Alec's First Birthday Party!

After it's week-long postponement, we were able to celebrate Alec's birthday at the park. It turned out to be a beautiful day and everyone gave Alec loads of attention so he was happy as could be. Since 'Finding Nemo' is the only movie he can watch for about 15 minutes before deciding to get into something, we themed his party around it. I was so excited to make his cake (which is funny, since I don't really enjoy eating cake). Friday afternoon I baked, shaped and frosted while Alec happily ate the cut-off bits:











Saturday, it was party time! My cousin Ross and his fiancee Jordan were the first to give Alec some cuddles, they were good sports and wore party hats with Alec and even blew bubbles for him:













Paul did a wonderful job barbecuing burgers for everyone while they all took turns lavishing attention on the birthday boy. Aunt Linda held him and allowed him to eat...whatever he could grab. Then he got some cuddles from his Auntie Kari and her fiance Ben:















We tried to light his birthday candle, but the wind blew the match out before we could even light it...not like he would have known to blow it out, but he enjoyed pulling it off the cake and sucking the icing off. Everyone sang to him and he cheered by clapping for them:














Since we were at the park, his Uncle Derek took him sliding and it made Alec so happy! After they were finished and I was taking some pictures Alec began to bang on Derek's leg to remind him they needed to go down the slide again! Afterwards he opened his presents-he loved the wrapping paper and the noisy toys his Uncle Ross, Aunt Jordan, Great-Aunt Linda & Great-Uncle Daniel specially picked out for him:

















My cousin Colin's fiancee Sarah held him and I liked this picture, the way he's checking her face (possibly trying to pick her nose-he doesn't pick his own, but enjoys others'). Then his Auntie Kelsey took him sliding, on some bouncy toys and walking.

















Alec's friend Caleb is two months younger, but is about the same size and they had a good time poking each other, once they were done examining Alec's new toys. All in all a fun and successful first birthday party!

Alec's First Birthday

We had a BBQ planned with friends and family coming to celebrate Alec's first birthday, but Alec's cold worsened, as did mine and Paul began feeling rough, so we had to postpone it. Hopefully we will all feel well enough to celebrate on the 12th.

We have received some good news-Paul has been able to extend his PhD!! Now we're sorting out his flight dates and waiting to hear when I'll be teaching this summer & fall. Yay for Paul!

Alec's enjoying all the tissue boxes being around during my illness. He likes to pull them out one at a time and hand them to me. I say 'thank you' and he laughs. I guess it helps him learn manners, so it's fun and educational. I feel so bad not being able to play with him, he appeared to be feeling better by Sunday, whereas my cold keeps worsening (my sister keeps telling me to think of it as a great diet-I'd prefer to just exercise!). Luckily he has aunts, uncles and grandparents around who always want to. Once again, Paul proved to be the perfect husband, letting me sleep most of Sunday, he rested when Alec napped.

On his birthday we had Alec wear a birthday hat while we let him open his presents from his Granny, Grandad and Auntie Jennifer because we wanted to do something to celebrate. He really enjoyed it, and we took some videos so I thought I'd share those:

Alec gained some weight!!!

Just a quick note to say we visited the specialist again today and Alec now weighs 20 lbs, 12.5 oz. The doctor was very happy with his 3.5 oz weight gain in one week!

His latest favorite trick is to crawl into his car, even when no one will push him around in it and stare out the window. I thought it was cute, especially since that window looks out at the bleak side yard (and brick wall) reserved for Maggie & Milo to wrestle in.

Alec Update

Alec's reflux began acting up again-he couldn't keep anything down. So, on Wednesday we took him to the GI specialist again and he's back on Zantac. Only 2 days later he's keeping nearly everything down!! What a huge blessing.

Weight: 20 lbs, 9 oz
Height: 29 inches

Alec's current traits:

1. He's still an incredibly happy baby (very ticklish and giggly) and he's become especially cuddly. He loves to thrust his cheek up against people to 'cuddle' them and 'give kisses' which consists of him opening his mouth wide and pushing against your cheek. It's incredibly adorable.
2. He loves being outside and watching birds or the dogs run around-he especially loves going to the park or on a hike.
   
3. He loves to talk! Usually it's baby sounds, but yesterday he looked at Maggie and called out, "Mah-ee" and Maggie tilted her head and looked puzzled-it was pretty funny.
4. He can take a couple steps on his own, but prefers to have someone holding his hand or to push around his walker, so I don't think he's officially walking yet.
5. He still loves music. We bought the Primary CDs and play them during the day and in the car for him. Sometimes he'll sing along or dance (wiggle back and forth). He still enjoys playing with the piano he got for Christmas from his granny and grandad and I thought this photo was great-it looks like he's trying to play it properly.

Random Insights

So, I decided I liked Jordan's idea of adding a playlist to her blog-so I copied it. In doing so I noticed two things about myself: #1. Since being happily married and having a baby, I'm a very sappy/happy person and #2. I'm still incredibly homesick for Colorado!

