More RSV

Well unfortunately, Kate has now come down with RSV. No matter what I did to keep Alex away from her, it obviously did not work. We are headed to the hospital on the advice of our pediatrician. Hopefully if we get admitted, we will only be there for a couple of days. Alex is finally better and I am feeling much better myself. So hopefully Kate can bounce back quickly.

What a way to spend New Year's Eve.

Not good news

Well we found out that Alex has RSV today. That is not good news. Ther is no treatment and it is dangerous for Kate. Now we have to watch her very close. I hope and pray that she does not get sick. Alex is finally bouncing back. He is much more like himself and he should not be exposing anyone because his coughing has lessened and he no longer has a fever. He did great at daycare today, ate well, played well and seemed back to his old self. We even had a good night at home too. The standoff on the stairs seems to be over for now. He did throw his dinner on the floor while I was feeding Kate. It was slow motion and he did it just out of my reach. Other than that, we had a good night and I am thankful for that. Kate is sneezing and coughing a bit, but seems to be doing well. She was in for a well baby check yesterday and is up to 5 lbs. 11 oz. Our pediatrician said that she is thriving.

We had two showings today and a second showing yesterday. I guess in both cases half the couple loved our house, but the other half did not. So more waiting. I was hoping that this would be it. It has got to happen soon though. One good thing has happened this week, Justin sold my car and we are getting a van. That will be very convienient and I am amazed that just by putting up[ a sign in the window, he sold it a couple hours.

It has been a hard week. I hope that this weekend is better.

Another day of sickness

Alex was too sick to go to daycare again today. He is not doing much better. Justin got a nebulizer for him last night. It makes us nervous and Alex hates it. He struggles the whole time. It does seem like it is helping though. He had an awful night sleeping last night. Justin had to hold him most of the night so that he would relax and try to sleep. We are all very tired. I have been getting up and feeding Kate and with Alex not sleeping well, neither of us have been getting much sleep. Alex has been pulling out all the stops today. He has had three hour long tantrums for me. I can not believe that he can go that long. It is all my patience to listen to his fake cry for so long. He did it for forty minutes straight at one point. The only things that seem to help are listening to his veggie tales cd and watching bob the builder. I hope that he is well enough to go to daycare tomorrow because I think we both need a break from each other. This has been the longest three days of my life!

Sickness

Well Alex could not go to daycare today because he was too sick. He is definately not doing well. He has coughed so hard he has thrown up at every meal today. The poor guy looks just miserable. He has also been very upset that I can not hold him all day. I feel bad, but I have to take care of Kate too. It is hard to keep him from coughing on her. I hope that she does not get sick. Today just about did me in. Alex was refusing to go up and down the stairs and insisted that I carry him every where. He is so heavy. I am defiantely sore after today. Justin took him to the pediatrician tonight because he is having such a hard time with the coughing. I almost cancelled the appointment because I thought that he might not be that sick because he was throwing tantrums for me. Then he threw up on me and Kate and that I do think that he could fake. Hopefully we can figure out what is going on with him and get him well.

My first day with two kids alone

Well today was my first day with two kids by myself. It was a very long day. They both seemed to need me at the same time. I think Alex likes his new sister, but also is a bit jealous. He said no alot and also stomped his feet a few times to show me his displeasure. He is definately coughing more today and I am bummed that he is getting a cold. Hopefully we can keep it away from Kate. Alex also refused to nap today. I do not know why because he always naps, but not today. So I put him to bed right after dinner and he was definately ready. He has been up crying a few times already. I hope he does not have a restless night.

Merry Christmas

Today we spent our first Christmas at home. It was a nice day. We had a nice breakfast, opened gifts and watched the Polar Express. Alex really enjoyed his toys. He also made sure to look at every page in all the new books he got. Kate was not able to open gifts, but we are sure that she will like her ocean wonders aquarium for her crib.

We all took a nap in the afternoon and were thankful to have such a nice day together. Unfortunately Alex seems to be coming down with a cold. Hopefully it will be short lived.

Stitches

Alex is getting his stitches removed today. He should only have a little scar if any at all. I am still pretty worn out. I can often overdo it and not notice until I am really tired. Kate has been just wonderful. She is such a good baby. She is even going four hours in the night between feedings. I am amazed at how calm and peaceful she is.

A day of first's

We did a lot of "first" things today. We went to the peditrician with Kate. It was her first visit, she is picture perfect and has gained an ounce. So she is now 5 lbs. 3 oz. Still tiny, but we are sure that she will start packing it on soon. We also went to drive by our new house with both kids for the first time. It was thier first time in the car together and they both were crying at one point. That was really enjoyable. We literally have no backseat now with two carseats back there. It is just crazy. We alos gave Kate her first bath. She did not like it very much, but does enjoy having her hair washed. She has been really sleepy today, hopefully that does not mean that she will be up all night.

Our first day home

Today began quietly with a good night's sleep and a nice breakfast. Justin and I were both glad that we got to sleep in our own bed and were excited about spending the day with our new little girl. Soon after that, Alex the stair pro, fell and cut his forehead. At first, it looked like just a deep scratch, but then when Justin took him to daycare it bleed through the bandaid and began looking much worse. So he did not stay at daycare and instead went for his first set of stitches. They had Bob the Builder on tv so Alex did very well. He got three stitches and gets them removed on Christmas eve. No clinic close by would do stitches on the face (his forehead) so Justin got to make a trip back to Minneapolis to Children's.

