Welcome friends, come back again

Mommy's college friends and sorority sisters, Elizabeth and Stefanie, along with mommy's Godson Graham came to visit recently. I had so much fun with them, and I told them that I wished they lived closer so we could play all the time. Louisville and NH sure seem too far away.

Graham is six weeks older than me, and he showed me all the ropes - how to clap, high five, pull up in my crib and practice walking. And,  I showed him how to swim at the beach. We didn't want to waste a single minute while they were in town, so we packed a lot in:

Mommy couldn't resist the chance to give the "almost birthday boy" some early presents - 

after all, they do share the same birthday. 

Elizabeth and daddy are demonstrating what twins must be like - 

sure seems like a LOT of work! By the way,

can you tell who's who here?

Daddy says this will be the last time I bathe with a boy for MANY years!

Once Graham and I feel asleep, the ladies went out to dinner

Everyone at Centro kept asking if we were twins - 

maybe because we were both such good babies at lunch

Aren't we the cutest? 

Hey, what's that in your mouth Graham? 

I thought my parents got rid of those, how come you get to enjoy it? 

Guess I'll just keep trying to steal it from your mouth!

Practice makes perfect

Little Stinker

About two weeks ago I was asking Vic when he thought Alexis would stand up in her crib. Wasn't 9 months around the time that usually happens? Well, the big moment arrived last Friday. I was in Lexi's room after her nap opening her blinds, and when I turned around, there she was - standing tall and grinning with pride. Had to run down for the camera to capture the moment for her daddy (hence the tears in the first picture - she was happily showing off for me, and then I disappeared for a minute). I know, I know - sorry Lexi.

When I envisioned this new milestone, however, I didn't think about the side effect....and that would be a little girl who now stands up the minute she's put in her crib and doesn't want to/know how to get back down. Our fabulous sleeper is a bit less fabulous at it lately. This morning, I took down her mobile and her monitor so she has nothing enticing her up. I put some of her favorite friends, Mr. Bear and Mr. Hippo, in the crib and tried teaching her how to sit back down. Let's hope she catches on quickly. We're missing our beauty sleep in the Hamilton house this week! Of course, she also got her second tooth (on Tuesday), had a fever and broke out into a rash, so maybe the crib is not entirely to blame. 

For all the aggravation, it sure does make for some cute pictures, and we smile every time we walk in and see our ladybug standing tall. And, while I'm posting pics of Alexis in her cute pjs from the Clifford family, here are a few more that show our little stinker in action:

P.S.  At her 9 month checkup yesterday (9 months and 11 days to be exact), Alexis weighed in at 20 pounds, 1 ounce (70th percentile) and was 29 inches tall (90th percentile). She's still one tall girl, and we think her chubby cheeks helped up her percentage in the weight category this time around :)

Ladies who lunch

Lauren is a fabulous friend - the kind of friend you take prom pictures and vacation with in high school, the kind of friend you have as a roommate in grad school, the kind that makes a great bridesmaid, the kind that - even though you don't get to see often (we're still waiting for this news reporter extraordinaire to move back to the Northeast!) - you can always pick right back up with. Alexis certainly agrees! We traveled home to Sparta last Monday to see L-Train and "do lunch".  They became fast friends, and Lauren now refers to our girl as the little charmer. 

After such a nice visit, Alexis was eager to get home and resume one of her favorite activities - playing with the doorstop. When I say that she's our daughter and our doggie all rolled into one, I mean it only in the nicest of ways. Watch below and tell me you don't agree?

That's my daughter in the water

All in the family

The dog days of summer? Well - it's certainly hot, but Alexis doesn't seem to be slowing down in the least. She's been a busy bee visiting and hosting some of her favorite family members. 

Visiting Aunt Terry and Uncle Don en route to Nantucket 

(and very jealous she couldn't join us all in the gourmet breakfast Terry whipped up)

Okay - cuddles will do for now

Uncle John came to welcome Lexi back from vacation -

 and take charge of Fajita night

Brotherly love

Pretty ladies

Turns out our "little diva" is a beach baby after all - 

she just has requirements about how warm the water must be before she jumps in

Happy 9 Months, Alexis!

Alexis, 

Another month older! You are becoming more independent right before our eyes. You are on the go more than ever - still military crawling though you seem to push up onto all fours more and more each day. If we leave the room, you usually come racing over to see where we are and what we're doing. And, you've also begun exploring on your own this month, sometimes we have to take a minute to "find Lexi." You love crawling over to the air conditioning vent and have it blow your hair. You have begun pulling up - on the fireplace, on your learn and grow table (a new favorite toy), mommy's knees, the ottoman, or any other piece of furniture. You love standing up and also like "dancing"- bopping in place once you're standing tall. 

You can be quite the chatterbox when the mood strikes you. Mama, dada, baba, goo goo, ga ga, etc. It seems that you have a lot to fill us in on, and we're all ears. You also have a happy scream. We're not sure where you picked that up, but you scream and squeal when you're very excited.  If there's a dog in the room, we know to hold our ears. We think you're actually allergic to them, but you certainly don't realize it yet as you delight in their kisses. And boy are you curious. You never miss a single detail. You know instantly when we're in a new setting, with new friends, when a new toy is in sight or you're trying something for the first time. We love to watch you observe the world around you and then decide to test the waters!

As outgoing as you can be, you also have a shy side. Lately you need a few minutes to warm up to new faces. You're very timid at first but often end up crawling right over to your new friend to pull their nose, steal their sunglasses or say hello. You're still getting your beauty sleep, snoozing for 11-12 hours. We're working on getting you down to two naps during the day and introducing more solids as there's little in the food department that you won't at least sample. You love tags, buttons, zippers and ribbons. And you'd much rather play with any sort of gadget than all of your toys. If there is a phone, remote control, computer wire or set of car keys in the room, you seem to know instantly. This month you got your very first tooth, took your first vacation, played in several pools, drank from a sippy cup, finished your yoga class, developed a love for dogs, and made us so very happy and proud. 

Happy 9 Months, Alexis Rose. 

Why sit when you can stand?

The Big Kids

While this blog is all about Alexis, don't get us wrong, naptime and bedtime were invented for a reason ;)

Home Sweet Home

We're back from a great week in Nantucket. Vic and I had a wonderful time exploring the island with Alexis, hitting the beach, spending time with our friends and just being on vacation for the first time as a family of three! 

We quickly learned that Lexi is not yet a water baby - at least when it comes to the Atlantic Ocean. Sitting on the beach, playing in the sand, watching the waves and the people was much more enjoyable for her this time around. So we did a lot of that - hitting Jetties, Surfside and Sconset beaches, we took Alexis out to dinner several times (she couldn't sample the Clam Chowder or oysters, so we happily tested them for her), shopped along Main Street and looked at all the boats in the marina, explored different parts of the island, played in the baby pool in our yard and even had a lobster bake.  Vic and I got out for two adult dinners - one was just the two of us and the other was with Eric and Adrienne once the kiddos were asleep. And, while on her first vacation, Lexi got her first tooth! This was certainly the least fun part of the trip for her, but she handled it in stride. Wonderful memories were made, and we hope to get back there again soon. 

Below are some shots of Lexi enjoying island life. Stay tuned for some shots of the "big kids" on summer vacation :)