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!

Click to enlarge!

Super cool in Mommy's sunglasses

Alexa won't keep her own sunglasses on, so once we got hit by some bright sunlight, I put my sunglasses on her to try to "teach" her how nice they can be. She, um, sort of liked it. But what she really wanted to do was rip them off and put them in her mouth...

Alexa loves her new carrier!

We finally broke down and got an Ergo! This is a well-known baby carrier that is actually made in my home state of Hawaii and is ideal for carrying babies over 15 pounds. It has a backpacker's waist belt and padded shoulder straps that are suited for carrying older/bigger babies and children.

What's great about this carrier is that you can use it on both your front and your back. The Baby Bjorn can only be used on the front and is more suited for smaller babies. The other thing that is great about the Ergo is that it has a wide seat for babies, which is better for their spine. We took it for a spin on one of our evening walks. Alexa loved it!

Of course, I did not pay full price! I found this carrier on clearance at an online Web site. Yay deals!

One more cute picture from today... Here is adorable Alexa enjoying some swing time!

Another great day with Miss A!

Today, Miss Alexa got all dressed up and we headed out to Virginia to check out Aunt Chimmy's new townhouse. Alexa loved it! Tons of new carpet space to crawl on and TONS of moving boxes to pull up on! Aunt Chimmy baked a delicious brunch and we had a nice meal while Alexa played on the floor. She then ate some applesauce and played some more! Then slept as we drove home. What an easy baby! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera battery so we have no pictures.

When we got home, we went for a walk and I tried out my Moby carrier with Alexa facing out. She loved it! So much to look at!

For dinner, she had Carrots & Tomato in her high chair! Because... Earlier today, Alexa managed to GET OUT of her Bumbo chair! So, we decided to move her into her high chair, which was a gift from Aunt Jen, Aunt Kelly & Uncle Ben (thanks, guys!) It still seems a bit big for her, but she's slowly getting used to it!

Happy 5-Month Birthday, Alexa!

To celebrate, and to get out of the house before the next snowstorm rolls in, we took Alexa downtown for lunch. And since she's a big girl now who can sit up, we decided to try out the restaurant's high chair. Check it out! She loved it!

After lunch, we got cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcake. I was all set to get red velvet again... But then I HAD to get Lava Fudge. Same amazing frosting on top. But creamy fudge in the middle of the chocolate cupcake. HOLY AMAZING! (Alexa is frowning in the picture because she wanted to her her own cupcake but mommy told her she had to wait and share mine...)

So anyway, after today's adventure with the high chair, we've decided to set up the high chair that Aunt Jen, Aunt Kelly & Uncle Ben got her. We don't plan to start solids until Alexa is 6 months old, as is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and World Health Organization, to name a few. But in the meantime, she can get used to sitting in her high chair!

Alexa's first view of the Atlantic Ocean & first trip to the Ocean City Boardwalk!

Sunday was cloudy but not too cold out, so we headed to the Ocean City Boardwalk for a nice stroll. Alexa got her first glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean! She smelled the salty air and looked around at the boardwalk. And then she fell asleep! We can't wait to bring her back this summer so she can enjoy the sand, surf and sun.

Babies! Lots of Babies! VIDEO LINKS BELOW!

Today was my LAST mom's group meeting! So sad. The group, called PACE, meets for eight weeks with the idea that we'll continue to meet after the formal session ends. We already have a play date set for this Friday and another in January! So, hopefully, we'll stay in touch.

Here are 9 of the 11 moms and babies who were in my group:

And here are the babies! Click HERE to watch a video!

More adorable pictures of the babies... Pictured below (left to right) is Ella, Alexa, her birthday twin Avery who was also born on 9-9-09, and the youngest in the group, Anjali.

Also today, my sister gave Alexa a bottle!

Then Alexa had dance time on her activity mat! Click HERE and HERE for videos of her dancing! She apparently likes Beyonce and is getting closer to turning over!

And then, we went for a walk...

And picked out a Christmas tree...

And lit more Hanukkah candles! Alexa got a beautiful silver snow globe from Grandma E!

Later, at home, Alexa relaxed on her chair.

Deals! Deals! I got some great deals!

The weather was amazing today, so we all went for a walk! As Alexa slept and Daddy watched football at a nearby restaurant, I snuck away for a few minutes to check out the Wiggle Room, a baby and maternity consignment store near our house.

I had seen a Baby Hawk carrier there that I was interested in. These carriers can be customized in the color and fabric of your choosing and go for $90-115. The one at Wriggle Room is brown with white, green and pink fabric. The price of $34 was set to decrease to $20 in a couple days and I wanted to see if it was still there!

