Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Bragging Rights :)

Every wife and mother has moments when she want to shout to the world how lucky she is - this is one of my moments!!!
First, the husband - he shoveled like a mad man today! We have 6+ inches on the ground with a layer of ice, and he went outside and shoveled our entire driveway (unlike many of you Clevelanders who "cheat" with snow blowers). Although he did say if we ever move up north, one of his first purchases would be a snow blower :)- Anyways, he is tired and sore now. So the good and appreciative wife that I am will have dinner ready any minute and have promised him a rub-down of Icy Hot! We (Alexa, Chloe and me) are so lucky to have Dan in our life. He is an amazing man!
Second, the daughter - so you all know that we've been nursing since like the fifth day of Alexa's life. However, we were having problems latching so the pediatrician gave me something called a nipple shield to use. This has been a God-send, for without it we wouldn't have been breastfeeding these past three months. I don't know why, but while Dan was shoveling I decided to see if she would nurse without the shield (the last time I tried was beg-Dec. and she had no idea what to do with my bare boob)... and SHE DID IT!!! She ate on both sides for 12 minutes without the shield :) Those of you who have tried nursing know what an accomplishment this is, and for those of you who don't know, trust me this is huge. I am just so proud of my little girl. She is a good eater (even before this monumental occasion), a great sleeper and a fantastic bubble maker, lol. She has a loving personality and is just amazing!

Self-portrait of us at la biblioteca yesterday.

Distracting Dan while he was working this morning.

Dan & a squirmy Alexa.

Eating her hands, playing in the exersaucer, watching Baby Monet - all at the same time! She is a great multitasker just like me, lol!

She used to hate the bar that goes across the bouncer, but now that she is learning to use her hands it is great fun.

Dan beginning to shovel.

An action shot.

He decided to not do the little corner there on the right because he figures he'll just maneuver his car to the left and pull out from there, lol.

My hardworking hubby :)

Alexa exhausted after nursing off the bare boob (I don't know if that was really it or if she was just plain tired, haha).

Monday, January 26, 2009

It's Just Another Manic Monday :)-

I've already filled y'all in on our exciting Saturday of piercings, lol. The other major exciting news on Saturday/Sunday was that Alexa went to bed around 9 pm and slept until 715 am! Side note, last night she slept from 1030 pm until 750 am! We love this whole sleeping through the night thing. We are definitely hoping it keeps up. I laid Alexa in bed at 930 pm tonight, we'll see how long she sleeps for... Sorry to ramble on about something like sleep, but I am just so proud of the baby. I thought for sure that I would not be lucky enough to have an easy pregnancy AND a great baby, but I was wrong!!! Anyways, on Sunday we lounged around my parents' house and celebrated Mom's birthday with Chinese takeout, and she opened her gift from Alexa. It was definitely a very nice trip :) This afternoon Alexa and I went to hangout with my friend Becky for a few hours. It was so nice to have someone to relax with and to distract me from my "depression." I definitely felt a lot better once we left her condo! Then, we went to Walmart and The Anderson's to do our weekly grocery shopping. Alexa is such a happy little girl, which makes running errands so much simpler. When we got home, Dan fed Alexa a bottle while I made dinner - he has been feeding her a bottle most nights when he gets home from work so he can have some bonding time while feeding too :) We had yummy apricot & cranberry stuffed pork chops, broccoli, and baked potatoes. I'm trying to get us back into the habit of eating more Weight Watchers type meals... I need to lose these last 7 baby pounds (plus I wouldn't mind losing 5 more pounds than that)! Speaking of pounds, I decided to weigh Alexa this morning using the 'I weigh myself alone, then with her, and figure the difference' method. She weighed 11 lbs. 6 oz.!!! Our baby girl is a growing machine - that is 1 lb. 6 oz. is 4 weeks :) Now, back to my daily recap. After dinner, Dan put together Alexa's Sesame Street exersaucer. Middle-aged Aunt Chris (lol) got it for my baby shower. So below are
some pictures from celebrating Mom's birthday and some pictures of the exersaucer and a video. Enjoy!

Our little girl :)

Watching Finding Nemo.

Alexa helping Noni read her birthday cards.

Noni & Alexa with the Rachael Ray spoonulas.

Dan putting together the exersaucer.

Almost done!

Alexa & Daddy with her new toy!!!


Prayer Request...

When I get a free moment (probably not until this evening), I'll post more pictures and details from our trip to Perry this past weekend. I just wanted to post real quick to talk about how I'm feeling - I am really having a hard time living 171 miles from my parents. As usual, our drive back last night was depressing and tear-filled for me. You would think it would get easier, but it doesn't. Dublin just does not feel like home anymore because as the saying goes "Home Is Where the Heart Is," and my heart is in Perry with my parents, Paul, and Danielle. Please pray that I will be strong and can put on a "happy face" for Dan and Alexa. Pray that God will offer me comfort while this situation remains as it is, and also pray that someday soon we will move...

Saturday, January 24, 2009

A Day of Piercings

Me asking the lady questions while she cleaned Alexa's ear.

Alexa not happy that she had to be still to get her ears marked first.

So sad after the first one :(

Shooting in the second one.

We were both crying :(

But they really are so cute!

Danielle freaking out...

I couldn't watch...

Me checking out her nose piercing!

Up close.

