Just keeps growing!

Alex had his 1 year checkup today. He weighs 31# and 6oz. and is 32.75 inches long! He is perfectly healthy and the doctor did not hear the heart murmer this time. He can now start getting off of the formula and onto milk and eat just about anything he wants! We had some pizza and a banana for dinner to celebrate.

All this for me? 

Norman! (the cow) 

We had a very Merry Christmas!

We had such a fun weekend and Alex's first Christmas was a blast. He got so many nice things. He didn't seem to care to open anything, but enjoyed playing with the toys once they were opened and out of the boxes. He was such a trooper and did so well with everything...even with limited naps. We spent Christmas Eve at Great Grandma's house and Christmas Day at Grandma and Papa's. We got up around 7:30 on Sunday (once he "gets" it, i'm sure that time will get earlier and earlier) and had our Christmas here. It was a very busy weekend, but Alex liked all of the people and everything going on. We had a great time!

It's almost Christmas!

It's so hard to believe how fast this year has flown by again. This time last year I was hugely pregnant and told to stop going to work by the doctor. Alex is getting really good at walking....we love "practicing" with him. He's still not much of an eater on his own. He loves to eat when we put it in his mouth, but won't put anything in his mouth on his own. He sleeps really well....we really lucked out on that one. I can't wait to see him with all his gifts, although I know that the wrapping paper will likely be more fascinating for him. And his birthday is around the corner too! I better get some things together for that!

Downtown

We took the light rail downtown today to see Field's 8th floor and the Holidazzle parade. It was my first time on the light rail and it is pretty cool. We ate at the Loon and I had an excellent hamburger! Alex had some chicken wild rice soup and crackers (since I forgot to bring his usual dinner). He seemed to really like it. Then we headed over to see "Cinderella" at Field's. He enjoyed looking at everything. He really had no nap today, so he was getting pretty sleepy. Almost made it to the parade, then he was just done. So, we headed back to the train and he was out like a light. Slept the entire train ride. Oh well...maybe we'll catch it next year. It was a fun day anyway!

Alex is walking!

Pretty wobbly still, but he's doing it. Tonight he went back and forth between Wil and me on the floor. He was having so much fun doing it! He would get so excited sometimes and just fall down. But he managed to take 6-7 steps between us several times.

Such a big boy already!!!

Merry Christmas! 

I'm waiting for Santa 

Alex is 11 months old today!

He is getting so big so fast! He took some steps today, one or two little ones. We spent about 15 minutes trying to get him to walk more with a book as a bribe. He was going for it for a little while.
He just loves books and will sit and "read" them for quite awhile. It's easier to take a toy away from him than a book. He also really likes MASH and when the intro starts, he drops what he's doing to watch it. It's very cute!

I can't believe how fast this year is going. Christmas is right around the corner, as is his 1st birthday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Alex's first Thanksgiving yesterday! We went to Great Uncle Bob's and Great Aunt Cathy's house for dinner with the entire family. Aunt Patty was sick with mono and stayed home with grandma and grandpa. We had a good dinner and visited with the family. He was a very good boy and enjoyed all the attention he got, especially from all the kids!

Wil left the house a little before 3 this morning to get some deals at Best Buy. We got a new camcorder! Looking forward to using it for the holidays and our trip.

Again! 

Love this ride! 

First trip to Chuck E Cheese! 

Fun times!

We went to Chuck E Cheese last night with grandpa, grandma, and auntie patty! Alex seemed to really like all the stuff going on. He tried some pizza, watched the lights and show, and went on a couple rides. He really liked it...I'll post pictures soon.

We went to Albertville outlet malls today and spent the day walking around. Alex finally got his first pair of shoes at Stride Rite (well, the first pair that fit anyway). They're little velco tennis shoes and they are a 7 extra wide! He seemed to not mind them on. It was a fun couple of days and the weekend hasn't even started yet!

Late entry! Off roading! 

One more...get your fix now? 

And another... 

New pictures...requested by Auntie Patty! 

Alex is 10 months old today!

Happy Halloween! Alex turned 10 months old today...I can't believe it! We didn't do a costume this year (I went shopping too late and things were pretty picked over). But, it will be more fun for him next year, I think.

Alex just keeps growing. He's so much fun. He is getting better at letting go of furniture and standing. My mom said he did that today and was kind of rocking, like he wanted to move. So, I'm sure we need to go and buy more gates soon.

