Lexi's Christening

Lexi's Christening in the Catholic church was very special. She was great during the entire service even though it felt like the a/c in the church wasn't working. I was very proud of her. She wore the gown that my sister and I both wore when we were babies. The pictures speak for themselves...Enjoy!

Us with Lexi and her godparents

Keith's Family

My family

Our lifelong friends

My sister and brother-in-law...the ones usually behind the camera

Best friend since 2nd grade

And...this is what happens when you leave these two unattended

Sean James with his baby cousin

Lexi-2 months!

Where has the time gone?! Lexi is two months old as of July 23.

Weight: 9 lbs, 9 oz. 20th percentile

Height: 23 1/2 in. 90th percentile

Clothes: Wearing 0-3 clothes, with the occasional newborn outfit that still fits...it's a sad day when an outfit has been outgrown!

She is smiling, cooing, and kicking like crazy! She raises her head when on her tummy, sleeps with her arms spread out or above her head, and she is very curious. She loves to be propped up to look around at everything in the room. I love it when she falls asleep with the binky in her mouth, and then spits it out after she is fast asleep. It's so cute! When she gets startled, she throws her arms up in the air or out to the side, then slowly brings them back down.

My awesome sister (Lexi's godmother) and brother-in-law took some great pics of her for her 2-month pics so I will post some of those soon. Lexi sure is one photographed baby thanks to these two! They even cooked dinner for us which include some tasty grilled corn-on-the-cob, which they will not share their secret for! ;)

She recently took her first road trip to visit some of our best friends, including her godfather, a couple of hours away. She handled the trip like a champ, and slept the whole ride there and back. We had a great time shopping, sewing, laughing, and just hanging out.

We are having SO much fun with this baby! Not sure how we ever lived without her!

When Lexi gets angry, really ANGRY,

She...

pulls her bow over her eyes!

FYI: I did not take this picture.

7 & 8 weeks!

Lexi is really starting to smile more and more! I love her gummy grin. She cracks me up every day. My cheeks sure do get a workout from all the smiles she and my husband bring to my life. I have been cracking up lately because Keith will be holding her while she is sleeping, and the second that her eyes open, even if she is still sleeping, Keith shouts, "Lexi!!! Hi baby!" It's almost as though he stares at her every few seconds, and the millisecond that he catches her opening her eyes...BAM! Baby has been woke up!

She really fights sleep at times, and we have come up with a few solutions that work...one is her favorite blanket! So glad we have 2 of these that are very similar...the problem is that they are FLEECE...and it is in the triple digits here daily right now!

We booked our flight & hotel for Pennsylvania in August. Lexi will be a little over 3 months, so any and all advice any of you have for traveling with a 3 month old, send my way! I'm a bit nervous, but excited to tag along for Keith's medical boards.

Random...  my adorable king charles cavalier spaniel just got groomed for the first time because he was in rough shape due to him playing so hard all day with my parent's dogs. I'm not so sure he looks better now...his ears and tail are long, while the rest of his fur is short. I think he knows he looks bad. Poor guy! At least it will grow back...now on to the pictures...

Take one more picture, and watch what I'll do with this fist!

Just hanging out in the Moby Wrap

LOVE this baby!

Why does this owl always have to be in the picture with me?!

When you shed, I will shed...

Tonight, Lexi started to get fussy at the end of Keith's soccer game. I got her calm enough to put her back in her carseat, and we headed home so I could feed her. She cried the saddest cry the whole way home...and so did I. Being a mom really tugs at your heart. I've always had a tender heart, but this is the first time I sobbed when hearing the sobs of someone else. 

A mother laughs our laughter,

Sheds our tears,

Returns our love,

Fears our fears.

She lives our joys,

Cares our cares,

And all our hopes and dreams she shares.

- Julia Summers

NY Family Visit

Last week, my Aunt Susan, Uncle Richie, and cousin Sean visited from New York. We see them every summer and if we are lucky, an additional time throughout the year. This was the first time for them to meet Lexi, and I know Lexi will come to appreciate them as much as we do! We love visiting each summer, and we are currently planning a fall trip. I have not ever been to New York in the fall, but my husband insists it is the best time to catch stripers (I think I got that right...not sure, but some type of fish).


