Nine months.

I haven't done an update since Peyton was 5 months old. Woops. She's 9 months old now! An entire pregnancy. CRAZY! At her 9 month well baby check up she weighed 18lbs 4oz & she was 26in tall. She's gained a little less than 2lbs since her 6 month appointment. & she's in the 52nd percentile for weight. I swear all of her weight is stored in her chunky thighs! They're the best. So squishy.

Anyway, Peyton is awesome. She doesn't sleep through the night AT ALL, but at least she's freaking adorable. She's very chatty, & loves to bounce. You would think she'd get tired after 40 minutes, but no, not at all. We started her on solids at 8 months. I'm glad we waited. I got to spend 8 months changing diapers of an exclusively breastfed baby. They are great. Have a baby & you'll understand once they start solids. Anyway, she hasn't had any eating issues. She knew exactly what to do with a spoon, & since she's beyond the pushing her tongue out phase, it's not too messy of an occasion. She's a surprisingly clean eater. & I started her on vegetables. She loves them. Of course, she won't eat anything fruity to save my life, but she LOVES her peas, carrots, & green beans. I think that's great. (Her doctor tried to tell me otherwise, but I pretty much disagree with anything & everything base doctors tell me.) She doesn't crawl yet, which is FINE. Her doctors tried to tell me different...as usual. But it's normal. She started dragging herself around the day after her check up. She didn't even roll until she was 7 months old, & she doesn't have any teeth. So she's a little behind in some areas, but it's totally normal. & honestly? I'm cool with not having a super mobile baby at this point. She also doesn't have that whole "stranger danger" thing that most babies have at this point. Meaning she's not at all shy. She LOVES strangers actually.

Peyton likes...

veggies.
her blankie.
bouncing.
my boobs (HA).
Anya.
bathtime.
banging things that make loud noises.
people that wear glasses.
people watching.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar movie.
cuddling.
crinkly noises.
pulling hair.

Peyton hates...

sleeping through the night.
being tricked in to napping by herself.
when I don't change her diaper fast enough.
being sleepy.
being hungry.









Okay, moving on.

We went on a long trip this summer. I was gone for a month, Gabe only for two weeks. We went to see Gabe's family in Idaho, saw my grandparents in Utah, & then Peyton & I continued on to see my family in Colorado. It was a LONG month. Not at all relaxing. But I'm going back to Colorado in September. Hoping to catch up on some much needed sleep.

So anyway, here's what you've missed (or more like what I've failed to update on) over the last few months. Told in pictures.

First time in the grass.

First plane ride.

Idaho.

Cousins. Two weeks apart.

I MADE THAT DINOSAUR!!! 

Her great grandpa.

SLC temple.

Her first time swimming.

My brother Bret, & my sister Michelle.

My baby & my bestie.

My parents.

That is all.

- Alexa

Five months.

Peyton is 5 months old! Well. She was on April 25th, but I've been busy. Little miss is adorable, which is no different from past months. She's growing far too fast. I really notice it when other people are holding her. She's so long! & she has such chunky little thighs! She's not nearly as chunky as people think she is though. She's in 3-6 month clothes so she can't be that big. When you hold her you can tell she's still pretty scrawny, but she's definitely got some fat on her! I love me some baby fat. It's the only time rolls are ever cute.

Easter.
18 weeks.

 She's generally a happy baby. She only gets fussy when she's sleepy or starving. She's quite content with her life. I took her to the post office & we waited in line for 45 minutes. She was silent the entire town. I'm sure everyone around me was very grateful. As of her 5 month mark she hadn't rolled over. I like to think this means she's laid back & maybe she'll be less of a handful than a baby that rolls at one month. I've read that, but I don't think it's true. Wishful thinking.

She goes to bed between 8 & 9pm, which is great. Her longest stretch is anywhere between 4 & 9 hours these days. I'm pretty dang tired, but she's so cute when she wakes up. She's just so happy to see me! I love that. & she loooves her daddy. He's not allowed to sit near me when I'm nursing her at night, or talk. If he does, she stops eating & gets distracted looking at him & smiling. It's freaking adorable.

19 weeks.

Peyton loves...

