ZOO'S WHO?

Last weekend Chris went cross country to Florida, so Alexander and I were on our for a couple of days. On Saturday we went to the zoo that is a little over an hour from here. It is a very small zoo in Gainesville, TX, but it is very nice and very well kept. Despite the heat, we had a great time together. Since Alexander really loves to be outside I figured that this would be a fun outing for us. He wasn't really into all of the animals, but he seemed to enjoy himself. I definitely think we'll be making a repeat trip sometime.

This past week was Chris's 30th birthday!!! I can't believe that we are both turning 30 this year. We met when we were only 18 years old and it's hard to imagine that we are now in our 30's! Since Chris had to work that day (he got to fly twice!!) we took him out to dinner and then we had ice cream cupcakes for dessert at the house. It wasn't anything to big, but we are planning on having a nice weekend to celebrate that and his first Father's Day.

Today, Alexander and I had a nice day despite the fact that he refused to take a morning nap. For lunch we went over to a friend's house that we met through music class for a play/lunch date. There were two little two year old girls and a 6 month old girl. He's kind of out of his league with the 2 year olds, but he found them very interesting. You can tell he wishes that he could run around after him. And I know that it won't be very long before he is following them around. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with the other moms. This is something that I thought was going to be easier, but it seems that I haven't been able to find many moms to hang with during the day. Almost everyone we know has kids older than Alexander, so it was a great time to chat with new friends.

Then this afternoon (after the long awaited nap) we went to a local park where they have a "spray park" for kids. It is a very scaled down version of a water park for little ones. There are slides and fake animals to climb on. This is all in a big wading pool which at the center is about 2 feet deep, but then gets shallower as you get to the edge. Once again we met some moms from his music class and I wasn't too sure how much he would like it. But he loved it!! The minute I sat him down (near the edge) he started splashing up a storm! I was trying to hold onto him so that he wouldn't topple over, but he kept pushing my hands away. He eventually got on all 4s and crawled around through the water. He had a blast! We will definitely be going back there again. This kid loves being in the water. Which is a good thing since we are starting swimming lessons next week. This will be a 2 week, M-Th class at an outdoor pool through the YMCA. I'm really looking forward to being in the pool with him on a regular basis for a little while.

REAL FOOD

So for the last week I have been trying to make Alexander "real" food. I'm trying to get away from pureeing everything and starting to make him recipes. So far, he is loving it. He had red meat for the first time tonight in a pasta dish and he loved it! It feels good knowing that he is still eating healthy meals, but he is trying new things as well. And I must say, everything that I've made is super delicious! I feel like with a few more spices, Chris and I could eat this for dinner too!!

We bought a little play pool for Alexander to help beat the summer heat. He's pretty cute in it. He loves it for the first little bit, but then he gets a little sick of it and wants out. Chris and I like it because it helps cool us off a little.

He has also been "moving furniture" recently. He loves to practice walking, so he has been taking our dining room chairs and pushing them around the kitchen. He gets very frustrated when he runs into a wall and gets stuck. I usually have to help him figure out that he needs to go in another direction, but he's so happy pushing the chairs around. It's pretty cute to watch!

Watching Daddy Mow The Lawn

PLAYING CATCH UP

Since it has been so long since my last post, I'll give a few highlights and some pics.

California: The three of us went to Oakland, CA for my big brother's graduation from Berkeley with his PhD in Engineering. The trip was mostly a success except for the 2 day delay in getting there where we spent two nights in Dallas because of weather. It was not ideal, but we made lemonade out of lemons and tried to enjoy ourselves especially on the upgraded First Class flight. Alexander did really well with the change in plans which we really appreciated. Once we made it to California we had a great time. It ended up being a much shorter visit than planned, but it was still great to see all of our family! Alexander had a little trouble adjusting to the two hour time difference, but overall he did well. He's a pretty good little traveler.

