The End of the Beginning: Alex turns one!!

So this is it. The much anticipated one year post. Am I the only one who is completely overwhelmed by the fact that Alex turned A YEAR OLD at precisely 6:14 this evening? Is it possible that one year ago today I was lying in the hospital waiting to meet him for the very first time?

To be completely honest, I always dread these momentous occasions where I'm expected to say something sappy, like about how incredible this year has been, how I can't imagine my life before Alex came along, how I thank God every day for the gift of this precious little boy, and about how thanking God just once a day is not nearly enough. It's mostly because there are so many emotions attached to an occasion like this, and to try to express that jumble of emotions in a way that is concise and poignant is a pretty intimidating task. That said, I will continue this post according to "Monthly Post Protocol", and if I figure out how to organize my thoughts in some meaningful way, I will consider sharing them at a future time.

Size: Alex's one year well-child appointment with the pediatrician is on Monday morning, and I am very anxious to find out his stats. I'd say he weighs at least forty or fifty pounds based on how I feel after lugging him up and down five flights of stairs. But I guess we'll have to wait until Monday to find out for sure.

He seems pretty proportionate as far as I can tell, since he is still mostly wearing 12 month clothes. However, I think his stats will still be on the high end since he recently outgrew his 12-18 jeans and is barely fitting into his size 5 shoes.

Eating: He's still eating like a hoss, and we are continuously encouraging him to add to his repertoire. There are very few things he has not tried, and even fewer things that he has tried but not liked.

We even experimented at an Indian restaurant last week, which was a major success. From the second we walked in, he was hooked. When the owner came up to take our drink order as we were setting up his booster seat, he lunged towards her in a very presumptuous manner, like "Hey lady, hold me or kiss your tip goodbye". Fortunately, the owner was elated and snatched him right up while we finished getting his seat together. He danced through dinner, totally grooving to the Indian music being pumped through the restaurant speakers. When the owner saw him dancing, she would come by and dance with him, which excited him even more. He tried several not-too-spicy things off of our plates, including curry chicken and naan, and loved em.

So basically, he eats what and when we eat, with the exception of his 5 ozs. of formula at each meal. He's still hanging on to one last sippy of watered-down formula before bed, which we plan on nixing once he starts on whole milk next week.

Sleeping: We finally figured out how to keep most of the light out of Alex's room. Two bedsheets, a set of thick drapes, and six-cardboard-boxes-taped-together later, his room finally resembled nighttime during the middle of the day. It made me feel better about letting him whine himself to sleep, knowing that the light was not a factor. And these methods seem to have worked. With a couple of exceptions (conveniently when guests were here), he has been sleeping well, usually from 7 to 7 with two daytime naps. The length of his morning nap varies, falling somewhere between one and two hours. Before, we could pretty much count on him staying down for two full hours, so I assume this is the beginning of the morning nap phase-out.

Physical/cognitive milestones: Sooo...walking. I'm pleased to announce that, in the last two days, Alex has thought about considering to maybe possibly walk. Someday. Many times over the last two days, he has purposely removed his hand from one of his many trusted leaning posts and stood on his own for minutes at a time, as opposed to his usual m.o. of accidentally removing his hand, realizing that he is standing on his own, and immediately lowering himself to the ground ever so slowly. Progress...

The biggest shift in his development this month has been in his speech. He has added several new words to his vocabulary, as well as a bevy of new noises that might mean something to him, even if we don't have a clue what he's saying.

He still has his old stand-bys - "mamas", "dadas", etc., and "ball" is his current favorite and most reliable "says when prompted" word. Of course, he also says it when not prompted, often, and at high decibels.



He says "yum-yum" or "mmmmm" when referring to food, will sometimes impatiently say "bite" when we don't get his food to him fast enough, we still hear "baby" now and again, and whenever he sees a dog on TV or in person, he says "bog". Close enough.

My new favorite developed as a result of swimming in the freezing cold pool at our complex. Whenever we'd get in, I'd say "brrrrrr, it's coooold". After a couple times, he started saying it on his own as soon as he'd touch the water. Then one day when I had thrown him in the bathtub after a messy dinner and proceeded to turn on the water, he said, "BRRR" as the cold water rushed around his feet. Now he says it anytime he touches cold water. Brrrrr.

We've also been working on S sounds and F sounds, which he has a hard time distinguishing. He'll say "ssssss" when we tell him to, although he leaves his tongue between his teeth so it comes out sounding more like "ttthhhhhhh". Oh, and a lot of times when we put him to bed, he barks himself to sleep.

Even more remarkable than what he says is what he understands. He has clearly made a big jump this month in his comprehension. He seems to understand that his actions often have reactions and loves to experiment with things to see what will happen. He understands a lot of the things we say and will do many things when prompted. He will clap, sit down, high-five, hand things over, and blow kisses on command. Not surprisingly, he knows what a ball is and will "fetch" when told. He's almost as well-trained as Murphy!

Speaking of Murphy, he and Alex are getting along just like any other siblings. They play together, they fight, they share food with each other, they chew on each other's toys, and like any little brother, Alex loves to imitate his big bubba.