We only had a few kids knock on our door. Wil pretty much emptied out our candy dish and kept the good stuff for us!

Getting ready to walk?!?

We're not ready! Alex is practicing pulling himself up on furniture and then letting go! He can stand there for 5-10 seconds before he goes down. It's just amazing that he has learned how this works. We are just no where near ready for it! We have so much baby-proofing to do! He is nodding yes and no and just exploring everything. He studies things very intensely and I'm sure he's trying to figure out how to take things apart. He loves books and being read to...it's great! He loves all of his Winnie the Pooh books the best...especially "Guess Who?" I'm so glad that he likes books already and it's about the only way I can get him to sit still with me!

First thing in the morning! 

Crazy hair! 

Happy playing! 

October already??

It's hard to believe how fast this year is flying by. Alex is getting so big and just gets cuter and cuter everyday! He's pulling up on things and starting to cruise around...every once in awhile he'll let go of what he is holding onto and stand there briefly. He loves to clap his hands and zoom around the house. He's hearing "no" a lot. He has a lot to say and babbles quit a bit. We're working on Mama and I've heard him say it a few times. He's a lot of fun! We went for a drive yesterday up through Taylor's Falls. We didn't stop as it was so busy and no parking. So, we just kept driving looking at the colors and enjoying the great day. Today was a kind of laze around and do nothing day...although I did manage to clean the living room and kitchen, bake some apples, and make a turkey dinner. Oh well!

Alex is 9 months old!

Well, officially tomorrow. He had his checkup today and is very healthy. He weighs 29# and 10 oz. and is 31.25 inches long. He is off the charts! Everyone at the office were all over him and he loved it! The doctor noted a little heart murmur, but he said there was absolutely no reason to worry, that it's pretty common and he'll likely grow out of it. Alex is always busy crawling around and pulling up on stuff and trying to get into anything he can! Auntie Patty is coming over to babysit tonight so Wil and I can go out to a movie.

Apples

We went to the Apple orchard on Saturday with Aunt Patty. We went out for breakfast at Perkin's and Alex had a couple bites of my pancakes. I'm not sure if he really liked it or not. It ended up being pretty cold and rainy, so we just went in the building and got some already picked apples and sat by the fire. Alex liked the old player piano they had going and then we listened to Cactus Willie sing a little. He sounded JUST like Willie Nelson!! We saw some horses and were allowed to pet them. One tried to eat Alex's stroller. We had a good time!

I liked the State Fair! 

New Pictures!

There are some new pictures on Alex's babies online website...just click the link to the right!

Jamaica!!

Yesterday was our 1st anniversary. Wil has been taunting me for weeks about our plans and not giving me any hints! So, Patty came over yesterday to watch Alex (somewhere along the way he went to Grandma and Grandpa's) while we went to a movie (March of the Penguins), dinner at the first place we met at (Sunshine Factory), and then to Whiskey Junction to see our favorite band, The Kurt Jorgenson Band. It was a great afternoon/evening. About midway through the bands set, Kurt announced that it was our Anniversary and played "Willin'" for us. When we got back to our seats, there was a paper on the table that was our confirmation email for our trip to Jamaica in February! I was absolutely speechless. So excited to go!!

Growing too fast!

Alex managed to pull himself up to standing today with his Jeep walker. He has been on his knees for the past couple days. He just grabbed on and up he went, feet flat on the floor! Of course, this only lasted for a couple of seconds, but he did it!! I'm just amazed at how fast he is growing!
He's getting a couple more teeth, so it looks like 8 in all coming in.

I do have pictures of Alex in his first Vikings jersey. Will post as soon as I can!

First road trip!

Alex was such a trooper on our long trip to Indiana. He did extremely well! He pretty much slept all the way there and all the way back. Leaving in the late afternoon was a good choice. We barely heard him fuss or cry at any point. Did a lot of driving and it's good to be home. Alex got to see his "southern grandma" and his great aunt and uncle. Wil and I went to Indianapolis Saturday night for a date at the Slippery Noodle Inn. We also took Alex on Sunday to see the sights and had a nice drive.

We paid as much as 3.19 a gallon for gas in Illinois and Indiana!

Back to work tomorrow. I'm still not recuperated!

Alex is 8 months old!

