First snow day!

Ok, so it was a weekend and we didn't get a day off from work/school but we did get to play in the snow!  Lexi didn't really know what to think of it.  She didn't want to put her gloves on so her poor little hands were freezing.  Then she figured out she could eat the snow!  She did manage to help shovel the driveway :-)  We put em to work young around here!  Here's some pics:

New words

Lexi added a new word to her vocabulary tonight:


1. Owww

I tried to get her talking on video the other night but of course she wouldn't say anything.  Tonight in the bathtub she repeated 5 or so words after asking her to say them but I didn't have the camera handy!  She was pretty proud of herself though :-)

Words

Before I forget, I want to start keeping track of the words Lexi can say.  She started saying a lot more words within the last month or so and I don't want to forget what her first words were.  Most of them we are probably the only ones that know what she's saying because they aren't really clear but I think it's good she's starting to try and she knows what she's trying to say.  These are all the words she's said that I can think of off the top of my head: 

1. Mommy = Mooooommmm or Ma ma ma ma
2. Daddy = Daaaaaa
3. No
4. Cracker = Ca ca
5. Cookie = Ca ca
6. Dog = Dah
7. Wow = Wowwww
8. Uh-oh = Uh uh ohhh
9. Bye bye = buh bye
10. Hi
11. Night night = Ni ni nigh
12. Done = Duh
13. More = Mo
14. Brrr (not sure if that qualifies as a word!)
15. Hot = Ha
16. Cold = Coal
17. Yes = Yeah
18. Star = Tar
19. Woof = Ffff
20. Go = Ga
21. Milk = Muh
22. Book = buh
23. Boo
24. Banana = nana
25. Ball = bah

She can also show us the following body parts:
1. Head
2. Ears
3. Eyes
4. Belly
5. Toes
6. Mouth
7. Teeth
8. Hair

Christmas Pics!

We went to Portrait Innovations yesterday to get some Christmas pictures.  I only intended on getting one good one for Christmas cards, but to my surprise they did such a great job getting Lexi to smile.  As you know, this is not an easy task!  We warned the photographer so she brought in a second person that was AMAZING!  I've never seen Lexi smile so much!  Needless to say I ordered way more than 1 Christmas card picture but I couldn't pass up the chance to get pics of Lex smiling.  Here's a few of my favorites.

Here's the Lexi face! Ha ha!

New bath robe!

Just had to post some pics of Lexi's new bathrobe.  She's had a terrible diaper rash for the past couple of weeks so we've been letting her "air-out" after her bath.  But since the weather is getting colder we didn't want her running around commando, so I decided a robe would be the perfect solution.  Unfortunately the 0-9 month size robe she got for a gift last year didn't quite fit around her little belly anymore.  I found the cutest robe at Children's Place.  It's a little big though but it's so adorable on her.  The pictures don't do it justice.  She looks like a little grown up!  Love it!

Ca Ca!

I had to put that as the title because that's the word we've been hearing over and over for the past few days.  In Lexi language it means either cookie or cracker.  The best was when we were at the mall today and she kept saying it.  A little embarrassing because the other people don't know what she's trying to say, but I just had to laugh it off!  Over the past couple of weeks we've noticed Lexi trying to talk a lot more.  She can't quite get the words out the right way but she's definitely trying. 

Another new discovery is Lexi's favorite channel, Sprout!  She literally watched it all weekend (except when we were shopping and playing!).  There's the Goodnight Show with Nina and Star that she's so addicted to.  I know she probably shouldn't be watching that much TV, but she loves it so much.  And the shows are pretty educational so I don't feel as bad :-)

Happy Halloween!

This is Lexi's second Halloween but last year she was too young to go trick or treating.  She's still a little too young because she can't say "trick or treat" but we decided we'd take her anyways.  Friday they had a parade at her daycare.  She looks so cute in her Dorothy costume! 

