Merry Christmas!

So Lexi is continuing her mission to find the real Santa Claus. We went a little further South to Santa's place to see another bearded guy. She really liked this guy and his helpers didn't ringing any distracting bells. She pulled on his beard and questioned his authenticity and seemed relatively satisfied. At least satisfied enough to smile and grant her parents one decent photo to use for Christmas cards.
We're all getting ready for Jervon's folks to visit. His two brothers and two sisters and spouses and his mom will spend Christmas with us. Yes, we'll have a full house. Lexi's preparing for all the kisses and cheek pinching.

Our apologies ...

I can't believe it's been almost a month since we've updated Baby Boogie. Lexi and her mommy have been home alone for a couple of weeks and blog updating fell off the priority list. To all the fans of Baby Boogie who have informed us of our transgression, we're truly sorry :)

Lexi will be 7 months old this Friday and she's acting every bit the part. She's no longer satisfied with the white stuff in her bottle. She loves crushed bananas in her cereal. And nothing brings out the smacking noises like carrot puree and applesauce. Next up, finger foods.
As you can see, she's already gotten a head start. Her behavior during her first Thanksgiving meals proved mom and dad need to get started on the etiquette lessons. She was grabbing food off every plate within reach. She also loves drinking out of glasses and attempted to chug some rum punch. Thankfully we were able to separate her from the glass with only minor spillage and no liver damage.

For her first visit to Santa, Lexi decided to wear a traditional Dominican dress called the Wob Dwiyet. This outfit is normally worn during independence celebrations in Oct and Nov., so my relatives find it hilarious that Lexi's wearing this in December. My godmother painstakingly created the miniature outfit, which actually requires quite a bit of hand sewing.
The little island girl was all smiles for Santa, until Santa's helpers decided to start ringing bells to keep her entertained. The noise startled her and her smile disappeared, but not before she could ask Santa for a few things on her list.

6 months!!!

Lexi is six months old. Alexa Noreen Stuart is 6 months old. Where has the time gone? What did we do before she came along? What an amazing, joyous and sometimes scary time it has been.

Here are some stats from her 6 month check-up -- she's average.
Weight - 16 pounds (50th percentile)
Height - 25 inches (50th percentile)
Head - 16 inches (50th percentile)

She's met and exceeded her developmental milestones. In fact, her doctor was surprised by how active and interactive she is. She is quite the ball of energy and although she's not crawling or walking yet, keeping up with her rolling, lunges and grabbing is tiring.

Her doc expects she'll crawl forward soon. She's an expert at the backward crawl. Her movements are very swift. She spins around in a circle and can cover the surface of her play mat without ever moving forward. We're getting ready to lower her crib since I spotted her holding the railing, trying to pull herself up.

She babbles constantly and makes high pitched singing noises. She seems to understand call-and-response techniques and will repeat the same sounds in response to our prompts.
As for her mood, she's all smiles all the time and she has the cutest little belly laugh -- pure joy. She recognizes us and our dog Jackie and whenever one of us walks into the room she kicks her feet and waves her arm in excitement. She also has the same reaction when we turn on her music.

The last month hasn't been without it's bumps. She weaned herself off the boobs. One day a couple weeks ago, she decided she'd had enough and started crying at the sight of them -- I feel so used :). She had her first illness, an ear infection and a cough and cold that she's still fighting. Of course, we thought the world was about to end since the solar system revolves around her stuffed-up nostrils.

She sounds like a frog because the mucus had drained into the back of her throat, but her doc says she's doing fine and we just have to wait it out. That's a tough for two people who always feel the need to fix things.

Here are some photos from her 6th month. If I have the patience to wait out Blogger, I'll post a video later.

Conversations with Aunt Lynaire

Lots o' drool

Lil' froggy loves her spoon. She grabs it during feeding time and all kinds of messy fun ensues.

