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.