11.5 months old

The countdown to the big day is on! It's so hard to believe my baby is almost 1. How did that happen? She's so big now and so full of life! Let's see if we can update a little...

~~She's wearing size 12/18 month clothes

~~She's still wearing size 3 diapers and they fit nicely

~~She has officially grown out of her size 2 shoes but some size 3's are still too big

~~She is drinking less and less fomula

~~For breakfast she is eating, dry cereal, waffles, or scrambled eggs

~~She drinks milk from her sippy cup

~~ She gives high 5

~~She claps

~~She does "sooo big"

~~She plays peek-a-boo by lifting her shirt or dress up to cover her face

~~She loves to be chased

~~She dances when people sing or she hears music

~~She watches Yo Gabba Gabba, Sesame Street, and Barney

~~She just recently started eating Lucky Charms and Trix

~~Her bedtime is 7:30pm

~~She wakes up at 7:30am

~~She took five steps

~~She stands alone

~~She crawls super fast

~~She cruises like a pro

~~She can climb the stairs

~~Still loves her binkie

~~Still eats stage 2 baby foods. I sometimes give her them if I feel like she hasn't eaten very healthy that day

~~She spits food out if she doesn't like it

~~Recently she has been sleeping on her back (maybe because it's hot out now)

~~No longer uses the jumperoo or exersaucer

~~The skin on her face/chin is allergic to baby wipes. She breaks out in a red rash

~~She can walk using her push toys

~~She keeps trying to dig in her toybox and falls in

~~She waves hi and bye when someone waves to her

~~She started a mommy and me music class at the YMCA in April and she LOVES it!

~~She went on her 1st vacation- New York city

Party planning

I've become slightly obsessed with planning Alexa's party. I've had a theme and colors picked since January. I've had a guest list written up for months and I even started making decorations a month ago. In my free time I like checking out party planning websites and I stalk the pictures just to brainstorm ideas. I've always loved throwing parties but celebrating this little ones first year of life has brought my party planning to another level. Last month when I started cutting things out with my cricut I was excited to be making things. This month I do it with a bit of a sadder face. It's so hard to believe that she's really going to be one. When I was doing things so far in advance I felt better about it all because I knew I was going overboard and doing everything super early. Now I know I really need to get on the ball so the closeness of it all is starting to scare me. It seems like just yesterday I was getting her dressed and ready to come home from the hospital. All of the emotion is just still so fresh in my mind. I remember the pride I had as I walked her in the stroller down to pick up Abby and Nathan from their last day of school. I remember how excited they were to see her for the first time outside of the hospital walls. They had this "can't believe she's actually ours" look on their faces. We pulled together as a family in those first few months and it made us all stronger. The love we all share for her is a common thread in everything we do around here. She has made us all happier. I can't wait to see what this next year brings. I'm sure in another blink of my eye I'll be writing another post but then it will be about her approaching 2nd birthday. I hate to even think it!

I'm kicking myself in the butt these last few months as I've been a real slacker with her baby book and even just updating her calendar has become a task. She's doing new things and making news faces and sounds everyday it's just become so much harder to record. She's just a ball full of silly energy. Most recently she's been a real scaredy cat. Anytime someone opens the front door she stops what she's doing and quickly scrambles to a standing position and tries to climb up off of the floor and onto the nearest person. She'll grab and reach for you until you reach down and scoop her up. Loud noises scare her. Quick and sudden movements get her scrambling also. A total goofball I tell you! This past week I had been giving her whole milk in her sippy cup in the morning since her spitting up had become almost nonexistent. Well that all took a turn for the worse on Friday night at Nathan's boy scout banquet. I had been letting her snack on just about anything small enough for her to eat. As we neared the end of the night I let her have some of my oreo cake. Not even five minutes later I was wearing half of it down my jeans. She had thrown up all over herself and my pants. And this wasn't just a baby formula pukey smell. This was a full grown manly tummy yucky smell. Sour milk to be exact! I just about threw up in the hallway cleaning her up. To make a long story short...she hasn't had milk since. I am however hopeful that she does not have a milk allergy. And I guess I should leave you with happy thoughts of my bundle of joy. One of her newest tricks is by far my favorite. She has become a dancing queen! Anytime music comes on the TV or even if Nathan busts out a beat Alexa and her booty are shaking. If she's no where near something to pull herself up with she crawls like lightening to the nearest piece of furniture so she can pull up and bust a move. I laughed so hard yesterday I actually had tears streaming down my face.

