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!

Playtime with Alexa

Alexa is a busy little girl! She loves running to the window and climbing up on her step stool to look outside, hoping to spot a DOG! She also loves blowing her Tommy Toot horn. And reading books! She likes it better when she can crawl on our lap and get us to read her books... She also spends a lot of time caring for her two baby dolls. She pats their back, feeds them a bottle and puts them down to take a nap. So cute!

Playing with Alexa!

Here are a ton of pictures taken while my parents were in town earlier this month... We had so much fun playing with Alexa every morning. I put together collages of my favorites. Here she is playing with a favorite birthday activity cube from cousins Amanda and Sammy and shaking some bells from Grandma E!

Here she is playing with more favorite toys... Her piano, a Hanukkah gift from Grandma E and Pop! Her Melissa & Doug stacking/nesting blocks, a birthday gift from Ms Marcie! And her ride-on horse, a gift from Grandma Lil! How nice it is to be so loved.

Speaking of those Melissa & Doug blocks... In addition to stacking the blocks (as shown above), check out what Alexa likes to do after I stack them up. Knock them down! Caught in action!

Finally, after all that play, Alexa was HUNGRY! So hungry, that she licked her bowl!

Alexa gets dolled up to party!

We had a busy day! First, we headed to swim class. Next, we drove to a Stella & Dot jewelry show at our friend's house. Here is Alexa and I with friends Kristin and Katilyn!

Outside, the girls played on blankets. And after Alexa saw Kaitlyn's cute hair clip, she wanted one too!

Our final stop was a co-worker's bbq back in Bethesda. Alexa charmed everyone. Seriously, my co-workers couldn't stop gushing about how cute she is! I couldn't agree more.

Sophie the giraffe = Baby Crack

I caved in. All the moms I know swear by this rubber toy giraffe named "Sophie." One by one, every baby in my mom's group got one. One mom declared that it's now her go-to baby shower gift. Another mom reported that immediately upon receipt, the giraffe went straight into her son's mouth. One mom got FOUR of them as gifts!

Truly, something must be up with this giraffe. Not wanting Alexa to be the ONLY baby without one, I caved in and bought her one. Of course I was not about to pay full retail of $22 for a rubber chew toy! I got it on Amazon for $15. It took her a couple of seconds to warm up to the giraffe...

It actually looks more like a dog chew toy than a baby teether! And it smells like rubber! But "Sophie la garafe" comes in a fancy box from French toy manufacturer VULLI. Enclosed in the box is the story of how this toy came to be.

The little giraffe was born on May 25, 1961... Saint Sophie's day. That's when Monsieur Rampeau came up with the idea of designing a giraffe toy. "Such an exotic wildlife figure would be a first on the market, and its size and shape would be ideal for a baby's small hands to grasp."

According to the manufacturer, the giraffe was an immediate success. "Young mothers straightaway saw that she was a must for their children... When the first signs of teething appear, Sophie the Giraffe helps baby stop crying!"

The giraffe is made in Rumilly in the Haute-Savoie region of France using a "traditional" process that involves more than 14 manual operations. She is made from 100% natural rubber derived from the sap of the Hevea tree.

According to the box, the toy stimulates each of baby' senses!

SIGHT: The dark and contrasting sopts all over Sophie the Giraffe's body provide visual stimulation and make her easily recognizable to baby.

TASTE: Sophie the Giraffe is very flexible and has lots of parts for baby to chew (ears, horns, legs). She is perfect for soothing baby's sore gums when teething and is completely safe. Made of 100% natural rubber and food paint.

TOUCH: Sophie the Giraffe is perfect for baby's small hands. She is very light and her long legs and neck are easy for baby to grip. She is very soft to the touch, just like baby's mummy, stimulating soothing physiological and emotional responses.

SMELL: The singular scent of natural rubber (from the Hevea tree) makes Sophie the Giraffe very special and easy for your child to identify amid all her other toys.

So, um, it looks like Alexa likes her new toy. Click HERE to see just how much she loves her giraffe!

Want to see more? Click HERE to watch another video of Alexa and her giraffe. This video actually shows a developmental milestone that my book said to watch for this month: Baby will start to protest when a certain toy is taken away.

Oh yes, she doth protest the removal of Sophie!