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Updates This is a collection of all of the weekly updates that appear on the main page of AlexWillow.com. Where possible, I've added the "picture of the week" that accompanies the update. Unfortunately, I didn't start doing this right off the bat...but it still serves as a good chronological summary of AW's life!
October 22, 2006: Mommy is our guest writer for the last three months; she's written quite a bit about each month, and it's located on each Latest Pictures page. But here's a sampling of what's been going on: July: In July, Alex started swimming just about every day. Maybe it had something to do with the heat wave or maybe it was just a summer thing. She and Charlie would beg Mommy and Daddy to take them to the pool everyday. Alex decided that she didn't want Summer school, summer camp, or any kind of lesson this summer. She just wanted to stay home with Mommy and Charlie. The only places the girls went was the park or the pool. But by mid-July Alex was ready to get back to school. She asked to go to summer school but it was all full. There was no room for her and she was sad. Alex has been showing her empathetic side this summer as she takes care of Mommy. She helps her do all kinds of big girl things. She is also a very good big sister. She helps Charlie and shares with her (most of the time). She tells me Charlie is her best friend. The girls do not like to be separated. (She's also got a loose tooth!) Read more updates and see pictures! Alex Bath Movie (17 sec.) | Alex Loose Tooth Movie (27 sec.) | Princess Movie (31 sec. ) August: In August, Alex lost her very first tooth! It was her bottom right tooth. She was so proud and excited. The tooth fairy came and took her beautiful pearly white tooth from her special tooth fairy box and left her ONE dollar and a little fairy toy. Now her bottom left tooth is loose too! She's still asking to go swimming everyday and as a result she is now swimming all by HERSELF. No floaties for her. She can jump in from the side and swim across the pool. She is beyond happy about this newest feat. She asks over and over for a "swimming lesson" from mommy or daddy. She wants us to tell her what to do. For example, "Lesson number 6: swim across the pool using only your legs." or "Lesson Number 4: dive down to the bottom and touch the blue line." Read more updates and see pictures! Alex swimming movie (20 sec.) | Alex swimming movie 2 ( 17 sec.) | Alex swimming movie 3 (34 sec.) | Alex swimming movie 4 (34 sec.) | Alex kicking soccer ball movie (32 sec.) | Alex Puppet show movie; (31 sec.) | Alex Princess Dancing movie (6 sec.) | Alex Princess Dancing 2 movie (16 sec.) | Alex Hip Hop Dancing at Sea World Movie (16 sec.) September: In September, Alex started kindergarten! She was so excited! One of her teachers, Ms. Maryanne, was the same teacher she had when she was three in preschool and some of her preschool friends were in her class. She continued to do really well in her reading, writing and math. Now she has a lot of "special" classes too. She has Chinese, Spanish, Science, PE, Art, Music and Computers all taught by "Special Teachers". These classes add variety to each day and give her lots to look forward too. I would have to say that her favorite class of all is Chinese. She loves to sing, count and say Chinese phrases and even though she has Chinese twice a week, she wants to do an after school class of Chinese with many Chinese speaking children. Perhaps we need to take a trip to China next year and Alex can be our translator! Socially, Alex has made some big leaps! She is much more verbal with adults and is now hugging her teachers. She is making new friends quickly and is playing with a larger number of friends. She also announced that she has a new "boyfriend" - a boy that she likes. His name is John and he's 5 and he's in her class. Read more updates and see pictures! Alex's first day of Kindergarten! (17 sec.) | Alex gets a chance to hold Chase. (9 sec.) So at long last, you're up to speed on what's been happening with Alex all summer. Charlotte's site just got the same 3-month update, so check it out!
July 10, 2006:
April: Pictures from a farm, a visit from Grandma and Grandpa, the pool, a few Easter Egg hunts, in her recital costume, with her cats, and at the beach! There is just 1 movie for April: Watch me babble with my sister at the pool. (15 sec.) May: Pictures from Alex's open house at school, at Daddy's football game, eating ice cream at the beach, on Mother's Day, with her new puppy Rani, at her birthday ritual at school, at poker night, at her 5th birthday party, at the doctor's, and from her dance recital! There are a lot of movies this month, too...11, to be exact: Alex and Charlie ride the teeter-totter. (11 sec.) | Alex sings a song for Mother's Day. (21 sec.) | Everyone -- puppy, girls, cats -- frolics on the lawn. (11 sec.) | Alex takes the puppy for a walk. (14 sec.) | The puppy goes after Alex, and Charlie dives in. (20 sec.) | Alex talks about her new puppy. (21 sec.) | Alex's class sings Happy Birthday to her. (12 sec.) | Alex does the birthday ritual at school. (19 sec.) | Alex jumps on the bouncy at her birthday party! (14 sec.) | She's very proud of her two new dolls. (7 sec.) | And finally - a grainy movie of Alex's dance recital (far left)! (111 sec.) June: Pictures of a bath with Rani (the puppy), holding her cats, at the Del Mar fair, and on Father's Day. There is just one movie for June: The girls ride the carousel at the fair! (5 sec.) Not that we're promising that updates will only come 4 times a year from now on...but a 3rd child isn't going to help matters, certainly. At any rate, Charlotte's site just got the same 3-month update, so check it out!
April 23, 2006: So, where to start with Alex over the last three months? There's so much to tell:
She continually surprises her parents with "grown-up" comments. For example, the other day she asked, "Daddy, is this live TV?" (She gets the whole DVR/TIVO thing.) There's lots of compassion at work here, too (she's always concerned with how Mommy is feeling these days...which, by the way, isn't always that great!). She's got a vivid imagination, and can make up stories very quickly. When Mommy bought her a Venus flytrap the other day, and Mommy asked if it had eaten a fly yet (it obviously hadn't), Alex said that it had, it just did it really quickly, and went on to explain how the process happened in detail. This kind of thing (and story-telling) happens daily. For January-March, we didn't have nearly the amount of pictures/movies that we normally have (see reasons #1 and #2 above). But there was still a good sampling: January: Pictures from the classroom, the park, the dentist, and out in the schoolyard (this was a near-record low number of pictures). Accordingly, there were NO movies this month. February: Pictures with on the couch (with the cats), at a birthday party, at a Nemo on Ice show, in the classroom, in the bath, at Disneyland, in the pool, and relaxing at home. There's just 1 movie this month: Charlie gives a kiss to Alex at Costco. (4 sec.) March: Pictures with Alex's cats, at ballet, at her Princess and Pirates class (it's kind of an acting class that Alex just loves), at the beach, at her school, and at a birthday party. There are two movies for March: Watch Alex at her Princess and Pirates class. (15 sec.) | One more P and P video (although neither are the best). (26 sec.) Well, at long last, that will do it for January, February and March; every effort will be made to get back on track for April (but no promises). Charlotte's site just got the same triple update, so be sure to check it out!
January 14, 2006: So here's what's been happening over the past two months: In November, Alex started to read 3-letter words, and she could match them to pictures. She can write 3-letter words as well, and can count all the way up to 100 (with the occasional skip of "15"). She's very creative, and loves drawing and art (there are almost no days where she doesn't sit at her desk and make something). She had been asking for Christmas music since October, and was thrilled that the holidays were approaching. She still hasn't chosen any "best" friends...she generally has new best friends all the time (but she does have her favorites). She's still very emotional, especially when she's tired or hungry. (Sometimes, happiness can turn to anger in a flash, and vice-versa.) As for current updates: Alex was the perfect big sister/cousin when visiting the Fishers in LA (she loved to be the big girl with Zayne and Cadence). She's not that interested in TV anymore (although she still likes movies), but she prefers to play with stuffed animals, dolls or figurines with her sister. She still likes her food plain, but she's getting much better at trying new foods. Alex absolutely loves her kittens (and yes, we have 5 cats these days). But you can count on seeing Alex with Willie and Buddy under either arm, walking around the house with her "sweet babies". She loves playing with her little ponies, and she's getting great at jigsaw puzzles (she can cruise through the 25-piece ones she has). She really is an exceptionally well-behaved little girl -- she listens well (when she can hear, which she can't at the moment...she's prone to fluid build-ups), and she's very cooperative. Definitely still a "Mommy's girl" -- prefers that Mommy does all of the things around the house (bath, bed, etc.), but is warming up to Daddy more and more on those things. There's really a lot more (her continued reading progress, her intelligent comments/vocabulary, etc.), but we'll try to give a more current update at the end of this month. On to the pictures and videos! November: Pictures from ballet, the park, a birthday party, Disneyland, a Thanksgiving feast, her "half-birthday party", and at Chuck E. Cheese. Plus, 6 movies: Alex plays air hockey at a party! (15 sec.) | How about a little floor ballet? (16 sec.) | On the carousel at Disneyland! (7 sec.) | Walking at Disneyland with Grandma and Grandpa! (8 sec.) | Alex and Charlie do work at school. (32 sec.) | Charlie sits in at Alex's Thanksgiving feast! (31 sec.) December (there's a lot): Pictures from pre-Xmas celebrations, Disneyland, a Fisher Family holiday (with Zayne and Cadence and GG, and some great family shots!), bedtime, Alex's school holiday performance, a trip to be pedicured, Mommy's birthday, rollerskating, a visit from Orion and Savannah, Sea World, Christmas morning, the beach at sunset, the park, a visit with Santa, and a trip to the zoo. (Whew!) Plus, 7 movies: Alex and Charlie play on the treadmill at the Fisher Xmas. (22 sec.) | Alex tries rollerskates for the first time! (18 sec.) | And now we're "rollerskating" near the beach. (10 sec.) | Alex sings at her school performance. (Pretty good stuff.) (42 sec.) | More singing: Jingle Bells! (21 sec.) | The girls do some serious swinging. (Silent) (9 sec.) | On the carousel at the Wild Animal Park. (Silent) (18 sec.) That's it for November and December, and we wrap up 2006. Charlotte's site just got updated too, so go check it out!
November 26, 2005 So we're just going to do a quick make-up update for October, and then we'll do the regular one next week as November comes to an end. Much like the kids are growing up so fast, it always seems like it's time for a new update! Alex loves the holidays, and Halloween is one of her favorites (probably second only to Christmas). She wore about 5 different costumes this time around, and had a great time trick-or-treating (and helping her sister get as much candy as possible). This child loves to talk...about anything, to anything/anyone. She's got a wild imagination, and likes nothing better than playing with her dolls/ponies/assorted figurines, making up stories. Of course, her cognitive abilities are also coming together very quickly, and she'll have a "grown-up" conversation with people as well -- sometimes her questions are so in-depth, it's surprising. Her reading abilities are also coming along in leaps and bounds (but since we're not sure where she was on November 1, we'll hold off until next update for a full analysis of what she can read these days). For now, just check out the pictures we have for the week: from a field trip to a pumpkin patch, playing miniature golf, at ballet, at her Halloween Carnival (as Mulan), carving a pumpkin, trick-or-treating (as Minnie Mouse), at Disneyland with Mommy, and getting ready for bed with Charlie. There are 6 movies for the month:
Alex does some great ballet with her friends! (19 sec.) |
Alex goes mini-golfing (and starts out the wrong way!). (24
sec.) |
After mini-golf, we head to the spinning swings. (7 sec.) |
The girls do some great (and silly) dancing on the deck! (18
sec.) |
Daddy carves the pumpkin, but Alex knows what to expect. (21
sec.) |
At Disneyland on a date with Mommy, Alex makes a cake! (17 sec.)