With his Frostine in California

Food: He has been eating a ton of food recently. We keep introducing new foods and he enjoys feeding himself when possible. His favorites right now are string cheese and squash. I am in the process of weaning him from breastfeeding and it seems to be going well. I have a goal date of July 1st to be completely weaned. I would normally have gone a little bit longer but, we're going on a 3 week trip this summer and them I'm going on a girls trip for a few days in August. He had been down to two nursings a day and then this morning we dropped the morning feeding. It seemed to go okay. Chris got him up from his crib, changed his diaper and then brought him right into the kitchen to feed him breakfast. There was a bit of whining because he was hungry, but a lot better than I expected. The trick is just making sure he's getting enough milk from the sippy cup throughout the day and he's getting much better at it everyday.

I expected to feel really relieved, but I'm kind of sad to be weaning him. I'm ready to have my body back to myself, but I will miss the guaranteed cuddle times. He is not the cuddliest baby so it's hard to get lots of hugs and down time. But I know that it's just the way things go...

Mobility: Well, it's official. He is a crawler! He moved on from rolling to a sort of "commando crawl" which was on his belly and he would kind of drag himself along, and now he is doing the traditional "crawl" everywhere. And he is getting really quick! When he sees something he wants he does this excited little squeal and then heads straight for it. It's super cute!!! He also likes to walk holding onto our hands and he's getting better and stronger everyday. He pulls himself up onto EVERYTHING and cruises around pretty well. I'm starting to get used to the little tumbles and small bruises because I know it will only get worse as he starts walking.

Words: He is still not saying anything coherent or discriminate except for "Dada". He says (sings) it all the time, but he also knows for sure that Chris is his Dada. And he is so crazy about his Dada! It's really cute how much he loves to follow him around and Chris can get him laughing like no one else. It is so sweet for a wife and mother to witness. They really have a great bond.

Activities: Alexander and I are doing a music class this summer and we are both really enjoying it. He loves the songs and all of the other kids and I'm enjoying getting to know the other moms. He also loves to go to the park and swing in the baby swing.

Teeth: Still six teeth, 4 on top and 2 on bottom, but another on the bottom is breaking through as we speak. And it looks like his eye teeth are getting ready to come in on top. He seems to be handling it alright. Over the last week, he's woken up a few times in the middle of the night screaming for a couple of hours not really wanting to go back to sleep unless you hold him or are touching him. We're not sure what this is about, but it could be tooth related or maybe even related to weaning, or possible the fact that he's more mobile now. We're just really hoping it comes to an end soon, because Chris and I are super tired. We're not used to getting up in the middle of the night anymore.

Summer Plans: We have a very busy summer this year. We just had a visit from Grandma Oolie last weekend. Alexander (and his mommy and daddy) loved having her here. He had a blast playing with her all weekend and it was so nice having another pair of hands around the house to help out. Chris and I were also able to get in a date night while she was here.

In July we're going on a 3500 mile road trip. (Yes, we are insane to take a one year old for that long in the car.) We'll be heading to the beach in South Carolina, to Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan! Wish us luck as I'm sure we'll need it!!!

Here is Alexander with his favorite toys in his favorite room in the house!!

MOTHER'S DAY

Yesterday was a very wonderful first Mother's Day. Chris made pancakes and bacon for breakfast, we went for ice cream and then he made hamburgers and potato wedges for dinner. They also gave me a "Spoil Me Rotten" present which was unnecessary, but totally loved!!

Last Mother's Day when I was pregnant I thought that I deserved to celebrate this holiday. But I truly had no idea yet what motherhood was all about. I knew that I loved my unborn child, but I had no idea to what degree until the day he was born. And every day since July 16 that love has grown even bigger. I thank God everyday for blessing Chris and I with a healthy, happy, beautiful, little boy. Alexander has quickly become my world and I am so happy and proud to be his mother. Sometimes the responsibility is quite overwhelming when I think that I am teaching him and molding him into the man he will one day become. And I can only hope and pray that the decisions that we make today will only help him and not hinder him in the future. I know that Chris and I both try to be a good example to him and show him how much he is loved and how much we love each other. Motherhood really is truly an amazing blessing and I cannot imagine not ever having experienced this. With that being said, I wouldn't want to experience it with anyone but Chris. He is the MOST wonderful husband and father. Thank you for making me a mom.

I want to also thank my own mother. She has been the best example on how to be a good mom. I finally understand how much she loves me and I hope that one day Alexander will too. She has always been my rock and my biggest cheerleader. And now I can say that she is also a best friend. I love you, mommy!!