His favorite pastime lately is reading - he LOVES books - and will bring a book to whomever might be willing to read to him. It's probably the sweetest thing ever, and the most impossible thing to resist. He understands the words "read" and "book", although it is a rare occasion that we actually have to ask him to bring us a "book" to "read". When I am busy making breakfast (or lunch or dinner), he will sit down by himself with a book and turn the pages, so intent on what he is doing.

Another favorite thing is pushing his cars around and pretending to drive and making "car noises" just like the boy that he is.



Unfortunately, all of this communication still doesn't always get his point across. And that's when he pulls out his secret weapon - an obnoxiously loud honking sound that means everything from "do this" to "don't do that" to "read to me" to "don't even think about eating the rest of that sandwich until you let me have a bite". I'm afraid we'll have to put up with this until he figures out how to tell us exactly what he wants. That said, improving his speech has definitely moved up on the priority list.

Other than that, he is still climbing on everything and getting into lots of trouble.

He is so fun and so charming and still attracts tons of attention when we are out. So far, he has been held by half of the cashiers, salespeople, and waitresses in Dallas. He is so entertaining and is learning so much and we can't wait to see what he does next!

A visit from some bikers

Grammy and Poppa stopped by last weekend while out and about on their Goldwing. Sure, they're gonna see us this weekend at Alex's party in Fayetteville, but one week is, like, five weeks in grandparent time. And besides, Dallas is just down the street from El Dorado, so it's not like they went out of their way or anything...

Anyway, they got here Saturday night and we went out for dinner at a great fish place, aptly named Hook, Line & Sinker. Sunday morning, we watched some Nadal v. Federer at Wimbledon and Alex demonstrated his newfound love of tennis. For lunch, we took them to Pei Wei (pay-way), where Alex demonstrated how he can drink out of a kiddie cup like a big boy.

Grammy and Poppa left after lunch, and Timothy, Alex, and I headed home for post-lunch naps. We need all the rest we can get to prepare for this weekend's drive to NWA and the big birthday shindig. But not too much because there's still a ton to do before we leave. Who knew planning a one year old's birthday party would be such tedious work??!!

Problem-solving

So we've come up with a few solutions to the logistical issues we've been having as a result of living in a fourth floor apartment. The conditions still aren't ideal, but things are a little more manageable than they used to be. For example, I mentioned the whole dog walking thing, about having to lug Alex up and down five flights of stairs with a dog and a leash and a poo bag and keys, having to maneuver through doors with key fobs and the whole nine. Well, before the baseball game last month, I remembered that sling I bought in KC back when...ha, back when we thought we were gonna end up in KC, when A was about two months old. I used it a few times - three to be exact, including the ball game. Well worth the seventy-two bucks I spent on it. Anyway, I realized that it would work great in this capacity, as well.

Although I generally keep an arm under him just in case, my poor, puny arm doesn't bear all of his weight, and I basically have two free hands to do what I gotta do to wrangle Murph and open doors.

You might also notice the blue disposable diaper bag dispenser (say that 5X fast) attached to Murph's leash. Apparently they make such a thing specifically for dog poo because I saw them in the doggy boutique, with dispensers shaped like bones and such, and that gave me the idea to use one of the extra ones that I had for Alex. That way, wherever Murph goes - and thus, wherever Murph's poo goes - there's always a bag there, too.

One other little hassle that has arisen since moving here is trying to get a trunkful of groceries from the car to the apartment. What always starts out as a quick trip for the "essentials" ends a hundred and fifty bucks later, because you just couldn't pass up that two-fer-one special on gallon-size jars of herring in cream sauce. I always bring the big stroller when embarking on such errands as this so that I have a little extra help carrying the stuff back. Of course, Alex is usually with me, and seeing as the little booger isn't walking yet, he needs to ride in the stroller, as well. Cuz that's kind of the whole point anyway, isn't it?

You'd think a situation like this would be an incentive for him to start walking so that he wouldn't have to share his stroller with diapers and carrots and milk and meat. Oh, and herring in cream sauce. Lots of it.

Post-dated post

OOPS! Like many things that cross my dysfunctional post-preggo mind, the thought that I needed to blog about my mom's birthday - now four days past - fell through the cracks, to rest in peace amongst other "forgotten" tasks, like hitting the gym, dusting the baseboards, and washing Tim's underwear.

Fortunately, that thought was revived this morning, apparently brought back to life by something in my dreams because when I woke up this morning and thought about blogging, I thought Eeeeeekkkkk!!! I never blogged about B's birthday. I did, however remember to call and wish her a happy birthday on Monday, and we also got on the webcam so Alex could wish her a happy birthday himself. He appeared on camera wearing this custom outfit (aka Sharpie on a onesie) that said it all.

BTW, that big number FIFTY on Alex's shirt is a major typo. My mom's not a day past twenty-nine.

I have many pictures of Alex and B together, but this one is my all time favorite. So I will probably continue to post it every year. Or at least until a better one comes along.

