Videos!

I finally captured Alex walking on video. He tends to pump his arms for momentum and kick out his little feet. He is getting so sturdy! We were watching Sesame Street in the background... rather loudly apparently! Be sure to check out his sweet PJs!



Here is a video of Alex throwing his Vikings football against the hallway wall. HOO-TA!

I will miss you Aunt Angie

Alex's Aunt Angie passed away on Sunday, October 24, 2010 from leukemia. This picture was taken on May 30, 2010 and as you can see... she was glowing. Alex had no idea what was going on at the Mayo clinic the day that tragedy struck, but we will be sure to tell him stories of his aunt as he gets older.

Angie wasn't much of a "baby person" but kids adored her... including Alex. When Alex was still an infant, I finally got Angie to hold him at a family gathering. Alex had just finished a bottle and Angie unwisely started playing with him by swaying him UP and DOWN. Big mistake. Of course Alex threw up on her. It was definitely funny.

Angie also couldn't resist buying Alex gifts. To name a few- she bought him homemade blankets, a Playskol puppy for Christmas that he still cuddles, and a great outfit for his first birthday. The outfit was very grown up... a polo shirt, jeans, and brown shoes. SUPER CUTE. It was the first pair of shoes that really fit him and he wore. And Angie didn't even need to try them on him... they just fit. The first time Brent and I went to try on shoes for Alex we tried on 3 pair before finding a pair that fit across his wide, pudgy foot.

Angie loved reading this blog... and she loved her nephew. We will all miss her dearly.

Finally, an Update

A lot has happened since the last blog post… my family stayed with us for 3 weeks and got to know Alex. We went to cousin Jenna’s wedding in Wisconsin. We went to the park numerous time, Lake Calhoun, the Apple Orchard, on a train ride… lots of fun events! I can’t promise this post will be filled with pictures, because it won’t, but it will give you an idea of what the past few months have been like for Alex since he turned a year old. I will try to add some photos of my parents stay and other events but no promises! Maybe I can convince Brent to add photos... :)

Grandma and Grandpa Bryant were with us from August 5th to August 25th. Alex LOVED every moment of it. They thought him where his nose was and Crazy which consists of rubbing his hands on his head. Unfortunately, he usually does Crazy while eating dinner and ends up with goo all over him! Oh well. He’s having fun.

He loved his Aunt Georgia too (AKA Auntie Emo or Emo Monster). She would tickle him and snuggle him and Alex just ate it up. Now when he sees his aunt or grandparents on Skype, he really gets excited and you can tell he is quite attached to them. The time they were able to be here was awesome.

Grandma and Grandpa Bryant bought Alex a Piggy Bank for his birthday and I am proud to say Alex has enough control to put quarters and nickels in his bank. He loves to hear the planking as the coin hits the ceramic. Anything loud really gets him going.

Around Labor Day we switched daycare which was a huge decision for us. Now Alex plays trucks and seems to very well adjusted to his new environment. He isn’t just happy to see the daycare provider, but all the kids too. There seem to be more boys around and he really enjoys the “boy things” like trucks and tinkering with tools. He seems to do a lot more organizing of books and toys. He can stand at his shelf in his bedroom and just re-organize everything from one shelf to the next. Very quietly, very steadily just moving his brush from the place mommy keeps it to a better one. Of course, the next time I go to look for the brush… I have no idea where it is but I always smile when I find it!

The past few weeks Alex has wanted blankets. No particular blanket, but he loves to snuggle into a blanket, especially on mom and dad’s lap. He is a smart little guy. He knows how to put his favorite DVD in and get it going. All of a sudden he goes to the Blu-ray, opens it up, inserts Baby Road Trip, and then the familiar music starts and he starts bouncing up and down. Alex really enjoys music. He sways his head back and forth and sways…. Even with more mature music like the Canadian Tenors! He just loves music. He is also getting more and more into playing with our family dog Marty. He actually throws Marty’s ball for him now and gets super excited when Marty goes to get it and brings it back. Then Marty gets super excited and starts racing around the living room. And then Alex gets even more excited and starts squealing with delight.

Total clown show.

Alex has also started walking about two weeks back. We have no video proof, but people have seen it and my parents and Georgia have witnessed it on Skype. He will not allow us to videotape it. The moment we get the camera rolling he drops to a crawl. Funny guy. He is building up his confidence but doesn't seem too eager to abandon the crawl at this point. He's pretty chill so it doesn't surprise me at all.

