How MY Life Has Changed - By Lexi

Okay, my mom is not telling you the truth. She is making everything seems like roses and daisies over here and that is not the case! My life has changed drastically, and I don't see it getting any better any time soon.

First of all, I was blindsided! I was not warned of this intruder in my house, and I feel betrayed. All of a sudden they came home with this thing. They pay attention to it all day long! My mom holds it and talks to it all day. What about me?!? Am I chopped liver?

They made me give up my sleeping quarters. I no longer sleep under their bed in Camp Lexi. THEY make me sleep in the guest bedroom alone! How RUDE! Okay, they don't make me, but they had that thing in their room and what was a Dudes to do?!

That thing makes so much noise! It grunts and bops and cries! Why don't they make it stop? I have to run and tell them that it is crying! Don't they hear it?!? When I try to cry and screech with it, they tell me to stop. Double Standard.

They either let me outside and leave me there for too long or they don't let me out. I used to get the run of the house. They would let me in and out 100 times a day. They have given that up. Now, they sit on the couch with the thing and they don't get up as much!

Oh and talk about getting outside. What happened to the park?!?! My mom used to take me out all the time.   We used to go for long walks and I could chase anything I wanted. Thank goodness for my dad because he still takes me to chase the tennis ball.

This thing smells. It has smelled up everything in the house. I can't get away from the smell! On top of that, they want me to get near it, but I won't. I sniffed it a few times to make sure the smell was coming from it, but that is as far as I'll go. I don't even want to look at it. As a matter of fact, I don't want to look at my mom. So I don't think I will unless that thing is NOT around. I will just turn my back. That will teach them.

They have even moved my toys! I used to have a toy box, and now there is a pack and play in the way. At first, I couldn't get to my toys. Then, they moved my toy box and they didn't even have the nerve to tell me!

Lately, I have been laying around a lot. They say they aren't getting much sleep, but I am. I sleep all day. What else is a poor doggie with a baby to do?!? I just want to know one thing... Am I still your #1 girl?

How My Life Has Changed

In the past six weeks, things have been very different around our house. Things used to be all about Dobbie and I. We used to watch a lot of tv and sleep a lot. We don't do a lot of either of those anymore. I love spending my day taking care of the little peanut. I especially love maternity leave. One thing is for sure...my life has changed.

I've traded my work clothes for sweatpants.
I've traded lesson plans for changing diapers.
I've traded my alarm clock for a baby monitor.
I've traded JCrew for Gymboree.
I've traded Gilt Groupe for Baby Center.
I've traded Rhianna for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (I have officially given up my ipod to a one month old)
I've traded trips to Target for trips to Buy Buy Baby.
I've traded spontaneous shopping trips for strategically planned trips to fit in my 3 hour window.
I've traded putting myself first for putting my baby girl first.

Best of all, I've traded my blackberry for an iphone! (I know, not baby related but incredibly cool)

My life has changed in small ways, but it has changed for the better. One thing that hasn't changed is the love I have for my husband. He has been such a great daddy and husband over the past 6 weeks.

All because of her

Happy Thanksgiving

At this time every year, I am usually excited. Usually, I look forward to having a few days off of work and enjoying a big delicious dinner. I get antsy to get the Christmas decorations up and I think about plans for my birthday. Every year, I do all of these things in a rush. All around me, I hear words like thankful and grateful. I would think about how thankful I am for everything in my life, but I would think about it in passing. It is hard to reflect on things that I am thankful for in my life as I am driving well over the speed limit to run another errand, rush to complete lesson plans, or scramble to get things done on a never ending to-do list. This year is different. This year, my lazy days with Kay are passing and I am taking the time to stop and truly think about my life. This year. I was so very blessed this year. I was fortunate this year. I was able to have a healthy and happy pregnancy this year. The end result is indescribable. I love my daughter and I love my family. Here are a few of the many people I love and care about that I am thankful for...

The loves of my life 

One Sweet Peanut

My AMAZING Mom 

This year, I have truly stopped to reflect on how blessed I truly am. I have a wonderful life. I have a list of a million things that I am thankful for in my life, but this year I am going to focus on the one. I am thankful for my family today and everyday. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope you are feeling as grateful and thankful for the blessings in your life.

