Pretty in Pink

I'm a Big Girl!

Lexie is trying so hard to sit up and move around! She's not quite there yet, but loves being propped up! I think it's because she loves to see what's going on around her.

She is really starting to pick up on things. I've been reading her a board book at bedtime every night and the last few nights she started smiling when I brought it out. She's also been watching BabyFirst TV as if she can tell what's going on. I've started putting toys out during her tummy time and while she can't quite crawl to reach them she is definitely paying them much more attention than before. I also just moved her to size 2 diapers!

We are making progress in sleep. She has slept two nights through so far, although not in a row. Last night she was up a lot, but at least we are getting closer. I am really tired, but keep telling myself it's just a season and it will go quickly. I know it's true, because I can hardly believe we are through the first three months!

In Between Sizes :)

3-6 Months Already?!!!

So Lexie is officially twelve weeks old and growing like crazy! She is getting so long that I've had to put away all her 0-3 month and 3 month sleepers so her toes have some room. I'm slowly trading out her 3 month clothes for the 3-6 month sizes now. You can see her little Atlanta Braves outfit her Aunt Priscilla and Uncle Evan sent her is still a little big, but she is definitely almost there. I put her Nike Air Force Ones on for probably the last time. It was really difficult to get them on. Crazy; I don't think I owned Nikes until I was in my 20s :)

She still loves to hang out on our bed and since she is now in the crib at night I let her come in to our room in the mornings. She loves to stare at the ceiling fan and wave her arms and legs around. I've also discovered the power of music; yesterday turning on Leona Lewis in the Ipod player allowed me to get a shower without a crying baby :)

Our Little Girl is Growing Up!

Mommy's Back to Work!

So last week was my first week back at work. Thank God for McDonald's nonfat iced mochas! I think I am currently keeping them in business! Lexie will be 12 weeks in two days, believe it or not! She is consistently sleeping in her crib and now makes it about 5-6 hours before waking up for her first nighttime feeding. Of course she then wakes up for her second one anytime between 2-3 hours, but I am hoping she gradually begins to stretch the first one out and just eliminates the second. She has to be somewhere between 11-12 pounds now and is growing and maturing like you wouldn't believe.

She definitely misses me and Anthony at daycare, but seems to be adjusting and all the other babies/kids love her. So far I have still been pumping and mixing milk with formula for the daytime. I plan to keep the night feedings as long as possible; I really believe it is making a difference in her immune system. She has outgrown the colic phase and is happy a lot more, smiling and even giggling a little. She discovered that her hands can clasp together and has been really fascinated by it for a week or so now, experimenting with different ways of holding them in front of her. The latest variation is pulling extremely hard on her index finger without ever letting go.

As hard as it is to leave her, it is also good to be back at work; everyone is so anxious to see pictures of her! Everything is coming back to me very quickly and it makes the time with her getting ready in the morning and when I come home that much more special!

10 Weeks Old!

Two Month Photo Shoot

So I took Lexie to Olan Mills last week for her two month pictures. She did great! Lots of smiles and I thought she looked so pretty in her dress!

This week has been all about getting her to sleep in her crib at night and right now we are on our fourth successful night! She still wakes up to eat every 3-4 hours, but at least we are making progress towards her sleeping on her own. I am sooo grateful for our video monitor which makes it easy to check on her from our room!

We took her to daycare for half a day earlier this week and plan to take her for a full day tomorrow (can't wait to celebrate our four year anniversary!) Hopefully going a few days this week will ease her into going full time next week.

Hanlin family pics from our Erie trip finally came in; the first one with the babies in it! One more reminder of Lexie's first big trip :)

Nine Weeks and 106 Degrees...

So HOT Outside...

So yesterday Lexie turned 9 weeks old. It's been a super hot week; 110 yesterday and at least 106 today. I've been doing my best to keep Lexie inside and avoid any trips during the hottest part of the day when at all possible, but today I had a chiropractor's appointment (I've been seeing one since my accident to make sure I don't suffer any long term effects).

Man, it was so hot out and I felt so bad taking her out of the car in the heat. It was sweltering to me and knowing babies don't sweat I can't imagine how she feels. I got her inside to the air conditioning as soon as I could. The doctor and all his staff know Lexie pretty well by now and we made it the whole appointment without her crying today!

Bottle feeding has been going well since we switched to the Playtex nursers and I am thankful every trip for ice packs to keep her milk fresh. After getting home she did a little tummy time and then fell fast asleep. (The picture below is from earlier this week, but as you can see, she is not quite as big a fan of tummy time as she is time on her back! She is doing great at lifting her head and shoulders though.)

Two Months Old!

Shots and Stuff!

So, hard as it is to believe, our baby girl is two months old! As many of you know, I was in a car accident recently and unfortunately my camera is in the car at the body shop, so all pictures are from my phone for a few days.

Lexie definitely develops more and more each day. It is so much fun to watch her begin to reach for us and make new sounds. When I used to lay her in her Gymini she would just stare at the hanging animals; now she reaches for them and makes cooing noises at them. There is only one she has trouble reaching and that's the giraffe. She nearly always ends up crying while staring at it after unsuccessfully trying to reach it. She is extremely strong for her age and actually lifted her head and shoulders up off of my lap from a laying down position the other day. The last few days we have also started pumping and feeding her only from a bottle in the day time to prepare her for mommy going back to work.

Her two-month appointment was yesterday. She was in a great mood, smiling and cuddling through the whole office visit. She weighed in at 10 pounds 14 ounces (50th percentile) and measured at 23.25 inches (75th percentile). She did great with the doctor and was once again described as "perfect". Then came the moment I've been dreading for weeks; her shots. She had to get one liquid immunization by mouth and three shots in her little thighs. She layed down smiling and unsuspecting on the table and went into an immediate scream at the first prick. The next two didn't help any. Very emotional for both her and me; I had to fight back the tears myself as she looked up at me. I ended up holding, rocking and talking to her in the room for about twenty minutes before she was calm enough to go home. It has been a rough 24 hours. Last evening and night she cried quite a bit and while the Tylenol helped a little, it definitely didn't take the discomfort away. Fortunately as you can see from the picture, she had a long nap today and woke up feeling much better. I am NOT looking forward to her four and six month repeats, but at least now we know what to expect.

I have only this week and next and then I have to go back to work. Amazing how quickly the time has gone. It will not be easy leaving her, but I know it is necessary. Hopefully the adjustment will be smooth and painless for Lexie and Mommy.

Our Trip to Erie!

Cousins!

So we finally took our much anticipated trip to Erie! This was Lexie's first airplane ride and she did really well right up until the last flight late last night. Unfortunately in the midst of packing for a newborn I left the camera on the counter :( I had extra batteries and everything; it was so disappointing.

Anyway our trip was amazing! So good to see everyone and show Lexie off and of course it had been way too long since the six Hanlin kids had been together! Cole, Tim's son was gorgeous and he and Lexie seemed to enjoy meeting each other. We had planned to get their pictures taken together and as you can see, it was a lot of fun!