Fun With Food

We have been trying to give Alaina more finger foods lately. She is still not a fan of baby foods. We want her to try a variety of foods so she does not become a picky eater. So far Alaina seems to enjoy her finger foods. She does not eat much, but she will try most everything that we offer her. Some of her favorite finger foods are peas, cooked carrots, bananas, and blueberries. Sometimes Alaina has trouble picking up the pieces of food with her fingers. She usually make a big mess when she eats, but we don't mind. We encourge her to feed herself! Although she's eating more solid foods, she still prefers her bottle. Below are a few pictures of Alaina trying some new foods.

Cooked carrots and potatoes, YUM!

"Look at me, Mom, I can feed myself!"

"I'll try this new food you're giving me, but I still want my bottle!"
Alaina chews on everything she gets her hands on!

Alaina the Librarian

Hello, welcome to the Bruck Family Library. My name is Alaina. How may I help you?Alaina is getting bigger by the minute! She's into everything now! She easily pulls herslef up to stand and can even take a few steps while holding on to something for support. We have a ton of age-appropriate toys for her, but she almost always chooses to play with other things. Her favorite activity is taking books off our bookshelf downstairs. Nate and I have all our favorite novels and textbooks on this shelf. We try to direct Alaina to her boardbooks or plastic books, but she's much more interested in the books on our shelf! She takes them off one by one which keeps her interest for a LONG time. I love the series of pictures below. Please note the progression of the books. We start with a nice, neat bookshelf and end with Alaina sitting in the middle of a book mess on the floor. Nate and I have decided to move our bookshelf so she won't be tempted by it and replace it with a bin of Alaina's books. :)

Nine Months Old!

Alaina had her 9 month check-up with the doctor today. She weighs 18.4 pounds which puts her in the 25th percentile. Her height is in the 75th percentile. Alaina continues to be long and lean! She is still not interested in baby foods. We've tried just about every fruit and vegetable available. The doctor suggested that we give up on baby foods and try finger foods with her. Alaina seems interested in feeding herself. She loves to feed herself Gerber Puffs and Cheerios. This week we are going to introduce her to some new finger foods such as bits of banana, cooked peas, and tiny crackers. Alaina only has two bottom teeth, but it looks like she has some more teeth coming in on top. It's hard to believe how fast she's growing up. Only 3 more months and we'll be celebrating Alaina's first birthday! Below are a few pictures to show you what Alaina has been up to lately.

Alaina has discovered how to take books off the book shelf. So fascinating!

She can pull herself up on her knees!

Alaina loves to play with her musical zoo!

Alaina's hair is getting out of control! We try to put it up in pony tails, but she loves to pull her hair and mess it all up! This picture is a perfect example of her crazy hair and cute smile.

A Cute Video for a Gloomy Day

I'm done with winter. The month of January always makes me wish I lived somewhere else. It has been so cold and cloudy all week. We don't want to take Alaina out in such cold temperatures so we've spent a lot of time at home lately. This video is from a few nights ago after dinner. Alaina was playing in her highchair and she discovered how to make clicking noises with her tongue. There's nothing special about the video, I just think it's cute. Alaina is fascinated with a plug-in candle that I have on the wall behind her highchair... that's what she keeps turning around to see. We can't wait for spring and summer! It will be so much fun enjoying the outdoors with Alaina. She was too young last summer to enjoy going to parks and playing outside. She has so much to look forward to this summer! Only four more months of school and then Alaina and I can hang out and play together all day, every day. :)

More From Greek Music Nights...

Here's another video from Greek Music nights. I love this video, Alaina looks so happy! If you're wondering why Alaina's hair looks greasy, it's because the video was taken a few hours after her baptism. She was still a little oily! :)

Greek Music Nights

Kathryn and Yanni left to go back home to Greece last week. We had a great visit with them and wish they could have stayed longer. While they were here we did a lot of shopping, eating (of course), and just hanging out. My mom bought Yanni a guitar for Christmas. We discovered that Alaina loves to listen to music. She especially enjoyed watching Yanni play the guitar and sing Greek songs! We spent several nights together at my parents' house listening to Yanni play Greek music. Alaina would clap her hands and smile while Yanni played. Above is one of the many short videos we took of our Greek music nights.

Alaina's Baptism

Alaina was baptized last Saturday, January 9th. We had a traditional Orthodox ceremony at our church. My sister and her husband were Alaina's godparents. About 25 people came to celebrate this special day with Alaina. Below are a few pictures from the baptism. Hopefully the captions will retell the events of the day. Overall, it was a really great celebration. Alaina did so well, she only cried for her three dunks in the water. We pray that God will keep Alaina happy and healthy her entire life! Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Family picture before the ceremony began.

John, Uncle Nick, My Mom, Dad, Kathryn, Yanni, Alaina, Kalli, Nate

Alaina enjoying a few quiet moments before the ceremony

The priest gets Alaina ready to be placed in the baptismal font.

Alaina was submerged in the water three times!

After three dips in the water Kathryn held Alaina in a white sheet while the priest read a blessing. He also cut a little of Alaina's hair at that time. This symbolizes her sacrifice for Christ.

My mom took Alaina into another room to get dried off and dressed in her white gown.

Alaina smiled as she got dressed in her pretty clothes.

All dressed and ready to go back into church to complete the ceremony. A few sips of milk was all she needed to stay in a good mood.

At the end of the ceremony, Kathryn and Yanni walked around the baptismal font with Alaina. She was fascinated by the preist's sensor and her big baptismal candle.

Holding Alaina in the receiving line after the ceremony

After the ceremony our guests were invited to the church hall for brunch. Kathryn, Yanni, and I set up the tables the day before the baptism. I think they looked pretty nice!
We spent time with friends and family after brunch. In this picture, I am standing with my godmother and her daughter, Maria. The last baptism I attended was Maria's baptism almost 7 years ago!