It's Getting Warmer!

We are so happy that spring is finally here! We've had several beautiful days lately. Alaina enjoys playing outside. Some friends of ours gave us a toddler swing set and a playhouse. We put both of them in our backyard for Alaina to play with. She absolutely loves her swing! She's still a little young for the playhouse, but it will be perfect for her this summer when she is walking. We also live very close to Brookview Elementary and enjoy walking there to play at the park. Below are a few pictures of Alaina enjoying the nice spring weather.

Spring Break!

I had off this week for spring break. Alaina and I enjoyed spending some quality time together. I had big plans to clean out some closets, do lesson plans, and set stuff aside for our upcoming garage sale. Instead my week was filled with the following activities. Alaina and I had so much fun together. Only a few more weeks until summer vacation! :)

Snack time with Alaina and Zoe. Alaina loves to 'accidentally' drop her snacks on the floor for Zoe.

Alaina has discovered the bathroom drawers. She empties each drawer about 10 times a day.

Why limit yourself to just the bathroom drawers? The bathroom cabinets hold much more stuff!

Looking for new toys to play with.

Helping Zoe watch for squirrels

Playing with Dad's video game controller.

Alaina played dress up with the crocheted outfits Aunt Kathryn made for her.

Easter Weekend In Iowa

Alaina spent her first Easter in Iowa with Grandma and Grandpa Bruck. We left Friday morning and spent the weekend with family in Des Moines. Alaina enjoyed playing with her cousins Alysa and Brianna. She also liked chasing their kitten, Chloe, around the house! We had a big Easter dinner on Saturday and went to church Easter morning. Alaina looked so cute in her red Easter dress. After church we celebrated with a big family breakfast. Unfortunately, I lost may of the pictures from our stay in Iowa. They were accidentally deleted when I transferred them to the computer. I don't have many pictures of Alaina in her Easter outfit. Sad. Most of the pictures below are from our stay in Iowa. The last few pictures were taken when we got back to Rockford Sunday evening. My parents had some Easter eggs for Alaina to play with. I think she'll be more interested in an Easter egg hunt next year. Tonight we had another Easter dinner with my parents. It's been a great weekend!

Grandma Bruck holding crabby Alaina

Aunt Sarah and Alaina

Uncle Don stopped in Des Moines and met Alaina. Alaina enjoyed showing him her hair pony.

What a good looking group!
Grandpa Bruck, Alysa, Brianna, Grandma

Our happy family on Easter morning

Yiayia and Alaina cracking Easter eggs

Alaina enjoyed playing with the plastic eggs

Pretending to crack the plastic eggs.

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. :)