It was... And they gave me the lower price early! What a deal! Here is my new (refurbished) Baby Hawk carrier!

I also got a brand new, still in its packaging JJ Cole Toddler UrbanBundleMe just like our current Infant one for only $15.73 (retails for $59.99)! And I picked up a second Miracle Blanket for just $5.50 (retails for $29.95) and a black Bravado nursing tank top for $10.50 (retails for $45).

Yay! We love deals!

A great fall day!

Our friends Libby & Dan came to visit us today! We then took Alexa out for her first brunch. At Cafe Deluxe. It was hysterical because EVERY table had a stroller or high chair! Did I mention yet that our new town is VERY family friendly? Here is Alexa all dolled up!

After brunch, we checked out an open house down the street. Then we took Alexa on a walk to... Starbucks! It was so warm out that we had to take off her cute sweater... But look at those eyes!

Walking the Capitol Crescent Trail

One of the really great things about Bethesda is all the running trails. A great one is the Capitol Crescent Trail, which runs from downtown Bethesda to downtown Washington, D.C. I have gone on walks down the trail with a couple different mommy friends. On a nice day, it's a great place to push your stroller!

On Friday, Alexa's daddy and I took the trolley to Bethesda Row and enjoyed a wonderful organic lunch at our new favorite place. Delish! Afterward, we walked down the Capitol Crescent Trail to Kenwood, enjoyed the swing set, then walked back. We also picked up some Halloween candy and a moustache... With Alexa snuggled in my Moby wrap, it was quite a work out for me to carry her!

Christmas in Bethesda!

We took a nice afternoon walk to Bethesda and got check out the new Christmas decorations! The whole downtown looked very festive. It'll be so pretty when it snows!

We also got to check out the Bethesda Farmer's Market, where we discovered The Souper Girl. Oh yeah... Fresh, homemade, organic soups! Yum! We have signed up and plan to order some as soon as we can!

I heart my Moby wrap!

Guess what came in the mail today?! My Moby wrap! I learned how to use several different baby slings and carriers at a class last Friday. My favorite ones were the Moby wrap and Maya sling.

Well... I found the Moby on sale for 15% off at Diapers.com and ordered one in black! Here is a picture of me using it to take Alexa on a walk on Wednesday.

And here is Dave, also using the same wrap, on another walk Wednesday.

What I love about the Moby is that it's soooo comfortable - and it has great back support. Plus it really holds the baby snug, so you have more freedom to move around with them.

Also, there are MANY ways to wrap the carrier... Pictured here is just one of the many styles!

My Birthday! What a day...

What an amazing birthday... I woke up and looked at my gorgeous baby daughter and knew it would be a great day. I mean, how can it get any better? Really?

Click HERE to watch a video of the Cutest. Baby. Ever.

After playing with Alexa, we loaded up the car and headed downtown...

I had signed up for a class at The Breastfeeding Center to learn how to wear different baby slings and wraps. The class was great! I met a lot of other moms and babies and learned how to wear different kinds of baby slings and carriers.

I tried on the Moby and Maya wrap and loved them! I ordered a plain black Moby sling but absolutely fell in love with this gorgeous purple one! I also want to get a Maya sling at some point... I love the stylish ring and the tail can be used to cover yourself while breast feeding! I also like the Ergo baby carrier and think we might want to try that one later on when Alexa gets a little bigger.

After the class, we went to lunch in our old neighborhood. Here is Daddy and Alexa in front of our old condo!

Daddy's gift to me was a beautiful Kate Spade diaper bag and lunch at one of our favorite places. Alexa's gift to me was that she slept through lunch so Momma could enjoy a nice glass of wine! After lunch, we went to get gelato. That's when Alexa decided to wake up!

What a great birthday!

Another great day for a walk!

Gorgeous day out again, so my friend Mary Clare came over with her baby Catherine for another walk. This time, we decided to break out our Baby Bjorn carriers. Our babies immediately fell asleep! So we made it to Starbucks and back with sleeping babies!

Oh, and we stopped at the Wiggle Room to pick up another Boppy nursing pillow so I can have one upstairs and one downstairs. Only $15! Score!

Finally, click HERE for your adorable Alexa video of the day!

Yay! No more rain!

FINALLY... The rain has gone away! Today was still really cold, so we stayed close to home. But we are looking forward to the warmer temperatures predicted for this week! Still, in honor of the no rain, we got Alexa all bundled up for a walk around the neighborhood!

We used our new fleece Baby Bjorn cover and it kept her toasty!

So toasty, that she fell asleep!

Later, she played on her activity mat. She is now grasping at things!

Even later, after entertaining several wonderful visitors throughout the day (who brought us homemade cookies, spaghetti and gifts!), she zonked out with Daddy. How cute!