Our Weekend!

This weekend was great. We relaxed most the majority of the time. Alex let us sleep in on Saturday. She fell asleep around 10:30 on Friday night and slept until 6:30, then went back to sleep until about 10! I could not believe it! (She made up for it by staying awake most of the afternoon and evening!) One of Josh's friends, Patrick, came down to visit Saturday night. He has a Ducatti and loves taking day trips so he rode down Saturday, got here in time for us to go out for barbecue, then headed out Sunday after breakfast. Sunday we relaxed again! We went to the James' for a yummy dinner of bratwurst! Abby was awake when we got there and actually stayed awake more than she slept. While we were eating dinner, Alex was in the swing and Abby was napping on her Boppy lounger then Alex started getting fussy, then Abby started getting fussy. They both looked surprised to hear another baby crying. Alex kinda looked around to see where it was coming from, then they started fussing back and forth. I was the only one who thought it was cute, which I guess is a good thing since I'll be watching them both starting in 2 or 3 weeks!

Our weekend was pretty uneventful...except for a trip to Wal Mart. Let me start out by saying Josh hates going to Wal Mart, but we needed 3 random things and knew they would have all 3 so we decided to go. I was coming down an aisle and turned onto the center aisle and a lady with her kid, who was maybe 3, was stopped in the middle of the aisle. So I patiently waited behind her to keep going. She decided to back up, right into Alex's stroller and had the nerve to turn around and say, "You could have told me you were behind me." To which I replied, "You could have not stopped in the center of the aisle." I went around her and she called after me saying, "Well, you're just a rude little bitch." I kept walking and Josh turned around and said, "You do not talk to my wife like that." (he was so cute sticking up for me!) She replied, "Well I'll talk to you like that." Josh said fine, talk to me like that, just don't talk to my wife like that. Anyway, the whole thing got me thinking. 1. What kind of example was that lady setting for her son. I mean, he was old enough to understand what she was saying, but she didn't seem to care. 2. What am I going to teach Alex to do when she is confronted by someone like that. Just walk away to stand up for herself? I'm not talking about fighting, because if she is anything like me, I'm sure she will be kinda wimpy. I don't know, I guess I have some time to think about it.

We (being Alex, Cooper and myself) are very sad. Josh is going to Las Vegas on Friday and taking his 3 managers. We haven't been to Vegas since last year, about 2 weeks after we found out I was pregnant. He is leaving Friday morning and coming back Monday night. I know he is going to have so much fun, but I am a tiny bit jealous I can't go. I mean, he gets to eat at Fat Burger and he is staying at the Rio, which I love! I decided we are going to visit Nomi and Popi so we aren't home alone. I am so excited about it. It is Alex's first trip to their house. My Aunt Pam and Uncle Jaime will be there too, so I'll have lots of helpers! We are heading to First Monday on Saturday since the weather is supposed to be nice, then Mom and Aunt Pam are scrap booking the rest of the time. I may use this as time to work on Alex's announcements. I'm horrible, she is almost 3 months old and I haven't sent them out yet. Oh well, better late than never!

Alex is smiling so much now! She will break out a huge smile anytime she sees us or if we talk to her. She is also a little obsessed with a yellow and red Sassy lion we have on her swing. She will stare at it then just start smiling at it. Then she make a little chuckle/laughing noise. I don't get what is so amusing about it, but she sure loves it! I'm grateful it keeps her occupied while we eat dinner! (oh, the picutre above was taken while Josh was singing and hopping around, Alex found him pretty darn entertaining!)

Sucker!

So I think Alex is going to be a thumb sucker. Earlier this week she started sucking on her hand all the time. I wake up and hear her on the monitor sucking on her hand. She hasn't found her thumb yet, but I think it's only a matter of time. She is also starting to put herself to sleep. If we lay her down while she is still awake, but sleepy, she will coo and babble to herself then fall asleep after a while. Of course, this doesn't always happen, but it is happening more and more. I could just sit there and listen to all of her adorable sounds.

I've been really bad about holding her all the time. She usually naps on me. This week I have made it a point to lay her down when she falls asleep during the day. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I realized she usually stays asleep when I put her on the Boppy. I think it's because it still gives her the feeling that she is being held. I know sleeping on the Boppy is a huge no no, but I never leave her alone while she is on it. She is always in the pack and play in my sight. When she falls asleep while she is eating, she always holds on to the burp cloth like a blankey. I can't get over how cute she is! Speaking of my cute little girl, it is 10:00 and she is still awake. She woke up at 6:15 this morning and has only taken a few short naps totaling about 2 hours. Hmmm, maybe she'll sleep good tonight!

