Oh, the mischief!

Crawling sure opens up new doors for little ones!

I knew this was coming, and it's why I wasn't in too big of a hurry for Alex to start crawling. Don't get me wrong - it's a fun, new milestone. I'm thrilled to see him doing this, and it's fun to watch! I just saw no rush to reach this new stage!

Here are Alex's antics in the past 24 hours. I don't think they'll require any explanation...

We've also found him under the computer desk to play with the wires, playing with the (covered) electric outlets, and "boinging" the door stoppers. Having fun with your new freedom, Alex? :)

Sick

That might very well win the prize for "most pathetic picture of Alex".
Could he look more miserable? He felt very warm on Saturday, and then spent the next several days with a fever. Tylenol & Advil helped some, but not enough. Poor kid.

A trip to the doctor showed that there was no ear infection or any other issues to worry about. We'd just have to let it pass. Well, my sweet boy wasn't going to let a fever keep him down. In the middle of moaning on the living room floor, he sat up and did "So Big" with a tired smile for about 5 minutes. Then it was straight back to moaning.

He's definitely feeling better now, if crawling all over and finding mischief in ever corner is any indication...more on that later!

Since Daddy was in Canada from Monday - Wednesday, the sleepless nights were interesting. Thanks to Grandma Purdy for the naps & to Grandma Schurman for putting up with all my phone calls! :)

Tagged. Darn.

I've been ignoring this since October 1st. My friend Allison "tagged" me. I'll play the game...but prepare to be bored! This is for you, Allison! ;)

The rules are:
~Post the rules on your blog
~Write 6 random things about yourself
~Tag 6 people at the end of your post
~If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!

Here we go:
1) I am not the world's greatest cook, and I never will be. Anyone who lights the kitchen on fire probably isn't winning any Top Chef competitions. I don't hate the kitchen; it's just not my forte. I like to bake, make simple dinners, and (now that I'm home & have time) make homemade bread. I'm trying to make some kind of homemade bread once a week.

2) I really like to scrapbook, but I don't make the time for it very often. I've been keeping up with the information for Alex's baby scrapbook, but I need to take a day and put all that information in his scrapbook. Knowing that people read this blog helps me stay motivated to keep up with the stories of our family, so at least the journaling will be ready to go when I'm ready to scrap again. Thanks for reading - and helping to keep our family's stories updated. By the way, the more you comment, the more I'm encouraged to update this blog...so if you want me to be quiet, don't comment ;) Ha!

3) I've been on several mission trips. It's been far too long, though. I've been to Guatemala, a homeless shelter in NYC, a month-long mission trip to West Palm Beach (FL), and some local one-day mission opportunities. One of these days (years?) I'll be ready to do a big trip again.

4) Thanks to Flylady (http://www.flylady.net/), I'm no longer a complete slob. It has taken years and years of purposely choosing to be organized to get this idea into my thick skull. I unsubscribed to the Flylady daily e-mails shortly after Alex was born, and while my house still has its messy moments, it's rarely messy enough to embarrass me if someone drops by unexpectedly. (I will always believe, though, that a house is not meant to look magazine-perfect. Homes are for LIVING, and ours will always have that lived-in look.)

5) Jobs I've had: working in a nursing home kitchen, working in an nursing home office, secretary work in a few different business offices, Barnes & Noble bookseller, scrapbook store employee in two different stores, 2nd grade teacher at two different Christian schools, and babysitter. I don't think anything got left off of that list. My favorite is a toss-up between Barnes & Noble and the scrapbook stores. I really enjoy working retail in stores that sell my favorite things (books, crafts, etc.)

6) States I've lived in: Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana. Wisconsin is the prettiest, I think. I miss it, but I won't ever choose to live away from family again. Maybe I miss Wisconsin because it's where I lived alone for the first time ever, where I learned to be self-reliant, where I learned who I really am. DeMotte is the most rural place I've ever lived. I hated that idea of moving here. Now I hate the idea of leaving here. Funny how a few years can change your opinion so much!

That's it. Now I guess I'm supposed to "tag" 6 people who have blogs of their own. Continue the game, or choose not to...that's up to you :)

TAG!
Angie
Beka
Julie K.
Kat
Kevin
Sara S.

Oh No! :)

So, I've been working on a post listing all Alex's accomplishments at 9 months. It's still in draft mode, as I've thought of more to add to that post over the past few days.

One of the things listed in there was "not crawling yet, but wishing that he could".

Well, that's no longer true. This video is posted here & on Facebook, but I muted the sound at Facebook so no one had to listen to my stupid babbling. Well, lucky people, I'm not muting it here. Just realize that I'm being a dork when I mention that he already knows how to talk. ;)

Congratulations, Alexander - you've been working on this for a l-o-n-g time! I know you're proud of yourself. Just go easy on your mama & dad, please. We're first timers, you know!

Alex at Nine Months

Here is what Alex is doing at 9 months:

• going independently from laying down to sitting up


• pulling himself to stand on furniture


• standing in his crib at naptime, screaming & refusing to lay down (this, too, shall pass...right?!)


