We went over to my parents' house for New Year's, and when it was time for Alyse to go to bed, we laid her down in the pack n' play and she went to sleep.
All was well, right? Wrong. Alyse had other ideas. She woke up at 11:45, wide-eyed and ready for the night. We tried laying her back down, but to no avail. Since we were going to leave soon anyway, we just decided to keep her up. So Alyse helped us ring in the new year of 2012.
Below are photos of the night:
Pre-Bedtime
Honestly, we weren't sure what Alyse was doing. She laid down on the floor and started scooting around on her back. Whatever the reason, she had fun doing it.
Video of the scooting:
Waking Up
Alyse was a little groggy, but pretty much wide awake since she refused to go back to sleep. She made sure she had her baby with her, because she can't go anywhere without her. :)
Me and Patricia
Ben and I took advantage of the late night wake up and took a family photo on New Year's Eve. Clearly Alyse is interested in other things, like what Nonna is up to. Kathleen was gone at a wedding, so we took pictures with the family that was there. I'm honestly not sure where Papa/my dad was during this time, but for some reason we don't have pictures with him.
My mom and Patricia
Mommy, Patricia and Me
Nonna/Mommy, Alyse, Patricia, and Me
The night ended with Alyse watching the ball drop with Nonna and Aunt Patricia. She was clearly still tired since she is holding on to Nonna's hand, but she was happy to be with all of us. Who knows, maybe she got scared when she woke up in a strange place late at night. At least we got to spend some more time with her.
While Alyse wasn't up for much of the festivities at night, on New Year's Day night she wore the Happy New Year hats and blew the noisemakers. Although at first she was confused with how they worked.
Alyse and Aunt Patricia
Alyse and Aunt Kathleen
By the time she got to sit with me, she wouldn't smile anymore. She just wanted down. Needless to say, we took this picture quickly and then dismissed the idea of Alyse taking a picture with Ben when clearly she was no longer in the mood for pictures. At least she enjoyed taking pictures with her Aunts. New Year's was a fun holiday with Alyse, watching her take it all in.