What Happened To My Newborn?!?

It is happening. My little girl is growing and growing and growing. I can't believe how big she is getting and how much she is changing everyday. One thing is clear ... my honeymoon with my sleepy newborn is over! MAKE IT SLOW DOWN! I am enjoying every second that I am able to spend with her, but the time is flying by. Wasn't yesterday Halloween?

Kailyn is spending so much more time awake. She is taking in the world around her and it is really amazing to watch. Just tonight, she helped me put up the Christmas tree. No really, she was awake the whole time, and she was mesmerized by the lights. She laid on the ottoman just quietly staring at the tree. Maybe she is going to love Christmas as much as her mommy.

As she wakes up more and more, she cries more and more. It is a hard thing to hear your baby cry. She has been having a lot of gas the past two days. She burps and farts all day long! Sometimes, she cringes as I give her a bottle. My poor girl. It must be so uncomfortable for her and to top it off she has the hiccups. As a new mom, it is tricky to figure out what she needs. If she doesn't need anything, it is tricky to figure out what she likes to calm her down. Kailyn likes a few things. She likes to be held close to her mommy's chest the most. Oh and today, I realized that she likes the noise of the vacuum cleaner. She likes her lambie swing too! At least for a good 10 minutes before she cries.

My little peanut is a sweet little girl. I am feeling sleep deprived, but I am not going to let that stop me from loving her up all day because before you know it...I'll be back at work.

The Crib Arrives!

Our crib came yesterday! It was definitely worth the wait! It is beautiful. I can't wait to post pictures of the finished nursery, but I still have a few odds and ends to finish up. You know... pictures and decor. Once I finish that, I will post some pics of our baby girl's room. Until then, enjoy a sneak peek of our crib!

A Little Peace

As the weeks passed during my pregnancy, I felt completely overwhelmed. I was nervous about having this baby because I had no idea what to expect. I remember wondering how I will deal with waiting for her to be born (yea right!). I remember wondering how I would know what to do. I remember wondering how many times I would call my mom. I remember wondering how I was going to be as a mommy.

Once Kailyn arrived, that all changed. I will never forget the feeling of overwhelming love and peace that I felt at that moment. It was like there was another world, the world of being a mommy, and I had just entered into it. I knew right then that my life had changed. When they placed Kailyn in my arms and I knew she was okay, I felt relieved. I felt peace. Peace from my mind that was constantly racing. Peace from the stress of life and the stress of work. Everything that I was worrying about seemed so insignificant. It was like nothing else mattered except my daughter.

When we brought the baby home, the first week was insane. I can't even really remember it. I was like a walking zombie trying to figure things out. It was stressful because I wanted to do everything perfectly. I put pressure on myself to be a "perfect" mommy and I didn't want anything to go wrong. After a long week, I realized that there is no such thing as doing things "perfectly." All you can do is trust your instincts and do what you feel is best. Taking care of our sweet baby is much easier than I imagined it to be. She is such a good baby, and I am so lucky.

We have fallen into a nice routine here at our house and again I feel peace. The joy of spending this time with my daughter without the stress of work and rushing around every day has been so satisfying. I feel happy. Who wouldn't be happy looking at this face everyday?

Happy One Month!

One fabulous month. One love filled, snuggle filled, kiss filled month. One diaper changing, sleep deprived, feeding frenzied month. One month that I wouldn't change for the world.

Happy One month baby girl! Mommy and Daddy can't remember life without you, and we don't want to.

At one month, you ...

* are the most beautiful, sweetest baby in the world.

* are still three days away from your original due date. Wow!

* are starting to wake up more and more! I love the times when you are awake and you lay there with your eyes open just looking around and taking everything in.

* drink 3oz. every 3 hours! You are really doing a good job eating! You are going to take after your mommy!

* weigh 6 pounds 12 ounces according to mommy's scale at home! That is 2 pounds more than when you were born!

* sleep for about 4 hours at night before you wake up to eat and last night you slept 5 hours!

* are still wearing your newborn clothes! I am hoping that you will fit into 0-3 month clothes soon because I am getting bored of having you wear the same outfits over and over! I need to start shopping for 0-3 clothes big time!

