Born: July 19, 2007
Alyssa Renly Morris
Latest updates:
(Newest entry now up top)
(Newest entry now up top)
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Jan 21, 2008 - (Special guest entry written by mom!)
Sorry for the delay in updates! Alyssa and Chloe have kept us quite busy since November. So this will be a
December/January update. So many things have been happening - let’s see if I can remember all of them.
In November, mom and dad went for a long weekend to the Finger Lakes in upstate NY. Mammie and Pappy came here
to watch Alyssa and Chloe. While they were thrilled to watch Alyssa, Chloe was a different story, chewing everything she
could find – and chowing down on an entire roast when they weren’t looking. But they managed through her trials and
tribulations and of course, Alyssa was an angel.
When we returned home, Alyssa really began showing off what she could do. She found her voice — which was
hysterical. She also learned how to put her passy in her mouth by herself (at this time, she was only 4 months). She
also found her feet! Toes are very yummy and she loved to eat her socks. Every time we turn around (still!!), she had her
socks off!
She has also started smiling at us without reason, which just melts our hearts.
December was also a busy month. We had fun decorating our new house inside and out, but quickly realized we need a
lot more holiday items, since this new place is bigger. Alyssa loved the tree and the lights – and really loved Christmas
morning. It wasn’t so much the presents that she enjoyed, she just wanted to eat the wrapping paper. She got lots of
great gifts and tons of clothes, which were needed as she had started growing out of her 3 month clothes.
She turned five months right before Christmas, which turned out to be a big time for her. In month five, she learned to
completely roll over on both sides; learned to eat cheerios by herself; began talking a lot more and started to entertain
herself (which gave us a nice break).
She really loves Chloe - and Chloe loves her, especially when she gets the chance to lick Alyssa ‘til she is clean after
she has eaten dinner (inevitably causing Alyssa to laugh hysterically). Chloe, no dumb mutt, has also learned to sit by
the highchair when Alyssa has Cheerios. Yay for poor motor skills! More oaty treats from the sky!
Alyssa’s first New Year's was good. We went over to our neighbors house for a family fun event. She was being held a
lot and loved every minute of it, pulling her socks off and eating them and talking to herself, while mom and dad
celebrated.
Chloe, not to be left out, also enjoyed New Year’s. Chris made meatballs to take to the party. He left them on the counter
to cool, while he dashed to the store to pick up some gravy mix. I was playing with Alyssa, which was all the distraction
she needed. The next thing I know, Chloe had eaten all but 10 of the meatballs!
After Christmas, Alyssa started to enjoy her new toys. The exersaucer is one of her favorite and her legs are getting
stronger from jumping in it. She chews on everything—doesn’t matter, it goes straight to her mouth. She has also
started a new habit, which we call thumping. She
lays on her back, raises her legs and thumps the floor with all her might. Once that gets old, she’ll roll over. She gets a
little stuck here – and inevitably frustrated. She’ll see something she wants in front of her and try to move toward it, only
to end up scootching backwards.
This month she has continued to become more and more mobile, rolling around, kicking, talking, smiling, and even
sitting up and playing (well, we have to help her into a sitting position).
Five days before her six month checkup, she finally cut her two bottom teeth. She hasn’t really enjoyed the experience,
but they are very cute – and sharp. (We think she bit her finger one evening, which surprised the hell out of her.)
She is growing so fast and getting cuter everyday. She loves to laugh and smile and continues to enjoy her baby food as
well as yogurt now. She got a great report on her six month check up — still in the 90% percentile! She is ahead of
schedule with sitting and scootching, but then again, as you might have heard, she DID get a 10 on her Apgar.
Oh, you want pictures? Sure thing! We've got PLENTY of new ones here.
Sorry for the delay in updates! Alyssa and Chloe have kept us quite busy since November. So this will be a
December/January update. So many things have been happening - let’s see if I can remember all of them.
In November, mom and dad went for a long weekend to the Finger Lakes in upstate NY. Mammie and Pappy came here
to watch Alyssa and Chloe. While they were thrilled to watch Alyssa, Chloe was a different story, chewing everything she
could find – and chowing down on an entire roast when they weren’t looking. But they managed through her trials and
tribulations and of course, Alyssa was an angel.
