A week of firsts!

I guess with a baby each week is full of firsts, but for some reason, this week Alexa has gotten to experience a whole lot of firsts...

~ She also has started teething this week, and has been pretty miserable from that- running fevers and just being out of sorts. We took her to her doctor to make sure her fever wasn't anything more and she is a whopping 14 pounds! She is still little for her age, but she is growing consistently each month, hitting her milestones and is just all around a happy girl! I love her new pediatrician~ I'm so happy we changed.

~ She also learned how to roll from her back onto her tummy this week- and looks like she'll be crawling before we know it! The times of laying her down and her staying in one spot is over and childproofing the house is now upon us!

~And then last night, Alexa blessed me with a WHOLE NIGHTS SLEEP! She slept from 8 pm to 7 am without waking up once! When I woke up this morning, I was shocked to look at the clock and see that she hadn't woken up at all during the night- it kind of scared me a little, but she is just getthing better at her sleeping! I will NEVER take for granted a full night's sleep again!

~ We took our first short vacation as a family to St. Augustine, FL. Mark and I have gone there for weekend getaways ever since we first got married. We usually stay in a hotel right on the beach and do lots of shopping at the historic district. This time we stayed in the historic district and walked everywhere for exercise (still working on the baby weight!). We were so proud of Alexa-it was really hot- like 90 degrees and she was such a trooper! She was so good and only got a little fussy when she got really tired. We all went to the IMAX theater and watched a movie about the Grand Canyon- it was pretty entertaining, but I got SOO much more enjoyment out of watching her watch the movie. She was so cute following all the shapes and people in the film. I love how she is really starting to notice and interact with the world around her more.

~ While we were in St. Augustine, we took her to the beach for the first time. We'd been by the ocean before, but this was her first time ON it... we got up super early to watch the sunrise and take lots of pictures while the sun was coming up. Alexa was pretty tired so we didn't get as many smiles as usual, but she was fascinated by the waves. I can't wait until next summer when she starts playing in the sand more.

~ While we were in St. Augustine, I was reminded of the true blessing that Alexa is to our family. The first time Mark and I went to St. Augustine was after our first miscarriage which was almost exactly four year ago this week. We were both so extremely sad during that trip and neither of us felt that we would ever be able to have a baby. It struck me as we were watching the sun rise on Sunday, life is amazing--here we were with our beautiful baby girl, enjoying the beach and the beautiful weather... the loss of our other babies has really made us appreciate the miracle of this life all the more. God is amazing, and knew exactly what we need when we need it. I hope all of you who are blessed with children recognize just how truly miraculous each life is...