Kate and I stayed home and rested. I feel better each day and will be glad to be back to myself soon. Kate is a treat, she is such a good baby. We definately feel blessed.

Home from the hospital

Today we came home from the hospital with Kate. We got home about 8:30 p.m. Apparently you can only stay 48 hours and our time was up at 1:00 a.m. so we had dinner and left when there was no traffic. Kate did not enjoy the long cold ride home. Justin's car barely started and there was definately a chill in the air. We got home and settled in. Kate slept great and is continuing to be a very peaceful, easy going little girl. We missed out on the hospital pictures, but we took 119 of our own. So there are more than a few good ones! She just get cuter by the day. She is so little that it was hard to buckle her in to the car seat and she is swimming in every outfit that we put her in to. She weighed in at 5 lbs 2 oz today and we will see the pediatrician on Thursday for the first time. She is a good eater so we are sure she will be filling out her clothes soon.

Welcome Kate Elisabeth!

Kate was born today at 1:11 a.m. She came quickly, the whole event was done in less than three hours and she was born just over an hour after we got to the hospital. We are all doing well and Justin and I are excited to have such a beautiful little girl.

Kate Elisabeth Hoff
5 lbs 8 oz
1:11 a.m. December 18, 2005
Minneapolis, MN

House update

I am feeling more like myself today and I finally got two good nights of sleep in a row. I should be able to take on the week ahead! It won't be long now.

We went to the house and were amazed at how much they have gotten done. The ceilings are all finished. The first coat of paint is on. All the workwork is installed except for one room, the hardwood floors are in and half of the cabinets are installed. It is really coming together and definately looks like a real house now. We are so excited to see the progress. It is all locked up now so we can't just stop by anytime, but we look forward to seeing it every weekend. Our closing date is set for February 14. That seems like a long time from now considering how far they are.

A visit with Santa

We went to see "free" santa yesterday at Nordstrom. We could take as many pictures as we wanted and Santa looked like a real Santa. He must have been tired last year because he forgot his coat. Alex was not happy to be on Santa's lap even with a candy cane. Here is our best Santa shot from 2005.

Bob the Builder

Alex is in love with Bob the builder. He woke up badly from his afternoon nap today and the only thing that cheered him up was watching some of his Bob dvd. We always have to read all of his bob books at least three times per day. Justin and I are getting sick of Bob the Builder so we now have three dvd's to choose from. That definately makes it easier to tolerate more Bob. At least it is not Elmo or Barney!

I went home sick today. I had two bad nights of sleep in a row. No baby yet, but with all the pressure I feel, it must be coming soon. Hopefully I can rest and feel better this weekend. I am just so tired and everytime I lay down, the circus starts inside me and keeps me from sleeping. That baby has to sleep sometime!

November Cold

Well Alex stayed home today. He was coughing, sneezing and not eating well. He had horrible sleep last night so we thought it best not spread any germs at daycare. He had a great nap today and finally seemed more like himself in the afternoon. I took a peek in his mouth and sure enough he has two upper eye teeth and two molars that have just poked through all at once. I am sure that is why he has not been eating very well. They just look nasty! I am continually amazed at how long it takes those teeth to actually come in. It seems as though we have been watching these come in forever. At least they have finally broken through the skin.

I tried to keep him occupied today with some videos. We watched an Elmo Christmas, Bob the Builder and his Baby Bach dvd. I was hoping this would help him rest a bit instead of being crazy busy all the time.

O Christmas Tree

We decorated the tree today. Alex really got in to it. He enjoyed helping open the boxes of ornaments and he even put a few on the tree. Then he decided that it was too hard to open the box so he just put the box on the tree! That was really cute. He like looking at his ornament from last year and always points to it when he sees the tree. We made the lights blink for him and we also decided not to put any glass ornaments on the tree this year just in case he gets a bit raucus with the tree.

We enjoyed listening to Christmas music and decorating today. It was a nice day just to be at home and not leave the house.

Children's Museaum

We met Tanya, Ted and Stella at the Children's Museaum tonight. We have never been there and due to the snow, it was very quiet. Alex and Stella pretty much had the run of the place and loved it. Alex was in to everything. He knocked down big brick walls, went shopping at the grocery store, and explored the tot world. It was so much fun to watch him explore everything. I was glad that Justin could help chase him and he did most of the chasing because I am moving slower these days.

I had my 35 week check up and things are beginning to change. I am starting to dialate a little bit and eface as well. I can tell the baby is getting bigger because it is often testing the limits of its room and pushing arms and legs out. We can actually see lumps protrude from my belly. That never happened with Alex, he was pretty happy being confined. Maybe this one is bigger than he was....

More teeth

We noticed those molars and eye teeth that I mentioned several weeks ago have finally just broken through. There have been a few grumbly nights, but not too many. We started giving Alex his own baby pillow to see if that helps him stay more in one spot in his bed at night. Right now, he is crazy in there and often does 360's in his sleep. Not quite ready for a toddler bed yet. I think he would spend most of the night on the floor. So far the pillow is making no difference and when I check on him before I go to bed his has already gotten rid of it. At least he is not climbing out of his crib yet. I have made sure to remove any toys that could be used as a step stool and the aquarium is now attached to the back wall of the crib and that is against the wall.