My Little Cutie Pie!

Here are a few pictures I took of Alexandra yesterday. She is getting so big! She has officially grown out of her newborn clothes. She is wearing most of the 0-3 month clothes and some of the 3-6 that run small. I think she is on the verge of outgrowing the size 1 diapers. They leave red marks on her chunky thighs.

We are starting a night time routine with her. She seems to be doing well with it. We start sometime between 7:30 and 8:30...she gets a bath, dressed in her jammies, snuggle and feeding with me, then she gets snuggle time with Josh where she usually ends up falling asleep. We keep her in the living room with us until we go to bed. If she happens to wake up during the living room to crib transition, I change her diaper and feed her one more time. We are still working on our bottle problem. I decided we are going to give her 1 bottle everyday so she can get used to taking one. So far, the Dr. Browns are a no (but I may try them again because I have the most of those), Playtex Drop Ins: no, Medela: big fat NO, and Avent: yes, with some work. She took 1 ounce Monday, 2 on Tuesday and 3 tonight. I gave her the bottle the first 2 nights and Josh did it tonight. I need to get this little one used to taking a bottle from other people otherwise we are never going to be able to leave her. Not that I want to any time soon, but still, it would be nice to know she isn't going to starve if I'm not there!

Look at all those rolls and that belly! I could just eat her up!

Perfect 10!

Alex slept 10 hours straight last night! Woo hoo! I was so excited. I guess she wore herself out with her fuss-fest on the way home last night! I figured she would be awake most of the morning, but she hasn't been. She woke up at 7:30 this morning and fell back asleep in her swing around 9 while I was washing bottles. Now if I could just work up the nerve to turn off the music on the swing. I'm worried if I turn it off she will wake up...I guess I'll just stick it out in swing music hell until she decides to wake herself up!

You are my Sunshine

We had such a great weekend, but we are so glad to be home! Two trips to Dallas in one week is too much! I had such a great time at Amy's shower. She is so freaking cute! Seeing her and the other 3 pregnant ladies make me miss being pregnant.

We went to see Ito and Ita Saturday night after a yummy dinner at Buca with Terri and Ray. For as long as I can remember, my Grandpa (Ito) has called me Sunshine. He now calls Alex Little Sunshine. The picture above is Ito and his Sunshines! I love it! I love seeing my grandparents with Alex. They love her so much. Ita can calm Alex down like no one else.

This afternoon, Alex got to meet the Stafin side of the family; Gram, Uncle Ray, Aunt Tiffany, Uncle Jay, Aunt Tina and the cousins, Little Ray, Sabrina, Dilan and Sam. Sam is the closest to Alex in age, he is two. He is all boy and such a cutie! It felt like the drive home took FOREVER. I think it is because it was still light when we started and dark by the time we got home. Was I ever ready to get out of the car! It didn't help that around Waco, Alex started getting fussy so we stopped so I could feed her and she decided the car seat was not her friend. She pretty much fussed off and on the rest of the way home.

We are home now, relaxing. Cooper has taken residence on his couch and Alex has claimed her spot on her Daddy. On a bad note, Alex is pretty much refusing bottles from anyone. We tried 2 different bottles this evening and she took maybe half an ounce (but I think most of that ended up on the burp cloth). I guess I need to start trying different bottles to see if we can find one she likes. She used to have no problem taking the Dr. Browns, but now she decided she isn't a fan of them. I had a little talk with her telling her she needs to start taking a bottle, because if she doesn't she will never be able to spend a day away from me. We'll see if that little pep talk worked. I guess until she starts taking a bottle again I need to freeze smaller bags of milk...I am not going to spend my time pumping if she is just going to refuse the bottle. I hate seeing my pumped milk going down the drain!

Well the Cowboys game is almost over so we are heading to bed. Night night!

Mommy's Little Helpers

We are off to Dallas again tonight. We decided to leave tonight instead of tomorrow since we are horrible about getting up early and leaving. I blame Alex! We have never traveled in the evening with Alex and that is usually her fussiest time. We'll see how she does!

Last night I was cooking dinner and Alex was in the kitchen with me. Cooper was sitting pretty beside her hoping he would get some pasta! It's kinda difficult to make dinner when you have a 60lb. dog always at your feet. I think his goal is to trip me up in hopes that he will get something I drop! He really is smart!