October 8, 2005
We don't have a ton of pictures for September (well, about 30, but still far less than normal): playing in the backyard, the many faces of Alex, at a picnic with Nina and Papa, at the park, playing princesses, at ballet, at the beach, putting on a show, and at dinner for Daddy's birthday. What we don't have in pictures, we make up for in movies: we have 15 movies from the month:
Alex dictates a letter to Charlie. (27 sec.) |
Alex dictates a letter to Mommy. (34 sec.) |
Alex dictates a letter to Daddy. (42 sec.) |
The girls do a little deck dancing. (20 sec.) |
The girls seem to sneeze a lot. (Funny!) (22 sec.) |
Now, both girls get some catching in. (16 sec.) |
Everyone went to a picnic with Nina and Papa. (7 sec.) |
The girls like to wrestle sometimes. (20 sec.) |
Alex does some talking to Mommy...about anything. (56 sec.) |
Mommy catches Alex talking and playing by herself. (39 sec.) |
Here's part two of talking/playing. (61 sec.) |
It's unusual, but the girls got to be in ballet class together!
(10 sec.) |
Part 2 of ballet class. (18 sec.) |
Part 3 of ballet class. (33 sec.) |
The girls put on a dancing show (with costumes)! (14 sec.)
September 5, 2005: Some updates from Alex's life:
There are a whole bunch of pictures for August: playing on Charlie's new bed, swinging by herself, crying from loud noises, at the circus, playing with her cat, at a luau, with her cousins Savannah and Orion, reading at the library, at Disneyland, at the pool, at Savannah's fake birthday party, and playing with her cousin Cade. There's also a few new pictures added to the art section -- Alex is starting to take some neat pictures with the digital camera! We also have 9 movies from the month: Alex can pump on a swing by herself! (28 sec.) | She finally figured it out. (16 sec.) | Alex sings the Circle song. (33 sec.) | Then she breaks into the Good Heart song. (12 sec.) | Followed by "You're a Grand Old Flag"... (38 sec.) | And wrapped up with a GREAT song she makes up. (29 sec.) | Check Alex out at Kid City! (6 sec.) | The cousins watched and performed at the library. (45 sec.) | Ring around the rosie at Savannah's fake birthday. (5 sec.) So there's Alex in a nutshell as of August, 2005. Now go check out Charlotte's site, which just got updated as well!
August 7, 2005:
Whew! How's that for a few things? OK, on to the pictures for the month: shots of Alex on a field trip to a farm, with Grandma and Grandpa, at Charlie's birthday, at the pool, in the backyard, at Sea World, at school, and at the doctor's office getting her shots! And to top it all off, we have 7 movies as well: Long singing of the ABC song, followed by laugher! (80 sec.) | The girls dance in their pretty pink dresses. (20 sec.) | Ouch! Shots at the doctor can hurt! (12 sec.) | At Charlie's party, the girls dance in the bubbles. (13 sec.) | The girls danced on the deck at dusk! (24 sec.) | Alex does the Pledge of Allegiance at school. (28 sec.) | Alex dresses as Elmo, much to Charlie's delight (19 sec) That's enough for this month. Charlotte's site just got updated as well, so go visit it! Thanks for stopping by.
July 5, 2005:
We have a few fun features this month:
We took a ton of pictures this month...really, a whole bunch. There are pictures at the park, at a live Elmo show, at the Del Mar fair (lots of rides), at numerous birthday parties (where there were pony rides, bouncy things, face-painting, princess games, and more), hula dancing, bath-taking, Father's Day, the dentist, and new hairstyles. And if that wasn't enough, we have 15 movies as well: The girls are excited to go see Elmo live! (14 sec.) | Alex and Charlie go on a pony ride! (34 sec.) | And now they're on the Merry-Go-Round at the Del Mar Fair. (12 sec.) | Alex goes on the balloon ride by herself at the fair. (10 sec.) | And then the rollercoaster! (12 sec.) | Charlie and Alex do some great hula dancing! (19 sec.) | Even more hula dancing by the pool. (12 sec.) | Alex makes a tiara at Erin's birthday party. (18 sec.) | Alex plays a game at Erin's party (and Charlie helps). (32 sec.) | Mommy and Alex have a long chat about her eye color. (68 sec.) | Now Alex and Erin go on a bouncy thing. (12 sec.) | Then, as leopard faces, they watch a clown. (13 sec.) | You can tell Alex really enjoyed watching the clown. (18 sec.) | The girls play with legos while waiting at the Dentist. (26 sec.) | Then they drive a hysterically funny car at the mall! (24 sec.) That'll do it for this update...go visit Charlotte's site (she's Alex's sister, for any newcomers out there) -- it just got updated too!
June 5, 2005:
Some other updates: Alex wants to wear underwear at night instead of a pull-up, now that she's four...and even though she promises nightly to wake up with a dry pull-up, it just doesn't happen. In boy-related news, she now has multiple suitors. Ryan (at school) wants to marry her instead of Keenan, but she still wants to marry Keenan because he's so nice. Her artwork is getting much more sophisticated and colorful: rainbows, rosy cheeks, smiling people, small details (like leaves and socks). Her interests still include anything girly or sparkly (she loves when her toes get painted), And she's still picking up any vocabulary she hears -- her words are peppered with phrases like "Awesome", "No way, buddy", "What's up, dude", "Rock on!", etc. Fun stuff. The month of May saw a tremendous amount of pictures and movies. In addition to the pictures of all of the above events, there are also shots of Alex swimming at the pool and learning at school. And here are the 15 movies: The girls get to play with the cats! (19 sec.) | Now the girls play and dance with the piano. (16 sec.) | Charlie and Alex say hi to Daddy on the swing! (7 sec.) | All the party girls play with fans at Alex's birthday! (16 sec.) | Everyone sings Happy Birthday to Alex! (45 sec.) | Alex gets a birthday cupcake. (14 sec.) | Showing off her dribbling skills at her birthday. (6 sec.) | Alex makes some food at the pool. (15 sec.) | And then she jumps off the side! (5 sec.) | Alex starts her neat birthday ceremony at school... (21 sec.) | Showing her 1-year-old pictures to the rest of the class... (21 sec.) | She walks around the sun, and now she's 2... (32 sec.) | Now the class sings happy birthday to her... (59 sec.) | Then she blows out her candle... (27 sec.) | And finally, she gets to pick who leaves the circle first. (70 sec.) (In addition to these new movies, we also added 12 from last month!) This month, we celebrate the 4th anniversary of AlexWillow.com/ FisherKids.com. Thanks to everyone for your support and kind words over the years! Now go check out Alex's sister Charlotte's site, which just got updated too!
May 2, 2005:
It's hard to keep giving updates for Alex -- this is a living, breathing, thinking, decision-making little girl. She's very strong-willed, but also very well-behaved. She does a very good job of listening to her parents, and generally not doing the same incorrect behavior twice. She's very sweet and caring, and she loves animals (particularly the two new kittens added to the household -- she's named them "Sandy" and "Josephine", and she loves carrying them around). She's very sensitive as well -- she rarely cries when she's hurt, but she can easily cry if her feelings get hurt...maybe Charlie doesn't want to play with her, or someone said something mean to her at school. She also loves a boy named Keenan at school (he's 5, and he always sticks up for her...she drew a love note to him today, and says she kisses him at school). Alex loves to pick out her own clothes, often preferring dresses over a shirt and pants. She can make her own bed and clean her own room, and she can get dressed and go potty by herself in the morning. She is still wearing a pull-up at night, though, and nearly always has pee-pee in it. (She says she'll stop when she's four.) She loves to draw and paint and be creative -- her drawings of the family wearing rainbow shirts are quite abundant these days, and she can also draw the kittens and write her name (and Mommy's, which she loves to do quite often). While she still prefers a largely carb-driven diet, she's branching out to more and more things. (She actually likes most foods, but won't always try them very easily at the dinner table...for instance, we nearly have to force her to eat the first piece of broccoli, and then she eats the whole thing.) She even tried miso soup the other day, and loved the tofu in it. (Actually, that miso soup discovery was on one of her many dates with Daddy -- we go out to dinner every night when Mommy teaches, once a week.) OK, that's enough of the updates for this month...we need to save some for her 4th birthday (just four weeks away -- actually, now just two, since this update got put up late). For the month of April, we have some good pictures (although not too many), including: a trip to LegoLand, a few from the park, some from in front of the house with our neighbors, and a couple of Alex and Charlie in bed with their two new kittens. Amazingly enough, we have no movies this month! (Edited to add movies.)
Story time with the girls! (16 sec.) |
Birthday anticipation! (29 sec.) |
Alex and her new cats! (36 sec.) |
Alex talks about her husband-to-be, Keenan. (41 sec.) |
Alex plays with two "sisters". (28 sec.) |
Alex had a dream, and tells us about it. (50 sec.) |
Alex sings "Tomorrow" in class (kind of)! (21 sec.) |
Let's try that again, a little better. (12 sec.) |
Alex reads a Mother's Day poem in class. (30 sec.) |
The girls play with their cats! (19 sec.) | Next month will be a special 4th birthday edition (also celebrating the 4th anniversary of this Web site). Charlotte's site just got updated as well, so go check it out!
April 3, 2005: Her language is very detailed: lots of large vocabulary words ("disappointed", "construction", "frustrated", "in reality"). She absolutely loves her little sister, and will give her a few hugs and kisses for every few minutes they're together. They definitely take care of each other, sharing food, bringing the other milk, getting shoes for each other, and more. Most of the time, Alex is exceptionally sweet -- when Mommy asked her the other day if she'd be sweet for ever, Alex promised! Generally, her emotions are more under control; she can calm herself down and use big-girl words when she starts to lose it. (Although she still has a bad habit of throwing things when they're not like she wants them, if she's tired or hungry.) She's working on her respect and politeness ("Get me milk, Daddy" vs. "Daddy, may I please have some milk?"). Amazingly enough, she hasn't been dressing up as princesses since about January, but she still calls them her friends (and wants a "Mulan" birthday party, although that's subject to change). She feels she knows each princess personally. She absolutely LOVES to play "pretend": "Mommy, let's pretend you're the mommy lion and I'm the baby and Charlie's the sister and we live in the jungle". (Mommy gets dragged into pretend games more than Daddy.) She's learning about geography at school, and she understands the the Earth is round -- she can look at a globe and get the fact that colors are the continents, and blue is the water. She enjoys doing math: she has a math book, she can identify 1-5 fingers (and objects) just by looking at them (without counting). And finally, she loves her dates with Daddy (when Mommy is teaching Daddy and Alex go out to dinner...Alex's favorites are shrimp and wonton soup). We've got a huge amount of pictures this month (107 to be exact), including pictures at school with Charlie, at home, at the zoo, at a birthday party, drawing, at ballet, at the park, playing Go Fish, with Nina and Papa, on the toilet, at Easter egg hunts all over town, in the flowers, on Spring Break, with Grandma and Grandpa, and at cousin Cadence's first birthday party! There are also a whopping 10 movies this month: Watch Alex in her ballet class! (15 sec.) | Here's a GREAT (long) ballet rehearsal! (79 sec.) | Alex is taking tap classes now. (12 sec.) | And she can do the "shuffle toe", as she shows here. (15 sec.) | Beware of the swing monster! (18 sec.) | The swing monster (Daddy) is out again! (15 sec.) | Sometimes Alex likes to pee with company. (16 sec.) | She can take all the time she needs at this Easter Egg hunt. (18 sec.) | Look how high she can jump! (9 sec.) | Sometimes the girls talk about random things in the car. (27 sec.) Thanks for visiting! Now go check out Charlotte's site -- it just got updated too. See you at the end of April!
