A letter to my two-year-old daughter

Dear Lexi,

I don't really know where to start. I am in shock that my tiny little 6 pound 4 oz baby is now a running, laughing, talking little two-year-old. I would try to explain the love that your daddy and I have for you, but I'm not sure you would truly understand it. No one understands a parent's love until they have a tiny baby of their own placed in their hands. It is truly unique and special, definitely something only God could be responsible for. We are SO very blessed to call you our daughter.

These two years have FLOWN by. They have been filled with so much joy, laughter, smiles, yogurt melts, strawberries, and love. We truly do fall more and more in love with you each day, and when you are asleep, we find ourselves talking about you, and

missing you.

So many people love you Lexi, for good reason too. I get several calls and texts from family used to seeing you often when they go out of town. They 'need' pictures or videos of Lexi to get their fix for that day. You are a constant source of laughter and entertainment for your daddy and me. I am finding this letter difficult to write because a love this strong truly cannot be described.


I'm learning that I won't always be able to rescue you from every scraped knee, or heartbreak. One day, my  kisses will no longer make it 'all better.' It isn't easy to step back and watch you explore the world on your own, but I'm confident you will do just fine. You already stick up for yourself when placed in a situation that calls for you to do so. You also do a swell job at critically thinking your way through day-to-day tasks. I am amazed at how your little brain works. I could only wish for the memory that you have.

The main purpose for this letter is to say thank you. Thank you Lexi for teaching me to be a mom. Thank you for teaching me the true meaning of joy, innocence, and faith. I pray that you will grow up to know this kind of love, and that you will understand just how much you are loved. I pray you will choose a path that is designed for you, and not the path that others are following. I pray you will see your inner beauty, and hold onto it despite what others try to tell you. This world is a tough world we live in, but I promise you that as long as you keep God at the center of your life, everything else is small and WILL fall into place just the way it is supposed to.

I am SO ecstatic that you are my daughter. I have never met anyone quite like you, and have to thank God each time I think of you. You are the best baby girl, big sister, and friend anyone could wish for.

Thank you Lexi, and Happy Birthday sweet pumpkin!

We love you to the moon and back!

XOXO,
Mama & Daddy

Kason-3 Months!

My little guy-

I am LOVING every second with you and your big sister. Your little personality has really started to bloom the last few weeks, and you are just the sweetest little baby. You love to be held and sang to. You enjoy your sleep, but fight it for a few minutes before you finally give in. Your sleep is a lot like your sisters was, but I think you are better at falling asleep in the car. You don't really like being in the car seat when you are awake and not tired though. I can't blame you. You just want to explore the world around you, and being restrained limits you from doing that. You do like being rocked to sleep, especially with a warm fuzzy blanket wrapped around you, and you will fall asleep in the Ergo as well.

You still eat every 2-3 hours, and your nighttime sleep varies. We got thrown off our routine this past month because we took our first family vacation to San Antonio. You were a trooper, for sure! You did awesome on the flights, and you were an angel at Sea World! We had a great time, but we could tell you definitely missed your own bed, and your home! Those metal hotel cribs just are NOT the same. The flights fell during your 'awake' time, and many people were surprised that you were even on the flight. You were just a jolly little guy. You only got a little fussy on the very last flight home, but we were all officially 'done' by then after a delay in our traveling that day. We got comments on several people on how you looked like a little baby doll. I'd say it's your bright blue eyes that get you those remarks. They make my heart melt every time!

It is so much fun to see the interactions between you and your sister already. She calls you Kason, but also 'little guy.' If you are crying, she says, "Little guy, little guy." If she isn't too happy about you crying, she says, "Kason, stop it." Ha! She also loves checking on you once you're awake from your naps. You are definitely learning to sleep through the noise that a toddler in the house brings, but you do get woke up from time to time because of the noise. Sorry about that! ; ) My favorite thing Lexi says to you is, "Little guy, little guy, I haven't seen you all day" after you wake from a nap. She also volunteers 'little guy' to take a bath first before she has to. You don't seem to mind though. You LOVE a warm bath! Oh- and you found your hands this month! They keep you entertained these days along with grabbing for toys and looking at yourself in the mirror.

We cannot imagine our lives without you, and look forward to all the fun times to come!

A few stats--you don't go back to the doctor until next month, so this is just your sizes.

Diaper- 1
Clothing- 0-3

XOXO,
Mommy, Daddy, & Lexi

Lexi-23 Months (April 23)

Lexi--

I figured I better hurry and get this post published before you turned two in a couple of days. Words truly cannot express how bittersweet it is to have an almost two-year-old. I feel like the age two means we are officially graduating from the baby stage, and I just CANNOT accept that. I won't. Nope. You will ALWAYS be my baby.

Now that we've got that cleared up, let's catch up on what you're up to these days...

