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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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!