Happy (belated) Birthday B!

Happy Almost Birthday

Alex's birthday isn't for another week and already the presents are rolling in. Granny B sent him a present while Aunt Rachel was here, and as you can see, he is becoming more interested in the gift-opening process. Just in the nick of time!

B is dead-set on him having an authentic L'il Cowpoke-themed bedroom now that we are living in Dallas, an idea that I'm slowly warming up to. To that end, she got him this adorable vintage horse, which is really more of a gift to me since its a little more aesthetic than functional. It has a plastic body and a wooden base with little chewed-up wheels that some previous baby has already taken advantage of. A likes to pet it and drag it around and tries to ride on it, so he's only allowed to play with it under strict supervision...like everything else.

Grammy and Poppa also sent him his gift early because if they waited to give it to him at his party, it would be the only thing we'd be able to bring back from Fayetteville. So when the giant box arrived, Alex was anxious to see what was inside.

And just what was inside?

Alex's very own giant armchair! He can climb in and out of it on his own, although we've spent so much time discouraging him from climbing on things that we've had to remind him that this chair is an exception. But once he's climbed aboard, he has no problem making himself comfortable.

Alex's Great-Grandma Mimi and Great-Grandpa Salim also sent him a gift, something that I've actually been wanting since he was born. Johnny's Trumpette socks! Don't know why exactly, but I love these things! I kind of have a thing for cute baby socks in general, and Trumpette socks in specific. Especially these manly hightop-style ones.

I don't know if they'll make him run faster or jump higher, but they sure do improve his ability to dance en pointe. From the look of things, Alex might have preferred the ballet slippers...

As if the socks aren't adorable enough, the box is t.d.f., too, with the cute graphic on the front and the stripes, and omigosh, the polka dot paper! I tend to get just as excited about the packaging of things as I do the actual things. It's the wannabe graphic designer in me, I guess.

The most recent thing he's gotten is a gift from my Aunt Kittra, Uncle Mickey, and cousin Mason. He's, like, totally into books these days, so he was very excited to get this electronic music book that plays songs when you turn the pages or press the buttons.

So I think he's pretty much set for his birthday. If he got nothing else, he already has a chair to sit in, a book to read while he sits in his chair, socks to keep his feet warm while he reads, and a horse to turn the pages.

Fun-heavy and stink-free

TK (that's Thompson & Knight) had a function for its employees last night at 5:30, essentially a "getting-to-know you" event catering mostly to their summer clerks and new associates and their families. It was described as a bowling party, and my mind immediately revisited the Bowl-Mor Lanes experiences of my youth. Unforgiving fluorescent lights, the reek of stale cigarette butts and sweaty shoes, and the almost-repressed memory of the time I was at a birthday party when I was eight and accidentally lofted my ball into an adjacent lane, where the "serious" bowler using said lane scolded me and described - in a none-too-nice manner - the Basics of Bowling Etiquette. TO AN EIGHT YEAR OLD. You know, the kind of place where the most exciting thing they have to offer is a two-fer-one special on mozzarella sticks and the much-touted Midnite Bowl, which basically amounts to them turning down the lights and playing Journey's Greatest Hits on endless loop.

Fortunately, Timothy told me about this little thing called "the internet", where we were able to look the place up so we'd have some idea what to expect. And here's what we found.

I know, pretty nice, right? I don't know what I was worried about. Anyway, the place had bowling and pool and and video games and giant TV screens playing sports and pop music videos and cool colored lights and glow-in-the-dark shoes and, and, and...The firm had pizza and veggies and chicken fingers for us to munch on, so Timothy and I reluctantly allowed Alex to have his first real taste of - dunh dunh dunh - FRIED CHICKEN.

Yeah, I hate to break it to y'all, but he was more interested in gnawing on a celery stick. I mean, sure he ate some, but he left a good half of it untouched. He spent most of the evening with a piece of celery hanging out of his mouth, which just goes to show that chicken nugget deprivation is not as cruel and unusual as it's thought to be.

After dinner, Alex kicked back and made himself comfortable. I tried to tell him that this was no Bowl-Mor Lanes, that things like putting your foot on the dinner table was frowned upon in such a ritzy establishment. But did he listen?

Timothy and I did actually do some bowling between all the eating and schmoozing and trading Alex back and forth. There were maybe thirty TK people divided into teams, so Tim and I were on a team with two other attorneys. I ended up beating him by something like seven points, with a score around 115ish? So I don't recall exact numbers, but I do think we both made a respectable showing for two maybe-once-a-year bowlers. Alex enjoyed the people and the lights and the balls and the celery, although if the little booger would ever decide to start walking, I think he would have even more fun being able to get around and explore at events like this. But he did manage to cruise his way around the benches, straight over to one of the opposing teams. Traitor.

Overall he was a little angel, very charming and entertaining and perfectly willing to be passed around, so he was pretty glazed-over when we finally headed home at 8:15. We're definitely looking forward to the next TK family function. I'm hoping it will be a firm-sponsored trip to Fiji. A girl can dream...