Alex had his first taste of Thanksgiving today. He did not like the turkey. He shook his head no a lot. He has definately developed his own opinion of what he wants to eat and what he doesn't. He liked the sweet potatoes, crackers and mashed potatoes. He refused the pumpkin pie which is odd because he likes everything pumpkin. At least he drank 8 oz of milk with his dinner.

More swimming

I have missed a few days in November! I have to get myself to jot down drafts even if I do not have time to proof and upload them. I have also been having some camera trouble which must be straightened out before Christmas and baby II.

Alex went under the water to retrieve little toy octopus at swimming this week. He also stood on the ledge of the pool and jumped to Justin for the first time. He was very excited and did this several times. Up until recently, he has only sat on the ledge and fallen forward in to Justin's arms. He is so excited in the pool now, that he does not want to get out. He is quite smitten with his blond swim instructor. Justin and Alex are the only boys. All the other kids are girls with thier mom's. Alex pays no attention to them, he just makes googly eyes at the instructor. He is a flirt already, we are in trouble.

Down

Alex is saying down now. He is also doing the all done sign consistently at meal time. He is good at shaking his head no and becoming a bit of a picky eater. He won't eat his french toast unless it has syrup on it and all toast has to have jelly. Nana's are his favorite fruit and if he can see them on the counter he is insatiable. Last time we had burritos, he loved them, but tonight he decided that they were not for him. He is also quite interested in using a spoon even though he can not really control it yet. He likes to have help, but not too much. He is becoming quite a big boy and wants his independance especially when it comes to eating.

Alex and duck

Alex is saying new words everyday! He can say his name, even though Justin and I have not heard it yet! He also is saying done, duck and blowing kisses. Each day he is doing something new. It is amazing to watch how fast he is learning new things. He is so full of energy from his new daycare. We are so happy that he is enjoying it so much. He is constantly learning new things and everyday there is quite a report of all the new things that he has accomplished. We are not surprised that he has learned to say duck. He loves his ducks and has five of them for bath toys and obviously is in love with the big one at the pool.

A biter

Alex got bit today at daycare right on the cheek. It was for no reason by one of the other boys who is almost three. He is kind of aggressive and is moving in early December. Alex did not bite back and so far is not being aggressive back. We hope that he does not pick up any bad habits from this other boy and hopefully the other boy learned that he should never bite Alex again. We are not too worried and expected some kind of biting incident at some point. Alex gets along with other kids great and hopefully will never become a biter himself.

26 pounds!

Alex went to the pediatrician today for his 15 month check-up. He is right on track development wise and he weighed 26 pounds and is 33 inches long. He was in the 75% range for height and weight. He is wearing 12-18 month shirts and they are still quite big on him. His legs seem a bit short for the 12-18 month pants so he is still wearing mostly 9-12 month pants. That seems crazy, but the 12-18 month ones fall off of him and he trips on the legs even if we fold them. That makes for a frustrating walking experience and aome potential fat lips. He is not the most graceful at falling and seems to have no fear which is not the best combination. Sometimes I think a padded room would be a good thing to have for our little beginning walker.

Swimming!

Alex had his first swimming lesson today. He and Justin had lots of fun. Alex was most interested in the large duck that was floating in the pool. He is not ready to jump to Justin yet. Every time he would go in the water he would turn around and slide in. He seemed to really enjoy himself and was quite tired after it was done. Justin had to chase him often while getting dressed because Alex was ready to explore. He was able to close off his throat and hold his breath during the water dunking, but he is a bit nervous in the pool and holds on pretty tight. We are sure that will improve in the coming weeks as he gets more confortable. It will be great to get him use to the water because when we move, we will have access to a community pool that is only a block away. It will be a fun summer!

Four a.m. wake up call

Alex decided it was time to get up at 4:00 a.m. today. We discovered two more molars and two eye teeth are coming in. I am sure that his mouth was quite sore. We cuddled him for a while and he finally went back to sleep. Those molars seem to be taking thier sweet time breaking through. I will be glad when they are all done!

We get to do a walk through of our house on Friday. We are so excited to see all the progress. They have now started siding and all the plumbing, heating and electrical is done. They expect to begin sheetrocking soon.

Trick or treat

Alex was a dragon for Halloween. He was soooo cute in his costume. He still had a bit of a cough so we went to Burnsville Center to trick or treat. He learned quickly that all the treats went in the bag and he seemed quite interested in picking out his own treat from each store. He got lots of stickers and we tried some candy. He liked the tootsie rolls best, but the grape nerds were a close second. He even said trick or treat. Only in the car for my ears, but it was quite cute. The dragon costume was a big hit. Alex loves the hands and feet. Max was quite confused by the costume and grabbed Alex's tail a few times. This made him fall down, but he was all giggles. We kept the costume on for some trick or treaters, but then he started getting too hot so we had to take it off. All the walking made him tired quickly and he went to bed about 7:30. It was a fun Halloween.

Sniffles and Pizza

Alex has his first cold of the season. His nose is the runniest that it has ever been. I hope it will be over soon because due to all the nose wiping, I caught his cold too. He is in good spirits though and does not seem to be slowed down by it. His latest word as of Saturday was Pizza. We are having that tonight for dinner so I look forward to hearing it again. He also said his name on Monday and more today. It is amazing how much he is talking now. It is not always clear, but it is fun to hear him trying things out. Tonight we went to Target to pick up some milk and he decided that he was going to say Hi to everyone we saw. They all smiled and said Hi back. He is quite the charmer.