• not really getting the point of a sippy cup, but loves to play with it & spill water. He'll take a few sips if he's really thirsty.


• making popping noises with his mouth


• babbling all the time


• saying Mama, Daddy, Dee (doggy)...and seeming to use them for the right people, although Mama & Daddy get used for a lot of things.


• giving big grins to the people he loves


• gets very excited when Daddy comes home from work


• usually sleeping through the night (8:15 PM - 6 or 6:30 AM)


• napping on a fairly regular schedule (approx 9 AM and 1 PM, but currently only after 15 minutes of standing, screaming & repeatedly being laid down)


• eating anything we put in front of him. He LOVES spicy foods like spanish rice, bits of sausage, etc.


• He just tried Froot Loops on Sunday, and he loves them. (Oops - not such a healthy choice, huh?! I bought Cheerios today. We'll see how that goes.)


• letting Mama eat some dairy products without Alex getting sick


• playing independently for 20 minutes now & then


• trying so hard to crawl, but not quite there yet


• enjoys going for walks, and gets excited when he sees his stroller


• still fitting in some of his 6-9 month clothes, but wearing some 9 - 12 month clothes, too


• discovering how to open drawers/cabinets


• loves to go grocery shopping, see all the people, and look at everything in the store


• starting to dislike getting dressed


• loves to splash in the bathtub


• fascinated by all things electronic - remotes, computer, TV


• understanding how to put balls in the holes of his toys


• losing interest in his jumperoo seat


• enjoying the walker


• loves to be outside


• loves to shred paper

Nine Month Pictures

Our baby boy is 9 months old already! Where does the time go? He's so big, so full of personality, and so fun...and getting to be mischievous at times, too.

Seth didn't come today, which left us with an unexpectedly free day. Since it's such a nice autumn day, I couldn't resist doing some "fall-ish" things. First, we made vegetable soup & homemade wheat bread. (Mmmm, this house smells delicious!) After that, we ran to Alco and bought a clearance blanket & a fun pumpkin for a quick photo shoot.

I dressed Alex & stuck him on the blanket. I just kind of went with whatever Alex was doing, making no effort to pose him. Here's what we got before naptime:

HAPPY!

Mischievous
Goofy

What can I say? Crazy kid.

She took away that pumpkin - I'll go get it...

But wait...I don't know how to crawl. Mama, can I have it back?
(I wish the focus was on his face, not his shirt...darn camera!)

The white background washes out the picture.
We're going to try again after Alex wakes, and we'll use the brown blanket again...

AFTER NAP:

These didn't go as well. There are some cute ones, but I definitely like the "curly" pumpkin better than the boring plastic one that I found in the shed. Alex was really unsure about wearing that bear suit. He'd better get used to it - he'll be wearing it to the Pumpkin Chase at church!

Aahhh, vacation...so needed! :)

So, pretty much everyone who reads this blog has had the opportunity to view the pictures on Facebook or Kodak Gallery. I'll just post a quick trip summary.

(Here's a link to all of the pictures on Kodak Gallery if you haven't viewed them yet.)

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=17sggki7.5ro8q9wr&x=1&y=g11lcv&localeid=en_US

We had an amazing time! It didn't go perfectly, but it was a perfect vacation.

What we did...

• kayaked in Tarpon Bay (no camera, in case the kayak tipped...)




• spent a rainy morning exploring a shopping center




• spent a rainy afternoon GETTING PROFESSIONAL MASSAGES!
  (Aaaaaah, a first for Mama & Daddy...but not a last!)




• took Alex to the park




• took a 3.5 mile bike ride to the lighthouse




• went on a dolphin-watching cruise




• hiked the trails at the conservation foundation




• drove the 4 mile nature path at "Ding" National Park - saw birds, crabs, etc.




• saw the "talking birdies" in the garden at Jerry's shopping center
  Note: even a pet-loving baby is terrified of birds that shout "HELLO" in your face!




• splashed in the pool, a lot!!!
  



• watched the sanderlings on the beach (Alex loved them!)




• played in the sand




• looked for shells




• tried lots of fun restaurants
  



• played sugar packet hockey while waiting for our food




• made our own breakfast & lunch in the hotel room to save $$




• found a road named after us ;)




• took nightly walks on the beach




• enjoyed our screened-in balcony
  



• Found a restaurant named after Nana!




• Mama & Alex took an early morning walk on the beach to see the sunrise




• Daddy & Alex took walks around the resort property
  



• said, "Hi Biscuit!" and thought of Jessica ;)




• just relaxed & enjoyed a week with no schedule, no responsibilities, no ringing phone...

Alex Sings

Alex has a new love - singing. He sings with the radio in the car, and he loves to sing with Mama's MP3 cell phone. I think he's singing along with Jonah 33 in this video. He makes us laugh every day.

On a side note, I noticed this afternoon that a new tooth has poked through on the top. It's just barely showing, left of center, but it's there. His two front teeth look like they should be poking through sometime soon.