Wacko Walker

Steve's boss gave us a walker for Lexi yesterday. I had heard those were dangerous, but we decided to let her only use it in the family room when we are in there. We put her in it last night while we were watching a moive and the boring tropical storm. Lexi doesn't have it figured out yet. She loves playing with the toys on the tray. When she is reaching for the different figures, she pushes off and glides backwards. She was having so much fun that she didn't want to get out to eat, so I handed her the bottle (that lasted a few minutes).

Waiting Game

Tropical Storm Ernesto is still headed towards us and life has become a waiting game. Could there be a better time to take pictures for Lexi's blog?

Funny Photo Day

Since we are busy preparing for Lexi's first tropical storm/hurricane (Ernesto), I'm just going to post photos. Those are better than long winded entries anyway.

7 Months Old Today

I can hardly believe that Lexi was born seven months ago. In some ways, it seems like it was only yesterday. Mainly though, I can't really remember what life was like before she decided to grace us with her presence.

The seventh month has not been easy. Lexi went on her first LONG road trip (Tallahassee) and got really tired of her carseat. She lost her nanny. She started daycare (this one she likes). Plus, her knees are raw with rug burns. Worst of all, she got sick for the first time and it developed into Bronchitis. Perhaps, I'll be responsible in the future if she turns into a hypochondriac.

Despite all that, Lexi has made several advancements including sitting, clapping, London bridges, army style scooting, being able to put her pacifier back in her mouth all by herself, holding her own bottles, name recognition of Dada, mini-tantrums for little or no reason, and alligator death rolls during diaper changes. There are also some things that the daycare ladies find interesting like the fact that she prefers vegetables over fruit (not a picky eater either way) and she is by far the most (hyper)-active baby they have. They left out the hyper part and just called it active, but I can tell that she is wearing them down. That's my girl! I certainly know that wrestling her is tiring.

One other thing, which happened this month, is that I actually left Lexi home alone with Steve (twice). For some strange reason, it hasn't happened before. I think I only left her home with him once for 10 minutes back in February. It has nothing to do with Steve. I guess it is mostly because he is working all the time. When I left for two and a half hours last Saturday (using my gift certificate for a massage), Steve asked if I was worried. I told him that I was more worried about what she would do to him than what would happen to her. In a way, that is true. They were great together though.

Happy 7 Months To Lexi!

First Full Day

Two weeks ago, I started thinking about my new schedule and how tight it was. Being a working mom and all that entails, like taking extra time to go to and from daycare, means that I have to prioritize. I also have to stick to a schedule to make it work. However, even though I have a schedule, it has not worked out even once in three weeks. Why?...

Lexi has not spent an entire day at daycare. Her first week, I focused on transition. Monday I picked her up at 11am and each day after that a little later. The next week, we were going to do full days, but it didn't happen. I called that Monday and she was extra fussy, so I picked her up. She has spent the last 2 weeks in the office (except the day and half I took off) with me suffering from a cold and later Bronchitis. Actually, we were both suffering from being sick and from the crazy situation.

Even though I work with people that are all VERY pro-baby, it is hard for me to deal with the extra stress of having her here. I swear every time someone had an important call; Lexi decided it was time to let out high pitched screams. She also has a 5 minute window of fussiness before falling asleep. That five minutes feels like an hour when you don't want to disturb everyone. Good thing, she is a chipper person, but she lets out a lot of happy shrieks too. On top of trying to do my work, I spend the whole day trying to keep her entertained and moderately happy. It wore me out. She is now feeling back to normal and I am still sick. I would rather have her with me, but it isn't working for either of us. She needs more stimulation than I can provide in the office.

Today, I dropped her off at daycare then went to a meeting several hours away. I stopped by again at lunch to check on her and give her medicine. She was sound asleep. I heard she was having a blast, so she'll stay all day for her first time.

Dealing with Paparazzi

Lexi is ready to be a movie star; just look at the way she graciously deals with the paparazzi.

Scooting Along

Lexi hasn't quite mastered crawling, but she is getting close. You can also see that she isn't miserable all day from being ill. She has moments of happiness. I can tell that she isn't herself. She usually has more energy and gets up on her knees and feet longer. She seems to love doing London Bridges.

