6 Months...My Oh My How Does The Time Fly

Lexie is going to be 6 months old tomorrow and it still feels like she was born just yesterday.  We have a few friends who are getting ready to have their first bundles of joy, or they just had them.  It's just so hard to believe that with a blink of an eye our little girl is growing up.  Last month she was getting ready to embark on so many milestones such as crawling, sitting, and eating real food and we are happy to say that she has successfully accomplished them all.

Before I felt like I could not leave the room because if she saw me leave, she would freak out.  NOW...she could care less if we leave the room, George and I are the ones that do not want to leave because we never know where we are going to find her when we get back.  Yesterday, for instance, I left briefly to go to the bathroom and then to transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer and when I got back, Lexie had crawled over to her toy basket and dumped it.  Even though I feel like I can never leave her alone, especially now that she is so mobile, I will never forget the other day when she crawled over to me and pulled on my pant legs to get my attention.

She absolutely loves being on the floor and exploring and sitting.  Bye,bye Jumperoo...it was fun playing with you up until now.

She is also becoming more aware of her own body.  I catch her from time to time checking herself out in the mirror.  She loves to give herself kisses and every once in awhile I will catch her laughing at the person in the mirror.  She is also using her mouth for not only exploring, but also to help her with her teething.  She has her two bottom teeth but is starting to work on her uppers.

Her first time in a high chair

She is also eating so many new foods.  She is on the Stage 2's in baby food since she is sitting up all by herself and with that comes the highchair.  She does well in her booster chair/highchair at home but when we go out to eat and put her in the highchairs there, she is still a little too small for them.  She does okay if we do not keep her in them for long periods of time.

 She loves food but just not real table food quite yet.  I have been trying to get her to eat cut up fruit and some puffs but she is still resisting them at this point.  I'm sure in a few weeks she won't be turning much away.  She is adjusting fine to her sippy cup, I am just filling it with water at this time.  As of now she is 18 lbs but we don't have any of her other stats just yet. Her 6 month well-check isn't for a couple of weeks yet.

Lexie and George

Lexie and Darrell

She loves to go and visit George at practice.  She loves looking at the boys!  When we were at practice last week, one of the old players, Darrell Stuckey, came over and just took her out of George's arms.  I wasn't quite sure how she was going to react but she was fine.  She is starting to have some stranger anxiety, some who have known her but have not spent much time with her, would probably say that she has had stranger anxiety since she was born.

Lexie also experienced the swings...with me in tow of course.  I actually wanted to put her in a bucket swing but when we got to the park, they were all taken so she just sat on my lap.  I also took her down the slide a few times and she loved it.  When it gets warmer outside I will take her to the park and let her play some more.

Lexie and I having fun at South Park

I can't wait to see how much she grows over the next month.  I am sure she will continue to keep me on my toes!

A Tribute To Lexie's First Babysitter

When Lexie was born, it was right smack dab in the middle of George's football season.  Lexie was born on Oct 22, which was a Friday, and George had a game the next evening here in Lawrence against Texas A&M.  That day of his game was the first insight that I had into what it was really going to be like to be a wife of someone who worked in college athletics.  A week later, George was on the road to Iowa State.  I had my friend, Tegan, come and stay with us on Friday evening because I was so tired and didn't want to be alone.  That Saturday, was probably one of the longest days of my life, so I thought.  Lexie was fussy all day and she had wanted to nurse almost all day long.  I couldn't even get a meal in and I was home by myself.  I was reluctant to ask for help from my friends because I thought that I should be able to take care of Lexie on my own.  Well, needless to say by the time George had gotten home that evening, which was around 10:30, I was not sure who was crying more, Lexie or myself.  From that point on, I knew that I had to have some help, so George starting asking around his office and others in the Athletic Department to see if anyone knew of someone who could help me in the coming weeks when he was going to be traveling with football.

I had met Stephanie Patrick when I was still pregnant with Lexie.  She had moved to Lawrence from Chicago to live with her fiance, Tom, who worked with George in the football office.  She had been a nanny for a few families and she was just a natural with Lexie.  From that point on, I could always count on her when I needed help with Lexie.  She quickly turned into a great friend, shopping buddy, road trip buddy to KC, and my running buddy!

She is only moving to Austin, but we will miss her dearly.  You will always be Lexie's first and most favorite babysitter.  We wish you the best of luck in your new journey and hope that it is everything that you want and need!  We will be down to visit, you can count on that!!

