It's Friday the 13th

It is Friday the 13th & so far things are going well. I don't want to jinx us though, so I'll just post pictures today.

Master of Peek-A-Boo

Last week, Lexi became a full blown professional peek-a-boo player when she took control of the blanket. Of course, she doesn't hold it up for very long. She flips it up and flips it right back down and spends most of the time laughing at the attention she gets. We went to an Italian restaurant last night (Fratelli la Bufala) that had several tables with men but no women. The table next to us had a group right out of the Godfather. I was a little worried that they would be bothered by a baby, but she used the cloth napkin to play peek-a-boo with them and they were hooked. One of the guys told me that she was cute, but that I shouldn't let her look at one of the other guys because she would surely start crying from his ugly face (pretty funny). Good thing, this little social butterfly doesn't mind as long as there is a smile directed at her.

New Tooth on South Beach

Lexi marked her first morning on South Beach (Sunday) with another new tooth. The top left tooth decided to make a grand entrance. Lexi didn't sleep well our first night there and I wasn't sure if it was because the a/c vent was blowing right on her pack-n'-play or because she was in an unfamiliar place, or what. The first time she woke up screaming, I wrapped her in the blanket and put her back down. The second time, I carried her over to our bed. She was there about 4 hours. She slept fairly well but I didn't despite the very quiet neighborhood. In the morning, I fed her and discovered the new tooth.

Moving was an ordeal (as all moves are), but Lexi faired well. Saturday, I took her over to a friend's house (Sonja) where she was provided undivided attention all day long. She loved every minute of it and got some of the best naps ever. It was much better than packing and moving things to the new place.

Sunday she got to participate in the moving fun. I dragged her to the house and she tried to play with everything while I was trying to pack. Her dad and Uncle Jeff took things to storage and then we all loaded up and went back to SOBE. That evening, Jeff headed back to PSL and we went for a walk. Lexi fell asleep on the way home and had a great night.

Another Doctor Appt

Lexi had to get her last hepatitis shot today. She is now 18 lbs & 12 oz. Last week, when she saw the doctor for her cold, she weighed 18 lbs. I knew she had gotten bigger quickly, but that was quite a jump.

At the end of her visit, while we were waiting to schedule the next appointment, Lexi enjoyed trying to grab their Halloween decorations. They had them hanging from the ceiling, so wherever I stood she was grabbing. Then, the nurse came out and put an "I was brave sticker" on her. She also handed Lexi 4 other stickers. Why did she do that? Doesn't she know at Lexi's age she only sees them as something to put in her mouth? When waitresses & waiters give her crayons, I figure that they just don't know anything about babies, but the nurse?

Moving to South Beach

Starting this weekend, Lexi is going to be a South Beach baby. We found out yesterday that the buyer for our house has secured financing. Yippee!! This weekend is going to be very hectic. One of my friends agreed to come over on Saturday to hold and play with Lexi while we pack and move. I think she will be the biggest life saver (even more than the guys helping with the move).

Little Pumpkin

October is here and Lexi is getting ready for Halloween. We already have a cute costume for her. In fact, I need to make an appointment to get pictures taken of her in it. We just have to figure out what we are going to do to celebrate.

Whistling?

Lexi has started doing something that I have NEVER heard a baby do before. She is actually whistling. She puckers her lips and blows a soft whistle. The first time I heard it, I thought it was a fluke, but she keeps doing it over and over again. I don't know where she got it. We aren't big whistlers and I can't see her teacher doing it, but you never know. Perhaps, she accidentally discovered it and likes the sound or our reaction.

By the way, her top left tooth finally cut through the day before yesterday. It looks like the other one isn't far behind.

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.

Daddy's Girl

Lexi is on her 8th week of daycare & can you guess how many times she has made it through a full week there? ...the answer is zero. It is always something & usually she is just not feeling well like today. She has been suffering from cold symptoms for a week and a half, so I took her to the doc today. She is suffering from an earache and a cough. Me? I am suffering from sick baby at work. I think mine's worse.

Mini-Toy Room

Lexi has already started getting into everything. She especially likes our closet, but she finds the pantry and other closets interesting too. We have to watch her closely though because she loves to bite shoe laces (yuck). I should probably buy a brand new pair of tennis shoes for her to play with.

