Oh how far we have come

and by we I mainly mean Alexia.  Ever since she has taken those first 3 solo steps she is a wobbly walking machine.  Granted it only comes in spurts and sets of 5 or so, but still she tries so hard and gets the biggest smile on her face when she is doing it! Not only is she walking more but she is now standing up on her own, she no longer always needs the help of the nearest couch, table, or anything she can pull up on.  It amazes me how much she has changed in just the last week. 

I am so excited for Saturday.  My mom is coming down to babysit Lexi while Lew and I join some friends at the Coyotes game.  Our first night out together in a while.  I can't wait and most of all I can't wait for mom to see all that Lexi does now.  Since Thanksgiving she has accomplished so much.  Good luck watching her mom, she is a crazy woman with the push toy! Especially when she starts going after the dogs, but it is so much fun to watch her be so independent. 

Lew has started a new position at his company and gone back to the dreaded 9-6 shift.  ARG.  I miss having him home around 5 and there for dinner.  Now he gets home about when we are getting into pj's.  The worst part is not being able to eat as a family.  The best part is, he is home all day Saturdays now! 

The countdown to Christmas continues.  I finished wrapping all our gifts today and I was kinda sad!  I have really gotten into the Christmas spirit this year and have been enjoying every minute of it. 

family photo op

Kim showing Lexi the tree

hanging with Sonny

what is this thing on my arm?!

fun time at the park

11 months old

Today my little darling is 11 months old.......

So far she......

has eaten just about everything
crawls like a little machine
stands up and walks along anything she can pull up on
walks like a pro with her pushing toy
climbs up and down on anything she can possibly get her little legs up on
has had her fair share of falls, spills, and head bonks
babbles so wonderful
says mamamamama and dadaadada along with many other fun sounds
points if she wants something
shakes her head no
copies you if you make facial expressions
claps her hands
plays patty cake
hands you toys or food
had her blood drawn

I'm sure there is so much more but that is what stands out...last BUT certainly not least

ALEXIA TOOK HER 1ST 3 SOLO STEPS last night!!!!! It was absolutely amazing and so exciting to watch.  She was so proud of herself and then was so excited she would just start lunging instead of walking, it was adorable!! 

Alas, little Lexi still has NO TEETH!!!  Her 2 younger friends (by 3+ months) have gotten their first couple of teeth and left her in the dust.  I love that huge gummy smile but I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of her first tooth. 

In one month my daughter will turn 1.  How is that even possible?!?!?! I am already in party planning mode and can't wait to celebrate the day with family and friends.  I have never been this excited about a birthday before in my life.  Another thing I am super excited about for the first time in a long time is Christmas!  This year is going to be the best Christmas and I am sure all the ones to follow will be equally as exciting and memorable. 

I have some new pictures but my camera is in my diaper bag in the car and with Lexi napping after her first blood draw there is no way I am risking the dogs barking when I go out and get it! I will upload them soon.  Man they don't tell you they are going to draw the blood like they do adults.  A little heads up would have been nice.  I don't know what I thought they would do, I guess stick the foot like they did for the allergy one.  That was not a fun 10 minutes.  I don't even think the actually stick and blood draw part really bothered her, it was the strange people in white coats that had to hold her arm straight out and down really hard so she couldn't move.  She was not having it!  Lets just say next time I will be making her appointment for the afternoon so I can come home and have a glass of wine!!  Holy smokes. 

Thanksgiving

I had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. The main thing being my daughter.  I am so lucky and blessed to have such a wonderful, beautiful, healthy, happy almost 11 month old.  She is amazing and everyday I thank god for her.  I am also thankful for my wonderful husband who puts up with me everyday, I know I can be very difficult sometimes.  My entire family is so great to me and I know they will always be around for me through the good and the bad.  My old friends and new.  I feel so thankful to have been able to reconnect with a few friends from my younger days.  Especially Becky who I have known forever and we went, what, I think maybe 10+ years and have reconnected and bonded over our wonderful daughters.  Thanks for always hanging out with us you and Hayden truly are so special to us.  KIM and SONNY, I know that you are reading this in bed, (well i hope you're reading it) you guys have become fast friends and we have really enjoyed being able to spend some time together and can't wait for the time to come!!  Mom and dad, I can't say enough about you 2.  It is hard to believe that this year is quickly coming to a wonderful year.  It started out so joyous and there were definitely a few rough months, not to mention all the sleepless nights.  I wouldn't change any of it for the world! 