Snot Nose, Skinned Knees, Biting & Coughing

Little Lexi is having a rough time dealing with a lot of different things. Last week, she started off with a little daycare bug and at the end of the week caught whatever her dad had. Saturday night, she sounded like she was trying to cough up a lung. At one point, she was coughing so hard that she threw up all over her dad. On Sunday, she was fussy and miserable, so we took her to Urgent Care. Her chest congestion was so bad that they wanted to do an x-ray to make sure it wasn't pneumonia. It took both of us to hold her down for the x-rays, while she screamed like a banshee. We left with three prescriptions for her. She hates how they taste. Every six hours, I have to force them in her mouth.

On top of that, she is still as close to crawling as a baby can be (daycare jumped the gun). I just wish we had better floors for her to do it on. We have Berber carpet in the bedrooms, which is causing rug burns and hard tile everywhere else. She either has sore little knees or hard crashes.

In addition, I think she is teething again. She started biting everything. Yesterday, she even bit my shoulder (ouch).

She needs a break.

Crawling & Bawling

I called the daycare this morning to check up on Lexi. They announced the fabulous news that she started crawling. Now, I am bawling. I hate missing milestones even though I know I'll get to see it this evening, all weekend, and until she starts walking. Realistically, I was expecting it to happen soon, because she has been so close. Last night, I watched her on her hands and knees rocking back and forth. She was staring at her hand like she wanted to pick it up, but did not feel stable enough. I'll try to get a video clip this weekend to post here.

Confession of a Bad Mom

See that red mark on Lexi's head (click on the picture to enlarge)? Guess whose fault it is...mine! I picked her up from daycare at noon because she was refusing to eat (still feeling ill). Unfortunately, she might have been better off staying there. It all happened during lunch. I put her in the stroller and belted her in. When I was almost done, she started fussing so I picked her up. I put her back in for a minute to grab some water. This was the FIRST TIME I did not strap her in AND OF COURSE, she slipped through the bottom. She didn't fall all the way out; her head and arms were trapped by the tray so she was dangling and screaming. It was only a matter of seconds, but she ended up with red mark on her forehead. Poor girl! It is a wonder that most of us make it to adulthood.

By the way, she is napping peacefully in the picture (not passed out). She doesn't mind when I touch the red spot, so I think the redness is more of a matter of sensitive skin (like I have). Oh, & yes I realize that she'll probably have to go to therapy after I get done with her.

Cranky Pants

Lexi was not her usually chipper self on Sunday. She still smiled and laughed, but had moments of crankiness. Mid-morning on Monday, it was clear why. I called the daycare to see how she was doing and they said she was extremely cranky. So, I picked her up and brought her right back to the office. She felt a little warm and soon began having a runny nose. It was obviously her first cold or illness for that matter. Since then, she has been spending her days with me at work. On one hand it is very nice having her near, but trying to get work done while dealing with a cranky baby who has a runny nose isn't fun. Overall, I guess I am lucky to work at a place where I can bring her. I would hate to think how much of my sick time would disappear while she gets use to daycare bugs.

Dolph Fan Training

Football season has begun and Steve is already training Lexi to be a fan. She even has 2 Miami Dolphin outfits. We went to some friends' house on Saturday to watch the first pre-season game. Lexi shrieked and cheered. ...Ok, so it was from all the attention she got not from being a crazed fan like her dad.

Morning in the Park

Steve had to work on Saturday, so Lexi and I went to the park. We walked on the heart trail and saw the ducks. Actually, the ducks followed us to the car begging for food. I suppose most people with strollers remember to bring duck food. Next time...

Sitting Up & Still Spitting Up

Sitting Up

Uncanny Resemblance

Last weekend, my cousin kept saying that Lexi looks like my mom. I always notice a resemblance to my brother (Clayton) at times and at other times her dad (Steve). This morning, I snapped some photos of her in a dress that my mom made. I thought it would be nice to post on the internet. As I was looking through the pictures, I saw that bottom one & had a mini-deja vu. I suddenly saw an image in my head of a baby photo of my mom. I think it was her one year photo. Perhpas, I will have to try to find it this weekend & post it.

Que Linda

Lexi is still very happy with daycare. I am pretty sure that she will be bilingual since Spanish is the only language the baby lady speaks. When I went to pick Lexi up yesterday, I heard her singing to Lexi. She also said "Que Linda" (beautiful) about 100 times. Lexi LOVES all the attention. She seems to get a lot more attention than the other kids. I don't know if it is because she just started, or if it is because she is the youngest, or if it is because she is just the cutest baby they have ever seen. (Moms are supposed to feel that way, right?)