As I alluded to yesterday, we had a big day today: we got Alexa's ears pierced! She was sleeping when we first got to the mall but woke up when we took her out of her car seat. She was not happy to be held still while the lady marked her ears (to make sure they would be even), she obviously didn't know that the worst was yet to come... She screamed like crazy during and immediately after they were pierced - it was really hard to know that she was in pain, especially when she had her first big, wet-her-whole face, teardrops :( I mean, she has had a few lone teardrops in the past few weeks, but nothing like today. It broke my heart to see my little girl in pain. But once she calmed down, and I got to check 'em out, they looked so pretty!! Now, no one will mistake her for a boy if she is wearing neutral colored clothes. We did it a few hours ago, and she has been totally fine all afternoon and evening. They don't appear to bother her at all :) Well, all of this inspired Danielle... so Mom, Danielle, and I went to get Danielle's nose pierced at the tattoo parlor (they don't them at the mall). She was soooo nervous before the guy, Joe, did it, but she was so brave and didn't even cry. I thought about doing it too but chickened out. And as I've been sitting at home, I've regretted it. I mean, if I could handle labor and delivery I'm sure I could handle a mere nose piercing. I'm thinking maybe we'll go tomorrow when Danielle gets off of work (because I have to squeeze the blood out of her hand like she did mine). We'll see.
A side note, we found the cutest dress for her 3 month pictures (that are this coming Tuesday) at Macy's. It was originally $32 + tax and I paid $4.80!!! I'm a good shopper :)
Well, better get back to the fam. It's family game night :) Have I mentioned how much I love my family?! Ciao.

Friday, January 23, 2009

0 Days

Such a doll.

Napping between feedings.

Reading before bedtime.

I love her expression.


Just wanted to share my joy - my countdown is over - we leave for Perry in like 3 hours! Even though we saw Mom and Dad last weekend, I've missed Gram, Paul, Danielle, and Kelly. Can't wait to have a fun-filled weekend with the fam :) Plus, Mom will get up with Alexa for the really early feeding which means I'll get SLEEP!!! Check back tomorrow... I'm going to be cryptic and not tell you why, but I'll have some pictures and a major update for y'all. Ciao.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Long Overdue...

Happy 29th Birthday, Dan!!!

The picture frame that Alexa got Daddy for his desk at work.

Me & Dan on his birthday.

Laughing because I told him that in the picture before this one he looked like the spawn of satan, lol.

Staring down the ice cream cake.

She still was interested, so maybe it was the plate, not the cake that caught her eye.

Our very happy family :)

Alexa with Noni & Papa - they came to visit for Dan's birthday.

Mom & Me in our matching coats - I must say I wanted the coat first!

Our pooch.

Kisses!

So playful.

Flying Alexa.

I love this picture :)

I love my little girl :)

I could (and do) stare at her for hours.

Dan stole a picture of us napping.

Later on, I stole a picture of them sleeping too.

[On MLK Day] exhausted from playing rattle with Daddy.

Our 2nd Babytime at the library.

Paying attention to the story.

Her new favorite toy - her hands!

It has been forever since my last post! Okay, so maybe only a week, but it feels like forever. I have tons of pictures posted above which means I also have loads to update you all on too - I don't even know where to begin. Well, we had a really wonderful weekend - Dan's birthday weekend! We laid low on Friday night, and then on Saturday morning my mom and dad got here. Alexa decided to take a short half-hour nap so that she could have plenty of time to entertain her grandparents :)
I guess I should backtrack... I mentioned in my last post that Alexa is kind of starting to put herself on a schedule. It goes something like this: Bed 930 pm - Wake to eat around 5 am - Back to sleep at 6 am - Wake to eat around 930 am - Awake until sometime in the afternoon - 2 or 3 hour afternoon nap - Awake (with some dozing off) until bedtime. There are a few feedings during her awake hours, but the rest of her awake time is spent reading books, playing with her rattle, having tummy time, watching Baby Monet, cuddling, playing with her hands (she has recently discovered them), etc. The schedule (of sorts) is great because it allows me to focus on her when she is awake and on housework when she is asleep. I know I've said it before, but I feel truly blessed to be home with her. I love knowing that I will be with her for most (if not all) of her developmental milestones! The thing that makes me the most happy right now is not Alexa's smile, but the way her eyes twinkle when she smiles :) She is simply amazing.
Anyways, back to my update. On Saturday, we hung out with my parents, mom and I had manicures, I wiped out in the parking lot and cracked my head (I'm alright though), went to church, and Dan made us an amazing rib dinner! In the evening, my dad and Dan went out for drinks with Tim to celebrate Dan's birthday while Mom, Alexa, and I hung out at home. On Sunday morning we lounged around before my parents treated us to breakfast at Rise & Dine for Dan's birthday. We did some shopping at The Anderson's, and then came home to have ice cream cake. Dan was so surprised, I was sneaky and went and bought it while he had been out on Saturday night :)- After my parents left, Dan, Alexa and I just hung out at home and enjoyed quality time together. We also enjoyed a nice day together on Monday since Dan had the day off of work in observance of Martin Luther King Jr Day. Alexa and I had Babytime at the library again on Tuesday, and then I plopped myself on the couch to watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama!!! I am so thankful that Bush is no longer president. The inauguration was so touching, and Obama is such an eloquent and inspirational speaker. I cannot wait to see all the amazing things I know he will do for our country.
Countdown: 2 days until Perry!!!
Well, I better get back to Dan, my glass of wine, and LOST... love to all *muah*