 Today we first went to the mall in the afternoon.  By the time we got there most of the stores were out of candy though.  Lexi still liked seeing all the people and just walking around.  Then we took her around our neighborhood to a few houses.  She got the hang of it so quickly!  She walked right up to the doors and waited for them to open it then she'd politely pick out one piece of candy.  When we got home we thought we'd let Lexi have one piece of candy.  She was NOT a fan of chocolate but loved the suckers!  Here's a few pics from Lexi's 2nd Halloween.

Officially a toddler!

Lexi is officially a toddler...well, at least according to daycare :-) On Monday she was moved up to the toddler room. They've been transitioning her over the past month or so but now she'll be in the toddler room full-time. The room is for kids between 15 and 24 months so there's not a huge age gap but I still feel like it means she's growing up so fast! I think it will be good for her to be with the big kids though. Hopefully she'll learn to say more words from being around the older kids. She seems to be adjusting well so far.

Today was her 15 month check-up. Here are her stats:

Weight: 23lbs 2oz (50%)
Height: 30 3/4 inches (50%)
Head: 18 1/2 inches (75%)

As usual, her head is unproportionately large! I can only assume it's because she has her Mommy's brains!

The doctor asked me today how I would describe Lexi's personality. It got me thinking and I came up with how I would describe her personality so far:

Diva - I don't know how else to describe it...sometimes she is such a diva!  She's pretty high maintenance for a 1 year old.
Independent - Kind of goes along with being a diva, but she is certainly one independent little girl. She gets so frustrated when she can't do something on her own and you can just tell how much it bothers her to have to finally have Brian and I help her!
Stubborn - Lexi won't do anything unless it's on her own terms.  As an example, she knows exactly where her head, belly, nose, eyes, and ears are.  But if you ask her to show you, she won't...unless of course she feels like it.
Shy/Serious - Lexi is definitely takes awhile to warm up to people (just like her Mommy!).  Most babies smile when someone smiles at them.  Lexi just gives them a blank stare!  I think it's because she's really analyzing them before she decides whether she wants to be nice to them.
Funny/Silly - I swear other babies can't possibly be as funny as Lexi is :-)  She makes us laugh everyday.  She also laughs at the silliest things, like Daddy scaring her or Mommy making funny faces.

Pictures

Nothing really exciting to post. I just thought I'd put up some of the recent pics of Lex. She's been a pretty happy camper lately so it's been fun taking pics of her. Her hair is finally getting long enough to put in a ponytail...well, more of a "Pebbles" do. She hates when I mess with her hair! She actually buries her head into the floor so I can't get it, so I don't know how often I'll be able to do anything with it!

I know it's gross...but somehow it's still cute :-)

Look what I got Dad!

Gotta love this face!

Showing those pearly whites...4 new molars coming in too!

Update

It's been almost a month since I've blogged about what's been going on in Lexi's life. I'll try to do my best to remember what all she's been up to.

First Flu
About 3 weeks ago Lexi got her first stomach flu. Somehow she avoided getting this last year...I guess because she had every other illness possible! Luckily it wasn't that bad at all. It started when she got home from daycare, when she first threw up on Brian. Then about an hour later she threw up on me. I think there was at least another one or two times before she went to bed. I slept in her room that night and I never heard her get sick but the next morning when she woke up her white bear was covered in puke (gross I know!). But that was the end of it...it didn't even last 24 hours. Unfortunately daycare wouldn't let her back even though she was fine. So we had a Mommy/Daughter day :-)

Second Pumpkin Festival
Lexi went to the Pumpkin Festival for the second time. This year she got to enjoy the pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin pancakes! Both of which she loved! Here's some pics of her running around at the Festival.



Second Flu
Yep, that's right. Within a month's span, Lexi managed to get both types of the stomach flu. First was the vomit, then 2 or 3 weeks later she got the 'other kind'. I definitely think I can deal with the vomit better, plus it only lasted less than a day. The second time it lasted a week. Once again, Lexi was acting perfectly normal and had no temp but daycare sent her home. Luckily Brian's parents were able to watch her for the day so I didn't have to miss work again.

