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)

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:

Who’s there?!? (March 28th)

Dinnertime happy face. (March 27th)

My dad used to windsurf at Coyote Point, hence this picture. (April 3rd)

KITTY! Petting a very patient cat while out and about on Burlingame Avenue. (April 4th)

Even the menu at Jack’s Prime is tasty! (April 6th)

Some background: While we were in Italy on our “baby moon,” we happened to be in the town of Panzano the day they were celebrating the 483rd anniversary of overthrowing the evil lord.* To honor said event, they have an elaborate parade. While I was watching the parade, Alexandra kicked in time with the drummers. This was a sign.

Alex’s Italian inspiration.

Eleven months after that parade, my mom captured this on film:

Ian would like it noted that she could be the next Max Weinberg (of Bruce Springsteen the E Street Band). Or, the next Tico Torres, for you Bon Jovi fans.

Not much else to report here. We’re both still recovering from our colds. Mine has morphed into a sinus infection, complete with a rocking cough and a very sexy voice. Alexandra seems fine, as she is completely nonplussed by her runny nose (though she does protest when I try to wipe said nose).

Also thought you’d enjoy a few more of the pictures from the session we did on the 19th at the Picture People:

Why, hello there, Blue Eyes.

Oooh! These look edible!

I thought it was super cute to have her wear bunny ears. Who doesn’t love babies wearing animal ears? Then, while showing the pictures to Ian, he pointed out that girls in bunny ears can have other connotations. Stupid Hugh Hefner.

*Editor’s note: 483rd is an approximation. But it was a long time ago.

For whatever reason, this seems to be the standard question people ask you when you tell them you have a baby. It’s like the new parent equivalent of the pregnancy “when are you due?” and the engagement “when’s the wedding?” questions.

For the last few weeks, the answer to the question is “not great.” As you know, Alexandra has started pulling herself to standing and she’s finding that to be WAY more fun than napping. We’ve had some nap strikes over the last two weeks or so, further complicated by her second tooth breaking through her gums (ouchie!) and then her catching a cold over the weekend. Here’s to hoping that we’ll get back on-track with her napping (and me blogging) soon.

Today is also her eighth-month birthday, so we did the standard “bear” photo shoot. Those will be posted shortly–in the meantime, enjoy these from the last two weeks:

S’up. (March 6th)

Bo, still the world’s most patient dog. (March 7th)

Yay for swim class! (March 10th)

Playdate at our place. (March 11th)

Getting ready for St. Paddy’s Day. (March 11th)

Music class with Grandpa. (March 14th)

Bundled up for a walk with Daddy. (March 16th)

That’s how the text from Ian started. It’s important to lead with that.

Background: I was getting my hair cut on Saturday and Ian was hanging out with Alex. Around 1:00, I got the following text, which is quite possibly one of the funniest and best-worded texts I’ve ever received:

“Ok. Everything is fine… but Alex’s head had a bit of a disagreement with the changing table railing and things escalated, so your adorable daughter is now sporting a bit of a black eye. She’s down for a nap and didn’t need Motrin or anything, but you’ll notice. Love you.”

Needless to say, she is indeed fine and the black eye isn’t all that bad (but he was right–it definitely is noticeable):

The black eye isn’t too visible, but this is the best picture we have of it. (March 4th)

In other news, we’ve been trying out the Ergo (it’s a type of baby carrier), which Alex seems to enjoy:

Mommy and Alex go for a walk. (March 1st)

Daddy and Alex go for a walk. Mommy clearly had the better weather. (March 5th)

Plus, Alexandra has been working on standing:

The best part of this picture is the look on Bo’s face. (March 3rd)

And, she continues teething (i.e., drooling):

Hi! This is my CMU shirt … my 12M-sized CMU shirt. Looks like I’m going to be tall like Daddy! (March 1st)

And just because it’s too cute not to share again (this is a repeat for those of you also on Facebook):

Further proof that the best part of any toy is the box it came in. (March 1st)

Hope all is well with you!

While she’s also moving and shaking, the bigger news is that Alexandra is *officially* crawling, PLUS she pulled herself up to standing all on her own today. And she’s graduated to 12-month pajamas (at least the ones from Carter’s; baby clothes sizing is about as consistent and coherent as women’s jeans sizing).

Just because she’s cute. This was taken after she totally melted the guy at the Whole Foods deli counter. (February 27th)

If that weren’t enough, she said “dada” to Ian when he came home tonight. Though I clearly believe my child is a prodigy, I must admit that it’s a bit early to call “dada” her first word, as it’s used quite broadly across numerous contexts (the dog, her toys, random people on the street, etc.). Nevertheless, it’s still pretty awesome to hear her say it to her dad.