I can't believe that Alex is growing so fast! He's crawling all over, trying to stand up, sits up on his own, and growing more teeth! He's happy and a good boy...we couldn't ask for anything more. He is eating all kinds of baby food now and even gets little sneaks of ice cream from Grandma and Grandpa.
We're getting all packed up and ready to head to Indiana tomorrow to see Alex's Grandma Margaret. It's going to be a long drive, but we're leaving in the afternoon in hopes that Alex will sleep most of the way at night. Wish us luck!

It's Mom and Dad's anniversary on September 2nd. 33 years! You both have been a great example of what a marriage should look like.

State Fair time!

We took Alex to his first trip at the State Fair (going last year in my belly doesn't count). He really enjoyed looking at everything. He watched the Sky Rides go over our heads pretty intently. We walked through the horse barn and he really liked that. He'd see a horse in a stable and lean towards it and try to touch it. It was so cute. He watched mom and dad eat too much. It was such a beautiful day. We're going again tomorrow with Jenny and James. He was such a good boy the entire time. Took a couple of naps in his stroller. Put him into bed tonight and he was out within minutes! I think I'm not too far behind.

Renassiance festival

We took Alex to the Ren Fest yesterday. It was hard to tell how he felt about it. He seemed to take everything in. He really was mesmerized by the man playing a violin on a rock. He just stared at the guy as he played Alex a lullaby.
He was certainly tired after all the walking and being outdoors. We all slept pretty well last night.

Alex is doing very well. He loves to crawl and gets around easily. He doesn't want to sit still for very long now.

First trip to Duluth...

We drove up to visit Duluth for the day and had a nice time. The Blues Festival was going on, so we sat on a bench and listened for a little bit. Alex was so good for the trip. He really liked looking at the water...he'd lean forward and go "ooh ooh". He didn't really care much about anything else. It was just so nice to get away.

Alex is just crawling all over the place. He does not want to sit still any longer. He has 4 more teeth coming in and is handling it very well!

Alex is crawling!

He's been working on it for awhile now and today he finally really crawled! It is so funny to watch him move like that on his own. He went quite a ways in the living room. Time for gates!!

Just a quick note for the day!

New Pictures

I posted new pictures of Alex at his Babiesonline website. Just click the link to the right.
We got a new pickup truck this weekend. Well, not new, but new to us. It's a 2001 GMC Sierra 4 door. It only has 38,000 miles on it and just as clean as a brand new one. It's so nice that we can all get in it and go somewhere with plenty of room leftover for a bunch of other stuff!
Alex continues to make our days shine. His smile just lights up a room!

Ready to move!

Alex is on his way to crawling. He gets up on all fours and rocks. Sometimes he gets up on his hands and feet like a bridge...it is too cute. You can tell that he just wants to get moving so badly. He's liking his baby food more. Carrots seem to be the favorite so far. Squash, sweet potatoes, applesauce and bananas are okay too!
Not a whole lot going on. Just trying to stay cool in this near 100 degree weather. Our poor yard is in desperate need of attention, but it's just been too nasty. I'm ready for fall!

Babbling

Alex has been saying Mama and Baba and Gaga a lot. He just chatters away. It's so cute. He did say mama first, but I don't think he knows what it means yet. He did say it while looking at me, but he also said it while looking at everything else.
Wil's birthday tomorrow. Auntie Patty is going to babysit tonight so we can go out for some fun.

Happy 4th of July!

It's been a nice long weekend so far. It's been fun just to hang out with Alex and Wil. We found out that Alex doesn't like bananas so much, but did like the applesauce we gave him at Cracker Barrel.
We tried to do a drive in movie Saturday night, thinking that Alex would just sleep through it. Not a chance! We saw about 20 minutes of the show and then went home.
Wil and I went to see Robert Randolph and the family band last night at the MN Zoo. They are a fun group to see and we had a great time.
I think today will just be a laid back day for us. We've had a pretty busy weekend.

Alex is 6 months old today!

I can't believe how much time has flown by! He had a well baby checkup today and is healthy as can be. He's 26# 15oz and 27.75 inches long! The doctor was very impressed by how healthy and happy he is. Alex barely winced for his shots. We met daddy for lunch since I had the day off. He tried some squash tonight for dinner. He seemed to like it at first and then got over it. We'll try some more tomorrow.

A partial government shutdown started today since the fools up on the hill can't get it together. Luckily, my job is safe as it is deemed "critical".

Sad news today- one of the greatest singers in the world passed away today. Luther Vandross died at the age of 54. He was one of my favorite singers and I got the chance to see him in concert once. What a terrific singer/performer. He will be missed!