Body Parts, Words, and Signing
Lexi is getting a little better each day with learning words and different body parts. They work with her at daycare and we do at home as well. She knows where her belly and head are. She might know more body parts, but she's just too stubborn to show us :-) She can also sign 'more', 'please', and 'milk'...although I'm not really sure she knows what she's saying! She has started to try to repeat words we say. For example, she tries to say Oscar, all done, uh-oh, and dog. The only one she's really good at saying is dog. She is jabbering all the time even though we can't make out any of what she's saying!

Feeding herself
Lexi has now started feeding herself using her utensils. She is nowhere near proficient at it and still makes a huge mess, but she's getting there. I don't really mind the mess because it gives me a chance to eat :-)



First Allergic Reaction
I swear Lexi (and Mommy and Daddy) can't catch a break lately! This morning Lexi woke up with HUGE welts all over her body,face, arms, legs, belly, butt...you get the picture. She looks like she has mosquito bites all over her! Apparently she had an allergic reaction to something, but we have no idea what because she didn't eat anything new. We ended up taking her to urgent care because her feet were all swollen too. The doc prescribed some medicine so hopefully it will go away soon. We got a note from the doctor saying it was non-infectious just in case daycare tries to turn her away again :-) Here's a couple pics of what the welts looks like.



Wow...it's funny how the majority of updates from this past month are illness related! I am so not looking forward to this winter and the illnesses that are to come. I remember how hard it was last winter and I'm really really dreading it. I feel like she's already been so sick lately and I've missed a lot of work because of it. I don't know how other working moms do it! It's like you feel guilty if you can't be at home with your baby but then you feel guilty if you are because you're missing work. It's a lose lose situation I think! I can only hope that since Lexi has already gotten so many illnesses already she will escape anymore this winter!

My little helper

On Saturday Lexi did the funniest thing (well, I think everything she does is funny!). Anyways, she grabbed a diaper out of her diaper bag and started mopping the floor. I have no clue where she learned this from but it's pretty cute. She does it on command too...all you have to tell her is to clean the floor and she gets to it. Hmm...I guess I know what she does at daycare all day! Here's a video of it.



As you can see towards the end of the video Lexi is obsessed with the camera and always wants to carry it around. Hence, I had to order a new camera tonight because it is now broken :-( No more videos until the new one comes in but hopefully we'll get some better quality videos at least!

Playtime!

Lexi has so many toys and fun things to play with...but, I can't resist buying more! Recently, we bought her a tent and tunnel. It's set up in our living room (along with all of her other toys!). I knew she'd like it but I never imagined how much! We set it up last Thursday and she goes in it at least once a day. I think she really likes having her own little hide-out. Mommy, Daddy, and Oscar can all fit in the tent too (barely!). Lexi loves crawling through the tunnel too!




She also has lots of fun toys for outside, including a bubble mower. I haven't figured out how to make the bubbles work but Lexi still loves pushing it around. She can only push it on the sidewalk though because it gets stuck in the grass!



We also just got her a sofa bed. It came in today and Lexi immediately claimed her territory! Whenever Brian or I sit on it, Lexi pushes us out! It's pretty funny! I know, I know, I probably shouldn't let her, but I can't help it!



We are going to need a bigger house to keep up with all of Lexi's toys! Fortunately she plays with almost all of them at one time or another. Her current favorites are books, her kitchen and play food, her tent, her mini chair, ABC Elmo, and her baby dolls.

Our little imitator

I don't have much to post, but I had to document a moment that occurred the other night because I never want to forget it! It's one of those moments that if you're having a bad day, all you have to do is picture it and it will make you smile :-) On Monday my back was really bothering me so when Lexi got home from daycare I was walking hunched over and holding my back. When I turned around Lexi was imitating me by putting her hand on her lower back and walking. It was the funniest thing I've ever seen! Every time I picture her doing it I laugh out loud! It's probably one of those things you had to see to really get it but like I said, I want to make sure I remember that moment!

