Class Hat Day & Bike Injury

Lexi's teacher decided to reward their good behavior by letting the whole class have a hat day today.  As you can see, Lexi went with her cowgirl hat.   

The other interesting thing about these pictures is the big band aid on her neck.  Sometimes band aids are an indication of an interesting story.  This one happens to be hiding/healing her first bike injury.  Yesterday evening, I took the kids out to the water park parking lot so Lexi could practice riding her bike.  At one point, Jordan for some unknown reason got off of his bike and darted right in front of her.  She swerved to miss him and even recovered only to turn her head back to yell at him, which caused her to crash into a little rock wall.  As she was going down, her handle bar flipped up and jabbed her neck. 

Perhaps, this is a little lesson for her in letting things go or handling things calmly.  Of course, this incident upset her and through tears she declared that riding a bike was dangerous.  I made her get right back on and ride until the complaining was over.  Maybe that sounds harsh with her neck all swore, but I kept thinking about all those years of hearing that when you get bucked off of a horse, you climb right back on.   Fortunately, she doesn't seem at all traumatized by yesterday's event or my few moments of tough love.  

Bike Rider

Lexi officially became a bike rider today.  I asked Steve to take her training wheels off at the end June.  She didn't even get to try it once before we headed off to California.  When we got back, it was WAY too hot for bike riding.  All of my friends told me that in Texas, bike riding is a fall/winter/spring activity.  Summer is only for swimming.  The first time she finally got to try it was 4 weeks ago when my brother was here.  He helped her with a few of the basics.  She loved to complain that it was too difficult and dangerous (sounds just like I did).  I took her last weekend too.  Only a few times was I able to let go of her for a few seconds. It was kind of a pain running along side of her.  It was also hot, so we didn't last long.  

I knew we had to go this morning, despite her complaints.  I decided to find a parking lot rather than a trail like we'd been doing.  I figured that would make it easier to help her & watch Jordan.  I was astonished how quickly she went from being completely dependent and grabbing onto me for dear life to riding by herself - maybe 10 minutes.  After she realized that I wasn't really holding on, she wanted to try it herself.  That was it...away she went.  Now, she tells everyone it is EASY.  She still needs to practice starting by herself.  She managed a few times, but got frustrated by it many times.  Hopefully, soon he'll be saying that starting is easy.

First Missing Tooth

Lexi's first tooth fell out this afternoon. When I picked her up from school, she showed me that she could wiggle it with her tongue. Once we got home, like she often does, she pulled out her left-over snacks. She was munching on carrots when I happened to look over at her and see that her tooth was missing. I had her spit out what was in her mouth, but it was too late. The tooth was gone. I guess she swallowed it.

She cried a little at first because she was surprised and because she wanted money from the tooth fairy. I told her that she might want to write a nice note for the tooth fairy. I am guessing that the tooth fairy would have sympathy for her and still give her a little money.

First Hair Cut

Lexi and Jordan had their first hair cut today. Last year, one of my friends told me that her daughter and son (who are spaced exactly the same as J & Lexi) had their first hair cut at the same time. I thought that was pretty neat, so we did it too. We did a walk-in appointment at a local place. They got a booster seat out for Lexi and she enjoyed making faces in the mirror while her hair was cut (trimmed a little). Afterward, she made sure to get a sucker for her and Jordan.



Enjoying her Sucker

Panties to Bed

Last night, Lexi wore her panties to bed for the first time. She has been wearing pull-ups at night for a little less than a year. Lots of different moms told me that their kids were fully night potty trained right about their 3rd birthday, so I haven't been thinking about it much. However, her pull-ups are almost always dry in the morning, so why spend the extra money? I decided that I wasn't going to buy any new bags. I had planned to wait for us to finish up this last bag, but then realized it would be nice to keep some on hand in case her stomach isn't feeling too well one evening. Needless to say, her first night went well.

Potty Time

Sunday night when I felt the stars lining up, I decided to start officially potty training Lexi. Ok, so I really just realized that she had been making a lot of progress on her own and it was time for me to catch up and bump it up a notch. Monday morning, we put on the big girl panties and haven't looked back even when going out in public for a couple of hours. She had a few accidents the first day, but none since except for one that was entirely my fault. I just couldn't act fast enough with Jordan and everything else going on at the time.