February 28, 2005:
There are a whole bunch of pictures this month (finally got the digital camera fixed), including pictures of a bedtime "Go Fish" game, ballet, dancing with fireman hats on, playing in a castle, learning her letters at school, hugging Charlie in the park, making Valentine cards, playing in the rain, going to Disneyland, at a birthday party, and more. There are also 7 movies this month: Alex talks a lot when she's in her castle. (26 sec.) | She did a lot of jumping and dancing at ballet class. (24 sec.) | Watch her talk about pretend food! (Funny.) (30 sec.) | At a birthday party, she softly hit the piñata. (12 sec.) | Sometimes she's an ice cream lady, sometimes a princess. (27 sec.) | At Disneyland, she rode the Merry-go-round. (10 sec.) | She didn't like being diagnosed with "princess-itis" by Daddy. (14 sec.) Hey, another update right on time at the end of the month. Now it's time to go check out Charlotte's site, which also got updated. See you next month!
January 30, 2005: She's doing very well at school (she goes to a Montessori school four days a week, from 9 to 3). She's working on staying focused through lessons, and she's testing boundaries both at home and in the classroom. But her letter sounds are great (she sees a ball, she knows it starts with a "buh", which means it starts with a "b"). Today, she saw a picture of two girls with a word above it...she saw that the word started with "S", and said, "It says "sisters"!" Again, we were impressed. She tries to count to 100 (usually she goes from 1-29 well, missing 15...then jumps to 70-79, then right to 100) by herself, although she can do it well with some help on the transitions. Her game-playing is getting pretty good -- it's actually tolerable to play a game of "Go Fish" with her now (no more crying when she doesn't get the card she wants, or she has to give one up). Mommy likes to tell the story of how she took Alex to Nordstrom's, and she was trying a Valentine's dress on (and she said, "Mommy, don't I look beautiful?") -- it was her first time in a dressing room. She's starting to "teach" Charlie how to sort things or color pictures, and she just loves her ballet/tap classes. Her vocabulary continues to evolve ("Look how cool that unicycle is!"). Alex isn't much of a risk-taker -- she generally stays with activities and foods she likes and knows...it can be exhausting getting her try new foods. But she was great about taking another crack at the computer, and she can now control a mouse quite well to play games on her own. And finally, her writing is getting much more controlled (she can trace things pretty well), and her drawings are getting more detailed and varied (it's not just our family anymore). We don't have too many pictures this month, as we're getting our digital camera fixed. But we've got shots from different days at the park, at ballet, in the bath, reading with Charlie, and more! There's just 1 movie this month: I'm tapping at ballet! (5 sec.) All right, January's update was on time! Now go visit Charlotte's site, which just got a fresh update as well. See you soon!
January 9, 2005: There aren't any huge developmental things to report this month, so we'll focus on lists this month: her absolute favorite things, along with things she loves, things she likes, and things she hates. (Oh, but before we get into that, just a few funny vocabulary notes: She just broke the habit of saying "I don't matter" when she meant "I don't mind" -- try substituting that phrase...it can make for some humorous situations. She also loves to use expressive phases such as "Actually...", or "I've decided that...", or "That's AMAZING...", or "That's a big surprise, huh?")
Things Alex loves: beautiful dresses (and princess dresses...or princess anything), cutting paper, pasta, doll houses/castles, dressing up, running around, milk, Peanut, wonton soup. Things Alex likes: drawing, reading, music, dancing, painting, beaint with Charlie, jumpy things, juices, watermelon, jello, pudding, ice cream, Woody (the cat), edamame, going to get breakfast with Daddy, and painting her toenails (even though she knows Daddy doesn't like it). Things she doesn't like: getting her hair washed, having Daddy put her to bed (over Mommy). Things Alex hates: scary movies, being told she can't do something. There are quite a few pictures this month: at Disneyland, at Grandma/Grandpa's house for an early Christmas, some nice family shots, singing at her school, getting tickled by Daddy, at the dentist (where she was fantastic and had a perfect checkup), ice skating on Mommy's birthday (kind of), at a festival where she took pictures in front of lots of different scenery, and with cousins Savannah and Orion (at the beach, in the car, and in front of the Christmas tree). There are also 2 movies this month: Alex sings (kind of) with her class in a performance! (35 sec.) | But it's easy to get distracted when you're the youngest. (35 sec.) That covers December; sorry for the late update! January's update will be on time. Now go visit Charlotte's site!
December 2, 2004:
Pictures from this month: a bunch from the park (where she sings on the swing), some family shots, a whole lot of her posing for the camera in different outfits, a couple from Paige's blow-up party, and then some from Thanskgiving, when Grandma, Grandpa and Gigi came over! There are also 6 movies this month: Watch me catch my sister going down the slide! (24 sec.) | I can sing "Do-A-Deer" while on the swing! (21 sec.) | I love to run with my sister on the grass. (16 sec.) | I went down the slide at Paige's party, followed by Charlie! (19 sec.) | Then I just went down on my own! (11 sec.) | And finally, here's my rendition of "Edelweiss", again on a swing. (32 sec.) That wraps up November...now go check out Charlotte's site, which just got updated! See you after Christmas!
October 31, 2004: She's doing really well at school, where she goes Monday through Thursday from 9am to 3pm. Her social skills (making friends) are definitely getting better, and her academic skills are coming along very nicely. She's drawing much, much better (see the self-portrait with her sister to the right), and her thought process is getting very lucid. She remembers everything that happens around her, and she's getting much less shy around people she's (even just partially) comfortable with. (Daddy took her to the park yesterday, and Alex started talking to another mommy there...and kept talking for about 5 minutes straight: "This is my sister. She's 1 now, and she'll be 2 soon. But I'm a big girl, and I'm 3, and I can push her on the swing, but soon I'll be 4. When I'm 4, I'm going to have another princess party." And so on.) While Alex is still picky about her food, she's becoming much more open to trying new things now -- even if they have sauce on them. Her love for princesses isn't going anywhere (as you'll see in this month's pictures), and she's becoming very helpful around the house (cleaning up after herself, helping with Charlie's bath, etc.). We still get temper tantrums about once a day (doing her hair, taking a bath, etc.), and she can talk back to Mommy and Daddy occasionally ("I am NOT going to do that."). But all in all, Alex is just so much fun to be around. She's as sweet as they come, and she only wants to make people around her happy. We have over 70 pictures this month, many of them taken in Alex's eventual Halloween costume. There are also a lot of Alex at school, at the park, drawing, at a pumpkin patch, taking a bath, at a Halloween party, at the school's Halloween parade, carving a pumpkin, and trick-or-treating on Halloween night! There are also 10 movies this month: Mommy took a movie of me at school. (34 sec.) | Here's another at school...watch me do this exercise! (24 sec.) | And here's another, the following week. (20 sec.) | Now I'm at school, saying the Pledge of Allegiance. (24 sec.) | My class went on a Field Trip to the pumpkin patch! (9 sec.) | Getting ready for a Halloween parade at school! (10 sec.) | Here I am, marching in the parade. (10 sec.) | Afterwards, Charlie and I rode a pony! (12 sec.) | And then we got to pet a rabbit. (8 sec.) | Finally, Daddy and I (kind of) carved a pumpkin. (18 sec.) We're all done here -- now go visit Charlotte's site! See you at the end of November!
October 2, 2004: For starters, the most important update of the month is that she can now write her name! It's not perfect every time, but she can certainly make all four letters, and generally put them in the right order. She's also drawing people and faces all of a sudden -- the house is now littered with portraits of her, her sister, her parents, her dolls...she just loves to draw, and will sit for very long periods of time on her own, just drawing away. (The eyes on the faces are often big and hollow, but they're getting there!) She's also very helpful now: when it's bath time, she can go upstairs and get two towels, a diaper for Charlie, and jammies for both her and her sister -- we don't even have to ask! She can also remember things in greater detail (recounting her whole day), and her emotional response to things is more logical and reasonable. Her social habits are interesting: at school, for instance, she prefers to make a few good friends...but if those friends are doing something else, rather than make new friends, she'd prefer to go off and play by herself. But she's not always shy -- she loves to meet new random kids at the park or the pool...especially bigger kids than her. (Although at a wedding last week, when a 5-year-old didn't want to play with her, she was very sad.) There are a lot of pictures this month, including one of Alex's written name! Other pictures include going to her first day at the new school (now Monday through Thursday, 9 to 3), going to KidsTown, going to Disneyland with Mommy, wearing Daddy's football jersey, dressing as a pirate, and more! There are also 7 movies this month:
I help Mommy write my name! (32 sec.) |
Daddy read to both me and Charlie. (12 sec.) |
Here I am, on my first day at the new school! (6 sec.) |
Now I'm playing with some of my new friends. (19 sec.) |
More video from my first day. (21 sec.) |
Mommy and I went to Disneyland! (9 sec.) |
Daddy let me wear a football jersey! (11 sec.)
August 28, 2004:
In general update news: Alex's two favorite foods are mashed potatoes and shrimp (preferably the shrimp should be Beninaha's style, but she'll eat almost any kind). She only takes naps when she goes to school -- she's very good about taking them there, but naps just don't happen otherwise. She still loves her princesses, but she saved her allowance this month for an $11 set of "My Pretty Pony" horses. Alex plays very well with others (she plays with 7-year-old Grace next door at least a few times a week), but she definitely enjoys playing by herself. There are times when Mommy picks her up at school where Alex is playing off in the corner with dolls while the other kids are engaged together in another activity. She's good at going to the potty by herself, and she only requests help when she's going poop. She's playing much better with Charlie (she tells her she loves her many times a day), but we still get the occasional shove or kick (but the more regular sharing and helping). Oh, and her catching and throwing is getting much better...Daddy and Alex play catch quite often, with a big ball. And she still loves her swings. We've got a smattering of pictures this month: some from the house, where Alex was drawing, building with blocks, and watching a scary movie; some from Sea World; a few from a visit to the doctor; and a couple from when Alex got creative and wanted to pose for some pictures. There are also 3 movies this month: I love to run around Sea World! (4 sec.) | More Sea World running, with Charlie. (9 sec.) | Watch me do some drawing! (12 sec.) Thanks for visiting; now go check out the recently-updated site for Alex's sister Charlotte!
August 4, 2004: She can now count to 50 (she sometimes misses "15" and needs some help remembering what comes after "29"), and her princess obsession shows no sign of slowing down (she'll watch any princess movie at any time, and all of her pajamas have princesses on them). She's eating better (now she'll eat a hamburger whole, instead of piece by piece), and -- after months and months of not wanting to go underwater, she now absolutely loves it: she'll go under a few hundred times at the pool. She also talks on the phone much better (when she feels like it, of course. Also, after saving up her allowance for five weeks (and not buying anything during that time), she was finally able to purchase a Pocahontas doll -- she was thrilled both with the doll, and the fact that she was able to save her money. Now she's saving up for a Tinkerbell, I think. She still has bouts of "baby" syndrome occasionally (she won't use her words, she says "na na" to everything), and we're having some behavioral potty accidents from time to time. Oh, and she's a magnet for spider and flea bites. She absolutely loves the sandbox (she's filthy when she comes home from school), and she loves learning new things (she learned about pirates in class the other day, and came home and said "See my eye patch, mommy? I'm a pirate, and I'm going to find some buried treasure!"). There are a whole lot of pictures this month: a bunch from ballet class, a "crying allowance" shot, a ladybug party, a mud party, a friend's one-year-old party, Charlie's birthday party (lots of parties!), and quite a few of her dressed as a princess. There are also 5 movies this month: Alex dances to the Love Bug at ballet. (13 sec.) | After a long ballet solo, Alex almost forgets to curtsy. (13 sec.) | Alex has an important phone call to make with Charlie. (10 sec.) | She loves Peanut so much! (13 sec.) | Charlie! Charlie! Charlie! (on the microphone) (29 sec.) We're glad you were able to visit Alex's site this month! Now go check out Charlotte's site it just got updated too!