Ok. Well of to dreamland for me. It's already 1:30am. I have to be up in 6 hours to get the rugrats ready for school. Oh yea and hopefully we'll get a few good 11 month photos in.

Daredevil

So the littlest munchkin has learned to climb up the steps. At first, I'll admit, I was excited to see her learning something new. Now? Not so much! Today I let her climb up four steps hoping it would take some of the fun out of it and she'd be over it. Boy was I wrong! She's doing it more then ever! Even after falling off the bottom step and bumping her head..nothing stops her! I must get myself to BRU this weekend and pick up another gate. It does however stink that our wall doesn't start until the second step so she'll still be falling off the bottom step. This is way better then falling from the 5th step right?

I also took a few minutes today to take her 10 month onesie pictures. I know, LATE! She's already 10.5 months. Better late then never is my motto. She looked as adorable as ever.

We've started to receive her JB birthday cards in the mail. I think it's really starting to sink in now that she will inevitably be turning one very shortly. I've been so swept up in the fun of party planning that sometimes I forget that she actually has to leave babyhood and enter toddlerhood. Boo-hoo! can't be too sad though. I've treasured every minute of these last 10.5 months. Every night time cuddle. Every boo boo. Every smile. I don't feel like I've missd a thing. I make a conscious effort everyday to appreciate every little things she doing. Oh for instance...on Friday as I was cooking dinner she decided it would be a great time to pull out every single pot and pan that we own. She loves opening the cabinets and drawers. She has even started pulling up and leaning on the oven door. Again, a trip to BRU to baby proof the kitchen. For so long I thought she was never going to crawl and now here she is standing on her own, cruising everywhere and a ball full of energy.

10 months old

Alexa turned 10 months old on April 16th. We celebrated by doing nothing but lounging around for the day. The days seem to go by so fast with her and I just want to capture every memory and engrave it in my memory. But since that's almost impossible I'll have to try to capture them here.

At 10 months old she:

~~eats 25 oz of formula a day
~~eats 1 jar of fruit and a small cup of rice/oatmeal cereal for breakfast
~~eats 1 jar of veggies and bits and pieces of what we are having for dinner
~~still drinks soy formula
~~eats puffs, cheerios, cereal bars, biter biscuits, toddler graduate meals, and just about anything that can be broken down into small pieces
~~she gives me a hard time about drinking formula from a cup but will down a cup of juice
~~drinks her bottle in the high chair and if put on the floor to drink it she won't finish it because she gets distracted and wants to get up and crawl away
~~is wearing size 3 diapers still
~~doesn't soak thru her diapers at night anymore
~~goes to bed at 7:30/8:00pm
~~wakes up at 7am and sits and plays/talks in her crib until 7:30am
~~ always wakes up happy in the morning and after her morning nap
~~always wakes up grumpy from her afternoon nap
~~loves sleeping with her satin "bankie"
~~stands up in her crib and turns on the mobile music
~~will spit out the binkie in her mouth and pick up another one near by to "switch" binks
~~ loves dances to the chicken dance (Easter decoration)
~~crawls super fast
~~can stand unassisted for about 30 seconds
~~cruises along all furniture
~~is exploring the entire house now and doesn't just hang out by the coffee table
~~gets into all of my bow stuff when I'm working
~~fake coughs and imitates someone when they cough
~~will laugh just because someone laughs
~~lays her head to the side when I saw "Awwwww"
~~has just started trying to clap
~~went to her 1st music class yesterday and loved it
~~doesn't give me a hard time about wearing headbands but will take it off and play with it if left unattended like in the car
~~loves music and anytime we sing to her
~~will lay her head of my shoulder as I sing "Hush my little baby" before I put her to bed
~~will give someone a kiss if they say "Give me a kiss" and say "Mmmmmmmuah"
~~is warming up to other people and lets Aunt Amanda and Mom Mom hold her with no problem
~~HATES Juan and Uncle Frankie
~~stands up in the bath tub and tries to crawl to get her toys
~~fits in size 2 shoes but they're getting very snug
~~only enjoys the jumperoo if she's in it outside
~~loves taking walks in the stroller
~~hates mulch or dirt being on her hands and gagged when she touched it
~~loves the swings
~~says Mom mom mom and dadada but not regularly
~~hates getting dressed or having her diaper changed
~~has 2 teeth on the bottom

