Alexa & Avery rock out at swim class!

Alexa LOVED swim class today! She didn't even fuss when we got in the water. She was all smiles, splashed around, smiled and giggled when we helped her jump into the water, paddled after the toys... We had such a good time with her! Alexa's friend Avery, who shares her same birthday, was there with her parents. The girls were so cute! Here is Alexa at the start of class...

One of the things we do in class is set the babies on the edge of the pool and then help them "jump" into the water... Alexa and Avery loved it! Look at their expressions - classic.

Here are the girls again... So cute! They were sitting right next to each other and kept reaching out to hold hands.

At the end of class, the babies got some pool toys to paddle after. She loves the toys! No rubber ducks, but the frog and basketball were OK. What a fun class! Our last class is next Saturday.

After swim class, Alexa took a looooong nap. She slept for 3+ hours! We then walked into town for a late lunch and to check out the Bethesda Sidewalk Sale. After so much sleep, Alexa was in a fantastic mood! Here she is trying out our new high chair cover from Baby Ease. It was super easy to put on and definitely makes the chair more comfortable, not to mention cleaner. Of course, she was much more interested in the cardboard drink coasters...

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Alexa LOVES Challah! Yes she does!

Grandma E took the train down today for a visit, so we picked up some yummy Challah and lit the Shabbat candles. What a wonderful way to start the weekend! Alexa, as you might recall, LOVES Challah! She ate hers, grabbed at ours and had a ball. What a cutie!

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Happy Birthday, Aunt Jen!

Alexa wants to say a BIG Happy Birthday, Aunt Jen! Hope you had a good one in Spain and won that poker game! Alexa can't wait to see you in Bethesda on HER birthday! XOXOXO

Happy Birthday, Grandpa Howard!

Today marked a big milestone for Alexa's grandpa. Today, he's officially more than 70 times as old as Alexa is! We celebrated by taking him out to breakfast. Alexa was in a good mood. She loved smiling and playing with Grandpa, packages of jelly and Daddy's hat!

After a delicious breakfast (I had chocolate chip pancakes! Oh, yes, I did!), Grandpa took some amazing family photos of us on the beach... I love the one of us looking at the ocean with Alexa facing the camera. What a beautiful day!

Finally, here is Grandpa with his son and granddaughter... Three generations!

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Sand! Ocean! Water ice! Cats & Dogs! Oh my!

With a hot day expected, we headed to the beach early, at 9:30 am! Luckily, we had several umbrellas to keep Alexa shaded!

Cousin Samantha and Aunt Missy were in town for a visit and had fun playing with Alexa, who especially liked playing with her bath cups, a bottle of sunscreen and Aunt Missy's hat! 

Unlike our last visit, Alexa didn't shy away from the sand. In fact, she got plenty dirty and proceeded to get sand everywhere! And unlike our last visit, when the ocean waves upset her, this time she LOVED the ocean! The cold water shocked her at first, but then she was all smiles as she sat on my lap waiting for the waves. No pictures of the ocean, unfortunately, since I was busy playing with Alexa!

After a brief nap in my arms, we headed to Brown's for lunch, followed by some water ice! Alexa LOVED the water ice! She'll be a beach babe in no time...

After washing off all the sand, Alexa joined us for a wine and cheese happy hour. Well, not so much the wine and cheese. But she sure enjoyed the Ritz crackers! She also enjoyed Vicky the dog... When we first arrived, she started crying when the dog came over. But she eventually got over her fear and in fact started crawling after (chasing) the cat and reaching out to touch the dog! What a weekend of firsts for Alexa!

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Alexa's 3rd trip to Ocean City! (videos)

We had a nice drive up to New Jersey. Alexa slept most of the way, then had fun eating Saltine crackers! We stopped by Grandpa's store and went out to lunch and swung by a fruit and veggie stand to pick up some fresh Jersey corn, tomatoes and peaches! Yum! At the house, Alexa played in Mema's studio. before eating a hearty dinner and having fun in the bath. Photos and videos below... Actually, you'll notice a lot of videos today! Here's why.

And now, videos from our day! I plan to submit them for the July 24 "Life in a Day" documentary. Maybe they will choose us and Alexa will be a star!

Alexa has a special message for Grandma!