July 7, 2004:
We've got quite a few pictures from the past month -- there are a few of Alex and her walking pneumonia, then a bunch from Lydia's wedding, a couple of attempts at a good Father's Day picture, and then some from Grandma and Grandpa's house later that day (with GiGi and Cadence, too!). Then ballet, the bedtime ritual, the pool, and the 4th of July. We also have 6 movies this month: Watch me read a book! (21 sec.) | Mommy took a LONG movie of me talking in my castle. (59 sec.) | At Grandpa's house, GG and Grandma gave me a bath! (10 sec.) | Watch me play with Charlie in the pool! (12 sec.) | I tried counting princesses, but I got distracted. (23 sec.) | I can play (and talk) in the sand for hours. (34 sec.) That'll wrap up this edition's update. If you haven't visited Charlotte's site yet, go now -- it just got updated too! See you next month!
June 6, 2004: Let's see...we'll do this bullet point style:
There are a ton of pictures this month -- we start with some ballet shots, there are a bunch of her first haircut, a whole lot at Disneyland (both Day 1 and Day 2, including some princess pictures), more ballet pictures, some birthday dinner photos, and then all of the ones from her princess birthday party! We also have 12 movies this month: Watch me dance in a circle at ballet. (10 sec.) | Now we're jumping around at ballet. (33 sec.) | More ballet: running around! (30 sec.) | And finally, some more ballet running. (11 sec.) | It's my first haircut! (8 sec.) | I was a little worried about it. (7 sec.) | I love to make up songs! (15 sec.) | Savannah and I danced to the TV! (13 sec.) | We watched the parade at Disneyland! (8 sec.) | It made me dance around and be happy. (10 sec.) | Mommy and I drove the car at Disneyland! (3 sec.) | I got to meet Cindarella! (8 sec.) Thanks for visiting; that's it for this edition! Charlotte's site also just got updated, so go check it out.
May 9, 2004: Here's a general list of updates:
We've got some good pictures this month of Alex on a hike with Charlie, checking out the whales (and playing) at Sea World, visiting a firehouse (and being scared of the fireman), swimming, going to a birthday party (and volunteering to open the presents for the melted-down birthday girl), playing with Andrew's daughter Paige, and taking Mommy out for Mother's Day. Plus 3 videos: I went to Rosie's party, and opened presents! (18 sec.) | Daddy fed Charlie and me applesauce. (18 sec.) | Alex pretends she's going to Disneyland. (37 sec.) That should do it for this edition; we'll see you back here after Alex's 3rd birthday! Now go check out Charlotte's site.
April 11, 2004: Reading/books: She loves stories! Mommy and Daddy read her at least 3 or 4 books every night before bed, and she can read the same books over and over. She recognizes about 15 letters, and she'll let you know when she sees them out on the street. Obsession with babies: It's rare that Alex leaves the house without at least one doll. She naps with them, reads to them, tells them stories, changes their diapers, puts them in time-out, and has Daddy pull them out of her shirt (she has a few babies a day). She also likes the smaller of things (the baby ball, the baby toy goat, etc.). Her upcoming birthday: She's very excited about the fact that we're going to Disneyland for her 3rd birthday (holding up 3 fingers). Although she thinks that Minnie Mouse is coming here, for some reason. Easily frustrated: If she's tired or hungry, and things aren't exactly as she wants them (the wrong spoon at dinner, or a baby's blanket turned the wrong way), she can break down and cry very easily. I suppose it's getting less and less, but it's still an issue. Potty-training: Almost no accidents while she's awake, but she still needs a diaper at nap and bed time. Vocabulary: She says some funny things -- she's really got a great sense of humor. One of our favorites: "Alex, can I read you a book tonight?" "No, Daddy, I'm sorry. Mommy's going to read to me tonight." (She uses "I'm sorry" like that for some very formal answers.) Athleticism: She can do somersaults, hop on one foot, do all of her ballet moves, and jump off the couch (it's a big jump!). As far as pictures go, a lot has happened in the past 5 weeks: a Merry-go-round, a party at the house, ballet (every week), a couple of playgrounds, a swim at the pool, a ride on the trolley, a trip to Indiana (including a plane ride and a visit to a farm with baby cows!), a new cousin (Cadence), and Easter egg hunts Friday through Sunday. Plus 13 videos:
I waved to the camera from the Merry-Go-Round! (2 sec.) |
Watch Alex make Charlie laugh! (28 sec.)
|
It's fun to ride on the San Diego Trolley. (12 sec.)
|
I saw baby cows in Indiana! (11 sec.)
|
OK -- we're up to date! Come back towards the end of the month for another update; in the meantime, go visit Charlotte's site!
March 7, 2004: Her physical skills are improving: she's doing great at ballet, and her tumbling is coming along. (It's fun to watch her stand on one foot!) She's almost ready for soccer...she can kick the ball fine, but we need a few more months before she understands the rules. Alex's nap schedule is hit-and-miss: sometimes she goes down peacefully, and others it's a struggle: at times, she'll just sing in her bed for 90 minutes rather than go to sleep...and it's always clear at 5pm whether or not she's had a nap. When she melts down, it doesn't matter where you are -- you're going to see a tantrum. But there's nothing better than a happy Alex: some of the things she says and does are just precious. "Perfect!" ("What's perfect?", Daddy says.) "Daddy, perfect means how much I love you!" Or when we tell her she's had too much milk, and she wants more: "Even if I use my big girl voice?" She's extremely imaginative, and can play with her toy characters and dolls for long periods of time, all the while talking to them and making up stories (see the last four movies below). She loves to paint and draw, and she likes going to restaurants (especially Benihana). Some other interesting habits: she can ignore Daddy when he's talking to her; sometimes, Mommy has to do everything (bath, give her milk, put her to sleep); she steals toys from Charlotte (but loses a doll if she does); she is overly-affectionate towards Charlie as well (sometimes tackling her to hug or kiss her), she likes to be the "line-leader"; and things often have to be done her way, or she gets very upset ("no, you can't do it that way. Go away!"). We'll try to add more next week, because there's no shortage of the things that make Alex who she is. The latest pictures for this month include Alex at school, playing with Nina and Papa, hugging her sister and Mommy, at the playground, dancing in the rain, at tumbling class, at a botanical garden, exercising with Mommy, playing Hi-Ho-Cherrio, relaxing with Grandpa, and pretending with her castle. And you can see 13 great movies this month:
Watch me spell my name at school! (23 sec.) |
I played with Charlotte in her room. (26 sec.)
February Alex is really the sweetest child; it's difficult to punish or reprimand her because she's so empathetic and sensitive...but it's got to be done. Her heart is nearly always in the right place when she does something she's not supposed to, but she still probably gets about four "time-outs" a week. Most infractions involve her sister, whether she's waking her up, pulling her down when she's sitting up, taking toys from her, or just being too rough with her. Occasionally, we also have lack of listening time-outs, and the rare hitting time-outs. They're always met with crying, but they also elicit a "Sorry for (not listening)" when they're over. Seems like Alex also has a constant minor cold...tissues go fast in this house. She's still drinking a lot of milk, and she's still very picky about food...but both habits will be broken soon. It's all about logic with this child: when she understands exactly what she's supposed to do, she nearly always does it. Check out the Latest Pictures for shots of Alex playing in the backyard, wearing her princess dress, at a nature preserve, and at the playground with her sister. And you can see six movies this week:
Watch Alex talk about her dolls. (Long and dark, but good!) (56 sec.)
| Hey,
it's Mommy's car! (4 sec.) That wraps up this edition; tune in next time for more fun pictures and stories! (Now go visit Charlotte's site, which just got updated!)
Of course, some things don't change as quickly: she's still eating foods that are plain (almost exclusively), she's not the best toy-sharer in the world, and she still drinks a ton of milk (4 or 5 sippy cups a day). Of course, that can be a good thing: she's still very caring and empathetic, and she absolutely loves to read, paint, dance, draw and sing. (She can now arrange the letter "A, L, E and X" to spell her name!) Lately, we've been playing "Name That Tune" -- she can name about 100 songs just by the first few notes. Alex is still playing with her dolls on a generally constant basis -- much of her playtime is centered on dolls or dollhouses, and now they're starting to get names ("Jackson" is her favorite), and many other dolls share the names of people she knows. And finally, just a few notes on Alex's relationship with her sister Charlotte: she loves her, no question. She can't get enough kisses and hugs, and she's always happy to bring her a toy. Of course, she's just as likely to snatch the toy away as soon as she sees that Charlotte is enjoying it, and we occasionally get light hits, just to see what she can get away with. OK, enough updates: Be sure to check out this edition's pictures to see Alex painting, at the zoo, washing the car, "having a baby" with her friend Katie, at ballet class, and at Sea World. And there are three movies this week: Watch me dance at ballet class! (6 sec.) | Here's some more riveting ballet action. (11 sec.) | Daddy and I looked at an elephant at the zoo! (12 sec.) That's it for this edition. Now go check out Alex's sister Charlotte's site -- it just got updated too!
December 28, 2003: We'll start with the tantrums from Alex's flu at the beginning of the month. Boy, we're glad those are gone -- she just wasn't herself for about two weeks...it wasn't fun for anyone. She didn't want anything to do with Daddy, she was rough on Mommy...just tough stuff. And then when she got better, she went completely back to her sweet self. The biggest Alex news these days is probably the reading. She's just ready to absorb anything, and she's got about 10 words now (Mommy, Daddy, Alex, hi, bird, Charlie, stop, plus a few others) that she can identify on flash cards very quickly. She knows about 10 letters (A, C, E, I, L, M, O, T, W, X) and a few numbers (1, 2, 7, 8) by sight, and she's starting to put everything together. Alex has some personal tendencies...like, she has to have specific-colored tops of her sippy cups (they have to take turns now, so that each are happy). She drinks a ton of milk (a few sippy cups per day). When she's tired, she can sometimes panic if Mommy leaves the room (this one comes and goes). There are actually quite a few of these...we'll try to put them in each edition (otherwise we'll have a very long list). Her potty-training is going extremely well -- we only have the rare accident these days. Very exciting for the diaper changers in the house. She knows a ton of songs, and it only takes her a few listens to get them down...even complicated ones like "God Bless America". After the fifth or sixth run-through, she already knew most of the words. She was singing along with "Do, a Deer" from "The Sound of Music" before the song was even over. This is a very caring child: she has great empathy for others (it's always easy to stop her from crying or doing something else by "faking" being hurt or sad...she just can't take it, and will come over to console you). When Mommy is sad or talking loudly, she'll say "calm down, Mommy". And she absolutely loves her sister -- she can't get enough of Charlie, kissing, hugging, holding her. She had a great list for Santa, and it was very consistent: a white car, a blue bird, and dolls. The list didn't waver all the way up to Christmas (and of course, Santa got her what she wanted, because she was a good girl). She's totally into the Santa thing, even leaving him cookies and milk and being very happy that he ate them and brought her presents. And finally, her reaction to going to school is noteworthy -- for quite awhile now, it's been absolute tears and screaming when Mommy or Daddy leaves her at school (twice a week). But we've taken her four times a week for the past few, and it's getting much better...sometimes there are no tears. Either way, her teachers say it takes about 3 minutes, and then she's tear-free, and she always loves school, coming home with great, detailed stories of her day. OK...enough with the text updates. Be sure to check out the pictures for this month to see shots of Alex with her sister, in the bath, playing the piano with Grandma, awaiting Christmas eve, opening presents on Christmas day, and coping with a blackout on Christmas night (she was a trooper!).
The movies for the
month are here as well:
I'm riding a toy horse! (9 sec.) |
Watch me give Charlie a kiss! (11 sec.) Whew! At long last, that'll do it for this update. Daddy knows better than to wait a month...the longer he waits to update, the longer it takes to build the site. Now go check out Charlotte's site...that just got updated too!
