October 2009

We have still been enjoying our time as a family together as we move into the fall. At the end of September, we had photographs taken by a new photographer in town. Alexis was more interested in running around and exploring than posing, but we got some great photos. If you would like to see them or order any prints, check out http://lisagphoto.com/. Simply click on "Clients" and follow the links until you see our darling daughter!

Alexis has been talking more and more. Each day she says a new word that always surprises us. The other day she was playing with her toy phone and telling her bunny to "talk, bunny, talk"! It was quite amusing. Our adventures in the big girl bed is still going great, and we suspect that potty training is right around the corner. She is making more and more strides to being ready to tackle this last milestone of babydom.

While we have been enjoying the fun aspects of parenting, there have been some more negative things happening that have been trying our patience. First off, Alexis began coughing a few weeks ago. Since the cough wasn't occupied by a fever, the doctor simply called in a prescription. However, this didn't cure her cough, so she was put on a nebulizer for a week. Talk about a pain! Her cough finally subsided this past weekend, but during the two weeks or so that she was coughing, she turned into a royal pain in the behind! She did everything from screaming, hitting, pushing, and throwing tantrums. At school, she knocked over classmates and pinned them to the ground, she pushed her teacher when told "no" to something, and she spent the better part of each day in time out! The behavior, of course, didn't stay at school. Daddy got to see what a stinker she could be and even had to put her in time out. We are quite worried that the "terrible 2's" has arrived early. Since Saturday, her behavior has improved and she had a pretty decent day at daycare yesterday. However, we're not out of the woods yet. She is still quite assertive and demanding. I don't know how many times I can hear "no, Mommy" in a day without screaming :) What's really frustrating about the situation is that she is so darn smart; she knows exactly what she's doing and that it is wrong but does it anyway!

To balance the negative behavior, Alexis has been learning quite a bit. She can count to 4, say her letters up to D, and knows all of her colors. She's the only one in her class that knows colors and everyday her teacher Ms. Holly has her say them for the other kids. What a smart cookie!

We are excitedly looking forward to the holiday season. Alexis is going to be a flower garden gnome for Halloween and Mommy is looking forward to having a Christmas tree this year. Mommy has also decided to start a tradition of making monkey bread for breakfast on Christmas morning! We hope you are all enjoying your Fall!

Update

It has been quite a while since I've updated, but it has been very hectic with both of my jobs starting back and Alexis getting back into the swing of daycare. I also frequently update Facebook with information about us and Alexis. So, here it goes...

We throughly enjoyed our summer together. Mommy and Alexis got to spend umpteen hours together and Daddy was able to share in some of those when he wasn't working! In mid-July, we took a quick vacation to visit Uncle Dan and Aunt Joan and Angie and John. Alexis loved visiting and showing off how cute she was. She did an awesome job on the car rides! At the end of July, Alexis took swim lessons. The class was lasted thirty minutes four days a week for two weeks. At class, she learned how to enter the pool from the side safely and how to climb back out as well as how to jump off the edge to an adult. She also learned about slapshing with her hands and feet as well as how to make bubbles. There were many other skills introduced; she didn't like getting dunked or floating, but she did go off the diving board to the swim instructor a few times. We will taking the class again next summer; Alexis will be too young to move up a level.

It seemed as soon as swim lessons were over, Mommy had to go right back to work. Since Mommy was going back to work a week earlier than planned, Alexis was spending the week with Daddy and Paw Paw. The Sunday before Alexis' first day with Paw Paw, the three of us were relaxing on her "big girl bed". Alexis stood at the end of the bed and would fall forward onto Mommy or Daddy's legs. She was having a blast. The last time she did it, none of us realized how much further up the bed she was and Alexis feel forward and banged her lip and nose on the shelf that is attached to her bed. Of course, we started to panic. Daddy grabbed Alexis and whisked her off to the bathroom while Mommy got a wet towel. Luckily, Daddy took care of the injury, because Mommy nearly passed out. Alexis felt very rough most of the week but was in better spirits to start daycare.

