Oh Christmas Tree

What a couple of weeks we've had! First Lexi and I catch the stomach bug and now I have been sick the last few days with what can only be the flu....talk about a case of bad luck. We have been disease free in the house for a LONG time (especially long for me, who seems to catch everything) so I guess we were due.

Today I finally got up enough strength to get out of the house (if you can count my backyard as out of the house) and got some cute pics of Lexi for our Christmas cards. We had to miss my last chance at getting a family photo this weekend when I fell ill, so Lexi is the shining star of our Christmas card this year. Seems fitting ;)

Anyways I can't give away any of the shots I used for my card early (wouldn't want to spoil the surprise when you open your mailbox and see that cute little mug) but I will share the reject shots.

 

As you can tell, we are not outside in these pictures, which is why they aren't my favorites. But I do love her playing with the Christmas tree! My how she's changed in a year

14 Months Old

This post is mostly for me, so I can remember all the amazing changes this last month.

Weight: Around 21 pounds
Favorite Foods: Macaroni, Chicken, Pears, Banana, Avocado and Guacamole, Goldfish and Ritz Crackers and green beans
Favorite Activities: "I'm Gonna Get Ya" AKA Chase Lexi, Carrying bags and purses around, shape sorter, banging ANY noisemakers, bathtime, reading books with mommy
Teeth: Still only 6, but she is working on some more.

Lexi is growing like a week and developing new mannerisms everyday.  I liike to call this the month of the mimic, because Lexi is mimicing everything Nick and I do.  She can distinguish between items when we name them and go get different objects depending on what we say (ball, purse, baby, dog, milk, cup, etc)

-She is saying mama (MomMom), dada and Daddy (which sounds like Addy), Dah (Dog), NahNah (for milk...I'm not sure where this came from), and Duh (for done)  plus TONS of nonsense words.  she wakes up talking in her bed and doesn't stop until she's asleep.  She also is doing "all done", "clean up" "more" and "milk" in sign language.

-She is walking/trying to run EVERYWHERE.  It's amazing how fast she is in such a short time. 

-She understand when we say no and can redirect herself to a new activity (most of the time ;) )

-Lexi loves to bring Nick and I books and turns to sit in our laps to listen to the story.  This is a BIG change and one that I LOVE to see.  She still loves all books with moving parts, peekaboo flaps and pop up objects, but currently loves to listen to Big Red Barn and Llama Llama Nighty Night (which has none of these things) most of all.

-We have had the Christmas tree up the last couple weeks with no incident.  She has actually listened and not pulled ornaments off.  She is the perfect age for her second Christmas, because she is interested in all the decorations and Christmas books, but will listen and not tear things up.   I am getting so excited to experience Santa's arrival Christmas morning this year!

-She loves to HELP...close the dishwasher, open the fridge door, cook, put away laundry, close doors, get her diapers.  All chores take double the time now, but I love that we can do them together!

-Lexi just got interested in drawing with her "My First Crayons".  These are awesome because they have a chunky grip and she can really go to town scribbling.

-She LOVES to play outside.  We go on walks or play in the backyard at least 5 times a day now.  She can't get enough...especially if the dogs are involved!  She can chase them around and attempt to give them their toys for hours if we let her.

-She also loves bathtime.  She likes to pour water in different containers and started trying to pour water on her head.  She also likes to "brush" her own teeth after Nick and I do it first.

-She is trying to cut some new teeth and they have been painful.  Our wonderful sleeper has started to have disrupted nights again which is a sure sign that new teeth are on the horizon.

We just got home from Houston for Thanksgiving and had our first major family illness while we were away.  Lexi got a case of the 24 hour stomach bug, which she then passed on to me.  I ended up having to miss our family Thanksgiving, which I was devestated about, but Lexi was all better and went to "The Creek" with Nick and my dad.  You can see her above in her Thanksgiving outfit, lounging her her favorite little chair at Aunt Margaret and Uncle Bobby's house!