* have been out of the house a few times! You've been on three walks in your stroller. You went shopping with mommy and daddy.You visited both of your grandparents at their houses too! You HATE your car seat when I first put you in it. You scream your little head off, but once I swing it in the air you stop crying immediately!

* moved into your own room a week ago. You are sleeping in the bassinet in your pack and play because your crib isn't here yet. We got the call yesterday that your crib will  be delivered tomorrow!

* love bath time in the tub. Getting your "bath" on the big sponge was NOT your favorite thing, but once we gave you a bath in your tub, you loved it! You love sitting in the warm water, and you always go to the bathroom in your tub! You get us every time.

Kailyn, I love you so much. Getting to know you this month has been truly amazing. I can tell the difference between your cries. I know which cry means you are hungry, which cry means you are pissed, and which cry means you want your momma. I love watching the funny faces you make. You have your Daddy's scowl, and you get the same wrinkles in your forehead. I am so lucky to be your mommy! Happy One month!

You Are My Sunshine

via

Kailyn truly is my sunshine. In the midst of feeling extremely tired or cranky, I can look at her and instantly feel happiness. She takes away any and all negativity in my life. For my husband and I, our little girl is our everything and we remind ourselves every second how truly blessed we are. She is precious and sweet, and there is nothing I wouldn't do for her.

Kailyn is doing amazingly well. She is eating like a champ and taking 3oz at every feeding! She enjoys sleeping just like her momma. She loves bath time. She is a happy, healthy baby. She is getting so big. Last week, Dobbie and I weighed her on our baby scale that we have at home and she was 5lbs. 12oz. I am sure she has reached 6lbs. now! It is hard to believe that she still shouldn't even have joined us in this hectic world. She should of had 2 more weeks marinating in mommy's belly until her original expected debut. However, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

The past 3 weeks have been the best weeks of my life. I LOVE spending every second with her. I am so grateful that Dobbie was able to take some time off of work. I have loved the time we have spent together as a new family. Dobbie and I are starting to get into a routine, and I am extremely lucky to have Dobbie as my partner. He has been truly patient, understanding, and loving.

We took our sweet little peanut on her first walk on a beautiful fall day. Here she is enjoying her first time in her stroller. Look at that little face. It is definitely my ray of sunshine.

Poor Dudes - 2nd Edition

I am sure you are all dying to know how Lexi is doing? With a new baby, Lexi and her world have been turned upside down. She is actually handling the whole situation better than expected. But I still feel bad for my poor Dudes.

Dobbie had been bringing home things that the baby wore in the hospital for Lexi to sniff. Lexi had a hat  from the baby and a blanket from the baby. Dobbie said Lexi actually slept with her head on the blanket one night! With me being in the hospital for three days, I was worried Lexi was probably missing me and feeling upset already.

We brought the baby home, and we were nervous. I had read that the dog and baby should meet on "neutral" territory. We had Lexi come outside and we tried to introduce them in the driveway. Lexi was too excited to see me and that didn't really work out. So, we went inside and we set the peanut on the floor in her car seat. Lexi was really hesitant to go up to the car seat, but she did put her neck out and sniff the peanut. She had NO IDEA what this little thing was! Dobbie and I think that she thought it was some type of rodent. It didn't help that Baby Kay made little peeps and squeaks like a little mouse.

Lexi has been doing great. At first, she spent a LOT of time outside in the backyard. She didn't want to come in. My AMAZING mom stayed with us when we brought the baby home, and she spent lots of time loving Lexi up. She took her to the park and played with her in the backyard. I really think this helped Lexi get used to the new peanut. Lexi will sniff the baby's head or foot, but she keeps her distance. In the beginning, she growled once or twice, but not anymore. Now, she just stares at the peanut. She HATES when the baby cries, and she comes running to check it out. 

Lexi is interested in the baby, but she is scared of her. I wonder when they will become friends. I hope Lexi comes around. She doesn't sleep in our room anymore and she doesn't seem as spunky. My poor Dudes. 

When I lay the baby down...

Lexi is always close by. 

We still love you, Dudes. Come back and sleep under the bed. Camp Lexi misses you. You are a good girl.