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Baby New Year

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2004!

Leg Shot

Poor baby had to have a shot today to make up for one they were out of at his six month appointment. He cried for a moment, but after that he was an absolute champ!

Go Low

With the baby boy standing, Mike had to lower the crib today. And this weekend, we have to break down the cradle and get it out of our room. It's just too dangerous for him to be in it anymore! I never realized that standing would bring on so many changes!

Fun, fun, fun!

Alex is really starting to learn how to play by himself. He got quite a few toys for Christmas, and he loves them all. He goes to town on his LeapTable, adores his soft blocks, and just generally has a grand ol' time playing. It's amazing to watch him learn!

Proud

Have you ever seen a child so proud of his ability to stand? (That's Uncle Denny's baby blanket from ZsuZsi Nani in the background...and come to think of it, that's Papa's chair as well.)

Kilroy Was Here

Wth new standing skills comes a new pose: Kilroy Was Here! Alex is also wearing his "angry eyes" (think Mrs. Potato Head in Toy Story 2) in this shot. He's saying, Mama, don't fence me in!

Attack Baby

This is the kind of attack that Pop Pops will gladly endure! Alex shows off his standing and beard-pulling skills.

Cheerios

Just for giggles, I gave Alex three Cheerios while the adults ate dinner tonight to see what, if anything, he would do with them. As I suspected, he did have the ability to rake them up and get them into his mouth. But he didn't really know what to do with them after that. At the end of the meal, I was left with soggy Cheerios crusted to the high chair seat. We'll try the whole Cheerios thing again in a couple of weeks, methinks.

Well, at least Aunt Mel and Uncle Greg got to see the little guy bond with his sippy cup!

Avocados

I was dying to give Alex avocados to try. I packed it up and brought it with us to lunch (restaurant high chair, woo hoo!). However, I think I need a lesson in portion control. As in, a six month old doesn't really need to eat a half, or even a quarter, of an avacado at one sitting. He let us know this in his own way -- by projectile vomiting green goo at the blinds store.

We'll try avocados again (in smaller portions!) in a few weeks...

Tub Fun

Now that Alex is sitting up better -- A-OK with a little support, and not too shabby on his own -- bath time is a lot more fun for him. He loves to read (and eat!) his waterproof copy of Dr. Suess' One Fish, Two Fish, and play with all the duckies he owns. So far he's learned to kick, but not splash. Fingers crossed that it stays that way for a while.

Get Up, Stand Up

Last night we were sitting downstairs and Alex crawled over to me and then pulled himself up to a standing position, using me as leverage. WOW. He was so proud of himself, too. Claudia says he is trying very hard to pull up during the day as well -- on the boys, on the toys, on whatever is in his reach. That's lead to a bit of "fall down, go boom," but that comes with the territory. Luckily, Alex has become an outstanding self-soother, and the thumb solves all of his problems. Wish my life were that easy!

Old Friends

Around this time last year, Alex attended his first concert in utero. Last night, he attended his first as a member of the outside world. And what a concert! It was amazing and surreal to see Simon & Garfunkel in person. We had outstanding seats. Alex was a little confused by it all. He alternately ate and watched for the first half hour or so, then nursed and slept for the rest of the concert. The people around us thought he was an angel, thankfully. (I don't know that it would have been so easy to bring him with us six months from now!)

Times like these, I not only love breastfeeding, but am grateful for it. I can't imagine being in the same situation with a bottle and running out and having an unhappy baby on my hands!

Santa!

Alex got to sit on Santa's lap today. Santa was very kind, and gave Alex a stuffed reindeer as a pre-Christmas present. He also wrote Alex's name in his book!

Aunt Jen was along to witness the visit. SHe was also kind enough to give Alex and his parents a cookies and milk set to make it easier for them all to win Santa's favor come Christmas Eve. Thanks Aunt Jen!

