days and life of alexandra

easter

2010-04-15T18:57:00.005-05:00

Here is a video of Alex's first easter egg hunt! She was so funny because she would see one in the distance, point to it and then walk towards it to put it in her basket. It really didn't matter that she would walk past 14 other eggs. She had 4 different easter egg hunts and did really good with all of them. Enjoy!

First Haircut!

2010-03-28T20:31:00.002-05:00

Right before her first cut!

Halfway through!

We went to get her haircut and she did great! Of course I forgot the camera, so these were taken on a cell phone and that is why they are smaller than usual. She was looking at Miriam (her hair "stylist") very suspiciously and let her do the cut for a while. Towards the end she did get upset but I turned the blow dryer on her because she really likes that. We got a certificate for her first haircut with a little baggy of her hair attached which was really cool. The haircut itself is short and she looks like a boy again! Oh well she will grow it again and have long luscious ponytails!

Where and what is Alex doing??

2010-03-22T22:23:00.004-05:00

So sorry that it has been so long that I have updated but some things have gotten in the way, such as

1. Multiple watchings of Yo Gabba Gabba have fried the adult part of my brain

2. Too much good tv that has made me into zombie on chair.

3. Lap top computers that don't want to cooperate.

4. Houses that don't have the ability to clean themselves, darn it.

So now that you have my excuses please forgive me and enjoy this new blog!

Alex is so stinking smart! I just can't believe how much she knows and surprises me everyday! She has 4 teeth (2 on top and 2 on bottom) and is cutting 2 more on top! So that means that she is very fussy right now and has breakdowns at any given moment. She is getting so independent and gets very upset if she can't do it herself. She is not eating table food yet but we are working on it. We had her 15 month check up and she weighs 22 pounds and 33 inches long.

She loves building with her blocks and knocking it down. Check that belly out!

She loves to go for rides in her wagon and likes to sit in it even in the house. It is a constant getting in and out and back in and back out. In and out, over and over. She looks at you with such joy everytime. It is bananas.

So I will post more later with some videos but my computer doesn't want to cooperate at the moment with that. So hopefully soon. Alex loves you all!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-11T22:19:00.003-06:00

silly face

So much has happened in the past two months but I will focus on the most recent things. Alex is getting so big and can actually RUN now and is starting to climb. Which just drives this anxious Momma totally bananas!
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mountain climber

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She has 4 teeth coming in (the two top ones first, one on the bottom and it looks like we might have a fang tooth on the top). She doesn't seem too bothered by it and that totally relieves me. She has had multiple ear infections and due to her decreased hearing we brought her to an ENT who put tubes in her ear this past Tuesday and she is doing great. She loves to explore and to be outside (especially in her wagon).
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happy rider

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She is talking jibberish all the time and looks at us as though we should be understanding it all cause it is really important (she points her finger at me when she talks like this and shakes her head).
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sad because Mommy won't turn on the wii fit

Alex is a delight and a blessing to both Andy and I. We are glad that we can share her with you and hope that you get a little bit of happiness from her smile. More updates/pics/videos soon!

Christmas and 1st birthday portraits

2009-12-06T10:36:00.002-06:00

Alex went to have her portraits done for 1st birthday and Christmas on Saturday. She did really good and loves the camera! I can't believe that she is almost one!! Enjoy the pictures!

Halloween and Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T15:44:00.007-06:00

OOh la la!

Sorry that it has been sooo long since my last post but now that Alex is walking/running it is a lot harder to get away to post. First of all, Alex's Halloween was great. We went to our church's fall festival and she loved the live band that they had there. Here is the outfit she wore; I am glad that we didn't dress her up in any costumes because it turned out to be a pretty hot day and all the costumes for her size were really fluffy/thick.

