Cheese! 

15 months old!

Alex turned 15 months old on 3/31. He had his checkup today and is doing very well (despite the cold he currently has). He hasn't gained any weight (still at 31.6#) and is now 34.5 inches tall! He is going to outgrow me any day now! He is learning so many new words and is quite thoughtful about his actions. We have so much fun playing with him. I got a new bike and Wil got his tuned up. We also bought a little trailer for Alex so we could get some bike riding in this year. I think he'll really like it!

Owwwwwwwww! 

Blue eyes! 

Jamaica...just needed this after all the snow! 

Learning to talk!

Alex is starting to say some words and getting a better understanding of what things are. He is really good at saying clock...he knows what it is whether it's on the wall, a picture in a book, or a watch. He says it like "ca-lock" It's too cute! He also has said da-da, gammy, papa, ba (for ball), wa (for water or anything else in his cup). He is learning what things are from his shoes, to books, blanket, and so on. He is very smart. He also knows the signs for more, please, and thank you. It's so exciting to see him learn so many new things.
He's getting a few more teeth and they seem to bug him a little more than the first 8 did. But he's really a trooper about it overall.
The best part of the day is picking him up and coming home to play!

Yes, I'm a dork!

Vote 4 Taylor!

Click this!

After....notice the "Stylin" sticker! 

During... 

Before....in desperate need of a haircut! 

First haircut!

Alex got his first haircut today. He was looking pretty shaggy and it needed to be done. I really didn't want to, but he was having problems seeing it was in his eyes so much. He did so well and looks just adorable.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We didn't do much for today. Alex and I met Wil for dinner after work. By the time we got home, Alex just crashed. He had a busy day with Grandma and Great Grandma. Grandma and Papa gave him a card and a his own chair for their house. He got some new books from Great Grandma, and a stuffed puppy from Jeanette!

Wil started his new job yesterday. He's very happy to be back to work.
The whole family has been suffering through colds...hopefully they are starting to taper off now.

An exciting weekend!

We had a wonderful time in Jamaica-it is just a beautiful place! We got to the resort around 4pm Thursday evening after a pretty wild shuttle ride. People in Jamaica drive a little crazy-no turn signals, lots of horn honking, and not so much use of the brakes. The resort we stayed at was awesome! We arrived to check-in and were immediately offered Mimosa's and some munchies. We went straight to our room, ordered room service and then went to check out the acoustic show. We were pretty tired after getting up at 2:30am that morning. Friday was perfect. The sun was shining, so we did some swimming in the ocean (aqua blue with white clean sand!) and layed out on the beach. We failed to re-apply our "waterproof" sunscreen and ended up with some sunburn. That night we took an excursion to shop and sightsee-ending up at Rick's Cafe to watch people cliff dive and the sunset. Well, the clouds rolled in and there was some rain, so we didn't get to see the sunset. That night, we watched a full band concert on the beach. Tried a Bob Marley shot-which you kind of have to see to understand what it is. Saturday was overcast and rained off and on. But we were still able to spend time on the beach and I did a little more swimming. Walked along the beach and then went to the Manager's Gala Buffet. These people went all out-it was huge! Tons of food! Then another concert on the beach in the rain. After we couldn't take getting soaked anymore, we headed back to our room, sat on the patio and listened to the music awhile. We have nearly 300 pictures! It was a great time!
Missed Alex quite a bit. Sounds like he had a fun time with Grandma and Papa though (thanks Mom and Dad!!!). He has finally started feeding himself over the weekend! It is so fun to watch him-he really chows down now!

New pictures!

Posted some christmas and birthday pictures at Babiesonline.com. Just click on the link to the right!

Having fun...

Alex is getting pretty good at giving of kisses these days. It's a lot of fun! He's also started doing Peek-a-Boo to us. He starts with his hands on the side or back of his head, drags his hair forward, and then covers his eyes (as best as he can). Then we say Peek-a-Boo and he moves his hands and laughs and laughs. He's just getting cuter by the minute. He's eating all kinds of foods now and has pretty much dropped the use of a bottle (without any problem). He's getting so big...it's just amazing!

Kisses

Alex started giving me kisses yesterday. He and Wil stopped by work yesterday for lunch and as they were getting ready to go I asked him to give me a kiss. And he did it! Made my day.

We also found out that Alex really likes some of our blues music. While watching a special, "Lightening in a Bottle", he was bopping and clapping to the likes of Buddy Guy and Solomon Burke. It was just too cute!

Things are slowed down and now we're just gearing up for our trip to Jamaica...it's just a few weeks away now!

Too cute! 

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1 year old pics! 

Alex is 1 year old!!

Alex had his first birthday party yesterday at Grandma and Grandpa's. We had a great time and he really seemed to enjoy the day. We had a lot of family and friends come over to celebrate. Alex got so many nice and fun things, including a bottle of champagne from his Great Uncle Bob to be opened on his 21st birthday. He enjoyed playing with things after they were opened. We had a lot of finger type foods-sloppy joes, meatballs, cheese/meat, veggies, and other munchies. We went with all Pooh stuff! The cake was beautiful and very good. Alex tried his first pickle and liked it-we were expecting him to make a "yucky" face, but he just ate it like it was nothing. When it came time to eat the cake, we gave Alex a chunk of it. He just looked at it and touched it a little, but he never really just dug in. We smooshed his hands in the cake a little and he just kind of wiped the frosting all over. Needless to say, he ended up with a quick bath in the sink to clean up.
After the party died down a little, Alex went to bed and then we celebrated New Year's Eve. We all just hung out and played games until after midnight. It was a great day all around!
Happy New Year 2006!

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!