Oh, the other thing is Lexi's dance moves. I really want to try to get this on video but I don't know if I'll ever be able to. Pre-walking Lexi's dance move consisted of sitting on the floor and bouncing on her bum to the beat. Occasionally she would use her arm for some moves. Now that she's walking and standing, her dance move has evolved into a hula dance. The second she hears music, any music, she begins to move her hips and bum in a circular motion. It's so cute and funny to see her! It's like she can't help herself either! I can't wait to see what her next dance move will be!

Peeing in the potty!

Brian heard from someone he works with that they started potty training their daughter at a year old. I was a bit skeptical since I don't even think she understands the word "potty" but I figured what the heck, it can't hurt to try. I bought a potty chair but we've only put Lexi on it once or twice. Tonight before her bath I decided to try again and put her on it. She sat there for about a minute and I said "go potty" and then she stood up and I saw she actually did go potty! I know it's probably just a fluke, but I still can't help but be excited and so proud of her! We'll keep trying and see what happens but I have no expectations :-) I won't put as much pressure on her as I did with walking :-)

Trip to the Ozarks

Lexi and I took our annual road trip to the Ozarks to visit 'Aunt' Kristin and 'Uncle' Dillon and families. Luckily my Mom came along too so the drive wasn't as bad. Unfortunately we ran into some traffic on the way there so our 6 hour drive turned into 8 hours. Lexi was a trooper though! We had such a blast once we got there. Lexi went on her first boat ride, played in the sand, went swimming, and played with all her cousins. She fell asleep on the boat pretty much the second we started moving! She loved playing on the beach and wading in the water, but she was not a fan of swimming in the lake! We had so much fun spending time with family and Aunt Kristin is such a great host! If only we could do this more often! Here's some pics from the trip.

Full time walker

Lexi is officially a 'full-time walker'. I'm not exactly sure what constitutes that, but basically about a week and a half ago she started walking all the time and rarely, if ever, crawling. Sometimes she's practically running! She's still not completely balanced though so it's funny to see her walk but she's getting better and better everyday. She's all over the place now and refuses to stay sitting or confined for more than a minute. This makes it extremely difficult to try to get family pictures as my friend Nina can attest to :-) I'm sure the newness will wear off soon though and she'll finally not resist sitting in place for a little bit, or at least I can hope! Here's a video I took last week of her walking around the house in her new Pumas. They are kind of loud and she walks pretty heavy so you can hear them in the video.

Bath time fun

Lexi's new favorite thing is to make a sound with her mouth by putting her hand over it or making sounds with her lips. Normally she does this on her own and one night in the bathtub she kept doing it. Of course when I got out the video camera she stopped. I got her to make the noise for a little bit, but as you can see in the video she got a little annoyed with me :-)

12 Month Update

Lexi had her 12 month well baby on Friday. I took her to daycare in the morning so I could run some errands so by the time we picked her up for her appointment she was so tired (she only gets an afternoon nap at daycare). We recently switched our pediatrician to the new Methodist at Allen Rd. building. It is amazing in there! They have a fish tank and a floor projector with fish, bubble, waves, and more! Lexi had fun playing in the waiting area. Unfortunately we had to wait quite awhile once we got in the room. Lexi was soooo tired and she actually fell asleep waiting for the nurse to come in and give her the shots.



