bedrooms or bathrooms.

My mom gave me another solution for getting things done without ignoring Aliyah, while in the kitchen. Now Aliyah gets lots of sink baths while Mom makes dinner! And she loves it!
And that is life as we know it right now! Steve is back in school and applying for summer externships (hopefully more on that in the future.) And Aliyah and I are keeping busy going to play groups, grocery shopping, visiting Grandma, and just hanging out at home. Life is good!