Halloween Baby

Bad Hair Day

Alex reading her book

First French Fry

Alex has been growing really tall but not gaining any weight. She has been at 19 pounds for 3 months going on 4. I contribute that to the fact that she is on the go from the minute she wakes up to the minute she goes to sleep. She is running around and getting into everything. You have to keep one step ahead of her because I still really haven't baby proofed anything. We have just done the bare minimum. We are switching her to whole milk now and I am trying to get over my anxiety of feeding her table food. Today I gave her a little of everything I ate which included : A piece of tortilla from my frozen breakfast burrito, a bunch of pizza goldfish, and a french fry. She went totally crazy over the goldfish. As soon as I got the bag from the pantry she was begging for them. She must recognize it from school because I always see the other kids eating them but I thought that she needed teeth to eat them. She proved me wrong.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we went over to my Mom's. She was really good at sitting at the table with us and she had turkey, sweet potatoes, squash and a little bit of roll. I probably should have just mashed up what we were eating but I just gave her the Gerber foods. She loves being at her Grandmas house because it is a new territory for her to explore. So I will update again soon. Her first birthday is coming up on December 9th and we are amazed that we got this far. Everyone is asking what she likes/needs. She loves pushing things (like a big truck/grocery cart) and pulling things (like a toy on a string). She loves building blocks or rings. She wears a size 12 (a little big but gives her room to grow) and a size 5 shoe. She loves board books. So there are some ideas for birthday/Christmas.

FYI: Andy has become a connoisseur of Yo Gabba Gabba.

WHAT A MONTH!

2009-10-24T14:53:00.004-05:00

Ok, it has been a while since I have blogged but a lot has been going on! Alex is walking!!! She is a terror on wheels. October has been busy, busy. Alex had her baptism, her first "parents night out" and has been talking/crawling/walking up a storm. Alex started really crawling the last week of August and now has been walking since October 10th. I didn't get enough time to prepare!! I have stuff all over the house that can hurt babies! So it has been a mad dash to put everything up and get everything organized into NO areas and YES areas. Alex really understands the difference and we use furniture to block off areas to make a playroom. It seems that the more I put up, the more I see that needs to be put up.

Alex was baptised on October 11th and she did great! I was worried about her screaming/crying/throwing a fit in church but she did sooooo good. Andy wanted to hold her during the baptism (and all the time) and when the pastor put the water on her head she didn't even squirm. Not the case when I am trying to wash her hair. It was a great day and she was pooped after playing with all her friends/cousins.

The Friday before her baptism, the church had a parents night out that Alex attended. They would watch Alex from 6 - 11pm for the evening and we took advantage of it (at least from 7-10). When we dropped her off she was elated to be at school at night and when we picked her up she was elated to be at school at night! The teachers said she was just going going going all night. We walked into the nursery and the lights were off and all the kids were sleeping except for Alex who was blabbering away to the teachers, standing in her crib. She talked all the way home and then just passed out as soon as we got home.

So not only is she walking but dancing as well. She loves the beginning of Yo Gabba Gabba and in this video you can see a little of what she does (she toned it down some because of the camera)

bumps and bruises

2009-09-27T18:01:00.002-05:00

Alex thinks she can walk and has been hitting her head ALL OVER the place. I am probably close to having CPS called to my house due to all the bruises on her forehead. The above pic is the best I could get of her new black and blue look. She is getting much better at walking and can take 2 steps before falling but if she is holding on to something she can go and go and go! So in the last month, she has gone from crawling to trying to walk. I can't even get a couple of months of just crawling! Here is a video of her walking with her car toy.

Giggle Fits

2009-09-19T18:42:00.007-05:00

Alex's new thing is giggle fits. She will start laughing at something and then she can't stop. She will go on like this for 15 minutes. This video shows one particular giggle fit she had when I was doing a little dance and you can see her try to dance with me by shaking her head. She is so into music and dancing right now!

We went to a restaurant today with her and she didn't do very well. I will continue to try to get her to do things but it really discourages me when she acts like a toot. She really isn't that bad but she squirms and doesn't like high chairs. At least she doesn't like those wooden ones that most restaurants have. There are a couple of restaurants that have great highchairs (Saltgrass) and I am always hoping for those. Well, it is always difficult to enjoy meals and conversations when you are worried that your child is going to throw a major attitude in the restaurant. My family always helps out and my Mom is like the fastest eater ever so she took over so I could eat.

We have a new toy and it is fabulous. It is a fisher price laugh and learn kitchen. If you have a little babes, get it! It holds Alex's attention for a looooong time and it has so much on it for her to play with.

