Author Archives: lmccullough

Hello there!

Hi folks! We hope you’re enjoying the last bit of 2015. We know it’s been a quiet year on the blog, namely a result of our exhaustion, combined with Alexandra’s general dislike of having her picture taken.

However, when we spent the weekend in Colorado in October (meeting up with Ian’s family to celebrate his parents’ 40th wedding anniversary), our very generous sister Sarah rounded us all up for a family photoshoot and Alex LOVED the photographer. (If you’re ever in Denver, we highly recommend Swinson Studios.) Here are a few of us and Miss A.

Also, for those of you who’ve asked, Alex is currently 3’4″ tall, weighs 38 pounds and exclusively wears dresses these days.

This one didn’t make the cut for the Christmas card but it’s a classic family pic.

Yes, she really is that cute.

Look! We showered and put on clean clothes! (Lara’s even wearing makeup!)

Possibly my favorite picture ever.

Bonus pic: Alexandra after viewing her first ballet performance, the Nutcracker “Sweet” (a 45-minute, preschooler-friendly event).

Cinderelmo

From last week’s class at Little Wonders (the co-op preschool), I give you…Cinderelmo.

Dress is hers. Elmo is a costume at school.

Look! A tower!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O4ITB8kYNk

Musical Maestro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FhU8CWhRYA

Pancakes!

Helping Daddy on the last day of his “vacation.”

http://youtu.be/kI5WT56dQas

Is this thing on?

Can you hear me now?

Yes, it appears the blog is indeed still working, despite a total lack of updates in the last few months. It’s mostly due to exhaustion at the end of the day. And the fact that’s it’s MUCH harder to get non-blurry shots of Alexandra these days.

In lieu of trying to be witty and creative, I’m going to just try to post more pictures here and there. And continue to give you the medical updates (which just reinforce the fact that she’s awesome). From her 18-month check-up on Tuesday:

Height: 2′ 9.5″ = 93rd percentile (though I would have thought it was more than an inch of growth in three months, given that she’s now wearing 2T clothes)
Weight: 29 lb, 3.5 oz = 98th percentile
Head Circumference: 49.8 cm = 99th+ percentile (new system, so at least they don’t list “100th” percentile anymore)

In other family news, Ian is back at LeapFrog doing another maternity leave fill and I’m doing some consulting. (And due to the NDA they made me sign, that’s pretty much all I can say about it.)

We hope all is well with you and that 2014 is off to a great start!

Finally got ahold of a family shot of our race car driver and her crew!

Our musical prodigy at Aunt Melissa’s on Christmas morning.

Enjoying her rocking horse from the McCulloughs. 🙂 (January 7th)

Multi-tasking, playing with both the plane AND the lawnmower from Grams and Grandpa. (January 9th)

Continuing her orange phase. (January 16th)

Alex’s First Day of “School”

As hinted at last month, we decided to start Alex in daycare two days a week. We found an AMAZING in-home daycare that’s just over a mile away. She started at Kidink yesterday and had a great time. I think the drop-off was harder on me than it was on her, though she was very happy to see me at pick-up.

I’m still figuring out if I’ll be consulting for my former employer. (If anyone out there has about 10 hours a week of work that can be done from home, let me know.) But since Alex is so social, we wanted her to have more exposure to other kids. There are about 10 kids in total at her daycare, from just over a year through age 5. Her “teacher” has a masters in education, is certified by all the right places and is generally awesome. (Ian says I have a “caregiver crush.” He’s not wrong.)

Stay tuned for Halloween pics. I’m still waiting on a few pics from others (of us as a family), but will post soon. ‘Cuz she was more adorable than usual. In the meantime, here are some shots from the “big day” yesterday:

Awww!

Might be hard to see, but this is Alex playing with the other kids about 2.5 seconds after we arrived.

Having a good morning. (Teacher Teresa sent a “yes, she’s alive and having fun” note.)

Alex’s “house,” which I think is so cute. (Labels on people and animals to come once their label-maker is functional. Their insistence on the label-maker, NOT mine.)

Photos of a Feisty 15 Month Old

We went on Monday to get some more “professional” pictures of Miss A. We decided to capture her in the latest Michigan paraphernalia, as well as her Halloween costume. Given her love of cars, she’s a race car driver. When we go out in the neighborhood tomorrow, we’ll likely push her in her little red car. Ian and I will be her “pit crew.” So, until we have the official Halloween pics, enjoy these!

Classic Alex.

Heisman shot.

A (brief) moment of quiet reflection.

Race Car Driver! (I like to call this her “blue steel” look.)

Artsy shot with falling leaves.

Someone didn't like the falling leaves approach.

Someone was less than thrilled with the falling leaves approach.

Impromptu family shot. (Had we thought of it, we could’ve worn our pit crew costumes!)

Bonus pic with Grandpa!

A is for Above Average

Greetings, friends! Time certainly flies when you’re chasing after a toddler. Specifically, chasing after our toddler who is now running and she’s FAST. Life here continues to be busy and good. There’s a (small) chance that I may consult part-time, so we’ve been looking into daycare options. Regardless of employment, we’re thinking she may go a a few days a week to hang out with other kids; we’ll keep you posted.

In other news, she had her 15-month doctor’s appointment last week and she continues to be off the charts:

Height: 2′ 8.5″ = 96th percentile (and officially more than half my height!)
Weight: 26 lb, 12 oz = 96th percentile
Head Circumference: 48.5 cm = “100th” percentile

She’s a full-out toddler now, including liberal use of the word “no.” She completely understands the concepts of yes and no (typical said as “da” and “doh”), at least as it relates to her wants. She’s also hard to pin down for a photo…they need a “toddler speed” function on the iPhone. 🙂 I’ll try to post more pictures soon (vs. the long gaps we’ve had recently in posts). For now, enjoy some older pics, as these were already synced with my computer.

They do “swimages” at her swim school. Couldn’t pass up getting this one.

Hanging out with her best buddy Myles at Whole Foods. (September 11th)

AHA! Sock removal success! (October 11th)

Hey, look! A blog post! (Avon Walk 2013)

Hello there! Welcome back to the McCullough family blog, which has been very quiet lately due to the Avon Walk. Even though I only walk 13 miles and 15 miles (vs. 24 and 15 over the two days), it still requires a LOT of training (and sleep). The Walk was the last weekend in September and was even more amazing than usual since I could share with Alexandra.

Also, a huge thanks to all of you for your support. I raised an incredible $5,469, bringing my lifetime total to over $30,000!!!! I couldn’t have done it without your support.

We’ll be back to more Alexandra-exclusive cuteness soon. In the meantime, enjoy these pics from the Walk!