Justin decided that he was ready to move up from the quatro legos to the duplo legos even though he is not two yet. Alex is obsessed with them. In fact, that is what he is doing right now. He plays with them constantly and has become quite the builder. He also has a little lego table that he can use to stack them on. That is also a big hit.

There was a showing today. Hopefully these people are the ones who will decide to buy our house. Justin and I are convinced that we will have an agreement in place by December 1. So think good thoughts for us!

A nice night with my boy

Alex was really good for me tonight. Justin was out to dinner and we were all alone. We played with legos and read lots of books. It continues to amaze me how much he is walking. He does not seem to slow down for a minute. He is just wearing himself out and is tired shortly after 7:00. Tonight he went to be at 7:15 and he just smiled and went to sleep. I hardly know what to do having all this time to myself!

Our new house is moving along quickly! They have all the duct work done and the plumbing is almost complete. All they have to do next is the electrical and we will have a walk through to check everything before they sheetrock it. We were even told that things are going so well that we will have a driveway and sidewalk this fall too! Our house will not be painted and landscaped until the late spring, but even the deck is built already. I can't wait to walk through it again this weekend and see all the changes.

All Done

Alex has had an interesting weekend. We had two open houses, one Saturday and another today. So his afternoon napping has been a little off. Yesterday, he had a slight fever in the afternoon, but snapped out of it quickly. We heard some coughing, but nothing has persisted today and he slept well last night so perhaps it is teeth-realted. It seems that whenever anything is going on lately, we blame it on teething!

We went to breakfast today with all the Jeffers. It was a good time. Alex fell asleep in the car on the way home and we took turns cleaning and checking on him as we were only stopping in to tidy up a few things and grab the dog before the next open house. Alex woke up as soon as Max joined him in the backseat and that made his only nap of the day a bit less than an hour long. He started to melt down about 4:00. We had an early dinner and at the end when he was getting whiny, I aked him if he was all done and did the sign for it. I do this everyday, but today he actually did it back to me twice. He also gave Justin the all done sign when he was done with his bath too. That is great! We have been signing with him since he was six months old and it is great to see that he is finally starting to sign back. He was in bed at 6:45 tonight and did not let out a peep. He was so tired! Hopefully he is not getting a cold and will have a good week. I am off on Thursday and Friday so I am looking forward to spending some good times with my little Alex.

No No

Alex learned to shake his head no today. He does it all the time. He has not learned the actual word no yet, but that is probably just around the corner. He can say duck and star, those are both new words for this week. He has been having a blast at his new daycare. There are definately no more tears and sometimes he does not want to leave. We are very happy that he has adjusted so well and is obviously enjoying himself.

He has become quite a helper around the house. He will put away toys if you ask him, put his clothes in the hamper and try to help you with whatever houshold task you seem to be working on. He has been walking so much that he has been wearing himself out really early. Tonight it was a stretch for him to stay up until 7:30. Hw put his head down on the stairs three times when he was climbing them to his room. He went to bed quickly with a smile. Maybe if I am lucky we will get to sleep in!

5 am wake up call

Alex recieved a wake up call this morning at 5 am. He was so awake that he greeted his daddy with a happy hello when he entered the room. This was an unfortuante sign that there would be no going back to sleep. We did manage to get him to cuddle with us in our bed for the next thirty minutes. Which was really nice, but ended with a fat lip for mom due to an accidental head-but.

Alex also learned to blow kisses at daycare today. It is very cute, but one of those things that he does not do often. He was totally in to mom today. I got more hugs and cuddling than I have in weeks. He is getting harder to hug with my expanding belly, but Alex still snuggles up and manages to overcome the discomfort.

He has already been up whining tonight. Hopefully he will have a good night of sleep. Perhaps he is getting another molar.

Yum and Nana

Alex loves bananas and he has now started calling them "nana". He gets quite upset when they are gone. I don't think that he understands that you don't eat the peel. He also takes ridiculous bites. He took one so big today that I thought he would not be able to chew it all up. He did and swallowed it and was screaming for more. He also is saying "yum" when he eats something he likes. There are lots of "yums" at dinner. He has such an appetite. Our daycare lady says the same! I guess he had soup, peaches, banana, and ate a whole grilled cheese sandwich for lunch today. As Justin would say, it must be a growth spurt. That is fine because he is not wuite tall enough for his 12-18 month pants to fit. A little height would make f0r less tripping on his pant legs.

There have been tears daily since Tuesday when we drop him off at daycare. He stops as soon as we are out of sight and appears to have a great time. He has been really fun at night this week. So much babbling and walking. I started lettimg him walk the long hallway when we go to see Justin at the office. He is so proud of himself that he can walk that far on his own. He is also improving his speed too. He has made a lot of leaps this week and we are enjoying every minute!

New tooth

Alex has his second molar poking through. It looks awful. He is drooling like crazy. I am glad that we can actually see the tooth now.

Today was his first day at new daycare. It went wonderful! He is like a new boy when I bring him home, so full of energy and babbling up a storm. He said "more" today. There were not tears when I dropped him off. He just started playing with the kitchen and barely noticed when I left. Hopefully everyday will be this easy. I was amazed at how much he was walking tonight when I brought him home. He was taking laps around the kitchen table. It tired him out because he was ready for bed by 7:30!

