Dear Bambi

This is a post for you, Bambi!! Because I don't have your e-mail...I wanted to show you these adorable onesies I found and ask if you could make some similar to them for P. Long sleeve would be more practical right now, but short would work for next year. I just love them and you could even make the bow optional.

Let me know!

Oh-and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

Caterpillar to Butterfly

Tomorrow is my 26th birthday. Hard to believe, but I've done the math 100 times and 26 it is. Getting older doesn't bother me, I don't feel old. I'm not excited about BEING 26, but rather proud of WHO I am at 26. 24 to 25 was an interesting year...and I spent all of or most of my 25th year pregnant. But the amount of change that occurred within me over those 2 years is astounding. Over the past couple of days, everyone has been asking me, "What do you want for your birthday?" I'm blank. This coming from the girl who once requested $200 jeans from her VERY frugal husband. I'm not that Kelsey anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the "finer" things in life, but I would rather Paxi have them now. I see, for the first time, the person I was and how much I have grown for the better. Paxtin made me a mommy, but being a mommy made me a better version of myself. Something I can never repay her for.

We decided last Thursday night that we needed to go see Paxi's MeMe and Poppa T in Branson over the weekend. They don't get to see Paxi NEAR enough and I would go every weekend to visit if we could. We always talked about how important is was for our children to be comfortable around all of their extended family that doesn't live here. I love going up to Branson to see them, we always have a great time. I, of course, had to raid at least one baby store. Halloween pj's...a must!

I have to say that the best part, for me, about being a mommy is capturing and sharing in all of P's "firsts." The first bath, the first smile, etc. I've been there with my camera ready at every new milestone. Because who really cares about the second time?! Ha.

I finally captured sweet Paxi in her crib. Not a first technically, but pretend. I thought I was sneaking up on a sleeping baby...in I went

and here is what I discovered waiting for me.

"I'm waiting for you, mommy!" Oh well, you get the idea. She's in her crib-all night and we are so proud that we conquered that battle.

Yesterday, we decided to have Pax's first "Fall" picture. With her first pumpkin and Halloween shirt. Ok-I'm going overboard.

She is sitting up SO well on her own and can finally see those tootsies. It won't be long before she is shoving them in her mouth.

Her hair is finally long enough on top to rock the Pebbles look. Her first ponytail!

I can't wait for it to grow out so I can get it cut into a cute little bob-a la Suri Cruise.

I'm going to leave you with this video. Again, it is sideways...I forget EVERY time not to turn it that way. Cody, of course, is the only one who can make P laugh like this and I absolutely LOVE it. I finally caught it on my camera. Enjoy!

Baby Hot Dog

We laid my MeMe to rest today. I know she is at peace now and can finally rest. She looked amazing...I was so proud. My MeMe's sister, Alice, came to the funeral today and got to meet Paxtin for the first time. I adore Aunt Alice, she's full of spunk and absolutely hilarious. I am so glad that she was able to spend time with P.

Paxi has gone back to a relatively predictable schedule. Thank the Lord. She was pretty erratic there for a week or so and I thought for sure she was cutting out naps all together. She is finally starting to wind down easier at night, not fighting me as bad. I bought some all natural teething tablets to try with her. Hopefully, they will help her rest when she is super cranky. She is waking up earlier, which is a bit of an adjustment for us both. We had settled in to sleeping until 7:00-7:30, but that was when she was going to bed at 10:00. She is so funny in the mornings, though. So happy and just laid back. I usually lay her on the couch to watch t.v. (which she LOVES) while I make her bottle and my coffee.

Oh, she's most definitely her daddy's girl.

Love those eyes.

I think I have decided on a Halloween costume for P. I looked and looked for something unique. Everybody dresses their baby as a pumpkin. I wanted Paxi to be something funny. = )

Yep-a hot dog. (Thank you Sarah!) Thoughts??

Pax is outgrowing some of her toys. The swing will stand a few more months and the play gym, as well...probably longer than the swing. But, the bouncy chair has about had it. Her toes hang off the end and she has figured out how to bounce it vigorously and I am scared she is going to bounce her silly self right out of it. She is very close to completely holding her head up without help and when she does, we are going to invest in a jumper for her. I found a few I like (check her list above). They will be wonderful exercise for those chunky monkey thighs. We still get some use out our bouncer for now and I secretly think she loves the vibrating seat feature!! She did sleep in the thing for 3 weeks after she came home from the hospital.

We have a busy October coming up...lots of traveling and weddings. But first I have to turn 26, I guess.