Behind the Scenes: We snapped this picture when we got home tonight. Alexa is usually very tired and fussy, but Daddy made funny faces and she cracked up! It was hard to get her to stay still, he wanted to climb the sofa and crawl everywhere! Unfortunately, when I tried to take the remote control away, she broke down and let loose the hugest tears ever! Oh no! Enough pictures... Time for dinner!

Alexa plays with her friends Evie and May!

Our friends came over today and brought their adorable daughters, Evie and May. Alexa was taking a nap when they arrived, much to the girls' dismay. They were so eager to play with her! Eventually she woke up. And she was in a very playful mood! Look how cute! Pictured below are Alexa and little May, age 4. Alexa, in case you can't tell, absolutely loved being the center of attention.

After eating, we all went outside and sat on a blanket so big sister Evie, age 8, could hold Alexa on her lap. The last time Evie held Alexa, she was not even a month old! So, needless to say, Alexa was MUCH smaller and not quite as active. Alexa loved playing with her friends and can't wait to see them again!

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Restaurant napkins are good for ... playing Peek-a-boo! (video)

Another hot day, but we wanted to get out! So we took Alexa out to lunch. She was such a cutie pie in her high chair... She had just woken up from a 2+ hour nap... Here she is!

After we finished eating, Alexa got ahold of Daddy's cloth napkin and started playing a game of peek-a-boo, or as we call it, Where's Alexa? She was cracking us up!

And now, video of Alexa playing peek-a-boo with the napkin! Note: The clip is about 60-seconds long and the cutest part is at the end, so make sure you watch the whole thing!

Earlier in the day, we took Alexa to swim class. She fussed a little in the beginning, but then had a ball playing with a cloth ball in the pool! When we put the ball out of reach, she paddled to it! She also smiled and laughed when we put he on the edge of the pool and helped her "jump" in. But I was so busy having fun with Alexa, that I only got this one picture! Doh! More next time... :-)

Holy Cute Summer Dresses!

Alexa got a package in the mail today from Grandma Lil -- A set of three reversible summer dresses! Look how CUTE! I was browsing Etsy when I saw this listing. I fell in love with this simple pinafore dress and mentioned it to my mom. Before I knew it, she was headed off to buy fabric so she could make Alexa her very own one-of-a-kind pinafore dresses! Of course Alexa had to model her new dresses immediately... Wow! Could she be any cuter?!

This one above is my favorite, a bright and bold orange print. I remember seeing a pretty turquoise bow at a store in Bethesda for $3. I bet it would look great with this dress!

The orange dress reverses into this darling, sun-drenched yellow outfit! I love it!

I also really like this simple print with birds, especially paired with hot pink bloomers. I'll have to add Alexa's hot pink hair bow and she'd be ready to go! (Look closely in the above picture, I snapped a couple of Alexa standing without holding on! She is so close to walking!)

This green print is on the other side! How darling!

The third dress is a little big for Alexa right now, but she'll wear it soon! This baby is gaining weight pretty fast as she continues to eat up a storm. Thanks, Grandma, for such a beautiful and thoughtful gift! Alexa can't wait to show off her new dresses!

Alexa loves music class!

Every Wednesday, Alexa's daycare teacher takes her to Music Class! The teacher of the class is a guy with a guitar named Dave. He started a blog to chronicle how the class is going. In a recent post, he gushed at how musical Alexa is! Here's what he said...

"Alexa is the heartbeat of the class when she hears a song she likes. She was very vocal today and moves constantly."

Click HERE to read more!

Peas! Peas! Peas! And Carrots.

On the recommendation of a mom friend, we got some frozen peas and carrots to heat up for Alexa to try! She seemed interested, but then spit them out! Arg. She did the same with couscous! New textures appear to be a bit of a challenge... She did seem to be more attracted to the GREEN peas than the boring orange carrots...

Go Spain!

In honor of Spain winning the World Cup, Alexa wore this T-shirt from Aunt Jen in Spain! How cute! In case you can't read the T-shirt, it says "Te quiero Mama!" I love you, Mama!

Kiddie Pool with Ethan & Danny!

We went over to our neighbor friend's house today to watch the World Cup soccer match between the Netherlands and Spain! Alexa hung out with Daddy on the patio at halftime. Of course, we were rooting for Spain to win since Aunt Jen lives in Spain!