The fact of the matter is that Alex is a happy baby. He is a delight and I feel blessed to have such a remarkable son. He is curious, adventurous, and just plain fun.

Alex's First Birthday

As promised, here are some pictures taken on Alex's birthday last Friday. Brent and I both took the day off. When Alex woke up, we let him sleep in of course, we headed out to breakfast at Perkins. I got food that Alex could easily share and dad got a blueberry muffin to share with Alex. So... he had scrambled eggs, breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit, muffin, and apple juice. What a big boy!

After Alex took his morning nap, we set up his gifts in the living room. We got him a little pop up tent from IKEA. We also got him some Thomas the Tank Engine DVDs and books. He is a big fan. Here are some pictures... he started off with some tentative exploration...



He really liked his Birthday Boy balloon...



"HI DAD"



After Alex fully woke up and got going we headed off to Como Zoo. We hit the Carousel first. Here is a picture of Alex looking at the carousel.



I have to admit, Alex was pretty freaked out when the carousel started moving. That thing was fast! But he knew daddy would keep him safe and started to enjoy himself.



A picture of Alex in the new Polar Bear Odyssey. Unfortunately, that was all Alex really liked in the actual zoo. Too many people to really see any animals. It was also really hot so all the animals were sacked out in the shade. Needless to say, we didn't stay very long!



Of course, we had to ride the train before we left in Como Town! If you are wondering, Alex stole my spoon I was using to share Iced Lemonade with him and didn't give it back. Teether.



This is a picture of Alex on the ride home. And yes, he took a bite out of his balloon. No more balloon. And if you are wondering, yes he still bites his parents.



Here is a picture of Alex after he ate his chicken nuggets. His hair looks really red in some photos and this is one of them!



Alex is growing so quickly into a little boy. He is a delight. He smiles all the time and just to prove how social he is, his first official word was "Hi." He says hi to random strangers and they seem surprised and pleased by his greeting.

We are moving away from using a bottle. He has only used one three or four times in the past two weeks. He likes the sippy cups but sometimes he just needs the comfort of a bottle. What else? We bought a canister of 12-18 month formula but after that is finished he will switch over to whole milk. He loves to eat whatever mom and dad are eating. And we MUST share with him. :) Alex is so funny.

Lately I have been making him 1 scrambled egg, 1/2 piece toast, and fruit for breakfast. He eats like a champ but is slow and super messy. Lots of wardrobe changes again.

In short, Alex had a great birthday. He of course won't remember it, but it will be a day I will never forget.

Almost a Year Old

Alex is just moments away from walking independently, climbs stairs, says "Hi" cheerfully, and is eating more and more big people food. He is truly a delight. Here is a picture of his very first real peach. He took a hesitant bite, took the skin out of his mouth and put it on his table, then ate some meat. He repeated that process a few times and then eventually went back and ate the skin. He ended up eating half the peach! He has had lots of diced peaches, but a real peach was a real treat!



He is, unfortunately, still biting his parents. He has 8 teeth now and they are all sharp! He brushes his teeth now with mom in the morning. I started saying "Ahh..." while brushing my teeth to get him excited about this fun new habit... so Alex does it too! It is really sweet.l Of course, he cries every time I take it away from him. Here is a picture of Alex enjoying brushing during a morning bath.



We have had lots of fun in the sun this summer. Our friend Beth bought Alex a wading pool for the backyard and he enjoyed it immensely. We also got some lake time in with family. Just this past weekend, Alex got to try out a slip and slide with the big boys!






Alex is meeting all kinds of babies! Below he is saying Hi to cousin Owen.



And "HI" to Isaac Alexander!



Friday we will be taking the day off of work and daycare to go to Como Zoo. Hopefully we will get some good pictures and post them as well.

Enjoy the video of Alex walking behind Simba:

Alex Climbing the Stairs

Alex is such a big boy that he climbed the stairs TWICE tonight! We caught it on video the second time around. My oh my we are in for a world of trouble. He is 10 1/2 months old and is already climbing the stairs.

Memorial Day weekend

Click on "Mommy's Blog" to see what we were up to over the weekend.