When we returned home, Alyssa really began showing off what she could do. She found her voice — which was
hysterical. She also learned how to put her passy in her mouth by herself (at this time, she was only 4 months). She
also found her feet! Toes are very yummy and she loved to eat her socks. Every time we turn around (still!!), she had her
socks off!
She has also started smiling at us without reason, which just melts our hearts.
December was also a busy month. We had fun decorating our new house inside and out, but quickly realized we need a
lot more holiday items, since this new place is bigger. Alyssa loved the tree and the lights – and really loved Christmas
morning. It wasn’t so much the presents that she enjoyed, she just wanted to eat the wrapping paper. She got lots of
great gifts and tons of clothes, which were needed as she had started growing out of her 3 month clothes.
She turned five months right before Christmas, which turned out to be a big time for her. In month five, she learned to
completely roll over on both sides; learned to eat cheerios by herself; began talking a lot more and started to entertain
herself (which gave us a nice break).
She really loves Chloe - and Chloe loves her, especially when she gets the chance to lick Alyssa ‘til she is clean after
she has eaten dinner (inevitably causing Alyssa to laugh hysterically). Chloe, no dumb mutt, has also learned to sit by
the highchair when Alyssa has Cheerios. Yay for poor motor skills! More oaty treats from the sky!
Alyssa’s first New Year's was good. We went over to our neighbors house for a family fun event. She was being held a
lot and loved every minute of it, pulling her socks off and eating them and talking to herself, while mom and dad
celebrated.
Chloe, not to be left out, also enjoyed New Year’s. Chris made meatballs to take to the party. He left them on the counter
to cool, while he dashed to the store to pick up some gravy mix. I was playing with Alyssa, which was all the distraction
she needed. The next thing I know, Chloe had eaten all but 10 of the meatballs!
After Christmas, Alyssa started to enjoy her new toys. The exersaucer is one of her favorite and her legs are getting
stronger from jumping in it. She chews on everything—doesn’t matter, it goes straight to her mouth. She has also
started a new habit, which we call thumping. She
lays on her back, raises her legs and thumps the floor with all her might. Once that gets old, she’ll roll over. She gets a
little stuck here – and inevitably frustrated. She’ll see something she wants in front of her and try to move toward it, only
to end up scootching backwards.
This month she has continued to become more and more mobile, rolling around, kicking, talking, smiling, and even
sitting up and playing (well, we have to help her into a sitting position).
Five days before her six month checkup, she finally cut her two bottom teeth. She hasn’t really enjoyed the experience,
but they are very cute – and sharp. (We think she bit her finger one evening, which surprised the hell out of her.)
She is growing so fast and getting cuter everyday. She loves to laugh and smile and continues to enjoy her baby food as
well as yogurt now. She got a great report on her six month check up — still in the 90% percentile! She is ahead of
schedule with sitting and scootching, but then again, as you might have heard, she DID get a 10 on her Apgar.
Oh, you want pictures? Sure thing! We've got PLENTY of new ones here.
March 17, 2008 - You see, it’s not that we haven’t been updating the site. Um, it’s just that we only let a few select
people see those updates. And they were in other countries. I mean planets… I mean… Ok, we suck.
In our defense, February and March have been pretty turbulent months at Morris Manor. It has hardly been all bad
(some of it has been terrific), but it has certainly been busy. Let’s start with February, shall we?
Those days of us being able to plop Alyssa on the ground and not having to watch her super closely? Those are gone
forever. Alyssa began sitting up on her own last month and really started getting around on her belly. That has since
turned into full-fledged crawling. She’s not scooting all over the place, even pulling herself up onto tables and couches
and standing with little assistance. (If we put our fingers out like handles, she’ll grab ‘em and pull herself up on her
own.) It’s fascinating watching how fast these changes have taken place. She went from an occasional one-step crawl
to speed trials across the family room in under a week. Any illusions we had about our baby staying that way have
been obliterated.
