Off to Stehekin!

We're off to Stehekin for Alex's first vacation. We splurged for a cabin this year since Alex likes to travel in style. Alex is very excited to see his friends Marie, Aaron, Kaye, and Lila. Hopefully, he is happier in Stehekin than he has been the last two nights.

1st Daycare Visit

Alex went to daycare for the first time today. He went to the one at the tennis club while mom played tennis. The daycare teacher marveled at how much he spit up, peed, and pooped. Mom thought that was normal.

We also had PEPS tonight and they made us sing to the babies. Alex was busy eating and didn't notice the singing, but we will try again when he's not hungry.

First Baseball Game

Alex attended his first baseball game tonight. He was with Mom, Dad, and some of Dad's co-workers from WaMu.

He had a great time looking around and checking things out.

He also visited a day care near home. This one does not have room for him yet, but he and Mom thought it was a good place.

Fussy Day

Alex had quite a fussy day today. He is now 6 weeks past his original due date. 6 weeks is generally the peak of fussiness, so he is right on schedule. Hopefully, he'll be happier tomorrow.

Below is a video of Alex talking with Grandma F and then getting the hiccups.

Lots of Friends

Today Alex got to play some more with his friends Addison, Oliver, and Finley when they came over for a bbq. Mom and Dad realized that a newborn is a lot easier than a 2 or 3 year old will be.

Alex is now 3 months old. Time flies.

Big Present for Grandpa Felton

Alex spent all morning at Grandma and Grandpa Felton's while Mom and Dad did a training ride for the MS Bike Tour. It was the longest he's been away from Mom since he came home. Alex enjoyed playing in his gym with Grandma and singing Willie Nelson songs with Grandpa.

To show his appreciation to Grandpa, Alex waited til Grandma was out and then he pooped all over himself, his clothes, and all over Grandpa. It was quite explosive. Grandpa had to figure out how to clean it up, put on a new diaper, change his clothes, and calm him down. He did very well.

Over 11 lbs

Alex was 11 lb 5 oz today. That was with his clothes on when previously they weighed him without clothes. He still seems to be gaining over 1/2 lb per week. Alex managed to pee, poop, and spit up on the doctor's table - a hat trick.

Alex got extra time with Dad today when he went to Dad's company picnic. There were lots of cute babies and dogs there. Alex took the opportunity to take a long nap.

Lots of talking, some smiles

Alex and Mom had a quiet day mostly at home. Alex is getting very talkative. He likes to talk to the animals on his mobile. He is also starting to give Mom very brief smiles - almost like he is practicing his smiles for when Dad gets home.

Alex and Mom did tour one daycare in the neighborhood. They weren't too impressed - all of the babies were crying and the place was a little dingy. Hopefully the others are better. Unfortunately, this is the only one that definitely has an opening so far.

Road Trip

Alex went on a road trip today. It was his first time to eastern Washington. It was a quick trip for lunch, but he did well.

In the afternoon we had the longest playtime to date. He had lots to say to his animals and a few brief smiles.

In the evening he was very fussy and spent a long time crying and spitting up. I think he napped too much in the car today. He did have a major developmental milestone - his pacifier fell out so he grabbed it with his hand and tried to put it back. However, it may have been a lucky grab as he doesn't seem that coordinated with his fingers yet.

Happier Today

Alex had a much better day today. Mom cut his morning nap short so he was able to take another nap in the afternoon. He was much less fussy presumably since he wasn't so tired. He even gave Mom a brief smile. We'll try it again tomorrow to see if it works again.

We did lots of play time today with the gym and the mobile in addition to the Tuesday walk around Green Lake. Below is a 2-picture sequence of Alex rolling from his tummy to his back. He prefers to be on his back to stare at the animals.

New Tricks

Alex seems to have suddenly grown out of the tricks Mom and Dad have been using to calm him down:

-- having a full stomach

-- rocking

-- being held tightly

-- swaddling

-- white noise

-- etc.

Mom went out to the library to get some new books and some ideas. The only thing that was working this evening is bouncing. That is too hard to keep up for long periods of time. Tomorrow is a new day and we may even get some sleep before then.

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Sitting Up

Alex tried out a new chair today from one of Dad's friends at work. The chair is called a "Bumbo" and it is made for babies just learning to hold themselves up. The whole chair is soft and spongy.

At first he was quite surprised to find himself sitting up alone in it. He then liked to look around at things from his new vantage. He then got quite fussy, but that was not related to the chair.

Alex also went to a U of M alumni party on Lake Washington with Dad and Mom. Everyone was very nice to him.

Overall today, Alex was quite fussy and hardly slept at all. His spit-ups were very frequent. When he was not eating, Mom or Dad held him and kept him entertained with a lot of bouncing and walking around. We are glad that he seems so curious about the world all of a sudden.

Talking and Smiling Videos

We have not posted videos in a while.

Here is one of Alex doing some baby talk this morning:



Here is one of him smiling also this morning.



Here is one of him looking at his mobile a few days ago.