(12.28.03) Getting ready for Xmas! (Watch me play the piano with Grandma!)
Unfortunately, however, Alex is been pretty sick this last week or so. Actually, she's had a nasty croup cough that only comes out at night for over a month, and she caught a cold to go with it a few days ago. To top that off, her fever and headaches have been compounded by a bee sting she got on her hand at Grandma and Grandpa's house! The last few days in particular have been rough for her: waking up every hour, and she's been a little whiney as well (often, only Mommy can console her). As a result, the "I don't want to"s and "I want Mommy"s have been ringing around the house more often lately, and none of it has helped the dry-skin rash around her mouth (which comes and goes, but has been with us for a good six months now). (Too bad she had to inherit the dry skin part from her Daddy!) But despite it all, her singing has actually increased: it's rare to hear Alex playing by herself, or riding in the car, and not singing -- we figure she probably knows about 60 or 70 songs by now (we'll put up a list soon). This edition's pictures cover a lot of things: ballet class, a trip to Home Depot, a visit to the playground, a parade (where we jumped in leaves), and Thanksgiving weekend, where we drove up to Sonoma to see cousins Savannah and Orion, went to an amusement park (including flying planes and a ferris wheel!), visited with GG, Jordan and Kathy, and were sick most of the time. After you look at those pictures, check out the four movies for the week: I jumped in the leaves at the parade! (9 sec.) | Charlie and I went on the swings together. (4 sec.) | Daddy swung Savannah and me all around! (4 sec.) | After Thanksgiving, we got to ride on planes! (8 sec.) That'll do it for this edition; just one more update before X-mas! Alex has already made a list for Santa (and while that list includes a "blue bird" (and not a pretend one), we'll see how it goes. Now go see Charlie's site!
November 10
Be sure to read the prelude on the top of the And then you can see the four movies for the week: Watch me play in my dollhouse! (10 sec.) | I talk to the dolls, and tell them what to do. (18 sec.) | It's time for bed, dolls! (I'm pretty creative.) (25 sec.) | Peanut and I love to play with his toy in the garage! (8 sec.) That covers it. Again, be sure to read the text at the top of the latest pictures page, and then go see Charlie's site!
Sometimes she reverts to using grunts or baby talk...but what the "terrible twos" have really done is given her the intelligence and cunning to start figuring out how to get her way (whether it's asking Daddy after Mommy says no, or using sweet talk to swing things to her advantage). The big news this edition: Alex is very close to being potty-trained. We're probably a few months away from full underwear-wearing, but she basically runs around the house without diapers for hours and always goes pee-pee in the potty. (Soon she'll do it without being bribed!) This week: check the latest pictures for some more shots of Alex at ballet, in her overalls at the pumpkin patch, wearing her hat, in the bath, running around, and holding her sister. And then look at the latest movies:
I
hopped with the panda at ballet! (7 sec.) |
Now I danced around with the teacher! (4 sec.) That'll do it for this week. Charlie's site just got updated as well; go check it out!
October 12 But this week, we don't focus on her words: it's all about singing! Check out the videos this week to hear some of Alex's greatest hits (although there's much more...she knows about 30 songs by now):
The
ABC's (31 sec.) |
Happy Birthday to Daddy! (17 sec.) The latest pictures are good, too: some from Daddy's birthday at Benihana's, a few of her holding her doll as a flower girl, a couple chronicling her first experience with death (her fish, Nemo, died on the day Daddy left...it wasn't the best timing, but Alex handled it really well), and finally, some blurry ones from Alex's first ballet class!
That should cover it for this edition;
now go visit
Watch me jump over the candlestick at school! (19 sec.) |
We also had to follow directions, and then hop! (32 sec.) It's great to see how quickly Alex picks things up. For instance, at the baseball game, Daddy sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" a few times before the actual song, and Alex already had a few words by the time the seventh-inning stretch rolled around. In bed that night, she had most of the words, and by the next day she was singing it by herself. Similarly, she also now knows the National Anthem, Little Bunny Foo Foo, and many others (including, of course, all the songs on Dora the Explorer). Every day we notice that her speaking manner is getting more clear -- she's mastering the "sing-song" way in which the English language is spoken. Of course, she sometimes likes to act like a baby, using gibberish (Daddy doesn't like it), and she's prone to quick emotional breakdowns when she's not communicating herself clearly -- but it's amazing how fast she recovers. She's also taking topical medicine for a little skin rash on her chin, she loves (LOVES) to play with her little people/animals in the toy house, she likes stuffed animals to sleep with her in the bed, only Mommy will do when she's really tired, she'll stay in the bath for hours if you let her, she tells her sister every day that she loves her and she's her best friend, and her absolute favorite candy in the world is licorice.
That'll do it; go check out
And there are a whopping 14
I
like to drive my car around. (10 sec.) |
I also like to draw with chalk on the driveway. (12 sec.) Alex continues to get more comfortable with the English language -- today, at the playground, she wanted to play with an older girl's toy dog. We told her she needed to ask first, so she asked the girl ("Girl, can I play with your dog?") The girl told her she had to ask her mommy, so Alex went over to the mommy and asked her (no shyness when she wants something). And at school the other day, Mommy saw Alex run over to a group of kids and say "Look what I have! A kitty!" (She had nothing in her open hands.) But all the kids crowded around her, and Alex was saying "Do you want to pet it?". In sleeping news: Alex sleeps 12 hours a night, and usually takes a nap during the day. What a difference from her early years!
That's it for the week; go check out
And there are three movies this week: I played with Red Riding Hood and my stroller. (21 sec.) | I watched the circus at Sea World! (23 sec.) | I tried to give Charlie raisins in our stroller. (13 sec.) In other news, Alex's vocabulary continues to amaze. The conversations we have are full-fledged; it's fun to talk to her about complex issues. She also starts pre-school tomorrow; she'll be going two days a week, and she's really looking forward to it ("The teacher will sing a song, and I'll play with the other boys and girls, and we'll play with water, and..."). Let's hope it turns out to be as fun as she thinks it is! Potty-training: still no huge progress, but she did sit on an adult toilet when we were out the other day; no luck, but at least she tried! And while we were at a wedding on Saturday (forgot the camera!), she was fantastic: well-behaved, danced all night, played with the other boys and girls (especially the older girls)...and absolute angel! That'll do it!
Alex has moved into the questioning phase: "Why?" or "How?" gets asked all the time...especially after you just explained something. ("Why is Daddy sweating?" "Because he just ran around playing football." "Why?" "Because he likes to play football, and he gets hot." "Why?" And so on.) She continues to take excellent care of her sister -- she's very gentle around her, for the most part, and she's very empathetic: she hates to hear Charlotte cry (she'll sing songs or say "It's all right, Charlie!"), and she loves to hold her whenever possible (she'll do anything to sit with her in her lap on the couch). Alex also visited her new pre-school (and loved it!) the other day. In a few weeks, she'll be going twice a week. It'll be good for her social skills (and it'll give Mommy just a little break!). Pictures this week include a bunch with Alex holding Charlotte (of course), and then some of Alex wearing Daddy's hat, playing with her friends, and feeding the ducks. There are three movies this week: Daddy swings me on the "Merry-go-round"! (22 sec.) | Watch me feed (and chase) the ducks! (15 sec.) | More duck feeding! (27 sec.) Well, that's it. Be sure to visit Charlotte's site, and we'll see you back here in two weeks!
August 3 We have lots of pictures from Alex's first week at home with her new sister, plus some of the normal ones: Alex riding Peanut, Alex visiting Mommy and Charlotte at the hospital, Alex holding Charlotte at home, Alex walking outside with her umbrella, Alex carrying her new backpack (Charlotte gave it to her), more pictures of Alex holding Charlotte, and finally, Alex and Charlotte going for their first walk together. There's also a few videos:
I
walked outside with my umbrella! (14 sec.) |
Here's the first
of many Alex-holding-Charlotte movies! (21 sec.)
OK...on to FisherKids.com for Charlotte's update!
And if you like videos, you won't be disappointed:
I
don't like the seaweed at the beach. (5 sec.) |
But I love it when Daddy swings me around! (11 sec.) She continues to play with her dolls -- the Daddy doll and the Barbie dolls (a few of them are Mommy) and the babies get at least an hour of play each day. She seems to have stopped taking naps (not a positive step for a tired, pregnant Mommy), and she's very excited about the arrival of her sister (she asks many times, every day, when she's coming). Her memory is excellent (she can recount activities that happened during the day, or specific events/details from days or weeks ago), and she's great at helping around the house (she can pick up things or bring drinks to people, and she can get her own clothes out of the drawers). That'll do it for this update; thanks for visiting!
Alex's vocabulary is great -- we have full conversations with her now. She can spout things like "Mommy? Does your tummy hurt? Are you hungry? I'll go get you some food. Do you want licorice?" And she's becoming incredibly compassionate (a kiss or a hug cures anyone who's feeling bad), and she's even learned to say "I'm sorry" (although she's not wild about doing it). She's been off her bottle for a month now (we suddenly "lost" all of the bottles on her birthday, much to her dismay), and she's graduated to a sippy cup of milk at nap time and at night. Speaking of which...she just moved to the big-girl bed too! (We got her a full-size bed, and she loves it.)
The
Watch me do
my ABC's -- really good! (45 sec.) |
I can
count to 10...and more (much more!) (40 sec.) We also just updated the Retrospective Page, so check that out if you get a chance. That'll do it...see you in the middle of July!
I'm driving the car! (17 sec.) | Down the stairs to the fire! (17 sec.) | Mommy, you're the fireman! (20 sec.) But that doesn't mean that Alex isn't growing, by leaps and bounds. Her conversational skills are skyrocketing; it's great to talk back and forth with her, and have her come up with things on her own ("The baby has diaper rash! If I rub it, it makes it better", or "Daddy, don't wear the white shirt! Put on the gray shirt! Look, the baby [doll] is wearing a gray shirt with stripes!"). And there's nothing like hearing her say "Happy Father's Day, Daddy!", and then giving Daddy a hug. Be sure to check back for the month-ending update in two weeks!
HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY, Alex Willow! Yes, it's true: congratulations are in order. Both to Alex's parents, for successfully raising a two-year old, and to Alex herself, for turning two!
Alex's actual birthday was on Wednesday, but
the big party was on Saturday...lots of people came, and we took
lots of pictures! View the
latest pictures
But even with the whole "turning two" thing,
perhaps the most important development of the week: We
caught Alex
Watch
me play with Daddy at Sea World! (16 sec.) |
I can't
wait in line...let's go in! (7 sec.) Thanks for visiting...and thanks for your birthday wishes!
We also finally got a relatively good version of Alex counting to 10 in the latest movies; there's some good ones this week:
Watch me
ride my new bike! (10 sec.) |
Watch me
count to 10! (Missed some!) (10 sec.) Other than that, we're just getting ready for the party on Saturday. Alex's actual birthday is on Wednesday, and she's very excited about turning two. Although she's equally excited about the bouncy thing that's going to be at the party, and the fact that Jen's making her a cake with animals on it (she says that a lot). Next week: pictures from the big party!
Alex just flat-out loves babies. She can't wait for her new sister to arrive, and in the meantime, there's very little she'd rather do than sit next to (and touch) babies. It's pretty amazing to see. In other news: we were still unsuccessful in getting Alex to count to 10 on video...but she performed it flawlessly in front of a room full of witnesses at dinner one night. Maybe we'll get it next week! In the meantime, here are the videos for the week:
Alex
just loves Baby Orion! (18 sec.) |
Look, I'm
standing on a rock at the beach! (7 sec.) This edition is short and sweet, much like Alex; thanks for dropping by!