Just a Mommy moment

Sometimes on Friday or Saturday night I bring Alexa into bed with me in hopes of getting an extra hour of sleep in the morning. Saturday night I did this. She was still pretty sleepy and actually rested her head on my shoulder as I carried her from her crib to my bed. She hadn't done this in months and I loved it. We wrestled around for a couple of minutes trying to get comfy. When we finally snuggled in we laid there eye to eye. She was awake but tired. She struggled to hold her eyes open. Almost as if she just couldn't bare to stop looking at me. She fought it and stared. As she stared she smiled. She was so in love and so was I. Finally the sleepiness got the best of her and her eyes closed. The sweetest part though was how the smile stayed on her face. There was no other place she'd rather be then in my arms cuddled up in Mommy's bed.

Growing and changing every day

Again I update with so many changes. On Saturday March 12th Alexa crawled for the first time. This was 4 days before she turned 9 months old. F-i-n-a-l-l-y! We were all sitting around eating lunch getting ready to head out to go swimming at the YMCA. I happened to look down at her playing on her tummy on the floor and she did it. Out of no where she just did it! So then I scooted her back and told everyone to watch her. I put a mozzarella stick on a plate on the floor a few feet from her and sure enough she did it again. We all clapped and cheered. I rewarded her with a cherry dum dum, her first one ever and she loved it!

It was around this time that she really started to master pulling herself up onto her knees. She'd do it holding onto the recliner, the coffee table, my leg, wherever she could. I knew it was only a matter of a few days before she started pulling up to standing. Sure enough on her 9 month birthday she did that too and even cruised along the table! Burt and I couldn't be any prouder. But soon we remembered why we enjoyed her immobility so much. Boy is she getting into everything! Her favorite thing to do by far though is to crawl to the coffee table and stand there holding on. She's just so happy with herself.

Last night Nathan had her chasing after a box of corner guards we bought from BRU. Every time she'd get close to the box he'd pull it away again. She's crawl as fast she she could to the box again and he'd pull it away. He actually got her to crawl from the living room to the dining room and back again. This has been the most crawling she's done at once. I'm enjoying every second with her. Never again will I take for granted my ability to get pregnant. For now I think of her as being my last baby even though we plan on trying to conceive again in June.

Love to watch you learn

Alexa,

As your nine month birthday rolls around I'm forced to think back again on these past months and think about how much you've changed. From my "chicken little" to my "baby bear". I've watched you learn some of the most basic skills and yet I couldn't be prouder. I remember those first few tries at tummy time that prepared you for holding up your head that prepared you for rolling over that prepared you for sitting up that prepared you for getting up on all fours and now here I sit glancing over at you while you're trying to crawl. You're such a happy baby and that makes everyone happy. If someone looks at you you smile. If someone talks to you in the grocery store you smile. Your social skills are great and everyone enjoys being around you. You make people happy. Most importantly you are happy. You've changed our lives in so many ways. Every one of us is different now because you're here. Abby is so much more patient. She's a teacher and loves to show you new things. She has learned a selflessness that I haven't yet seen in her. The other day I watched her as she let you bang on her prized keyboard. Never would she let your brother do that but you, no problem! You were having fun so she was happy to let you do it. You love her and you light up when she smiles at you. One day I hope for you two to be the best of friends. To share secrets, to turn to one another for advice or just a shoulder to cry on. I sometimes think of future holidays and think about how full of laughter our house will be when you both have children of your own and we sit down for Thanksgiving dinner. Nathan has become so much more nurturing. He loves to help you do things. And he's the best at making you laugh. Everything he does is silly to you. You stare at him just waiting for his next move. He's your big brother, your protector and he does a great job at it. Daddy has learned a softer side of himself. He too is so protective over you. God forbid Mommy grabs your arm too fast when I'm dressing you! I've learned to never take things for granted, Every day is a miracle and I'm so lucky to be able to kiss you good morning everyday. For so long I thought I would never have this chance again. I thought my luck had run out. But God was only letting my heart grow bigger so that I could love you the way I needed to. You've taught me to trust in His plan. He knew I needed you to make my heart whole again and you're even better then I could have ever wished for. I love you Alexa Lynn and I hope to live a long long time letting you know it every day!