Alexa's new favorite toy: Mega Bloks!

I had been wanting to get some Mega Bloks for Alexa for a while now. Good thing I waited! I wanted to buy her the pink/purple set. I'm glad that I waited until we found out we are having a boy because I was able to get Alexa this gender neutral set. And I got it on super sale at Amazon for $12.28 (regular $24.99)!! Since the day we opened the box, she has been obsessed! She loves building big towers and calls them "castles." So cute. I can't wait to introduce her to Legos, my favorite childhood toy!

Garage sale books!

On Sunday, we stopped by a garage sale on our way to lunch. And we scored a deal! Five kids books for $1 total -- that's only 20 cents a book! Alexa is now really into Curious George. She points and says "Monkey!" and "Lellow Hat." So cute.

Another outfit for our baby boy!

After lunch in Bethesda on Saturday, we did a little shopping and Mommy found this adorable newborn Zutano outfit for half off! Sure, it's very baby-ish. But it's cute. Our little boy can dress like a baby until he's 3 months.

Pool Play Date with Kaitlyn!

After Alexa's nap on Sunday, we headed for Virginia to have an afternoon pool play date with Alexa's friend Kaitlyn. There is a community pool right down the street from my friend's house that has a shallow kiddie pool perfect for toddlers! Alexa had a blast riding in the wagon with Kaitlyn. After initially clinging onto me, she eventually warmed up to the pool and played with cups. As we were leaving, she and Kaitlyn held hands and walked to the wagon together. It was so cute!

Alexa rides her trike to town!

We decided to head to town for lunch, but Alexa said "NO stoller - bike!" So we relented and let her ride her trike. She was a happy girl. Check her out, rocking her Babiators sunglasses! Actually, right after this photo, she looked at me and with a pouty face said in all seriousness: "NO photo!" So she's already learning how to deal with the paparazzi. After lunch, Alexa and Daddy raced home!

Alexa and Daddy get silly at Mussel Bar

What a great day! It started with swim class at the outdoor Bethesda Pool. Alexa went to her first class with Daddy last weekend. This weekend, Mommy got in on the fun! Alexa's friend Brandon is also in her class. They had fun kicking, jumping into the pool and blowing bubbles (sort of)! After swim class, we headed to Bethesda for lunch at Mussel Bar. Alexa and Daddy had silly face contest!

Play date with 1-year-old Anne!

We were in Hawaii when Alexa's friend Anne turned 1. So we planned a play date so the girls could play together and open Anne's birthday presents! Alexa loved Anne's retro red play kitchen. Anne loved the tunnel she got from Alexa for her birthday! My friend and I enjoyed watching how adorable the girls were as they played because they were SO CUTE!

Baby Brother's nursery

I've been slowly collecting stuff for our baby boy's jungle theme nursery... Here is a glimpse of what I have so far so you can get the idea of the look I'm going for. The color scheme is bright lime green (already on the walls) with espresso crib, glider and furniture (same stuff already in the room) and navy blue. Essentially, we're trading the hot pink of Alexa's nursery into navy blue! Easy peasy!

A few notes about where I found these items (clicky): Cloud-b sleep giraffe for crib with 20% off coupon at Buy Buy Baby... Jellicat navy blue plush elephant for glider at kids store in Columbia, S.C.... Silver wooden elephant from U.S. Wood Toys booth at a kids festival in Bethesda... Alexander Henry fabric blanket for glider from Etsy... Navy blue Koala Baby changing pad cover from Babies "R" Us ... Jungle animal prints for walls from same Etsy shop where I got Alexa's nursery prints... Kids Line jungle mobile with 20% off coupon from Babies "R" Us... Giraffe beanie baby from Grandpa Howard... Carter's jungle theme 3-pack receiving blankets, burp cloths and rattles on clearance from Babies "R" Us.

OK... This is hilarious.

It's a cartoon that appeared in The New Yorker earlier this year. Also available in a onesie (click here to check it out), which we might have to get for the boy...

Alexa rocks her Babiators!

Also this past weekend, I got Alexa a new pair of sunglasses called Babiators! She needed a new pair of sunglasses and the women at KD's Treehouse were raving about them. I soon found out why... They've been featured on Cool Mom Picks and Daily Candy! Check out how cool they are and how adorable Alexa looks in them!

Cute stuff for Baby Brother!

I was out of town this past weekend and squeezed in some quality power shopping! I got a bunch of cute stuff for Baby Brother -- an orange and blue monkey jumpsuit from a funky organic brand called My Little Pakora and a totally cuddly navy blue elephant Jellycat stuffed animal for his jungle-theme nursery. Check it out! And check out this matching book, which I might have to order!

Happy Father's Day!

Some friends of mine gave me a really great idea for a cool Father's Day gift. The idea is to get some wooden letters that spell D-A-D and take cute photos of your baby/kid holding them! Sounds easy enough, right? Uh... Don't hold your breath! I had a big fat FAIL! Alexa would NOT hold the letters! And when she did, she held them backwards or up in the air. Here are the best shots... I figure at this rate, I might as well start taking photos of her now for next year! Doh!

