Alex and her Crew!

Yes, my little Alex has a crew! The first member of her crew has been her shadow since the first day she came home! Cooper Collie Stafin! He adores his little sister and she in turn adores him! I wonder of people will think it's weird that Alex will eventually refer to Cooper as her brother?

Here is Miss A's other crew (from left to right: Pinky, Honey, Lenny [in her hands], Love-A-Bunny, Dr. Octagon, Robbie, Giggles, and Polly Dolly.) We are weird, we name all of Alex's toys. She loves them all...well, she loves chewing on them!

We had round 2 with bananas today. Last time we did them for 1 day, she had weird poo, so I didn't give her anymore. I talked to the pedi about it at her 6 month appointment and he said it was normal. So breakfast today was bananas and oatmeal! Yummy!

I couldn't resist, after her bath, her little booty looked so cute! She has a perfect little heart shaped butt! I could just bite it!
Here is Alex's blankie she gets to nap with. It was a Christmas present from Nomi. She only gets it while she is napping because she moves around so much I worry about her getting tangled up in it. She loves holding the blanket right by her face. We have incorporated the blanket into her nap time routine. She has been such a great napper for several weeks now. She does 2 naps a day, usually 2-3 hours at a time. I can tell when she gets sleepy so we'll go in her room, I'll hold her on my lap, let her hold her blanket and we rock for a couple of minutes. I love this time because she is soo sweet and snugglie! The last 2 days she has been taking 3 naps. Instead of 1 long morning nap, she will nap for about an hour, wake up, play for about an hour, then nap for another hour. She is still taking her afternoon nap, but this is getting shorter and her bedtime is moving closer to 7 or 7:30!

I love this picture of my sweet little baby, she looks like such a big girl!

Heart Breaking...

I made my little pumpkin cry yesterday. (This is an old picture, I don't have a recent one of her crying.) Since she started rolling over, she has become such a wiggle worm on the changing table. Yesterday, she kept trying to roll over and I kept flipping her back, then would say no no. She would just giggle like it was a game. After about 5 times, I flipped her back, looked her in the eye and said, "No" one time in a stern voice. She looked at me, turned bright red and opened her mouth but no sound came out for about 10 seconds, the she wailed. I, of course, picked her up immediately, and started crying too. So much for being a disciplinarian. I just can't do it when she cries and looks at me like that. I am already such a push over!

Alex had pears this morning. She gobbled them up! On Saturday, we are going to revisit bananas. Hopefully she won't have funky poo this time! To date she has tried and loved: butternut squash, acorn squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, apples, avocado and pears! I am still making all of her food. It is soo easy and I love doing it! While I was at the store last night, I picked up some puffs so she could practice her pincer grasp. While we were eating dinner, I put her in her highchair and put 3 puffs on her tray. She could pick them up and get them to her mouth, but since her fingers were slobbery, they just kind of stuck to her fingers. She ended up getting one in her mouth and made the funniest face as she ate it. She looked like she wasn't too sure about the texture. Cooper also was introduced to puffs last night! The remaining 2 puffs ended up on the floor! Josh told Cooper he better get used to it, because this was just the beginning of the feast to come!!

Could they be any cuter?

We went to Dallas this weekend! We left here Saturday afternoon and got home last night. It was great short little trip! We met some friends for dinner in Fort Worth, then went to a comedy club! It was a blast. Alex got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa! She was great for them! Sunday, we had lunch then went to visit Ito and Ita on our way home. Both of my babies were so tired from being on the road. I looked back and Coopie was snuggled up to Alex in her car seat. They are sooo cute! Can I tell you how hard it is to take a picture from the passenger seat while the car is moving, especially since Alex is facing backwards?!?!?

We have started having naked baby time every day before bath time! I can not believe how long my munchkin looks in this picture! I realized that Alex has about 3 more inches until she outgrows her car seat. Now we are trying to decide what "big girl" car seat we will get her. I have a feeling in no time, Alex will start pushing up on all fours. Once she gets that down, I have a feeling she will just take off. She can not keep her legs still to save her life. They are always moving!