Alexis has taken right back to daycare. She thankfully has the same teacher who she absolutely loves, and she quickly made friends of the new members in her class. There's a boy named Amani in her class; she walks around daycare and home saying "Mani, Mani" like she's expecting him to pop out at any minute. Ms. Tara, Alexis' teacher, said that she is much more docile than before which is a relief. Mommy used to fear picking Alexis up from daycare, because she didn't want to hear about her hitting or biting anyone! There are a few issues that we are working at home and daycare; Alexis is quite whiny at school, so Ms. Tara is being firm with her about using words and not crying (Alexis can verbalize most things that she wants); Mommy and Daddy are also dealing with this issue at home. Additionally, Alexis' eating habits have dwindled. She used to be the best eater in class and now, Ms. Tara usually has to convince her to eat. On a positive, she is the only kid that will sit in her seat without getting up until her lunch is over. Finally, I heard the other day that Alexis likes to eat dirt on the playground. What fun!

One more little comment on daycare...Last week, Alexis appeared to be getting pink-eye so Daddy took her to the doctor's office. The PA that saw her said she didn't have pink-eye and prescribed a decongestant to clear up her sinuses. Since she wasn't contagious, she went to school the next day with medicine in hand. Upon picking her up, Mommy was informed about how difficult it was to administer her eye drops. Obviously, this was surprising since Alexis didn't have eye drops. The substitute teacher (thank goodness it wasn't Ms. Tara) had put the oral decongestant (it had "oral" in the title) in her eyes. This sent Mommy and Daddy into action. We had to flush her eyes and call the doctor and Poision Control. Her eyes were red, but she appeared to be fine. Of course, the next day at daycare, Mommy got a call saying that Alexis was running a 101.8 degree temperature. We went to the doctor's office again. Her actual doctor saw her, and, after expressing his displeasure at the unacceptable mistake made at daycare, said that she did in fact have pink-eye and a sinus infection. She actually got prescribed eye drops this time, but Mommy and Daddy administered them this time. We didn't want them to end up in her mouth. The owner of the daycare called and assured us that the issue was not taken lightly and the teacher was reprimanded and suspended for a few days. Mommy is now very observant of who is in Alexis' classroom with her. Okay, tirade over :)

Alexis also went to the doctor a few days ago for her well visit. She weighed 22 lbs. 13 oz. which is in the 10th-25th percentile; this is also a drop of two ounces from her last well visit, but the kid doesn't eat much! She is now 32 inches in height which is the 25th-50th percentile. The doctor said she's doing great. He checked out her eyes since her pink-eye was just the previous week, and he also looked at her mark on her lip the injury as a result of the monkey jumping on the bed. The eyes look great, and he assured Mommy that there wouldn't be a scar on her lip. Additionally, the doctor said he can tell Alexis is a chatterbox and quite stubborn. Mommy blames the stubbornness on Daddy. Alexis will go back to the doctor in six months unless she gets sick again (knock on wood for us).

The doctor was quite right about Alexis being a chatterbox. She picks up new words almost daily. Mommy and Daddy couldn't count how many words Alexis can say. She learned "apple" right after starting school and loves to say the word. In addition to learning new words, Alexis has started making simple sentences. A few weeks ago, she became obsessed with "All done" and "All gone". She knows the difference between the two as well. Whenever Mommy parks the car and turns off the engine, "All done" can be heard from the backseat. And, whenever Mommy or Daddy finish a drink or food item, Alexis chimes in "All gone". It's so cute. Also, about a month ago, Mommy was sitting on the floor watching TV with Alexis. She walked off and picked up something and brought it back. She pushed it forward and said, "Here go, Mommy". It was surprising! And, a couple of days ago, she started saying, "close it". Since she can say these simple sentences, Mommy and Daddy are trying to teach Alexis to say "I love you". It has stuck yet. Alexis is also learning her numbers and how to count. She currently can count to four by herself. She can say all of her numbers and most of her letters if prompted. Finally, Ms. Tara has been working on her colors. She can say "blue", "green", and "orange". We are still working on identifying the colors.

Alexis' doctor was also right about her stubbornness. She doesn't like it when she is discipline or not allowed to have her own way, and she lets it be known. But, we are working on this at home and school. Other than working we her, Mommy and Daddy are just praying that this is a short phase that will go by quickly. Wishful thinking, I know.

