Quick Update

Like mother ...

Alex doesn't like peas. He's not really a picky eater (so far, anyway), but he really doesn't like peas. We've tried sweet peas alone, and a country vegetable mix with peas. Like his mama, he just doesn't like peas. If you really want to know how much I hated peas as a kid, ask my dad about the time I sat at the dinner table for hours and was only released from that prison cell after I regurgitated peas onto my white t-shirt. Well, that's pretty much the whole story, but, trust me, if a kid is willing to make herself puke, it's probably just easier to give up. I promise, though, I will not force brussel sprouts on the poor kid.

Daddy

Daddy will no longer be a stay-at-home daddy. While Andy has thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with Alex, he's looking forward to embarking on a new career path. On Monday he starts work as a recruiter for Hyundai's manufacturing plant in Montgomery. Which leads us to ...

School

Alex starts school on Monday! We got Alex into our #1 pick for day care (it only took us calling three days in a row). He begins his learnin' on July 7 at Growing Room. Yeah, it's one of the pricier ones, but we believe it will be well worth it. While I'm not looking forward to leaving him with strangers, I'm (selfishly) looking forward to seeing the happy (I hope!) expression on his face at the end of each day when his mama comes to get him!

Rollin', rollin', rollin'

Alex has figured out that wherever he wants to go, he can get there by rolling. That's bad news for us. In the last week, we have found he has rolled off his mat and doing the following: pushing his pacifier beneath the couch, pulling on the dog's butt hair, knocking the fireplace tools off their stand, and smacking the heck out of Andy's PlayStation 3. He's not supposed to be so mobile yet! Aack - we need to baby-proof the house quick!

First fruits (and veggies) of our labor

So it's not much, but at least there's no salmonella!

Alex at 6 months

Here are Alex's latest stats:

weight: 19lbs 14oz

height: 27 inches

head size: 17 3/4 inches

He is two inches and two pounds away from being too big for his carrier. The kid better learn to sit up soon or we'll be in big trouble on trips to the grocery store! Here's a funny picture of him in his "Team Rural Sociology" shirt. It's a big hit with my cohorts.

Best Buds

Alex has a new-found friend. Actually, Riley's been around since long before we first brought Alex home, but he's just now decided Alex is friend not foe. They love to snuggle and rub against each other. The only problem is when Alex gets a fistful of white fur and sticks it in his mouth.

Water Baby

Alex took his first dip in a pool this week. He loved it. We spent an hour in the kiddie pool behind Granny's house. I guess there are some benefits to 90-degree evenings in Alabama.

I don't have anything too exciting to report beyond that. I just thought y'all might like to see some pictures of our big boy. I know it's cliche, but they do grow up too fast!

Tooth!

Ok, it's a little blurry, but here it is:

Changes and More Changes

Alex has gone through an incredible number of changes in the last week. He seems to be changed from an infant to a little boy overnight! Since my last posting (less than a week ago) he has done the following:

1. Started using both hands on a regular basis

2. Started to roll over both ways (the first time I ever saw him roll over, he went back to front to back)

3. Started playing with his feet

4. Growing leg hair

5. Started to sleep on his side during nap time:

6. Sprouted a tooth! (Which explains all the drooling.) I would post a picture of it, but everytime I pull down that bottom lip, he sticks his tongue out over it.

Yay!

He figured it out. The trick is to keep ALL your fingers sticking out.

Mother's Day and More

Mother's Day

I had a pretty wonderful Mother's Day. I didn't think I would get all excited about it, but I did. We went to the traditional Mother's Day gorgefest at the Emondson's. We ate way too many deep-fried appetizers, too much casserole, and too much pound cake. I guess that's what holidays are for, though. Alex (daddy) bought me a beautiful necklace with a mother and child pendant. It looks like those statues I like so much where the mother and child are one:

I had asked Alex for only one thing for Mother's Day: that he sleep through the night. And he did - five nights in a row!! Woo-hoo!

Garden

A little bit off topic; our garden is starting to shape up:

We have been doing it totally organic, using only compost and "tea" made from worm castings to fertilize it. We were so proud of it until we compared it to my mother-in-law's garden. Let's just say her garden put ours to shame. Those Miracle-Grow folks really know what they're doing. Anyway, last weekend we broke down and bought some fertilizer. But we're still sticking with organic-only. Someone asked us why recently and we didn't really have an answer. I guess we're just trying to see if we can do it. Not to mention that whatever chemicals you put on the ground will eventually end up in the local watershed. Plus, organic veggies are yummy!

Alex's progress

Unlike my squash, Alex just keeps getting bigger and bigger. His physical development is pretty remarkable. Just in the last week or two, he has really started to figure out how to use his hands. He will sit there and stare at his right hand, twisting it back and forth before his eyes. He is just fascinated with it. He still hasn't quite got the hang of thumb-sucking (he keeps tucking it beneath his other fingers instead of holding it out), but he's getting much better at putting his pacifier back in his mouth after pulling it out. He's also starting to use both hands to pull on the edge of his blanket and put his teething ring in his mouth. Here is Alex trying to sit up:

I made the mistake the other day of visiting babycenter.com. It's a website that tracks babies' development week-by-week. Or at least how babies are supposed to develop week-by-week. I should have known better, but I looked at it anyway to see if Alex is supposed to be sitting up (not really) or rolling over both ways (maybe so). He seems to be on-par with his physical development, but not so much with his mental or "emotional" development. What does this mean? Am I going to have a mindless athlete for a son? Or an overgrown oaf? Am I going to be Lennie's mother? I guess the more important question is: Why am I freaking out about this? I'm sure Alex is progressing at a perfectly normal rate. And even if he ends up a Lennie, I'll love him just the same. I just won't buy him a puppy.