You can also check out the movies this week:
I love to
play with Peanut (and kiss him!) (18 sec.) |
Watch me play with chalk (and try to count). (15 sec.) As you'll see in some of the movies, we tried to get a video of Alex counting to 10 or reciting the ABC's -- we weren't very successful. But she IS pretty good at counting all the way to 10 (and sometimes 11), and she can sing the alphabet song, even if she doesn't quite get all the letters right. We'll work on getting a better video for next week. Keep in mind that Alex's birthday is coming up: the party will be on Saturday, the 30th (invitations go out shortly). You might just get to hear Alex sing Happy Birthday!
M We'll keep the update short, since there are some good pictures (of Alex playing in the living room, and in her new playhouse, and there are a ton of movies (10, to be exact):
Watch me
name all of my little animals! (40 sec.) |
Watch me name even more animals! (33 sec.) That'll do it for the week; thanks for stopping by!
April 26, 2003: Alex had a cold through the middle of the week (first one in awhile), and her newly-expanded vocabulary makes it a lot harder to let her stay in bed in the middle of the night: It's tough to ignore pleas of "Mommy, come get me!", "Mommy, please come back!", "Mommy, my tummy hurts!", or "Daddy, not in Alex's bed. Out! Sleep in Mommy's bed!". It's difficult to sleep through rational chatter like that. (Longest phrase of the week: "Alex is taking the baby for a ride in the stroller.") Random updates: She knows her birthday is coming up (one more month!). She can't wait for her "birthday party", and she knows she's getting a "big girl bed" -- and she's very excited about it. She's also very cognizant that the baby is coming out of Mommy soon (still three months, actually), and she kisses the baby (Mommy's belly button) whenever she can. And she's now capable of playing on her own for about an hour at a time -- with blocks (building towers), dolls (covering them with blankets), or any of her countless toys. We'll be the first to admit: this week is kind of a weak one for pictures and movies; Daddy had to go away for the weekend, so this edition had to go up early! Even so, check out the pictures this week of Alex on yet another Easter Egg hunt, at the park, and in the backyard, playing with the cat. And here are the two movies for the week: I'm tired of Egg hunts...I'll just walk through this one. (21 sec.) | I've got Mommy's keys! (12 sec.) Thanks for dropping in!
April 20, 2003: And here are the 12 (yes, count 'em, 12) videos for the week:
Watch me play "Peanut Butter" (dark)! (19 sec.) |
Playing Peanut Butter again (better quality). (16 sec.) In development-related news, Alex has really started to grasp more-difficult concepts quickly. You can tell her the rules to a game, and she'll be playing (and remembering the rules) in no time. Be sure to watch the "Peanut Butter" videos to see what we mean (it's a game where you name all kinds of food, and when you say "peanut butter", you run to the other side of the room and jump around). She also quickly understood the concept behind finding Easter eggs and putting them in her basket; she had a lot of fun on both Saturday and Sunday (first at Papa/Nonna's house, then in our backyard). Her social skills are coming along nicely too; she's definitely less shy than she used to be around strangers. This week, for example, we drove up to L.A. to visit "GG" (Great Grandma), and Alex was the star as she strolled around her assisted-living home, getting shown off to all of GG's friends. And her kisses of Grandma, Grandpa and GG as we left for the day were big steps in the right direction! Also, when we went to a birthday party for a four-year-old, Alex made friends with the other older girls, playing in the bouncy thing for hours! And finally, her vocabulary is moving right along, with the sentences getting longer and more un-prompted. It's not unusual to hear her talking to her dolls: "Baby wants Mommy? OK, baby...here you go. I love the baby." And so on. Anyway...apologies for the lengthy update this week...but thanks for bearing with us!
April 13, 2003: Most of you will get to see her at her second birthday party next month; we can't wait to have you see our "little girl" (we try not to use the term "baby" any more, since there's another baby on the way). Here are the six movies for the week: Watch Grace and I run around the room! (14 sec) | And now I throw a tantrum because I didn't share. (18 sec) | I play with PlayDoh every day; watch! (37 sec) | I'm reading a book at the library! (32 sec) | The roses smell great (but they hurt)! (33 sec) | Look how pretty I look in my green dress! (8 sec)
See you next week!
April 6, 2003: Anyway, the main thing to report this week is just A-Dub's improvement in her vocabulary; she's not too far from having coherent conversations (if you're not a stranger, of course...she clams up around anyone new). But she's starting to get more comfortable with her communication: she asks for what she wants, she tells you if she likes it ("I like it!"), she says "thank you" when given something, and she can be very descriptive ("Alex go to the baby's room" or "Milk is too cold, Daddy" or "Peanut is in the garage" or "Alex and Daddy are on a walk"). She can also count to 10 (sounds something like "one, two, five, six, five, six, five, eight, nine, ten!") and she loves to play hide and seek in the wilderness area (she covers her eyes, or goes and hides while you count to 10). Be sure to check the top of this week's latest pictures page for more on her overall development. (And you'll also see pictures of Alex at the library for music and dance class, Alex playing in the sandbox, Alex at the zoo, and Alex petting Peanut.) Here are the four movies for the week: Dancing along with the other kids at the library! (33 sec) | And now we're singing Twinkle, Twinkle (I mouth the words). (20 sec) | This is the way we brush our teeth (brush our teeth). (20 sec) | I pretend I know my ABCs. Yay! (23 sec) That's it...thanks again for stopping by!
March 30, 2003: When we were walking around the swap meet this morning, Alex sees a picture of a pig and says (surprising both her parents) "Huff, and puff, and blow your house down!". She's just starting to put together sentences ("Alex in the pool", "Mommy and Daddy going for a walk", "I got the blue shirt", etc.), but this was quite unexpected...not only was it very long, but it's nice to see that she's listening when we're reading her stories! Alex's 5 year-old friend Grace comes over to play a lot...it's fun to see them together. And Alex is just waiting for the day that her sister arrives (if you haven't heard, it's 80% likely that we're having another girl) -- she'll show you how she's going to hold and kiss the baby when she comes. Some other likes and dislikes to report: Likes: Play-doh, dolls (she got a Barbie doll this weekend, and won't put it down), walks, swings, slides, pools, flowers, rocks (three different-sized rocks will be the Daddy rock, the Mommy rock and the baby rock), helicopters, airplanes, eating with a spoon, candy hearts, playing on the computer, MILK. Dislikes: Ice in her drink (but she likes to eat ice) or any cold drinks at all, dresses (usually), getting woken up before she's finished with her nap, strangers (for about 20 minutes). Check out this week's pictures: feeding the ducks, saying hello to her sister, playing in the pool, swinging in the new swing, cooking on the deck, and going for a walk. And there are three new movies: I love my new swing...ready, go! (20 sec) | I'm hiding from Daddy in the couch! (17 sec) | Watch me feed the ducks! (Here, baby duck!) (18 sec) That'll do it for this week...thanks for coming!
March 23, 2003: As you may have noticed, we haven't been updating Alex's vocabulary too much lately -- there's just too many words that keep popping out (many that we don't even remember teaching her). She can name about 60% of the objects she sees, and it only takes her one or two repeats before she learns something new (and it's amazing how it sticks). She continues to love to play at the new house: up and down the stairs (she loves to race..."I won"!), playing on the carpet (balls, trains, books, blocks), and -- of course -- hiding outside and going for walks. She gets rewarded by getting to play with the "mouse" (the educational games on the computer)...and she's still having 2 bottles of milk a day (before her nap, and before she goes to sleep...of course we brush her teeth first!). Be sure to check out the latest pictures for shots of Alex at the zoo, at Sea World, and playing at home. And there are a ton of movies this week...12, to be exact. Daddy's favorites have a star (*) next to them! Shhh...the baby is sleeping! (20 sec) | *Watch me talk gibberish while in the ball pit! (21 sec) | Now I'll try to get all the balls out...(19 sec) | And now I'll kiss the bear and the baby. (30 sec) | *Back to the balls...I name the colors! (take 1) (18 sec) | Another shot at naming the colors (take 2) (30 sec) | *Hello, baby! Hello, baby! (8 sec) | *Mommy asks me questions! (20 sec) | I'm running, and having fun! (9 sec) | Now I'm at Sea World, watching a show! (11 sec) | I love pushing this big ball around at Sea World. (30 sec) | Last one...at Sea World...jumping! (18 sec) As usual, thanks for stopping by! See you next week!
March 16, 2003: Watch me and Daddy hide in the backyard! (20 sec) | OK...we're hiding...is Peanut coming? (15 sec) | Peanut and I play on the grass. (21 sec) In other news, Alex has made friends with the 5-year old ("Grace") who lives next door. It's a good relationship for Alex, since she tends to take the aggressor role with other kids her own age, and she defers to Grace most of the time. Her vocabulary continues to improve (even Grace can understand her), and Alex loves to go on walks every day (in addition to all the fun places to hide in the backyard, there's a great city-owned, deserted wilderness area around a nearby reservoir that she loves to explore). And finally, Alex is still prone to throwing a fit or two nearly every day. They're pretty harmless, and they're actually getting much shorter...they usually come when she's tired (or has just woken up from her nap). Famous last words: We predict she'll grow out of them in the next few months! Thanks for visiting; see you next week!
March 10, 2003: She's very particular about what she wants to eat or do (now that she's got a few hundred words, she'll ask for exactly the type of food she wants, or the activity she wants to do). She loves to have books read to her (sometimes, 15 or more in a row), and she likes to roughhouse with Daddy ("Daddy, lay down" (so I can stand on you)). However, if she's tired, and she doesn't get something she wants, or something doesn't quite go her way...she'll try to communicate her feelings, and then -- if that doesn't work -- a fit can be on its way. They generally don't happen in public, and we're learning how to deal with them (the first minute or two, you just have to let it run its course), but rarely do they happen for the same thing twice (an incident where she had to share a toy set her off the other day...we talked about it, and she's already sharing better). Just another interesting parenting issue! It's fun to stand in a room and just start asking Alex "what's that?", because she can name most of the things (in the office today, for example, she pointed out "paper", "table", "telephone", "pen", "pencil", "mouse", "camera", "water", "bottle", "carpet", "light", "keys", "disk", and "chair"). She also knows most of the primary colors, and can identify them when asked ("green", "brown", "pink", "black", "white", "orange", "yellow", "blue", "red", and -- her favorite -- "purple"). This week, all our pictures came from today (Sunday). You can see Alex playing in the garage (and finding some licorice), making faces at Mommy, and playing outside. And there's just one video this week, also from today: Where's Alex? Right here! Jump, jump! That's it for this edition!
March 3, 2003: Alex's communication skills continue to improve every day; she's gotten very good at asking for complex actions (she says "Daddy, turn over", using a circular motion with her hands, to get Daddy to roll over on his stomach so she can get a piggy-back ride). She seems to have a very large vocabulary for nouns, and now the rest of the words are starting to come ("reading", "sitting", "standing", "upstairs", "downstairs", "running", "moving", "jumping", "me too", "and", "first", etc.). Not too many pictures this week; there's a few of Alex at her dance/paint class, and one of Alex's nose (she fell while running, and scraped up her nose -- but nothing else -- pretty good), and a few of Alex mid-move. The two videos for the week are fun: Watch me dance with my scarf on! | Watch me paint! (very dark) Sorry for the delay...next week, we'll be on time! (But thanks to the over 75 people who stopped by last week!)
