First outdoor swim class & a walk to the park!

Today was HOT! Thankfully we had Alexa's first swim class at the outdoor Bethesda pool so we started the day off with a cool off. Alexa fussed a little when we first went in the water, but as she got used to the cold water, she relaxed and enjoyed it. Our little water baby!

We are taking the class with four other babies from my mom's group. Here we are with Avery & Brandon! Not pictured is Ella. We can't wait until next Saturday!

After a long nap following swim class, Alexa and I took a walk to a nearby park. Alexa played on the grass, played with my water bottle and loved being pushed in the swing!

Alexa and her friends at the Zoo!

Our friend Coleen and Drew are moving home to Las Vegas, so we took the day off to spend it one one last play date with all the babies! Today was supposed to be HOT so we all met up early, at 8:30 a.m. and strolled the Zoo before it got crowded in perfect 70-degree weather. It was a blast!

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We saw panda bears, elephants, a tiger, a lion and the highlight... Oruntangs swinging over our heads along cables! Alexa saw them and got quite a kick out of it. She also loved the elephants! She fell asleep by the time we reached the tiger and lion and took a nice nap in her stroller as we walked back to the car. What a great day!

Note: This was Alexa's 2nd trip to the Zoo. Click HERE to read about her 1st visit to the Zoo back in November and marvel at how much she's grown!

Watch Alexa grow!

Wow, looking back at these photos, it's amazing to see how much Alexa has grown!

Alexa is 9 MONTHS!

Late with Alexa's birthday photos again! We took them last weekend but we had so much going on with our visitors that I'm posting them now. I can't decide which one is the one... Vote on your favorite!

And now, some fun facts about Alexa at 9 months!

• She has TWO TEETH! On the bottom. They came in a week before she turned 9 months!
• Continues to crawl and pull up!
• When she's standing, she can hold on with just one hand.
• Also, when she's standing, she can cruise along with baby steps.
• Can pass toys or other objects from one hand to the other!
• Can get a toy out of her reach that she wants.
• Seems to understand "no" but doesn't always obey!
• Is able to pick up small things, like Cherrios or Puffs, and successfully put them in her mouth!
• Now wears a size 3 in diapers! 
• But she's still wearing some 3-6 mo outfits, although her 6-9 month things fit much better!
• She has definitely filled out, weighing in at 16 pounds, 12 ounces at her 9-mo appointment.
• Keeps trying new food, and now she's on to meat! Chicken, turkey, beef... She eats it all!
• Loves sucking on frozen fruit, in mesh bags on a stick.
• Very good at holding and drinking from a sippy cup.
• Loves riding in our new jogging stroller!
• Loves being carried in our new Ergo carrier!
• LOVES playing peekaboo, especially with Daddy!
• Has learned how to give zerberts!

Our talkative baby gets her 9-month check-up! (video)

Alexa was all babbles and giggles today! She was talking up a storm. Dadadadada, mmmmm, nom, nom, nom. And laughing! She was cracking herself up, as well as us!

Click HERE for a video of our cutie pie. Can she be any cuter?!

At today's appointment, Alexa was weighed and measured!

Here are her new stats!

HEIGHT

Birth: 19 3/4"

1 month: 21 3/4"

2 months: 23"

4 months: 24"

6 months: 25 1/2"

9 months:  27"

WEIGHT

Birth: 7 lbs, 12 oz

1 month: 9 lbs, 7 oz

2 months: 11 lbs, 5 oz

3 months: 12 lbs, 3 oz

4 months: 13 lbs, 10 oz

5 months: 14 lbs 6 oz

6 months: 14 lbs, 13 oz

7 months: 15 lbs, 4 oz

8 months: 16 lbs, 1 oz

9 months: 16 lbs, 12 oz

A nice walk in Brookside Gardens!