Older Man

When I dropped Lexi off at daycare, there was a cute little four year old boy that was very excited to see her. He had dark hair and big beautiful brown eyes. He stood up to greet her and said, "Hello Alexis!" Then he turned to his buddy, and said, "Her name is Alexis." I smiled and walked away thinking her dad is NOT going to like this.

Cranky Pants

Lexi is still recovering from her cold and is moments away from getting her top left tooth. This has caused her mini-tantrums and mood swings to increase, but so has her sense of humor and moments of sheer joy. She laughs and laughs when we play peek-a-boo, but starts flapping her arms, scrunching her brow and shreaking when it is over. That is when I always laugh, which confuses her.

Driving Me Crazy

Last night, Lexi was fighting sleep more than usual. She wasn't feeling well (another cold thanks to daycare). Every time I got her to sleep and laid her in her crib, she would force herself to wake up. After doing this three times, I just left her there for a while. I went in the next room to play on the computer so I could listen to her. At first, she was just babbling. That turned into whining then whimpers. When I went to check on her, the above picture is how I found her. She was standing there with a big smile, so I grabbed the camera.

She is still not feeling well today and I can already tell it is going to be one of those days. Between madly cleaning the house for the appraiser (oh yeah - we have a contract!) and taking her to work with some very tight deadlines approaching, I'm sure I'll be pulling my hair out by the end of the day.

Standing Photos

Standing Up In This World

Last night, Steve and I were sitting on the love seat and Lexi was playing on her mat. She scooted over to the edge of the couch between us to see what we were doing. She gracefully reached up and grabbed the cushion with one hand and then the next. Slowly but surely, she pulled herself up to stand. I kept telling myself it was just a fluke, but she did it again five minutes later. What happened to my little baby?

Pile of Pacifiers

For the past few months, Lexi's pacifiers have been disappearing into a black hole. I had no idea where they were going. Between work, the car, my office, and her new found mobility, I thought we would just find them here or there and did not make a huge effort to search. A few times during the night, I would hear what I though was her tossing one out of her crib.

On Saturday, I decided to look around her room for them. The last place I looked was under her crib, figuring that they could have bounced under there. I was surprised to find a pile of about 6 near the post by the wall. The sneaky little devil likes to snuggle her face into the crib bumper in that corner. She probably spits the pacifiers out and then rolls on them until they squeeze between the mattress and the post. Now every night, I put 3 pacifiers in her bed so that when she wakes up, she can quickly put one in and go back to sleep. Guess what... every morning there are at least 2 of them in the pile spot. One black hole mystery has been solved. Next on this list is finding out what happens to the lids of her bottles.

Enjoying the Play Mat

Our tile floor has been a real problem since Lexi got a little more mobile. We hate the idea of her falling and smacking her head or anything else on it. We have been looking for a play mat for a while. It isn't as easy as you would think since the ones in toy stores are too small. While shopping at Walmart in PSL, I checked out the exercise area and found the perfect solution. We bought two sets of these interlocking rubber mats and it took Steve less than 5 minutes to put it together. It encompasses a good portion of our family room, so she has lots of freedom. As you can see from the photos and video, she has really enjoyed playing on it this week.

Dada's Big Feet

While at Cousin Barb's house on Sunday, Lexi crawled over and sat up between Steve's feet. We all laughed when we noticed how big they are compared to her.

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.

Our Son ...Alex

Steve & Alex

Alex with Party at My Crib Shirt

Cousin Barb & Alex

What a cute boy, right? You caught me, it is Lexi. I dressed her up in her University of Miami Hurricanes' outfit. I don't have a green bow, so she spent the day looking like a boy. When we were out & about, everyone asked questions about him. Two women even called her a future ball player. I just kept saying that she is a Tom Boy. Unfortunately, we put in all that effort to be fans, and the Canes lost to their big rivals, FSU.

Perfect Daycare Mom

After today (probably), Lexi will have exactly 4 full days in daycare in the 4 weeks she has been going there. The first week, I was trying to slowly ease her into it. The second and third weeks, she was ill. This week, there was the so called Tropical Storm.

While, I am happy to keep her out of daycare as much as possible and have to admit that I am lucky to work in a place that loves babies so much. I have been thinking about the fact that I have to pay whether or not she goes. If all of the moms were like me (which I know they aren't), it would be the perfect business to go into. Just think about this: 4 babies, charging $150 every week for each, and only a 20% chance of keeping them all day. If you throw in tax free, benefits, and free toys, I'll quit tomorrow and run my own daycare out of my house! Sounds fun for Lexi and me.

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.