Josh is home sick today...it is bad that I am excited!?! I love spending days with him! He was just feeling worn down, achy and congested. He is curled up on the couch watching TV, I think I may join him since the babies are sleeping!!

Izzy on Jimmy Kimmel!

my niece Izzy was on Jimmy Kimmel last night! She has a line about 5 minutes in! (the adorable girl with the braids!!)

Silly Girl!

See! She always sticks out her tongue! She just cracks me up! She did it last night while she was eating carrots and at first I thought she was spitting the food back out, but nope, she was just sticking her tongue out! Then she actually did the raspberry noise while sticking her tongue out and spit carrots everywhere. It was pretty funny!

Monday we started doing 2 meals a day. We changed up her eating schedule a bit. She had been getting solids at lunch, but now we do solids at breakfast, a fruit and oatmeal, then again at dinner, a veggie and rice. She seems to like this better. After her dinner, we do a bottle around 7:30 then she is ready for bed. The last 2 nights, she has been in bed by 8pm and has slept until 7:30 and 7:45!!

Yesterday the girls and I went to meet Erika and Dane at the mall. We walked around for about an hour or so! It was great just to get out of the house. I can't wait for it to warm up so we can go on walks around the neighborhood. Right now, it's just a little too cold for them.

I got in trouble last night. I let Cooper out and was standing at the window watching him, he started to pee so I went to take out my contacts. When I came back, like 1 minute later, he was gone! I thought he was just by the gate so I started calling him and calling him...no Cooper. I grabbed my robe and went out front. I was calling him and looking around and still no Cooper. I must have looked like some crazy lady walking up and down the street in my robe, house shoes and glasses calling for Cooper. Josh came out with the flashlight to help me look for him. At this point, there were tears in my eyes because I felt bad for not watching him, then I started worrying that we wouldn't find him and he would be outside in the cold all night long. I was on my way back inside to grab my keys so I could drive around to look for him and he just hopped out of the trees and brush in the lot next to us. Little booger! I was so releived to see him! Josh was mad that I didn't watch him when I let him out. Damn dog, I mean really, did he know that I took a 1 minute break from watching him? If he did, he is smarter than I give him credit for! I let him out this morning and he tried making a run for it again. I was watching him and he got his head and shoulders (do dogs have shoulders?) under the fence and I knocked on the window and he popped right up because he knew he got caught!

We did it!

We spent our first night away from the little pumpkin! Popi dropped Nomi off around 10 on Friday and went on to Houston for work. Nomi and I spent a while here then we went to run a few errands. There is a children's store here that is closing in a few days so everything was at least 50% off! Alex got a Little Giraffe blanket for Christmas and she LOVES it! I let her nap with it but I don't let her use it at night. It is light weight and she moves so much I don't want her to get tangled up in it. Anyway, they had a small one that was like 12x12 for 50% off! I was so excited because now she can sleep with this one and she can take it where ever she goes and I don't have to worry about getting the big one dirty. I also got her a Baby Bjorn bowl and spoons, new toy and a few other things! I love great sales! Then we headed to the mall. I decided I need to start working on her 6-12 month wardrobe. I got some great things on sale at Gymboree! I love Gymboree. We hung out with Nomi and Popi Friday night, then Saturday we got up and headed to San Antonio about 10am.

We stopped in New Braunfels for lunch at Cooper's! Our favorite BBQ place! It was delish! Then we back tracked a little and went to the outlets at San Marcos to do a little shopping! The weather was perfect! We got into SA around 3:30 and checked into our hotel. We stayed at The Riverwalk Vista, a little 17 room boutique hotel. We stayed there a couple of years ago and it was just the same! We love this place! We got to relax, go have dinner, relax some more then sleep in! I got several updates from my parents. Alex was great for them! I missed her, but it was so nice to have a little "us" time!

When we got home I was so excited to see my little bunny! She saw me and immediately smiled then she reached for me! She has never reached for me before! It made me tear up! It was the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend!

Here are a few pics from the last couple of days!

Josh and Alex napping after we got home today!

(Thank you Aunt Pam & Uncle Jaime for the adorable outfit!)

Cutie Pie!