While we are making no headway in the potty training department (we decided to wait until she moves up to a new class), Alexis slept in her big girl bed all by herself last night. She didn't get out of her bed before falling asleep and slept all night. She apparently got out of bed at least once, because when Mommy peaked in her room this morning, she had a book and a bag of puzzle pieces as new bedmates. But, she fell back to sleep, so that's great! She just woke up around 8:30. Mommy left her bedroom door open this morning, so she came walking out sleepily. It was too cute!

Well, that's what has been going on in our lives! We will be posting new pictures later today. Daddy left the camera downstairs. We hope you are all doing great!

Alexis' World- Ep. 1

I realized that I haven't imported any of the video footage we took during Alexis' first year. So, I am going to start posting that footage in our new show: Alexis' World! Enjoy episode 1 that shows us getting ready to leave the hospital and Mommy changing her first dirty diaper!

Dancing Queen!

Alexis loves to dance, so Mommy decided to take a couple of videos to show her white girl moves! Enjoy!

Summer Fun!

Since getting out of school for the summer, we've been having a blast!

Alexis started Kindermusik classes on June 12. Mommy and Alexis learn new songs and dances as well as got some great new toys! Tim's brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew came to visit on June 19 and left this morning. While they stayed with Maw Maw and Paw Paw, we got to visit a lot. This was Alexis' first time meeting Uncle Daniel and cousin Alistair. She had so much fun. Her favorite night was when Uncle Daniel made yummy, thin crust pizza. Alexis ate five pieces! One of them even had anchovies and blue cheese (she ate two pieces of that kind)!

We also enjoyed our first real 4th of July celebration. Last year, Alexis did not watch the fireworks. We were afraid it would be too loud. This year, however, we all stayed up late and watched the fireworks at a friend's house! She really enjoyed them and wasn't scared at all! The next day, Alexis was an entrant in the Tiny Miss Firecracker pagent. She had a great time, but no crow. She really enjoyed the goodie bag she won though! We also went swimming and had dinner at a neighbor's house on the 4th. I love swimming! In fact, Alexis' swim lessons begin on July 20. She is enrolled in Water Babies 2 which just gets them used to and unafraid of the water. Mommy is looking forward to the two weeks of swimming!

Also, we are looking forward to a mini-vacation. We are heading to Tallahassee and Panama City to visit some family and friends. Mommy and Daddy are looking forward to this much more than Alexis. We haven't been out of town since August!

In addition to all of our summer fun, Alexis is growing and changing so quickly. She has learned many words and will often times repeat words that we say. Her new favorite characters are Elmo who she calls "Melmo" and Mickey Mouse who she calls "Meee Mou". She also attempted to say her own name this week! We are able to understand and communicate with her much more. She can not only say many words, but she points to objects and has been learning some sign language. She can ask for "more please" in sign language!

Our family life is so much fun! We just love to spend time playing with Alexis and she does at least one thing to make us crack up laughing and one thing to make us sigh in contentment each day. What else could we ask for?

Fifteen Month Check-up

Alexis had her latest check-up yesterday. She is now sixteen months old, weighs 22 lbs. 15 oz (25th-50th percentile), and is 31 in. tall (50th-75th percentile). The doctor said that she's doing very well and was surprised at her reaction to him. The last few times we went, she would cry while he held her and reach for Mommy. This time, she just stared and smiled at him. She even let him carry her out of the room. It was so cute. She goes back in three months for her eighteen month check-up.

Developmentally, Alexis seems to be excelling. She knows lots of her body parts including her ears and bottom; she can also identify certain body parts on Mommy and Daddy, stuffed animals, and in books. Her vocabulary is growing daily. During dinner the other night, she started saying "cookie" over and over again. Her teacher said that she said "quack quack" yesterday. Also, she is learning to pull her own pants up which is cute and paves the way for potty training. She is also finally learning her limits. We rarely have to scold her for touching inappropriate items in the house such as the trashcan or TV, and if we tell her no, she typically stops. Sometimes when we tell her not to do something, she stops while crying the whole time. It's as if she's thinking, "I'll stop, but I'm not happy about it!" It's too funny to watch! Finally, she is a master climber. We had to get rid of the changing table, because she was scaling it and throwing things off of it!

