Photo shoot

"The days are long, but the years are short," a friend said to me recently.
I couldn't agree more.
Lexi is looking and acting so grown up lately.

I was in the shower over the weekend,
and she sat right outside it happily painting her nails.
I almost cried on the spot, thinking that all of a sudden, time is flying by.

And our sweet little newborn is a newborn no more.

We blinked, and she's now sitting in a bumbo and cooing.

To ensure that we captured our first moments as a family of four,
our friend Steph came over on New Year's Eve Day for a photo shoot.
She spent a long time here.
And by long time, I mean about SIX hours.
She was here for such a long time that Vic left to run errands
for the guests we were expecting that night.
And Lexi actually took a nap.
In fact, friends arrived with champagne as soon as she pulled out of the driveway.
Vic has never have been so thrilled to see the bubbly!
But the results are beautiful, and we're so thankful to have these photos.
They capture quite a special moment in time for us, the new family of four.
Here are some of our favorites:

At least half the family looks good here 

(and I'm not talking about myself or my sweet baby)

This shot seems to be everyone's favorite. 

I love it also.

When Steph arrived, I begged for a family feet picture.

She said sure but warned us that it might be hard to get. 

Seemed easy enough, but it was indeed work.

We had to get all four of us laying comfortably in a row,

which is harder than it seems 

when you're dealing with a refluxy baby - who hated to be on her back 

and a three-year-old who would much rather be jumping on the bed.

And then we had to hide our bodies under pillows...

something we found hysterical and couldn't stop laughing about,

which of course you shouldn't do when you're being told to hold still.

I still smile every single time I walk by this picture in the hallway. 

This is another favorite.

I wanted a picture of my big girl, proudly wearing her tutu. 

We went for an artistic feel, 

and this beauty is now framed over Lexi's dresser.

I'm told Vic slept this very same way when he was a baby

These shots made me cry - in a good way, of course

Thank you, Stephanie Horwitz, for such a special keepsake!

Guess who

The Hamilton ladies at 3 months:

I think it's fairly obvious who's who...do you?

A "Super" Day

Alexis-

Yesterday must have been teacher appreciation day for you.
When I picked you up at school, I found this in your cubby

And then, at the end of dance class,
you called Miss Laura over and said you had something to tell her.
"I love you," you said.
She broke into a big smile and then gave you a hug and said you made her day.
We love both of these teachers, and we're so glad that you appreciate them also!

3 Months

Ryleigh-

At 3 months, you:

Are such a sweet baby
You have a smile for everyone you meet
You love cooing and talking to us - it's as if you truly believe we're having a conversation
You delight in your Nanny's singing
Your eyes follow your big sister's every movement
You are definitely a mommy's girl, probably just because we spend so much time together

You love playing on your playmat

Mr. Lion is by far your favorite

You are perfecting your coordination by batting at any toy that hangs within reach

You still love naps in your swing

(although, as a second child, they mainly happen in your carseat so far)

You began rolling last week and haven't looked back

You now sit in the bumbo for a good ten minutes at a time 

It's probably nice to have a new perspective on the world around you

You love that pacifier

I don't want to find out what would happen if we were out and about without one at nap time

You are still dealing with reflux issues

Right now you're on Prevacid, though we can't really tell if it's helping

You went from never spitting up to spitting up a ton at each feeding 

(and even hours after a feeding)

But you now fall asleep with ease and are far less squirmy

We've just begun adding some rice cereal to each bottle -

in the hopes that this might bring further relief for you

In fact, pretty much the only time you are fussy is when the reflux is bothering you

As for sleeping, we never know what to expect

During your 12 week growth spurt, you were waking up every three hours to eat

Last night, you slept from 10 pm - 8 am

I am hoping tonight brings more of the same

You certainly have a lot of the same features as Lexi,

but you also look just like your Daddy

Your hair seems to be staying dark, and your eyes are currently brown too

While it's not surprising given your dad's coloring,

it is also very surprising given your sister's blonde hair and bright blue eyes

You have the most squeezable, chubby cheeks

You have crazy long eyelashes that all mommy's friends want to steal for themselves

You have a serious double chin

Your nose is cute as a button

Your little arms and legs are starting to get a bit roly poly

And, I promise that despite these pictures,

I rarely ever put you in bows and headbands (seriously Mom)

Though I can't promise the same once your hair really starts coming in :)

At 3 months, you are my little sweetie pie and daddy's squinchy face

Your sister gave you a hug the other night and then turned to us and said,

"I love my sister so, so, so much"

We feel the exact same way!

P.S. Please excuse the picture quality - can't seem to upload pics from our real camera to the new computer. This problem seems to be following us - so iPhone shots it is for now!

Blade Runner

When friends of ours rented the hockey rink here in town for a family event,
we decided it was time for Lexi to test out ice skating for the very first time.
Her hockey-playing daddy knows all too well that learning to skate takes time.
He didn't want to rush the process, especially since she's still just 3.
But he did want her to try it out, and more importantly, have fun doing so.
So, they started out slow.

They used the cone a bit.
Then, he helped hold her up as they slowly did a few laps.

She didn't totally get the concept,
she kept trying to "run" in her skates.

But he didn't push her,
he didn't pressure her.
He took her around at her own pace,
and he encouraged her every step of the way.

And once she got tired...he treated her to this:

And it was by far her favorite part of the day (along with the hot chocolate.)
He got quite a few worried looks from moms.
But they quickly realized he was more steady with a 30 pound child on his shoulders
than they were simply on skates, and they all cheered my little team on!

First Rolls

Someone rolled over for the first time last night!
She used to hate tummy time
(probably because of her reflux)
But Prevacid has been working wonders,
and she quickly got busy for her audience.

She seems to be a pretty quick study, too,
because this happened just a few minutes later

Maybe she is working on an escape tactic from all that Lexi lovin'
Either way, she seems quite pleased with herself!

First Valentine

He:
-Says he is going to marry her because she has blonde hair and blue eyes and is beautiful
-Sent her her first Valentine

She:
-Has called him her Prince Charming
-Squealed with excitement when I told her we were meeting him at the park

Their friendship is so sweet to watch
And the little sisters seem to enjoy each other's company, too