Halloween and 13 Months

How is it already November?  It seems like October just FLEW by in the blink of an eye.  We have had big changes in the Mauldin house this last month.  Lexi started walking and went from a couple steps to moving ALL OVER the house in just a few days time.  I knew when she took steps a couple of months ago and stopped trying that when she did start walking she would master it quickly.  And that is exactly what she did!  Life with a fully mobile baby has totally changed our life at home.  I thought I'd finally gotten into a routine and now all I do is chase Lexi everywhere. 

We have also had to keep our doggie door shut because she is obsessed with crawling through it to go play outside.  We spend a lot of time walking around the yard while she chases the dogs with their frisbee trying to coerce them into playing with her.  She is babbling all the time and has a special voice she uses for any dogs, that resembles a scream.  She also says "DAH!" for dog (and basically every animal that walks on all fours) while pointing to them. 

She is learning to mimic and loves to copy us when we play and use different objects.  Though she only knows a couple words, she is understanding many commands and short sentences.  When I say "Let's eat breakfast" she goes to her highchair and reaches up to be put inside.  If I say "No, No" she'll shake her head back and forth.  Lexi likes to pretend to walk around with objects or her hand up next to her ear whenever we answer the phone and pretends she's talking too.  She makes a vroom sound when she pushes cars or trucks around on the floor and she loves to figure out how things work.  She'll sit and concentrate SO hard trying to put pieces of something together or lids on containers.  It's so cute watching the little wheels turning in her brain.  She loves to bounce up and down and dance to music, especially if she has something in her hand that will make a rattling sound. 

She's drinking milk now and eats EVERYTHING.  She will try almost everything which is nice for us, because we can normally just feed her whatever we are eating for dinner.  She especially likes olives, avocado and macaroni and cheese and still loves salmon.

This year for Halloween, since she is obsessed with dogs, we dressed her up as a pink poodle.  She looked so cute and for a couple weeks before we practiced wearing her headpiece around and holding up her pumpkin to get "treats".  She looked so teeny and adorable toddling up to the neighbors holding out her little pumpkin pail.  It was a fun age to have her first "trick-or-treating" experience.

Happy Birthday Lexi!

A year ago, Nick and I could have never imagined how much our lives would change from one single event.  Now a year later, our baby girl turning one year old!  It's amazing to look back and see how much she has grown.  At every stage it seemed like she was doing so much more than the month before.  Now we officially have a toddler!  We had a family party at our house and she got to celebrate her official birthday with her birthday twins, her Daddy and Gigi.  Here is a little about Lexi's development at ONE YEAR OLD! (Sorry if this is long...it's really for my personal records)

 

Height: Almost 30 inches

Weight: 19 lbs 4 oz (she a bitty baby)

Head: About the 95th percentile

Hair Color: She's a little redhead!

Eye Color: Her eyes are now fully brown. 

 

-Lexi took her first steps right at 11 months, but then decided she wasn't ready to walk yet.  Now she's finally started taking a few quick steps when she really wants something.  She's figured out when we're trying to practice with her and quickly goes to the floor to crawl if we try to coerce her.

 

-She is fully eating solid food and eats 3 meals a day plus snacks. She just started drinking some milk and is transitioning to milk out of a bottle for some feedings as well as out of her cup.  She learned to drink out of a straw this month so that helps her get more liquids than out of her sippy cup.

 

-She is starting to figure out how objects are used and likes to pretend she is using them for their intended purpose (instead of just sticking everything in her mouth).  She likes to "brush" her hair and teeth, put lids on and off containers, tries to put our socks and shoes on her feet and her babies hat on its head.

 

-She loves to push things around while walking.  Sometimes this is her push toys, sometimes it's the kitchen chairs, her highchair or anything else she can get to move.

 

-Lexi has said mama and dada, and is making many more complex vowel and consonant sounds.  She also has intonation in her speech and gestures to us when she is "talking."  She likes to raise her eyebrows at us while talking and holding an object up, then wait for our response.  We have lots of pretend conversations with her these days. 

 

-She loves to mimic things that we do.  She was used to me making an "ahhh" sound after I took a drink of water, so she drinks out of her straw then says "ahhh" after each sip. 

