Update on all things Alex - Part 2!

I realized that it had been quite awhile since I have given an update on all things Alex (it has been about 2 months). Between the holidays and moving to Maryland, I haven't had much time to write in the journal! He has started doing new things both physically and developmentally, as well as fine tuning all the things has been doing!

He is saying so many more things, it is incredible. I swear he learns a new word everyday (or at least it seems that way). He can now say the following words, and most of them are pretty recognizable:

Dog

Ball (and simultaneously points to a ball)

Hi/Hi Guys/Hi Dada

Oh Man/Oh Me

Dada

Mama

Gabba (for his favorite show – Yo Gabba Gabba!)

No

Stop (usually at the dogs when they are barking)

Look

That

Cup

Bite

Bye-Bye (or sometimes when he is feeling lazy just “bye”)

Recently, I have started trying to teach him the parts of his face. We have started with the mouth. I try to point to my mouth and say mouth, then point to his mouth and say mouth. Yesterday (January 20) for the first time he pointed to his mouth when I said mouth. I couldn’t wait for Larry to get home so I could show him his new “trick”, but of course when Daddy got home we decided not to show off our new skill!

Alex is a dancing fool! Whenever there is music on at the house, he is dancing. He shakes his booty and gets the biggest smile on his face – so cute! I need to get a video of it, so you all can see it! I will try to work on that this week! He also has figured out how to spin around in a circle, which he does quite often!

He is climbing onto everything. A few weeks ago he figured out how to climb on and off the couch (bad idea). He is constantly climbing on the couch, off the couch and on the back of the couch! There is a picture in the album titled “Added 011609”, where he has climbed up onto the back of the loveseat and is messing with the air conditioner thermostat. When I asked him what he was doing, he just turned around and started grinning…he is such a mess! Oh, along with his great new climbing skill, he has learned how to successfully climb OUT of his Pack-N-Play. Yesterday (January 20) I left him in his Pack-N-Play to run in the kitchen to get him a snack and some juice. I heard him making some noises, but thought nothing of it – when I came back in the room he was standing outside of his Pack-N-Play and smiling at me! I put him back in while I was sitting in the room and he climbed out not once, but twice! He was not shy at all to show me his new found talent!

Another fun game is to take his toys and throw them over the gates. Sometimes if he is really lucky, he will get to watch the toy bounce down the stairs to the foyer! Every time he does this, he laughs like it is the first time he has done it. It amazes Larry and I the things that he will throw over the gates – some of them are really heavy, but he has determination!

He is quite fond of running up to either Larry or me and blowing on our arms (or whatever skin is exposed). He thinks that is the funniest noise in the world. He smiles and cracks himself up! Of course, Larry and I are expected to laugh right along with him! Each time he runs up to us with an open mouth and each time we are worried that he might bite us, but he hasn’t yet – he just wants to blow on our skin!

Alex does not know the meaning of slow or still! He is neither of these two things! He is always RUNNING around and always on the move! If you find him slow or still, he is usually sleeping.

He enjoys the new stairs at our place in Maryland. He loves crawling up them and scooting down them. We have put gates up so he can’t discover them on his own, but when we go up the stairs with him he insists on doing it himself.

Alex and Daddy love to roll around on the floor and play together. Alex will tackle Daddy and roll over him. He laughs so hard when he plays with Daddy! It melts my heart to see them playing around with each other – they both are having such a good time and it is completely evident how much they love each other. I added a few pictures of them playing together in the album titled “Added 011609”.

Another thing that melts my heart – he comes up to us now and gives us hugs! He will run over from wherever he is and give us hugs, spur of the moment and unplanned. Totally unexpected, but so very much appreciated! He has started giving kisses – although they are very sloppy and usually consist of his open mouth slobbering all over you!

On Monday (January 19), we took Alex to a place called Kiddos. It is an indoor toddler play place. They have padded mats on the floor, a ball pit, tunnels, things to crawl on, balls to play with and mirrors. Alex had a blast! They have a playgroup for his age group every Monday morning from 10 to 11 and I think we are going to go. The other Mom’s were pretty nice and it was great to be able to have Alex interact with the other kids. Larry was off on Monday, so it was great to be able to have him come along.

We are still holding steady with 8 teeth. The top four and bottom four. But he is in the process of having a molar come through on the left side of his mouth. He is also getting his top two incisor teeth, nothing like getting three painful teeth all at once. Needless to say, this process is going very slowly and he has not been a happy camper!

All in all, our little man is growing and changing every day. He is constantly surprising us with new things he can do - some we teach him, others he just picks up on his own. He is at an amazing age – filled with so much wonder, excitement and love.