As impressed as I have been with her progress, I was more surprised about her willingness to go #2. She actually is even better about warning me that she must go caca (a little Spanish left in her). The idea of doing that in her panties just disturbs her more. Several moms I know have mentioned that potty training for BMs took longer.

She still has a few more hurtles like going in a toilet that isn't ours. She prefers to hold it, which I can't blame her. I am not fond of using other restrooms either. I have taken her many times this week, but she will not let loose. Other than that, I still put a pull-up on for nap time and a diaper for bedtime. Half the time it is just a safety procaution, because she doesn't use it.

As you can guess, I am thrilled with how well it has gone. I think procrastination worked on my side this time. Hopefully, we will continue to advance in this matter.

2 Year Doctor Appt

Being a crazy mom that wants to get things over at once, I scheduled doctor appointments for Lexi and Jordan today knowing that they would both be getting shots. Needless to say, I wasn't really looking forward to this weekend.

Lexi weighed in at 28 lbs and is now 34" tall, which is in the 66th percentile for both. Her head measurement is actually in the 90th percentile. That made me laugh because she gets her big head from my side. My mom & brother both can't find hats that fit.

She easily performed all the tasks the doctor asked like jumping and touching her toes. Lexi even talked the doctors ear off so that when she got to the question about having a vocabulary of at least 50 words, there was no need to ask. Nobody could manage to talk non-stop with a small vocabulary. I doubt I could even count how many words she says.

When the appointment was winding down, I told her that the nurse was going to give her medicine in her leg and then it would be Jordan's turn. Lexi likes medicine for the most part, but she cried when they gave her the shot of course. She patted Jordan's head when he was getting his done. Then she cried with him until the nurse told her that she could have 2 stickers.

They both stopped crying rather quickly. That just reminded me that I am so glad to be away from the Miami doctors. They both did so well that we were even able to meet up with the Play Group at the new McDonalds. This story has a happy ending (so far).

Transition to Big Girl Bed

Yesterday morning, I woke up with a plan to attack the house. We are planning a big birthday party for Lexi this Saturday and cleaning is on top of the To Do List. I had no intention of transitioning Lexi into her new room and toddler bed. I wanted to do that right after her party. In fact, I planned on calling Steve’s cousin, Emily, for ideas of what worked with Camille. However, once I started organizing, I realized that I was tired of thinking about doing it. I moved the rocking chair, her dresses, and her beloved piggy bank (another post about that). The most important thing I did was to build up her excitement about the transition.

Yesterday afternoon, we had our first test. I took her in for her nap. As usual, I rocked and sang a few songs to her. Then, I helped her say a prayer. I put her in bed with hugs and kisses, told her I loved her, and left. She was happy. I went into our room to play on the computer and wait for her to come running out. It did not take long. I took her back into her room and explained that she needed to stay in there until nap time was over. I also handed her a few books. To my amazement, she quietly played for an hour and a half before running out.

Since I knew we would not be so lucky again, I called Steve and asked him to pick up a door knob blocker on his way home. When he got home, he decided that he would set up the tent she got for Christmas in case she was going to play herself to sleep. She was very excited and helped him with it. I must say that it was funny watching a big guy play with a little girl in her tent. They both loved every minute of it.

Later, Lexi and I did the regular bed time ritual. I left with her feeling just fine. About 5 minutes later, we heard her try to open the door and then she started crying. I decided to give her 10 minutes and I would go in to rock her & sing another little song before sticking her back in bed, but she quieted down within 5 minutes. When I woke up at 1am to feed Jordan, I decided to sneak in to check on her. She was on the floor next to her bed snuggling with her favorite purple blankey. At 4am, she started crying. I went in and explained to her that it wasn’t time yet. I did the regular bed time ritual and left her without a peep.

This morning, I brought the camera in with me and took a few photos to commemorate this achievement. Now, we will work on potty training. Actually, it is going very well, but she still does not want to wear big girl panties. I decided not to mention it for a week or two. Then, I will probably have to force her to wear them once or twice before she is fine with it.

18 Month Dr Appt (late)

Lexi was supposed to see the doctor at 18 months, which was days before we left Miami. I figured that Steve and Paige could take her, but things were so hectic the appointment fell through the cracks. Finding a pediatrician and getting Lexi's shots were on my priority list when we got here. Fortunately, one of my friends recommended hers. I took Lexi on Friday (& Paige tagged along).