More Smiles

Alex was very social today. He came to Mom's tennis match in the morning. Then he went with Mom, Grandma, and Cousin Brenda to the Street of Dreams house tour. He liked riding in the Baby Bjorn and looking at the nice houses (and sleeping). In the evening he cheered Mom on at her soccer game.


He gave a bunch more smiles today. He smiled at Grandma, Brenda, Dad, some strangers...He still hasn't smiled at Mom. One theory we heard is that newborns think they are the same person as their mom since they hear that voice and see that face all the time.


We didn't get any good pictures today, but the picture below is kind of funny. We have the baby video monitor hooked up to our TV so we can see what he's up to at night. The video camera has a tiny green light that Alex loves to stare at. We often wake up in the middle of the night to see Alex staring at us through the TV.

Party Time

Alex had a very sleepy morning and a very fussy afternoon. He was saving himself for the evening when he went to Grandpa Felton's birthday party. Unfortunately for Grandpa Felton, Alex hogged the spotlight and was the center of attention. Hopefully it will not go to his head.

Typical Day

Alex had a fun day. He spent much of it eating. When he wasn't eating, he worked on the computer with Mom and played in his gym. He has started to try to reach out to the animals with his arms. He can't really control his arms so he gets frustrated after a while.

At lunch, Alex took a nap with Grandma Felton. Then he did some errands with Mom. He had a major screaming fit in line at the store because he was hungry. Mom thought someone might let her skip to the front but no such luck. Instead they gave her dirty looks for letting the baby cry.


In the evening we hosted the PEPS group at our house. Alex slept for most of it. Then he got hungry and ate for a whole hour nonstop. The discussion topic for the evening was schedules and rituals. So far, we have no schedule and no rituals because Alex is in charge. But, we will try in the coming months to establish more regular routines.

More Social Each Day

Alex went for a walk this morning around Greenlake, like every Tuesday.

He and Mom got some good photos including a sort-of smile below. Alex is getting more social each day. Recently, he likes to be held very close to calm down.

At night, he hung out with Dad again while Mom played soccer.

No Sleep Record?

Highlights:

-- Alex visited Grandma Felton in the morning and had a good time at her place.

-- He may have set a new record for consecutive hours without sleeping this morning. Joanna was glad when he finally took a nap in the afternoon.

-- In the evening, Alex spent time with Dad. He spent almost an hour in his 'gym' with toys dangling over his head while Dad made the toys move around. He took a nap and he practiced his speaking.

Big Smile On Purpose

Grandma and Grandpa Felton baby sat for a bit while Mom played soccer and Dad went cycling. While they were playing on the carpet, Alex gave them a huge open mouth smile. Mom witnessed it but didn't have the camera. This is the first smile that we've seen that really seemed purposeful. Hopefully there are many more to come.

Alex is still a bit fussy and "spit uppy" today but it's better than the previous days. He was starting to have a fit this evening but a nice warm bath calmed him down and he went to sleep.

Alex spent part of the day dressed like Dad in support of the Twins.

Growth Spurt?

Alex continued the spit up fest on Saturday. He and Mom both smell like old milk. He also slept even more than usual. We suspect he is going through a growth spurt.

Alex watched his first Minnesota Vikings game on TV. The Vikings lost, but it's ok since it's pre-season. Alex also watched his first Seattle Storm game and was excited to see that they made the playoffs.

It was a quiet day.

World Record

Friday was a tough day. Alex was going for the spit up world record. Mom lost count after the 25th spit up episode. He doesn't appear to be sick - perhaps this is part of the maturation of the digestive track. Or maybe Mom ate something Alex didn't like. The vaccuum cleaner helped to calm him down briefly. He got to wear 4 of his cute outfits today.

Working Out

Alex enjoyed playing in his new "gym" today. It has lights and music and lots of stuff to look at. He hasn't tried to reach out to the toys yet but that will happen soon.

Alex also enjoyed lunch with his friends from Starbucks today. He mostly slept. He woke up for a few minutes after he spit up all over Mom.

More than double his birth weight

Alex is now 9 lb 14.5 oz. At the doctor today he got his last 2 month shot and handled it very well. He also got over the feeding frenzy of yesterday. We suspect he may have been making up for lost feedings when Kate and Diane were in town.

Alex went to the park this morning with Kris and her kids Oliver, Finley, & Addison. Oliver became the youngest person and the first male non-family member to hold Alex. Oliver is 3.

In the evening we went to PEPS. It seems like all the new parents have battles around feeding. Alex was very fussy compared to most of the other babies, but he made up for it by being the cutest. Here are some fun pictures from the meeting. Alex is the 2nd oldest. There are 6 boys and 2 girls.

Very Hungry

In the morning Alex went for a walk around Green Lake. He slept almost the whole time.

In the afternoon, Alex ate almost nonstop. He ate every 1.5 - 2 hours and each meal lasted 45-60 minutes. He was very fussy and crying when he wasn't eating. Perhaps this is a growth spurt. Mom hopes it doesn't last very long.