Alex got his first "owie"

He's a very good roller...almost too good! He bonked his face against the edge of his crib....hard! It took him a couple seconds to realize that this hurts and he cried as a red welt formed on his cheek. Luckily he forgot about it after a few minutes and knew that eating was a bigger deal.

Father's day..

I'm pretty sure that Wil enjoyed his first father's day. Alex got him tickets to see Robert Randolph at the zoo! We'll have a good time.
Alex is getting so big. He's been kind of sitting for a couple of weeks. He doesn't last too long yet, but he's good for about 20-30 seconds. He's so curious about everything around him...he's going to be a kid on the go! We have so much fun with him. He laughs and smiles all the time!

They say it's your birthday.....

This is what was sung to me last night while I was onstage with a blown up guitar at the Blue Fox (along with a few other birthday girls)! Wil took me out for my birthday and we went to an improv show and then to see an 80's cover band! We had a great time. Alex stayed at Grandma and Grandpa's!
We spent the day at Mom and Dad's for my birthday. It's such a good feeling to know that I have a great family who loves me so much! I got very nice gifts, good food and great dessert!!
Alex is 5 months old already. He just gets cuter and cuter every day. I missed him a lot last night, but it was nice to sleep in too!
Thanks to everyone for a great birthday weekend!!

Teeth!

Alex now has 2 teeth poking through. The first one came in last weekend and the other came in today. They are his 2 bottom front teeth. He has dealt with them very well! He's getting so big, it's just amazing!

Happy Memorial Day!

Alex is a big time roller...

He loves to roll over onto his tummy now. But, he hasn't figured out yet how to get back to his back.
We were able to go out for a nice dinner and some music last night. Auntie Patty babysat for us. It was a nice evening out!
Is this weather ever going to get nice???

New pictures

I posted a few new pictures on Alex's babies online website. I swear he gets more adorable every day! He's eating a little cereal now and rolling over. He's only made a couple of complete rolls in his bed so far. He almost gets over on the floor. It's a lot of fun to watch him grow.

Happy Mother's Day

My first mother's day was great. Wil bought me a mama and baby teddy bear that had a box with a beautiful necklace inside. It's a heart shape with diamonds around it and a mother and child in the center. I was so surprised! What a sneaky guy.
We had a nice day at my mom and dad's. BBQ and family. And the dillies were good too!
I hope everyone else had a nice day as well.

Alex is doing great. He's liking his cereal more. We decided that we need to start velcro-ing his butt to his mattress. He scoots himself up into a corner and then wakes up mad. it's really cute how he gets up there, but not at 4am.

That's it for now....still have to go through some pictures to post.

Alex is a big boy!!

Had his 4 month well baby checkup today. He's weighing in at 24# and 14 oz. He's 27.25 inches long! He's basically the size of a one year old!! But, he's very healthy and doing just fine. Started eating some rice cereal yesterday. He didn't care for it too much. I'll post some pictures later! We have to buy carseats tonight as he's now too big for his infant carrier.
So, we're off to meet daddy at babies r us.

4 months old!

Alex is getting bigger by the day. It's hard to believe that 4 months have gone by already. We're getting some sleep, but he's waking up at 330 a couple of times a week. He has a doctor appointment on Monday and more shots. I'm curious to see how big he's gotten. He loves his blanket and his thumb! Kind of like Linus. Maybe that means he'll be genius piano player someday too!
Patty and I hosted a Pampered Chef show the other night. Thanks for those that attended. It was fun and we're getting some good stuff!

What's the deal....

with a baby who has been sleeping so well deciding that 3 or 4 in the morning is the time to have a chat? The past 3 mornings Alex has been waking up so early and talking away! It is really cute, just wish he'd wait until at least 5 or 6 to do it. Wonder what he's thinking, trying to say, or who he's even talking to!

New pictures of Alex

Click on the link to the right to see new pictures at Babies Online. I thought it would be easier to just put pictures there with the link to them.

Alex is 3 months old already! I cannot believe how fast the time goes. He is getting so big and he's such a happy baby. He is consistently sleeping all night and loves going to Grandma and Grandpa's everyday.

I have the best husband in the world...

Wil got tickets for Kenny Chesney last night. He did this without me asking (he hates country) just for me! So, Alex went to Grandma and Grandpa's last night and we had a great time at the concert. He even had a good time.

