Nantucket Bound!

We're hitting the road tonight - bound for a week in Nantucket! I grew up going there nearly every summer as a little girl. One year during college Vic even joined my family for the weekend (with orange hair, ask him about it sometime). Neither of us have been back to the island in almost a decade, so we can't wait to get there and show Alexis around. 

We're renting a house with good friends and their two children. So, Nantucket, here we come! And, when I was there as a child, there was no such thing as the internet, blogging or Facebook. I think that's exactly the mindset we'll embrace for the next week. Just family, friends and fun for us, so have a great start to August, and we'll chat when we return home.

The Perks

One of the rewards that comes with planning wedding/events is the relationships you make along the way. Recently, a photographer I recommended for my brother in law's wedding and also a client's wedding offered to take some photos of Alexis for us. Free pictures by a professional? Just tell us when and where.  She took the outdoor shots at her house and then came for a playdate at ours for some more fun pictures. 

Some of our favorites are below. Side note - see the picture of her smiling on our bed? Yeah, that was the very first one taken. She quickly realized there was a camera going off in her face, a giant lens and two women calling her name over and over. Ahh, the best laid plans. Still, we think they're really cute and do a great job of capturing a special moment in time for us! Already feels so long ago now that Lexi is fully on the move:

This one is our very favorite!

The Nanny Diaries

No, not that kind of Nanny, this kind:

We traveled back to NJ yesterday to visit my sister and Alexis's cousins - Matthew and Courtney. The cloudy weather spoiled our plans to hit the pool, but we still had a fun time visiting! My sister always offers great advice/guidance and couldn't be more excited to be a first-time aunt. And my niece and nephew, well they might as well just become the world's youngest babysitters. They scoop Lexi up and usually don't like to give her back to me at the end of our visits. 

On the way home, we stopped in to visit my mom at her job. It was impromptu and such a nice surprise. We just HAD to show her Lexi crawling in person, after all. She snatched up our girl and proudly showed her off to her coworkers, the manager, heck, even the other customers at The Loft. What a wonderful Grandmother (and mother) she is. Since Lexi arrived, she's been coming to Fairfield pretty much once a week to babysit. The "me" time is a great treat. I can tackle some event planning, run errands without a baby in tow, hit the gym or, as often happens, visit with two of my favorite ladies. Last week, we took Alexis to the playground for some time on the swings and relaxing under the trees. Tell me you don't see the love between these two? 

Already a fan of sunglasses

And jewelry (are girls born with this trait)?

Busy Bees

With my two summertime weddings behind me and nothing on the immediate horizon work- wise, our days lately have been filled with fun. Here's a snapshot of what the little lady has been up to (pics are from my phone. I usually sing the i phone's praises, but these are a bit grainy):

Meeting her new friends Breck and Seraphina

Movin' in on Breck. Notice a trend here?!

The happiest part of Vic's day  

Learning the yoga poses at an early age

And, while Lexi was doing this, 

we snuck off for some fun of our own

The beautiful setting at Splash (I'll withhold any 

complaints that we didn't eat until 10 pm)

The Nantucket crew (minus the kids) 

Less than 2 weeks to go!

Full Moon Over Fairfield County

Alexis decided Saturday's pool time was "bathing suit optional"

So you think you can scoot?!

Here is where Lexi started out last week...and where she ended up. What a difference a few days make!

Happy 8 Months, Alexis!

It's getting much harder to keep you in place for pics on your chair. 

We had to "pause" a few times to stop you from lunging into my lap. 

For now, floor is best!

Just like that, another month come and gone. Maybe it's all the fun we're having with you! This month, you've really shown us both your curious, spunky, playful side as well as your sweet, cuddly, kissable side. And like all proud parents, we love both.

You are so close to crawling, and in the last week or two, you've begun practicing whenever you can. It's not uncommon to find you up from your nap concentrating on getting to the other side of the crib. You can get on all fours, rock forward and even move just a bit, then you usually end up falling flat on your tummy. Scooting backwards or sideways is no problem at all, so you've found a way to get where you want to go, just not by crawling there yet. We think your combination of scooting/rolling/sliding is rather entertaining in the meantime.  

When you're happy, you just love kicking your legs and waving your arms up and down. You squeal, you bang your toys, you slap the floor, you splash in the tub or baby pool, anything to make a sound. And when you're tired, you'll rest your head on our shoulders (only for a second, but boy does that melt our hearts). You reach for us when we lean over to pick you up, and you now hug us around our necks. When daddy walks in the door from work, you drop whatever it is you are holding/eating and grin from ear to ear. 

Dreamland must be sweet for you, as you love to nap and sleep - and you actually laugh when we put you down in the crib. Seeing Mr. Owl is a highlight to your day and you grab him like he's a long lost friend. We love him too - as he keeps you sleeping a long time each night (11 or 12 hours!). And one of the highlights of our day is greeting you once you're awake and ready to play, you kick those legs and squirm and smile. You play hide and seek from the crib slats and sometimes we walk in to find your little feet poking out through them.  

With summer in full force, you're showing us that you're an outdoorsy girl. You love to go to the park or the pool, you are a good girl at the beach, you're happy as can be on our walks - fascinated by the trees and the people we pass along the way. Baby swings are a special favorite of yours and so is playing in the grass. And before bed each night, you and daddy go look at the progress in the gardens. 

Alexis Rose - you are a good girl, a happy girl, a content little girl. While you're shy at first, you warm up to new friends quickly and soon dominate the room with your "chatting" or toy stealing. As you continue to notice and interact with the world around you, your daddy and I find that we could watch you for hours (and often do). In addition to our monthly chair and blanket pictures that show how you're growing, the following few shots paint a good picture of the happy, playful baby girl we love so dearly. Happy 8 Months ladybug!

Fun in the sun

Alexis has gotten to see lots of the ladies in her life in the last few days. We made our first trip together to Hoboken on Friday to have lunch with Aunt Wendy, Courtney, her now official Aunt Kate, and Ashley. Then, we checked out Ashley's new apartment. Lexi was enjoying herself so much that she simply wouldn't take her nap. This made for a LONG drive home to Ct in rush hour traffic, but all that matters is she had as much fun as the rest of us did.

Over the weekend, we went to the Campagnino's house for a BBQ. Alexis again refused to leave the party - staying up (and cheerful) well past 9 pm.  The next day we had our new neighbors, their little girls, and Corey, Laura and Madison here for a BBQ. We met Corey and Laura in childbirth class, welcomed little girls just two weeks apart and live just a few streets away from each other! Fun weekend for our 8 MONTH OLD sweetie. 

Alexis and her buddy Madison

Welcome home Aunt Kate

Lexi and Ashley

Everything on the table (that could spill or break) 

was much more enticing than Lexi's toys

Playing with Aunt Wendy and Courtney

Girl Power

Alexis enjoyed her first wedding last month, and though she is 5 months younger than Boden, John and Kate's nephew, she held her own and than some :) We all think these photos will be great to whip out in about 15 years!