10 Months Old

The month started out with Alexa's 9 month photos. I decided to do a patriotic/ 4Th of July theme. It only seemed fitting. Alexa loves getting her picture taken. She sat where we put her & smiled every time the photographer held up the camera. I always wonder what is going through Alexa's head when she sees a camera. Can she really comprehend what a picture is? What is her reasoning for smiling? Anyways, I am glad she enjoys it. Saturday evening I noticed Alexa was not her normal happy self. She started coming down with a fever. This is when I knew we were in trouble. She slept most of the night but woke up looking weak. I gave her some Tylenol & went to Walmart to pick up some Motrin. She seems to quickly improve. Monday morning I took her to school. They called me around 1pm saying she was not eating & was not happy. At 2:40 they called back to say she had a fever and needed to be picked up. I took her back to work with me where she slept for a little while.

Tuesday morning we went to the doctor. Of course her fever was gone, she never has a fever when we get there. Her doctor heard wheezing in her lungs. They sent us to get a chest xray. This was the most shocking parental experience ever. Alexa was put on a bicycle seat that was in a cut out of a table. They then had me hold her hands over her head. They put a clear cylinder around her & strapped it closed. I was terrified & Alexa was screaming. It was the longest 5 minutes ever. All I could do was hold her hands & talk to her. The xrays showed pneumonia. I cannot believe it! Alexa was given a breathing treatment & two shots of antibiotics. We were sent home with an inhaler to help her breathe.

Wednesday we went back to the doctors for a follow up. Alexa's lungs were sounded better. We were given an antibiotics prescription that will last 10 days. Alexa seems to be doing great. I am sooo grateful to have such a happy girl. Although I hate her being sick, I have enjoyed the extra few days with her.

Forth of July weekend Alexa and I flew to Cincinnati. Our flight was at 7:30am which meant we had an early morning. Alexa slept for most of the flight and I had to wake her up when we arrived. I am fortunate that Alexa is such a great traveler. Saturday afternoon was spent at Coney Island. Alexa really enjoyed walking around the floaty in the shallow end & floating around in the deep in. Saturday evening we had a family dinner. Alexa is starting to get her appetite back, but is still eating like a bird.

On Sunday we had a cousin picture with Matthew & Jackson. All three babies were overwhelmed. There were lots of tears & fearful faces and a few smiles. They looked extra adorable in their matching orange outfits. Even though it was a very trying morning, I am glad to have the photo. We then proceed on to lunch. Of course Jackson slept for most of the meal. Alexa threw a fit because she wanted to be held & Matthew made a mess of the restaurant floor. Just another typical day for these babies. The afternoon was spent at Mom's neighborhood pool. The sight of three babies literally walking around the baby pool in their matching floaties was ADORABLE. They all enjoy the water & I think the Mommy's all enjoy the activity as well. Sunday evening we were off to Megan & Steve's to watch some fireworks. Their neighbors put on quite the show. I believe I was one of the most scared people out there. And of course I was hit by a "tail" right below my right eye. It scared me more than anything. But this type of thing is the reason I have my fears.

Like always we both very much enjoyed our trip to Cincinnati. The only fear I really have about traveling is having Alexa scream on the airplane. Monday morning it was time to face the inevitable. We arrived at the airport with enough time to get a quick snack, change & feed Alexa and then board the plane. Alexa would NOT stop crying. I gave her a bottle & then another.. I was really getting nervous. She took 12oz of milk in a matter of 30 minutes and I did not have anymore for her. Then the announcement came... we were delayed. They were not sure how long it was going to me. I really started to panic. Fortunately it was only a minor maintenance issue and we were ready to board. Alexa did OK for most of the flight. There was a small child behind us, I am certain she was under 2. She screamed for most of the flight. There were many rude people who were making comments and giving death stares. Most of these people were not parents & had no idea that the parents were already embarrassed and having a hard time. I wish people would understand that parents do not want to have their child screaming, but they are unable to stop them. The little girl was grabbing her ears and clearly in pain. When we got off the plane people were looking at me like it was Alexa making all that noise. I was quick to say "it was not mine." I know it was not necessary since these are complete strangers, but I was embarrassed.