Back to February, though: Eager to get out more, Chantel and Alyssa signed up for a mommy and me class, which
both absolutely love. Dad has been able to attend a number of the classes as well – and treasures every time he goes.
The class is filled with a number of other babies Alyssa’s age – and a great group of really nice parents. Joe, Sarah,
Mabel and Joel seem to be Alyssa’s new posse. We’re setting up a playdate for them all to get together outside of
class soon – and hope to have pictures of that when it happens. The class has all kinds of activities that facilitate
learning and stimulate her. She has done summersaults, walked (with assistance, natch) on balance beams,
discovered bubbles and bee spun around on a brightly colored parachute (her favorite).
The big February news, though, is Alyssa is now stuck with us for life. On February 22, the adoption became final.
While it was basically a dotting-the-I’s/crossing-the-T’s hearing, it was still a relief to get past it. Aside from finishing
out the court proceedings, this hearing allows Alyssa to get a new birth certificate issued in our names.
It was dreary day, weather-wise, but we didn’t pay much attention to that. Alyssa was dressed up nice for the judge,
who was the same one who had handled the preliminary hearings. Mom and dad both had to testify, which was kind of
amusing as Alyssa sat in our lap, babbling and playing with the nipple of a bottle in the midst of the courtroom.
Both of our families were there for the hearling, which made it extra special: Mammy, Pappy, Granny (technically great-
granny, if you’ve read previous updates), Nana, Granddad and Uncle Kevin and Aunt Christine drove down from
Nashville to be there. It was really an incredible moment.
That night both of our families went RB's on Shem Creek to celebrate. The food was fabulous and it was nice to
actually sit down with everyone and enjoy each other.
By happy coincidence, the court date coincided with Granddad’s 70th Birthday (on the 15th), so we all flew down on
Valentine’s day to surprise him. (I know, we’re not really going in chronological order here, but this is a stream of
consciousness update.)
As far as surprises go, it was a doozy. Aunt Jen, Uncle Lovell and cousins Cole, Donovan and E.N. met up with us on
the 15th and we drove up and rang the doorbell. Granddad wasn’t expecting any of us and was very pleasantly
shocked. We all spent the entire weekend introducing Alyssa to her cousins and enjoying one of the better moments in
the family’s history. (Be sure to check out the picture of Alyssa and Cole rocking out in the new photo gallery!)
The only real downside of the trip is that Alyssa had caught a cold a few days before we flew down. That should have
been our first warning of the fun to come, but we ignored it. Then, on the 14th, she refused to nap – at all. (Warning
sign two.) After a long drive to the airport, we learned our flight was delayed by 45 minutes. (That’d be sign three…)
Once we boarded and pulled away from the gate, we were told we would be sitting on the tarmack for an hour and
fifteen minutes before taking off. (Warning sign begins to smoke at this point.)
Needless to say a 7 month old gets tired of being held. She did well, napping for a bit of the flight and playing with the
magazine and on the floor for the rest. She disarmed the other passengers by smiling and flirting, so we didn’t get any
scowls when people got off.
Unfortunately, Alyssa's cold continued to get worse, so she wasn't sleeping much, which quickly took a toll on mom
and dad. Well, more mom, to be honest – as that’s the only person Alyssa wanted around her. Chantel took her to the
pediatrician in Charleston to get looked at, but her ears and chest were still clear, so there was nothing they could do
except tell us to wait it out. That’s medically sound, I suppose, but it’s sure frustrating when your child can’t breath and
a harsh cough. The only way she would sleep was on Chantel on the couch or in the old queen-sized bed (which is
closer to a full-sized bed) we sleep on in Charleston. We sleep in a king at home – and Alyssa has her own bed. As
you might guess, no one slept well.
So, while the adoption was finalized and Granddad got a great birthday present during the 10 day trip, we were more
than eager to get home – especially when mom got sick as well. (Mammy, also, was sick as a dog and Pappy
underwent knee surgery. Fun, huh?)
