Happy 2nd Birthday

Happy Second Birthday

Alexandra Rae!

Dear Alexandra,

I can't believe you are two years old. It seems like just a few months ago to me...

From the day I told your mommy that if we had a daughter I wanted her name to be Alexandra, I knew that I would love you. I cried the day we found out your mommy was pregnant and I cried the day you were born. You were beautiful to me then and you are even more beautiful to me now.

Each and every day of your life, you have made mine more special. Without your hugs in the morning, my days are empty. Without your laugh, my days are sad. Without your smile, I am missing a part of myself. Without you, there is no me.

Your mommy and you have made me complete. You have both changed my life for the better in every way possible; I know what is important now. I wake up every day and look forward to what the day holds for you. Your excitement is contagious; your love is infectious.

I watch you grow up every day with a blend of happiness and sadness. I will always treasure each day because they are fleeting. You're becoming a little girl now, but you'll forever be my baby. I just hope that as each year goes by, you still let your daddy hold you...even if it's only for a few seconds. I love you Alexandra Rae and I always will.

Forever your daddy.

Alexandra Rae,

I can not believe 2 short years ago you were a tiny little 5 pound 12 ounce baby who decided to surprise everyone by making an early appearance. The first time I held you in my arms, I knew my life was complete. Every day since, my love has grown even more that I ever thought possible. You went from a sweet little baby to a beautiful toddler in the blink of an eye.

You make me smile and laugh a million times a day. You melt me when you snuggle up to me and plant big kisses on my mouth. You are the sweetest little thing. I love experiencing life through your eyes. I am so lucky to be your Mommy.

There are so many things I want for you, but more than anything I want you to know every single day how much I love you. You bring so much joy to my life!

Happy 2nd Birthday my sweet baby!

Love you today, tomorrow and always,

Mommy

A First

Josh and I have been very adamant about Alex not sleeping with us. She has slept in her crib since she came home from the hospital. She's been waking up at night, most of the time she puts herself back to sleep, but sometimes I end up sleeping in her room on the floor with her. Not the most ideal situation, but oh well. She tosses and turns so much that she is impossible to share a bed with. Last night, she woke up screaming and crying so Josh told me to just bring her to bed with us...so after almost 2 years of sleeping in her own crib at home, we gave in and let her sleep with us. The only time she has slept with us was when we were traveling and even then, we usually have her sleep in her pack and play. Since she was tired, she didn't move around too much and fell asleep fairly quick. I rolled over this morning and watched my sweet little angel sleeping between us. The bad part, she woke up around 6:30, got off the bed and started playing.

July 4th and Parties!

4th of July is always a big holiday for us. The Stafin side is HUGE on fireworks so we always get together at the lake house to hang out and shoot off massive amounts of fireworks!

Since Alex's birthday is right around July 4th we have 2 mini parties for her since the whole family is together. The first one was Saturday afternoon. Alex LOVED blowing the candle out!

Alex got tons of cute clothes and a Tag Jr. she LOVES! I totally recommend it. We programmed it so it says her name every time she turns it on and turns it off. I already found her a few more books on clearance!

After her nap, we played outside. Alex really enjoys playing with her cousins. Jordan and Sabrina took her on a little walk!

Before it started getting dark, the boys hauled all the fireworks to the point. They take great pride in setting everything up so it's ready to go once it gets dark!

I wasn't too sure what Alex would think about the fireworks. She slept through them last year! This year, she LOVED them! She went back and forth between her chair and the swing with Grandma. After each round of fireworks, she would cheer and clap, then say "more Daddy!!!"

Sunday morning we went to my parents. My grandparents were there too! We hung out for a little while, then after Alex went down for a nap, Mom and I ran to the store to get a few things for her 2nd pre-party! We had a small cookout and cupcakes, then watched some more fireworks.

Alex got the cutest bowl and spoon that she carried around most of the day. She pretended to feed everyone and even held on tight while she was swinging.

Baby girl was getting sleepy before the fireworks. As soon as we got settled on our blanket, she asked for milk so we hiked back up to the house to get some milk. She flopped down and had milk while we watched some fireworks.