Bath time Bunny! (Her newest thing is sticking out her tongue...all the time!)


This just makes me laugh because she looks kinda evil!

WOOO HOOOO!!!

This is how I feel right now! The new medicines are working wonders! I woke up this morning with pretty much no pain! Josh actually got to squeeze me without it hurting. We held hands and it didn't hurt! The swelling in my fingers is going down, my legs, ankles, arms, wrist and back all feel great! I am up moving and getting things done! I was actually excited to get out of bed this morning!

And for those of you wondering, this pic was from August 2007. Josh and I were staying at The Cliffs Resort at Possum Kingdom lake and got a little silly out of boredom! Yes, we were jumping from the coffee table onto the bed.

I'm off to play on the floor with Alex just because I can!! :)

Paci Thief and The Escape Artist

Yesterday did not end on a good note. I had not taken any medication all day so I was hurting pretty bad last night and this morning. As soon as I got up I took the new meds and it took awhile, but by lunch time I was feeling great!!!

I haven't posted pics of Alex this week so here are some I've been taking. Monday when Abby got here I noticed she and Alex were both dressed in the same shirts! They looked so cute in their striped shirts and jeans!

Alex has started doing a new smile. It isn't the huge gummy smile, but it's a closed mouth smile. You can see a little dimple on her left cheek when she does this smile! It's too cute!

Alex is now very interested in pacifiers. I noticed on Monday, that anytime she was near Abby, she was obsessed with taking Abby's paci out of her mouth. Abby, of course, did not appreciate this.

After taking it away 5 times, I decided to get the pacis Alex never used so she could play with them. I also gave Abby a new one since Alex kept taking hers away. Alex loves chewing on the paci but will not actually suck on it.

I mentioned before Alex found her feet. She has been trying to pull her socks off. She actually got her feet in her mouth today!

Cooper is now on lock down. He is not allowed in the backyard without one of us watching him. We were sitting on the couch Sunday and our neighbor knocked on our door asking if we knew our dog was roaming the street. We checked the backyard and the gate was closed. Several months ago he got out by crawling under the fence where the concrete drain thing is. He was only able to get out on one side so we put some metal poles in that went all the way to the ground so he couldn't fit. Well, apparently the smartie learned he can actually fit under the other side too. We sat there and watched him try to get out as soon as we let him back in. Yesterday, I let him out in the morning and watched him do his business then I went to the back door to let him in. When I got there, he was at the fence sniffing around. He ducked down like he was about to make a run for it, then he looked at the back door saw me and stood up like he wasn't doing anything wrong. He really is a smart dog!

RA Update!

I had my appointment with the rheumatologist this morning. Josh told me I shouldn't take my Prednisone since I was getting on new meds today. I'm glad I didn't because apparently it doesn't react well with the new stuff, but I don't start the new stuff until tomorrow, and I can tell I am in more pain than normal at this time of the day. But, good news is, I WILL start the new stuff tomorrow. I will be taking a Medrol Dose Pack and Sulfasalazine. I really don't know what either one of them is, but I do know they are supposed to help get the inflamed joints under control. Right now, that is all I want. I want to be able to stand up without my legs hurting, I want to be able to get up in the morning and not hurt. I will be on these medications for 4 weeks. After my appointment, I had to go to my general practitioners office for a PPD skin test (test to make sure I don't have tuberculosis) and Friday I have to have a chest x ray done and more blood work. The medication I will be put on in 4 weeks is called Methotrexate. Before I can be put on it, they want all the blood work and x ray results back so they will have a starting point so when I have follow up appointments they will be able to see if the medication is really helping. Once I start it, I will have to go back every 2-3 months for blood work. I have been reading on Methotrexate and it can be really hard on your body (liver, lungs, kidneys and bone marrow/immune system) so that is one of the reasons they are calling for all of the blood work and x rays before I start, just to make sure everything is healthy! Some of the common side effects are: nausea, vomiting, upset stomach, dizziness, feeling tired, headache, bleeding of the gums and blurred vision. I really would take any of those as long as I don't have to be in constant pain.