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T16:34:00.004-05:00

Well, it has been a while since I have blogged because there is a lot going on right now! Alex was sick and had double ear infections. One ER trip, lots of throwing up, and multiple doses of antibiotics later, she is better. Still has stuffy nose and cough but much improved. Alex is now crawling with the best of them and also is pulling up to stand. She can move sideways when holding onto the coffee table or tv stand and thinks she can stand by herself so she will let go and promptly fall on her booty. She is walking really good in her walker and will probably be doing it on her own pretty soon. This morning we went to the park in the neighborhood and fed ducks. They have a little park that had one of those bucket swings and Alex loved swinging! Here are some pictures/video.

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First day of school

2009-08-19T08:59:00.003-05:00

Yes, I cried. I am still crying. I am glad that I took the day off.

She was a very happy baby this morning and when we got to school she got very quiet. Her eyes were really big and she was watching everyone! There are only 8 kids in her class at this time but her teacher says that will change as the year progresses. By this time next year she will be in the next class (18 month-2 yr). It took a long time to get in the building and get to her classroom. There were a lot of parents there with the older children and it was really crowded. So we dropped off Alex with her teacher and had to turn medications (diaper cream, tylenol, etc.) into the school nurse. That took a while because she had to check the expiration date and labels on everything. When we went past her room again, I had to look in and she was sitting at the table still with her thumb in her mouth looking sad. Poor baby! I was fighting the tears the whole time and finally just had to cry. boo hoo.

Last day before school!

2009-08-18T11:00:00.006-05:00

It is the last day of Alex being "home" and as she naps, I am reminiscing. She has come so far and I am so proud of her. It seems like she has grown up so much in the last week and I am having trouble keeping up with her. As soon as I get used to one thing she is doing something else. She is starting to crawl and pull herself up. She is starting to walk (with assistance) and talk (she says bobo, dada, uhoh).

Tomorrow I am finally putting her in Nursery school and, although I know it will be really good for her, I am sad that I will be missing things. Although I have been at work for the last 3 months, I was still basically "in charge". I was the one who made the schedule and planned her meals. Now someone else will be doing it. I took comfort in knowing that Alex was eating green beans for lunch. Now I just bring a whole bunch of food in and the teacher picks what she eats. I could call my family any time and see how she was doing but now I can't.

Geez, sorry for the somber mood-- I really don't know how I got to rambling!! Anyways, I still have a whole bunch of stuff to do. Right after I finish this I am going to fill out all the forms for the over the counter stuff. I have to fill out a form for EVERYTHING!! Even diaper cream. So then I am going to clean- I have already started (you can see the big fat mess from my cleaning behind her in the video) cleaning out the hall way closet. That closet is ridiculous. Enjoy the video of the squirt as she "eats" her puffs.

You know, the best thing about being a mom is that you have healing hugs and kisses. Today Alex hurt herself, started crying, looked for me and grabbed at my shirt. As soon as I picked her up and gave her kisses she was better. I love being that person for her. I am in love with my baby!!

8 months

2009-08-14T05:54:00.005-05:00

Our baby girl is 8 months old and I can't believe it! She is getting so big and smart now. She is almost crawling--she gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth. She can go backwards but not forward. She is much more interested in standing and pulling up on things. She can pull herself up but not for long which makes us very nervous.

She is starting nursery school next week and I am really excited to see how she does. She loves to watch babies and kids so school will be very entertaining for her. I am also happy that she is going because she is getting extremely spoiled!! Everything is about her right now and she knows it. She is very vocal when not getting her way or what she wants (she grunts very loud, it is not a pretty ladylike sound either). So I am sure at nursery school she won't be getting what she wants right away and maybe the grunting will stop?? Wishful thinking I am sure.

She has enough hair now to put a tiny little bow in (see above pic) and it doesn't bother her so you will be seeing that bow a lot now. Her daddy is in love with her and they watch sports together and she acts like she is interested. She is starting to want to do everything herself and is really into feeding herself. We took a video for you to see how her face lights up when we let her do it.

It didn't last

2009-07-29T21:35:00.009-05:00

Alex pulled out her earrings and we couldn't get them back in. No damage was done, it was a clean pull. I told her that if she didn't let me put them back in that Daddy was not going to let her have earrings until she was 20 but she didn't care. She screams bloody murder when ever you touch her face, ears, gums, etc. She does not like to be messed with. I didn't think those suckers would be so hard to get back in but we tried for a whole day before we gave up.