Mommy has a few more days and then it's summer! Alexis will be taking music class and swim lessons. Also, Mommy and Daddy are turning the yard into a mini-playground. So far, Alexis has a sandbox and toys, a swing, pool, and sidewalk chalk. Mommy and Daddy are shopping for a climber with a slide and picnic table this weekend. So, we are looking forward to a fun summer!

Boating, Talking, and More

It has been a busy time at our home. Mommy is super busy at work; Daddy is working nights, and Alexis is growing and developing at a breakneck pace. In the past few days, Alexis has learned three new words. Friday evening after getting up from a nap, Alexis pointed to a teddy bear and said "bear." She now calls many items bear. Mommy thinks that bear is Alexis' cutest word yet! On Saturday, when coming home, Mommy and Daddy pointed to the door, and Alexis said "door." Then, on Monday, while Mommy was getting Alexis ready for bed, Alexis was touching Mommy's eyes under her glasses, so Mommy told her the name for eyes, and Alexis repeated the word. The new words brings Alexis' count up to ten real words plus her made up words. Alexis has also learned many of her body parts; so far she knows her feet, hands, head, belly, pee pee, nose, mouth, and ears. We're working on eyes right now.

We also took Alexis onto the boat for the first time this weekend. We were slightly worried about how Alexis would do considering she usually needs a nap every three hours. She wasn't bothered at all by the motion of the boat under way. Once we were anchored and Alexis was slathered with sunscreen, Paw Paw initiated her to the water. She was trying to swim and dance in the water. After a few minutes in the water, Alexis came back on board to have her very first Subway sandwich for lunch on the boat. After every bite of food, she did a little dance. It was too funny. The rest of the day was spent either in the water or hanging out in the sun. She wouldn't stay out of the sun, so she was continually covered in sunscreen. The only part of her that got a bit burned was her head, because she refused to wear her hat. She was really well-behaved for the entire boating trip. When Mommy, Alexis, and Maw Maw got home, she passed out for a few hours. All in all, it was a successful day on the boat. We're looking for many more this summer!

This weekend was also obviously Mother's Day. Mommy made dinner for Maw Maw and Paw Paw. We had steaks with a mushroom and bleu cheese mixture, asparagus, corn on the cob, and baked potatoes. Alexis ate all of her corn and maybe one bite of steak. Then, Maw Maw opened her cards and present, which was a picture collection that Maw Maw can go use to have pictures taken with Alexis. Next, Mommy opened her cards and gift, which was a movie gift card so Mommy can have a movie night with her friends this weekend! We had a great time celebrating!

Alexis is also growing and developing in her social skills. She is a bit of a bully at school. She is learning to express her frustration now that she has to deal with children her age every day. So, Ms. Tara, her teacher, keeps Mommy abreast of her developments. She seems to be improving and bullying other children less. Ms. Tara also says that she's becoming more loving, giving frequent kisses and hugs. There is a cute picture of her hugging another kid in her classroom. Alexis apparently needs lots of positive reinforcement to help her grow. Ms. Tara utilizes Alexis as a helper, because this is something that Alexis loves to do. She is one of only two that helps clean up. We're hoping that as Alexis acquires more language that she will no longer feel the need to express herself physically. Time will only tell.

We're enjoying our time with Alexis. Her personality is so much fun, and we fall more in love with her everyday! We have pictures posted on Alexis' Photo Site.

Kids are amazing!

Alexis is actively working on her verbal skills. She currently knows seven words ("ma ma", "da da", "yes", "no", "shoes", "juice", "duck", and "rock"). She has been saying the first five words for a while, and I understand why these were her first words. Duck and rock were added this weekend. On Friday, as I was sitting on the recliner, Alexis walked up to me and started poking me and saying "duck" repeatedly; she then handed me a stuffed duck and repeated her new word. It was very weird. I don't know where and when she picked up the word, but she definately knows what a duck is. She said "rock" on Easter when she was playing with Paw Paw's rocks which she loves. In addition to her "real" words, Alexis also has other words that she uses like "da" for dog. Hearing her talk is so much fun!