Bath time.
Trying to eat her clothes.
Pulling Anya's hair.
Stuffing things in her mouth.
Standing up.
Being in her play gym.
Being out of the house.
Her daddy.
Sucking on other peoples arms & fingers.
Grabbing my plate while I nurse & eat.

This is what happens when Gabe dresses her.
17 weeks.

Peyton hates...

Her nose being messed with.
Being left alone for too long.
Being sleepy.
Getting out of the bath.
Being hot.

19 weeks.

Gabe & I are doing well. We're very blessed. Gabe has a new calling at church. He is now 2nd counselor in the young men's presidency & the scout master assistant. He's also doing the aviation merit badge with them. He's pretty happy about it. No doubt this will be totally new to him, but I think it'll help him learn to socialize more. I'll let you in on a secret. My husband is super socially awkward. Really smart people tend to be that way & he is no exception. He gets teased for it, but if he managed to get me, he must be pretty dang great under all that awkward. =]

I started an 8 week challenge with my brother & his friends to get in shape. It started at the beginning of April. I put the sticky note to the left on my fridge. I go to the gym 6 days a week. Sometimes I get to drop Peyton off with Gabe at work so I can go during the day, but usually I go in the evenings after I put Peyton down. My clothes are fitting a lot bigger. Except my pre pregnancy pants. I have hips now so I don't think those will ever fit again. Really sad about that. I have no idea how much weight I've lost though, if any. I got discouraged after about 2 weeks because the number on the scale was showing me to be a MAJOR yo-yo. I think it has something to do with my health issues that I don't have time to worry about right now. Not a huge deal in my opinion. But I have no doubt that it's messing with my weight big time. What matters is I feel good. I love going to the gym. I look forward to it every day. It may be because it's an hour to myself, but I feel so good when I'm done. I love that feeling.

So anyway, here are a few more photos of the cutie.

19 weeks.

19 weeks.

21 weeks.

That is all!

- Alexa

Four months.

16 weeks.

My baby is 4 months old!!! Crazy. A lot of times I look at her & can't believe I'm a mom. I'm obviously far too young to be a mom. Nevertheless, I spend my days with a baby sucking on my boob, & changing diapers.

Her 4 month well baby appointment was on the 25th (at 4 months exactly). Little girl weighs 13 lbs 8 oz!!!! She's in the 50th percentile for weight. She's 23 inches long, which is the 11th percentile I believe. She's still in 0-3 month clothes & size 1 diapers. Even the doctor told me she's petite. She really is. She's not super chunky & her limbs are long like mine. She's dainty. & freaking adorable.

She's doing fantastically. Aside from her 3 month growth spurt, she usually sleeps through the night anywhere between 6 & 11 hours. Of course, for me to get that much sleep I'd have to go to sleep right after her, which I never do, so I'm still sleep deprived. She figured out how to grab things a couple of weeks ago. She really wants my phone. She hasn't rolled over yet, but she sure tries. She can stand like a pro. & she likes to try to get out of her car seat. She thinks she's big. I'm not ready to attempt solids with her yet. I'm thinking we'll do that at 6 months. She is easily distracted by her daddy. A couple of weeks ago we were having FHE & singing an opening hymn while she was nursing. As soon as Gabe started singing she came off the boob & stared at him through the whole song. As soon as it was over she popped right back on. It was hilarious.

15 weeks.

Peyton loves...

Daddy's voice.
Bobo the sheep & her hippo.
Baths.
When strangers talk to her.
Her play gym.
Sleeping with both arms above her head.
Standing.
"Chatting."
Sucking her hands.
Holding things.
Anya

16 weeks.
Baby Astronaut!

Peyton hates...

Being in one position for too long.
Being in her car seat for too long.
Being hungry.
Being alone while I shower.
Having her nose messed with.

16 weeks.

I'm a lucky mom. I mean, wow. She's cute! I know I'm bias, but seriously. Look at that face. Adorable.

Gabe & I have been doing great. I'm SLOWLY getting things moved around the house in preparation for child proofing the house. & decluttering in general. We've moved a few bookshelves. I've covered a couple of diaper boxes with material to store craft supplies in my living room. It's a really slow process cause the only time I can really do those things are when Peyton's asleep. She's not big on napping & since I like to rest when she does, the evenings don't see too much activity for me. At least the last few days since she's been a butt at night with all this adorable energy that I don't have. I'm pretty exhausted.

