SANTA!

This afternoon we took a family trip to Clackamas Town Center in Oregon for some holiday shopping... and guess who was there... SANTA!!!!  Alexander smiled and had fun... he also told Santa that he would love the Stack n' Surprise Silly-town for Christmas. 

Skype works!

Tonight Alex and I skyped with Daddy... and then Jen in South Carolina and the screen did NOT freeze.  Awesome!  It was soooo wonderful to "see" Jen after all these months, and to LAUGH and SMILE together.  We miss and love her sooooo much!

They got me!

On Friday night Gramma and Jon surprised me with a 35th b-day dinner.  Erin, Scott, and Drew joined us for some tasty prawns, salad, quinoa, and bread... and appetizers and of course, dessert!  I was totally surprised and it was fun to have the little guys with us.  Drew partied all night... bounced in his chair, and liked to 'swim' with Gramma.  Alex was more mellow and fell asleep during dinner.  What a fun night! 

Fun times at Gramma's and Jon's house

Seattle city sushi adventure!

Yesterday we headed over to Drew's house to see him and his parents!  We took Christmas card pictures for them (they are fantastic!) and then strolled over a couple blocks and had sushi for lunch.  Alex tried on Drew's noise blocking ear protectors (whatever they're called), and loved them.  Very cool idea!  And he tried to look like he was wanted by the paparazzi and slipped on some shades.  I guess Alex doesn't care for sushi, since he napped at the restaraunt... maybe Drew does, since he was awake the whole time.  The future will tell.  It was super nice being able to walk from their house to lunch.  It was breezy and chilly, but dry.  Hooray!  We love spending time with the J's!

Everlasting love...

Erin and Susan

Friends for life!

What's wrong with these pictures?

Steve discovered that Alexander enjoys laying in Titus' dog bed, and Titus enjoys laying in our bed (surprise, surprise!)  It's really the perfect place for Alex to hang out.  He can't roll out and he's comfortable in the soft fleece!

Turkey Time with Friends & Family!

Thanksgiving was an adventure for Alexander!  Gramma spent all day prepping food and getting ready for dinner, Jon and Steve went to see the movie "The Road", and Alex and I took a walk in the rain to see Donna, and then we hung out with Titus and Franny.  Our little monkey tried sweet potatoes in the afternoon, and napped for literally 5 minutes while we waited for Liz, Frank, & Auntie Jane to arrive.  Alex absolutely loved hanging out with Frank... and we said he should be his Seattle Grandpa.  It was so sweet watching him talk to and play with Alex.  So touching!  Alex also loved snuggling with Liz, and Jane too!  After a bit, Alexander started to 'lose it' big time.  Sometimes when we want to play, we really need to sleep!  During dinner Alex entertained us with "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"... and later 'sang' for us again.  "He sang a lot," says Gramma.  "He's my favorite performer though."  What ended up working was to turn on the soundscapes music channel in the TV room and we put Alex in his chair.  Eventually he dozed off.  Hooray!  Then he snuggled with Uncle Jon in the rocking chair and in front of the fire.  Sleep was broken in to two segments last night... 6 hours and 3 1/2 hours.  Sweet!  


This morning we called Gramma on her house phone (from my cell phone in bed) and said, "Taxi."  Then she came and got Alex and took him to feed and play with him, while Steve and I slept in some more.  Go Gramma!  


And while Alex took him morning nap, Jon and Steve took 'Miracle Fruit' (a fruit from Africa) pills to alter the taste of bitter foods...it makes bitter taste sweet.  It was fun to watch them eat lemons and limes, drink vinegar, wine, tequila, etc... and to see their reactions.  


Later today we'll go to Alki Beach for a walk and will probably "have to" go to the bakery there.  We wouldn't want Alex to be mad and miss out on having a cookie, right?

Is chocolate really evil?

A couple days ago I had some Hershey's bar and last night our little monkey was fussy, fussy, fussy... not fussy during the day... but he waited until it was time for us to all be asleep.  So up we were multiple times in the night, which reminded us of the first weeks at home with Alex.  Does this mean that I should avoid chocolate?  Or does this mean that Alex is not a fan of the Hershey bar (sorry, Erin)...  Good news is, there's still chocolate in the cupboard for when you come to visit next!

Riding in comfort... and style!

Our little man has moved up in the world of car seats (at least when riding in my car).  Our friends Timm and Jen told us they'd set up their Britax seat for their son, Kyan... and that reminded us that we should do the same.  Alexander is getting heavy to carry in his other carseat.  Steve offered to install it in the land cruiser for me, but I said I wanted to do it.  It was a fun challenge!  Finding a place to put the anchor was... well, let's say I had to get creative with my seatbelt anchor.  All's good now, and yesterday we took Alex for a spin in his new seat... just down the river road to the falls.  For our road trip up to Seattle, Alex will ride in the other seat cause I'm not taking it out of my car!  And he still technically fits in the other one.  We're looking forward to seeing Gramma Jan, Uncle Jon, Donna and Richard, Auntie Jane, Liz and Frank, and Erin, Scott, and Drew!  And of course other folks were bound to run into.  Happy early Thanksgiving!  Gobble Gobble!

Another night!

Last night was another night of LONG sleep... Alex went to bed around 8:30 p.m. (so happy he'll go to bed while he's still awake).  Then Steve woke him up to feed him around 4 a.m.  Then when the alarm when off for Steve's teleconference, he got Alex, changed him, and handed him to me... and Alex and I slept for another hour and a half.  Zzzzz...

The Two "S"'s

After more than a month, we finally got to connect with Stacey and Sarah.  They came up this morning to hang out and Alex was all smiles when he looked at them both.  Sarah kept coming over and saying "baby" and would point at his eyes and nose, and seemed to like his little bear slippers.  It will be so much fun when he's mobile and can play with Sarah at her own pace and level.

Sunday morning... Uncle James and Aunt Jalaine & Cookie visit.... then Alex naps

8 hours and 45 minutes

That's how long our boy went from one feeding to the next last night. Sweet! Steve and I woke up a few times and checked on Alex to make sure he was okay. Then, at 4:45, I woke up our snoozer and fed him... and got an extra bottle put in the fridge for a ski/rainy day. An extra bonus! We were wondering if he'd go back to sleep... and sure enough, he did! AWESOME!

Dining on the counter... can't get better than this