Congratulations Mr. President

You're never too young to choose sides. Lexi, our budding political analyst, was only 2 months old when she called the race. While in the womb, she listened to enough of Keith Olberman's and Rush Limbaugh's diatribes to make an informed decision.

Happy Halloween

Enjoy these photos of the cutest little bumble bee in town

Sleepy Bee

Getting Caught Up -- random goodness

A lot of Lexi's memories have been trapped in my iphone, so I've finally downloaded the pics and found some gems.

Bob's Girls

Lexi and her God mommy show some love for Brother Bob. That's what's up.

Church folk

All dressed up and off to church with Daddy. Thanks to the Florida Stuarts for the fly outfit.

Farm Girl

Somehow, Lexi found her toes more interesting than the grazing horses nearby. And as you can see below, her fingers also won out over the horses. I see a huge orthodontist bill in our future.

Lexi loves her Baby Einstein Gym. She can easily spend an hour listening to the music and playing with the dangling bits before she gets bored. Aunt Tricia, this was a great buy.

Real Food

Nona gave Lexi her first taste of baby food. As you can tell, she enjoyed every finger-licking bite of her pureed carrots. She also gobbles up her pureed squash. This weekend it's off to the farmers market to find some veggies to challenge the food processor. Super Lexi
Sweet, patient Jackie puts up with all kind of Mischief. Lexi donned her best Ole Miss PJs and a bib cape, and with Baby Daddy's help, she rode Jackie around the living room. Of course, Jackie gladly obliged.

Before and After

When Lexi was just a week old we took her picture in this antique chair. Five months later, she reminds us just how much she's grown. Notice her fingers planted firmly in her mouth in the 5 month pic. She's obsessed with those fingers. Click picture to enlarge.

Little Lexi Welcome

Lexi is the newest member of the Oxford University United Methodist Church. Sunday, we made the trip to Oxford along with a supportive group of family and friends to celebrate Lexi's christening. It was such a delightful and emotional experience. Lexi looked like an angel in her christening gown. She stared straight ahead at the pastors and the choir, as if she knew exactly what was taking place.

She spent the service being passed from hand to hand and barely made a peep. After about an hour and 15 minutes in an extra long silk gown and matching bonnet, she had had about enough, and fell asleep during the meet and greet after the service. The entire congregation lined up to welcome Lexi but she was more interested in sleeping and sucking on her fingers.

There were so many special moments on Sunday. My mom was well enough to travel to Oxford to witness her grandbaby's christening. Claire Dobbs, the pastor who performed our wedding also christened our baby. From the banner bearing Lexi's name to the "Little Lexi Welcome" song the choir sang, we didn't have to look hard to find a reason to tear up.

I'm editing video that I hope to upload soon.

Gregoire Girls

Her trip was delayed by three months, but not even major surgery could keep Mama Gregoire away from her grandbaby. We've taken long walks in the neighborhood, made a fun trip to Oxford to see Auntie Arlene and revel in the remnants of the debate, hung out on the banks of the Mississippi, etc., etc. It's just so fabulous to have my mom here. Lexi is in grandma heaven.

This week, between shopping and sightseeing, we'll be preparing for Lexi's christening. I can't wait for Sunday when a dear group of friends and family will gather in Oxford for the blessed event. Of course, we'll post lost of photos. Meanwhile, here are some fun snaps from our weekend.

Lots 'o personality

It's amazing to see the changes in Lexi. She's developing a personality and is already defiant (not sure where she gets that from). She flails her arms and legs when she sees her daddy, and knows how to fake cry until she gets picked up. She responds to her name and surprised us when she started petting Jackie this weekend.

When she wakes up in the morning, she's all smiles and kisses. She carries her great mood straight through bath time when she kicks her feet so hard there's usually more water on the floor than in the tub. Feeding her takes three times longer than before because she is so aware of everything going on around her. She stops to follow every sound until she finds the source and is satisfied that it's not more interesting than what's in her bottle.