Josh asked me yesterday how I was feeling and I said pretty good. The more I started thinking about it, the more I realized I hurt, but I guess I have just learned to deal with it. I don't remember what it is like to stand up without my legs and ankles hurting, pick up Alex without my wrist throbbing, open a jar, squeeze the toothpaste, walk down steps and pretty much anything else you can think of without some type of pain.

Once I get on the Methotrexate, I will have to be on it for 8 weeks before we can determine if it is working or if I will need to move to a different medication. Josh isn't happy about that, but as long as we can keep the joint inflammation under control, I should be ok. Our goal is to have the RA go into remission!

Update on the Sorensens...Kyler Alexander Sorensen was born yesterday at 9:04 am! He was 6 lbs, 13 ounces and 20 inches long. Sheena and Tyler found out several weeks ago that Kyler would be born with a cleft lip and possibly a cleft palate. He was in fact born with a complete bilateral cleft lip and palate. They already have specialist in Houston who are waiting to see Kyler so they can create a plan of action for corrective surgeries. Please keep the Sorensens in your prayers as they get through adjusting to a little one, doctors appointments and upcoming surgeries!

6 Month Checkup

My poor sweet baby is recovering from her 6 month check up and shots. Her shots are always harder on me than they are on her. She cried for about 30 seconds then was all smiles again. The appointment went well. She is right on with her developmental milestones and is in great health.

She is currently:
16 pounds (41st percentile), up from 13.1 (24th percentile) at her 4 month appointment
26.75 inches (75th percentile), up from 24 (26th percentile) at her 4 month appointment

She is able to:
sit unassisted for about 30 seconds at a time
roll from back to belly and belly to back
pick up objects she has dropped
pass objects from and to hand
recognize our faces
show displeasure when we put her down or leave the room
push up while laying on her belly
reach for objects she wants

We have just moved her into size 3 diapers. We started at night only (thank you Wendy Q) and as of Friday, she is in size 3's all day long. We were having too many blowouts in the size 2's. They are still a little big on her, but I'm sure she'll start filling them out pretty soon. She is still in her 3-6 month clothes. I can tell the tops are getting a little short in the arms, but the fit everywhere else. She has been on formula (Similac Advanced) since she was a little over 5 months and we have not had any problems with the adjustment. She takes 4 sippy cups a day for a total of 32 ounces. She doesn't always finish the entire 8 ounces, but we don't stress about it. We know she is getting what she needs. She has tried sweet potatoes, butternut squash, green beans, bananas, apples and carrots and LOVES them all. Dr. H said we should start doing 3 meals a day at this point. We can feel some of her teeth starting to come in, but for the most part, the whole teething process doesn't seem to bother her too much. She has created her own schedule. She wakes up for the day between 7:45 and 8:30, will wait about 30 minutes then take a bottle. By about 10:30 she is down for a nap which usually last until 12 or 12:30. When she wakes up, it's lunch time. She will have oatmeal and a veggie or fruit, then take another bottle. She is trying to hold her own bottles so we got some Nubys with handles so she can practice. We play until about 2:30 or 3 then she naps again until 5 or 5:30 then takes her 3rd bottle. She starts winding down around 8, takes her last bottle of the day and is usually in bed by 9. The girl is a sleeper!! She loves to talk and babble. She will wake up from a nap and just talk to herself for about 15 minutes. She found her feet and can not stop playing with them, especially during diaper changes. She giggles when we kiss her neck. She hates it when I pick at her, but I can't help it. I hate seeing boogies in her nose, stuff in her ears, sock fuzz in her toes and pretty much anything else you can think of to pick at. She adores Cooper. If he walks into her sight, she is mesmerized and will forget anything else. She is a very happy baby. She only gets fussy if she has a dirty diaper, is hungry, bored or very very tired. She is very independent and is happy playing on the floor with her toys most of the time. She likes to be snuggled but only if she is sleepy. She is very much a Mama's girl. She loves her Daddy, but at bed time, she wants her Mommy.

More prayers for the Sorensens. The induction failed so she was scheduled for a c-section at 10 this morning. I am still waiting for an update!!