Well, in other news-she is soooo good at sitting up now and can "scoot" around the room. It is at least her version of scooting (rolling and using furniture to push off of). She has gotten on all fours occasionally but doesn't know what to do from there. She loves to eat solids now and is losing all interest in the bottle. We are moving to second stage gerber foods this weekend and I am excited because they have combo foods like "squash and corn", "cherries and apples" and "garden vegetables". I can't wait to see Alex's face when she gets a mouthful of those.

She is not sleeping as well as she has in the past and I think that might be because of some teething issues or bedtime ritual issues. She wakes up once at night (around 2am) and then about half an hour early for her AM bottle (5:30am). This does not make a happy mommy or daddy. We were used to getting a full nights rest and then "bam" she changes it up. Holy toledo.

Any kind of change in her schedule is like the end of the world for her. Last Sunday we brought her to church which is right during her naptime and it screwed up the whole day and night for her. So we try to keep her to her nap schedule and food schedule but it is so difficult to get her to eat her bottle lately. She would eat green beans 15 times a day but her bottle is something that she wants to play with. I am trying sippy cups now and she just can't get the hang of it. I also tried a straw cup but she couldn't get the liquid all the way up. I could see it only go 1/4 of the straw. Poor baby girl.

Her next Dr appt is in Sept. and I am not looking forward to it because of the vaccines. She is old enough now to kind of know when bad stuff is about to happen and I really try to not get hyped up. It is just not in my powers to not get anxious. Here is a video of Alex squealing and putting her paci in her mouth.

June and July

2009-07-15T19:40:00.006-05:00

We have been soooo busy with summer! Alex has been "swimming" in the pool. Basically that consists of her sitting in her float while Mommy and Daddy zoom her around the pool as she kicks like crazy. She is still doing good eating her solids but is not really liking the fruits. She LOVES green beans and squash, she likes peas, carrots and sweet potatoes, HATES bananas and tolerates peaches. She also has been spending a lot of time in her walker (see pic below) and hasn't quite figured it out yet. She thinks it is a jumper and will jump up and down when she first gets in.

Alex can now sit up on her own and can almost crawl. She rolls around the floor and can do it fast! She can't get into sitting position by herself but if you prop her up she can stay sitting for a long time. She doesn't have any teeth yet but I am sure they are coming soon because drooling and crankiness are increasing. Below is a video of her and her Daddy playing doggy.

She also saw her first parade on July 4th in her Gma and Gpa Masons neighborhood. It was a really good parade with lots of kids and animals dressed up. The fire engine at the front of the parade had their siren on and I thought it would scare her but she was fine. I don't think she was really that impressed at all the costumes but her Mommy was.

notice anything?

2009-06-24T16:51:00.003-05:00

She got her ears pierced today! She only cried for a minute and was totally fine afterwards. She hasn't pulled on them yet or even figured out they are there so hopefully that won't happen. The only problem we had is Daddy got a little light headed and had to step out of the room before we even began! LOL! We had a choice between pearls or gold studs (they were out of the diamonds-of course) and we chose pearls. Now she will not be mistaken for a little boy anymore!! yeah! Alex is doing great and hopes you were all here to play with her.

6th month portraits

2009-06-18T20:18:00.002-05:00

We got some portraits of our little chicken done and here are the pics! Check out the next blog for some info on what Alex is doing now!

6th month portraits

2009-06-18T19:58:00.006-05:00

Here are some more portraits. These are the proofs from her session so when you see my arm that is cut out of the actual picture.

So much is changing with her and she is making so many new noises. She has really gotten the hang of eating solid food and you can't get it in her mouth fast enough. She is eating squash, green beans and peas; She likes all of these and we are starting carrots this weekend. She has also been in the pool a couple of times and kicks like crazy! I think we will definitely have a little tadpole pretty soon. She is trying so hard to sit up that it gets her frustrated. She doesn't quite have it yet. Andy has taught Alex how to open the mailbox and it is pretty much the highlight of her day. She gets so excited that she starts panting before they get to the street and she rips the mailbox lid open to get the mail inside. Then she proceeds to get it all slobbery by licking it. If only she could pay the bills instead of eating them.

Happy half birthday!