Last Day at Daycare

Today was Alex's last day at the first daycare he has ever gone to. It was bittersweet. He has been very comfortable there and just recently had once again adjusted and become quite relaxed. We are excited about the new possibility of the daycare he starts on Monday. It is a small group with lots of reading and pre-school activities. He will be the youngest one there and there will be another boy who is only a month older. There was quite an age gap at our current daycare and having more playmates close to his age will be good for him. We have visited a few times and he has seemed very comfortable and so excited about all the new toys to play with. We just might need to get him his own kitchen with pots and pans for Christmas. He just loves opening up all the doors and putting stuff away. The lids for the pots and pans are just too much fun. Any change is always hard, but we feel that it is right for Alex to get adjusted to a new daycare before he needs to adjust to moving and the addition of a new brother or sister. That just might be too much for him all at once.

We ended the week with a happy boy. Today and yesterday were wonderful all smiles were had by us all. It is nice to have our happy boy back. We watched his sign language video tonight and he really seemed to be trying hard to say new words. I heard a very clear hello and cup. Justin and I commented on how much his walking has improved. He is by no means a master, but has gotten much faster and better at his balance. We are almost down to one bottle per day. Hopefully we can get rid of it completely in the next month. It is that morning cuddling that will be the hardest time to get rid of. He loves that time and so do I. Our little baby is growing up!

A long week

It has been a long week and it is only Wednesday. Today, Alex has finally turned a corner. He is actually pretty happy and not as whiny as he has been the past five days. Last night we actually had a good night together and tonight has been good so far as well. I think Alex actually showed me the all done sign when he was done eating tonight. That is a step in the right direction for communication. He has been very frustrated lately and I am thinking it is because he can't tell us what he wants. He is quite the walker these days and is getting pretty confidant. His latest feat is pushing the chairs all over the kitchen. He also learned uh-oh at daycare. It is pretty cute to hear him say it.

Tonight we are going to visit Tanya, Ted and Stella at Gillette Children's Hospital. Stella had her surgery and is recovering well. Alex had a fun time playing with her last time we were together and we hope she is feeling better so they can play again soon.

Much Whining

Alex was quite crabby today. He was up an hour and a half too late last night and for some reason he chose not to sleep in. He also did not take a long afternoon nap so that made for a very long day. Bedtime was early and he went right to sleep. Just when we thought we could end the bottle he decided that he would not take any sippy cups today unless it was with dinner. Hopefully all the whining was just a bad day and tomorrow will be better. It was nice to have Justin home to help deal with the whining. It sure wears me out after a little while. We did brush his teeth tonight and discovered that the lower molar is breaking through, but is not completely exposed and the gums on top are really tender in one spot. He has been trying to get these molars through for three weeks now. I am sure that if I had amolar coming in, I would be whining too. Poor little guy, all we can hope is that it will pass soon or he will learn to deal better with the pain.

On a lighter note, he did play ball with Max today which was really cute. Alex would get so excited when Max brought it back to him. He is a good thrower, but has not gotten catching down yet.

Our house is almost all framed. All they have left is the porch and a few trusses on the roof. We walked through the whole thing and it was fun to see all the rooms framed and imagin what it will be like when it is done. I can't wait! It will be nice to get all this packing and moving done.

Uh-Oh

Alex said a new word today. It is "Uh-oh" he says it all the time. It is really cute. He is trying to climb everything and is currently climbing my desk as I type this. He is officially walking now, but often falls. He has a cut on his lip from a crawling mis-hap last night. I guess even something as simple as a rug is a baby hazard. Alex's new feat of the day was pushing his toy crane all over the kitchen. He also made some "truck" noises while he was doing it. He has also learned how to crawl in between the couches. We are entering a whole new level of baby proofing. He amazes us everyday with his new antics.

We went to visit our new house today. It is amazing how fast it is coming together. We are so excited. I can't wait until we move in. The picture for this blog is the main level of our new house and it is taken from the garage.

Within fifteen weeks, we will have a new baby. I picked out the "homecoming" outfit this weekend. I went with green and yellow to be safe because we do not know if it is a boy or a girl. It is a cute polkadot shirt, striped pants, and a long sleeved onezie from Hanna Andersson. I also got matching green socks and a hat of course. The cotton is so soft and the few things that I have gotten from that store for Alex have been wonderful. No matter how many times you wash them, they still look great and with the "grow with me" cuffs they last a long time. Justin and I had better start picking out some names because that baby will be here before we know it.

My Highchair

Alex is starting to show us that he recognizes several words. When we say "go to your high chair" he crawls or walks right over to it and tries to climb it. It is so fun to watch him learn new things. He also had his first real haircut this week. He looks so handsome, hopefully I can post a picture of his new "do" on tommorow's post. He is finally no longer crying when we drop him off at daycare. We also just found another one that we like that has room for him and the baby. So sadly we will be switching October 1. That should give him plenty of time to get adjusted before all the changes start happening. We are so lucky to have such a happy boy. Every night when we tuck him in to bed he smiles and goes to sleep.

Our house is moving along! It is going together so fast that we can not take pictures fast enough. Yesterday I saw that the basement was framed and the floor was on for the first level. Today, all the outside walls were up with the windows and doors framed. It is amazing to see how fast it is coming together. There was not even a hole dug until August 30!