Relaxing Weekend

We spent Saturday cleaning so we could do whatever we wanted to today. Let me clarify, Josh did most of the cleaning while I relaxed. He really is the best! My little munchkin knew yesterday was different because Josh was home all day long. She did not want to go down for naps. When she slept she was very restless. The last 2 nights she woke up at 11pm screaming like she was scared or something. We picked her up to calm her down and just rocked her a bit, then she'd go back to sleep. This morning, she started talking around 8:30 so I got her and brought her back to bed with us. She just hung out playing with her feet. She is really into Josh lately. She can not stop looking at him. If he looks at her she just gives him the biggest smile! It may be a guy thing because last night we had a few friends over to play games and anytime one of the guys would talk to her she would smile so big! She is such a little flirt!

Today is a very big day for our friends The Sorensens. Sheena and Tyler are at hospital where they have started her on meds to get ready for her induction tonight! She is 37 weeks today so we are praying for a healthy labor and delivery for baby Kyler!

We have a big week ahead of us. Monday Alex has her 6 month appointment, Tuesday I have my appointment with the rheumatologist where I'll be put on a new medication for the RA, we'll spend the rest of the week getting ready for Nomi and Popi to visit and Saturday Josh and I will spend our first night away from Alex. We are going to San Antonio! It was part of Josh's Christmas present. We are heading out early on Saturday, having lunch at Cooper's BBQ (yes, Coopie was named after this place), we may do a little shopping in San Marcos, dinner at La Fonda and we are staying at The Riverwalk Vista. It's an adorable boutique hotel located on the Riverwalk. We stayed there 2 nights on our honeymoon road trip. I am really looking forward to going and I know we need to have a little "us time" but it's still hard thinking about not being there when she wakes up so happy and smiley!

6 Months Old!!!

Alexandra Rae is 6 months old today! We are half way to her first birthday! Can you believe it? I can't! In month 5, she changed so much! She can not sit still, she is such a wiggle worm. Wednesday night we were having dinner and she was on her blanket. She turned completely around, wiggled to the edge of the blanket so she could see around the couch and just watched us. She is starting to reach for things she wants. She was sitting on my lap the other day and Cooper walked by, she reached both arms out and threw her weight forward towards him. She loves sitting in her Bumbo. She is very good at leaning over the side to pick up toys she has dropped. We can not keep her off her tummy. She plays on her tummy and sleeps on her tummy. The girl is also a sleeper! She will wake up in the morning and within an hour or 2, she'll be down for a nap. I can tell when she gets sleepy because she sucks on her bottom lip. (You can see her doing it in the second picture.) She also does that when she gets hungry. Oh is she a talker. She loves talking while she gets her diaper changed. She will just lay there and babble and giggle non stop. She has also discovered her toes! I haven't put socks on her in several days because she loves playing with her toes!

We go for her 6 month check up (and shots) Monday morning so I'll have more growth and developmental updates then. I am off to get ready. Alex and I are meeting Erika and Dane for lunch and coffee then A and I are off to run some errands!

so worth it!

I know I sounded really down in my last post, but Alex woke up and had lunch and she was soo happy and kept giving me the biggest gummiest smiles! Just seeing that smile made me forget about any pain and helped me to remember she is the reason I am able to get through each and every day! I would do anything in the world for my little girl!

Cooper Cure All

The last 2 days have been hard on me. I have been doing so much around the house during the day that by about 7pm, I am pain. My ankles and legs are killing me. I think part of it is I know I am going to the doctor on Tuesday and I'll be getting a prescription for an actual RA medication instead of a steroid to help with the pain. There is an end in sight. Tuesday can not come early enough. This morning was really bad, I had to have Josh help me dry off when I got out of the shower. I don't know why, but it makes me want to cry just thinking about it. I guess it's hard thinking that the simplest task are just torture for me some days. When Katie got here, she had to finish snapping Alex's PJ's because my hands were killing me. I guess I really don't write about the pain very much and I just kinda suck it up and do what needs to get done, but it really wears me down every single day. Last night I fell asleep on the couch around 10. Josh jokingly said something about how I am just exhausted every single night. I really think it is because just walking some days hurts, let alone bending down with the babies, carrying them around and just doing things around here. It just wears my body out. We were putting Alex down last night and I was carrying her to her room, I was basically shuffling my feet because my legs hurt so bad. Josh told me to hand him Alex since I was in pain, and me being so stubborn, I wouldn't. I just held on to her so tight and kept shuffling to her room. I don't know why I insist on being so stubborn, I guess I just feel like I have to be able to do everything for my baby. Josh really does so much when he gets home and I know I wouldn't be able to do it without him, but I guess sometimes I just feel like I have to prove to myself that I can do the small things on my own.