To see how this collage is SUPPOSED to look, check out these adorable collages that my friends made of baby Elle and adorable Ashton! Stay tuned, we might try another photo shoot...

Alexa hits the beach! Yeah!

Alexa was SO EXCITED to hit the beach this weekend. Daddy took her up to Ocean City to spend Father's Day with his dad. As soon as they arrived, they headed straight for the shore. I'm told Alexa ran around playing in the sand and having a grand time!

Baby at the White House

This is Baby Brother's second time to the White House! When Alexa was in my tummy, she made nine trips to the White House. She even made it into the Oval Office! No such luck this time. Last month, we walked past the Rose Garden. This time, we sat in on a White House press briefing. And scored this photo! (24 weeks, 5 days)

Follow the Leader

Daddy's friend sent us this photo from last weekend. Alexa looks like a baby on a mission! Either that or they're all playing follow the leader. Go, Alexa, go!

Made by Grandma

My mom makes the most amazing little dresses! She made Alexa's football Halloween costume. And she made these adorable dresses as well. I wanted a special Fourth of July dress, so I put in an order with Grandma's Store! To make sure the fit was right, Grandma "whipped up" a quick little sample dress and sent it off. Well. Check out how ADORABLE that little "sample" dress is!

Yes, the photo shoot of Alexa in Grandma's dress continues... We took a walk to Bethesda and had pizza at our favorite place. Alexa loved walking along the path with Daddy, and when she got tired, she rode on his shoulders! Of course, we also stopped at the park. What a fun day! And what a cute dress! We can't wait to see how the Fourth of July dress turns out. Stay tuned for another photo shoot!

Pool fun in Annapolis

We enjoyed a wonderful day at our friend's home in Annapolis today. Alexa was so excited to see her friend Kaitlyn that she nearly bounded out of my arms to run over to her. We had a little trouble getting Alexa in the pool at first, but when she saw the other kids sitting in their floaties and enjoying the water, she started having fun too! Outside of the pool, she loved Kaitlyn's toys, especially her lawn mower!

In the afternoon, Alexa's older friends Julia and Sara arrived as Alexa ran around in her adorable Kumquat outfit. The outfit was a gift from Grandma's friend Lucille. I'm glad it still fits her, it's a 12-month size!

Alexa's baby brother is 24 weeks!

That's right, I'm a month past halfway! That is, if you consider pregnancy as being 40 weeks long. In any case, this pregnancy is flying by. But before the baby gets here, I really do need to update everyone on the growth of our little boy.

It all started toward the end of January when I started to suspect that something was up. I told Daddy of my suspicions on Tuesday, Feb. 1. He wanted to wait until the weekend, but we ended up testing on Wednesday, Feb. 2. and got two dark lines! At that point, I was 5 weeks, 5 days. (With Alexa, we found out at 5 weeks, 2 days.)

I called my doctor's office the next day and they had me come in on Friday, Feb. 4, for blood work. I took Alexa with me and she charmed all the doctors! I got a phone call on Monday, Feb. 7, and was told that the blood work confirmed I was pregnant! Our next appointment was on Wednesday, Feb. 23. That's when we got to hear his heartbeat! This is what we saw... a little marshmallow! (Alexa looked like a lima bean during her first sonogram, hence the name of this blog.)

We went back on Tuesday, March 22, for the NT Scan sonogram. Here's what I wrote about it at the time: "It was good! Heard heartbeat, saw Marshmallow jumping all over the place and playing with his/her hands in his/her mouth. Crazy. Apparently little critter is 6 cm already. No wonder my pants are tight. ... Looks different than Alexa looked at this stage. Funny how that can be, huh?" (The second sonogram picture is looking down at his face from above.)

Our last appointment was on Monday, May 16. That's when we found out that the little critter who has been kicking me nonstop and who started off looking like a marshmallow, is a .......... BOY! (Alexa at that stage.)

Alexa is 21 Months!

Wow, only three months to go until my little baby is 2! Enjoy these pictures, because the end is near. Daddy joked that I'll go visit her in college to take her Month 215th photo. Ha. Ha. Ha. One thing that is interesting is that Alexa now knows the drill. As soon as she saw this month's sticker, she looked at me and patted her chest and said "Pit-chur?" Yes, my dear, picture time! And check out how cute she is!

All About Alexa at 21 Months: 