February 23, 2003: Here's a big list of new words and phrases (we've been writing them down this week): "flashlight", "square", "screwdriver", "shape", "ladder", "shovel", "new house" (can you tell we go to Home Depot a lot?), "glove", "pear", "tickle", "rock", "colors", "orange", "snake", "black", "night", "hard". OK...be sure to check out this week's pictures to see shots of Alex playing with blocks, wearing her new hat from Bali, taking the monkey for a walk, playing on a variety of swings, and hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa! And then take a peek at the six videos for the week: The monkey and I sing Ring Around the Rosie! | Now, me and the "cute" monkey are on the tire swing! | I can jump, and run (even with the monkey)! | Uh oh...I fell and hurt my knee! (But I'm OK.) | Grandma and Grandpa push me on the tire swing! | And now, just Grandpa pushes me on the swing. Thanks for stopping by; we hope you got your money's worth!
February 16, 2003: She's getting very savvy in the use of her vocabulary; she knows how to use it to get what she wants. Sometimes, when she wants something ("candy", for instance), she'll say "Two candy?" No? "One candy, please?" No? "Share, share!" Very funny. And she uses "please" and "thank you" all the time: it's great to hear "Thank you, Daddy!" when she gets something! Another cute thing: she calls Nonna (Grandma in Italian) "nina" (like the Spanish for little girl); I think she knows she's saying it wrong, she just likes the way it sounds better. New words for the week include "heart" (she knows the difference between a candy heart and a Valentine), and her first five-word phrase: "Daddy, I want cheese, please!"
Check out this week's
pictures for shots of Alex at Benihana's and Home Depot, and
then watch the only video for the week:
Alex
pushes a cart around Home Depot! (12 sec) Thanks for visiting; your patronage is appreciated!
February 9, 2003:
Make sure you check out this week's pictures to see Alex and Daddy sleeping, Alex playing in the car with her doll, Alex at music class, Alex watching TV, Alex at the Wild Animal Park (on her day with Daddy), and Alex at her friend Connor's second birthday party. And be sure to see the two videos for the week (they're good):
Thanks so much for stopping by!
February 2, 2003: However, we did get Alex to make a few faces for the camera; check them out. And there was just one video this week: You can watch me playing with cups! The movie is pretty dark (sorry about that)...and it's 42 seconds long. As Mommy and Daddy prepare for life at the new house, Alex has been an angel, playing nicely while her parents are working over there. She loves the new place (I think she likes the carpeting the best). That's it for this week; we'll get more pictures up next time!
January 26, 2003: Check out the pictures this week to see Alex getting thrown in the air by Daddy, playing at Sea World, pouring "tea" and "making dinner" in her kitchen outside, playing in her ball pit, eating some ice cream, and baking a cake (really)! And then view the movies for the week! Daddy throws me in the air! | And then he kisses me until I laugh! | I like to make tea for Mommy! (blurry) | I can make a cake! (blurry) | Watch me play in the balls with Carolina! | I'm making dinner for Daddy! (blurry) We just got a new digital camera, and didn't figure out how to make the movies crystal clear until after the movies were shot...so they'll be better next week! (Our new toy writes pictures to CD, so everything should be a little clearer overall.) Thanks for stopping by!
January 19, 2003: Lots of big news this week:
Check out this week's pictures for a bunch from a backyard painting session, and then you can view the the three videos for the week:
Watch
me play with paint in the backyard! |
More
dancing...I'm entertaining Mommy and Daddy! | Thanks for visiting! And remember to tell us what you think should change, if anything, about the site!
January 12, 2003: This week, Alex has added the following words: "brush", "comb", "chicken", "kitchen", "I did it", "sticker", "table", "cheese", "here it is", "there it is", "I don't know", and "right here". But the biggest development is the words "me" a "you". If you ask her "Who's Alex?", she'll point to herself and give a resounding "ME!". (Sometimes she'll walk around the house, pointing to herself and saying "Alex!") She basically understands that she's a separate person...her two word combinations are often subject-verb based, in relation to other objects or people: "mouse sit", "bear eat", "Daddy up", "Mommy come", etc. Good stuff. Pictures for the week include Alex playing with her friend Max out on the deck, Alex lying on her beanbag and reading with Mommy, and some great "lovey" shots of the precious one playing in her pajamas with Mommy and Daddy! There's just one movie for the week: Watch me play in my nightgown! Make sure you check out Daddy's this week for a new entry: Alex has a favorite made-up word..."Meemo". Find out what it means! See ya!
January 5, 2003: Conversations with her are much more interactive; she'll ask questions as well as answer them (often with a very cute "yeah"). She's very particular about what she wants to wear (she picks out her clothes), and seems to have developed a fondness for all things "purple". She loves boxes (climbing into them whenever possible), and she dances to music whenever she hears it. She also loves cameras: not only getting her picture taken, but now she wants to take the camera and take pictures herself. Great stuff. My favorite recent development: the singing. We have a few made-up songs that we sing together, but she clearly knows the words to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"; it's great to hear her sing "up above world high". So...in addition to the words mentioned above, she's also added the following recently: "rabbit", "I don't know", "box", "there it is", "over there", "that way", "book", "Elmo", "toes", "tail", "hair", "tiger", and "eating". Check out this week's pictures to see Alex sitting on the dog, sitting in her favorite chair, coloring, and taking pictures with the camera. And here's the videos for the week: I can take pictures of Mommy and Daddy! | Mommy, say cheese! (short) | Ride 'em, Peanut! Thanks, as usual, for stopping by!
December 29, 2002: The pictures from this week are mostly of present-opening, but you'll also see some from around the house (eating, dancing, and playing with her new toys). As for videos, the lone one from this week is of Alex dancing up a storm. We'll keep the update short this week; thanks for stopping by (and we'll put up some new words next week!).
December 22, 2002: So after checking out the latest pictures, watch the three videos from this week (all of Alex and Savannah): I'm a little teacup, short and stout! | Ring around the rosie...! | Might as well jump! It's getting much more interactive to have a conversation with Alex; her vocabulary is growing so much, and she's getting more confident with her words (when she wants something, she says "Daddy, (whatever)!" (Or "Mommy, (whatever)!" of course.) We haven't been keeping great track of her new words over the past month, but we wrote them down all week when we heard them...so this list (probably the last one we'll publish on the front page, since there's just too many now) comprises words Alex has incorporated over the last 30 days or so: "Lion", "licorice", "come here", "juice", "cow", "boo!", "duck", "dirty", "Oobi" and "Maisy" (TV characters), "yummy", "good", "Santa", "mouse", "pocket", "towel", "basket", "cloud", "close", "on", "stop", "burp", "tree", "blocks", "monkey", "this", "that", "me", "purple", "cactus", "house", "two", "jacket", "juice", "cold", "heavy", "lights". As usual, thanks for stopping by...tune in next week for X-mas pictures!
December 15, 2002: Watching a "Peanuts" special...and dancing! | Now I'm just doing a table dance. | Here's my cow...eek! You scared me! | I'm making faces at Daddy. | *Watch me use a computer! (Really!) As far as updates go, the words continue to flow freely...it only takes her one or two repeats for her to catch on, and then remember it later. Some of the words she's added recently include "back", "elephant", "frog", "dress", "box", "circle", and "star". She tends to repeat the last word you say, trying to learn it on her own. She's just become a sponge; she wants to learn at every opportunity. Our walks around the block sometimes take 30 minutes; we try not to hurry her, since she's taking things in by the second. I suppose the key update here is that the "light" is gradually getting brighter and brighter. We'll try to take more pictures next week; thanks for dropping by!
December 9, 2002: Not too many movies this week; just one (a better one than last week) of Alex playing the harmonica. But there are a ton of pictures; not only from A-Dub frolicking at Grandma and Grandpa's, but also of Alex at the doctor's office, eating dinner at a friend's house, and even a couple of her just before she goes to sleep. Speaking of the doctor's office, Alex had her latest run-in with typical childhood afflictions: nursemaid's elbow. Seems that she tweaked her elbow, dislocating it...and for the rest of the afternoon/evening, she wouldn't move her arm, crying when it was touched. So we took her to Urgent Care (they said they could pop in back in)...and as we were playing in the waiting room, it must have popped itself back, because Alex immediately felt better, and was using the arm again. No harm, we're told -- just don't swing her by the arms for a few months. (Shoot!) She also added a ton of new words this week, but we didn't write them all down; we'll put a list up in next week's edition (which will be better than this one, and on time -- we promise!).
December 1, 2002: Daddy and Alex play outside. | *Mommy chases Alex! | Alex picks up (and throws) a rock. | Alex loves the tire swing! | *A musical baby? How about the harmonica? But the real story is how many words Alex is starting to pick up. And it's not just the words, it's the context -- she uses them the right way in many cases, and they're getting clearer. Just this week, she's added: The last one was Daddy's favorite; Alex was sleeping in her parents' bed, and Mommy had already woken up and was out in the kitchen. Alex woke Daddy up ("Da-ddy! Da-ddy!"), and said "Mommy gone". Her two-word combinations are coming together nicely. Thanks for stopping by; next week is an early Christmas with the family in L.A.!
November 24, 2002: She's developed some very good patterns; her sleep schedule is predictable these days (sleeping by 7:30pm, up at 1pm for a bottle, and then up again at 6:15am...and she naps from 11:30 to 1 pretty consistently). She eats at regular times, and it's not difficult to tell when her favorites times of the day are (morning and afternoon, soon after she wakes up). She can walk around the block with ease, and her memory is excellent (when we walk by a house that used to have a fake black cat outside for Halloween, she still says "Owww!" (meow) as we walk by). Read Daddy's Thoughts for some other neat examples of her memory and general understanding of the English language. This week, you can check out pictures of Alex around the house, generally enjoying life. We took a whole bunch of videos this morning, too; there's some great ones: Here's me being generally happy. | Here I am answering the phone. | If you're happy and you know it... | What's this? I'll tell you. | A similar video...just a little different. | Ask me to smile, and I will! That's it for this week; thanks, as usual, for stopping by!
November 17, 2002: I'm dancing (and sitting) at the wedding! | Watch me play (and say) peek-a-boo! Speaking of "peek-a-boo" -- long a favorite game of miss A-Dub -- she now says the words when hiding her eyes (as the movie attests). And she's also really starting to pick up words quickly; just this week, she added "moon", "bear", "off", "meatball", "pretzel", and "tongue" (plus a few others...keep reading). She often repeats the last word she hears. She also loves playing with any phone she can find; when you ask her who's on the phone, it's usually "Mommy" (although sometimes it's "Papa" or "Daddy"). Then she'll say "hi", "how are you", "see you", "bye!". It's pretty good stuff. We told you this was a quick one...that's it! See you next week!
November 10, 2002: Alex's family just returned from a trip to Park City, Utah (it was her parents' 5th anniversary, and everyone wanted to go somewhere it was snowing!). There was already some snow on the ground when we got there (but not enough for sledding)...fortunately, it snowed heavily on the last day, leading to some great pictures! (Although it got very cold...and Alex doesn't like the cold, as you'll see.) In addition to snow-related pictures, there's vacation shots of Alex at the Olympic Training Center, on the plane (her first time!), and in the hotel. There's also a few shots of Alex around the house with sunglasses and body paint. Just a few movies this week (all snow-related): It's cold out in the snow! | Here's me and Daddy sledding! | Mommy took me down the hill too! As for updates and milestones: A-Dub has added quite a few words to her vocabulary recently, including "bus", "flower", "tissue", "rice", "pasta", and "snow" (not surprisingly). She also learned the sounds that an owl ("hoo hoo"), and a helicopter (blowing out through closed lips) make. She's started climbing up on things (including the coffee table), and she's started using her "cuteness" to ask for things (when Mommy sings, she says "more!"...and when Mommy says "no more", she tilts her head to the side, smiles and says "more!"). That's it for this week...thanks for visiting!