Lexi really enjoyed her first Thanksgiving.  They Knighton family came to our humble abode and spent a few days with us.  We had some really great food and family time.  Lexi tried a little of everything, granted most of it just ended up back in her highchair seat or on the floor for the dogs.  Stacey provided us with some wonderful relaxing facials at the end of the day, they were much needed!  Lexi even experienced a little of the craziness that is black friday shopping! We didn't go out til after 930am on friday morning so it wasn't too horrible but we still got all the deals we wanted!  I'm so excited and geared up for Christmas I can hardly stand it. It has been quite sometime that I have gotten into the Christmas spirit.  We already have our tree up and even put out some outdoor icicle lights!  I plan on hitting up the after Christmas sales so that next year can be even more festive! 

spending some time in Prescott

1st Thanksgiving

checking out the bear!

The Joys of Staying at Home

I absolutely love staying at home with my daughter.  I am so grateful that it is something we were able to make happen.  I get to be able to say I witnessed all of her firsts and take her to do so many things.  I'm also lucky because I reconnected with a childhood friend who has a daughter a few months younger then Lexi who is staying home!  We have been able to go out and do some many things.  We are going to the zoo, preserve, library, shopping, you name it we do it on a regular basis! It makes a world of a difference to have someone to talk to who can relate to what you are going through.  There is a lot of laughing when the 4 of us ladies gets together!  We seriously have the cutest, sweetest, goofiest daughters.  Even on the days that are a lot more fussing and crying then giggling playing I am glad to be home.  I am however, also extremely happy to see my husband walk through that front door at the end of his work day.  2 is better then one!!  Things go so much more smoothly in the evenings once he gets home.  I love watching Lexi's face once she realizes who just walked in the door.  She lights up and gets her excited noises going and does her little one handed salute wave that she does so well.  Thank you Lew for working so hard and making it possible for me to stay home with her and not having to put her in some daycare with people we don't know! Thank you for coming home after a long days work and putting on a happy (well relatively happy) face and helping me deal with our notoriously night fussy baby girl!  We love you!!!

Wedding Fun

Another wonderful weekend down in the history books, actually it was more like a whole week.  Let me just first start by saying (hopefully not jinxing anything) Alexia has slept through the night all week and weekend long!!! I mean she has woken up but she has done a lovely job getting herself back to sleep.  We spent a lot of time with Becky and Hayden last week.  Of course we went to the zoo and we also went shopping around the San Tan mall.  We are very lucky to have them so close by and interested in doing the same activities.  It is so nice to have someone to talk to and someone for Lexi to socialize with.  Grandma and Auntie Jill came down Friday afternoon and spent the weekend with us.  Friday night the whole Knighton clan was over for a delicious salmon dinner.  It was nice to see Auntie Stacey, she has been so busy with school and work.  Grandpa even stayed a while after dinner and hung out.  Lexi was loving all the attention from those who simply can't get enough of her.  Saturday morning Lexi and I took grandma to the preserve, she loved it.  After the preserve we spent some time at the library right next door.  Lexi was adorable playing with all the books.  She even went right up to another kid and "introduced" herself. I am so amazed at how much she has changed, socially.  There was a time where she wouldn't leave my arms sometimes not even to go to daddy, but now she plays independently so well.  When other people are around she doesn't come crying back to me anymore and it is such a breath of fresh air and so fun to watch her interact with other people. Saturday night our good friend Blaire got married and we were able to go sans baby!  It was our first time out as a couple in a VERY long time!  Thank you grandma and jill for babysitting!!  A lot of our fun was spent with Kim and Sonny, who are such wonderful friends and people ;) I am fortunate enough to have found such a great friend.  Thanks again Kim for doing my hair and makeup, I really felt beautiful because of you.  Today has been a great end to the weekend.  Football and little shopping, who could ask for anything more. 