 

-Lexi cracks herself up and is easy to make laugh.  Multiple times a day something she does, or something we do, causes her to break into a fit of giggles.  Her daddy is especially good at getting a good belly laugh out of her.

 

-The girl LOVES her bathtime.  She will play in the bath FOREVER if I let her.  She likes to play with toys and pour water, and just recently started pouring water on her own head. 

 

-She likes to play "kiss the baby" with her baby dolls, stuffed animals, or into the mirror.  She leans in and makes an "mmmmaaaahhh" sound when she kisses.  She also just figured out to give kisses with her mouth closed.  She can blow kisses now (with the same sound effect)

 

-Lexi loves to dance and will really shake it when kids songs come on or when you cheer her on.

 

- She is very active. She goes until she drops.  The doctor said she is probably transitioning to one nap a day, but since she normally sleeps 2 1/2 to 3 hours straight I don't mind at all.

 

-Lexi is still crazy about cell phones and remotes.  She likes anything she knows makes something work, has buttons, or make sounds when she pushes it.

 

-She understands many simple demands and knows the word "No" and "Stop", and can turn the pages of her book, press buttons, give me something in her hand, open and close containers on demand.  I feel like we are finally getting to the beginning stages of true communication.

 

-She can wave (we finally figured that one out this month), and figured out how to flash a cheesy grin.  You can see her scrunched up eyes and crinkly nose smile in some of the pics below. 

 

-She refuses to let me put a bow on her now.  The just pulls it right off!  Sometimes I can sneak it on her for a while, but the second she feels something up there she yanks it off.  It's not long enough for pigtails so I just have to be patient and hope people can still tell she's a girl based on her frilly outfits :)

 

-She likes to share things that she is holding, but only with adults.  If there are other kids around, she always wants to play with whatever they are playing with.  I'm sure this is the beginning of a long road ahead of this. 

 

I'm starting these birthday interview questions with Lexi (and future kiddos).  For the first few years we can assist in answering them, but I think it will be cute to see how they change as they age!

 

1. What is your favorite color? Hot pink

2. What is your favorite toy? Any push toys, my dog piano, my books
3. What is your favorite fruit? Strawberries
4. What is your favorite tv show? Super Why, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Macaroni and Cheese
6. What is your favorite outfit?  Whatever mommy dresses me in...normally something girly

7. What is your favorite game? Peekaboo, playing with Kobe and Scout, pulling things in and out of containers

8. What is your favorite snack? fruit and Cheater Cheetos (Gerber Lil' Munchies)
9. What is your favorite animal? dogs
10. What is your favorite song? "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", "Mr. Sun"
11. What is your favorite book? Touch and Feel Baby Animals, That's Not My Fairy
12. Who is your best friend? Mason and Mackenzie
13. What is your favorite cereal? Cheerios
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swing at the park, go swimming
15. What is your favorite drink? milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? there are not many I can remember right now, so probably my birthday
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? my blankie
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cheesy eggs, toast and fruit
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Mac and Cheese or Salmon
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? who knows, Daddy is hoping you become a spy

 

 

We love you Alexis Taylor Mauldin.  Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

 



11 Months Old

My Sweet Baby Girl-
   You are 11 months old now!  I can't believe that in one short month you will be a year old.  Time has flown by.  You are growing so fast and developing so many new skills right now.  Here are a few new things about you:

-You have developed into a bit of a picky eater this month.  You learned that you don't have to eat everything we put in front of you so you pick and choose what you want.  I joke that you want to be on an all carb diet (who doesn't), because you'll eat any bread or noodle.  You also love fruit, cheese, salmon and chicken salad and are moving away from eating purees.  We mostly give you solid food.

-You have gone from cruising to standing on your own and moving yourself up and down.  You haven't taken any steps but like to stand and clap or play with a toy. 

-You now have 6 teeth.  Right now your not working on cutting any new ones so we are enjoying LOTS of great sleep during naps and at night. 

-You nurse 4-5 times a day now and eat 3 solid meals, plus a snack.  You are drinking water great out of a sippy cup or with assistance in a regular cup or water bottle.

