12 Weeks Old

With Christmas over we spent most of the week trying to organize toys, clean up and just take time to relax as a family. Lexi moved up to size 2 diapers and is still not wanting to sleep through the night, waking mom up 2-3 times and getting up pretty early in the morning. Sydney is enjoying all the new toys especially her new doll house, medical kit, baby doll accessories and books. Josh actually took a few days off from work and we all got to hang out and spend some quality family time together. On New Years Eve Amy made a stuffed mushroom appetizer, lobster tails, crab legs, croissants and veggies and we had a nice dinner together. After the girls were asleep she made chocolate lava cake and we popped some bubbly and watched a movie before the big countdown.

1st time turned around in her car seat!

Stuck!

Playing with her new donkey

Giving daddy a check-up

Trying out the Bumbo for the 1st time

Willie & Charlie, little snuggle buddies

Lexi napping... holding her head up with her fist and covering her face with her burp cloth

New Years Desert

Christmas 2011

Christmas this year was extra special with our new addition. We had so much to be thankful for and had a nice time spending time together as a family of four. On Christmas Eve Sydney had just started feeling better and Lexi was still struggling with a nasty cold so we took it easy in the morning. After Sydney woke up from her nap Amy took her to the Mall to see Santa. Sydney talked about Santa the whole way there and did a really good job while visiting with him, but we couldn't get her to smile. If you asked her she said she told Santa "Merry Christmas" and that she wanted "baby dolls". Truthfully, I am not so sure she said anything to him, but it was cute regardless. After she was done with Santa she had her very first candy cane and loved it. That night the girls got to open one present before going to bed. After they were asleep we attempted to make our first Scandinavian Christmas Eve dinner - Lutefisk, Swedish sausage, boiled potatoes, cream sauce, beets and lefse. It actually turned out pretty good for our first attempt! On Christmas morning we made gingerbread pancakes and sausage from Inglebretsen's. After breakfast we opened up gifts and then headed up North to Amy's parents. We had the traditional Christmas lunch of Prime Rib and then opened gifts with Grandma and Grandpa Stahl and Great Aunt Linda. We drove back home that evening and Lexi gave mom the best gift by sleeping until 5am the next morning!

Uhhhh....

Ok Santa, so here's what I want for Christmas...

Christmas Eve

Lutefisk

Christmas morning - ready to open gifts!

Helping Lexi open her gifts

Opening gifts at Grandma and Grandpa Stahl's

I'll get it!

Daddy & Lexi

Family Picture

Some very lucky girls with an obscene about of gifts

11 Weeks Old

Last week was a rough week. Sydney started out with a cold and ended up getting a nasty virus. She started throwing up on Monday after her nap and couldn't keep anything down all day Tuesday. We took her to the doctor Tuesday afternoon and found out she had an ear infection, but they didn't seem to concerned about anything else. When she couldn't keep her dinner down we decided we needed to take her to urgent care as she was getting really dehydrated. Unfortunately, there were no urgent cares open so we ended up taking her to the Children's ER. They initially thought that she could just take in one bag of fluids via the IV and go home, but after checking her levels in her blood they decided it would be best if she was admitted and stayed overnight. Josh stayed with us until our room was almost ready and then he went home to be with Lexi. Sydney was a trooper and did so well with all the poking and prodding, when she woke up in the morning her IV had came out so we decided to try to get her to take fluids orally. After her afternoon nap she had a popsicle and some pudding and they thought she would be okay to go home. She didn't want to eat dinner once we got home, but we were able to get her to eat some ice cream. We thought we were in the clear, but then she got sick again overnight and again on Wednesday right before she went down for her nap, so we ended up back at the doctor on Wednesday afternoon. I got a RX for zofran to help keep her food and fluids in and luckily that seemed to help and she started feeling much better by Friday. Lexi started getting a nasty cold on Thursday with a really rough cough, we thought she may be coming down with the same virus, but luckily she started to get better Christmas Eve.

Lexi just finishing rolling over from stomach to back and taking her burp cloth with her

Hey, who is that good looking baby? Oh, it's me :)

Waiting in the ER for our room to be ready

Napping peacefully and trying to get better

Sydney - 23 Months Old!

Sydney has an amazing vocabulary and sometimes I am just amazed by the things she knows and says. Even though she often speaks in full sentences, she still has some super cute ways she pronounces things... here are a few of my favorite:

- Frosty the Noman (Frosty the Snowman)
- Gingle Bells (Jingle Bells)
- Peak a Lou (Peak a Boo)
- A Mo (More)
- Boobie and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast)

10 Weeks Old

This past week has been so busy getting ready for Christmas, our annual holiday party and trying to get everyone feeling better. Lexi finally started feeling better, but unfortunately has stopped sleeping through the night and wakes up once to twice a night for the past few nights now... hopefully it is just a phase. Sydney got over her cold, only to start coming down with another cold with a nasty cough. On 12/15 Lexi rolled over from her tummy to her back while we were doing tummy time downstairs. Yay Lexi!!

"I like Chipmunks" - Apparently, as she stood about two feet from the TV the entire time it was on

Just finished my first roll :)

Trying out my new ball

Loves her doll house... big tantrum when we had to leave it to go to swim class

Mommy and her holiday princess

Sammy loved licking his cookie

Sydney added LOTS of sprinkles... like half a container :)

Drew looking good with some frosting on his lips :)

Sydney singing some Christmas Carols - Jingle Bells & Frosty the Snowman

9 Weeks Old

It has been a busy week. We had family pictures, we finally got some snow, Alexis had her two month check-up and we had the Koehnen/Smith/Pietrzak Christmas. Besides that Alexis has been sleeping like a champ! She has been going to bed around 8/8:30 and sleeping all through the night and getting up around 7:15. Once Mom finally got used to the idea (i.e. stopt worrying), it has been amazing finally getting some sleep! Additionally, potty training with Sydney has been going great. Very few accidents and when we put her on the big potty she now can go on command. Yay Sydney!! One last item of interest is we noticed on 12/8 that Lexi's eyes have started changing to a greenish hazel, just like moms.

Hanging out on my mat

Mesmerized by the butterfly

Sydney loves her baby sister

The Smiths at the K/S/P Christmas

The Koehnens at the K/S/P Christmas

The Pietrzaks at the K/S/P Christmas

Jack opening his Thomas gifts

Sophie assisting Sydney in gift opening

Ben showing of his Yoda shirt

Dora!!

Daddy helping Lexi open her gifts

Loving the gifts

So excited about her first doll house

Daddy's girl

All the kids playing

Pj's, bunny slippers, blankie and baby dolls... this girl is all set!

8 Weeks Old

Not much new to report this week. Everyone has been doing well, but all the girls got a cold on Saturday. The worst is seeing poor little Lexi with her first case of the sniffles and having such a hard time breathing while laying flat. We also had some more snow (although not much) and Sydney and Daddy got to go outside and play.

Future Bulldog!

Lexi enjoying her fist and the fire

Sisters :)

All bundled up and ready for the cold

Not much snow, but enough for daddy to pull Sydney