8 months

Dear Lexi,

You turned 8 months old yesterday! That's 2/3 of a year...so bittersweet. Every stage you enter is my favorite. You are SO fun, happy, energetic, nosey, busy, curious, cute, silly, and sweet. You are gobbling up baby food now. You eat three 'meals' a day along with EBF. I'm guessing you probably weigh around 15-16 pounds? We'll find out next month at your next pediatrician appointment.

You are wearing 6-9 month clothing and almost always have a bow in your hair. People keep asking me how I get you to leave them on your head. My answer? You have had them on since day 1. HA! Actually, you do try to pull them off at times, but other times? I think you enjoy having one in. It makes you feel all girly-girl! ; )

Things you love right now: babbling (babababa, dadadada, mamamama, blowing out your mouth against your lips (does that make sense?!), being outside, being lifted way up high and brought back down carefully, apples, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, mum mums, books, being read to, the remote control, cell phones, paper, your shape sorter, and necklaces.

Things you are not a fan of: Anything that restrains you (highchair, carseat), avocados, loud noises such as when someone gets a new trash bag to put in the trash can, blenders, vacuums, and your blue whale bath toy you got for Christmas.

We love toting you around wherever you go and are pretty sure you enjoy it too! If we are just running in a store or two, your daddy prefers to just carry you, and you love it. As I said earlier, you are so curious! You love to be able to look around at anything and everything. It's cute. You love Mr. Gus and try to tug at his fur. He doesn't seem to mind too much. You are scooting everywhere including under furniture! haha...'Lil Nicole.' sigh.

We love you so much Lexi and LOVE watching your sweet personality develop more and more as the days go by. Here are a few pictures in your monthly onesie photo I took of you.

Lexi's First Christmas!

I realize this post is WAY overdue, but better late than never, right?! Lexi's first Christmas was so magical. Experiencing Christmas with her was like experiencing Christmas as a child again. The days leading up to Christmas, I was determined to find her and I coordinating pajamas. Silly? Nope. Adorable? Yes! Haha...I thought so anyway. The pajamas came in just in the nick of time, Christmas Eve day!

We started off the festivities with Christmas Eve mass that evening which happened to fall during the time Lexi takes her last nap for the day...lovely! She really wasn't bad in church, just busy! I had to take her out during part of it so she could be loud and curious without interuppting everyone else. When I did, there were about ten other toddlers/babies doing the same thing. When we got home, it was time for Lexi to eat and she fell asleep almost immediately so her and I had to skip the dinner at my grandparents that evening, but thankfully Keith brought me back dinner.

Keith and I had fun being 'Santa' once Lexi was sleeping soundly. Yes, Santa was even lucky enough to get chocolate chip cookies! Keith and his brother stayed up until four am way too late playing video games that night, but when Lexi woke up at 7 Christmas morning, Keith was a trooper and got up not wanting to miss out on her first Christmas morning. We let her open her gifts, eat the wrapping paper, and took loads of pictures! Later, we had my parents' Christmas at their house, and that evening, Keith's parents' Christmas. Lexi had a busy day, but she LOVED every second. Keith kept saying she was going to be disappointed that not every day was Christmas.

A few days before Christmas, my talented sister and bro-in-law took these first few pics! How sweet are they?! Lexi loves both of them, and I'm pretty sure that's why she does so well when they click away with the camera in front of her.

This is pretty much what happens when we try to take pictures with a busy baby now-a-days!

Christmas morning

Matching pajamas!!

"Dad,  Quit playing with my toy, and let me play!"

I told Lexi all day long, 'Happy Birthday Jesus!' You can never start too early in helping teach children the true meaning of the season. Thank you God for the sweetest gift of all, my precious baby girl. I am undeserving, but forever grateful!