A LITTLE OF THIS...A LITTLE OF THAT

So much is going on with Lexie right now.  She is finally at the fun age when she is becoming more active.  She is working very hard on her crawling and although she can get onto all fours in the blink of an eye, she just can't quite perfect the art of crawling.  She can army crawl for objects as well as roll her way to them.  I have to keep my eye on her at all times.  I went into the kitchen this morning to wash her bottles and when I came back in the living room to check on her, she somehow got stuck in the handles of her diaper bag.  She is also trying to get up on her toes when she is on all fours which usually results in her doing a face plant on the ground, followed by some  crying.

She is also working on sitting up.  She doesn't like to practice this as much as she likes to practice her crawling but she is getting better at it.  For now, she is like a tri-pod, meaning she sits and braces with one arm.  I am starting to use the boppy to help her with her sitting.

She is becoming a better sleeper.  She has been doing the "Cry It Out" method for almost 2 weeks now and she is getting better at it everyday.  George still has a hard time listening to her cry from time to time but he is also getting better at it.  She still goes to bed between 7 and 8 and sleeps until 4:30 or 5:00 am.  The hard part is trying to get her to go back to bed for a few hours after she wakes up for a bottle.  I can't complain because at least she is sleeping through the night.  I can also count on two solid naps during the day.  She usually sleeps the longest during her morning nap, around 2-3 hours.  She loves her giraffe Jerry, if you couldn't tell from the picture below.

She has her two bottom teeth coming in.  You can feel them and see them but she is still working hard on getting them all of the way through.  She has been a little fussy because of the teething but she is a trooper.

Now that the weather is getting nicer, I try to get her out for a walk once or twice a day.  She just loves the outdoors and seeing things.  I love the Spring and Fall for this reason.

I'm 5 Months Old....Lets Go To San Diego To Celebrate!

So I am a little late on this entry but last Tuesday Lexie had her 5 month birthday.  With that came a trip to San Diego (not really because she had her 5 month birthday, we had it planned for quite awhile.  When you think San Diego (especially when you live in Kansas and with the weather that we just had), you think warm sun, beaches, and good times.  Well we had the good times but that was about it.  I even think that Kansas was warmer than it was in San Diego.  Nonetheless, we had a great time.

                                   The closest we came to water...the view from our hotel room.

Some big things took place before we left.  Lexie started to try the crawling thing again but this time she is more serious about it.  Also, she likes to do this supermodel/Jane Fonda pose.  It think it's so cute.  See for yourself...oh and it appears that her dad has one too!

Another surprise that we had was that our dear friends, The Ontiveros Family, had a new addition to their family, born the night before we got to San Diego.  We feel really fortunate to have been able to meet Lily Ontiveros...sorry no pics but I did get one of Lexie and Lily's big Sister, Sophia.

                                     Sophia is going to be a great BIG SISTER as you can see.

Lexie was able to spend some time with her Grandma Mary and Grandpa Urs who drove 6 hours each way just to see her.  She had such a good time with them!

Lexie also got to meet some of her distant relatives who live in San Diego. Aunt Joan, Cousins Jane, Chase, and Kylie.  She had such a great time with all of them.
                                          
                                             Lexie also met a few more boys around her age.

                                                          Lexie and Tyler Tepraseuth

                                                          Lexie and Liam Helart

Now that we are back in Lawrence, Lexie has a bit of a stuffy nose but she has been sleeping great in her crib for all of her naps and during the night.  She is really growing into a fun young lady.  She just loves to laugh and that makes her Daddy and I smile.

St. Patty's Day, Good Byes and March Madness!!

Last Thursday was a busy day for Lexie and I.  We said our good-byes to some dear friends of ours, the Dailey Family, who moved here from Buffalo, NY last spring and they are the best!  I would meet Carrie and Stella on walks throughout the summer and into the Fall and Spring. When Lexie was born, Stella couldn't get enough of her.  She always yells, "Baby, baby" every time she sees Lexie.  We will miss them joining Lexie and I on walks, random shopping trips, and play dates.  We wish them the best of luck in their new journey and can not wait to see pictures of the soon to-be new addition to the Dailey Family.