The next day was my birthday. I spent most of the day working, but left 2 hours early to give myself a "treat". We ended up doing some grocery shopping & cleaning stuff around the house. I made myself some birthday cookies & called it an early night. The rest of the week was quick & uneventful.

Alexa has a few new words this week. To add to her vocabulary of Mom, Dad, Ut Oh is Dat (Cat) & Oh yah. She tries to make other sounds but is still learning. I love watching her crawl around after Bengal & Carson saying "Dat". I am sure she will keep them young. She has also discovered their food & water bowls. She loves to empty out their food for them, even when they are eating out it. I do not believe they appreciate this jesture. She enjoys splashing in their water bowl until she is completely wet.

One thing this month that I have been working on as a mother is figuring out my parenting approach. I was very much into attachment parenting while she was an infant. Now we are starting a new chapter and I feel I need to get a plan in place. I started reading "Attached at the Heart" & "Unconditional Parenting." I am looking to find guidance on parenting by creating a "yes environment" and teaching Alexa how to make decisions for herself. This is certainly a more difficult approach to discipline, but I believe it will teach her how to be a proactive adult. I am trying to move away from the No's (by creating a yes environment) and the because I said so's. I am sure we will be experiments with a few approaches until Justin and I can figure out what works best for our family.

On Monday I went to the orthopedic. We are taking the approach of "getting through the next 6 months" with my wrist and knee. My wrist is really doing better. Of course the cyst is still there, but it is manageable. I am going to continue to wear my wrist brace when I can. The doc also gave me another option for when I am typing. I am hopefully that this will get me through the deployment with out too much of an issue. My knee which has been a pain for almost 8 years has been bothering me quite a bit lately. She I am no longer pregnant we can start treating it again. I was given synvisc injections to help with the pain. This can help up to 6 months, which again in the timeline we are aiming for. After a few days of wearing gym shoes I am almost back to my preshot self. I will not feel the full effect of the injection for a few weeks, but again I am hopeful.

Tuesday was Alexa's follow up pneumonia appointment. She weighed in at 17lbs 3oz. This is by far her biggest number! The doctor believe she was clear of all of the pneumonia & told us she will see us at her 12 month appointment. Right after she said that I knew were were in trouble. I do not really believe in jinxing, but with Alexa's health I do believe something is going on. I took Alexa back to school & went on to work. I received a call at 1:05 saying that Alexa has a fever and needs to be picked up. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing at home. On Wednesday I decided to take her back to the doctor just to see if there was anything going on. Of course she did not have a fever, but the doctor did see a little red in her right ear. This is the third ear infection in her right ear (June 1st, June 21st & now July 13). The doctor did not feel it was anything serious but gave us an antibiotics because of Alexa's history. She returned to school & her normal self of Thursday.

Today Alexa is 10 months old. I guess she decided to celebrate in a big way. This morning she crawled over to the couch, pulled up completely & started taking steps around the furniture. This is a huge advancement for her. She was a little slow on crawling but it right on schedule with walking. I am very proud of her. She is not only an adorable little girl but also very happy. I hope she continues to have a great outlook on life.

9 Months Old!

Alexa has officially been alive longer than I was pregnant. Every month I say it, I cannot believe how old she is.

We had our first trip to Chicago this month. We left after work/school on Friday. Alexa did great on the plane. Grandma & Grandpa McKinney picked us up at the airport. I think we surprised them on how much stuff we brought. When we made it back to their house Alexa was exhausted. Grandma rocked her to sleep. It is a great feeling to see my Grandparents love my daughter as much as I do. On Saturday we went to my 2nd cousins house to visit. We were able to see a bunch of family that we do not normally get to. Alexa did not have much interest in her cousin's Matthew or Ethan. Her independent personality comes out when she is in group settings.