We were at Target (of course) and you looked at a rack of baby clothes and said, "These are cute!" I died. Your daddy's look on his face said it all. He knows he's in trouble with two girls who love to shop. ; -)

You were watching Dora at Nana's house one morning and she accidentally changed the channel. You looked at her and said, "Oh no, Nana, what happened?" Cutest thing ever.

We went into TJ Maxx and you said, "Mama, I don't see any toys." So of course your Nana takes you to pick out whatever you want. What do you think it was? Another baby doll. That brings the count up to 564. Spoiled rotten.

You love to color in your Minnie Mouse coloring book that Ashley and the twins gave you. You lay on your tummy when you do so.

You recite some lines from your favorite movies. "Poor Nana."-Peter Pan

When Kason's feet kick you if we are all cuddled up on the bed or couch, you say, "Excuse you Kason!"

You ask, "Where's Dada? Where's Dada? My Dada!"

We curl up under blankets together, and you say, "Mama, cozy!"

You ask Cody for his smoothie when you see him with one.

If you don't like something, you're sure to tell us! "No, I don't like that."

A lady handed you a sucker at the bank...not something I give you. Now you tell me you want to go to the bank to get a sucker.

"Swing me."

You weren't a fan of the Easter bunny, and said, "No God, I don't like the Easter bunny."

In your highest pitched voice, "Kason, I miss you! I haven't seen you all day!" This happens when he wakes up from naps.

"Dada, tuck me in?"

"Mama, no Easter bunny? Easter bunny bye bye? Mama, no bears?"

While reading a new library book, "Mama! Ariel's aked! (naked) Dada buy Ariel clothes. Ariel, get dressed!"

"Kason, Lolo asleep. Shh...."

"Mama, bear go potty in just a minute."

"That's gross."

"Can I play with this?"

"Lolo needs Coco."

While riding in the car, and laying down at night,  "Wheels on the bus go round and round, all day wong!

"I coming!"

You went with me to get my hair trimmed and sat on my lap like a champ. Afterwards, you said, "Mama, Toni made a mess mama's haircut!"

You LOOOOOVE the pink baby Nana let you pick at TJ Maxx. You even wake up at 3 am looking for it.

Lolo sneezed, and you said, "Bless you Lolo, bless you! Lolo, you need a tissue?"

While playing in the living room while Daddy watched golf, he yelled out, "Yes! He won the masters!" You repeated this line over and over! haha

"Shannon, where are you??" Thank you family for teaching my name to you. Oh dear.

"Kason, I miss you."

"Dora give slider cookies. CoCo likes cookies."

Whew! I'm sure you've said many other funny and cute things, but this is what I have for now. You still love to learn. You know all colors, and can sort them with 100% accuracy, no help. You count to 15, but skip 4. You count to 10 in Spanish, skipping some numbers.

We are just so blessed by you every day, and know that there are only many more fun times to come! Thank you for lighting up our lives in a way that only you could do. You are a true gift, and we cherish every second with you.

Love you to the moon and back sweet pumpkin,

XOXO
Mommy, Daddy, & Kason

Kason-2 Months!

My sweet little guy-

Get used to me saying this, but I CANNOT believe you are 2 months already, but at the same time I can't picture our lives without you in it. You fit into our lives so well, and we are so blessed to have you. You fill our lives with so much joy.

You are smiling, cooing, and showing us more of your personality each day. It is truly one of the best parts of parenting when you see your baby smile the first time! Nothing beats the gummy first smiles of a new baby! I love it!

You LOVE your big sister. When she is near, even if she isn't paying attention to you (which she often is), you get the biggest smile on your face. You are sleeping well, with a 6-7 hour stretch in the beginning of the night, and then a 3-4 hour stretch. I'll take it! :) As far as naps, we were keeping you up a little too long in between each nap time, and you were pretty cranky. We wondered if it was colic, but determined (with the help of your pediatrician Aunt CoCo) that you were just overly tired. Now that we have that figured out, you are pretty easy-going. You do love your sleep! You nap best during the day in the Ergo. We have gotten so much use out of it because it helps me to attend to your big sister as well.

You do have a little bit of reflux. This is new territory for us since Lexi did not have it, but we have figured out some things to help you. We also discussed it with your doctor, and he was pleased with everything we were already doing. Your 2 month checkup went great, and you are healthy as can be!

Two-Month Stats:

Weight- almost 11 pounds (10%)--What can I say? I have small babies!
Height- 22.5 inches (30%)--Kind of shocked me, because you seem like you are long, but maybe it's just your build
Diapers- size 1
Clothes- 0-3, some newborn..if we push it, but mainly only tops...pants are too short

We cannot wait for the many months to come with you. You are such a delight! We love and adore you!

XOXO,
Mommy & Daddy