Sean, now 7 years old, will probably always be considered my baby cousin just as Lexi will always be considered my newborn baby. Here he is holding Lexi for the first time. This was so cute, because it is not a posed picture, this is his natural reaction to her. So sweet...

We had a great visit with them! Went to the aquarium, fun places for lunch, evening walks at the lake, and celebrated Lexi's christening (post coming soon).

Sharks?! Where? This was take on the way. Lexi actually slept through her entire first trip to the aquarium!

Lexi in the shark cage

Can't wait for the sea turtle exhibit to be complete at the aquarium! Coming soon...Lexi's christening, such a beautiful evening!

Warning: Picture Overload!

Lexi is one very photographed baby! She probably has had more pictures taken of her during her first 6 weeks than I have of all of my baby pictures! Here are just a few...Most of these have been taken by my talented sister and brother-in-law. Lexi is very cooperative during their photo sessions.

                                                    Newborn Picture in Hospital

                              

Lexi-One month

Lexi-Newborn Picture

Newborn Picture

Newborn picture

One month

One month

One Month

Lexi's Weekly Pictures:

Whew! There you have it...my newborn is 6 weeks old! Almost 7... this makes me very happy and sad at the same time! Yet again, a reason I have chose to blog...I never want to forget these special times. I know I don't deserve this, but I am loving every minute!

Lexi's Birth Story: 3rd & Final Post

The nurse said I could change positions, stand beside the bed, or use a birthing ball to try to get things progressing more quickly. I went ahead and used the ball. After about an hour or so of this, the contractions were more intense, and I knew I needed to be laying down on my side so I got back into bed. The nurse came back to check me (it was now around 3 in the afternoon), and I just knew I had to be further along...I was only a 4! I broke down at this point to a sob...I was in SO much pain with contractions on top of each other, that I knew I was not going to be able to go from a 4 to a 10 without any kind of medication. I told her and Keith that I was going to get the epidural. I had to wait for over an hour for the anesthesiologist while he administered one to the girls ahead of me. I was miserable at this time! Around 4, he came in and asked how I was doing. I told him that I was convinced that pitocin was pretty much the devil. After he administered it, I told him he was my new best friend. I was relieved of most of the pain other than some on my left side that I could still feel, but nothing like it was!

I told Keith he could turn the TV on, and we watched the Parent Trap. The whole mood in the room was changed. Keith describes it best..."We went from living our lives every 15 seconds to watching the Parent Trap! Your mom and I needed that epidural as much as you did." hahaha

Doctor came in at 6, and said he was about to do a C-section, but would be back after that. I was an 8 at this time. 7:00 rolls around, no doctor....8:00 rolls around, no doctor...I tell my new nurse that I'm pretty sure I need to be checked again because I was feeling pressure. She checks, and says, "Yup! You're fully dilated! Let me call your doctor and see what he wants us to do." She returns and asks me to do some 'practice pushes' to get an estimate about how long it might take. Her reply was, "WOW! Your baby has lots of brown hair!" Okay...by now I'm thinking, if you can see my baby's hair, then we have pushed too much. Where's the doctor? My doctor finally came in around 8:30ish. My sister was also able to leave her shift for a bit, and run up to be there with us.

They all get prepped, and asked me to push during one of my contractions. In between contractions, they start talking about the season finale of The Apprentice, and several other reality TV shows. I'm not in the medical field, so I'm thinking, "What is going on? I'm exposed to the world right now, and you guys are just shooting the breeze." LOL It is so funny to think about now, and I'm sure glad to have a medical team that feels confident with what they are doing...it definitely helped ease my fears. After just a few round of pushes, my baby was here. Born at 8:42, despite the prediction of being 7lbs, 2oz. She weighed a whopping 6 lbs, 4 oz, measuring 20 3/4 in. long. It was love at first sight!