Well, it’s official, though not all that surprising…Alexandra’s first word was “dog.” We were at the dog park on Monday (that’s May 27th, for those of you keeping track) and she said the full word after some prompting. “Dada” and “mama” have been around for a while, too, but we think “dog” counts as the first word since it’s all the different sounds coming together.

We don’t have video of the first word, so we hope these pictures keep you entertained in the meantime:

Cutey-patootie! (May 15th)

We joined Gymboree. (May 14th)

BUBBLES! Hopefully the resolution is good enough for you to note the bubble on her nose. (May 14th)

Dinner out with her buddy Myles. At Jack’s, of course. (May 14th)

Chillin’ at Target. (May 14th)

Hanging with Teacher Nicole at music class. (May 16th)

Playing the guitar with Daddy. (May 5th)

This is one of those phrases that I never would have imagined I’d say, but having a baby changes all the rules. Alexandra views Bo as her personal jungle gym and decided that soft ears might be tasty. Thankfully, as previously stated, Bo is INCREDIBLY patient with her and didn’t even blink at this.

In other news, we just got our photos back from a family photo shoot on May 5th. In honor of Cinco de Mayo, Alexandra is wearing her authentic-from-Mexico-thanks-to-Aunt-Sarah dress (plus another outfit to reflect her Scottish heritage). We are hugely thankful to Rosaura Sandoval for the great pictures. (Rosaura was also my voice instructor who helped me record the wedding song for Ian, so she’s been present for some great family memories.) Please enjoy the link…not sure how long she’ll be able to keep it up, so watch now! Plus, if there’s a photo you REALLY want, please let us know as we’re meeting with her next week to determine which images to buy.

http://www.rosaurasandoval.com/slideshow/mcculloughfamily2013/

Alexandra, Ian, Melissa (Alex’s godmother) and I had a wonderful time celebrating our first Mother’s Day at the San Francisco Zoo. Alex’s two favorites were the lions and the goats. (For the record, these were two different exhibits.) My favorite was seeing the new tiger cub…and spending the day with some of my favorite people.

We saw a bear at the zoo!

Actually at the bear exhibit.

Happy mommy and baby (with mommy and baby tiger in the background).

Oooh! Giraffe!

Yay for the zoo!

…one giant leap for Bugsy (the cat) as he runs away.

We’re so excited to tell you Alexandra took her first step on Thursday! While she’s not fully walking (yet), she’s growing up so fast!

Making progress on finger food. Her favorite so far is the chickpeas from my chicken tikka masala. (May 7th)

Swim class with Daddy. (May 4th)

Hanging out with her canine companion. (May 3rd)

Had to include this shot of her (literally) crazy excited expression. (May 3rd)

Hello there! I’m pleased to announced that the plumbing issues have been resolved…and as soon as we get a new bathroom floor installed, we’ll tell you the whole story of the constant joys of home ownership.

In the meantime, here’s a videos of Miss Ally Marie for you to enjoy. After all, who needs music to dance?