On a scale of one to ten, ten being "we're so spontaneous let's take the baby to China" and one being "well maybe we'll take the baby to a Chinese buffet", we're the folks who just get Chinese carryout after the baby goes to bed. We aren't very spontaneous people, and our spontaneity has plummeted since Ally's birth.

Nevertheless this weekend is a time to celebrate-- the semester has ended, we have finished the last paperwork for our new house, and it is a long holiday weekend. So we broke from convention and this morning immediately after waking we trekked out to a place Rob has wanted to visit for months: the Fractured Prune, an amazing donut shop that was featured on the Food network. It doesn't have a place for dining (much less child dining) so after driving about 30 minutes to get there, we ate our wonderful hot donuts on a park bench with Ally in Rob's lap. As she wiggled I fed her pieces of hot donut, egg sandwich and yo baby yogurt. Yes, that's right, we fed the baby donuts. High on sugar and sticky, we finally ventured home for Ally's morning nap and lingered over our own coffee, reading the newspaper and celebrating the fact that we would not be rushing to work on projects during nap time or tonight after Ally goes to bed.

Ok, so maybe this doesn't count as "being spontaneous" for most people. But seriously, this was a big deal for us.

growing pains

Ally recently had her one-year check up. We learned that she is a respectable 20 pounds, 7 ounces (around the 40th percentile) and a lanky 30.5" (around the 80th percentile). Our pediatrician reassured me that her minimal vocabulary is perfectly normal (she says no so far for sure, but that's it) and her physical development is right on track. I was advised to begin using a baby tooth brush at bath time, a recommendation I'm glad to hear as my attempts to wipe her teeth with a wet wash cloth only resulted in nightly finger-biting. And speaking of biting, Ally's mouth is currently erupting with teeth. She has two molars now that are almost completely through and another two molars on the other side about to break in... plus another middle, lower tooth. She's been a bit cranky of late so we're trying to keep her happy with lots of trips up the stairs, macaroni and cheese, peas, and pineapple.

moving on up

This past weekend Ally learned that she is able to climb the stairs. Now it is her absolute most favorite thing to do in the world. If she just sees the stairs she squeals with delight and wants to climb them. After her ascent to the second floor, she makes a bee line for the basket of toys in our bedroom or to the bookcase in her bedroom. She also will use the door to our bedroom to play peek-a-boo.

happy mother's day

Though today is our second Mother's Day since Ally's birth, in some ways it feels like the first. Last Mother's Day we had barely woken from new-baby haze and I seem to recall that we managed to go out for lunch. This year I requested the opportunity to sleep after Ally woke, to change no diapers, to go out for brunch, and not feed Ally at brunch. Rob did an extraordinary job caring for Ally, including a masterful outdoor diaper change when the brunch restaurant didn't offer a changing station, so I could enjoy my meal. Ally didn't care for the brunch much and refused to eat anything Rob tried to feed her, so we spread on the table cloth in front of her a selection of vegetables, baked goods, and fruit. She seemed to like the blueberries quite a bit as evinced by her blue hands and also chomped on a chocolate chip scone. We promise to do better in future meals and offer our apologies to the wait staff.

Ally and Grandad

And the reason for the season.

buy me

Our house has been on the market for a little over a week now. We have had two showings so far and another tomorrow afternoon. When we have a showing we try desperately to prepare the house-- toys and dishes and dirty clothes put away, lights on, kitty litter scooped-- and Ally helps, too.

We've done a lot of landscaping work-- new flowers, mulch, and a planter outside the door. Our deck was cleaned and sealed and our windows washed. There is new caulk around the front door trim and along the stairwell. We think the house looks as nice as we can manage, but of course we're nervous anyway. As for the new house, this week we have an appointment to make our carpeting and tile choices (the cheapest--yes, really--thank you very much) and then we sign the final paperwork the last weekend in May and begin the wait until construction begins!

how big is Ally?

SO big!

We've been pretty distracted by school the past week as the semester is about to end. Rob completed his big semester project today and my project and final are next week. We also put our house on the market last Thursday and had our first viewing on Saturday. (Note to selves: make sure laundry isn't hanging in the guest bedroom before leaving the house.)

Ally has developed two new tricks, though! The first is that she has started raising her arms when we do the "How big is Ally? SO BIG!!" Very cute. The second trick is that she seems to have started reaching/pointing. We're not sure if it is pointing exactly, but she reaches for things that are way too far for her to reach that catch her eye, like the butterflies that hang above her crib. So life goes on even when you're busy.

one

Today our sweet baby girl is one year old. She was born at 9:37 PM on May 1, 2006, a small, floppy, sleepy bundle that wouldn't wake to eat and whose cries were so small we thought they were cute. The months have passed in a blur of laundry, diapers, laughter and fatigue. We watched her find her hands, then her feet; learn to roll, crawl, and stand; to touch, grasp, and grab. Now she loves to hear us read and helps to turn the pages. She pulls herself to stand and reaches to be held and carried as quickly as she cries to go down so she can crawl. She eats like she is preparing for winter hibernation and manages to chew pizza with 5 (almost 6) teeth. Our Ally fills our home with life and laughter. On to year two!

our very hungry caterpillar

Please tell us this is normal, or if we need to begin training Ally for a new career path.

Today Ally ate, in addition to nursing 4 times...

For breakfast, a piece of toast with pear butter and some scrambled eggs (about half an egg).

For lunch, the entire kid-size serving of macaroni and cheese at Red Robin. THE WHOLE MEAL... that the 8-year-old kids in the next booth did not finish.

For dinner, 1/3 adult-size piece of lasagne, 1/4 cup steamed broccoli, half a pear.

For her birthday treat, about 1/4 cup vanilla ice cream and a piece of cake about 2 inches x 3 inches.

Her belly looked quite distended at the conclusion of the feast, but she just kept eating. !!