2009-06-09T19:15:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that it has been 6 months already! Wow it has really gone by. Happy 6th month birthday to our little baby girl. We celebrated by giving her squash and oatmeal. Doesn't that sound good??? Yummy. Alex is now really getting into eating and likes to try to feed herself. She is eating squash and green beans and likes both of them. Here is a video that shows her eating skills.

We went for our 6 month checkup yesterday and she checks out fine. 26 1/2 inches long and 16 pounds. No teethies yet. Dr says she looks great and warned us to put sun screen lotion on our fair skinned baby cakes! Here is a pic when she was born so that you can see how much she has changed!

Bad Baby

2009-06-03T21:48:00.003-05:00

I have been trying to get her new "cry" on tape for a few days. This is the best I could do because as soon as she sees the camera she turns into a happy baby (as you can see on the video).

Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T09:46:00.006-05:00

Today Andy came up to me and said "I think I have water in my ear" to which I said "go put some alcohol in it to dry it up". Andy then said---- "I am not going to waste a beer." I can't wait until it is Alex saying stuff like this.

She is really jumping in her jumper now and wants to be in it all the time. The video above shows her jumping capabilities!

Can you just see the attitude in this picture? What a messy oatmeal baby!

Long Weekend ahead!

2009-05-24T10:01:00.003-05:00

Ok, so it is already Sunday but we are sooooo excited to have an extra day to play with Alex. We are also starting her on solids again starting this time with oatmeal. She seems so much more interested in it this time. If I could only get her to stop moving her whole face to the spoon and stop doing the motorboat I think it would be a lot cleaner. (But that is the whole joy of feeding a baby right?)

She can now touch her toes to her nose and lick them too! When she does put them in her mouth she gets this face like she ate a lemon. She is also doing a lot better on her tummy. She can prop herself up on her elbows and look around. While on her stomach she can scoot around a bit but not much. She can roll to either side and can roll from stomach to back. I haven't seen her roll from back to stomach yet but I am sure it is coming. She never wants to be on her back anymore and her favorite activity is standing up like a big girl.

So Alex is ready for some fun in the sun and I wish all of you were here to see her! She is getting such a little personality and it is hilarious! She loves to make people laugh and to be the center of attention. I took her to the grocery store yesterday and usually she would sleep through it all but now she was smiling at everyone. She would smile and act coy to all the gentlemen and flirt with them. Of course everyone always looks at her and she loves it!

America's Next Top Model!

2009-05-06T20:10:00.003-05:00

Americas Next Top Model

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Alex is doing great even though mommy is back at work. I am part time this week and then I go to full time next week. Alex seems to not be bothered by this and my time with Alex is so much more appreciated!

Things Alex can do now:

1. Hold her bottle - but only when she is really hungry

2. Roll over to each side and has rolled over onto her belly and back again twice

3. Make all sorts of sounds but mostly ehs, ahs, and shrieks.

4. Stand and sit with help

5. Grab her foot and almost get her foot into her mouth.

6. Sleeping through the night (from 9pm-8:30am)

7. Loves watching TV especially the Astros (baseball)

Alex holding her bottle

These are only a few of the things I can think of right now. She is going to get her 6 month check up next month and also get her portraits done again! So you will hear from me then!

Check out this head

2009-04-28T09:40:00.006-05:00

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Alex has really been growing hair lately. All of a sudden she got a lot of hair but it is blond and can hardly see it. I took some pictures of it so you could see.

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She has grown out of her vibrating bouncy seat and it is so sad. She loved that chair and it gave mommy some "not holding baby" time. She doesn't seem to have a great attention span now. She will only play in her jumper for about 20 min. Before she would stay in there for an hour or until she passed out.

I have given up feeding solids at this time. She did good the first feeding but with the second feeding she knew what was coming and was not having it! I tried rice cereal and oatmeal but she just wasn't digging it. Andy and I decided to wait until she showed more interest in eating. I was really looking forward to feeding her solids but we can wait. She was just getting more and more upset every time we fed her.

Last night in Houston we had a lot of really heavy storms come through. A lot of thunder, rain and lightning. I was very scared that Alex would wake up but she slept right through it (unlike her Momma). I am so proud of her!

First feeding!

2009-04-20T10:37:00.005-05:00

Alex had her 4 month old visit to the doctor and had her vaccinations. She is now 14 pounds 12 ounces and 26 inches long. Way tall for a 4 month baby. Dr said that she was a little underweight for her height but nothing to worry about. Dr also wants her to start eating solids so here we go! So we started with rice cereal today and she did really good.

