New Addition

Everyone please welcome the newest addition to my Little Traverler's Family!! Her name is Wrigley, and she is a ballerina! Leigh-Ann, you are just awesome!! Thank you so much!

Wonderful Weekend

We had a busy, but great weekend! Friday night Jodi and I spent the night playing with the cricut. I love it more everytime I get to work with it! I finally got my pumpkin patch spread finished, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I also cut out some new birthday presents and balloons for her birthday spread, and Jodi is going to embroider a cupcake just like the one on her birthday dress to go on it as well. Walker spent the night with us on Friday night.

Then on Saturday we had lunch with Grandpa and Grace who just got back from Florida, and then we did a little shopping. We got Alexa some cute new turtleneck onesies on sale at Target, and then we got my camera at Best Buy. I am super excited about my new camera...let me know what you think about the pictures I've taken so far.

Last night we ate supper at home and then watched the Clemson game...I was super disappointed, but 8-3 still isn't a bad record. Not to mention that as long as we beat USC next week it is a successful season!! GO TIGERS!

Today we went to church, and then Anthony, Alexa, and I had lunch at City Range. It was super yummy as always! Then we came home and had a relaxing afternoon before choir practice and church tonight. It was a great weekend of fun with family. I am looking forward to this short week, but more than that to Thanksgiving! I can't wait to spend time with my family, and to see Alexa for her "first" Thanksgiving...I mean last year she was there, but it's just different this year!!

I hope you all have a great week, and Happy Thanksgiving! Remember to thank God for all the many blessings in your life...not only on Thursday, but every day.

Enjoy the pictures from this weekend.

This is the picture of Alexa giving Gabe a hug that I referenced in this week's addition of Thursday Thirteen...I finally got it uploaded yesterday...he doesn't look too happy that she is giving him a hug!

Alexa and Walker at breakfast Saturday morning. They were both so cute!



Playing with Alexa's car after breakfast


Pop playing with Walker and Lexa...they were all three in the floor laughing

Alexa and Daddy before the game!

Uncle Jerry giving Alexa some popcorn...I think she ate more of it than he did!

How many pieces can I fit in my mouth at one time?

Such a silly girl!

Yummy popcorn

What a sweet girl sharing a bite with Uncle Jerry!

My New Toy!!!

For a while now I have been wanting a new digital camera. I looked at several online, and I thought I had one picked out. It was an HP with a 3.6" touch screen. Today we went to Best Buy to look at it because it was on a really good sale, I was slightly less than impressed. The touch screen didn't seem to work very well, and it only had 8 megapixels. So...then we started looking at the Fujifilm FinePix F50 with 12 megapixels and face detection. After careful consideration we decided to give it a shot, so here is a pic of my new toy!!

I have already taken some really cute pictures of Alexa with it that I will post tomorrow. Hope the weekend is going well for everyone!

GO TIGERS!!

Thursday Thirteen

I had a hard time thinking of something different to do for Thursday Thirteen, but I just couldn't come up with anything...so I'm going to post 13 pics of Alexa!

Alexa the day she was born...my Grandpa spoke to her and she smiled at him!

Alexa's Halloween outfit last year...she was so cute!

Alexa in her Clemson outfit last winter, she loves her Tigers!

Happy girl opening her Easter present from Aunt Sibby

Sleeping in Pop's arms

Having a little snack

Smiling at my mommy

I love my hats!

I'm a silly girl!

Eating breakfast Sunday morning before church with Pop

Happy Birthday Girl!

Alexa playing with her pumpkin

Talking to Elmo on the great phone Uncle Josh and Aunt Brenda gave her for her birthday

Recent Fascination

Alexa is almost 14 months old, and she has been the best baby any mother could ask for. She rarely cried as a baby, and slept very well. A few months ago we graduated from crying herself to sleep to lying down awake and going to sleep on her own with no fuss. To me, this was almost better than sleeping through the night. I honestly have no complaints, but something has been happening recently and it’s really made me wonder.

Alexa was exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months, and 3 days! On Walker’s 6 month birthday we had a rice cereal party and gave both babies their first taste of real food. As you can tell from this picture, Alexa was all about it! For a few weeks before that time they had both started really eyeballing anyone with food around them, and always followed the fork from your plate to your mouth. It was very tempting to start them on solids earlier, but with the risk of food allergies, we made the decision that it was best to wait until 6 months. After that we were off and running, they both are great eaters! Alexa continued to nurse in the morning and at night, and took bottles 3 bottles of breast milk to daycare with her. For those of you who have pumped, you know how time consuming and frustrating it can be. At the end I was pumping 6 times a day and not even getting enough for the next day…I made up the extra on the weekends. As a result I was very anxious for her first birthday!! Not because I am ready for her to grow up, but because that meant she could have cow’s milk!! What a wonderful day, when I didn’t have to carry that heavy pump to work with me EVER AGAIN!

I decided that I would let Alexa continue to nurse in the morning and at night until she was ready to wean herself, or until my supply dried up. This arrangement has been working rather well, I enjoy the time we get to spend together, mostly because any other time she doesn’t want to sit still. Actually, even then she doesn’t sit still, she squirms all over me and changes positions multiple times during the event. It’s pretty hysterical to watch!

About a week or so ago, she started wanting to nurse more frequently, which I thought was strange. It really made me wonder if she can tell my supply is getting ready to dry up and therefore wanted to make it last a little bit longer. I’m really not sure, but now she has started pulling at the neck of my shirt anytime I pick her up. She pulls on it and says “uuhhh!! uuhhh!!” like mama, give me some yum yums! She does it all the time, regardless of where we are, what we are doing, or when she has eaten last. I don’t know what to do about it, don’t know how to stop it or even have any thoughts on the matter, except that it’s driving me crazy!

I’m sure she isn’t the first child to do this…I think part of it may be that she has finally realized that is where her milk is coming from, and that they are still there even when mommy has a shirt on! I just don’t know where this sudden fascination with nursing has come from.

New Arrival

Yesterday when I got home from school I had a package...Little Traveler Alexa has arrived! Today she came to work with me so she could see the budding metropolis of Spartanburg. LOL! Leigh-Ann still has others available if you would like to purchase one of your own. It's such a great cause, and it's not expensive at all!