Well, Shannon tagged me and I thought this one would be fun since it's about Paul and I:

Where did you go on your first date? It was an all day date Paul planned: A tour of Chatsworth House & grounds, lunch beside a river in Bakewell, then a hike in the Peak District (Paul's favorite place in England), then dinner at a New Orleans-themed restaurant in Birmingham
How long have you been together? Married for 3.5 years, together 1 year before that
Who eats more? Paul
Who said I love you first? Paul
Who is taller? Paul
Who sings better? Paul
Who does the laundry? I do
Who pays the bills? Paul makes the money, I pay the bills
Who mows the lawn? Only rocks in Vegas, but Paul picks up the dog poo...
Who cooks dinner? I do, but Paul is always willing to help chop or cut vegetables and he goes grocery shopping with me (did I mention the amazing husband I have???)
Who drives when you are together? Paul
Who is more stubborn? We are both stubborn in our own ways
Whose parents do you see the most? Mine
Who kissed who first? Our first kiss was after he proposed-mutual, I guess
Who proposed? Paul-absolutely beautifully at sunset on a hillside in Topanga Canyon, California
Who is more sensitive? I am
Who has more friends? They're all mutual now
Who has more siblings? I have 1 more than Paul (aren't they really mutual now too?)
Who wears the pants in the family? We're easygoing



I tag Ceri, Hilary, Jordan, Katy, Morgan, Brandi, Natasha, Brittney & Jared

Mount Charleston...again

A week ago Saturday we decided it would be nice to go up to Mt. Charleston again and have a family hike. We figured with all the sunshine in Vegas it might be our last chance to play in some snow. So, after an hour of packing up Alec's things, bundling him up and gathering all the dogs' equipment and plenty of water, we drove 45 minutes up to Mount Charleston.

After bundling up Alec and assuring ourselves the dogs' harnesses and leash were on tight enough, we headed off the clear road into the snow...which turned out to be about 24 inches deep...and promptly soaked our tennis shoes and trousers. Not the most auspicious beginning, but we forged on with cold toes because Alec was laughing-he loves being outdoors. His smiles got to us and we tried to build a snowman, but the snow was too icy. Alec wanted to play in it and kept wriggling to get free. Guess we'll be buying a snowsuit for him next year.

So, after about 30 minutes walking through the snow we headed back...only to be ambushed by Girl Scouts selling cookies next to our parking area. Guess it's that time of year. Any calories we burnt off in the snow were quickly regained with our cookie eating on the way home.

I included this last picture because I think Alec's face is hilarious. I think he was a little impatient waiting for me to harness the dogs:

Fun at the Park

The sun has been shining and the temperature perfect, so when Auntie Kari walked to the park to study this afternoon, Alec and I tagged along. I pushed him over in his car, so he was naturally excited. Once at the park we went on the swing, which he enjoys at a slow speed. We went down the slide together which he loved, then played in the grass. Living in Vegas he's not used to grass and immediately tried to grab bits and put them in his mouth. After finding he didn't enjoy the taste he was content to crawl around and practice standing (we're up to 9 seconds now and a wobbly step forward).

I don't know if it was just the sunshine (or the fact that his top incisors FINALLY came through, so now he's happy), but he seemed very photogenic today and I took loads of pictures. I've included more on his photo website. Also, because we put so many photos on it, we've created several separate photo albums and the link on the left side of this page is showing 9-10 months old and will continue to show the most recent photos, otherwise there were just too many photos-well over 300...

Milo's Summer Cut

Las Vegas is definitely not the best climate for our two fluffy puppies. Milo, our keeshond, especially has a difficult time coping with the heat. Since he's begun shedding his winter coat (they shed twice a year), we decided it would be a good time to clip his hair. So, I've included a before and after shot. His fur was around 3.5" long, I trimmed it to 1". We think he looks adorable and he was sure happy, jumping and running around.

Triple Date

Saturday night we went to dinner at the Muckleroys, a family we enjoyed getting to know in the Cimarron Ward before we moved. Cat is only 9 days younger than Alec is, so we were able to enjoy dinner and some adult company with Hilary and Martin, while Alec was able to enjoy some pint-sized company of his own. At this age they were more interested in the toys than each other, but it's nice not being at the screaming, biting or pulling phase. Hopefully we'll see them a few more times before we move to Colorado and we can watch the two of them grow. Then we can begin the arranged marriage preparations...

Settling in

Paul and I managed to get everything moved into my parents' home last Thursday, thanks to my brother, Kevie, and his friend Adam. It's been a bit manic cramming all our stuff into one room, but luckily it's a huge room, so even the two dog crates fit with all Alec's furniture and our bed, leaving a play area for Alec. Good thing Paul and I tend to be minimalists.

Alec had a hard time adjusting to other noises in the room (the dogs tend to move from our bed to the floor several times throughout the night) and woke up a lot the first few nights, but he slept all through the night on Monday. On the other hand, he's adjusted quickly and happily to extra people around constantly holding him and pushing him in his car. He's such a social little man! While people push him in the car he waves goodbye to people he passes and will sometimes put out his index finger to touch someone else's-a sort of E.T. moment. He's also begun imitating animal sounds. When we were reading an animal book yesterday I was making a quacking sound for the ducks and he tried to imitate it, he did the same for elephants and kittens. It was so cute!

Paul and I are not enjoying our commutes now and lunchtime seems so dreary since he can't come home, but otherwise we've settled in more quickly than we'd expected to. Paul hasn't had much time to work on his PhD yet, but we still don't know for certain his extension was accepted and we didn't think he'd have much time before returning to finish.

The dogs are doing so much better than we expected. Paul walks them in the morning, then later in the morning I put them on the side of the house to rough-play together outside while Alec naps and I exercise. This seems to use up their energy, as the rest of the day they lay around the house. The collars are reminders if they get a bit excited, but we rarely need them. No one's bothered by them wandering around downstairs and we keep them in sight or sound at all times so they can't get up to much, it's turned out to be a huge blessing being able to keep them in the house here.

Kelsey's Christmas puppy was finally old enough to leave her mother. A little shih tzu she named Kippie. There are now 5 dogs in the house (my parents have a shih tzu and a pomeranian). I've included some pictures of Alec and Kippie, though we can't ever leave them alone since Alec's used to larger dogs he can tug on. During the day when I'm alone with the dogs and Alec it often feels like a mini zoo. Luckily the dogs all get on well and they nap most of the day, so with Kippie in my lap and the others laying around I can get some lesson preparation done during Alec's afternoon nap.