First Evening Out

Aunt Tiff was nice enough to babysit Alex this evening so Mommy and Daddy could attend Mommy's grown up work party. I was a little stressed about him sleeping, but I was able to get him to sleep and in his crib while I waited for my hair to set. He was asleep on her lap when we got home, although there was waking and crying and eating in between. All in all, I wasn't as stressed about leaving him with a babysitter for the first time as I thought I would be -- I guess I am used to it because of day care. I still don't like leaving him at night, but I can do it if I must, and we were lucky to have someone like Tiff who was willing to help out.

(Tiff may well have her own version of the night's events....)

Six Month Check Up

Alex passed his six month check up with flying colors. He proved he could sit up in the waiting room, so that I was able to tell the doc that he's managed that milestone in addition to many others. The only one we didn't hit was self-feeding cheerios, but that's only because we haven't tried it. I am sure he has the motor skills to do it!

For the record, he weighs 14 pounds, 14 ounces and is 26 inches long. A little on the little side -- the doc didn't tell me the percentiles, but I'm a geek and looked it up, that's around 27th for height and 10th for weight -- but so there mentally and physically that the doc wasn't concerned. The nurse who gave him his shots was entirely enamored with his bright eyes and obvious strength. When pediatric nurses think he's special, I know it's not just my Mommy bias!

A Whole Half!

It's hard to believe my baby boy is a whole half year old already! His six month birthday was today. We are so blessed to have such a happy and healthy little boy. He also isn't quite sitting up unassisted, but almost. He'd just much rather crawl. And walk! Today when I picked him up at day care, Alex seemed to want to go to a push toy one of the other kids was playing with. So I stood him up and had him grab on. I barely let go, but he took several steps unassisted and was tickled. I wouldn't really call it walking, but jeez, he could well end up walking early at this rate! Nooooooo!

[Meta: I am aware that I am very behind on this site -- I will be filing in this week's picture, pix of his first solid foods, stories from Thanksgiving and his Christening...I have drafts as placeholders, but the full scoop will be here soon!]

First Solids

Not sure why they call rice cereal "solids" -- it's so darn watery once it's mixed with breastmilk, it's not even funny.

In any event, Alex had is first solids today. Grandpa and Katie and Nana and Pop Pop were all able to witness the occasion. He was soooo ready -- strained for the bowl, grabbed for the spoon, and just couldn't wait to get every last bite in his mouth.

The event was commemorated on video as well as these pictures. Claudia is going to be excited to be able to start feeding him!

Blessed

We were so blessed to be surrounded by friends and family as Alex received the sacrament of baptism today. He looked like the beautiful innocent babe he is in a sure-to-be-heirloom Christening gown my mother hand-sewed with the remains of her wedding gown.
She had used some of the gown to make the ring bearer pillow and a purse for me to carry at my wedding, and now this gown. I hope that it gets worn by many, many, many babies in our family. (And get over it, men -- it's a Christening gown, not a dress, and the baby only has to wear it for an hour, tops!)

Mel and Greg honored us by agreeing to serve as Alex's Godparents. It amazes me that we are so lucky to have such wonderful friends in our lives. They adore Alex, and he will be lucky to know them too.

Aunt Katie and Tom and Nana and Pop Pop all did a wonderful job reading, and Father Alexei officiated. As Mike noted, Father Alexei really brings the true meaning of church to every mass and ceremony over which he presides, and it was so special to have the continuity of having him preside over our wedding, and now the baptism of our son three years later.

The weather, unfortunately, kept some folks away. They were missed. But we had a lovely time visiting with everyone at the party afterwards. Even when everyone else had gone, Aunt Mel and Uncle Greg and Grandpa and Aunt Katie and Nana and Pop Pop stayed, and we talked and laughed and sang and played most of the day. Alex relished the attention.

First Snow

We got our first snow overnight last night. It was enough to get the visits from the window installers and exterminators cancelled, but not enough to keep me from doing the errands I needed to do for Alex's Christening tomorrow. While we were doing our shopping, the flakes started coming down in earnest. And I took great delight in explaining to our baby boy what it was he was seeing. Hope you liked the snow, little man!