17 weeks.
She's a grump when she
wakes up from naps.

My weight since having Peyton has been a major yoyo. I'm 99.9% sure it's due to some health issues that I cancelled all my scans for because I just don't want to mess with it. I don't have time for those shenanigans again. But I'm eating pretty good. I gave up soda this year. Not intentionally. We ran out of soda once & I forgot to buy more. I have it when we go out, which is rare, but that's it. & I'm slowly starting to work out again. I don't look like I weigh as much as I do, which is good. I'm starting an 8 week challenge with my brother & his friends at the beginning of April. Bret (my brother) will make sure I keep up with working out, probably by calling me names. It's hard when you're so tired you can hardly stand, but I've gotta do it. I fit in to my pre pregnancy clothes, but it doesn't mean I feel good about myself in them. The extra flab that comes with postpartum is not so fun. Especially when the extra flab is covered in stretch marks that make you look like a tiger. Or a zebra, cause tigers are sexier than zebras. Or some kind of stripy fish. That's really unsexy. So anyway. Postpartum Alexa body is not my favourite.

16 weeks.
Rachel & Peyton.

Recently, one of my favourite people from high school came to visit! Rachel spent a few days with us last week. She really wanted to meet Peyton. Now that she's gone I'm 99% sure she actually misses Peyton more than me. I don't blame her. Peyton's way cute. Anyway. It was really nice to have her here. She was really helpful. I mean, she did dishes. How great is she?! Plus, Peyton loved her. So it was nice to be able to hand Peyton over when my arms got tired during the day.

15 weeks.
Saturday morning with daddy.

Gabe has been doing well, too, by the way. Just in case you were wondering. He's working hard both at work & home. Plus he's dealing with me, which isn't as hard as it was before since my hormones & stuff have leveled out. & our daughter loves him, so really his life is pretty dang good.









Here are some extra photos. =]

13 weeks.

14 weeks.

14 weeks.

14 weeks.

15 weeks.

16 weeks.

16 weeks.

17 weeks.

Anyway. That's all I've got for ya.


- Alexa

Three Months.

3 months!!!

12 weeks.
Wearing a headband from my sister-in-law's shop,
Queeny Belle Frills.

Peyton is 3 months old!!!! I can hardly believe it. I gave birth to that little cutie 13 weeks ago. She's so big now. She's in 0-3 month clothes! Finally. That happened a couple of weeks ago. The shirt she's wearing in the picture above is newborn, but Target newborn runs a little big. She also finally moved from newborn to size 1 diapers about 3 weeks ago. It just blows my mind how fast she's growing. Which is funny because people told me she's be in size 1 in the first couple of weeks, but it took her 10. I am really grateful that she's going slower than other babies. I'm getting more use out of her clothes, which is nice. At her 2 month appointment (she was 9 weeks), she weight 9lb 5oz & was 21 inches long. I had to take her back a week & a half later & she was 10lb 4oz & 22 inches long. She had a growth spurt in that week & a half, obviously. That has slowed down a lot though. She's gone from eating 6 hours a day to 3-4 hours a day. It's nice. A break for my boobs. 

10 weeks.

The girl is getting really strong. The picture to the left is from 10 weeks. She was holding her head really well. Now she's a ton better, as you can see from the top photo in this post of her sitting in the Bumbo today. She LOVES to stand. She can hold almost all of her own weight & we just hold her for balance. She started doing it a few weeks ago. It lets her have better control of what she sees. She's still a cuddly little burrito, but she wants to look at everything. When she's really awake she will just turn her head side to side constantly. She loves to look at lights in particular. I'm almost scared that she's going to stare at the sun & go blind or something. Ha! She stares at the lights in Gabe's hobby room for a long time. My eyes hurt immediately if I look directly at them. They're really bright. But she just loves lights. It's so cute. 

Mr. Moo, 13 weeks.

Peyton Loves...

Mr. Moo, her cow.

Making eyes & cooing at my cell phone.

Baths.

Cuddling with mommy.

Being swaddled.

Sucking on her hand.