Alex is doing great. She is starting to create her own little schedule...and I use the term loosely! She gets up around 8 AM to eat, then she usually goes back to sleep for an hour or 2. During this time I run around like a mad woman trying to get stuff done. She wakes up around lunchtime (for me) and stays awake until about 3 then naps again until Josh gets home. Once Josh is home she is usually up until she falls asleep in someones arms...between 8 and 9. We keep her in the living room with us until about 10 or 10:30 then she gets one last diaper change and feeding before she goes down. She is still up once a night around 3 or 4. Hopefully, this will stick for a while, but who knows!

Long Weekend!

We had a 4 day weekend! It started off Friday night, we stayed in and watched a movie and stayed updated on Hurricane Ike. When I got up around 3:30 Saturday morning, I heard the wind howling. Alex woke us up around 7am crying because the wind was so loud in her room. We put her in bed with us and all was good. Josh decided he wanted to go outside to see how windy it was. By the time Ike got to us, it was only a category 1. Josh said it wasn't too bad, just windy and rainy. He decided to take Cooper out to potty and Cooper was not at all happy about it. He walked out, squinted his eyes and tried to brace himself so he could pee. The wind was blowing about 60mph and Cooper's hair was flying! He was so cute! We spent the rest of the day inside watching TV, doing laundry and packing.

My sister and Isabella were in Dallas to visit my grandma who had knee surgery. We had to go to Dallas Sunday because Josh was golfing and going to the Cowboy game on Monday so we decided to keep it a secret from my sister so we could surprise them with the baby. We got up Sunday and headed to Dallas around 11. My sister, Isabella, grandma and Aunt Pam had gone to my parents house in East Texas for the weekend, so we hung out at Josh's parents house waiting for them to get back in town. We got to my grandma's around 6 and Isabella came running out to see us. I can not believe how big she is. I hadn't seen her since November. We had the best time hanging out with the family. My sister made a wonderful dinner for everyone. We headed out kinda early because Josh and I both had busy days on Monday.

He was up around 5:30 so he could go golfing. I slept in until about 8 then got up and got ready and got Alex ready. We were off to Plano to meet Amy for lunch. I can not get over how cute she looks pregnant! We went to Breadwinners, it was yummy! After I dropped her back off at the office, I went to Farmers Branch so Alex could meet her great grandma Mary and great grandpa Buddy! Alex loves her grandma Mary. She could not stop smiling at her. It was so cute! After we left there, we were heading to Grapevine to see Josh for a little while before we met Shannon and he headed to the game. Plans ended up changing and we went straight to Shannon's so we could go to the mall with her and Ryan (her brother). On our way back from Northpark, I checked my phone and Josh had called 3 times and sent a text asking me to call him ASAP. Apparently he put his ticket to the game in a safe place he wouldn't forget...in my purse. It was 4:35 and he was supposed to meet the other guys in Las Colinas at 5. So we hauled butt to meet him. We got there a few minutes after 5 so thankfully, they weren't waiting too long for me! Shannon and I went to dinner then I went back to my grandma's to see everyone before we left. We celebrated Grandma's birthday and everyone took turns passing Alex around. Considering we left the house at 10am and didn't get back until 10pm Alex was great! She actually slept most of the day because I don't think she slept too well in her pack and play/bassinet. She is used to her crib. Josh got home at midnight after an exciting Cowboys game (go Cowboys!). We headed back to College Station around 11.

It was a jam packed day and guess what, we are heading back to Dallas this weekend. We haven't decided if we are driving up on Friday or Saturday, but it is going to be another busy weekend. I am so excited about Amy's shower on Saturday, we are going to my grandma's Saturday afternoon/evening then we are heading to Ray and Tiffany's for Ray Sr. and Dilan's birthday! Alex get to meet the other half of the family this weekend!

Here are a few pictures from Sunday and Monday...

Alex and Aunt Jodi

my Aunt Pam, Isabella and Alex

Popi and Alex

Auntie Shannon and Alex


Izzy loving on Alex (I love this picture!)