Open floor standing

Alex has learned how to get to a standing position from a sitting position now. It is cute to watch him get up on one knee and use all his might to push himself up to a standing position. Today he has been walking a lot. His technique has improved al0t and he is now holding his hands close to his body and taking small, more controlled steps. He has walked from the kitchen all the way to the end of the living room on his own. He can even turn corners. He has also been pushing his hippo everywhere and when he hits an obstacle he backs it up so he can keep going. This time we REALLY think that his walking is going to happen any day.

He has been in pretty good spirits this weekend. Hopefully this will be a better week for him at daycare. Last week there were a few days that he refused to eat. I hate worrying about him all day. His first week back was fine so perhaps it was a really sore mouth that made him so fussy. He eats like a horse for us. In fact Justin was wondering tonight if he was getting more double chins!

The foundation of our house is all waterproofed and ready for framing. We noticed that all the materials for the neighbors house has been delivered and they will be starting on that sometime this week. We are next on the list and will be watching anxiously. Still no showings on our current house. Hopefully things will pick up.

Pesky teeth

Alex has been really crabby the past few days. Those three teeth just won't poke through. He is drooling through whole shirts now. We had tacos tonight. He loves mexican food. The nachos, tacos and enchiladas have all been a hit. He was falling asleep at 7:30 tonight. I guess cutting all those teeth at once can make you sleepy. I forgot to mention that yesterday when I picked him up from daycare he was playing in the sand box. He was very interested in what he was doing and while crawling to me he would stop when he encountered a sand toy. It seemed as if he couldn't decide if he should continue playing or go home.

Yesterday was my worst allergy day in several years. My head is still stuffed up today, but not as bad as it was last night.

Lego stacking

Alex finally learned how to build with legos tonight. He was also stacking his blocks too. Ususally he just concentrates on knocking stuff down. So this new building phase is exciting. We went to visit with Tanya and Ted tonight. Alex started crying as soon as we entered thier house. I think he is going through some separation anxiety so we are expecting a hard week. He did not sleep well last night, but we do not see any teeth right now. All the signs are pointing to teething though. He and Stella played together very well. It was cute to see them pass each other toys. He took some more steps tonight and even made a turn. It was the most coordinated that he has been so perhaps his walking technique is improving. He thinks that he is ready to try walking down the stairs though, which is not a good thing. We have to watch him like a hawk because he is learning some new moves and they are quite daring! He is not afraid to fall which is good and bad. He is currently bruise-free, but that will probably not last for long with his zest for climbing anything in his path.

I went to the club today for the third time so far this month. If I go eight times, my insurance will pay my dues for the month. I am taking it slow and just walking for 30 minutes. I am just doing a little over a mile, but it is nice to get some exercise and have some quiet time. Alex did not do well in the childcare center today and he has done well the past two times. Hopefully that will improve.

Finally some clapping

Alex finally learned to clap his hands today. I caught it on videotape too! Justin and I were so excited to see that he can clap now. He still is having trouble walking, but does not seem afraid to fall. Hopefully his coordination will improve. I think it would be much easier if he did not point his chin toward the ceiling, arch his back and put his hands in the air. We had our worst family outing with him last night. I think that he has had a hard week getting used to going back to daycare. So pehaps he thought that we were going to leave him at a new place. We went to Justin's cousin's house and there were around 20 people there. Alex was quite overwhelmed and would go to no one expect Justin or I. In fact when we were feeding him dinner we had to be on either side of him or he would cry. It was crazy, definately a new experience for us. He is ususally so happy to see people and very friendly. He did perk up after about two hours of misery, but had to keep us in his sights at all times. Today he had a quiet day at home and hopefully that will help him be more settled before we go back to our weekly routine on Tuesday. His latest thing is closing doors. Every room he goes in, he has to close the door. He gets mad if you are standing in the way too. He is also climbing on everything and getting in to lots of trouble. He has begun noticing plants around the house that he has not seen before. That is unfortunate and many are not surviving the new exploration. I think that I will have to go through a minimal plant time in my life.

Our little climber

Alex was very active tonight. He repeatedly climbed up on his activity table and I caught him standing on it twice! He was just an animal. I couldn't turn my back on him for a second. He got his first scrape on his face yesterday. He was playing on the driveway at his daycare and fell. He is just not a very steady walker yet. He tend to open his mouth really wide, stick his arms out too far and tilt his head toward the ceiling. As you can imagine, with this stance he takes about two steps and falls. If he is not busy acting wierd and tries to walk with good posture, he can go eight steps without falling. It is quite fun to watch.

Lundgren poured our foundation today. It was an amazing set of metal frames that make a mold to hold the concrete and two cement trucks. Still no showings on our current house. The last time anyone came to look at it was July 28. We have plenty of time and are hopeful that things will pick up soon. Patience, Patience, Patience.

Thank you

Alex said thank you tonight! Justin and I both thought we were hearing things, but then he copied us a few times. I guess we had better be careful about what we say from now on. So I guess thank you is his true first words. That is a good sign of all the words to say he certainly picked the polite ones first. He even used it correctly. We handed him a toy and he said thank you. He has been sharing things a lot with us lately and we always say thank you when he does that so I guess it rubbed off on him. We are continully amazed everyday at the progress he is making. It is so fun to watch him grow and learn. He tool five steps a few times tonight. He is working really hard on walking and tiring himself out in the process. I keep saying that it is going to be anytime now, but it surely has to be because he has really been working hard in the last two days.

