Figuring things out

Records

Those of you who know Alan know that he has a few obsessions: drums, guitars, records . . . basically MUSIC! Alex is definitely following in his Daddy's footsteps as he checks his, I mean his Daddy's, music collection.

Books, books, books

Book love. . . it runs in the family.

Fish Face

Humphrey Park

I spent much of my childhood at this park with my Grandpa, but did not know until today that it is named Humphrey Park. Grandpa would let me walk with him to the park from his and Nanny's house on Nashville Street. Grandpa was over six foot tall, so I nearly had to jog to keep up with his long stride. He would let me swing for as long as I wanted and he would swing me so high that I truly remember thinking that I was flying. Today, we took Alex to the park of my childhood so he could enjoy the rides and the freedom of roaming. Just like his mommy, he loved the swings the most.

Mirror Image, Reprise

Alex is obsessed with standing at the door and observing what is going on outside and I am obsessed with taking pictures of him doing so. I love the way the mirror image seems to almost capture his thoughts. I hope you enjoy this photo as much as I do.

Stinky

Mark and Leah got Alex this great (and accurate) onesy!

Just like his Daddy, he holds true to the nickname!!

Cousins

Ayden spent Saturday evening with us. We went bowling and Alan made his "infamous" pasta for dinner. Alex got in to the bowling action, with Ayden helping him roll the bowling ball.

For Tia Carolina

Aunt Carolina got Alex these big boy drumsticks for Christmas. He drums on everything we let him get near--including Alan's head!

Happy Walker

I know I have uploaded a lot of video recently but what can I say, I am obsessed! I hope you enjoy this cute video of Alex walking (and falling and walking again) with his walker!

Strawberries

I found out today that Alex loves strawberries. He enjoys most food, but his love of strawberries appears to be of a higher caliber than his love of other foods. I gave him a taste of a strawberry I was eating and he demanded more--literally--he pounded on the table and did the sign for MORE. I gave him another bite, but it was not enough for him. I decided to put a strawberry (with the seeds cut off) in one of his mesh teethers. Alex approved, quickly devouring the berry. When I tried to take the empty teether away from him, he held on to it with as much force as he could. When I finally got the teether away from him, I decided I would let him have one more strawberry, much to his extreme happiness (as you can see in the photo and the video).

Again, the video would not load on blogspot, so you have to view it via facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/v/51445710457

Walking, sort of

Alex has been getting closer and closer to walking on his own. He has been cruising everywhere for quite some time, but usually on things that are stationary. He figured out, however, that he can push the dining room chairs around the house while using them as a walker. He is very proud of this accomplishment. It took us several hours to try to upload the video to this blog, so you can click on the following link and see it on my facebook account.
http://www.facebook.com/v/50820040457

Rogue Alex

We knew from the beginning that Alex is something special. Now, I know that all parents think that their child is special, and they are. But Alex really is different. He is so curious and has such a light about him that he makes people want to be near him. He smiles and people cannot help but smile back. He has made me a better person because I see the happiness in his eyes. So, he is special. But beyond that, he is smart---smart to the point that he keeps his parents on their toes every second.

Recently, we put child locks on all our cabinets with the hopes that Alex would lose interest in finding out what is inside. We are finding, however, that the locks are only a temporary obstactle. Yesterday, while I was unloading the diswasher, Alex was following me around the kitchen like normal. He crawled up to a cabinet door and tried opening it, only to find that it had a pesky lock. He pulled again, and within seconds he had figured out how to keep the door open to the full length of the lock (about 3 inches). While propping the door open, he then went to work exploring what was keeping it from opening further. He ran his hand up and down the length of the inside of the cabinet door, stopping when he felt the lock toward the top. He then peered inside and up toward the lock, trying to figure out how to bend the lock to his will. He started pushing up on the lock (which is precisely how these "child-proof" locks becoming unlocked), at which point I decided to stop his investigation. I figure that Alan and I are only so far ahead of him at this point and we need all the lead we can get. He will surpass us quickly enough.

Reading

I've got moves

Alex dances whenever music is played. I credit the fact that Alan started playing music for him as soon as we found out we were expecting. Alex is blessed with a father who not only loves music, but is also musically inclined (unlike his mother). They play the drums together regularly and Alex can already pick out the drum beat, bouncing or dancing on the beat of the drum. I hope you enjoy this video of Alex dancing to Prince's When Doves Cry!