When the game went into overtime, the kiddos got antsy and so we plopped them into the kiddie pool. Alexa loved playing with Ethan and Danny. She especially liked Danny's toy truck. And blocks! And cups! In the end, we celebrated because Spain won!

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Yoga, swing, bike and peek-a-boo! (video)

We woke up ready for swim class to discover that it was RAINING! With lightning forecast, we figured class would be either cancelled or empty. So we decided to drive downtown for Torah Yoga Tot Shabbat at the 6th & I Synagogue! When the rain stopped, we walked to a park so Alexa could swing. On our way back, Alexa got to ride on her friend Danny's bike!

Click HERE to watch Alexa having a blast in the swing and waving her hands like a butterfly!

And click HERE to watch a little game of peek-a-boo while she cruises along the couch at home. She's so cute it's crazy!

Alexa is 10 MONTHS!

Holy cow! How on earth did 10 months fly by so quickly? Alexa has now been outside the womb longer than she has been inside, since, as we've learned, pregnancy lasts 10 months. Can you believe a little ball of cells turned into the most beautiful baby in the world?! Words can't describe the amazing journey her little life has taken us on during these past 20 months. Only two more months until she's 1!

Some fun facts about Alexa at 10 Months:

• Still has just 2 teeth, which are on the bottom and about halfway in
• Speedy crawler, master at pulling up, cruises on furniture or with her walker
• Able to stand on her own without holding on - for a second!
• Able to climb the carpeted stairs in the basement!
• Able to take rings out of a cup or blocks off of a shelf, but has not learned to put them back!
• Wears hair bows, sunglasses, hats, you name it! She's a stylish girl!
• Able to paddle in the water when she sees a toy out of reach that she wants!
• Also able to float on her back, with us holding her, of course
• Loves her kiddie swimming pool
• Knows her name very well and gets excited when told "Yay, Alexa!"
• Gets VERY excited and giggles when we hide behind a wall or under a blanket and then come out and say "Peek-a-boo!"
• And, if we give her the blanket, she will hold it over herself to hide and then come out!
• Loves being dipped upside down, a game that usually elicits giggles and huge smiles
• Is TOTALLY ticklish! Laughs out loud when you tickle the bottoms of her feet or under her chin
• Continues to delight us by giving us kisses, zerberts and high fives!
• Has learned that if she puts the back of her hand on and off her mouth while talking, it makes a funny "Indian" noise!
• Has tried a variety of new finger foods: Peaches, watermelon, bananas, avacado, egg yolks, Challah, pasta, ribs, mac and cheese
• Has survived her first airplane ride - to Chicago!
• Wears 3-6 month outfits, 6-9 month outfits and also 6-12 month outfits; Size 3 diapers.

And now, check out how Alexa has grown over the past 10 months!

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Food, glorious food!

We have been on a food adventure with Alexa! We are trying to get her ready to eat table food by the time she is 1, which is coming up soon. So we are introducing a variety of finger foods to get her used to new tastes and textures. Up this week: Egg yolks, avocado, bananas and peaches!

Here is Alexa trying the egg yolks. Babies aren't supposed to have the whites until they reach 1 because it often causes allergic reactions. So I hard boiled the eggs and let her try the yolk. It crumbled a lot, which made it hard for her to eat. It was also a very weird texture for her. I ended up mashing it up and mixing it into a jar of veggies to add texture and allow her to taste it and get the nutritional benefit.

Next, we tried avocado, which is supposed to be an excellent food for babies. Unfortunately, the avocado was not as soft as I would have liked, so it was hard to mash. I plan to try this one again, hopefully, with a more ripe avocado! Several of my mom friends report that their babies LOVE mashed avocado.

The biggest hit so far has been bananas! She LOVES them! She is definitely partial to fruit, as is common with babies. They love sweet stuff. We try to offer her vegetables and meat first, then give her fruit for desert. The bananas were a big hit, both raw like this and also frozen and served in the mesh bags. Go bananas!

And, finally, here is Alexa having fun with peaches! Daddy sliced some up for her. She's already had pureed peaches, but this was the first time she tried it fresh. She made some funny faces, but after she got a taste, she liked it!

Alexa shows off her own sunglasses!

Alexa has taken to wearing her own sunglasses, yay! Last week, she wore mine. She still tries to rip them off sometimes, but thanks to a velcro band, they stay on a little easier! Look how cute she is...