We came home on the 25th. Alyssa did very well--she slept the entire flight – and finally began to get back on
schedule, now that she was back in her own bed and in her own environment. She still was sick, though, and mom got
worse on the plane. After a night with a particularly scary cough, we took her back to the doctor, who said she had
developed a bronchial viral infection. This meant she had to begin taking prednisone and albuterol, two scary steroids
for a little baby (well, in dad’s eyes, at least). The albuterol had to be given via a nebulizer, which is a scary looking
misting mask. The first treatment was 10 times worse than having to watch your child get a shot. Alyssa was scared
and fought it hard, thrashing about and looking more helpless than we’d ever seen her. Once we got home, she would
let dad hold the mask in front of her and remain fairly calm. The two medicines together really helped her and she's
been fine since. No more cold or cough and she is fully back to her routine.
She’s now sitting in highchairs in restaurants and munching whatever food you give her. Her favorites are saltine
crackers and Cheerios. She still only has her two bottom teeth, but the top ones continue to threaten to cut through any
day now. Now that she can crawl everywhere, she inspects the carpet and finds all kinds of things. (Of all times for the
vacuum to be broken!) She has such a big space to play, but she'd rather go under the end tables and coffee tables,
where she can conk her head – which she does with great regularity.
Mom, meanwhile, is back to full heath. Dad got swept up in a round of layoffs at work, but has loved the time he’s
gotten to spend with Alyssa for the past month – and has a few irons in the fire. So, as you can see, we weren’t
exaggerating when we said it has been hectic. We’ll try to do better with updates moving forward, but with this crawling
thing going on (and she seems to be eager to walk), who knows if she’ll give us the time to do so!
In the meantime, we have a HUGE new gallery of pictures for eager aunts and grandparents… It’s right here.
people see those updates. And they were in other countries. I mean planets… I mean… Ok, we suck.
In our defense, February and March have been pretty turbulent months at Morris Manor. It has hardly been all bad
(some of it has been terrific), but it has certainly been busy. Let’s start with February, shall we?
Those days of us being able to plop Alyssa on the ground and not having to watch her super closely? Those are gone
forever. Alyssa began sitting up on her own last month and really started getting around on her belly. That has since
turned into full-fledged crawling. She’s not scooting all over the place, even pulling herself up onto tables and couches
and standing with little assistance. (If we put our fingers out like handles, she’ll grab ‘em and pull herself up on her
own.) It’s fascinating watching how fast these changes have taken place. She went from an occasional one-step crawl
to speed trials across the family room in under a week. Any illusions we had about our baby staying that way have
been obliterated.
Back to February, though: Eager to get out more, Chantel and Alyssa signed up for a mommy and me class, which
both absolutely love. Dad has been able to attend a number of the classes as well – and treasures every time he goes.
The class is filled with a number of other babies Alyssa’s age – and a great group of really nice parents. Joe, Sarah,
Mabel and Joel seem to be Alyssa’s new posse. We’re setting up a playdate for them all to get together outside of
class soon – and hope to have pictures of that when it happens. The class has all kinds of activities that facilitate
learning and stimulate her. She has done summersaults, walked (with assistance, natch) on balance beams,
discovered bubbles and bee spun around on a brightly colored parachute (her favorite).
The big February news, though, is Alyssa is now stuck with us for life. On February 22, the adoption became final.
While it was basically a dotting-the-I’s/crossing-the-T’s hearing, it was still a relief to get past it. Aside from finishing
out the court proceedings, this hearing allows Alyssa to get a new birth certificate issued in our names.
It was dreary day, weather-wise, but we didn’t pay much attention to that. Alyssa was dressed up nice for the judge,
who was the same one who had handled the preliminary hearings. Mom and dad both had to testify, which was kind of
amusing as Alyssa sat in our lap, babbling and playing with the nipple of a bottle in the midst of the courtroom.
Both of our families were there for the hearling, which made it extra special: Mammy, Pappy, Granny (technically great-
granny, if you’ve read previous updates), Nana, Granddad and Uncle Kevin and Aunt Christine drove down from
Nashville to be there. It was really an incredible moment.
That night both of our families went RB's on Shem Creek to celebrate. The food was fabulous and it was nice to
actually sit down with everyone and enjoy each other.
