A Mid-Month Allie Update

In my last post I was elaborating about what a little chunk Allie is.  While people still comment on her little (or not so little) cheeks, she was only 10th percentile for weight at her 6 month appointment, weighing in at 13lb 13oz and 26 inches long. So, while she has some healthy little chubs on her, we are not concerned about her tipping the scales too much at this point.  She is, however, still showing signs of having the lightest hair in this family.  She may not be full Vanderploeg blonde, but she is probably the closest you will get to it out of our three kids.
In the last month Allie has more than mastered rolling over.  She has also started to master the army crawl/scoot forward.  She pulls both arms forward and then digs her elbows in to scoot forward whenever she wants to get to something.
Last weekend Allie accompanied Kent and I to Orlando, FL for uncle Kevin's wedding.  It was one of the most beautiful and fun weddings that we have ever been to.  The bride was beautiful, the groom couldn't stop smiling, there was lots of dancing and good food...and through it all Allie was a delight.  She was a champ for the whole trip.  Even when exhausted, she remained a smiling and happy baby. She also laughed hysterically every time she saw her dad dancing.  She lights us and laughs when she sees him more than anyone else in the world.  It is so amazing to watch.  Anyway....I digress...it was so fun to bring her and also to see her personality bloom under difficult circumstances (travelling, lack of sleep, etc).  She is just the funnest, happiest little thing and we are so blessed and lucky to have her in our family.  We struggled for a while whether it was a good idea to have 3 children, but what an incredible blessing that little girl has been.
Here are a few random recent pics of Allie:

Cinco de Mayo party for Auntie Jenny's Birthday

A photo shoot at Sears

New sunhat she picket out in Orlando

Seeing Uncle Kevin in Florida

Just hangin out in underwear! What a crew!

6 Months Old!

Allie Jane has survived another month in this crazy place.  Despite all the manhandling she gets from her siblings, she remains an incredibly mild mannered and happy baby.  She just smiles whenever people look at her and has such an infectious laugh.  She has definitely figured out how to roll across the room to get to something that she wants.  In fact, any time you put her on her back, she almost immediately rolls to her tummy.  The only problem with this is that she also almost constantly spits up.  We try to put blankets under her, but she prefers to pull those out of the way so she is free to spit up on the carpet.  We will need a good carpet cleaning once she has kicked the spit up habit.

I don't know how big Allie has gotten in the last two months, but she definitely seems to have chunked up.  Everyone remarks on her chubby cheeks and chunky little thighs.  Now, I know there are much fatter babies, but for a Vanderploeg, she is looking a little thick!  We will let you know after her 6 month check up this week how big she is.

Allie is also showing the most promise to be a blonde Vanderploeg.  Her hair seems to be coming in much lighter than the other kids.  It is almost making it look like her hair is really thinning, but we think it is just coming in really light.  Only time will tell if Kent will finally get a child that looks  a little more like him.

We did give Allie her first try of baby cereal this month.  She seemed a little confused, but she ate some of it.  We have only done this a few times, but by the second time she was grabbing my hand with the spoon and putting it in her mouth.  I think she likes it!

We still have quite a bit of trouble getting Allie to take a bottle.  She will take one from Kent if she is half asleep, but that is about it.  We are hoping this doesn't predict future stubborn behavior that would make her very much like her older sister.  I'm not sure we could take two Maddie's around here.   (On a side note...I told Maddie yesterday that I don't want her getting any bigger.  I then said that on second thought maybe I do want her to turn four because three is really exhausting me.  Maddie said, "Three is exhausting me too!")

So we have made it another month.  They really are going by too quickly.  Allie is so big and so fun.  Before long she will be sitting and walking and talking. So much to look forward to...

****The paper by her head is all folded up because Kaden stole it to make a paper airplane before we were done with our photo shoot!  Everyone around here has their own agenda!

Trust...

Allie is finally big enough that I can trust the kids to hold her for a minute. (Ok, a few seconds, but they are super excited when I let them do it) Here are some cute pics from this week.

And then here's what happens next...



And Maddie has lost interest as Allie slowly rolls off the couch. Good thing I wasn't too far away. Lesson of the week, three year olds don't make the most reliable babysitters.

5 Months Old!

Little Allie Jane has made it another month riding on this crazy train! We blinked and she got bigger! She has been really fun this last month. She always has the biggest smile and now she has the greatest laugh. She thinks we are all so funny. She even thinks Kaden and Maddie are much funnier than I would if had them right in my face all the time.

A month ago she was barely rolling over and now she is a pro at going from her back to her tummy. She goes back to her back as well, but not with as much frequency or ease. Sometimes, though, you leave her alone for a minute and she has rolled halfway across the room! We are going to have to keep on eye on her very soon. She has also discovered how to press her lips together and vibrate them, making a spitting noise. These days she thinks that is about the funniest and most entertaining thing she can do. She now also has the cutest little chubby legs and has a definite double chin along with her Grandpa's cheeks.

We could not live without this sweet little girl. The other kids we could take or leave at this point, but sweet little Allie girl we will keep!

Sleeping buddies...

Maddie has decided lately that she is lonely at night and always wants someone to lay with her at bedtime. One night, when both of her parents were too exhausted to go back upstairs one more time, we encouraged her to get in bed with her brother. So now, this is what she does

almost every night. Ironically, they both seem to fall asleep faster while sharing one bed. It is such a blessing to see these two as each other's best friends every day. They fight hard and they play hard, but at the end of the day, this is where they want to be the most...

And speaking of best friends...here are a few more recent pics from around our house....

a random photo shoot...

Yesterday Kaden and Maddie happened to dress alike, so I decided to try to get a few cute pictures. The thought did cross my mind that I might dress Allie up and try to have them hold her for some pictures, but for her own safety, we did not include her in the photo shoot. Here are a few cute shots.

4 Months Old!

Allie Jane is 4 months old! I don't know how that's possible because we just brought her home from the hospital a few weeks ago. I really don't know where the time has gone. She is looking so big now! She is now smiling, cooing, laughing a little and just starting to roll over to her tummy in the last week. She loves watching her big brother and sister. She really is such a sweet and happy baby.

Allie's sleep schedule continues to have us a little on our toes...but it is a work in progress. It is sort of a one step forward, two steps back kind of deal. As in, one night I will toy with you and go right to sleep and not eat for hours. Then, the next night when you are just getting ready to put me down and have some time to yourself, I will pretend to go to sleep and then proceed to wake up every fifteen minutes for two hours. Then, when you fall into bed exhausted, I will decide every two hours that I am now hungry! She does this to be mean and spiteful to her parents...mostly her mother who does all the waking up.

Other than this totally unnecessary and selfish behavior, Allie is the most wonderful baby! She is getting the cutest little chubby cheeks and legs. She is so kissable and sweet. Her only complaint in this house might be too much attention sometimes from her siblings. At the moment she is laying across my lap because she had to be rescued from all the jewelry and hair bows that were being put on her. She finally got fed up and started screaming until I rescued her.

We are so thankful to God for our little Vanderploeg caboose. Turns out having baby #3 was not the stupidest thing we have ever done :) We are incredibly blessed.