The Girls

Super Cooper

Cooper is such an amazing dog. Last night when Alex woke up around 4 I was in so much pain. It took me forever to get out of bed and walk to her room. I had to stop and brace myself several times on the short walk to her room. Cooper always gets up with me and last night was no exception. By the time I got to her room she was screaming because it took me so long and I was crying because my legs and arms hurt so bad. I struggled to pick her up and put her on the changing pad. The next thing I knew, Josh came in to see what was wrong. He never hears me get up and I always turn the monitor down so we don't wake him. Apparently Cooper knew something was wrong and went and nudged Josh until he woke up. Josh heard Alex crying so he came to check on us. I was so thankful he was there because I really don't think I would have been able to change her diaper and pick her back up because I was hurting so bad. He changed her diaper and handed her to me after I was sitting so I could feed her. Had it not been for Coopie who knows what I would have done.

But wait...that's not it! After we went back to sleep, we heard Cooper barking. He never barks in the middle of the night. I rolled over and looked at the clock and it was almost 7. The alarm usually goes off at 6:30. Josh got up to see what he was barking at and he couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe he just knew it was past time to get up and we weren't up yet. He truly is the best dog ever. So smart, but not at all graceful, just like his Mommy and Daddy!

Alex is doing great! She got Tylenol twice after her shots on Tuesday and has been great ever since. She is still up once a night, but I am finally getting used to it so it is no big deal. We went to lunch yesterday with my friend Brittney and her son Cameran, who is 10 months old. He is such a cutie, blonde hair and the biggest blue eyes! Last night we went to Katie and Tracy's so the boys could play Risk. Katie and I hung out, fed the babies and watch 90210. Abby is such a doll. She was a big baby, but she still has that sweet newborn look. Alex is an inch longer and less than a pound heavier than Abby, but they look so different. They are going to be complete opposites. I can't wait to see them as they grow up together.

When we moved to College Station last year, I really didn't know what to expect. I can say, this is the first place that has really felt like home for me since I moved out of my parents house. I am so lucky to have such an amazing husband, family and friends. I know I couldn't make it through some days with out Josh. Our families are so wonderful always checking on us, seeing how Alex is doing and never forgetting Cooper. I love having Katie here. It is so great to have someone who is going through the same stuff I went through and am still going through. I have met so many new people who all have little ones under a year old so it makes it even easier to have people to relate to. For anyone who is having a baby or has a new baby, I think having a great support system is the most important thing. Sorry, I know I ramble but I just look around me and can't help but smile.

Cooper: Babysitter

Cooper is just obsessed with Alex. He wants to be where ever she is. I can't tell you how many times he just gets his bone and lays in front of her crib chewing on it. He always has to be near her if we are doing tummy time. If she start cooing, he has to get up to check on her. It is so cute! He can not keep his tongue of that baby and she doesn't seem to mind one bit! I can't wait until she gets bigger and is able to interact with him even more.



We got to see Abby again last night. I met Katie at a La Leche League meeting. It was great to meet other new mommies that are breastfeeding and going through the same struggles I have been going through. Some days are so easy but we have those days I just wish I would allow myself to give her formula. My goal is to breastfeed for at least 6 months...I am 1/3 of the way to meeting my goal! While I was at the doctors office yesterday, I had a bottle of pumped milk just in case she got fussy. I tried giving it to her and she looked so confused. My poor little baby, she is so used to me snuggling her while I feed her and she wasn't able to get that while we were there. She wouldn't take the bottle from me. I guess that should make me feel good, she wants me! She did take a bottle from her Daddy just now so it's good to know that she isn't going to starve if I'm not there.

2 Months Old!

I can not believe my sweet baby girl is already two months old! She is growing so fast and it was confirmed at the doctors office today! When she was born she was in the 5th percentile for her weight...she is now in the 50th! My little chunky baby!

Here are her stats:

birth weight: 5 lbs. 12 oz current weight: 10 lbs. 7 oz!

birth length: 19.5 inches current length: 22.5 inches!

Can you believe this little thing is already over 10 pounds? I can't. The doctor said everything looks great! She had her 2 month shots. I couldn't watch. I heard my poor baby crying so loud. The second they were done, I picked her up and she stopped crying. She has been a little fussy, but not too bad.

Alex has started smiling. I have tried everything I could to catch it on camera and kinda succeeded today. The pictures above are all from today. Not a huge smile, more like little smirks. She just melts my heart! I love her so much!

I also had my appointment with the Arthritis specialist. (man, I sound old talking about my arthritic bones!) So anyway, the doctor is 95% sure it is Rheumatoid Arthritis. I am starting medication tomorrow to help with the pain. I have to have more blood work done to confirm RA and then an ultrasound on my hands and wrist later this month. Honestly, I haven't read much about it so I'm still kinda in the dark about what exactly it is. I'm planning on reading up on it as much as possible over the next few days so if they confirm that's what it is, I'll be able to ask any questions I may have.