Beyond those mind-blowing milestones, not much other news to report. My dad is back from his month in Maui, so he stopped by to see the munchkin today. I’m almost entirely over this evil cold, which is welcome news. So, we should be getting out and about in the world more (i.e., more pictures). Stay tuned!

Hanging out with Grandpa…and with Bo, also known as dada, in the background. (February 27th)

Bonus pic: One of Miss A’s more serious expressions. (February 19th)

Time continues to fly by! Someone once told us that, when it comes to kids, “the days are long, but the years are short.” It seems very resonant, as I haven’t gathered the energy to write a blog post in over a week, but somehow tomorrow is already Alexandra’s seventh-month-birthday.

In the spirit of keeping you up-to-date, here’s Alexandra’s week in review…

Sunday, February 10th

Another week at swim class, which Alex continues to LOVE. Generally, she just loves to splash, so being in the pool is her happy place.

Exploring things in the pool (i.e., things Alex can attempt to eat.)

Monday, February 11th

We went to a free intro session at Gymboree. She seemed to like it, especially the part where they “crawled” around to grab at the red disks. (As you may have guessed, she liked to gnaw on it.) I think we’ll join after the music classes end, since there’s a lot of singing at Gymboree as well.

WHOA! Spinning around on the half-dome. (Note she’s still clutching the red disk.)

I’d forgotten my phone and the camera battery was dead, so another mom took these pics and texted them to me. Nice to have a picture of both of us. Thanks again, other mom whose name I’ve forgotten!

Tuesday, February 12th

The big excursion on Tuesday was to the story time at the local library. During the half-hour, the librarian reads stories, leads songs, has puppets out, etc. Alexandra blew raspberries the ENTIRE TIME. It was hysterical. My favorite was when the song was something like “and cows say good morning, moo, moo, moo” and Alex would do raspberries instead.

Quick stop at Target before story time. Look at our big girl sitting in the cart by herself!

Wednesday, February 13th

No pictures of the day. The highlight was a playgroup, though it ended up being one other kid and Alexandra. So, they had a nice time lunging at each other and trying to grab each other’s faces. No one was harmed and all socks remained on feet, so that was a win.

Thursday, February 14th

As a special Valentine’s Day treat, Ian worked from home. Which meant he was able to join us at music class and witness Alex’s excitement over all things.

Daddy’s here!

Yeah, I know there are other instruments, Daddy. But the rainstick is my favorite.

What? I’m not sleepy. Nope, not at all.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Friday, February 15th

Alexandra had a very fun day on Friday. First, she got to see her Aunt Melissa. THEN, she went to “linner” with Grams (I drove). And after that, we went to the park and she got to go in the swing! This is a banner day if you’re a munchkin.

Enjoying winter in California. (It was 70 degrees here on Friday. This is why housing prices are so ridiculous.)

Saturday, February 16th

We journeyed to the East Bay on Saturday to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Baby Ford #2. Alexandra enjoyed seeing their dog, as well as sampling all of Lilah’s (Baby Ford #1’s) toys.

Must. Figure. This. Out.

Sunday, February 17th

Quiet day at Casa Casanova. We all seem to be fighting something off, so there was much napping. Yay for family nap time! Not photogenic, but an enjoyable day relaxing.

Monday, February 18th

We’re enjoying having Ian home again today, and while we’re all feeling better, it’s still looking like a quiet day. This morning’s excursion was to Peet’s and Whole Foods. There were two labs (with their human) outside of Peet’s, so that was Alexandra’s favorite part. Yay for doggie kisses!
We hope you’re all enjoying the long weekend, or having a good start to your week. Stay tuned for more cuteness; on Friday, I’m getting together with some high school friends and their kids. 8 moms and 17 children. I suspect high jinks will ensue.

As some of you know, Alexandra learned how to blow raspberries a few weeks ago. She’s quite proud of this new-found skill and stepped it up a notch tonight by blowing raspberries during dinner time … while eating sweet potatoes. I wasn’t able to capture the spray-pattern on film, but hopefully you can imagine it while watching the video below (taken on January 25th).

In other developmental news, she can now sit up by herself. I walked into the nursery on Saturday morning to see her sitting up in her crib. Ian lowered the crib height Saturday afternoon. Alex is also very close to crawling. WATCH OUT, WORLD!