-You now sound more like you are talking when you babble.  You combine sounds together and chat away when you play or "talk" to mommy and daddy.

-You love to read and especially like to look at books in the car while we are out and about.  Your favorite books right now are touch and feel books, espeically Baby Einstein Touch and Feel Baby Animals and You're Not My Fairy.

-You are a little monkey.  You are learning to climb and try to get up on everything.  Very scary for mommy and daddy.

-You like to figure out how things work.  Pulling the toliet paper off the roll, watching the water fill in our automatic dog water bowl, opening and closing the trash can lid or the doors to the dog pens and filling and empty buckets, bowls and boxes are your favorite forms of amusement right now.

-You LOVE the dogs, especially Kobe.  They might not truly appreciate the WAY you love them, but you think it's a blast to chase them, climb in their dog beds with them, and "pat" them while squealing in delight.

-You are fearless!  You are so trusting in mommy and daddy that you don't think twice about diving right off our laps.  You love to move and play without a care in the world. 

-You still get upset if mommy leaves you with strangers. We will keep working on this, but right now we love that you still need us and try to find the joy in all this together time!

Though you're almost a year old, we remember the day you were born like it was yesterday.  You are, and will always be, our sweet baby girl

A Few Pics

I realized I haven't put many pictures of Lexi up this last month.  I finally got some pictures from the camera uploaded so here are a few newer pics of our little pookiebear.

 A little rock and roll chick :)

 Holding Mrs. Ouchie, the ice pack, after bonking her head.  This face is so sad...:(

 Her new smile...she scrunches up her eyes and cheeks and shows her new little teethy.

 Our big ole grin is getting a little more toothy with the addition of 4 new teeth this month.

 I'm gonna get you mommy!!

Pictures with Mason

This week I had a chance to take one year old pictures of my best friends son, Mason.  I met his mom, Deanna, while I was teaching at Donald and we really bonded while we were pregnant together at school.  Mason is 7 weeks ahead of Lexi and I turn to Deanna whenever I have questions about what's going on with Lexi and, chances are, she has just recently gone through it with Mason.  She has been my listening ear on more occassions than I can count and I am so thankful for her.  So I was happy to get to take some pics for her for Mason's birthday.  We had a blast. I am having so much fun playing around and learning to use my camera so taking pictures of friends babies is great practice. We went to Arbor Hills Nature Reserve in Plano. I wish I lived closer because it would be a beautiful place to take Lexi on some stroller walks/jogs. Here are a few that I really think capture his curious/playful nature.  Lexi played in her pack and play (which I hauled into the nature reserve) and was an angel!  I didn't have enough time to get pics of them together but we have all the time in the world for that later.  I wanted to make sure to get plenty of pictures of Mason before the babies started getting cranky before naptime!  

 

I am so happy our two babies are the best of friends.  It's so fun watching them grow up together and go through all these different baby stages.

Playdate with Mason and Mackenzie

Today we went to my friend Deanna's house for a playdate.  We were out of town when Mason turned one, so it was time to visit Lexi's older and wiser little friend.  Kristen and her baby girl, Mackenzie, joined us and the kids had so much fun together.  Mason and Lexi are starting to at least stay in the same general vicinity and play near each other (sometimes)...Lexi was really excited to play with lots of cool toys!  Mackenzie is getting so much bigger and even though their 6 month age gap seems wide now, it won't be long until she's zooming around playing with Lexi and Mason.  I got some cute pics of her and her mommy today along with a few shots of Mason attempting to walk.  He has already taken his first steps but he was more in the mood to crawl today.  Why wouldn't you want to when it's so much faster?!  

 Reaching for her mama

A few basketball lessons...

 What a sweet smile! 

 Sweet boy trying to share with me!

Mason is crazy about this shell!  He couldn't help breaking into a HUGE grin whenever he saw it.

I got the sweetest picture of Mason and Lexi...he looks like he is giving her a kiss and she has her eyes closed.  Right after this they bonked heads and both broke into tears.  But I still think they had a sweet little friend moment.  I know they are going to be such close friends!