PHOTO ESSAY: Two Boys and a Toy

Technology Baby

Here you have snaps of our beloved Alecgator looking at t.v. and playing on the computer, respectively. If those are sailboats he's looking at, we know he gets this from his Dad.

More Boy Than Baby

Alec will turn 5-months old in just a few days and doesn't he look grown-up!

29 and Holding

Thanks to all for the thoughtful calls (especially the songs), email messages, gifts and wishes. Best of all, I received my first 'To Mommy' card! Alec's Daddy thinks of everything.

Gotta Run

Not a lot of time for blogging - Alec and I are hosting our Mom's group tommorow! Here's the obligatory cute photo of the day to keep you coming back.

Smart Alec

Some of you will have seen this shirt before but for those of you who haven't - isn't it great?

Movin' On Up

As you know by now, Alec is always up to something new. Here he is demonstrating his latest move - the "pick me up" maneuver.

The Ear of the Beholder

Many of you will know that I am no singer, whereas Alec's Dad has a beautiful voice. I have been joking for weeks that Alec may not enjoy the sounds of nice singing, given that his ear is tuned to the discordant melody of my voice.

The joke became a reality yesterday when Alec reached out to close the mouth of his singing Dad with his fingers, then smiled a loving smile when I immediately launched into verse one of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean. Finally, the recognition I've been long seeking!

I'm Not Asking, I'm Telling

When my friends, the knitters, came over last night, I cracked open some orange cream soda (with pictures of sheep on the labels - very appropriate for knitters). Alec's reaction to this was to stick his tongue out and propel himself towards the soda bottle. It was as if he was taking matters into his own hands.

Reach Out And Touch Someone (or Something)

Two weeks ago, Alec's Grandpa said Alec's name during a time when Alec was quite fussy. Alec stopped what he was doing (i.e. fussing) and looked directly at his Grandpa, leaving no doubt in my mind that Alec knew his name. As much as two weeks earlier, I would say Alec's name just before launching into a little game and he would smile and/or giggle, but I wasn't sure whether he knew that he was Alec, or just that my using the word Alec was an indication of good things to come. Armed with the knowledge that Alec knew his name, I started incorporating it more into the songs we sing (by making them up or substituting his name for others used in the song). He loved this and I was content with knowing that he knew the meaning of one word.

Alec has, however, already added a second word to his vocabulary. He touches on demand (specifically his Dad's demand), immediatly and without exception. I wonder what will be next ...

Armed and Dangerous

Alexander learned many things during the weekend, spent visiting his grandparents out of town. Here are his top 5:

5. He enjoys the company of French women as much as blonde women (possibly even more)
4. It is crazy fun to see aunts and cousins
3. He can sing. I have been spending a lot of time singing to him lately and, on Sunday morning, he joined in
2. He can wave good-bye (maybe he knew he could do this before, as his father has been claiming for weeks, but on Saturday night it was witnessed by his mother, aunt and two cousins)
1. His Gran should be considered armed and dangerous at all times - she can put him to sleep using only her voice

Smooth Sailing

Alec's 4-month doctor's visit (including two shots to the thighs) looked like this - for about 5 minutes. Then it was smooth sailing all night. (Photo taken by Rebekah Jamieson - www.rebekahjamieson.com).

According to said doctor, Alec weighs 16 pounds, 2 ounces and is 26.5 inches long. She also says he's a strong devil (when she attempted to pull him to sitting as a strengh test, he stood up, which is also when she accused him of knowing how clever he is).

Later last evening when we were in the basement watching Alec's father prepare the car to be serviced, Alec reached for the water bottle that was in my hands, brought it to his mouth and tried to drink (albeit through the plastic, not the bottle top). Maybe he thought he needed a drink after such a long day ...

Party Time

Last night was a fun night - the pictures say it all.

Tai Chi Anyone? Anyone?

Yesterday Alec and I, armed with a new Baby Trekker (generously provided by my parents and sister), attended our first Tai Chi class.

The class turned out to be a private lesson (well, semi-private considering Alec was also in attendance) when no one else showed up. At first this seemed a bit shocking given that my plan had been to stand at the back and pay something less than full attention to what was going on. My shock changed to alarm when I found out that holding babies in carriers while doing tai chi is strongly discouraged, given you might "hit" the baby with all that energy you're moving around with your hands while performing the tai chi (who knew?). Anyhow, all's well that ends well - I left much more knowledgable about tai chi than I had ever hoped and with the knowledge that Alec will watch me do silly things for a good long time from a comfy position on the floor!

Most importantly, we are loving, loving, loving our Baby Trekker.

Just Like Sin

Clever as Sin: Here is Alexander, not only holding his head up while positioned on his tummy, but also holding his upper body up with his hands. Yay!

Tasty as Sin: When Alexander's Dad wasn't doing work around the house this weekend, he was putting his superior cooking skills to work. Pictured are the tapas (chosen because you can eat tapas while holding a baby or, in his case, a glass of wine) but there were also ribs, wild mushroom rice and tandori chicken sandwiches.

Happy as Sin: My Mom, Dad and Sister have given us a big gift that makes us super happy - more on this tomorrow.

I am an an Alec. What are you?

I love these pictures. It is as if he is thinking: "Dude, I see a lot of weird things, but you take the cake".

Wasn't That a Party

Last night we had a frosty bbq. There was a little something for everyone - wine for Alec's Dad, portobello mushrooms with asiago for Alec's Mom and, for Alec, the putting on and wearing of the snow seat featured in today's picture (so he could see the bbq in the dark). Honestly, he thought it was the most hillarious thing ever.

The Great Pumpkin

Here I give you Alec as a pumpkin, on day three of the three-day Halloween extravaganza. His spectacular hat is hand-knit, courtesy of our friend the lovely Denise.

Alec's first Halloween was smooth, if somewhat uneventful. He neither desired nor objected to the presence of trick or treaters, but many of them were happy to see him in his baby bear costume! It was a rather early night (i.e. to bed by 8:00 pm), which was a good thing because his Mom is rather flu-ish these days.

We hope you had a good one as well.