Alex's First Halloween

Alex enjoyed his first Halloween. He went trick or treating at 2 houses and wore a cute superman costume. He also went to a Halloween party on Sunday at his friend Addyson's house.

Today Mom did a massive house cleaning and Alex was very helpful by taking 3.5 hours worth of naps. He also visited with Grandma Felton for a bit and had another bout of fussiness in the evening.

Expert Crier

Alex had 3 massive crying fits today - one in the morning and two in the evening. He has really improved his volume and intensity. We aren't sure what he was upset about, but in between fits he was perfectly happy. Hopefully, he will sleep well after expending all that energy.

Bargain Hunter

Alex had a quiet day. He was very happy and talkative and had lots of smiles. In the afternoon he spent at least 45 minutes in his gym playing with the animals. At one point he had an animal in each hand and was kicking a third animal with his feet. The big excitement for today was that we found a post on Craig's List for 15 "like new" Dr. Seuss books for $20. It was a fabulous bargain as they are in great condition. Alex likes Dr. Seuss because they rhyme and have nice pictures.

Big Discovery

In his bath last night, Alex discovered his feet for the first time. He was fascinated by them. He kept dunking them in the water and curling his toes and flexing his ankles. It was very cute.

5 months old!

Alex is 5 months old today. He is triple his birth weight and is holding his head up with only minor bobblehead action. He celebrated by spending a lot of time with Dad today. They went for a walk in the bjorn and walked around Crossroads at dinnertime.

All Smiles Again

Alex seems to have recovered from his fussiness of the last few days. He was quite happy and very talkative today. We have noticed a very mild rash that has covered much of his body. It could be why he was upset the last couple of days. Alex and Mom visited his doctor and have an initial indication that everything is fine, but that we need to keep watching. His weight with clothes on was 14 lb 8 oz.

He also has enjoyed 'standing' up more and more. He can support his own weight, but he needs help balancing. He seems to prefer standing to most sitting positions.

Shy?

Alex seems to be having difficulty with large groups recently. At PEPS, at the library, at dinner on Sunday, and at today's playgroup he got upset when surrounded by lots of loud people. He'd rather snuggle with Mom or Dad than sit on the floor with the other babies. All of the crying really wore him out today. Hopefully this is just a phase since there will be lots of other babies around when he starts daycare next week.

Last PEPS

Tonight we had our last weekly PEPS meeting. We had a dinner and took cute pictures of the babies. They all grew so much! We'll get together once a month now in a less structured format. It was a very valuable program and we met great families.

Wiggle Worm

Now that Alex has better mobility, he doesn't like to be strapped into any chair. He likes to lay on the ground and kick his arms and legs. He can't roll over but he can rotate by kicking his legs to the side. If you leave him long enough, he'll end up 180 degrees from where he started. He can also travel in the direction of his head by kicking really hard on slippery surfaces. We have to be careful where we leave him now.

Alex was in a great mood today. He went for a beautiful walk around Green Lake and hung around the house with mom.

Loves His Bath

Alex was upset for much of the day. We aren't sure of the cause - he does have a skin rash that may or may not be related. But, he's always happy when he takes his bath. The head massage is his favorite part and looking in the mirror is his second favorite part.

October 21

Today was a rainy Sunday. Alex read some books, practiced sitting, and did some tummy time. In the evening, he went to a dinner party with Mom and Dad. But, he was feeling a little tired and cranky by then.

All Smiles

Alex seems to have forgotten about his angst of the last few days. He was happy all day. He spent most of the day trying to get his new toy in his mouth.

Pumpkin Picking

Alex was in a much better mood today. Mom and Dad were glad he was feeling better. He went pumpkin picking with Mom and some of Mom's friends from work. He also went out to lunch, and hung out at Bellevue Club with Grandma while Mom played tennis.

In the evening, Alex and Dad visited a kids' science museum and then did a lap of the mall. Alex had a good time smiling at the old people and talking to them. It was raining pretty hard outside. Alex was in a good mood all evening.

Change of Plans

We heard yesterday that Alex got into the daycare at Mom's work, so he will be going there instead starting in 2 weeks. It was actually a difficult decision because we liked the other place so much, but the convenience and cost savings make it worthwhile.

Alex had another tough day. He seems congested so he may have a cold. But he was happier than yesterday and even tried out his new high chair.

