Alexandra gets cuter every day! She stays awake longer between naps and recognizes me and Ransom. She smiles at us and is starting to laugh. I expect a real giggle any day now. She loves to stand and can support her weight for short periods. I of course have to keep my hands on her for balance but other than that she's doing it all by herself. She likes looking at herself in the mirror but doesn't appreciate tummy time at all. I think she's offended by it because it's not her idea. Even when she was teeny tiny the nurses said she was feisty because she would get really mad when they changed her position and it wasn't her idea. That unfortunately reminds me of someone I know. My parents are probably going to have quite a few chuckles at my expense.

It's been pretty cold here for lower Alabama which delights me because she gets to wear her "Ralphie Suit"! Nothing pleases me more than a baby in a bear suit-it's the simple things in life that make it all worthwhile.

I've sold all of her preemie sized outfits (except 1 or 2 really special ones) which brings mixed feelings. I'm happy that she's grown so much but I remember washing them and folding them and bringing her clothes to the hospital. It was one of the only times I felt like a real parent while she was in the CCN. I definitly don't exert nearly the effort I used to. I used to fold them perfectly now I'm lucky if everything even gets put away before she wears it. It's usually just tossed in a laundry basket. She's already outgrown her newborn clothes and is even starting to fill out the 0-3 months sized stuff. She'll be in 3-6 months soon. Unbelievable.

She has a doctor appointment tomorrow to get a weight update and also to get her monthly RSV shot which really hurts her (and my) feelings. I've thrown several tantrums about not being able to wait in the waiting room with all those people and now we just go on back-which is wonderful. Being around a room full of people (even if they are supposedly well) made me feel like I was going to have a panic attack. At UAB they scared us to death about how important it was for her to not get sick; that she could wind up back in Birmingham on a respirator in the ICU. We keep her away from public places as much as we can but she has had to go a few places. We had her portraits done at Sears for Christmas and we went to Lowes to get a Christmas tree(we were outside but still). Other than that it's been a pretty Howard Hughes-ish existence! We should invest in hand sanitizer stock.

We are still looking forward to our trip to Meridian but Ransom's on a deadline at work so it may be a few weeks. As always we appreciate all of the support;it really helps knowing we have so many people in our corner. Thanks!