Our Happy and Busy life.

The entry is below these pictures. I'm having trouble moving the entry above the pictures. I don't know what I'm doing wrong

This is a family picture taken at Christmas Mass.

I don't know if Ally is smiling or whining here.

Ally smiling for the camera on her 1st birthday, Nov 8, 2010.

Ally taking a ride in her new car that she got from us for her birthday.

Ally with her Mammaw at her 1st Thanksgiving.

Ally waiting patiently for her bath.

Ally walking with her new walking toy.

Ally being animated and entertaining.

Opening up gifts on her first Christmas.

Ally's Baptism Dec 10, 2010

Wow, a lot has happened since my last post.

The biggest change for me is my returning to work. I love teaching, but I have lost some of my passion for it. I now have a passion for being a mom and spending time with my Ally. I guess this is a normal progression, but it has surprised me. Before Ally, I spent so much time creating lesson plans, grading papers, agonizing over discipline issues etc. Now, I get done what I can by 4:30 and then I pick up Ally from daycare. What doesn't get done at school doesn't get done. Sure, I still grade the occasional paper at home, but it's not like I used to be.

Ally has changed so much!! Here are a few of her accomplishments:
--She now has 4 teeth with three more pushing through.(teething sucks!)
--She began crawling after her first day of daycare. She is a great crawler, very fast and determined.
--She is now on table food. She likes: peas, green beans, carrots, potatoes(mashed or fried), sweet potatoes, pasta, chicken, pork, turkey, cheese(string cheese), peaches, pears, Gerber Veggie Puffs, Gerber Banana Cookies, Cheerios, hot dogs, and rolls.
She doesn't like: grapes
--She turned 1 year old on Nov 8.
--We moved her out of the baby bath tub into the real bath tub. She loves taking a bath! She isn't afraid of water at all. In fact, this week she has started putting her face under the water. Maybe she'll be an Olympic swimmer!
--Our family took a trip to Nashville the week before Christmas. So, Ally got to experience a hotel outside of China. She loves hanging out with her cousins!
--She has been talking so much. Here are some of her words: Dada, Mama, Pappaw, Mammaw, Nana, Kitty, bottle, tree, dog-dog, cold, school, no(she says this one A LOT!!) boo, hi, hello, bye-bye, big, coo-coo(cookie), ish(fish), go-go, pwease(please), mo(more)..She also signs please and more.

--She can point to her head, mouth, nose, belly, and toes when I ask her Where is.....?

--She was baptized on Dec 10.

--She had her first ear infection. So, we had our first non-well baby doctor visit.

--We turned her carseat to face forward....it's a whole new world for her now!

--We have switched from infant formula to toddler formula. In a month or so I plan on transitioning her to milk.

--She can(with some assistance) feed herself with a spoon.

--We've begun brushing her teeth. This is a work in progress. She'll let us put the toothbrush in her mouth and brush a few times and then she's done.

--And, just this week she began to take some unassisted steps. She can walk about 4 steps before she plops on the ground to crawl. Yeah for our big girl!

I still have moments when I look at Ally and think, "Is this real? It's truly unbelievable at times that Ryan and I are parents. Ally is perfect for us. I don't know how the CCAA decides which baby to assign to each family, but they couldn't have placed a more perfect little girl with us.

Being a first time mom is scary. I don't know what I'm doing really. I'm flying by the seat of my pants. I just take it day by day. I'm learning a lot and becoming more comfortable with things. Sometimes I wonder if Ally thinks Ryan and I are crazy! We are, to an extent a little crazy, but we are so clueless sometimes. Ally rolls with the punches though!