Not Happy

Alex was very unhappy today. For the first time ever, he woke up crying in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. He skipped his morning nap and cried himself to sleep for his afternoon nap. It's painful to see him so unhappy but we assume this is a normal baby thing. Tomorrow is a new day.

October 16

Alex was a little bit fussy today. He did not want to take a nap and was a little cranky. He and Mommy started a walk around Green Lake, but it was raining too hard to do the full loop. In the evening, he watched Mommy play tennis and then read some Dr. Suess books.

Fashion Faux Pas

Alex wore a new outfit today that didn't have snaps around the crotch. He spent the whole day with his belly hanging out and his diaper sagging. No wonder almost all the outfits have those snaps.

Alex spent most of the day practicing his hand control. It's amazing to see the progress he's made in such a short time. He's also started trying to roll over from back to tummy, but he can't quite do it yet.

Feeding Himself

Alex had a quiet day. He went for a walk, watched football, went to Costco. The big development was that he held his own bottle for part of his evening feeding. He did it for a few minutes, although we weren't able to get the photo. He is quickly improving his ability to grab things.

Lots of time with Dad

Saturday is Alex's favorite day because he gets to spend lots of time with Dad. They went for a walk in the neighborhood to look at the fall leaves. They did some errands. And they spent lots of time playing. Below is a video of Alex playing in his gym. It was the first time he ever yanked one of the animals off the gym to play with it up close.

Library Visit

Alex made his first official trip to the library today (other than quick trips with Mom). He attended the Baby Rhyming time with about 8 other babies. We sang songs and did little movements. It was a little overwhelming for Alex - he was happiest snuggling on Mom's shoulder listening to the music. Alex also checked out his first book - Hickory Dickory Dock. We read it 3 consecutive times.

Swimming!

Alex went swimming for the first time today. We went to the warm therapeutic pool in Bellevue with our friends Amy and Dalton. At first Alex was a little uncertain about the water, but he definitely enjoyed it after a while. He liked being pulled around the pool on his back and his belly. He also liked standing on Mom's knees - he didn't weigh as much in the water so he could support himself. Mom tried twice to dunk him under the water, but both times he swallowed water and wasn't happy. We will try that again next time. We'll also bring Dad along next time so we can get better pictures.


Alex also took his first shower after the pool. He likes the water on his back but definitely not on his face.

October 10

Alex and Mom had a good day. Alex had an extra night feeding which was a little bit of a surprise. But, then he made up for it with a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.

He had a good visit with Grandma Felton. Grandma is nice enough to babysit while Mom uses the gym. He went to the PEPS meeting tonight and hung out with the other babies. He is very interested in the other parents and babies and went into observation/hand sucking mode for the 2 hour meeting.

We didn't take any pictures during the day so here is one while he's sleeping this evening. He has lost a lot of hair in the back of his head. When he gets hungry at night he turns his head back and forth very fast, which rubs a lot of hair off. So far, we haven't seen any new hair grow on his head. But he does have nice eyebrows and eyelashes now (he didn't really have them when he was born).

Fun Day

Alex spent much of the day at his friend Raffi's house in Green Lake. Many of the Tuesday walk crew go back to work next week so we had one last big get together. We took an adorable picture of all 7 babies on a couch (I don't have a copy). Alex was the only one screaming but it was because he was hungry. In the evening Alex had his first bout of fussiness in a long time, probably because he missed his late afternoon nap. Dad calmed him down with some bouncing and reading (One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish).

Sleepy Boy

Alex was very sleepy today. Normally, he never falls asleep during a meal, but today he did it 3 times. When he wasn't sleepy he did lots of talking and smiling. We also decided to promote him to size 2 diapers after one too many accidents and emergency baths. He's still wearing 3 month old clothes but will be moving up in those soon too.

Happy Baby

Alex has been in such a good mood for many days now. He smiles and talks all the time. We've read a lot of good books together and done some good tummy time. It's so much fun.

Below is a video (a little dark) of Alex talking to the animals in his mobile.

Holding His Head Up

Alex made some major progress in holding his head up today. He pushed himself into push up position and he easily rolled over from tummy to back multiple times. He had rolled over like that a few times previously but not in the last month or so since he's gotten so big. He also likes to be pulled up into seated position so he can look around. And he likes to practice standing with Dad's help.