It was Alex's first Easter today. We went out to my aunt and uncle's. He liked all the attention he got today...he'll have to wait until next year to try some of the food! He was a very good boy.

Happy Easter

We've really gotten settled into our new routine. The day starts pretty early, but Alex likes to be up in the morning. Unfortunately even on the weekends! He's been having a lot of fun at his grandma and granpa's house. We've had some computer issues lately, so I haven't gotten new pictures up yet, but hopefully soon.

Happy Easter to everyone....Alex's first. He did get an Easter bunny from his great grandma and his grandma Ross. I'm just going to wait until next year....by then he should be able to have a bite or two of chocolate at least!

Starting to remember what sleep is...

Alex is getting much better at sleeping through the night. He slept from about 8pm-5am 3 nights this week. And when he does wake up, it's been just once! Of course now Mom and Dad should start going to bed earlier to get a full night sleep! He's doing a little laughing and today he let out a couple of squeals in the morning! It's the cutest sound.

We're doing some more work on the house. Getting some new doors put on today in preparation for the security system that is being installed on Tuesday. We caught a guy halfway in our kitchen window last Sunday. It was a random thing..my purse was on the kitchen table in plain view. But we're going to be a lot more careful around here. We're also thinking of getting a dog..not for just a guard dog, but for Alex too. I think it will be a few months yet.

Alex is staying overnight at Grandma and Grandpa's tonight so Wil and I can go out and have a night out!

Spring is around the corner!

I can't wait for spring to get here. We've had a mild winter, that's for sure, but I'm ready to be outside instead of cooped up in the house. I'm excited to take Alex out for walks (instead of in the malls) and hang out on the deck.
We have exciting news! Wil finally landed a new job back in his field of QA/software testing! It took a long time, but his persistence paid off. He is going to be doing some PT work for them at home while finishing up at Simons and then he'll officially start on 3/21. It will be so nice to have him home in the evenings again!
Alex is doing well. He is slowly getting over his cold. He just gets cuter everyday...he smiles a lot and is quite the "talker" sometimes! I'm getting ready to go back to work next week and I really don't want to. I know that he's going to be in great hands though, so that helps a ton! (Thanks Mom!)

What? 2/12/05 

I'm almost 2 months old! 2/26/05 

Daddy, you're funny! 2/20/05 

2 months old!

It's hard to believe that Alex is already 2 months old. He has his 2 month checkup today and is doing just fine. He's a big boy...17and 1/2# and 26 inches long. He's healthy. He had his shots and is trying to get over that today....he just wants to sleep.
I'll try to post new pictures soon!

Weekend fun...

We had a nice weekend. Alex was full of smiles. He really enjoyed spending time with dad. We did some shopping on Saturday and holed up in the house during the snow on Sunday. Alex is really doing a lot of looking around and smiling in response to us...it is so much fun! It seems that he might have his first little cold....some sniffles and coughing. Nothing too major though. Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Ready to go! 2/15/05 

1/18/05 

Happy Valentines Day!

Alex spent the day with grandma and grandpa so that Wil and I could have some time together. It was a little strange to not have him with us, but we really needed it. We started out with brunch at Famous Daves and then hit a movie (The Wedding date). Cute movie (or "passable" according to Wil). We did a little shopping and then ended up at Outback for dinner. It was nice to sit and talk over a bottle of wine without wondering when the baby will wake up. I only called once to see how he was doing (he was sleeping). It was a good time. Thanks to mom and dad for babysitting!

What a beautiful day!

Since it was so nice out, we decided to take Alex for his first trip to Como Zoo. We checked out the conservatory, while he slept. Then we walked around and saw some of the animals, while he slept. We even had some cheese curds and mini donuts, while he slept. So it wasn't such an exciting trip for him, but Wil and I had a nice time walking around and enjoying the sunshine. I'm sure the fresh air was good for Alex too! I can't believe that we've had such nice weather for February.

Sleepy boy! 

Alex and Alissa 

Starting over...

I've been trying to figure out how I want to keep in touch with friends and family, post photos, connect with old friends and make new friends. I have seen this site used by other people and really like the format. So, I'm going to attempt to start over and get this one going!

Alex is growing so much and so fast. He is 6 weeks old today and is doing some spontaneous smiling. He rolled over the other day...surprised me completely! Of course, I know he's a genius!

So here is the start of something new. Would love to hear from you!