In addition to her budding speaking skills, Alexis has been working on other skills including learning body parts. She currently knows six body parts including belly, feet, hands, pee pee, head, and nose. She has known the first four for a while and added the last two in the past week. I just asked her where her head was one day, and she threw her hands on her head and started rubbing her hair. I asked her about her nose, and she immediately poked her nose. She also appears to know what her mouth is, because I can tell her to put food in her mouth and she can do it, but she does not identify it when I ask her. She also has learned how to build a block tower. She has been making a two block tower for months, but this weekend I was able to get her to build multiple four, five, and six block towers. Of course, she enjoyed destroying the towers more than building them.

While we are very excited about Alexis' development, we are also trying to teach Alexis to be more gentle. She has been pinching and pushing. I have seen her do this not only at home, but also at daycare. So we are trying to teach Alexis that it is not okay to hurt other people; "gentle" is becoming a common word in our home. Hopefully this phase will be short-lived. I guess we shall see!

Easter 2009

Alexis' second Easter was great. We went to Maw Maw and Paw Paw's to spent the day. Alexis got an Easter basket from Mommy and Daddy that had stickers, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, hair barrettes, a book, and of course, some candy. Alexis also received an Easter basket from Maw Maw and Paw Paw that had animal crackers and candy. Then, she hunted for Easter eggs. Once Alexis found the first Easter egg, she knew exactly what to do and was looking all around for the eggs. Mommy became the basket holder. After she found all of the eggs, she proceeded to dump them out and roll them around. She even stepped on one and squished it! After the egg hunt, Alexis got to eat a chocolate bunny; what fun! We had an awesome time celebrating Easter this year! We've posted pictures here: http://alexisswiggett.shutterfly.com. Check them out!

Raising a toddler is tough!

In the last month or so, Alexis has started to become much more independent. She is learning about manipulating her environment. For example, she will go to her little chair at the coffee table is she wants to eat. Also, yesterday, she went to the cabinet and took out the Froot Loops and brought them to me. It was shocking and funny. Since she has learned to say "juice," we definately know when she is thirtsty. In addition to the cute new habits she's picking up, she's also having more temper tantrums when she doesn't get her way, and she's pushing the limits on purpose. She was put in time out yesterday for the first time; she was pulling other girls' hair repeatedly until the other girls cried. When she was warned multiple times, she simply laughed at the teacher. To time out she went! When I went to pick her up today, all of the four girls there had pigtails. Her teacher, Ms. Heather, said that they were all pulling hair today and got pigtails as a result. Alexis was too cute in her new 'do! I hope that I can replicate it.

Alexis has also had her fair share of illnesses in the last few months; she's had sinusitis, an ear infection, and two bouts of tonsilitis. She has been well for the last two weeks; I'm hoping she'll be well for a while longer.

We're looking forward to Easter and Spring Break. Mommy and Daddy are planning an awesome Easter Egg hunt with Maw Maw and Paw Paw. Also, Mommy will be signing Alexis up for Kindermusik and swim lessons during Spring Break. Both of these will take place during the summer. Alexis and Ella, our neighbors' daughter, took Kindermusik last year and loved it even though they were four and three months respectively. I imagine they will have a fabulous time this summer. Alexis loves to dance and will even dance on command!

We hope you are all doing well! We love you all!

Check Up

Alexis went to her doctor's appointment for her 12 month check up yesterday. She weighed 19 lbs 14 oz (10th-25th percentile) which is down from her weight in the last few months. Her height is 30 in (50th-75th percentile) which is also down from previous measurements; her head circumference is 45 cm (25th-50th percentile). I told the doctor that she would rather play than eat which he told me was normal and that toddler's are notriously picky eaters and tend to have a decrease in the amount they eat in the second year. In addition to that, he told me that the amount of sleeping she is doing to more than most toddlers her age needs which confirms my suspicision that she is a lazy butt! Everything else is normal with her development. She received her MMR and chicken pox vaccines and was not happy about them! All in all, she seems to be doing good. She does have a bad cough the last few days but has no other symptoms, so the doctor said it was due to post nasal drip because of the weather. Hopefully that will be better by the end of the week!