Lazy Sunday

Yesterday was the best! Alex woke up around 7 so Josh brought her to bed with us. We all ended up sleeping until almost 10! We never sleep in anymore, especially now that Alex is here. Cooper even joined us. It was perfect! We had a late breakfast and Josh decided to do some work on the car. Alex actually took a nap in her crib, which is unusual for her. She usually sleeps on me and cries when we put her in her crib for a nap.

She has started getting really fussy at night. I try to feed her and she will eat for a couple of minutes then she just gets super fussy again. We move her around, try different positions and nothing helps. It usually last until about 9:30 or 10 then she wears herself out and finally falls asleep. Last night, after she wore herself out, I got her ready for bed and she went down at 10:30...she didn't get back up until 6:15! Woo hoo! A whole night of sleep! It was great. The past few nights she has been up once around 3 so I was shocked this morning when I heard her rustling around and it was already 6:15! I am not getting my hopes up that she is going to start sleeping through the night just yet, but we'll see what happens the next few nights.

Alex has her 2 month check up and shots tomorrow. I think it is going to be harder on me than her. It breaks my heart to hear my pumpkin cry. She usually gets over it pretty quick. I also have an appointment tomorrow with a specialist to talk about my high ADA counts. Hopefully they will be able to give me some insight as to why I am so much pain.

Alex and Abby

Abby is here! She was born last night and we went to see her this morning. She is adorable! Both Mommy and baby are doing great. Here is the first picture of Alex and Abby together. Alex was not too happy because she was cold. She welcomed her new BFF by flinging her arm at her and smacking her in the face. Alex better watch it, Abby has a few ounces on her and will be able to hold her own pretty soon!

Nomi!

We were so excited, Nomi came to visit us on Wednesday! She stayed the night and left yesterday. I love having my mom here, she just loves on Alex the entire time. Alex kept smiling for her. She took a 3 hour nap in Nomi's lap yesterday morning then we ran some errands in the afternoon. We went to Gymboree and got some adorable clothes for Alex to wear this fall. I can't wait to see her in them. Mom also picked up a little something for Abby. Abby's room is a jungle theme so Mom got her a monkey hat, onesie and socks. Alex got a cute mouse hat. So now we will have Alex and Abby, the mouse and the monkey. Speaking of Abby, today is her birthday! Katie went to the hospital this morning at 5:30 to be induced. We are now waiting for word of her birth. We are so excited and can't wait to go see her so Alex can meet her new best friend for the first time!

On a sad note, my sweet baby girl has a rash on her face. I am thinking it is from her car seat. It showed up one day after she got sweaty in it. I started reading online and found some information about other babies getting rashes from their Chicco car seats. It has something to do with the chemicals they use to make it flame retardant. I am going to start covering the part that touches her face to see if it clears up. If it does, I'll have to see if I can find a car seat cover so it doesn't keep coming back.

We are looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home!

a few more pictures...

here are a few more pics from our shoot with Emily!

First Overnight Trip!

This weekend Alex went on her first overnight trip. We went to Josh's parents lakehouse on Saturday. I, of course, was stressing about forgetting something as I packed, but thankfully I remembered everything for Alex, I just forgot a few things for us, but it was no big deal. We made do. She was great in the car. It was about a 3 hour drive. She slept most of the way down, only waking up once to cry for a few minutes, then when we stopped at the grocery store. Josh went in while I fed Alex in the car.

I think she is coming out of a growth spurt, she spent the end of the week eating nonstop and Saturday and Sunday sleeping nonstop. I felt bad she wasn't awake more to see Grandma and Grandpa, but she had some quality naptime on everyone. It was also Alex's first night sleeping in the same room as us. She did pretty good. It took her a little while to fall asleep, but once she did, she was out. She was only up once each night.

We headed home today and she was good again. This time she stayed awake most of the trip. We had to keep an eye on Cooper, if she started to make a noise, he would lick her. She didn't mind at all. He ended up laying with his head almost in her carseat so he could watch her. She got fussy about 45 minutes from home so we stopped for a feeding and diaper change, then she was good to go.

I think our weekend at the lake wore everyone out. Alex is sleeping on me while Josh snuggles with Cooper on the floor (see pic below!)

Mommy, Daddy and Alex

Grandma, Grandpa and Alex

Josh and Coopie "recovering"