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!

Caught in the act

Alex has been seeing just how far he can explore without being halted by Mommy. He climbs in to everything. He opens every drawer. He rips up any paper he finds. He pulls on cords. He throws things around. He recently showed us what he thinks of Britney Spears by destroying her layout in the recent Rolling Stone. We have increased our baby-proofing, but we have realized he is far too smart for us and can outwit us at every corner.

Gene "Alex" Simmons

So, our first (and very short-lived) pediatrician informed us when alex was only 9 days old that he was tongue-tied and would have to have his tongue clipped. What? We said. How could he know something at such an early age? The pediatrician laughed at us and said "because your son cannot extend his tongue beyond his lower lip. It is obvious, can't you tell?" We could not tell, Alex seemed to be moving his tongue perfectly fine and we were not willing to have his tongue clipped immediately. We found a new pediatrician and when we asked her if he was tongue tied she said "No, why would you think so?" We thought the same. A mere 9 months later and no tongue-clipping and Alex has taken to performing his Gene Simmons impersonation on a regular basis.

Checkin' my blog

New Christmas Hat

Aunt Stacey made Alex a new hat with matching mittens (see Aunt Stacey's Blog http://backassward.blogspot.com/2008/11/flying-accessories-for-small.html for the story behind the story). He is quite enamored with the hat and mittens, but generally only wears the hat while in command of his command center!

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Jimi

Lovin' my bath!