By happy coincidence, the court date coincided with Granddad’s 70th Birthday (on the 15th), so we all flew down on
Valentine’s day to surprise him. (I know, we’re not really going in chronological order here, but this is a stream of
consciousness update.)
As far as surprises go, it was a doozy. Aunt Jen, Uncle Lovell and cousins Cole, Donovan and E.N. met up with us on
the 15th and we drove up and rang the doorbell. Granddad wasn’t expecting any of us and was very pleasantly
shocked. We all spent the entire weekend introducing Alyssa to her cousins and enjoying one of the better moments in
the family’s history. (Be sure to check out the picture of Alyssa and Cole rocking out in the new photo gallery!)
The only real downside of the trip is that Alyssa had caught a cold a few days before we flew down. That should have
been our first warning of the fun to come, but we ignored it. Then, on the 14th, she refused to nap – at all. (Warning
sign two.) After a long drive to the airport, we learned our flight was delayed by 45 minutes. (That’d be sign three…)
Once we boarded and pulled away from the gate, we were told we would be sitting on the tarmack for an hour and
fifteen minutes before taking off. (Warning sign begins to smoke at this point.)
Needless to say a 7 month old gets tired of being held. She did well, napping for a bit of the flight and playing with the
magazine and on the floor for the rest. She disarmed the other passengers by smiling and flirting, so we didn’t get any
scowls when people got off.
Unfortunately, Alyssa's cold continued to get worse, so she wasn't sleeping much, which quickly took a toll on mom
and dad. Well, more mom, to be honest – as that’s the only person Alyssa wanted around her. Chantel took her to the
pediatrician in Charleston to get looked at, but her ears and chest were still clear, so there was nothing they could do
except tell us to wait it out. That’s medically sound, I suppose, but it’s sure frustrating when your child can’t breath and
a harsh cough. The only way she would sleep was on Chantel on the couch or in the old queen-sized bed (which is
closer to a full-sized bed) we sleep on in Charleston. We sleep in a king at home – and Alyssa has her own bed. As
you might guess, no one slept well.
So, while the adoption was finalized and Granddad got a great birthday present during the 10 day trip, we were more
than eager to get home – especially when mom got sick as well. (Mammy, also, was sick as a dog and Pappy
underwent knee surgery. Fun, huh?)
We came home on the 25th. Alyssa did very well--she slept the entire flight – and finally began to get back on
schedule, now that she was back in her own bed and in her own environment. She still was sick, though, and mom got
worse on the plane. After a night with a particularly scary cough, we took her back to the doctor, who said she had
developed a bronchial viral infection. This meant she had to begin taking prednisone and albuterol, two scary steroids
for a little baby (well, in dad’s eyes, at least). The albuterol had to be given via a nebulizer, which is a scary looking
misting mask. The first treatment was 10 times worse than having to watch your child get a shot. Alyssa was scared
and fought it hard, thrashing about and looking more helpless than we’d ever seen her. Once we got home, she would
let dad hold the mask in front of her and remain fairly calm. The two medicines together really helped her and she's
been fine since. No more cold or cough and she is fully back to her routine.
She’s now sitting in highchairs in restaurants and munching whatever food you give her. Her favorites are saltine
crackers and Cheerios. She still only has her two bottom teeth, but the top ones continue to threaten to cut through any
day now. Now that she can crawl everywhere, she inspects the carpet and finds all kinds of things. (Of all times for the
vacuum to be broken!) She has such a big space to play, but she'd rather go under the end tables and coffee tables,
where she can conk her head – which she does with great regularity.
Mom, meanwhile, is back to full heath. Dad got swept up in a round of layoffs at work, but has loved the time he’s
gotten to spend with Alyssa for the past month – and has a few irons in the fire. So, as you can see, we weren’t
exaggerating when we said it has been hectic. We’ll try to do better with updates moving forward, but with this crawling
thing going on (and she seems to be eager to walk), who knows if she’ll give us the time to do so!
In the meantime, we have a HUGE new gallery of pictures for eager aunts and grandparents… It’s right here.