Daycare Delight

morning of

parking lot

in the office

This morning, the moment I have been dreading since I got pregnant came. I had to take Lexi to daycare. I was quite depressed the entire weekend just thinking about it. The sadness mounted on the drive there as both of us were unusually quiet. I snapped a few photos of her in the parking lot while trying to avoid the inevitable. Another mother stopped to ask me if it was her first day already knowing the answer by my actions.

As soon as we walked in the door, everything was fine. The owner reached out for Lexi and she went right to her. Lexi stared at the other kids in amazement while I finished the paperwork. I gave her a kiss before leaving, but she was still fascinated by the kids. About an hour and a half later, I called to check up on her and was told she was doing well. She had cried a little, but not much. At 11 am, I went to pick her up. I found her playing on the floor with two adorable babies. She was as happy as could be.

Actually, I kind of felt guilty for taking her back to my office because I knew it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. I was right. She would have been happier at the daycare. It is just too difficult to keep her thoroughly entertained and get work done. Now, I am wondering what to do the rest of the week. I had planned to have her do half days at daycare and half days in my office. I want to be with her, but will that be selfish on my part? Maybe, I'll just extend the time each day and see how she does.

Under the Pack 'n Play

Most babies play in their Pack 'n Play, but Lexi found a new way to entertain herself. She should probably find a better hidding spot for hide & seek. It didn't take me long at all.

By the way, I am testing out how to post video on this blog, so tell me what you think. In the future, I hope to use better ones, but this is a test. It may take a minute to come up.

Last Day with Nanny McPaige

Lexi is losing her nanny after today. There will be no more bottle feeding, rice cereal mixing, diaper changing, comforting or even giggling between the two. I am sure they are going to miss each other more than either of them know. Hopefully, aunt Paige and little Lexi are living it up on their last day together.

Blessings of Great Joy

Lexi with Granddad George, Dad, Mom, Grandma Margie & Malcolm

Lexi with Uncle Chris & Uncle Clay

Lexi with cousins Kaylie, Amon, Zak & Miriam

Several months ago, Steve decided that he would like to have a religious ceremony for Lexi. He wanted to know what people do, so I told him about different religions and their ceremonies. I also reminded him that he had seen her cousin Amon get blessed by my brother, Clayton, who is a devout Mormon. Steve liked Amon's blessing and thought it would be a great ceremony for Lexi. He also liked that it would be a chance to do little more bonding with my family by asking my brother to bless her.

On Sunday, Lexi was blessed in Clayton's ward in Tallahassee. There were quite a few family members present. Steve's dad (Granddad George) and my sister (Aunt Paige) rode up with us. My mom (Grandma Margie) and her husband (Malcolm) flew in from San Diego. My Aunt Sue & Uncle Fred, who live near Tallahassee, went. Of course, both of my brothers and sister-in-law (Katie) that live in Tallahassee were there. Plus, Lexi's cousins (Clayton's kids) attended.

That morning, we arrived a little early to make sure we had a great seat near the aisle. Once the opening prayer, song and general announcements were over, Clayton picked Lexi up and walked to the front of the church along with my brother Chris and my Uncle Fred. They stood in a circle holding her and Clayton offered a very sweet prayer. He spoke about her joy and her ability to teach her parents wonderful things. He also asked that she would be watched over and blessed. She was very quiet and simply played with my brother's goatee. As he walked back to our seats, I looked over at Steve and saw his tears of joy.

Shot in the Dark

Lexi had her 6 month check-up yesterday, a bit late, but I didn't want her to be suffering from the shots on our trip. Her new stats are ~ weight 16 lbs, 6 oz and height 26 & 1/4".

Unfortunately, the nurse on duty was the one that was there for the 2 month check-up. She really needs to work on giving shots because she just jams them in. I doubt a shot can be anymore painful than the way she gives them. Lexi suffered for more than a week the first time. She had five jammed into her yesterday and it is going to be a rough recovery. For the first time last night, Lexi didn't move around in bed. Normally, her legs are in constant motion, but she is trying to avoid using them. I tried to help her kick them hoping it would get some of the knots out, but she just stares at me with a sad look. She is a tough little trouper though. Next time, I am going to call and make sure the other nurse is on duty or reschedule.