For some reason, no matter how much pain I am in, no matter how grumpy I am, Coopie is always there beside me. Just snuggling with him always makes me feel better. This morning, while the girls were napping, I walked into the bedroom and Coop was curled up on the bed. I snuggled up next to him and fell asleep for about 20 minutes. I am not kidding, when I got up, I felt 20 times better. I don't know what it is about him, but he always makes me feel better.

Apples!!!

Alex had apples today! She loved them! (Huge shock, I know!) She has pretty much put herself on a schedule. I know I have said it before, but this one has lasted about a week. She wakes up, will play for about an hour, eat, play some more, then take a nap. She wakes up around noonish and has lunch, plays for a bit then has a bottle. Around 2 she naps for several hours then pretty much stays up until bed time which is between 8:30 and 9:30. We are so lucky she has continued sleeping through the night with out any issues! Alex amazes me everyday! She is so vocal now. She wakes up sooo happy and will just talk to herself for the longest time. During diaper changes she just talks and talks! She is such a happy baby!

We are having a fun day hanging out with Sheena. Sheena is being induced on Sunday! We can't wait to meet Kyler Alexander!

Here are a few pics of Alex and her apples! She is such a good eater! So far she has loved everything we have tried!

Yes, those are apples by her eye. She is kind of a messy eater!

Playing with a spoon after lunch...wondering why there is no more food on her spoon!

Ooops, Mommy caught me!!

Alex hanging out with Abby

Alex loving on Abby!

A cute little video of Alex the piglet!!

Christmas with Nomi and Popi!

We have had such a great time relaxing at Nomi and Popi's! Alex is being spoiled rotten. Nomi and Popi will just hold her as long as she wants them to so she can look out the window at the lake. She has also been sleeping sooo much! I let her take a longer nap Wednesday night since we were going to be up late waiting till midnight (yes, midnight is late for us) and she had no part of it. She was out by 10! Last night she took a nap from 4-6 then was ready for bed by 8:30!

We opened Christmas presents Wednesday night and Alex got some great stuff. Aunt Jodi, Uncle Laith, Hud and Izzy sent some of their favorite holiday books. It was so sweet, they had the family favorite (Santa Mouse), Hud's fav (The Polar Express) and Izzy's (Olivia Helps With Christmas). The kids wrote special notes to Alex in their favorite books. Nomi also got Alex her first blankie. She got the most beautiful Little Giraffe blanket. I actually picked it out several months ago and completely forgot about it. She also got an adorable bumble bee pillow!

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

Our 2008 started out on a high note. We had our first sonogram on January 8, 2008 and we got to see our little baby for the first time. For the first time ever, she took my breath away. I knew at that moment, everything was real, I was in love and my life would never be the same. We found out at the end of March our little bean was a baby girl. We already knew she would be named Alexandra Rae Stafin. We spent the next several months preparing for the arrival of our sweet baby girl. On July 9th our lives changed forever. Much to our surprise, Alex decided it was time to meet her parents. My labor started around 3am, Josh and I went to the hospital and Alexandra was born at 3:44pm. She was absolutely perfect. Despite being born at 35.5 weeks, she was healthy and didn't need to spend any time in the NICU. The almost six months since her birth have been amazing. I never thought I could love someone as much as I love her. She still takes my breath away every single day. Her big gummy smiles melt my heart. Josh and I are so in love with her and now feel like our lives are complete. We can not wait to see what 2009 will have in store for us and our family. We wish everyone a happy and healthy 2009!