And there's the grabbing - hair, earrings, necklaces, name it. She's fascinated with the iphone and attempts to lick it if the caller on the other end says her name. Here she is, not looking mischievous.

Roll, scoot and drool - with video

There's been much excitement in the Gregoire-Stuart household. Our little girl is growing up. She's attempting to crawl during tummy time, but she only manages to scoot backward. Hey, movement is movement and we're thrilled. Also, she's finally perfected the roll over and does it quite easily, especially when she wakes from sleeping. She flops over from her tummy to her back.

We were never able to get her to sleep on her back despite our best efforts. After 2 months of waking up every 30 minutes, we tried putting her on her tummy and she slept through the night. Of course, for the next month, her paranoid mama still woke up every 30 minutes to make sure she was still breathing. In childcare class they drilled the importance of "back to sleep." For us, "back to sleep" meant no sleep.
She's also showing signs of teething - lots of drooling; her hands are always in her mouth and she's perfected a very loud, high pitch squeal. This week we go for round 2 of shots. I'm not looking forward to it, especially as she'll be more aware of what's happening than the last time. Good thing Baby Daddy will be there to hold our hands. Here are a couple vids of the happy kid.

I'm still waiting to capture her rolling over on video, no luck.

Mini who? You be the judge

15 Weeks ...still sweet.

Lexi's third month has been full of firsts. We returned from Dominica with no solid plan for child care. J's mom was back in Freeport and we were still on waiting lists at the daycares we wanted. But things have a way of working out. I checked my office voicemail and found out that one of the centers we'd visited had an immediate opening. It wasn't our first, second or even third choice, but in the week since Lexi's been there, she's bonded with the ladies who take great care of her. She seems well adjusted and happy, and that's all we can ask for.

The trip and her new daycare schedule have completely messed up her sleep pattern. In Dominica she slept 8-10 hours at night. I'd have to wake her up in the mornings. Since we got home she's started going to bed at 6 p.m., wakes up at midnight and wants to play for a couple of hours before going back to sleep. Then she's up again at 5 a.m. I'm so sleep deprived I can't even think straight most days. But when she wakes and flashes that toothless grin, there's nothing I can do but smile along with her. Here are some photos from Lexi's 3rd month.

We're Back!

After 17 days away from Baby Daddy, Jackie and Sophie, Lexi and I are back home. Thankfully, our trip home was not as eventful as the trip to Dominica. This time we made it home in 16 hours, including 4 flights, another unscheduled stop in Antigua and a bus ride through the Dominican rain forest. Lexi was a trooper most of the way, but by the last leg of our journey she'd had about enough.
Lexi's travel stroller was a lifesaver during the various legs of our flights.

Lexi had lots of firsts in Dominica -- first sit up attempt, first roll over, first birthday party, first literary festival, etc. Here are some highlights from our trip:

This is the first of a long string of photos of Lexi being held by various aunts and great aunts. With Aunt Martha
With Aunt Ima.

Tender moments with Auntie Pia
Proud uncle Craig
Beautiful Nevissa Gregoire
Lexi with her cousins Nevissa and Ciara.

Pinky just had to meet Lexi. She made it just in time.
Darin and Lexi had lots of bonding time.

Lexi helped keep her Nona's spirits up. Lots of smiles for Nona.

With my godmother, Auntie Tora.
With the one and only, Auntie Reverend Janetta James (Nona's sister) and Jaida.
With sweet Auntie Anthelia (Nona's sister)
Lexi with Auntie Lyn (my godmother and Nona's godmother as well) and Leah
We didn't have a lot of opportunities to enjoy Dominica's natural beauty on this trip but we snapped a few cool shots we wanted to share.

There's a reason Dominica's called the Nature Isle

Mommy was busy tending to Nona, cleaning house, running errands, etc., but she did find a little time to enjoy a nighttime seabath and a trip to Screws natural hot springs.