Surprise visit with Grandpa Tom! (video)

Turns out, Grandpa Tom was flying into Chicago for a conference the same morning that we were flying back home. When we figured out that we'd overlap a couple hours, we planned a meet-up at the airport! Alexa quickly warmed up to her Grandpa. What a nice visit!

Click HERE to watch Alexa give me five! Click HERE for another video of her people watching.

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Here is Alexa on her second airplane flight. This time, she wore a baby flight vest that is supposed to help keep a squirmy baby in your lap. Um, yeah right! She was still all over the place! But, that's OK. She was all smiles too. What a good little traveler she is!

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Alexa's 1st Fourth of July Parade!

After our adventure in Chicago, we drove back to my friend's house in Evanston, just in time to catch the last 20 minutes of the Fourth of July parade! Good thing we were late. The parade started at 2 p.m. and didn't end until 4:30 p.m.! There is no way Alexa would have been able to last that long, especially in the heat. At least we got a small taste of the parade! It was so all-American!

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After the heat of the parade, my friend's daughters decided to run through the sprinklers. They even set up a kiddie pool for Alexa! Unfortunately, it was too cold for her. The girls, determined to help Alexa cool down, fetched a warm bowl of water that -- surprisingly -- she fit into! She had fun in her little bowl!

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Later, after a nice afternoon nap, Alexa put her Fourth of July outfit back on to enjoy the afternoon BBQ! What a wonderful trip. We had such a good time seeing old friends and introducing Alexa around. Best Fourth of July ever!

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Alexa's visits downtown CHICAGO!

We took Alexa downtown today to meet up with Daddy's friend and his family. Here we are walking through the city and taking the El!

Our destination... Crown Fountain at Millennium Park! It was such a hot day, that we thought the kids would enjoy cooling off. Alexa sure did! She wasn't sure what to think at first, but once she sat down in the water, she loved it! What a great fountain!

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Alexa's 1st Fourth of July fireworks!

We spent a wonderful evening with my college friends at a lakeside park in Wilmette, where we had a picnic and waited for nightfall to watch the fireworks. The park was teaming with families and children! There were pony rides, amusement park rides, a band, food, ice cream... Tons of fun stuff going on!

Alexa enjoyed playing with my friend's Mandy and Michelle. She also had fun with Jen's daughters, who were fascinated by her! As the evening wore on, however, she fought against sleep... She finally passed out in my Ergo carrier at 9 p.m. But when the fireworks started at 9:30 p.m., she didn't stir! That's right, despite the loud noise, Alexa SLEPT THROUGH her first fireworks show!

We still had a great time. She'll just have to wait until next year to see some fireworks!

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Alexa loves eating ribs at Merle's!

Once in Chicago, we realized how hungry we were! Luckily, we met up with my friends who were about to dive into a feast of ribs at Merle's! After eating most of the meat on the bones, I gave a couple to Alexa to suck on. She loved them! We also gave her a few pieces of mac & cheese, which she sort of liked. She ate her baby food as well, but we are trying to get her ready to eat table foods!

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We're off to Chicago! Alexa's fist airplane ride...

You'd think this baby had been a jet setter since birth (wait, wasn't she?) because she was such a good traveler! We got to the airport early. Daddy dropped us off at the terminal and went to park the car. We made it through security and boarding. Once in our seats, Alexa discovered the window and entertained the ground crew by banging on it! Ha! She also enjoyed playing with (eating) the safety card.

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I nursed her for take-off to help with the pressure. And after a short nap, she was full of energy! Every toy or diversion only entertained her for about a minute... And there were a lot of minutes in the short flight to Chicago! Luckily, we made it with no crying. She sucked on her pacifier and looked out of the window on our way down. Our good little traveler!

Alexa loves Challah!

I've joined a group for non-Jewish mothers raising Jewish children called Mother's Circle at the 6th & I Temple so that I can learn about the traditions, values and food associated with the Jewish heritage. At our first meeting, we made Shabbat candle holders and practiced the Shabbat blessings. So I got some Challah and we celebrated Shabbat together as a family!

As you can see, Alexa especially enjoyed the Challah! At first, Alexa wanted to eat the whole thing. Then Daddy showed her how to pull off a piece. She then proceeded to suck on her piece of Challah all dinner long! We did too. It was yummy!

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