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.)

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 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!

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!

The official SoleMates mascot.

Traditional team dinner on Friday night at Puccini & Pinetti. (Left to right: Birgit, Mary Ellen, Cindy, Me, Linda)

Ian and I stop for coffee for the team on the way to the starting line. (Best. Husband. Ever.)

The team at the starting line. Yes, it’s still dark out.

We had incredible weather for the Walk. No fog. This is the view as we started out from Fort Mason.

After crossing the Golden Gate. We have *never* had such great weather for walking across the bridge!

Cindy, Linda and Mary Ellen entering the Wellness Village after walking 24 miles on Saturday.

Heading back to SF on Sunday morning. (Picture taken in Sausalito)

At the finish line.

Closing Ceremonies.

While I’d never call our daughter a pig, she is ridiculously happy playing in the mud.

At the park down the street, there’s a sand pit with a “water feature” (a fancy way of saying that you can press a button and have water pour out). At times, the water can overwhelm the sand, much to Alexandra’s joy on September 2nd.

(You don’t need to have the audio on to enjoy this, though you will miss her laugh at the end. You can also hear Ian and me in the background, commenting that we plan to show this to her future dates.)

Rather than continuing to wait for inspiration to strike, I’m just going to post some cute pictures. Enjoy!

Chilling with her buddy Myles. We intend to keep this picture for their college days. (August 8th)

Alexandra’s first time at bat (we were at AT&T Park for the Giants-Cubs game). She’s still learning the finer points of the game. (July 28th)

Granddad let Alex play with his phone while he was visiting. (July 18th)

Last picture of Alex at her birthday party. Someone was just a wee bit tired. (July 20th)

Heading home in style. (July 28th)

The creative juices are moving slowly these days. Perhaps I should switch to whole milk like Alexandra, as she seems to have LOTS of energy. 🙂

Yes, she’s done with formula (hooray!) and we’ve switched entirely to cow’s milk. Some other mini-milestones:

• “Kisses” us (vs. just slobbering)
• Has added the words hi, book, and ball (though the last two aren’t quite there yet, we know what she means)
• Loves stacking blocks (and knocking them down)
• Puts things into containers…parenting WIN! Now we can play the “pick-up game”!
• Signs “more” for food.
• Is entirely on sippy cups

And, as promised, some cuteness:

Double fisting the sippies. (Hanging out at Myles’ house, July 23rd)

Ha! I closed the door. Myles is suspicious of this development. (July 23rd)

Aha! OPEN door! (Alex really enjoys Myles’ playhouse. July 23rd)

First time with long noodles. (July 24th)

The days do roll by quickly…