= )

Coca-cola and toast

Unfortunately, I have to start off with sad news. My meme, my Mom's mom, passed away last night in her sleep. She had spent the past few years in a nursing home and in reality will be in a better place. I spent lots of time with my meme while growing up and I will always remember her at her best. She would always make me toast for breakfast when I spent the night with her and she never let her jug of Coke in the fridge get low. I will miss her and I hate that Paxi will never get to know her. She will now be able to watch Paxi from heaven everyday.

OK-we had an eventful weekend. But it wouldn't be our life if it wasn't crazy! On Friday, Pax and I had the opportunity to meet my old high school friend Courtney and her 7 month old baby Cady for lunch. P was tired and angry at me for taking her out so close to afternoon nap-so she glared at everyone and eventually erupted in tears. But Cady kept us well entertained. = )

Saturday we traveled to stay the night with Cody's dad. We had a wonderful time seeing ALL the family, but Pax was a tad overwhelmed. Her teething is in full swing and you never know what kid you are going to get. Hopefully when we go back for my birthday dinner, she will be in a better mood. I didn't get near the amount of pictures I wanted to. Here's Paxi with Cody's cousin Cami, Grandma, and Donnita.








We have trouble when we travel with Paxi because she has to sleep in the same room with us, which she doesn't do anymore, and she has to sleep in various things she isn't used to. We decided to try out our travel crib this weekend-it's basically a padded box with a wafer thin mattress. She slept in the bed with us. One night won't hurt her. It did make a good changing area. Like her hair?!





New tricks and activities are becoming "fun." Pax loves to "stand" now with someones help and bounce around. She presses her little legs against us and just squeals in delight. I think she will be ready for an exersaucer/bouncy thing very soon.


She is also still working on rolling over and she is closer than ever. She is now lifting her feet up to get momentum and turning her upper half while swinging the bottom half-I thought for sure she was going to do it today, but she gets on her side and gets stuck.


You can also see she is chomping on her hands. She is obsessed. They are her new best friend and she sucks on them 24 hours a day. I hear her sucking them over the monitor at night when she loses her passy. I know it is because of the teething, but it secretly drives me batty.

And finally-look how high she is holding her head!! Such a big girl.

= )

This and That

Not a lot going on in our lives. Pax is having a wonderful week, going on walks each night with Cody & I and spending more time outdoors. The weather has been amazing here and Fall is definitely in the air.

We received a couple of Baby Einstein DVDs, which I have never watched, and decided to try them out with Paxi awhile back. She's obsessed. They are educational movies specifically designed for babies of various ages. I swear she could sit and watch them for days-although I was sooo opposed to t.v. watching when I was pregnant-I really see no harm in 15-20 min. of these DVDs a day. Or every other day. I snapped a picture of her in her "t.v. trance." She's absolutely mesmerized by these movies.

I also recently tried out a couple of different things for her "teething." Not quite sure if they are bringing her any relief, but I do know they are fun for her to suck on. She shoved this one right in her mouth and I had a hard time getting it away from her-it wasn't even cold anymore!! A friend of mine suggested using a cold washcloth. I haven't tried that yet, but I thought it was a good idea and would be easy for Paxi to hold. Here she is with her favorite new "chew toy."

P is getting into a totally new schedule and I fear she is trying to cut out her morning nap. She has taken to only having one long nap each day-which is for 3 hours, but I am used to her napping in the morning, afternoon, LATE afternoon, etc. I am not sure about this one long nap a day business at 3 months! She does however have no preference where she sleeps.

Her Poppy's belly will work just fine!

Pax slept in her crib for the first time all night last night. I know-what was I waiting on?? I just couldn't let go. I didn't sleep much last night-getting up to check on her through the night. But, she did amazing. Another battle won. I am so proud and impressed by her every time I throw something new at her. She takes it and doesn't even blink. Truly resilient. I didn't get a picture, but I will take one tonight.

That's all for now-love and miss you all.

Crocodile Smile

First, I just want to say that I hate hurricanes and the horrendous conditions they bring to people in their path. We have a few friends who live in the Houston area and are happy to report that they are all doing fine and have survived Hurricane Ike. They have no power, but they are safe. Please pray for them and a speedy return of power.

OK-I have been wondering about Paxi lately. She has started to show signs, to me, of TEETHING. Which, I had NO IDEA could start this early, but is completely possible and normal in some babies, according to all my research. I have felt her gums 100 times and while I don't notice a huge lump, there is definitely something there. I consulted with a few of my friends who have young babies and they too confirmed that they think she is showing signs of beginning to teeth. She drools like crazy, sucks her fingers or anything within reach, her poop has been runny, and irritability has been an issue at times. I am guessing it will take awhile for the teeth to break the skin, but she is definitely there. Why am I so sad about her getting teeth?? Well besides the obvious...having to deal with an unhappy baby...

