So, it's been forever since I've updated this blog. Most of my mini-posts are going up on Facebook these days - if you'd like to be updated on Alexander's hijinks and are not my friend on Facebook, feel free to post a comment here and I'll get you set up. Pictures are uploaded there, though I haven't gotten many uploaded lately - there may be a deluge once I'm out for the semester though.
In other news, Alexander is due to get a baby brother in early March!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
And some videos
Since they take so long to upload, I'll put them in a separate post.
Look, my very own cubicle!
Alexander's battle with the milk.
Look, my very own cubicle!
Alexander's battle with the milk.
Alexander's opinions....
On Daddy - James was out of town for several days this past week, so Alexander was very happy to have Daddy all to himself Sunday morning. Daddy made eggs with cheese and peppers for breakfast, and Alexander ate it all up. Apparently the lack of appetite this week was just disapproval for Mommy's cooking. Then Alexander and Daddy played in the sandbox all morning while Mommy got out the summer clothes - apparently this year summer decided to start May 1rst in our area! Alexander even pulled out the puppy dog eye enough to convince Daddy to take him to his class meeting on campus in the afternoon. A day with Daddy - Yay!
"Look - we buried my legs!"
On Helping - Alexander has decided he really liked helping Mommy. Today I asked him to carry his milk in to school because my hands were full carrying him and his bag of supplies. He kept a death grip on the strap of the milk bottle, and was reluctant to give it up for his teacher to put in the fridge. He was so proud of himself for helping!
Fast forward to later that day. We'd stopped at the store on the way home, and Alexander decided he wanted to carry his milk in from the car. The only problem - this time it wasn't 10 oz in a Nalgene bottle, it was a full half gallon fresh from the store. It was so heavy he could just barely lift it, and he could usually only make a few steps before tripping or dropping it. But he was determined. He wasn't going to let me help, and he wasn't going to let me trade it for one of the lighter bags. He was going to get that milk into the house if it was the last thing he did!
"It's ok Mom, I've got this. Really, I do!"
Not pictured is the "snow angel" he made in the gravel when his frustration at the bottle turned into a meltdown. But eventually he decided he could carry the milk and I could carry him, and that would be acceptable.
After dinner I brought the trash cans in from the curb. Alexander was also determined to help there. So Mommy got that chore done so much faster with his help, even if that help involved tipping the can over far enough for him to grab the handle, and walking across the driveway at a toddler's pace.
Which brings me to....
On Memory - Once, several months ago, I let Alexander sit on the lid of the recycling bin while I pulled it back to the driveway. When we finished with the garbage can and went back for the recycling, he decided he didn't want to grab the handle and help pull. Instead, he tried to climb out of my arms and onto the lid - he remembered that ride, and he wanted another one! Apparently it was a lot of fun, because he really didn't want to get off when we got the recycling can to its normal place, and kept signing "more" when we stopped. A jog to the corner in the stroller as a start to our evening walk was enough to satisfy his urge for bumpy, rattling transit though.
On Odors - Alexander would rather play with the stinky trash can than smell the lilacs with Mommy. In fact, when I help him up so he could smell the flowers, he pushed them away, squirmed to get down, and ran back over to the trash can.
Yes, we definitely have a little boy on our hands here. :)
On Communication - the whole concept of non-verbal communication has finally clicked, and Alexander still enjoys testing the concept that he can ask for something, and generally he will be given it. It's also interesting watching the way he processes language. The sign for "more" has become the universal "I want something, you need to figure out what it is" sign. He's getting very consistent about using it when he wants something - he was even signing "more" in his sleep the other morning. "Clean" has become his sign for "I want out of the chair", because usually after he finishes eating I wipe his hands, sign and say "all clean!", and then let him down. He's transferred it to other "get me out" locations - this morning he signed "clean" when he wanted out of the toddler chair where he hangs out while I take my shower. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next. :)
"Look - we buried my legs!"