I had almost forgotten what a normal doctor experience in America is like (yes this is definitely one of those things that is DIFFERENT in Miami). The ladies at the front desk were very nice (NEVER happens in Miami). They actually had a waiting room for sick kids and one for well kids that even had toys in them (what a concept). Lexi was called very quickly (shocking). She weighs 25.5 lbs and is 33" tall. That part was normal, but they actually told me how she compares to others her age!!! I haven't heard that once since she was born. A few times, I looked it up on the computer. She is in the 90% for her height, 90% for her head circumference, and 50% for her weight. Basically, she is tall & thin, but healthy. On top of that, the doctor actually asked me if she had reached different mile stones like does she sleep through the night, climb stairs, eat with a spoon, have a vocabulary of more than 100 words, etc. I was completely unprepared for those questions since I hadn’t been asked before. Of course, the answer was yes on all of them.

The best part about the doctor’s visit was that the nurses here actually know how to give shots. In Miami, they literally stabbed the needle in and then slowly pushed out the medicine while Lexi screamed her head off. Then, the nurse would lift up the next needle high enough for Lexi to see it was going to happen again. It wasn't the same nurse either. She was given shots by three or four different nurses. I always felt I could do it better. Fortunately, that is not the case here. Both of the shots were done before we knew it. Lexi only cried a little. Instead of pouting, she pointed out her “booboos” and blew kisses to them the whole way home.

Now, I am glad she missed her appointment in Miami. Having normal doctor experiences is just one more reason that we are glad we moved.

10 Months Old

Life is keeping me too busy lately. I haven't had time to post Lexi's latest milestones. Of course, not much comes to mind when I sit down to type. I guess I'll just have to go with the easy ones. She now has 7 teeth - 4 on top & 2 on the bottom. She is also standing like a pro. She can stand for several minutes and even bend over to pick things up without falling. She is taking steps, but only when holding on to something. Believe me, walking is not a milestone I am looking forward to. It is hard enough to keep up with her now. As you can see in the photos, she is still very fascinated by electronic gadgets like cell phones and remote controls. I doubt that will ever change.

Eight Months Old Today

I am not quite sure how it happened, but Lexi is actually eight months old today. Time flies too quickly. She has changed a lot in the last month. She went from learning how to scoot around the floor to pulling herself up and climbing on everything. This makes Steve very nervous. He is always trying to protect her from falling or banging her head.

Lexi has become really attached to one of the teachers at school (the one that doesn't speak any English). I know because the lady often leaves minutes before I get there in the evening and Lexi is crying every time. When I walk in, she kicks her legs and flaps her arms and looks at me like she wants to say, "WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?" I am really relieved to know she feels very comfortable with her.

Verbally, Lexi is still mainly sticking to saying mama, mama, mama, especially when she is trying to crawl after me so I'll picked her up. She plays around with other sounds too and her language comprehension has grown. I still get the feeling that being surrounded with Spanish during the days and English the rest of the time is a little confusing right now. After a while, it will be great for her though.

Unfortunately, she has been sick for about a week and a half, so I am not exactly sure if some of her new characteristics are part of a new phase or just her not feeling well. For instance, she wants to be held more. During her night time wakenings (part of being sick), I find her half asleep holding on to the rail and whimpering. She often cries until I hold her and she can go right back to sleep.

Lexi is also less patient during our long commutes. I completely understand that facing the back seat for 45 minutes in the morning and the evening is grueling. Toys and pacifiers are just not enough to make the trips bearable. The only thing that seems to appease her is me singing acapella. Hopefully, other commuters think I am talking on headphones instead of breaking out in song. Her two favorite seem to be Old MacDonald and The Alphabet. The Wheels on the Bus isn't bad either. There are countless others as well. Good thing I learned a million kids songs in my life.

While I hate to see her grow up so quickly, I love watching her develop. More and more, I see a little girl with a wonderful personality, strong opinions, and a great sense of humor. Her little laugh, always brings a rush of joy to both her parents.

Started Puckering for Kisses and Saying Mamama

This weekend, Lexi started puckering up to make kissing sounds. Her face is so cute. Just like everything else, she refuses to do it on cue. When you try to get her to do it or do it yourself, she just smiles. She also started saying Mamama this weekend. I thought it was supposed to be a heartwarming experience. The problem is that she only says it when she is really upset and crying. I would rather see the kisses.