The battles have begun!

Alexis and I had our first battle of the wills tonight! And, Mommy won! I made a chicken pot pie which Alexis usually likes. Tonight when I fixed her plate, she started nibbling and shortly into dinner threw her plate on the ground. I took her out of her highchair and cleaned her up. She promptly threw a temper tantrum, because she was hungry (she didn't eat at daycare today either). I let her fuss for a bit and then put her back in her seat and gave her the same food yet again. Guess what?? She ate it! I suppose she figured that if she was hungry, she'd better eat! How many years of these temper tantrums will I have to endure? Too many, I know. I teach middle school :)

Alexis' First Birthday Party

Alexis birthday party was this weekend and was a great success! We had some family and very close friends come. There was food, drinks, and music. I made a video slideshow of Alexis' first year. To watch it see my previous post. Then, it was on to opening presents! Alexis was not into opening gifts that much. So, I had to take the lead and help her out. She received lots of clothes which is what she needed most, books, a couple of movies, three stuffed toys, some puzzles, her first piggy bank, and a police cruiser rocker. She was very blessed, and we appreciate all of the generosity of my family and friends! Alexis ate her home made Wonder Pets cake. She loved the sugar! After an impressive bout with the cake, Alexis had to get hosed down and have a few more pictures. Then, it was naptime and the party was pretty much done! We had a wonderful time and we are looking forward to the coming year!

Alexis' First Year Video

I made the following video for Alexis' first birthday party. For those of you who live too far away or couldn't attend, I decided to upload it! I hope you enjoy!

Alexis' First Illness

For the last few days, Alexis has had a flucuating temperature, runny nose, and cough. Yesterday, her temperature hit 103, so I took her to the doctor. It turns out that she has a sinus infection which incidentally enough so do I! The doctor put her on an antibotic and anti-histamine, and I found out that I have been way underdosing her on the tylenol which explains why her fever wouldn't go down. I'm staying home today with her and hopefully, she'll feel much better on Saturday for her party! On another note, Alexis was weighed at the doctor's office. She was 20 lbs 1 oz which is only one ounce more than at the end of December! She eats a ton of food, but she also is a bundle of energy!

One year update!

Alexis celebrated her first birthday today! Mommy took the day off of work so the whole family could go down to the mall and have pictures made. Check them out at Alexis' Photo Site. The day was quite fun and successful despite the fact that Alexis has her first cold and Mommy has a sinus infection. The poor child has a runny, stopped up nose, a cough, and a bit of a fever. We are lucky in one aspect; Alexis has not been in a rotten mood due to her cold. She's has just been very clingy. She wants to sit in someone's lap and cuddle. If you know Alexis, then you know that is totally unlike her. Generally speaking, Alexis is all over the place and refuses to be held for more than a few minutes. The cuddling was the only positive thing that came from the cold. Tim and I have often commented that we'd like to cuddle with her, but she doesn't allow it!

Other than our busy day today, Alexis has been reaching some new development. She has learned how to clap. I must say this is probably one of my favorite things that Alexis has done! Also, Alexis is attempting to say various words. She makes the same sound repeatedly for a specific item like juice is "jucz" and dog is "daa." We're hoping that she'll start saying real words soon. Alexis picked up a negative skill at daycare. The other night, Timothy was trying to take away something from her that she didn't need to have. Alexis promptly screamed "Mi Mi Mi" (which sounded an awfully a lot like "Mine Mine Mine") and ran away. We were both flabbergasted. She did that a few more times that night, but has not repeated it in the days since. I asked her teacher if she noticed this at school. She said that it is common, but also the other kids were trying to take away her stuffed cow that she brings to sleep with, so Alexis has been protecting her cow. Hopefully, she'll learn more about sharing via school. Finally, due to her exposure at daycare, Alexis has been improving with her climbing skills. This is not a skill that we're ecstatic about. We just keep trying to teach her about what is dangerous.