She actually opened her mouth to let the food go in but had issues with swallowing it. Baby and Mommy had been practicing with the spoons so it wasn't a complete surprise but I was expecting a lot more spitting and mess then there was. She did eventually get fussy, so we stopped.

Here is a video of her eating and about at the fussy stage. Sorry about the video going sideways at the end; I still have not figured out camera/video technology.

Hoppy Easter!

2009-04-12T09:14:00.006-05:00

Yes, we got our 4 month old an easter basket. It basically had two books for baby and candy for Mom and Dad! Here are some more pictures of Alex's first easter.

Easter surprise!

Alex's Easter Basket

The End! (bunny butt)

Baseball is back!

2009-04-06T21:25:00.004-05:00

Alex and her Daddy watched her first Astros game! Andy is very excited to start watching the games with his girl. I made "sliders" for the grownups and a good time was had by all, except maybe the Astros (they lost).

Alex wearing Mommy's hat!

Yummmy, mini hamburgers! Beautiful weather and cooking on the grill!

Alex talks!

2009-04-03T19:59:00.004-05:00

I finally got it on camera! Please turn up the volume and enjoy the video of Alex "talking"

My child has gone bananas!

2009-04-02T20:50:00.002-05:00

Alex is a creature of habit. She has to have things done the same or she has a complete meltdown. So when Daddy (who usually puts her to sleep) had very late softball games on Tuesday night and Mommy had to put her to sleep, she was NOT having it. She fought me the whole way and finally went to sleep at 11:30 at night, only 20 minutes before Daddy got home. Since then her sleeping has gone totally wonky. I am exhausted. I need a magical Mommy to come in and take over so I can have a nap! Just when you thought it was safe to sleep, she changes everything. Mwah mwah mwah hah!

Dancing with the stars!

2009-03-30T21:29:00.004-05:00

Alexandra is pretty fascinated with the TV. She LOVES dancing with the stars. I don't know if it is the movement on the screen or the music or both. Maybe it is all the hot male dancers? Anyways, here is a pic of Alex and her daddy watching Lil Kim's awesome tango. Alex gave it a standing ovation!

Also I was accused by my husband of always posting sleepy pictures like this one.

How can you not think that is so stinking cute. Look at those lips. I might be biased. The reason that I only pick the sleepy ones is because when she is awake she is always moving and those pics always come out blurry (might be the operator of the camera) or she looks totally bored because it takes so long to take the picture (also fault of the picture taker). Here is an example of Alex just waiting for mommy to take picture.

Alex also has a new buddy. His name is Mortimer the Moose. She loves him and has secrets that she tells only him. Here is a picture of her with Morty (you can see his nose)

4 months is coming!

2009-03-27T09:50:00.004-05:00

Wow, I can't believe this little girl is almost 4 months! She has come so far and I love watching her grow. She is now looking so much like Andy (at least I think so) and when you put her flat she will try to sit up. It looks like she is doing crunches! If you let her grab your fingers she will pull herself to sitting position, she just can't do it all by herself yet. She is also grabbing everything! Check her out in her swing - she is grabbing the bar like the swing is going too fast!

I only have one more month with her before I go back to work and we have been looking at daycare, childcare, nannies, etc. It is just so sad to me that she will have to go but I see her at home sometimes being totally by herself and I want her to be around other kids. I just took this picture of her sleeping on her jumper - she will play until she goes to sleep!

She is actually using her pacifier now but totally prefers her hand. She puts her tongue on EVERYTHING! Andy has nicknamed her the slugger because it feels like a slug going across you when she licks. She also has two animals that she loves to slug. One is a little bear on a blanket (you can kind of see it in the pic above between her and the chair) and the other is a dog. We call these sluggie bear and sluggie dog. She will slug them to where they are sopping wet!

Can anybody can guess what this adorable little girl is doing in the above picture? HINT: it involves a big diaper change.

Did you know that you can leave comments? Also if you like a picture and want to save it to your computer you can right click on it?