We have the best families! Alex was showered with tons of cute clothes and some great toys! We are so lucky to have such wonderful parents who love our little girl as much as we do! We are so grateful they are still making the 3 hour drive for Alex's birthday party next weekend, even though we already celebrated with them!

One More Week

I have one more week to savor every moment with my one year old. Next Friday, she will be 2!

We have a busy weekend visiting both sets of grandparents, having 2 mini birthday parties and watching tons of fireworks! So that means, tons of pictures to come!

Party Planning

I mentioned we hosted a baby shower Saturday. Everything went perfect! We had just enough food, delicious ice cream cupcakes and a house full of people! Now that it's over I can start setting my sights on a very special day. My baby girl turns 2 next Friday! Josh and I have a very special day planned for her on her actual birthday. I'll share a recap of our day along with pictures on her birthday. Saturday is the big party! I've been buying stuff for it (and the baby shower) for the last month or so. I happened to get soo lucky because my parents had a huge party a few weeks ago and used the same colors I was planning on using for Alex's party, so I am borrowing all of their stuff which works out great! I know the next 2 weeks are going to be filled with last minute details and errands, but I am sooo excited about it! I changed our blog pic to her birthday invite...kind of. I took out all the info and just added The Stafins. But you can see, our colors are orange, hot pink and aqua! I can't wait until it all starts coming together!

Last Swim Class

We had our last swim lesson on Friday. I'm not going to lie, swim lessons 4 days a week for 2 weeks is a pain. We may find something different next year. It was right in the middle of our morning so it made it hard to get anything done before nap time. I could tell Alex was over swim lessons about half way through week 2. During class she kept repeating Mommy, all done and wanted to get out of the pool. A few days she didn't even want to leave the house to go to class. The highlight of her class was she got to see Kate. Alex would see me getting our stuff together and get so excited because she knew she'd see Kate. We are sad Kate is in Las Vegas for 2 weeks and we won't see her! :(

I wasn't able to get any pics of us in the pool this year. Friday before class, I took some last day pics.

Alex sad because it's her last class?

No!

Alex was upset because I wouldn't let her have a snack before class!

Alex loving on Kate!

Admiring the slide on the other side of the gate

Post class snack. A swim class tradition!

Random Stuff

I feel like we've had a busy few weeks. Tomorrow is Alex's last swim lesson and I'm soooo glad. 4 days a week is a lot for both of us and it's right in the middle of the morning so it makes it hard to run errands before, and by the time they are done, we have time to make a quick stop, have lunch then head home for a nap. On a good note, Alex is loving her swim lessons! After the first class, she was fine getting in the pool and leaving all the toys in the basket. She catches onto habits very fast. After each class, Candice and I sit with the girls and give them a snack while we dry off and dress the girls. Yesterday about 5 minutes before class was over, Alex looked at me and said, Mommy, all done. I told her class wasn't over yet and she said, no, all done! So we went to the edge of the pool, she got out, went to our towels, sat down and got her snack. I guess she was over class! lol

One of Josh's friends stopped in College Station on the way to Houston Monday. We all went to dinner. While we were eating, Alex was playing with her water cup. She poked her finger through the side of the Styrofoam cup and water spilled everywhere. She looked at us and said "oh shoot!" We started dying laughing. It actually made me happy that another S word didn't come out...I've been really good about watching my mouth in front of her!

We have been having a few sleep issues. Alex woke up one night at 3am screaming her head off. I finally went in snuggle her and she refused to go back in her crib. We ended up on her floor. Around 5 I woke up and she was sleeping in the middle of her room. I left her and went back to bed. When Josh got up, he heard her playing in her room. She has been fighting her nap. She gets so tired but doesn't want to sleep in her crib. One day I let her out and made a little bed on the floor with her babies and lots of blankets. She stayed in her room for an hour or so playing, but never napped. I guess she just needed some quiet time. I have a feeling once we transition her to a toddler bed, she'll prefer sleeping on the floor! Monday she actually slept until 9:45 when I woke her up so we wouldn't be late for a playdate. She NEVER sleeps that late! She is a creature of habit and no matter what time she goes to bed, she is up by 7:30 at the latest!

Here are a few pics from our week!

Alex and her "cheese" face!