On Helping - Alexander has decided he really liked helping Mommy. Today I asked him to carry his milk in to school because my hands were full carrying him and his bag of supplies. He kept a death grip on the strap of the milk bottle, and was reluctant to give it up for his teacher to put in the fridge. He was so proud of himself for helping!
Fast forward to later that day. We'd stopped at the store on the way home, and Alexander decided he wanted to carry his milk in from the car. The only problem - this time it wasn't 10 oz in a Nalgene bottle, it was a full half gallon fresh from the store. It was so heavy he could just barely lift it, and he could usually only make a few steps before tripping or dropping it. But he was determined. He wasn't going to let me help, and he wasn't going to let me trade it for one of the lighter bags. He was going to get that milk into the house if it was the last thing he did!
"It's ok Mom, I've got this. Really, I do!"
Not pictured is the "snow angel" he made in the gravel when his frustration at the bottle turned into a meltdown. But eventually he decided he could carry the milk and I could carry him, and that would be acceptable.
After dinner I brought the trash cans in from the curb. Alexander was also determined to help there. So Mommy got that chore done so much faster with his help, even if that help involved tipping the can over far enough for him to grab the handle, and walking across the driveway at a toddler's pace.
Which brings me to....
On Memory - Once, several months ago, I let Alexander sit on the lid of the recycling bin while I pulled it back to the driveway. When we finished with the garbage can and went back for the recycling, he decided he didn't want to grab the handle and help pull. Instead, he tried to climb out of my arms and onto the lid - he remembered that ride, and he wanted another one! Apparently it was a lot of fun, because he really didn't want to get off when we got the recycling can to its normal place, and kept signing "more" when we stopped. A jog to the corner in the stroller as a start to our evening walk was enough to satisfy his urge for bumpy, rattling transit though.
On Odors - Alexander would rather play with the stinky trash can than smell the lilacs with Mommy. In fact, when I help him up so he could smell the flowers, he pushed them away, squirmed to get down, and ran back over to the trash can.
Yes, we definitely have a little boy on our hands here. :)
On Communication - the whole concept of non-verbal communication has finally clicked, and Alexander still enjoys testing the concept that he can ask for something, and generally he will be given it. It's also interesting watching the way he processes language. The sign for "more" has become the universal "I want something, you need to figure out what it is" sign. He's getting very consistent about using it when he wants something - he was even signing "more" in his sleep the other morning. "Clean" has become his sign for "I want out of the chair", because usually after he finishes eating I wipe his hands, sign and say "all clean!", and then let him down. He's transferred it to other "get me out" locations - this morning he signed "clean" when he wanted out of the toddler chair where he hangs out while I take my shower. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next. :)
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
April Showers...
Alexander had fun helping me out in the garden last week. He's been getting spoiled by being able to go out and play nearly every day now that the weather has been nice - he was a bit upset when I brought him in this evening because it was raining, and wanted to go right back out! Fortunately we got enough of a break in the weather to go back out again later.
Here's some pictures of both...
And of our little trouble maker, and the only surefire way to keep him out of trouble. Looks like we need to get him a bigger crate soon! :)
Alexander is fully into the mimic phase, and loves doing anything he sees the adults do. One favorite is "drinking" from soda cans... or anything that vaguely resembles a soda can...
Here's some pictures of both...
And of our little trouble maker, and the only surefire way to keep him out of trouble. Looks like we need to get him a bigger crate soon! :)
Alexander is fully into the mimic phase, and loves doing anything he sees the adults do. One favorite is "drinking" from soda cans... or anything that vaguely resembles a soda can...
Monday, March 29, 2010
One Year!
Alexander had a great first birthday party. It was unbelievably warm for mid-March - on his actual birthday we were able to hang out outside for a good chunk of the afternoon, and on his birthday party we spent the entire day outside! It was wonderful to see all the family and celebrate his first year with everyone.
There were a ton of pictures taken - the album is posted at http://alexanderkilbridephotos.shutterfly.com/ Highlights are posted here.
