Grandpas and Grandmas

Grandpa Ed and Grandma Betty visited in February, making Alexander the King of Elmoland.






Grandpa Scott and Grandma Mary also visited in February, and there was much dancing and rejoicing.




Alexander calculated the number of 2008 grandparent visits on his abacus.

Christmas birthday Nana visit tooth brushing spaghetti eating extravaganza super blog

OK, so we've had a string of illnesses, sprained back, work, blah, blah, blah, so here's your photo blog for December/January.

Lots of goodies for Christmas, opened over the course of several days. On Christmas day itself, he got the gift that keeps on giving: viral diarrhea (picture not shown).





In January, after our viral houseguests left, he had his first spaghetti dinner:





Then his nana visited for his first birthday, spoiling him rotten yet again.





He enjoyed cake for the first time along with his very first glass of milk, which he chugged. He chose the frosting color (red food coloring = pink frosting), gender stereotypes be damned.




And he's been brushing his teeth and generally growing into more of a boy than a baby, right before our very eyes, although his growth is slowing. At his 12-month checkup, he'd gained only 7 ounces since his 9-month visit, and two inches. So his superhuman growth has slowed, to be replaced with speed (running everywhere), the power of invisibility, and mesmerism. His stare makes people uncomfortable, perhaps because they fear he can see right through them. Don't worry, he's merely brainwashing you into sending him more cake and toys. He doesn't know where you hid the body, although we are starting to suspect he has mob connections.

Walking and Talking

For a few weeks, he's been walking a few steps in between things. Then last week, after we rearranged to set up a larger play area for him, he started doing this. Just needed the space, I guess!



And he's been enjoying a new phone from Nana and Papa. Sorry the video is dark. We had him open the present at night. We have photos too, but still have to take the red out before uploading them. (Mom and Tom, we have several videos of him actually "opening" the gift, which took forever and would bore everyone, but I'll send them if you want to see them. He still plays with the wrapping paper.)

Needless to say, our toy long-distance bill has skyrocketed.



And finally, a bit of fun with the curtain in his new play area:



OK, back to work with me.

Time Travel

Come back in time with us to the weekend after Thanksgiving, when Darrick's mom visited on her way back from Mexico. She brought kisses and a super cool cowboy vest for Alexander. It's still a little long but not, ahem, too wide.





Before Grammy arrived, Alexander watched for her car for a while.



Then he got bored, so he killed time with a little dancing, staging a fight between his giraffe and the alien star clown, then chewing on the camera case, after getting bored with his own toys.







Finally, he decided to drive out to find her, in case she got lost.



After she left, he just hung out, single-handedly reviving the one-strap overall fad of the 80s.

A-a-choo!

Adventures in Brokaw Land

We're a little behind on the blogging because all three of us have been sick. So here's our blog from two weeks ago.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we spent a day over at the Brokaws, just hanging out.



Alexander learned how to drive, thanks to Ben.




And Lauren let him play with her toys while she chilled on the floor.



We had Shelly's homemade fudge and some other food that wasn't fudge.

Donkey Boy King of the Tupperware Party

Alexander couldn't decide what to be for Halloween. The strap on his mummy mask broke.

So he thought maybe he'd be a spooky ghost. Eating diced green beans. In Hawaii. Alo-o-o-oha, woooooo!

The pumpkin mask never quite did it for him.

And the skeleton mask was a good one, but it didn't quite match his physique.

By the time he tried being the statue of liberty, he wasn't feeling too patriotic.

So I thought he might like a mustache to match mine. (I phoned it in this year: bearded lady. Darrick didn't even pick up the phone with his luau outfit.) Alexander was so upset by the Groucho glasses, he broke them. I guess we shouldn't have pushed so far with the costumes.

Finally, though, he did decide: He wanted his dad's costume. To chew on, anyway.

When Babies Attack