Lunch with Kim

Lunch at Joe's Farm Grill with Becky and Hayden

showing grandma the duckies

Checking out the library

the beautiful bride

Walking

Lexi and I have been broadening our horizons lately.  This past week we walked anywhere but our neighborhood.  It got to be a little to monotonous and routine so we have been switching it up a bit.  Monday as everyone knows from the last blog we went to the park and tried out the swings and played in the grass.  Tuesday we ventured over to this wonderful little oasis called Riparian Preserve, it is AH-MAY-ZING!!! It's peaceful and full of birds and ducks- which come to find out Lexi loves.  So 3 mornings were spend walking the preserve and admiring the duckies.  Wednesday we found ourselves at the zoo with Becky and Hayden and had a wonderful time, as usual.  Can I just mention how lucky we are to be able to have friends close by who enjoy walking, chatting, and the zoo as much as we do! It makes my heart smile to think of Hayden and Alexia being able to grow up together and experience life. 
I am also going to use this blog to talk about my pretty awesome tomato plants.  My early girl has really started to come to life.  I am hoping that last nights storm didn't do too much damage as I thought the storm was over and woke up to roaring winds last night and my poor girl was all kinds of bent over this morning.  Anyways, after inspection she has 6 little tomatoes now starting to come to life along with the one that was already started when I got her.  I am so excited!  I found myself in the plants again on Thursday and came home with 2 peppers and a lovely purply pink flower thing!  I can't wait to start a real garden next year!! As for my 2 other tomato plants they are coming along nicely but I think it will still be quite some time before I see any life on them! 
Below are some pictures from the week for your enjoyment.

giving asparagus a try

not a fan, but daddy is

here daddy you eat it!

one of the cool birds at the preserve

strolling around the lake at the preserve

it was a little too chilly and wet out for the preserve this morning so we went to the mall instead.
Lexi's first time in the play area.  It was fun until it started to fill up with unruly kids and one who kept running over Lexi

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Today is Lexi's first halloween and I am super pumped up and excited to put her back into her little ladybug costume and take pictures by our vampire cat pumpkin that is guarding our front door.   This is the first time in a few days I have had the time to sit down and blog so lets update you on what has been going on in the Izzo household.

Last week my sister-in-law did a truley selfless and inspiring act of kindness when she donated her kidney to her ill father-in-law.  The procedure went well and she is at home recovering and we wish her a speedy and easy one.  I am so lucky and blessed to be able to call her family.

We finally got a security door installed and at the perfect time to use it too.  The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous, this is why I love living in the Valley.  While everyone else is suffering with the cold and snow we have sunny 80s! 

This weekend my mom and sister Jill came down to visit and help us carve our pumpkin.  Let's just say that Jill is a pro at the carving business, she took control and we have an awsome vampire cat to prove it.  Thanks Auntie Jill for making Lexi an awsome 1st pumpkin.  We also took a ton of pictures which I am excited to post for everyone to see.

Lexi is still being a bit of a pill when it comes to eating.  One day she likes something the next she doesn't or gives me a hard time about it.  I keep trying to sneak in more table foods but she refuses most everything, especially meats.  One day one day. 
Teeth update- NONE, still all gums my little one.  10 months in a week from yesterday and not a tooth to show for it.  However, I still get to see that beatiful huge gummy smile everyday which is so great.
She tries so hard to stand up on her own without any help from a stationary object.  She is so cute while she is doing thing, rocking onto her knees and hands in the air.  Then she gets frustrated and pouts.  Once standing she is balancing on her own for longer and longer, longest to date has been just about a minute!  Of course everytime I go for the camera to document this magical moment she sits back down.  She sits so gracefully, it's adorable.

Yesterday I got a chance to do mom things sans baby.  It was nice but at the same time I felt like i was missing something the whole time she wasn't with me.  After we got her down for a nap mom, jill, and I took the oppurtunity to go shopping.  After shopping I dropped them off at my house and drove up to Scottsdale Fashion Square to see my great friend Kim for a wonderful makeover!  Thanks again Kim for making me feel like I still have some women in me!  After the makeover we got to grab a little bite to eat and gossip, which is what we do best!

Today after our morning walk and breakfast of some peach yogurt Lexi and I headed out to the Skyline park just down the road from our house.  I have been dying to get her in one of those baby swings.  Luck would have it that they had 2 baby swings, my luck- Lexi did NOT enjoy being in the swing on her own.  I was able to get a couple pictures before she had had enough.  We spent a lot of time just playing in the grass and with her swinging in my lap.  We got home and she had her bottle and is napping peacefully in her crib as I snack on goldfish and update the world.

yuckin it up with daddy

my lil ham

everyone is enjoying the new door

airplane ride via auntie jill

first pumpkin experience

big helper

the seed baby

she's had about enough pumpkin for one day

napping with auntie jill after the big pumpkin carving

checkin out her lit up pumpin

finished

not so sure about this swinging stuff

awww much better on the ground in mommys lap

can't....let....knees....touch...the....grass