Needless to say she was not a happy camper about being woken up. Then, on top of it, she had to get 3 shots! She was a champ though. She only cried when we woke her up and as soon as the shots were over and we picked her up she was good to go! She took a long nap when we got home and she was happy as ever when she woke up. Here are her 12 month stats. As usual, her head is still above average, but fortunately, the rest of her body is in the same proportions :-)

Weight: 22lbs 2oz (70th)
Height: 29 1/2 inches (70th)
Head: 18cm (70th)

Lexi has definitely had a good couple of months! She still has her moments, but we were just saying how it's getting so much easier to take care of her. Here are some of the recent updates:

No more formula! For about the last month I had been giving Lexi a sippy cup with whole milk at meals, just to get her used to the taste. She would take a few sips, but never drank that much. The week of her birthday, the teachers at daycare were saying she should be off the bottle and formula by her birthday. So I decided to cut her off cold turkey. She did so great! Not one fuss at all about not getting a bottle. Now we just give her milk at every meal and at snacktime. She's done so well transitioning. It's so much easier (and cheaper) too!

Walking - I don't know when you can say your baby is officially walking, but if she's not official yet, she's very close! She walks all the time now and about a week ago finally learned to stand up from sitting without holding onto something.

Shoes - Now that she's walking it was time for her to get the proper shoes. Before I just had 'crib shoes' for her that aren't really good for walking. I bought her the cutest pair of Adidas shoes but they're a bit clunky for right now since she's not 100% balanced. One of the teachers at daycare recommended Stride Rite so we went out and bought her a pair. After we put these shoes on her, all of the sudden she was walking all over the place! They're great for first walkers because the soles are still somewhat soft and flexible. I also ordered her a pair of Pumas but she won't be able to wear those for another month or so. Here's a pic of her in her Adidas shoes.

Birthday cake video

I thought I would post the video of Lexi devouring her birthday cake! Enjoy!

Milestones

Not too much new in the way of milestones. She is starting to walk better now but I still wouldn't call her a full-time walker. She hasn't quite figured out how to go from sitting to standing on her own yet either. I'm not too worried about it though. I'm sure in a couple of months I'll be running after her! She's also babbling a lot more now. She says Momma and Dadda quite a bit and I think she knows what they mean. I am pretty sure she can say dog or at least tries to and knows that it's Oscar. She tries to say "Uh-oh" too but she can't quite get it all out at the same time.

Summer Fun!

I had this past week off from work and it was the best week ever! I don't think there's a time I can remember being this happy! I could definitely get used to this :-) Lexi and I spent some time at the pool with Aunt Nikki, Taylor, and Nana. We also went to the Children's Discovery Museum with Aunt Nikki, Great Aunt Martha, and cousins Taylor, Blake, and Avryl. We had such a blast! There's plenty of stuff for Lexi to touch and play with. Here's a few pics.

1 year old!

I can't believe our little girl is one year old! I keep catching myself saying "I just had a baby" and then when they ask "how old?" I realize I didn't JUST have a baby! This past year has flown by so fast! It seems like just a couple of months ago that we were bringing her home from the hospital. I remember that being the most amazing (yet exhausting) day! I also remember being so clueless when we brought her home! We've definitely gotten the hang of things now and it's so much more fun than we could have ever imagined! Lexi makes us laugh everyday and I personally think she's the funniest little girl I've ever met :-) We can already tell she loves the boys (screaming to get their attention!) and she's going to be a little diva!

On Friday, her birthday, we gave her one of her presents which was this rocking horse. My friend Nina had one at her house and Lexi really seemed to like it so I decided to get her one. She loves it! She's not a huge fan of the rocking part yet but loves to bounce up and down on it. Nana came over on Friday night and we let Lexi have a cupcake. She dug into it without hesitation, getting mostly icing. She has a sweet tooth just like her Mommy :-)



We had a big birthday party for her on Saturday. So many of our family and friends came out to celebrate! We had a great time! Here's some pics of the decorations.




Lexi got so many great gifts! We don't even know where we're going to put all the toys that she got. She loves all of them though. And she got some great outfits that I can't wait to put her in!



Lexi got a second chance to dig into her birthday cake on Saturday. Once again she went straight for the icing, but managed to keep herself fairly clean in the process!