12 weeks- 18 years to go

2009-03-04T11:55:00.005-06:00

Blurry Smile

Ok, I only have 18 more years to go with out dropping my baby again. Well dropping is a serious word, basically Alex slipped off the bed and hit her head on a wood ottoman on Monday. It totally freaked me out. She was crying right away and I picked her up and she stopped crying. Being a nurse I do know what to look for but when it is your baby all thinking goes out the window. I did a neuro exam- in other words all extremeties were moving, no vomiting, pupils were equal,round, reactive, and baby was smiling! What? baby was smiling, cooing, etc.?? Did I knock her silly? I needed 2nd opinion so i went to the ER. Alex ended up being ok and was actually flirting with the very cute doctor. She was giving him smiles and talking to him. I think if I wasn't married that I would've done the same. At least my girl has taste. Dr said she might have bruises or black eye but 2 days later she looks like nothing happened. I feel like a terrible mommy for this but I am happy nothing is wrong.

Also Alex has a jumper that she loves--she loves it so much I can't take her out until she is practically sleeping. She is not big enough for it (she is suposed to be 4 months or something like that) but she has such strong legs I want to take advantage of that so I put her in it anyways. She can't reach the ground so I put a pillow or book under her so she can bounce. When she bounces it lights up and makes sounds but she has found out that if she hits her head on the side of the chair it makes the sounds with out having to do the physical activity (obviously taking after me). I have solved that problem; I put a blanket between her and the front of the chair. I can't have her hitting her head too much this week right?

Sleeping in jumpy chair

People have asked where I got the cute bow in a previous post and I would like to give a shout out to one of my oldest friends, Tiffany. She is a stay at home mommy that has a business making bows, etc. Please visit her site and support the SAHM-- http://www.mybowlady.com/ . They make great gifts (especially for Alex).

Jedi baby

On an end note, I have changed the music because some people have complained about the songs (Andy) but I still stuck with The Beatles (except the pina colada song). These are all the songs I sing to Alex because really these are the songs I know the words to. If I knew the pussycat girl songs I would sing those. Please listen and enjoy.

Beat box baby

11 weeks almost 12!

2009-02-27T11:40:00.011-06:00

Gosh, it has been a while since I have posted! Alex has really been keeping me busy now. We had a pretty exciting couple of weeks. We saw Pops and Mimi and our friend Christy. She is so good around people and I hope that continues. I hope she doesn't get shy or scared of friends and family.

Her sleeping at night is a million times better because Andy has taken over bedtime and he has a magic touch. She is now in bed by 11 pm and pretty much sleeps through the night except for one time around 3am to eat. She wakes up at 7am and then takes multiple naps through out the day. Mommy is getting a lot more sleep and is able to take care/entertain Alex during the day.

She has learned to smile, kick, wave her arms (in the air like she just don't care), almost grabbing things, and shrieking. The first time she shrieked was when she was on the changing table and we were playing hokey pokey and she was really getting into it and shrieked, all of a sudden her face stopped smiling and she was surprised. I think it scared her that first time but now she does it all the time. She has learned that if she kicks her legs while in the bouncy chair that her animals above her move. That can entertain her for about half an hour. Also she loves her floor gym, see the videos for your enjoyment! She is kick crazy!

She usually kicks and talks a lot more but she never does it when the camera is out! She is camera shy. We are excited about the weekend because Daddy will be home and Alex is going to see G'ma Mason!

Babies smell fear!

2009-02-06T12:11:00.010-06:00

Not unlike a wild animal-- I think babies can smell fear. Especially Alex. She will sleep in her crib all day (little naps here and there for about an hour at a time) but as soon as night time comes she won't.

I have narrowed it down to fear. I think about her sleeping in the crib at night all day long. I think I HAVE to get some sleep tonight, so nighttime comes and the fear and anxiety starts. And she won't sleep in the crib. I pretty much obsess about it.

We have tried keeping it very quiet, playing music, swaddling her, keeping it dark and leaving a light on. We tried holding her until she sleeps and then putting her down. As soon as she hits the crib her eyes pop open. It is like a magical baby waker-upper. But during the day she will sleep in the crib with no problems. In fact we have had a handyman here doing some work on the house and he was banging, drilling and basically making a lot of noise and Alex slept right through it in her crib.

I have deduced that it is because during the day I do not have that fear that she will not sleep in the crib. I only have that fear and anxiety at night. So yes my daughter is like a wild animal. She smells my fear of no sleep for the mommy.

