THANK YOU HUBBY!

As a new mom, my whole world has completely changed! I'm sure there are people out there who know what I mean. You get it. You can't picture your life without your little one in it. Really, WHAT did I do before? I am a new person. I love, laugh, smile until my cheeks go numb, squeal, sing, and talk in a high pitched voice. Umm...yes. Be glad you don't live at my house, unless you are 4 months old, then it is all cookies and cake for you! :) This post is dedicated to my husband. There are so many things this guy needs to be thanked for nowadays.

Thank you hubby being my partner in crime in raising this precious baby girl.

THANK YOU FOR...
Allowing me to be cautious obsessive in making the decisions we do on where we go, what we do, what she'll wear, yada yada yada...

Calming me when I freak out about if she's sick, hurt, mad, sad, angry, tired, you get the gist...

Loving me and telling me that I'm beautiful even when my hair is pulled back into a wet ponytail every day.

Telling me that it is okay and perfectly normal for me to be over protective of our daughter. You always remind me that it is just because I love her SO much.

Not busting a gut laughing while I sing all  each day to our baby.

Being just as easily entertained as I am while sitting back and watching our little girl.

Last, but not least, thank you for loving our daughter the way you do. Lexi is so lucky to have you as her dad.

4 Months!!

Dear Lexi,

You are four months old! I can't believe it! You are SO much fun right now. You started giggling a few days ago. It has got to be the cutest thing I have ever heard! You are still pretty interested in your hands and feet these days. You have your hands in your mouth so often that people wonder if you are teething. I can't feel a tooth yet, but who knows...could be sooner than later.

You are still a little string bean, weighing in at a whopping 11 lbs, 12.5 ounces. That is only in the 10th percentile. You measure 25 3/4 inches, and that is in the 90th percentile. Your doctor is pleased with your growth because you are staying right on your curve...long and lean. You are wearing 3-6 month clothes, but can still fit into some 0-3 months.

You reach and grasp at toys within your reach. They seem to always make it to your mouth these days. You smile when placed on your tummy, and you LOVE to stand with support.

You sleep for 6-7 hour stretches at night. You always wake up happy in the morning. It's one of my favorite times with you. Your eyes are still a bright blue, and your hair is a dark blonde with bits of light brown. You have started to show some interest in Gus. You even reached out and grabbed his fur the other day. He seems to have realized recently that there is indeed a baby in the house!

We recently lost our other dog, Howl, but we are so thankful for our time with him. You are certainly helping during the grieving process for us.

You love your play time with Daddy when he is home from work. He doesn't get a whole lot of time with you on days he works, so he makes sure when he does see you, it is quality time. We are both pretty smitten over you. We love taking you on evening runs or walks, and you enjoy it too. God knew what he was doing when he sent you to us. You fit in perfectly! :) We are excited to start traditions with you during the upcoming holidays.

We have several exciting things planned coming up, and can't wait for you to tag along with us!

 P.S. I like to document your growth through monthly pictures with these onesies, but I also take weekly pictures...which your daddy was shocked when he saw that I still take one every week! Oh well...

A Man and His Dog

Today has been a really difficult day. We had to put down our Basenji, Howl. He has been very ill and quit eating during this past month. He's had some other symptoms recently, but I won't go into those. My poor husband is having a very tough month as it is, and this just added to it. Lexi sure adds a lot of light around our house right now when it is needed most. She giggled for the first time last night! SO cute!!

"Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, filling an emptiness we don't even know we have." - Thom Jones

Howl was the craziest dog I have ever met. Keith and Howl had a special bond. He really wasn't a fan of other dogs. Keith always joked it was because he was picked on as a puppy. You will be missed Howl.

•  We will miss having to shut the bathroom door each time we leave because you LOVE toilet paper.
• We will miss placing any food anywhere near where you can stretch your paws on the kitchen counter after coming in the room to an empty bag of calizone.
• We will miss using your tail as a 'plug' on the way home from college every weekend.
• We will miss coming home to you destroying an article of our clothing by pulling it into the cage with you, even if it was my underwear.
• We will miss clapping our hands as fast as we could and watching you run in circles on the wood floor like Bambi on ice.
• We will miss you creating, or rather maintaining, the indention in our couch from laying in your favorite spot each day.
• We will miss having to call you to come back inside while you run towards us as proud as can be after rolling in cow manure.
• We will miss pulling into our driveway and watching you pace in circles because we were home.
• We will miss how you liked to stand in the car, regardless of how wobbly you were.
• We will miss looking back at pictures and noticing how you always end up in them. You were always nearby. I think you had separation anxiety disorder.
• We will miss you during Christmas time. You hated Christmas. You always tried to eat the paper off the presents or destroy the Christmas decorations.
• We will miss Lexi getting to chase you around once she is mobile trying to pull your curly tail. I'm sure you guys would have been good buds.

Just an example of how Howl is in the background of a lot of our pics. This is one of my preggo pics, and I had no idea Howl was in it. Precious to look at now...

You were a good dog Howl. Thank you for the tears, laughs, and creativity you brought to our lives. You would have been 12 years old on Halloween, as old as Keith and my relationship. It's been an entertaining 12 years. Rest peacefully...

1st Trip to the Zoo!

A few weeks ago, we took Lexi to the zoo for the first time. We were hoping it was going to be a cool day, but we were wrong. The temperature in the car actually showed that it was only around 85 degrees, (which is like a cold front with the record breaking three-digit temps we have had ALL summer) but it felt MUCH warmer than that. Lexi seemed to have a good time and go with the flow the whole time, but her cheeks started to get a little pink. Being the paranoid calm and collected mom that I am, I suggested we do the buildings last so we would have a cool place to go. Overall, we had a great day and look forward to many more zoo trips in our future!

14, 15, 16 weeks!

I'm behind so this is a picture dump...

I can't help but look at these pictures and think, where did my tiny little baby go? I'm convincing myself that the pictures make her look bigger than she is (really, they do...). At the same time, every single day is new. Each day is filled with pure joy, laughter, smiles, and milestones. I am loving every stage of this baby's life.

Lexi's first trip out of state!

Growing up, my mom traveled with us, and by us, I mean four kids. Yes, four. In an airport. On an airplane. She did this several times, and I have so many good memories of this time visiting family in New York. 


Lexi recently had her first trip on an airplane. It made me completely understand my parents' love for us more than I ever had. They wanted nothing more than to be able to enjoy life with us by their sides. This is exactly what Keith and I want for Lexi. We took her along for Keith's medical boards to Philadelphia. 


We are OBSESSED with this baby. Poor thing. She is going to be so sick of us by the time she is 30...wait, did I just say 30? 


Yup. You heard me right. 30. Don't worry though Lexi, that means at least 30 adventures for you to tag along with us on! ; )


Back to Philadelphia, she did awesome!! She handled each flight like a champ. People commented on how quiet she was, and of course, how cute she is. Of course, we agreed...how could we not? 

My little cousin Sean & Aunt Susan drove down from NY to see us!

While Keith took boards, we ventured over to America's first zoo in Philadelphia! What a great zoo! The animals are very active, and the zoo is HUGE!

Can't wait to take this baby on many more trips!