I will miss this gummy little face every morning. I love how happy she wakes up each and every day and I cannot wait to run in there and see her every day at 6 a.m.. She makes my day start so wonderfully. Here's video of the sweet Lambie in the morning.

(Sorry it's sideways...I forget sometimes)

Pax has also started to watch little things around her that I guess she never noticed before. I love catching her discovering something new. She realized that there are toys on her carseat. They have been hanging there for about a month now, but suddenly they are new and fun. She talks to the animals on there and flashes them one of her priceless smiles.

We are supposed to get bad weather this weekend due to Ike and I pray that we don't lose power, as well. We will be venturing up to Siloam to see family next weekend-we decided not to come this weekend due to the weather and gas price hike. See some of you next weekend!!

3 months young

I can't believe our sweet baby girl is 3 months old today. Time really does fly and everyone told me it would. I miss her being a tiny little baby, but she is getting to some really fun milestones. Every smile, drool bubble, and funny "razz" noise makes me remember how far we have come in 3 months. Here's to you Paxi baby...3 months young.

(Somebody got a little tipsy on their birthday, again)

=)

Little Ham

I wanted to add this video on my last post, but I got impatient and couldn't wait for it to upload. Patience was never my strong suit. Anyways, here is my little "charmer" and her developing personality. I could sit and film P all day long and never catch all the funny little noises she makes. She's such a ham and I love it.

She's so close

Not much to post. We had a great night Saturday at the HOGS game in LR. It was nice to get out, just the two of us. It is, however, going to be a very long season for our guys...geez.

Pax spent the evening with her Nannie & Poppy and was a little angel. Not even a meltdown at bedtime or anything. She obviously saves those just for home. ; )

Paxtin is extremely close to rolling over. I can feel it. I went to grab the mop today while she was having her "Paxi time" and I caught this...

She's so close. = o

And of course, she's still a charmer. I simply adore her smile and her personality is really starting to form. I can't wait to see what kind of little person she becomes, but right now she could do no wrong in the world. I fear we're all in trouble.

I am planning on getting her an appointment this week for her first formal photo shoot. I have NO idea what we have been waiting on and I already regret that we had no professional newborn shots of her taken. I guess three months is as good a time as any to start. We'll let you all know how it goes!

Somebody ate the soap

Pax is growing and changing so fast, I feel that I can hardly keep up with her these days. We had a wonderful week and our Labor Day weekend was nice and relaxing. We were able to meet Cody's dad and Bambi on Sunday morning for breakfast and it was great for them to see Pax and catch up-even for just a few hours.

I am finally settling into being a stay-at-home mommy and the slower lifestyle that comes with it. For as long as I can remember, I was "hurry up and go", but now I enjoy my abundant freetime and the opportunity to slow down. Life is too fast as it is.

Lambie has started a fun new "trick": Blowing bubbles. According to all my books, this is normal and she is on track developmentally. How they know these things, I have no clue, but blowing bubbles is BIG in 3 month old baby world. I tried to catch a picture of it here:

But as you can see, most of them popped and landed in a drool puddle on her bib. The kid will be 8 and still wearing a bib if this drool doesn't let up. I guess it is better than spit up. She has also started sucking on her own lips and it could possibly be the funniest face I have ever seen a baby make. She has no teeth-so when she gets to really sucking, she looks like she is 90.

Pax has also REALLY gotten good at lifting her head. I am amazed at how strong she is and I love to watch her lift herself up. She is reaching for things in front of her and hasn't quite figured out that she needs those hands to stay up! I am terrified crawling isn't far away and the thought of a mobile baby keeps me up at night. = 0





She is also really taking notice to some of her toys and attempting to pick them up...with some help of course! Everything goes straight to her mouth...no questions asked. Her fist, however, is still her first choice to suck and I am convinced she is going to be a thumb sucker...not quite sure how I feel about that yet, being the germ-a-phob mom that I am.


Cody hasn't been working as much in the afternoons, which has been nice. He is able to spend a little more quality time with Paxi and boy what time do they spend. I leave them alone for 2 seconds and she is "magically" transformed into P-the baseball player. She looks a bit petrified. She is totally a daddy's girl already and the things these 2 will one day get into also keeps me up at night. ; )



Cody and I are going to Little Rock Saturday night and watch the HOGS play. We need to get out and have some "mommy/daddy" time, so I am VERY much looking forward to it. =)

Happy weekend!