Picture of Alex sleeping in crib

Otherwise, baby is doing great. She had her 2 month check-up and other than a little reflux and baby acne, she is right on target! She is now 11 pounds 2 ounces and 23 1/2 inches long. She had her first set of vaccinations (2 shots in each thigh) and she was fine until 3 hours later when she started to scream bloody murder! The doctors office failed to tell me that we needed to start her on Tylenol every 4 hours for the first 24 hours. Well, I forgot to ask also but I thought that my baby would be different--yeah right, when will I ever learn?

Here is a picture of her as Andy and I try to comfort our little monkey butt. We just gave her Tylenol and yes she is naked.

nursery pictures

2009-01-29T14:03:00.004-06:00

Here are some pics of the nursery-these pictures are kind of deceptive. My carpet, glider, wall and lion are not all the same color but looks like it.

Here is a close up of Alex NOT sleeping in her crib.This is my fabulous glider that we fall asleep on quite regularly. That weird white slinky thing in the corner holds her toys.

This is her closet door which I put some stickers on.

I put her name on the wall because I always secretly wanted it myself!

Alex loves her daddy

2009-01-28T23:31:00.012-06:00

Alex and her Daddy have a special bond. Mostly it involves sleeping on him. He is more comfortable than mommy because he has a flat chest and a deep vibrating voice. Also it seems like when she has been a complete stinker all night for me, she will be an angel once Daddy takes over. We have so many pictures of Alex and Daddy in this same pose. I chose this one because it looks like she is holding on to his shirt to keep from falling.

Andy is such a good daddy and great mommy helper. Check out these shelves he put up for mommy so she doesn't have to reach the too high cabinets for supplies!

Also, he got me this cool coffee machine that makes cappuccinos and lattes one at a time! Since I am not a big coffee drinker, I just wanted one cup and I was having a hard time making a pot of coffee that tasted good. This does it automatically! He also got me a organizer for the little pods that go in it! How fantastic!

OK well I know you guys want info on Alex and see pics so here it is. She is still in growth spurt stage but getting a little better. She is being extremely fussy today though! She has found a new squeal that kinda freaked me out at first. Also she is pretty sick of me taking pictures and videos of her. Check out this pose--no autographs please!

Alex has her next Dr's appointment on February 10th and I will be updating you with stats on height and weight. Also, will be posting pics of the nursery soon-hopefully today!

7 weeks old

2009-01-27T08:15:00.001-06:00

Well, Alex is going through a growth spurt and can't seem to get enough food right now. Her schedule is as follows -- eat lazily for an hour (about 4-5 ounces), spend 15 min holding all my burps in from mommy and daddy, 30 min of sleep (very restless-with arms and legs still flailing about), and then finally waking up screaming for food prompting mommy to spend 15 minutes trying to get pacifier in baby's mouth cause she CAN'T be hungry again. Needless to say I am not getting anything done and minimal sleep -- BABYWATCH 2009!! What happened to eating every 4 hours?

Along with this growth spurt Alex has developed baby acne. It doesn't look too bad if she is calm but as soon as she starts crying and getting really red in the face it looks horrible! I want to slather anti acne cream all over it but Dr says it won't matter. Hormones are the culprit! I wonder if it itches-it looks like it would itch. The pic below really doesn't show it but it is just a cute pic (I might be biased).

I was thinking yesterday that if I didn't make the decision to stay home with Alex that she would be in daycare by now. 6 weeks is the standard maternity leave. With baby being almost 7 weeks I can not imagine her going to a child care center now because she is so needy. How can someone take care of her and 10 other babies? I have a hard time looking after just her! I am turning into an overprotective mommy.

Alex has a bouncy chair that has vibration and she digs it. Especially digs what it does to her feet-she sticks her feet on the vibrating part and spreads her toes, look at the pic :)

6 weeks old

2009-01-23T12:19:00.001-06:00

I can't believe that she is 6 weeks old! The time has gone by so fast and it seems that she is developing even faster now. I sometimes catch her smiling and she is now making eye contact. Still eating like crazy and only sleeping when held. Mommy and daddy are trying to get her to sleep in the crib. She had her newborn portraits done on her 6 week birthday and slept through the whole thing even though she had hiccups! I had to really jostle her around to get the one pic where her eyes are open!