Chase!

New Year’s Eve

We spent the holiday this year visiting with the Jacobson family. They have boys similar in age to Alex and it proved to be a fun-filled evening. Before we left the house, we wanted to get in the party mood so we started playing “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga. Alex loved it! We captured his sweet dance moves in the video at the end of the post.

The boys really did have a great time playing with trains and running around after one another. Alex had a great time hiding in the cardboard playhouse the boys got for Christmas. After playtime was over, the adults got to have some fun! It was overall a fantastic time and a great way to bring in the New Year!

See "Poker Face" video below

A Day in the Life of an Elf

This year we toured “A Day in the Life of an Elf” in Santaland on the 8th floor of Macys. We met Grandma and Grandpa Johnson for a tour of this magical place. Alex was excitedly running from display to display. Christmas music was blaring from the speakers above and all of the objects were motorized so it really felt like we were peaking in on the Elves as they readied themselves for Christmas. Alex’s favorite part was seeing all the letters kids wrote to Santa. I was encouraging Alex to touch them as a mom right beside us was telling her child “Don’t touch that! All the kids touch them and they are filled with germs!” I say to that “Bah-humbug!” Kids are kids, they should explore.

The city photos are downtown Minneapolis on a foggy, warmish night. We walked to Lyon's Pub a few blocks from Macy's for dinner. The food was great, and the atmosphere was thick with music. Alex was dancing for all of us as he ate his grilled cheese and french fries. Overall, it was a very fun night out on the town.

Santa!

Alex got to meet Santa this year at the Santa Experience in the Mall of America. We went to a nice dinner at Kokomo’s Island Café and then headed over to see the bearded legend. There was a line for our “appointment” but Alex kept himself busy by running around the lobby and playing Peek-a-Bo barn on Brent’s iPhone. According to an onlooker, he is “very technologically savy for a baby.” As we crept closer to Santa’s location, Alex got more and more interested in the jolly voice behind the curtain. And finally, it was our turn! Santa walked off the “set” while the cheerful camera assistant got Alex settled in a cute rocking chair and handed him a book. Alex was too busy looking at the book to notice Santa swooping in behind him. They took a few pictures this way but none of them were cute. The real action started when Santa lifted Alex from behind and put him on his lap. Alex was instantly on guard and was like, “Who the heck is this guy!?” He arched his back to escape, but to no avail. He was stuck. They got a couple great shots and Alex was free. We got suckered into buying the video of the event and a picture. Well, mommy got suckered into it. The whole experience was a blast. I am proud that my social son handled himself so well and hopefully next year he will give a tug on the ole’beard! If you look closely... he is trying to pry Santa's hand away. Pretty cute!

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.