• I used to know how many words Alexa knew, but now the list is so long that I can't keep track! And she keeps adding new words every day. 
• In addition to new words, Alexa is now combining them into phrases and sentences. Here are some popular ones: "Mama, walk?" "Beach? Dog? Beach" "More, please" "Dada, shower?" "Shoes! Socks!" "Hi, Mama" "Hi, Dada" "Get up!" "All done" "Animal Cracker?" (sounds like "ani-moll cacker")
• Alexa loves to talk to us when we're in the car. Usually she'll belt out "Hi, Mama!" "Hi, Dada!" And we'll reply, "Hi, Alexa!" She sometimes combines our names too and says, "Mama Dada." And, this is really new... She says "Ma-Meee" (Mommy) and "Da-Deee" (Daddy). So cute!
• Another very new thing is that Alexa can finally say her OWN NAME! She started saying it when we were playing the game where she said "Hi, Dada" "Hi, Mama" and we said back "Hi, Alexa." So she started saying it too! It sounds more like, "Hi, Lexa!"
• One of Alexa's favorite games right now is... Changing her baby's diaper! She likes to get out my changing pad and box of wipes. Her dolls must be pretty messy because it takes A LOT of wipes to change their diapers! She also loves wearing our shoes around the house.
• Another favorite game is playing catch! She will ask us to play "catch" and then throw or roll a ball back and forth. It's hilarious! She's starting to get a really good throw on.
• Finally, she loves to play "Row, Row" as in "Row, Row your boat." The way this game works is you hold her hands and pull her forward and back as you sing the song. When you get to the end and sing "All fall down," you gently lay her down and tickle her! She squeels in delight and cracks up laughing!
• She is also really into BUBBLES! She loves to see bubbles and blow bubbles but most of all, she likes to do it herself, which means spilling the bubble solution all over herself and ending up not blowing any bubbles. Still, she seems to be having fun.
• And, of course, Alexa loves to "pour" anything. This started in Hawaii, when Grandma taught her to pour her milk into her cereal. Now, she love pouring anything: water, bubble solution, it all works!
• Then there's Elmo. Alexa loves Elmo! We've gotten her a stuffed Elmo doll and she'll give him hugs. It's so cute! She also has a growing collection of Elmo books and loves all of them! Her favorite one right now is "Elmo Says." And one of her favorite things to say is "cookie monster."
• On the musical front, Alexa loves to sing and dance. When Daddy plays dance music, she'll twist and dance. It' so cute! She also loves to sing and sometimes we'll hear her singing to herself. Lately, she has been really into "Happy Birthday." She heard it sung at a restaurant when some kids got cupcakes. Later, when she saw cupcakes on TV she looked at me and asked," Happy ... to you?" Yup, that's how she sings it. Forget the word "Birthday," she just says "Happy, to you! Happy, to you! Happy to yooooooou! Happy to you!"
• Other things she does now: Climbs up on the futon; loves to jump on the bed; gives wet sloppy kisses; says "baby bra-ther" but we're not sure if she knows what it means; loves to "hulp" me, including sweeping the floors or cleaning her tray with a wipe; picks her feet up when I take her pants off; knows to take her shoes off when we come inside; picks flowers; loves to pick and blow dandelions; loves having us pat her back, so much so that sometimes she'll reach her hand back and pat her own back to show us what she wants! 
• Also, after her bath, we have a new tradition. She'll look up at me and say: "Duh duh duh." What she means is she wants Daddy to do his Jaws imitation while creeping into the bathroom with her pacifier. She cracks up laughing and usually is laughing to hard she can barely take the pacifier from him!
• As far as new foods... She loves juice, which we mix with water and give to her sparingly. She also loves popsicles! Mostly, she eats chicken nuggets, meatballs, pizza, almond butter sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches or fish sticks. She continues to love muffins and animal crackers. Recently, she discovered the joy of watermelon! Yum! She'll also eat string cheese, gnaw on baby carrots, bite the middle of apples, eat whole pears, bite grapes in half and eat a whole half sweet potato. Oh, and she loves anything bread related.
• For clothes, Alexa mostly wears size 18-24 months. She has a few 2T items that fit. And there are still a few 12-18 month and 12-month outfits that fit as well. For shoes, she's a 5.5 but soon to be a size 6.

Finally, here is a look back at Alexa's last 21 months...

Strawberry picking!

We had a great day today at a Maryland farm picking tons of bright, red, juicy strawberries! The weather was perfect, not too hot. We met up with some friends of ours and their two daughters. Alexa had so much fun running around with Avery, who she knows from daycare. She also was a great helper and picked quite a few strawberries herself! We took home three buckets of strawberries for smoothies!

Fun at another Bethesda festival!

One thing that's great about our new hometown is that they have tons of festivals for kids. We love to walk from home with Alexa in the stroller, especially when the weather is so nice. This festival is called Imagination Bethesda and it featured shows and booths with games and art projects for kids. Alexa is still a little young for most of the activities, but she enjoyed the show and seeing all the other kids!

After Alexa's non-nap, we went for a walk and she had fun picking dandelions and flowers! Ever since I showed her how to blow dandelions, she LOVES to pick them and carry them around. It's so cute!

Who's wearing our shoes?

Alexa has more fun putting on our shoes! She loves to put on my sneakers or Daddy's funny shoes and clomp around. If you recall, she's been doing this for a while now. Here she is wearing cousin Samantha's sneakers and Daddy's shoes. Funny girl!

More fun changing her baby's diaper

Like I said, this is one of Alexa's favorite games of late. She loves to take out my changing mat, grab my bin of wipes and change her baby. So cute! She's also gotten better and letting us know when she's gone "poo poo" or when she's about to go "poo poo." She'll then go get the mat herself and lay down for a change. But I'd better get TWO diapers, so she can change her baby's diaper once I'm done with her!