Monthly Archives: April 2013

More Milestones (and the latest bear pic)

Though I find it difficult to believe, Alexandra is now nine months old (and has been for several days now). She’s officially been outside longer than she was inside! Time does fly when you’re ~~sleep deprived~~ having fun.

Most importantly, she continues to be in good health overall (though, ironically, I think she caught a cold at the doctor’s office). The stats from her nine-month appointment:

Length: 2’4″ and 63rd percentile … I actually think she’s taller than this, but it’s hard to get babies to straighten out to get accurate measurements.
Weight: 22 lb, 12.5 oz and 96th percentile … and before anyone out there worries, she’s fine and the doctor isn’t worried about her weight. In fact, Dr. Jeanne’s comment was that most of the weight is probably in her head, since …
Head Circumference: 47.5 cm and literally off the charts (since 100th percentile doesn’t really exist) … I repeat my assertion that she is very smart, though the compliments she receives daily may also be inflating her head. (Seriously, whenever we go out, someone comments on how beautiful she is. Usually with the intro line of “those eyes!”)

“I’m nine months old now!”

Alexandra's first bear picture. (August 19th)

Alexandra’s first bear picture, back when the bear looked big. (August 19th)

In other Alex news, we’re also cleared to start finger foods, which is off to a slow start. However, Bo seems to be enjoying this latest turn of events.

And, in family news, we get to fix the plumbing in the master bath AND replace part of the main line! Yay for home ownership! (To be clear, by “we,” I mean “the people we’re hiring to take care of it.” Just in case you hallucinated for a second and thought we’d try to do it ourselves or something equally crazy.)

Not sure about this finger food stuff. (April 23rd)

Look! A picture of both of us! (At the park on April 11th)

Fishy! Fishy!! FISHY!!!

Last week, Alexandra visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium for the first time. She LOVED it. Her entourage included me, my parents and her godmother, Melissa. We were joined by Linda, her daughter Chris, and Chris’ two kids. Much fun was had by all. Alex’s favorite part was, somewhat ironically, a bird. (There’s an Aviary exhibit as part of the “shoreline.”) Also topping the list of favorites were the sea otters, sea horses, jellyfish and the Open Sea feeding, though we don’t have pictures of those to share. It appears she may have inherited my love of animals. I’m not just projecting…I have the video to prove it!

We now need to find a time to take her to the zoo. I foresee a lot of giggling on that trip. And perhaps another large stuffed animal.

Hello there! I love the Monterey Bay Aquarium! (And the very cool infant/toddler section pictured here.)

Ooooh! Can I eat that?
(Editor’s note…she would have enjoyed the Touch Pool much more if it were a Taste Pool.)

Whoa…pretty fishies!

Hi, Mr. Penguin! I’m Alex! (With her godmother, Melissa.)

Thanks, Grandpa! I love my turtle!

It doesn’t get much cuter than this.

Postscript to First Sounds…

A few hours after I wrote the post about having not heard “mama” from Alex yet, she said it!

She was sitting in Ian’s lap and he was trying to give her a bottle. She kept looking for me and when I walked over, she looked at me and said “mamamama.” I don’t have the words to explain how incredible it was.

Family time at the park this afternoon. (April 10th)

First Sounds

I’m sure you’re all STUNNED to learn that Alexandra is quite the chatterbox. She keeps up a dialogue with me on most days. It’s sort of like talking with someone in a foreign language…I know she’s trying to communicate with me, but I’m not exactly sure what it is she’s saying.

We can say that her “k” sound generally means “cat.” That mostly applies to Bugsy, but she’s also used it for other cats we’ve met. Bo seems to be “guh” (for some reason, the last sound stuck on this one). “Dada” is used extensively in communication, though Ian is included in that broad usage. She’s also made the “mmm” sound, but generally while she’s eating. Nowhere near “mama” yet. Though Ian has reported hearing a “MMMMAAAA!” scream when she wants me. (*Heart melting*)

The big news around here is that we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium yesterday; pictures and video to come. In the meantime, enjoy some pics from the last few days: