Alex Flashback

Alex at 1 week old

Remember when he was this tiny, I don't. He is still a very petite baby but there was a day when he was only 5 pounds. I can't believe how much he has grown and changed.

Alex and I are having a good weekend, except for the heat factor. This is the first real heat wave that we have had that has lasted longer than one day. He was doing fine until yesterday afternoon when the house started to warm up and he was having trouble falling asleep. He went all day with only 2 very short naps until he finally crashed at 5:30 and he was out for the night. Of course he then preceded to wake up every 3 hours throughout the night. Hopefully tonight will go smoother since tomorrow I have to get us out of the house by 6:45 so I can take Alex to daycare and make it to work by 8.

Sorry for lack of posts

To our faithful readers, we apologize for the lack of posts and serious lack of recent pictures. It has just come to our attention that the thing that connects our camera to the computer is broken so sadly we cannot get any of the recent pictures we took out of our camera until I drag myself to the store (which is not high on my priority list because the sun is finally shining).

Alex is doing great. He is a growing boy and very giggly. He is sticking his little butt in the air and sometimes drags his face on the ground (a scary sign that crawling might not be that far off). He loves dad right now and he always makes him laugh.

Rob is off to New Orleans this weekend leaving Alex and me alone for 4 whole days. This will be the first time we have been alone for more than a day. I have lots of fun activities planned for us. When Rob returns I will get some updated pictures up for you (he is taking the camera with him).

Ba, ba, ba

Tuesday night Alex spit out his first "b" sound. It took him a really long time to get it out and he was concentrating very, very hard but he finally managed a "ba". It was very cute watching him concentrate and Rob and I couldn't help but laugh at him as he pushed his lips together for what seemed like ten minutes before he got the sound out. He has also improved on his sitting. He is not perfect yet but he manages a good amount of time before falling down.

Food in belly, baby is happy

Alex has been one happy dude lately now that we're filling up his belly with solid food. He seems to be finally gaining some weight again. So far he loves rice cereal, seems confused by carrots but still eats them, is a bit allergic to sweet potatoes (boo), and just gobbles down bananas.

The weather has gotten a lot better after a pretty miserable spring. We spent this weekend outdoors as much as possible. Yesterday we took a drive to Snoqualmie Falls which is pretty cool and then wandered around the town which is not really that cool. We hiked down from the falls observation point to the river which was about 3/4 mile and some pretty serious elevation. Alex loved all of the trees and plants and did his excitement scream most of the way. Then Dad realized that going 3/4 of a mile back up with a heavy incline is not too much fun with a baby strapped to his chest.

Today Alex made me breakfast, made me a card and framed a picture of himself for Father's Day. Best of all, he was in a much better mood than he was for Mother's Day (take that Jess). After breakfast it was off to the Edmonds Art festival. Alex loves being outside. It was so exciting that he finally crashed for a 2 hour nap.

Rain, rain, go away

It is June, yet it doesn't feel anything like it. It rained more the other day than it did the entire month of May. It is very depressing and it means Alex can't get outside to play. Luckily there are plenty of things in the house that entertain him, including Sampson.
Every time Sampson comes into the room Alex's face lights up. He especially enjoys it when he gets a big, wet kiss from Sampson (though we try to keep that to a minimum). He is also enjoying eating solid foods. He seems to be happier and is definitely sleeping better at night. Rob and I also think he is getting a little chunkier, but that just may be wishful thinking.

All in all we are doing well. May was a whirlwind of guests and a trip to the beach so we are enjoying having some time at home.

Solid Foods

Today Alex had his first taste of solid food, rice cereal. It was a very exciting day for mom and dad. Alex, however, was not too thrilled with the foreign object we were sticking in his mouth. He gladly opened his mouth for the first bite but as soon as he figured out what was happening he got this look of disgust on his face. Every bite after that was more and more challenging until we finally gave up because he didn't dare part his lips. We tried it twice today and the second time was a bit more successful but I doubt he got more than a few baby spoonfuls. We will give it another shot tomorrow morning.

Yesterday Alex went in for his sixth month check up. We are happy to say that he grew another 2 inches and is now in the 25th percentile for height. His weight is another story. He did gain a little weight in the last few months, but he is no longer on the charts. He weighs a whopping 13 pounds. The doctor says it isn't anything to worry about right now since he is eating just fine. Other than that he is a very happy, healthy boy.

Half Year Birthday!

Alex turned 6 months old yesterday. He spent the time focusing on his two favorite activities which are razzing (which sometimes ends up just being spitting all over his face) and shaking his head back and forth. He thinks this is hilarious and therefore so do we.

We spent Memorial Day at Cannon Beach with Nana and Saba. Alex got to play in the sand for the first time. It wasn't a perfect experience as he threw a handful of sand in his mouth and then wasn't too excited about playing much longer. It was a great weekend though with eating bad for you beach food, walking on the beach, and watching Sampson and Ainsley beat each other up.

Playgroup

Last night at our weekly playgroup we decided to take a group shot. We had the idea at the end of the night (about 8 PM) so most babies were ready for bed. Seconds after taking the shot and picking everyone up, they were all happy. I think we will try this periodically in the hopes that one day we will get a shop where everyone is happy.

The group is getting more and more fun as the babies are starting to interact with each other. Last night we laid them down in a circle so they could stare at each other. There was one toy in the circle which they nicely passed around for all to drool on.

Tonight we leave for Cannon Beach. So far all of our car trips have been successful but recently Alex has been experiencing some separation anxiety and even though he is just in the back seat we might as well have abandoned him in the desert. Our hopes is he will sleep most of the trip. If he is awake, hopefully Sampson can provide enough of a distraction that he doesn't care.

Sunny Days

Alex had a great weekend hanging out with his grandparents and going to his cousin's birthday party. The party was at pump-it-up which is a large room filled with different inflatable things like a slide and obstacle course. Alex had to sit on the sidelines but Rob and I had a great time jumping around. Alex also got to hang out outside on the lawn and roll around. He is enjoying playing with his rattle, which he tries to stick in his mouth. Surprisingly a lot of it gets in. Everyday it gets easier and easier to make him laugh. Sampson is particularly funny right now and bath time always gets him going. Now if only he would sleep for more than 2 hours at a time at night, we would be in heaven.

Home sick

Alex has been sick since Saturday with a fever and hasn't been able to go to daycare all week. Luckily Rob and I have been able to work our schedules out where we each take a half day at home. I am thankful to say that Alex has been fever free for almost a day and things are looking better. Since he has been sick he has been sleeping a little more than usual (during the day, not so much at night). His favorite sleeping position is on his side. As soon as he is laid down he whips himself to his side and sometimes manages to get all the way to his stomach. It is very funny to watch because it often takes him many tries to get into the perfect position but once he is there he is blissfully happy.