Attorney Work Product

Water Bugs

Who knew Alex was such a water bug? We knew he enjoyed his baths, but the beach is a whole 'nother level of fun! We unexpectedly spent yesterday with Granny Hurdle, Aunt Ann, and Cousin Janie (all related by choice, if not by blood) in Annapolis, and had a marvelous time. The weather was perfect, the beach was gentle, and Alex and Janie (who's almost two) were total water bugs. I put Alex down on the beach and he immediately crawled directly into the water and refused to leave. He splashed and played and had a grand time on the sand, too. He used this opportunity and the added bouancy of the water and the slope of the beach to perfect standing on his own (as opposed to pulling up on nearby objects), a skill which seems to have stuck on dry land. He loved using the rake and the shovel, and piling sand in Janie's wagon. He started out in a bathing suit, T-shirt and sun hat, but quickly ended up stripped down just to a swim diaper. Thank god Waterbabies sunscreen, SPF 50, really works! We slathered him several times, and he did not get any sun at all (Mommy and Daddy, however, forgot to do each other's backs, with disasterous results).

After the beach, the babies took a quick bath together to de-sand and had a little sing along at the piano (luckily, Twinkle, Twinkle and the Alphabet Song are the same tune!). Alex then proceeded to sleep on the way home, from around 6:30 p.m. til morning (with a few brief wakings to nurse, but still!). He was plum worn out by all that fresh air.

Mommy forgot her camera, but Granny Hurdle took TONS of pix. We'll post some here when she does!

Manhattan Adventure

Alex reaped the benefits of Mommy having to go to New York City for a work event. While Mommy did her thing at the conference center, Alex got to hang with Nani all around the town. He even got the added bonus of spending Saturday night at Nani and Pop Pop's house, which meant a Sunday afternoon visit with Tootsie Nani and Aunt Margo, as well as dinner at Outback with Nani and Pop Pop and Uncle Dennis and C.Jaye. He managed to hitch a ride on Pop Pop's shoulders as we were leaving Outback. Then, it was off to the City for Alex, Mommy and Nani.

The next morning, Alex and Nani slept in while Mommy went to her conference. What a sight they were! They slept til almost eleven, then got cleaned up and dressed and met Mommy for some moo juice.
After that, it was off to Central Park. They played at the playground, and visited the penguins at the zoo. That night, I strapped Alex to my back and we walked all around the hotel. Before it got dark, we walked around Rockefeller Center and the NBC Studios area, and past Radio City Music Hall. We caught dinner at an Indian restaurant, although Alex slept through that part of the evening. Then we walked down Seventh Avenue, where Alex was absolutely entranced by the lights in Times Square. The best part is, at around midnight, Mike arrived on the train, and was able to join me the next day to watch me speak (and do the lionshare of the driving home). All in all, a great trip!

New Smile

Here's that new smile I was talking about...two front teeth!

Do I hear four?

Tooth number 4 (bottom left) popped through. Poor crankpot!

And then there were three!

Alex woke up this morning with two more teeth then he had the night before. Today the right upper front tooth finally popped all the way through. The bottom right tooth also popped through and is now visible to the naked eye. The bottom left tooth is not through yet, but is on its way -- I am suddenly expert at knowing what I am looking for in the tooth department.

Not coincidentally, I woke up this morning with a little scab on my nipple. Yow. I think now that teeth are in the picture we may have to work on our sleep positioning to make sure his latch hasn't gotten too lazy. He hasn't purposely bit me with the new choppers yet (*knock wood*) and I am trying not to worry about him doing so. We went through and nipped in the bud (so to speak!) a gumming problem a few months ago, so I hope and pray that he got it out of his system then.

Baby needs a new pair of shoes!

Actually, I bought him some yesterday -- Alex's first pair of non-slipper shoes. We went to both Nordstrom's (which sells Stride-Rites) and Target, and came to the conclusion that the Target sandals seemed about as soft as the Stride-Rites, and were about 30 bucks cheaper. When we tried them on him in the store, he was sleeping. When we got them on him at home, he was...pissed! He really hated them at first. He was clunky and fell several times. I felt like a mean mommy for even trying to make him wear them.

Today was better. He didn't scream when they went on, and he was able to walk pretty well in them by the end of the day. I think we are going to try to keep him barefoot or in Robeez as much as possible this summer (he has outgrown his last pair of Robeez and needs the next size up!) but at least now we have the shoes for out doors so that his bare feet/socks/slippers won't get gooped up with cicada guts or other vagaries of summer. Walking really is a whole new world!

Waasup Redux

Trying to get a picture of that dang new tooth, but instead I get more beer commercial poses. Oh well, still cute!

We almost made it...

Today we snuck in an afternoon visit to the pediatrician, since Alex had a bit of a cough and he spiked a small (100.3) fever at day care yesterday. The nurse asked me if he was pulling up yet. Is he pulling up yet?!?!? Pulling up is sooooo 5 months ago, I thought to myself. I bragged about his walking, and I could tell she thought I was embellishing. Then I put him down to show her. At first he wouldn't even stand -- Mr. Protester's Sag just was fighting me all the way, and she kind of knowingly smirked. But then he finally did it, and walked right out the door and half way down the hall before I finally retrieved him. And then I inwardly laughed as she metaphorically scraped her chin off the floor and exclaimed "Wow! He's more steady on his feet than most 15 month olds we see!" Just call me Puff-Mommy (as in, puffy chested with pride).

He had a little fluid on his ear, but nothing worth treating. Most likely a virus/cold, as well as a touch of pink-eye for which we obtained antibiotic ointment. I snuck him on the scale, and he unofficially (fully clothed) was 20 pounds, 8 ounces. He's been a little off, but still basically just a happy, happy guy. Thank you to the powers that be!

I haven't wanted to jinx it, so I never mentioned before now that Alex's first year has been happily illness-free. I am so proud that we made it a full 11 months without having to do a single sick baby visit. And even this "sick baby" visit wasn't all that sick; the visit was just a precaution because of the fever.

I like to think that it's a combination of good genes, good luck, good diet, and good mama's milk. I can personally take credit for two and a half of those factors.

My Mother's Day Present

For Mother's Day, Alex gave me the bestest present -- his first tooth! That one tooth on the top left finally broke through. Alex also got me a sweet card (with a little help from daddy), as did daddy. As did a few others, too bless their hearts, including a long lost friend from high school I recently reconnected with. I was sooo touched!

Green Monster!

No, not envy, avacado. Everywhere. How fun!

Grooming

last night after Alex's bath, I put him on the changing table as usual for a clean diaper and PJs. I combed his hair, then put the comb away. He always has a tendency to grab at the items on the changing table, but today was particularly cute -- he fished out the comb and started combing his own hair! Wouldn't stop(or give up the comb) for a good 10 minutes or so. Mike apparently showed him yesterday morning how to comb his own hair when he got a hold of the comb, and he remembered and picked up on it!

No teeth...

I was wrong about the speed with which those teeth would bust through. They haven't reared their pearly tips. They have, however, made the pain monster rear his ugly head. Poor Alex -- he cried from the moment he woke up this morning until we left the house, and was just unconsolable. I gave him some Tylenol, and he was much closer to his normal self by the time we made it to day care.