There were a ton of pictures taken - the album is posted at http://alexanderkilbridephotos.shutterfly.com/ Highlights are posted here.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Walking!
I love watching Alexander walk. He goes in zig-zags more often than in straight lines, and everywhere he goes he's waving his hands over his head for balance. It's so cute!
He keeps amazing me with how quickly he grows. He can now grab things off of the top of the entertainment center, and the edges of the kitchen counter. So now we need to be very careful about keeping hot or sharp things well back from the edge of the counter. And today he tried to climb out of the tub on his own for the first time. He was very unhappy with me when that ended the bath time - Mommy was mean for not letting him play on the edge of the tub.
Some videos of Alexander's walk!
A view from the other side. And evidence of the amount of destruction a small child can create in about 15 minutes, if you're paying attention to the increase in chaos in the background.
He keeps amazing me with how quickly he grows. He can now grab things off of the top of the entertainment center, and the edges of the kitchen counter. So now we need to be very careful about keeping hot or sharp things well back from the edge of the counter. And today he tried to climb out of the tub on his own for the first time. He was very unhappy with me when that ended the bath time - Mommy was mean for not letting him play on the edge of the tub.
Some videos of Alexander's walk!
A view from the other side. And evidence of the amount of destruction a small child can create in about 15 minutes, if you're paying attention to the increase in chaos in the background.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
More
Here's one more album of pictures for you. If anyone hasn't had enough Alexander by now, or wants higher res images to download, I have been uploading pretty much everything I take to my shutterfly account - just ask and I can point you to it.
Summer vacation photos
Alexander discovers "No"
Kissy face
Evil Santa - Alexander was terrified of this doll the first time it came out, and spend the rest of Christmas break trying to beat it up!
The patented Alexander scoot-crawl. This has mostly gone by the wayside now, but he did this for quite a long time even after he was really good at crawling, because it was faster on the smooth floors.
Showing off his dino costume now that he can walk in it...
Summer vacation photos
Alexander discovers "No"
Kissy face
Evil Santa - Alexander was terrified of this doll the first time it came out, and spend the rest of Christmas break trying to beat it up!
The patented Alexander scoot-crawl. This has mostly gone by the wayside now, but he did this for quite a long time even after he was really good at crawling, because it was faster on the smooth floors.
Showing off his dino costume now that he can walk in it...
Long overdue update
So I'm way behind in my picture posting here! But uploading pictures to this blog takes far too long. So I'm going to take advantage of other sites that allow batch uploading, and then just post the links to the albums here for your perusing pleasure. I hope you enjoy, and apologize for being MIA for so long!
Here is photos of Christmas and some of the surrounding snowstorms.
Some general Alexander pics.
Halloween 2009.
Alexander walking...
More soon!
Here is photos of Christmas and some of the surrounding snowstorms.
Some general Alexander pics.
Halloween 2009.
Alexander walking...
More soon!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Thanksgiving
We have a lot to be thankful for this year - Alexander has brought a lot of joy into our lives!
We spent the Thanksgiving holidays with family in Maine. Alexander enjoyed it, but he also seemed really glad to be back with his familiar surroundings. He slept through thanksgiving dinner itself, after having his dinner at Mommy's Milk Bar, but woke up in time to help with the leftovers, and really liked getting to eat some turkey and mashed potatoes and peas and green beans.
Alexander is starting to show some good problem solving skills when it comes to navigating around the house. He is now confidently crawling on all fours, but has recently figured out how to drop to his belly to wiggle under obstacles and get out the other side. He was in the living room, trying to get to me in the kitchen, but the way was blocked by his swing and a folding chair. He whined for a moment, then stopped, belly crawled under the chair, and was on his way. Similarly, when getting packed to come home from Maine, he was trying to get past an area blocked by a suitcase and a towel, and very deliberately pulled the towel out of the way so he could crawl through that space.
He's understanding the Mommy Voice, or Daddy Voice, and testing it's limits. When he got the Mommy Voice to stay away from part of the computer this weekend, he stopped, but then tried to touch the same area again while watching me to see what I'd do. After a repetition of the Mommy Voice, he moved on to play with other things instead.