Some of my mom's group friends recommended Brookside Gardens in nearby Wheaton, Md., as a nice place to take a walk with the stroller. With Grandma E and Pop in town visiting, we decided to go check it out! The park was beautiful! There was a wonderful paved path surrounding the grounds, which featured trees, a lovely lake and lots of colorful flowers, including a rose garden. Unfortunately, it was a hot day, so we didn't last long. But it was a really nice escape from the city. We'll certainly be back!

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Alexa's new splash pool!

Today was HOT! As in WARM, STICKY, HOT! So we figured it was a perfect time to break out Alexa's new splash pool. I ordered it a month ago from One Step Ahead . We filled it up with water and... Well, she sort of liked it! The water was cold. So, it was a great way to cool down!

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After Alexa cooled down, we hung out on a blanket in our back yard waiting for Grandma E and Pop to arrive! Alexa had some fun with Stan the Man, her new little friend!

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Alexa loves eating food!

Dinner tonight: One 4 oz. jar of Chicken & Mango Risotto form Earth's Best. One 4 oz. tub of applesauce. A handful of Sweet Potato Puffs. Earth's Best teething biscuit. A few Yogurt Melts.

She ate it all! And she had a great time doing so! Alexa really loves the Puffs because she is able to feed herself. She just grabs a handful and tries to get as many as she can in her mouth. It's the throw spaghetti on the wall technique. At least one will make it in her mouth. Score!

Oh, in case you are following her diet... This week chicken is NEW! Her first meat!

And one more thing... If you look carefully, you can sort of see her two bottom teeth! They are just coming in, so they are only barely visible. Click on the photo to enlarge!

Alexa loves daycare!

Look at my smiling baby! Daddy dropped her off at daycare this morning and e-mailed me this photo. How cute! It's such a relief and a blessing to know that she really loves daycare so much.

Speaking of... Here is her latest piece of art created at daycare. Ummm, is this modern art? I'm not sure if I totally get her genius on this one. Or, maybe is trying to write her name? Brilliant!

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!

Alexa loves her new snack! (Plus, teeth are on the way!)

THIS is a great idea! It's a snack pop for babies that has netting so you can fill it with frozen fruit and let them eat/suck on it without worrying that small pieces will break off and choke them. We tried it out for the first time this past weekend and Alexa LOVED it!

We have been giving it to her with banana or cantalope in it as dessert after she finishes dinner. She can't seem to get enough of it! It's also great for teething!

Because guess what... ALEXA IS GETTING TEETH! We just glimpsed them for the first time on Monday night. You can't see them very well because they have just barely broken through, but she'll soon have two pearly whites on the bottom!

Alexa loves our new running stroller!

Check it out -- our new BOB Ironman running stroller! We took it for a spin last weekend. This stroller has a fixed front wheel and shocks that are specifically designed for running. A fixed front wheel, as opposed to a swivel front wheel, which is easier to maneuver and what our other stroller has, is safer for running strollers. This stroller was smooth and fast! We got a great workout and Alexa had fun!

I would also note that we scored this stroller due to a great 20% off sale at REI, then got a Web site to price match it so we could get it with free 2-day shipping and no sales tax! Yay for deals!

Great day at Norwood Park!

We discovered a great new park today! It's about 5 minutes from our house. We met a bunch of Alexa's baby friends -- Drew, Ezra and Brandon -- and their parents there for a play date. The babies were hilarious! They fought over the water bottles, drank from the wrong sippey cups, stole each others toys and crawled all over!

Drew even tried hitting on Alexa. But she crawled away! Go Alexa!

A wonderful day with friends in Bethesda

Today was a busy but wonderful day! We walked into town to meet Coleen, Andrew and their baby Drew for lunch. Blythe and Avery joined us as well! Alexa and Drew had wonderful time eating snacks in their high chairs. What good little babies!

After lunch, we walked to Bethesda Row for a street festival called Imagination Kids. At the festival, we ran into friends Mary Clare and Catherine! It's been a long time since Alexa has seen her old friend Catherine. Look how big she's grown!

What a wonderful day. It was hot, and so Alexa slept really well! Yay!