In other news, they dug for our foundation today. One day ahead of schedule! We were so excited that we went and took pictures of the hole. They already have it marked for pouring the foundation so that will probably happen by the end of the week. I can't wait until it is done!

First day back to work

Today was my first day back to work and Alex's first day back to daycare. I was sure that there would be tears and that it would be a sad day for me. Actually, it was much easier than I expected. When we arrived, I took off his jacket and he helped himself to the toys and smiled the whole time. There were no tears and he seemed to busy playing that he barely let me give him a hug. That certainly made leaving easier and even though I was tired, I had a good first day back at work. This evening was a bit of a different story. Alex was whiny most of the night and ended up going to bed at 7:45. There were lots of tears from him and frustration. I think it is a combination of being so busy at daycare and trying to keep up with all the walkers and perhaps missing me a bit. He also was not ready to get up so early this morning and perhaps needed a bit more sleep. I did notice that he was much more willing to try walking on his own today. Sometimes he forgot to get the feet to move and simply fell, but many times he took three to five steps. I think the extra motivation of the five walkers at daycare probably made him want to catch up. He is still quite wobbly, but that will improve. I did miss him a lot today, but I brought plenty of pictures and told everyone who asked how he was doing. Just having a picture of him on my desk always makes my day brighter.

An additional note....This weekend I made a big purchase and bought him an activity table with storage carts from Pottery Barn. I saved $105 because it was a floor model and he loves it. He can stand and play with all of his toys and it is big enough to hold everything. It has also made his play area much cleaner because he is not tossing toys all over. We also got him some chairs to go with his table from IKEA. These are fun and he likes them, but he is still too little and theay are put away because they are a climbing hazard right now. He got another bruise on his head and his cheek thank to my great chair idea!

Never enough hugs

Alex was more snuggly than ususal today. Before lunch I think that I got 12 hugs! Perhaps he knew it was our last day home together before I go back to work on Monday. He was a sweetheart today, but I do not think that he was feeling the best. We had several nasty diapers and a bad case of diaper rash. There was lots of crying with every diaper change so we went to get some more Burt's Bees diaper cream. This helped alot, still some tears, but it is looking much better now. We have also found a diaper that will last overnight. I am glad that I found something that works as it will cut down on the laundry.

It is too bad that I can't bottle all of those baby hugs and the soft and sweet "mama" that I hear everyday. I am sure that I will miss both of those things next week.

More baby steps

Alex is walking like crazy, but still will only take 3 to 4 steps on his own. He does want me to hold his hand and he will travel around the whole kitchen though. Yesterday he shared a lot. He shared his toys with me and his food. It was really cute. I am sure he will soon learn to say mine. He also got to visit his baby cousins Ethan and AJ. He was a bit too active with AJ and tried to climb on top of Ethan in his carseat, but was very interested in both of them and what they were doing. He didn't even get jealous when I held Ethan for a little while.

This morning we need to finally sign off on our house and we are bringing toys for Alex. hopefully he can keep himself busy for a little while because it is hard to sign papers with a baby trying to grab your pen all the time.

4 Baby Steps

Alex took four steps on his own today! They looked really good and he might have gone all the way to the railing (six steps), but he tripped on some of his little people stuff. He also practiced every version of Momma as well. It was really nice to hear and he says it so soft and sweet. So with only five days left of my summer vacation the walking might just happen. It was also his last Gymboree class. He really enjoyed going there and we will definately go back in the future. He was a climbing animal today, he is trying as hard as he can to get up on the couch. It is not quite happening yet, but he is close on that also.

He ate tacos yesterday and spaghetti today. He loved both, I think he enjoys the extra flavor.

Crab Crawl and Drinking from a straw

Today was a fun day with Alex. He has always had a bit of a strange crawl. He pushes off with his right foot flat on the floor and drags his left leg. This weekend he has decided to change it up, instead of crawling the old way he is now sticking his butt in the air and crawling with both feet flat on the floor crab-style. It is really funny to watch and his almost as fast doing it his new way and it makes for less red knees. He is full or bruises right now because he is getting more brave by the minute. Sometimes he decides to go headfirst off the step instead of turning around. This is not good technique and we always remind him that he needs to go backwards. He gets lots of practice at this because we have one step down between our dining room and his play area. He also is pulling himself up on things and walking along them as much as possible. When he runs out of room, sometimes he a will take a wobbly step or two which often results in falling down. Sometimes he seems incredibly coordinated and that he is just holding off on walking. Other times I look at him and think that he needs more practice because he is so unsteady. Things seem to be coming together for him so it will probably be any day now for him to let go and explore the world on two feet.
We went out to breakfast today at Perkins and Alex had success drinking from a straw for the first time. We forgot to bring his sippy cup and he was getting a bit antsy so Justin tried the kiddie cup with a straw. At first Alex just chewed on the straw, but them Justin showed him how to suck from a straw and amazingly he copied him! Alex then became so excited that he could drink from the straw that he drank 2/3 of his cup of juice before his breakfast came. That was a bit much for his stomach and he overfilled himself which caused some to come back up. We decided that this was a good time to go home.
He went to bed early tonight because he did not take a morning nap. Hopefully he will not leak out of his diaper tonight like last night. I made sure to wash his bedding right away this morning just in case we need to change it again. It is amazing how much liquid that boy can take in.

