Here's to you, little man ...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

Almost there ...

As the one year mark approaches (sigh), here's a list of 10 things Alex is doing (or not doing) at this point. He's becoming such a big boy.

1. Alex is eating like a champ. Once we ditched the baby food and started the table food, Alex really started to get his eat on. He is now wearing 18m pants, despite that they're too long, because his 12m pants won't stay snapped. His favorite foods are meat, muffins, meat, and meat.

2. Alex is testing his boundaries. He is learning right from wrong, and likes to make sure we haven't forgotten which is which. His favorite no-nos to engage in are crawling up to the fire (darn floor-level hearth), opening the DVD bookcase doors, and playing with/smacking the PlayStation 3. He's gotten a couple of swats on the behind, but he just looks at us like: "Are you kidding? That's all you got?"

3. Alex is getting bored with his "baby" toys. Good thing his birthday and Christmas are right around the corner.

4. Alex is flipping over during diaper changes. Makes things difficult.

5. Alex is sleeping ok at night. He wakes up an average of twice a night, but at least we're able to pat him back to sleep relatively quickly. Still a vast improvement over the past several ear-infection-induced-screaming-all-night months.

6. Alex is starting to get a bit shy. No longer quite the big flirt he was, he is starting to clam up a bit when grocery clerks try to talk to him. That's ok, he's still manages to turn on the charm.

7. Alex is (according to his teacher) starting to get a little possessive of the toys at daycare. His teacher seemed to think this was funny. I'm not sure if that is because it is so out of character for him or what. As long as he doesn't become the class bully.

8. Alex is NOT walking. He uses his little lion walker all the time, but he's not so sure about letting go of it. He doesn't cry when he falls. I think he's just content with where he's at right now. And I'm ok with that.

9. Alex is NOT talking. Not even close. He's not even waving. He will imitate us, though, when we clench our fists in frustration and go "Grrrr!" Though his "grrr" sounds more like "eeeegggghhh!" or something like that.

10. Alex is growing up too fast!

Update

Tubes are in! Hopefully this will mean no more (almost) weekly trips to the pediatrician's after-hours clinic or calls from the day care saying "come get your kid; his ears are draining." Hopefully we'll all get some good sleep! Thanks to everybody for their words of encouragement!

Fun on the Farm

To celebrate Andy's, his mother's, and his brother-in-law's birthday (yes, they all share a birthday), we took the kids to Dreamfield Farms in Bullock County. Good times ...

Poor kid

Alex got another ear infection, which (again) burst through his ear drum. He's got an appointment next week with an ENT doctor. Looks like he'll be getting tubes. I'm feeling a little sad, but also a little hopeful. This lack of sleep for the last two months has been hell.

BOO!

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