On Sunday we went to Brookfield Zoo. To our surprise it rained on us. Not the normal rain but the storm, flooding cold rain. Even though it rained and we all got colds as a result, it was nice. I am glad we had the opportunity to go. Alexa and I had to go home on Monday (Memorial Day). Alexa did a good job traveling once again. She even made a friend on the airplane :)

When we got home from Chicago, Alexa was a little off. She ended up getting an ear infection. This is her first one. We had to find out in a tough way. Her school called me saying she had a fever and needed to be picked up. I took her to work with me for 2 hour. We then went to urgent care since I could not get her into the doctors that day. Urgent care took her temp and it read 104.5 I about fell over. They sent us straight to the ER. They told me they were afraid if it went any higher she could seize. I did my best to stay within the speed limit but got to the hospital quickly. They took us back right away. Alexa was given Motrin & some medicine for her ears. We left with an antibiotics prescription. She recovered in just a few days. She then went on as though nothing happened.

A few days before Jackie's wedding I started feeling guilt about not going. Luckily we were able to get it worked out for us to be able to go. We had a lay over on each leg of the trip. Although Alexa did OK, the lay overs made it tough. She was not able to get on the ground and play for several hours. Charlotte was a lot of fun. Alexa was able to meet her Great-Great Aunt's & Uncle as well as many other family members. Alexa embraced them all with smiles & giggles. She went to anyone who wanted to hold her. Alexa was able to do a little bit of swimming with Matthew. She was a bit shy but enjoyed the water. During the wedding Alexa stayed with Matthew. He is a 13 year old 3rd cousin of mine that has very minimal babysitting experience. They had a rough few hours but once I put Alexa to bed there was no more issues. I am certain Matthew will not be babysitting by choice anytime soon :)

It was finally time for Alexa's swim lessons. We did them here on post. The pool water was freezing. This made the classes a little tough on both of us. We did the condensed version of class. We had class Monday through Thursday for two weeks. It made our schedule a bit challenging but well worth it. Alexa had a lot of fun with her friends. Her class was made up for 5 kids aging 9 months (Alexa being the youngest) to 18 months. Alexa's "boyfriend" Nathan was also in the class. Alexa did really good with humpty dumpty. The kids sit on the low ledge as we sing the humpty dumpty song. They then fall in (only to their chest) & then turn and reach for safety. Alexa totally understood this. I would help her turn & she would grab the wall. It was actually a joke because she would not let go. She also really enjoyed playing with the pool toys. She held the ducks in her hand during most of the classes. I took the teachers advice of not putting Alexa's face under water. She said although most children do not have problems with it, it can cause ear infections. Since we were just getting over one I decided not to risk it. Alexa "graduated" swim lessons. We are planning on doing the August session as well.

Alexa started crawling this month. It is not a mastered skill but she has certainly made huge progress. I do not believe she will ever use crawling as a way to get around but at least she knows how. She turns her butt and scoots around. She seems to prefer this over crawling. She has also started pulling up on tables & couches. She has a hard time with the glass table. Its as if she cannot fully focus on it & then her hands slide. This is very new to her but she works on it each day. I am certain it will not be long before she starts inching her way around things. I guess I need to start thinking about child proofing the house.

Alexa has grasped the concept of talking. She does not say a lot of words but she makes a lot of sounds. When she has the cell phone in her hand she will babble. She also talks to her toys at home and in the car. It is great to hear her voice. I am afraid she is going to be a chatterbox like her Momma.

Alexa also had her 9 month well baby appointment. She is 27 1/4 inches long, 16lbs 10oz & her head measured 17 1/2 inches. So she is doing great. She is average in height, a little low on her weight & has a big head. I could not be more proud :) I have really stopped worry about her weight. She eats until she is full & seems happy. I am sure she will be just fine. If she happens to be over 5ft tall then she is lucky.

One of Alexa's favorite things to do is video chat with Justin. She gets sooo excited when she sees him. She crawls over to the screen and tries to type. Sometimes I have to pull her back because she gets so close all Justin can see is the top of her head. I love watching the two of them interact. I cant wait for Justin to come home so our family can be back together. Though the technology is making it a bit easier.