More sceaming!

Well, I have accepted the fact that we probably will no longer have a morning nap. It has just not been working the past week and a half. So I have decided to give up have lunch at noon and go for a 12:30 nap. Hopefully he will take one long nap and it won't be such a struggle in the morning and afternoon.
I met a couple friends for coffee this morning and Alex was on his screaming kick. It was really fun. Hopefully it will be short lived and I will pray for that. Nothing we do seems to make him stop. I am doing as much sign language as possible and he is interested, but still not signing back yet. We are also working on learning to clap and wave bye-bye. I am sure like everything else, one day it will click and he will be able to do multiple things with his hands all at once. I also stopped and bought him his next pair of shoes. Yikes are they expensive! It is too bad that Alex has such crazy feet. They are almost triple wide and really thick. The only place that we have had any luck getting shoes to work is Striderite. The velcro ones he takes off so we are stuck with lace up shoes. They seemed to help him walk a little better today before lunch. Perhaps barefoot walking is not enough support for him. They are quite cute. I will have to take a picture of him with them on later and use it for tomorrow's blog.

A Nice Day

Alex did not take his morning nap again, except for some light snuggling sleep about 11:30. Fortunately he went back down after lunch only to be awoken early by Max barking at the Simon Deliver's truck. Alex was in a great mood for the rest of the day. We played and I got lots of hugs. There was very little screaming so hopefully that stage is on its way out. Justin was at the fair tonight and we will go join him there on Wednesay or Friday. He said that our photographer has a booth right next to him and that people commented on how cute Alex is. She blew up a picture of him in a baby bathtub and it is front and center. We think he is pretty cute too.

Banana Ice Cream!

Alex had a good morning even though it took him 40 minutes to give in and nap. We went to downtown St. Paul today to do some shopping and Alex got his first taste of ice cream. Justin shared his banana ice cream cone with him and he loved it. Every time he took a lick he smiled and whined for more. He also tried strawberry, but did not like that too much. As ususal, Alex was a great shopper and there was not too much screaming because there were so many things to look at. The car ride was a different story. If Alex did not like the music that was on he would let out a huge scream, but if it was something he liked (lots of guitars) he would sing along. He has always been a music critic, but I think it is easier to drive with some crying rather than deafening screams. Thank goodness for 93.7, they have plenty of heavy guitar which always calms him down. We picked up some more fruit on our way home because Alex just can't get enough. It is a toss up these days between blueberries and red grapes as to which is his favorite. We ended the night with lots of giggles and plenty of hugs. I always love when he cuddles with his giraffe and goes to sleep with a smile.

No morning napping

Yesterday, Alex decided to skip his morning nap. He did not end up napping until 2:00 in the afternoon and then he only took a two hour nap. He was very crabby yesterday. Lots and lots of screaming. It made for quite a long day especially at Target when I took him to get some more milk and he let out several courtesy screams just for fun. I am sure that all of you reading this are just dying to babysit for him now! He also decided that he was not going to drink his morning milk in any presentation (bottle, sippy cup, cup). So far today he has only drank an ounce and he is off playing with his farm. Hopefully the screaming will pass. Perhaps it is a new fun thing to do and he will move on to the next thing in a day or two.

More steps toward walking

Alex was a much happier boy today. I enjoyed less screaming. There was still plenty but less than yesterday. He enjoyed spending some time with Great Grandma Bert and especially had fun bouncing on the exercise ball. Tonight, he took four steps while only holding on to one of my hands. This was a first and hopefully means that he will try to walk on his own soon. His balance has improved greatly and he is walking along the furniture to get to his destination as much as possible. He has twenty three more days as I would love to be home with him and see him walk on his own. The summer has went very fast. I have enjoyed spending so much time with him. It has been a real joy.

An Afternoon of Screaming

Today was an interesting day. Unfortunately, Alex refused his morning nap. We had a few errands to run and he did not finally get down for a nap until 1:00. He slept a solid two hours but that was not long enough to provide a happy baby until bedtime. Perhaps it is a combination of the new tooth and lack of napping, but he spent most of the afternoon with a bad attitude and a tremendous amount of screaming. Sometimes happy screams, but most of the time loud annoyed screams. I especially enjoyed the occasional blood curdling scream as I was driving us home. There was no impending emergency just some communication from the backseat. Justin got to enjoy the screaming when he got home from work and we both agreed that if he was like that everyday we might have waited longer between children. I guess there is quite a language barrier between us right now and we should work on sign language much more. Hopefully that will help to cut down on some of the frustration. We don't expect a whiz child like the one in "Meet the Fockers", but some basics would be good. All in all he is a very good baby. Not every day can be perfect and the great days far outnumber the rough ones!

Tooth Number Eight

Alex finally got his eighth tooth today. It has taken two weeks of suffering for it to finally break through. He is getting so big and eating most everything that I put in front of him. Yesterday he ate one of my old favorites...mac and cheese with tomatoes and ground beef.

This is my first blog and I am doing it so that I have a record of important Alex events for my scrapbook. I am much faster at typing than I am at writing in a diary. I also wanted to share this with friends and family so that you can all keep updated on our exciting events. I can't promise that there will be a new entry every day, but I plan to update it often so make sure to check back!