When daddy makes silly noises.

Ceiling fans.

Lights.

Her bouncer.

Mobiles/hanging toys.

Standing up.

11 weeks.

Peyton hates...

Getting out of the bath.

Tummy time longer than 5 minutes.

Waiting to eat.

Being in her car seat too long.

Silence.

10 weeks.

She's growing too fast. I love where she's at right now though. Looking at everything. Smiling when she sees me. It makes me sad that she won't always be this cuddly little burrito. But I'm definitely excited about what's ahead. I can't wait for her to giggle. She coos a heck of a lot, & little squeals, but no giggle yet. Sitting up on her own, walking, talking... I love watching her grow & see her make milestones, but it makes me sad at the same time. Someday she won't need me! Sad.

This little girl is sleeping SO MUCH BETTER NOW! I don't believe books about sleeping. I think they're crap. I think some people get lucky with their babies, & some people don't. From other reading I've done beyond things like Baby Wise, I've found out that the average baby will start sleeping better around 12 weeks. This was totally true for me. A week ago I started a full on bed time routine, which I think was what helped the most. I now bathe her every night, & then feed her on one side, swaddle her, then feed her on the other. Usually she falls asleep then, but if not, I rock her a bit til she's really drowsy. She usually opens her eyes & wakes up a bit when I put her down, but she goes straight to sleep after that. When she's tired, if she's swallowed & comfortable, she'll sleep. I'm now putting her down 15 minutes earlier every couple of nights. She's down to 930 now. She sleeps until any time between 4 & 6, then wakes up to eat a little, & then goes back to sleep until 730 or 8. I cannot tell you how great it is to sleep longer than 2 hours at a time at night. I'm still completely exhausted, but there's a massive difference. I do my best to nap with her during the day too. She takes 2 40 minute naps usually. I'll usually use one of those to grab a quick sleep with her.

12 weeks.
That's the heart I crocheted.

Not much house work is getting done, which I hate. I vacuum once a week or so, but I really need to do it more than that. & scrub my floors & bathrooms. I guess it'll come with time, being able to do that kind of stuff with her around. I need to figure it out soon though, cause I also need to move things around to start making it baby safe for when she becomes a baby on the go in a few months. Lots to do!

Gabe & I are doing pretty good. We're doing a lot of thinking about what's next for us & where Gabe wants to go with his career. It's all very grown up, talking about that sort of thing. Ha! I am considering going back to school. Key word: considering. I really don't like Wright State. I wouldn't mind doing BYU online. Then we wouldn't have to pay for daycare. I'm also looking in to community colleges. I have so much I want to do with my time, but of course, I don't have that time. My time is no longer my 

12 weeks.
She fell asleep like this at church.

own. It's weird. My body wasn't my own for 9 months, & really, it's still not. & now neither is my time. My life revolves completely around Peyton's schedule & all of her needs. It takes some getting used to. Gabe & I have briefly discussed me taking photography classes. I loved that stuff in high school, & I think it'd be really fun to get in to. This past Friday when Peyton went to bed, I had a mild breakdown & Gabe walked me to my drawer of crafty things, got my crochet hooks & some yarn & sat me down in front of pinterest. I spent the next 3 hours learning to crochet. I'm very thankful he got me to do that. I really like to crochet! It's very repetitive & makes me pretty much unable to think about anything else since I have to keep count. I like it. Friday night I just practiced stitches. Saturday I made a little crochet heart, & that night I started a baby turban (it's a hat) for a Peyton. I haven't finished it yet because I haven't had a chance, but I look forward to it. It's nice to sit down & do something I enjoy. I also really want to learn to sew, but that will take more effort & a lot more practice. Crocheting isn't too hard to teach myself. Of course, I'm not trying anything too complicated at this point.

Wow, this is a really long post just to say that my baby is 3 months old. I just can't believe it. The main thing to know is that she's doing really well. & we love her immensely. She's a very very loved little girl.

Here are a few more pictures that I couldn't resist posting.

9 weeks.

10 weeks. Sleeping with attitude.

10 weeks. Matching daddy in support of mommy's school.

12 weeks. Lookin' cheeky.

Gosh I love that girl. & that man. They're great. =]

That is all.

- Alexa