This is an old picture of Stella and Lexie (I forgot my camera the other day)

Lexie sprawling out on her "Big Girl Bed" aka. Hotel Queen Size Bed

Lexie celebrated her first St Patty's Day in Tulsa, OK.  Oklahoma is the 9th State that Lexie has visited so far and she will only be 5 months tomorrow.  Every year George and I travel to the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament to root on our Jayhawks.  This year the tournament took us to lovely Tulsa.  The weather was so nice the day that we got there, but by the next day, the wind picked up and it was freezing.  I of course, being too trustworthy of the weatherman, only brought dresses for Lexie since it was suppose to be in the upper 80's all weekend.  Despite the crummy weather, we had great company for the weekend...the Jayhawks Men's Basketball Team as well as our dear friends, Auntie AlPal, Auntie Tegs, Auntie Laura, Uncle Danny, and Carter.  We went to the KUAA Pep Rally prior to tip-off of the basketball game (KU vs Boston University) and while George was at the game, Lexie and I opted to watch the game in our cozy hotel room (mainly because Lexie's bed time is at 7pm and the game started at 6pm).  The Jayhawks won and all was right in the world.  We got up the next morning and packed up the room and hit the road...a 4 hour drive back to Lawrence.

                                             Lexie wanted what Carter was having to drink!

We watched the Jayhawks again on Sunday evening from our living room and were happy that they had won again!  Off to San Antonio they go for the Sweet 16!  We will not be joining them, as we are headed to San Diego.  There is always the First Rounds of NCAA next year and maybe Lexie and I can actually join George at the game.

Lexie's first ER Visit...and too many visits with Dr. Riordan

A week ago today George, Lexie, and I were on our way back from Yia Yia and Papou's house in Ohio when Lexie felt a little warm.  When we left a few days prior, she was starting to come down with a cold.  I was a little concerned at first but Lexie didn't really show any signs that her cold was at all serious.  So we made the venture to Ohio (via United Airlines) and what we wound up with was one sick little girl.

When we landed in Kansas City, Lexie started to run a fever and she was very fussy so I knew that she was not feeling very well.  While we were in Ohio, the evening before we left to come home, she hadn't felt too well.  I had a feeling that this was the beginning of a very long week for us.  So getting back to our arrival in Kansas City.  As we made our way back to Lawrence, Lexie was crying uncontrollably and at first I thought that she was hungry.  She hadn't been eating very much that day so her feeding schedule was a little off.  After she refused her bottle, I decided to take her temperature.  It read 102 degrees.  At that time I decided that maybe we should call the Pediatrician's office.  The only problem with that was...I didn't have the number.  See, I had lost my phone somewhere in Ohio earlier that day.  George had our friend Laura's number so he called her to get Dr. Riordan's office number.

When we got to Lawrence we decided to take Lexie straight to the ER to be examined.  She had been crying off and in the car the entire way from the airport and I wanted a piece of mind that she was going to be okay.  Once we got to the ER, Lexie immediately stopped crying and actually was flirting with the male nurse that was attending to her.  She was acting as if nothing was wrong at all.  The nurse did determine that she was still indeed running a fever and immediately ran tests to rule out RSV, strep, and the flu.  We were happy parents when all three were ruled out but the nurse and doctor were both concerned with the amount of nasal congestion and wanted to get a respiratory therapist down to do some nasal suction to help clear up some breathing problems that Lexie was having.  It was so hard to see a tube being stuck down her nose and to hold her down as they suctioned over and over again.  So much gunk came out and I was very thankful in the end because it was much needed and I knew that she wouldn't remember it in the morning.

That night George and I were both relieved because Lexie was sleeping (on us but at least she was sleeping soundly).  Her congestion lasted most of the week and she still has a stuffy nose but it is nowhere near what it was.  We went to see Dr. Riordan, Lexie's pediatrician, as instructed by the ER physician.  He gave her a clean bill of health and felt that she was recovering well.  He gave us a prescription for her cough and told us that he would see us in a few months for we 6 month well check unless she needed anything else.  We saw him again the next day.  Lexie had gone almost 11 hours without eating her bottle.  It really worried me and I knew that I would not be able to sleep if I didn't find out what was going on with her.  We got her in the last appointment slot for the day at 6pm only to be told by her Pediatrician that she is stubborn and she is "playing" us like a violin.  When we got home from the doctor's office we tried to feed Lexie another bottle and she chugged it down almost instantly.  Tears were streaming out of George and I's eyes...we were both happy and relieved.  We both agreed that we could not believe how someone so small has changed our lives in so many ways.

My 4 Month Well Check and Green Beans

Today Lexie had her 4 month well check with Dr. Riordan and she got her new stats.  She is weighing in at 15 lbs and 13 oz (86th percentile), her height is 25 3/4" (90th percentile) and her head circumference is 16" (33rd percentile).

Dr. Riordan thought that she is doing great, although he did mention that she is a sensitive baby.  That comment made her Daddy and I laugh.  He says it every time he sees her.

Today we started her on her first stage 1 food...mmm Green Beans...I think she liked them!

                                                  Let me get what I dropped on my bib :-)

Now, if we can just get this teething problem fixed we are in business!