Last Sunday

Here are some photos of Alex playing with Grandpa B. last Sunday (February 21, 2010).

One year ago today...

One year ago I was very pregnant and swollen. My due date was about a week and a half away (March 9th). It was a Friday morning, and I had an appointment with my doctor. Due to my increase in blood pressure, she put my on bed rest for the weekend. I was scheduled to be induced on the morning of March 2nd.

Reading

The pictures are from Sunday, February 21st. John was reading Alex his Dr. Seuss ABC book. Alex will look at his books more now and shows more interest when we read to him. Of course, he still chews on his books...

Not the Innocent Victim

So much of the blog shares all of the milestones and good things, but right now I am sharing a couple of our less than perfect moments.

Alex's daycare class consists of 8 babies from about 3 months to around 15 months. Alex is currently the third oldest child in the room.

For some reason, Alex likes other peoples' teeth and will put his fingers in your mouth. I did not think much about this until yesterday. When I picked Alex up from daycare, his teacher shared a story. She had been out of the room and returned to find Alex really crying. The other teacher said that "Alex was not the innocent victim that he appeared to be." Alex stuck his fingers in another baby's mouth. This baby did not like that and screamed, which scared Alex.

Not ready for toddlerhood

John had to work late last night, so it was just Alex and me. He only took a one hour nap at daycare, so he was tired and cranky.

Alex is still not sure about table food, but daycare will switch him over next week. He is making progress and took some small bites from a graham cracker at school. His teachers have recommended letting him play with his food, figuring that some of it will make its way to his mouth. He played with his spaghetti and carrots last night and then went into the bath tub.

After his bath, he was so tired and restless. I got him ready for bed and was rocking him. He seemed to mistake my arm for a toy and bit me. I ignored it, but will consult the toddler book for me information. (Toddler 411 arrived last week. I've read up on food, so now I need to read up on biting.) At first, I did not think he got me too bad, but it did leave a mark. I finally got him to bed at 8:00 P.M. (His usualy bed time is closer to 7:00 P.M.)

If this is a glimpse of toddlerhood, then I am not ready...

Time to Put Away the Bottles

It's time to put away the bottles! Alex is doing well with a sippy cup. He is not sure about table food yet. He makes faces and appears to be shaking his head "no." I wonder if Alex will be a picky eater...

We gained back so much kitchen counter space by moving the bottles out! Alex started on some formula in the NICU due to low blood sugar, and bottles have been on our kitchen counter since we cam home from the hospital on March 6, 2009.

Update: Alex is doing great with the sippy cup. Sometimes he does get upset at daycare when he sees other babies getting a bottle. Sorry Buddy, life is not fair...

Cards

Pictured is a card for a Monochromatic Challenge from a blog that I read.

I have lost count of how many blogs I follow on Google Reader. Many of the blogs that I follow are stamping and scrapbooking related and provide good inspiration on how to use the items I buy through Stamp Club. I will also add some more cards to my slide show on the right. It is safe to assume that the more intricate cards pictured are made at Stamp Club.

For this card I used items from Stampin' Up!. The greens used in the card are Old Olive and Certainly Celery. The card base is Very Vanilla card stock sponged in Old Olive ink. The Designers Series Paper is from the Sweet Pea paper pack in Old Olive. The button is Old Olive and the satin ribbon is Certainly Celery. The greeting is from the Sincere Salutations stamp set and is stamped in Versa Mark ink on Old Olive card stock. I then embossed the image with with clear embossing powder, one of my new favorites.

Books & A Close Up

Alex is getting more interested in books. In addition to chewing on his books, he will actually look at the pictures now. We keep his board books where he can reach them.
The photos in the yellow shirt were taken on 2/9/10 and the other photo was taken on 2/11/10.

11 Months

Here is Alex's 11 month photo with Shrek taken on 2/13/10. It is getting harder to get a picture of Alex sitting still. I may have to go back to taking photos of Alex sleeping.

Cruisin'

Alex took some steps today while holding on to the coffee table. He was going for the remove control. He has also been crawling up on all fours.

Getting used to a Sippy Cup

Alex woke up sleepy and hungry from his afternoon nap yesterday. When we tried to give him his sippy cup with his food, he was mad and had no problem expressing his feelings.

Alex's teacher gave me some good advice about transitioning from a bottle to a sippy cup. She suggested giving him the sippy cup with his food. If he does not want it at first, try it again later when he is more thirsty. This worked for us yesterday. He still gets a bottle first thing in the morning and in the evening. My goal is to box up those bottles on his first birthday.
photo taken 2/6/10

Getting Some Pictures off of my Camera

The photos with Alex wearing a white shirt are from 1/27/10. We try to give him mixing bowls to play with instead of the dog bowls. The photos of him playing in the blue shirt is from 1/31/10.

Growing Up

Alex is now 11 months old. He are working on getting him ready for table food, and yesterday he tried a sippy cup. Recently, John mentioned that I do not want Alex to grow up. At first I denied it, but it is a little true. My little baby will soon be a toddler, but I am not sure if I am ready for that.
photos taken 2/4/10

Sometimes I have to remind myself

that I am now 30. This morning I wanted to wear my "funky monkey" socks since they match my pink work polo. Is this appropriate work attire for someone my age? I opted to skip the fun socks and go with brown loafers instead. Even though it is casual Friday, I still had a meeting to attend.

A Little Bit of Chaos

I wanted to share a story from a few weeks ago...

It was late afternoon on a Sunday in January (2/24/10). Kat and Sharis had come over for our monthly lunch and scrapbooking. Kat had to head home, but Sharis was still over. My parents had come over since my mom cooks us Sunday dinner each week. The dogs seemed back and forth from sleep on the couch or chair to wanting food and attention. At some point, John went to change Alex's diaper, and Alex peed all over himself. No problem, he needed a bath anyway. (Somehow, I get splashed a lot when Alex takes at bath, which is now in the regular bath tub.)

Alex got out of the bath and into clean clothes. The day seemed to be winding down and calming down at this point until Alex quickly crawls over to the dog bowls, some of his favorite "toys." The water bowl was down, so Alex found that and got his clean outfit wet and dirty. Oh, well. I am learning to accept a certain level of chaos in our house.

We now have a baby and two dogs. My parents live nearby and get to visit Alex regularly. We have made friends here in San Antonio. Life is good. (cliche, I know)

I am adding a random photo of Frida taken on 2/6/10. She has taken the added chaos in stride.