Alexis is also gearing up for her birthday party this weekend. We have some family that live nearby and some close friends coming to the house. We'll be sure to post some pictures as soon as we can this weekend!

Preschool

Due to daddy having a major schedule change at work, Alexis started preschool this week. Her first day on Monday was pretty scary for me. I was worried that she'd freak out when I left, cry all day, wouldn't eat, and wreak havoc at the school. However, my first fear was alleviated when I dropped off Alexis. She didn't even look at me when I left. It was surprising. I resisted the urge to visit the school on my planning period and impatiently waited for the day to be over. Once I was off the clock, I couldn't get out of the door quickly enough. When I got to the school, Alexis immediately saw me and started crying as if to say that she was mad I left her. However, Alexis' teacher told me that she had a good day, actually slept on her mat, and loved playing outside. After a mini-crisis due to a missing security blanket AKA Alexis' wubby, we made it home and Alexis enjoyed an afternoon nap which allowed me to get some work done with my new part-time job.

Day two at preschool also went well. Alexis again didn't care that I left her in the morning. After school, when I got to Alexis' classroom, I had to work very hard to get her attention. She was engrossed in story time. Apparently, after a brief fussy period in the morning, the teacher Ms. Heather said she was good. Alexis even made her first official school craft: a pink turtle painting made using cookie cutters. It's hanging on the fridge, of course.

I hope that Alexis continues to enjoy her preschool experience. We think that she'll definately enjoy Fridays which are pizza day. This Friday will be Alexis' first time having pizza; what a treat!

Alexis will be a year old on Monday; I know, it's hard to believe! We will all be taking the day off and having Alexis' pictures taken. So, look for those to be posted next week!

Potty time!

After three days of practicing, we finally have had success. Alexis went poop in the potty tonight!! We were sure to call Daddy at work and Maw Maw and Paw Paw to share the good news! Let's hope that the progress continues to move along!

I'm a big kid now!

This weekend was filled with big girl activity for Alexis! First of all, we all three went shopping and picked out Alexis' new car seat. It is convertible and will last until Alexis is 100 pounds. She looks so teeny in it! Also, we got Alexis her potty. For the past few weeks, Alexis has been removing her diaper and clothes; she sometimes even goes on the floor or in her bed. It is not uncommon for us to find Alexis naked after a nap or in the morning. So, we decided to try potty training. My biggest doubt was that Alexis would sit still on the potty for even a second. However, after playing with her potty to get used to it, we have been sitting Alexis on the potty after naps and meals. She sits still and "reads" a book very well. She has yet to actually go in the potty, but that's only a matter of time, I'm sure. Finally, Alexis is learning to climb stairs; anyone who has been to the house knows how important that skill will be. I've been trying to help her up the stairs, but it's been touch and go. This afternoon, Alexis walked out of the garage and went right up the stairs and started climbing. I followed very closely, of course; but she climbed all the way to the top by herself! She's come a long way in just a short year! She's definately Mommy and Daddy's big girl now!

Bye-bye bottles!

I am now proud to announce that bottles are a thing of history in our home! Over Christmas break, I started weaning Alexis from the bottle. I decided to start with the two bottles during the daytime. With multiple attempts and many a tear, we successfully got Alexis down to taking only one bottle a day right before bed. I was really scared to even tackle the bedtime bottle, because her bedtime routine is so successful. However, this weekend, I put a brave face on and attempted to give Alexis a very small amount of milk in her sippy before bed and laid her down to go to sleep. It worked like a charm. She was asleep in the same amount of time, if not less, than any other night. That was the first hurdle I wanted to jump, the second being if she'd still sleep through the night. She woke up at the same time as she usually does! So, I counted the attempt a success. However, I was slightly worried, because Saturday night was a very stressful night (it's a long story) and I was worried that Sunday night would not be as successful. Apparently, I have nothing to worry about; Alexis has had a very small amount of milk before bed and produced the same results for three days in a row! If this pattern continues, we will get to toss the bottles for good! It's hard to believe how much our baby girl is growing into a big girl! She'll be one year in just a few weeks! How time does fly :)