At the Doctor

Alex had a doctor's appointment today.  I swear I get more nervous about them than Alex does.  I'm always afraid that he's going to cry because he has to get a shot.   It kills both me and Dan to hold him in place while he gets stuck with needles.  There's no way to explain to a baby that it's a little discomfort now taken on for his own good later.

It started out with a cab ride.  Alex always likes those.

Car rides are always a favorite.

We schedule Alex's doctors' appointments for early in the morning so that Dan can go to them too.  (He just goes into work later that day.)

Alex is getting better about being at the doctor's office.  He's now intrigued by what's going on around him.   He used to cry when he was being measured, especially around his head.  Now he takes it in stride.

Being weighed without a diaper though? That one has become a little less predictable.

Does this diaper make me fat?

When it was time for him to be examined by Doctor Glassman, Alex was ALL sorts of into it.  Now he knows that he can actually grab at those cold instruments the guy uses.

Sounds good!

Looks good too!

All clear!

I took these photos in the hopes of making a book about why we go to the doctor and, especially, why we need shots.  That's just in case things go bad in the future, because they're not that bad now.  In fact, Alex surprised us with his composure over receiving a shot today.

Not happy, but not crying either.  Wow!

We both love Dr. Glassman.  He's so great with babies!!

See ya in a few months Dr. Glassman!!!

Playtime and a New Milestone

Alex got so many cool new toys from the family last week.  And I have some serious work ahead of me, trying to figure out where to fit them all!  We played with some as I tried to gather them all up in one place.

Then, this evening, I decided to play the new MagiQ DVD he got with the talking companion doll - a dog named Tiny.  He LOVES this DVD.

Alex laughing at the duck in the reeds

Then, something amazing happened.   I have to show the photos in sequence to let it really shine:

1)

Interest in the Riding Bus



2)

A keener interest compels a rise up on his knees

3) 

Wait.  I think I can go further

4)

I'm not sure how I wound up facing this way, but I guess I'll play with the Circus Tent instead.

Yup.  He sat up on his own. Right in front of me!

It was one of those rare moments in which he does something brand new AND I have my camera in hand.

Yes!!!

Daddy Love

Dan is often up pretty late, so he takes the late shift on care, if needed.  Sometimes, he just likes to peek in on our soundly sleeping boy.

Tonight was one such night.  Snapped at just shy of 4 AM

Experimentin' with Skillz

Most of the time, the milestones suggestions on Baby Center are right on or at least close to it.  Sometimes, the milestones posted make me scratch my head.  For example, it said that by one year, your child should be able to handle a spoon well enough to feed themselves. 

Are they sure about that?   This is a photo record of how well that experiment went this afternoon at Snack time.

Fingerpainting with carrots

This end, Mama?

Naughty Mommy

You're not supposed to put a baby down with a loose blanket.   It's a suffocation hazard.  That doesn't stop manufacturers from coming out with the most adorable baby blankets evah, of course. 

Since Alex can't bear to be swaddled, that leaves me with the only choice but to use a blanket on him while standing there. But, if I stand there, he won't nap unless he's absolutely exhausted.  So, it means allowing him his bottle while under a blanket, since I have to take the bottle away anyway.

Works for me.  At least his safari blanket will get some use:

Family Party! Visitors! Presents! Zzzzzzz....

Tonight we hosted our family party.  It was an amazing turnout.  Doria brought something vegetarian and delicious, of course.  I made my pulled pork, which was popular this year.  Tristan and his girlfriend showed up too.

But, most of all, Alex got presents. LOTS of 'em.  Lots from Grandma McCann. Lots from Aunt Ellen.  Lots from Aunt Donna.  Lots and lots and lots. 

It proved too much for the tyke, though.  He was soon yawning and stretching.  I dressed him for bed and he was thrilled!   At one point, he even flipped out when I turned away from his nursery.  I'd forgotten something, but he thought I wasn't listening.

Oh no, tyke.  When you say you're tired, believe me, I listen.

A Leap Forward! (Kinda)

So, this afternoon, I was busy doing some chores while Alex played quietly in his Pack N Play.  We have the family Christmas Party tomorrow, so I'm grateful for his willingness to play alone like this.  I have a ton of housework to do.

I came out from cleaning the bathroom into the living room to see this:

He pulled himself to standing!! He's tried many times before in the past few weeks, but this was the first time he'd accomplished it.

Which leads me to another thought: time to make sure I dress him in pants that fit.

Showing off Special Presents

A new thread on BabyCenter April 07 asked us to share photos of the most meaningful gift we received from our spouses this Christmas, being Baby's First Christmas and all.  This was the photo I posted:

I loved my aquarmarine jewelry too.  I'm wearing the earrings now and have been since Christmas Day.  But these Wishing Tree figurines are nearest and dearest to my heart.  I can't even imagine Alex being as big as the boy being held by the female figure.  I look forward to it too.   For now, I get all warm and fuzzy inside looking at the male figure.  That pose reminds me of a pose I've seen Dan strike while holding Alex many times. 

Playin' with Toys, Lookin' at Pictures

This morning after Alex's bottle and change, we played with some new toys.  Well, "new" to him, anyway.  He's been afraid of some of the Sassy toys I got at my baby shower.  Today, I wanted to see if he'd enjoy the rocking horse.  He did!!!

Also, since we have a trip to Florida coming up this month. I've been going through the family photo album that he got from Santa Claus and that I put together for him.   My hope is that he'll remember the faces of people he hasn't seen since he was only two weeks old.

How excited will Abuela and Abuelo be when Alex recognizes them?  

Now, let's hope it works!!

Funny Froggies and a New Year's Visitor

After naptime, I brought the rapping frogs into the nursery to see if Alex would enjoy dancing to their songs again.  He was more intrigued than excited to see them, demanding that they sing.  So, I placed his favorite one into the crib and played it. 

It wasn't exactly the response I'd been hoping for.  His first response to these frogs was hilarious.

About an hour later, Auntie Gail came to visit.  Alex likes her a lot.  But she couldn't get Alex interested in the rappig frog either.  Well, he was interested in one thing - trying to figure out how they moved, but singing and dancing along with them? That's SO last week.