He enjoys "helping" in the kitchen. Last week he very deliberately took every towel out of the towel drawer, one by one, and dropped them on the floor. Today all of the tupperware containers from the tupperware cabinet are scattered across the kitchen. He even was kind enough to take out the counter liner for me. :)
He's cruising around the furniture - he's getting pretty confident about walking as long as he has at least one hand to balance himself with. Thank goodness he doesn't show any signs of being able to balance without something to hold onto yet, but I'm sure it will come soon.
He now has 5 teeth, two bottom, three top. The first of the top teeth came through last weekend, around Nov 22nd, with the second one close behind, and the third top tooth broke through last night.
And now, it is time for me to teach. More pictures and videos soon, I hope!
We spent the Thanksgiving holidays with family in Maine. Alexander enjoyed it, but he also seemed really glad to be back with his familiar surroundings. He slept through thanksgiving dinner itself, after having his dinner at Mommy's Milk Bar, but woke up in time to help with the leftovers, and really liked getting to eat some turkey and mashed potatoes and peas and green beans.
Alexander is starting to show some good problem solving skills when it comes to navigating around the house. He is now confidently crawling on all fours, but has recently figured out how to drop to his belly to wiggle under obstacles and get out the other side. He was in the living room, trying to get to me in the kitchen, but the way was blocked by his swing and a folding chair. He whined for a moment, then stopped, belly crawled under the chair, and was on his way. Similarly, when getting packed to come home from Maine, he was trying to get past an area blocked by a suitcase and a towel, and very deliberately pulled the towel out of the way so he could crawl through that space.
He's understanding the Mommy Voice, or Daddy Voice, and testing it's limits. When he got the Mommy Voice to stay away from part of the computer this weekend, he stopped, but then tried to touch the same area again while watching me to see what I'd do. After a repetition of the Mommy Voice, he moved on to play with other things instead.
He enjoys "helping" in the kitchen. Last week he very deliberately took every towel out of the towel drawer, one by one, and dropped them on the floor. Today all of the tupperware containers from the tupperware cabinet are scattered across the kitchen. He even was kind enough to take out the counter liner for me. :)
He's cruising around the furniture - he's getting pretty confident about walking as long as he has at least one hand to balance himself with. Thank goodness he doesn't show any signs of being able to balance without something to hold onto yet, but I'm sure it will come soon.
He now has 5 teeth, two bottom, three top. The first of the top teeth came through last weekend, around Nov 22nd, with the second one close behind, and the third top tooth broke through last night.
And now, it is time for me to teach. More pictures and videos soon, I hope!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
We're in trouble...
Part 1 - Alexander can now reach the top shelf of the entertainment center - the area where previously we could put stuff that needed to be out of reach. We can still put stuff on top of the entertainment center, but he'll be able to reach that too soon.
Part 2 - Today I was cleaning out the dishwasher, so I took the rack out of the bottom and had the door open while I was rinsing something out in the sink. I looked down to find Alexander was sitting in the middle of the dishwasher door! I have no idea how he got there, but it's probably a sign that I need to put a gate on the bottom end of the stairs soon.
Even the teachers at day care have been commenting on how much of a daredevil he's been lately, pulling himself up on everything and getting into tons of stuff. He's really enjoying his improved balancing ability. And he just took the door off of the Wii - time to go intervene.
Part 2 - Today I was cleaning out the dishwasher, so I took the rack out of the bottom and had the door open while I was rinsing something out in the sink. I looked down to find Alexander was sitting in the middle of the dishwasher door! I have no idea how he got there, but it's probably a sign that I need to put a gate on the bottom end of the stairs soon.
Even the teachers at day care have been commenting on how much of a daredevil he's been lately, pulling himself up on everything and getting into tons of stuff. He's really enjoying his improved balancing ability. And he just took the door off of the Wii - time to go intervene.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)