November 3, 2002: It's Halloween! (Or at least, it was Halloween.) Alex had a great time going trick-or-treating, and generally wearing her costume all week long. She loves walking around saying "Owww!" when she's wearing the cat suit. Updates for the week: It was mentioned a little while back, but her singing is really taking off. She can participate in number of songs now: "If You're Happy and You Know It", "Old McDonald", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes", and a few others. Great entertainment for all. And we've starting playing the "alphabet game", where you run through the alphabet, and she tries to repeat each letter (the current favorite: "W", which comes out like "dubba-oo"). Always good for a clap when we get to "Z". She can also "count"...if you start counting, she'll start counting her fingers with what sounds like numbers...her favorite is definitely "ten!" (clapping) Some words she's added this week: "happy", and "Peanut!" (she calls the dog all over the house, and then when she finds him, she pounds the floor, saying "Seat, seat!" to get him to sit so she can climb on top of him). And she's putting some words together: "Mommy, up!" and "More ice!" Pictures this week focus mainly on Alex's trick-or-treating efforts...pretty much every one is of her in costume (plus a visit from P Saturday night). The movies follow the same suit, but there's some great ones this week: When you're a cat, you say "meow"! | Kissing mommy and daddy in my costume! | No meows this time, but lots of smiles! We now conclude the Halloween portion of our program. (And Daddy is thankful that Mommy has returned from her weekend with the girls!)
October 27, 2002: She's started to sing; her favorite song is "Old MacDonald" (which Mommy sometimes sings repeatedly to get Alex to go to sleep at night). But Alex likes to chime in on the "E-I-E-I-O" part. And if she's not trying to sleep, she'll nearly always dance when you start singing it. She can also jump -- we've seen her get some pretty good air at times (she'll jump 15 or 20 times in a row, especially if it's making people in the room laugh...she's quite the joker). We're also seeing the first temper tantrums; they're usually few and far in between, and they don't last that long, but they're quite a site. We'll try to catch the next one on video. (Of course, they could be due to the fact that teeth number 13 and 14 have made their way onto the scene.) And finally, Alex's logic skills are increasing; you can reason with her to get her to do almost anything. For instance, she absolutely must have shoes on most of the time...she'd rather wear them than clothes. And while she may resist putting pants on at first ("shoe! shoe!"), if you explain to her that she can't have her shoes until her pants go on, she'll usually relent. Great stuff. Pictures this week include some caricatures we had drawn at a Halloween party, plus a few great shots of Alex trying out the potty (not for real, she just pretends). And despite the lack of pictures, we shot a couple of good movies this week: Alex scores the basket! | In a private moment, on the potty. | She can eat soup by herself! | Here's a quick little jump. That's it for this week; see you with Halloween pictures next Sunday!
October 20, 2002: And speaking of "outside"...she's actually developing a sense of humor -- if she's crying, or wants something she can't have...you'll ask her what she wants, and she'll stop for a moment, and then say "outside!". Her walking stamina has improved to the point at which she can walk around the entire block without being picked up, and there's nothing she likes more than walking up and down steep inclines (like driveways), running down them with reckless abandon (much to the worry of her parents). She's into everything these days (the trash, Mommy's bathroom drawers, etc.), and if you leave a pen/marker lying around, you can expect to be cleaning up scribbles (on the floor, the table, books...). All good stuff. Anyway, this week's pictures (not too many) include some from Art Class, stringing up pumpkin lights outside, and an Italian Festival downtown. And here's the five movies for the week (Daddy's favorites have * next to them): Alex at Art Class. | *Alex dancing at the Italian Festival. | Alex walking with Grandma and Grandpa. | *Alex dancing with the scarecrow. | Alex giving the scarecrow to Daddy. New words this week: "house", "baby" (said extremely clearly), and "zebra". Be sure to read about Alex's new sleeping issues in a new Daddy's Thoughts . Thanks for stopping by!
October 13, 2002: There are just a ton of pictures and videos this week for your viewing enjoyment; check out the Latest Pictures to see Alex playing with balloons, going down her slide, wearing a hat and glasses, playing with sheep at the zoo, hanging out at the PB Beachfest, and playing with her Grandma, Grandpa, Great Grandma, Aunt and Uncle all day Sunday (including great pictures from a walk around the block!). And then look at the 13 fun videos we've got (* = Daddy's favorites!): I can dance to Mommy's singing! | *More dancing, more singing! Yay! | I can hit a golf ball! | *I love to go "outside"! | Watch me climb up the slide... | ...and then go down the slide. | The cat says "owww"...and the dog says "ruff!" | Check me out at the PB Beachfest. | Dancing at the PB Beachfest! | Dancing with Grandma (Grandma's doing the dancing.) | *Hysterical laughing with Grandma! | *More hysterical laughing! Grandma's funny! | Peek-a-boo...I see my whole family! As far as updates go...Alex has decided that it's her mission in life to say "hi" to every person she sees when she's out and about. She's recently added a "bye" as well, so she's doing a lot of talking in public places. She dances at every opportunity (in fact, she might be going for a tryout for a commercial...but more on that next week). She also picked up "mouth", "what's that?" ("t'zat?"), "where is it?" ("r'zit?"), "turtle", and a few other words this week. Her shyness in uncomfortable situations seems to be fading (as evidenced by her command performance with the family visit today), and her ability to eat with a fork has taken great leaps and bounds. Just fun stuff all around! Thanks for visiting this week. (And remember...SIGN THE GUESTBOOK if you haven't already! We want A-Dub to be able to look back and see who was watching her grow up!)
October 6, 2002: Now, that doesn't mean that she's completely healthy; the ear infection persists, but it doesn't seem to be causing her much pain these days...so, most of the time, A-Dub walks, dances and runs around, happy as can be. And as usual, her vocabulary races along, with a bunch of words added this week: "knee", "nose" ("bose"), "happy", "food", "ear", "diaper", "pee pee" and "teeth" have all surfaced. Check out the Latest Pictures for shots of AW playing with the cat, trying to kiss her friend David, at the zoo, and using utensils around the house. And there's just one movie this week: I can pretend to eat and drink! Alex loves to take a walk around the block on a daily basis; she can make it most of the way before she requests a lift. And calls of "outside" ring through the house...even if we were just outside a few minutes ago -- the girl just doesn't want to be constrained. She'll also tell you when she needs her diaper changed..."poo poo" and "pee pee" let you know. Good stuff! That's it for this week.
September 29, 2002: Outside of the videos (links are below), this was a pretty good week for Alex -- she's feeling much better, and hasn't contracted anything this week...that might be a first! Of course, the teeth are still coming in fast and furious, but that only bothers Alex at night. She still adds words to her vocabulary weekly...this week, we got "poo poo" (she likes to sit on her potty, but we're not close to training yet, obviously), "ice", "down", and a few others...and she added a very cute "meow" sound for the cat. Check out this week's pictures to see Alex watching TV with her doll, playing with the football, and seeing a llama at a fair. But don't miss the movies...they're the key to this week (Daddy's recommendations have an asterisk next to them):
Alex
plays with the dog... | *More
dog playing, and an "up" request. |
Alex feeds her doll. | *Catching
the football, wearing a hat! |
Another football catch...plus a doll! |
Alex wears two hats...and still has the football. |
Alex wants
to see the llamas! |
Alex
shows she's ready to mother a doll. | *A
Halloween preview? Alex in a lion costume. |
Potty training? Nope...bubbles! That's it for this week...and remember: if you're a regular visitor and haven't posted a comment on Alex's Guestbook...she's going to be looking back at this someday, and don't you want her to remember who you are?
September 22, 2002: Alex feels good (and she's nearly fully recovered, by the way), so she continues her onslaught on the English language. She's added a number of words to her vocabulary, including "football", "head", "hair", "eye", "banana", and "glasses", among others. She loves to draw (almost every day), and her fixation with dolls hasn't waned any ("DOLL!" rings out through the house at least once an hour). And you can't keep her from "outside" (she bangs on the door), or out of the water (don't leave a kiddie pool lying around if you don't want a wet baby). She also has a strange longing for all types of sporting balls: golf balls, footballs, volleyballs, basketballs...it's either "ball" or "doll" around the house; we'll see which one wins out in the end! :-) The video camera has finally been fixed, but we didn't pick it up soon enough to make it into this edition. As a result, there are only a few pictures this week; you can see Alex drawing in the living room, and playing in the park (on the slide). (Daddy forgot to take the camera to the aquarium! Bad Daddy!) So check those pictures out, and if you're feeling nostalgic, you can visit the Movies Page (for old videos) or the Retrospective Page (if you haven't seen it yet, for a picture-a-month look back at AW's life). That's it...more to come next week!
But with more TLC comes less pictures...so all we have this week (although it's worth a look) is a series of pictures from a finger-painting session with Mommy. Great stuff! The words keep on flowing as well: we've added a bunch this week, including "eye", "ear", "head", and "hair". And our digital video camera is in the shop this week...so no movies again...hopefully, videos of A-Dub will return shortly! Finally: if you missed it (it was posted late last week), the folks at AlexWillow.com just added a Retrospective Page, so you can see Alex's development in picture form...check it out!
September 8, 2002: Words (at least, things that sound like words) are coming fast and furious: "doll", "bless you" (after a sneeze), "pillow", and "open" (as a command), among others. It's getting easier to "reason" with her -- just explain what you're doing (changing a diaper, putting her to bed, etc.) and she's usually OK with it. Of course, "reason" brings with it other things: like, she has to choose which clothes to put on in the morning (safe bet: something that has an animal on it). She's sleeping better these days, and she'll even play in her crib for about 30-45 minutes before she calls "Mommy" or "Dada"! We took her to a wedding yesterday, and she was an absolute joy -- as usual. You can see wedding shot in the Latest Pictures, plus a bunch from around the house this week. But if you're looking for movies...sorry, we didn't take any this week...although you can go to the movies page to see all of the ones we've ever posted! That's it for this week! (UPDATE: We've just added a Retrospective Page, so you can see Alex's development in picture form...at a glance!)
September 1, 2002: In other Alex Willow news: she's learning to catch a ball, and she's added quite a few new words to her repertoire ("thank you", "all done", "shirt", "more", "ball", "balloon", "bubble", and "cat"). Check out this week's pictures (there's quite a few) if you want to see Alex with our old friend Alan, eating an apple, playing in the backyard (and getting wet!), at the beach, in the front yard, in the laundry basket, or at Sea World (again, getting wet). We've even got a couple of shots of Miss Willow in her sunglasses. And if movies are your thing, you're in luck -- we've got a bunch: Running with the football | Fumble! | Dancing up a storm | *Another dance video (kind of dark) | *Alex sees herself in sunglasses | Jumping into the laundry basket | More time in the laundry basket | *Almost catching the ball! Thanks for stopping by...see you next week!
August 25, 2002: We've got some pictures (all from Sunday) at a birthday party, in Alex's room, and a bunch of great ones of her helping Mommy wash the car. Just one movie this week: Watch Alex stand on a chair! Mommy goes back to school this week, so we've had to get Alex on a strict eating/nap schedule...and it seems to be working. The pre-school people say that Alex is a model citizen, and takes great naps when she's supposed to...must be because her parents aren't around. That's it for this week!
August 18, 2002: Alex's vocabulary is developing fast and furious now. This week, she added "outside", "water", a few more animal sounds (like "bird" (tweet tweet) and "camel" (a raspberry). Her awareness of the outside world is growing...and she's even sleeping better at night, too! Life is good (and so is sleep, for Mommy and Daddy). Check out this week's pictures for shots of A-Dub in a cloth diaper, in a box, standing on a chair, and drawing...yes, lots of drawing shots -- and even a movie or two! Speaking of movies...we've got some great movies this week (at long last!)...make sure you check out the ones with ** next to them...they're Daddy's favorites!: **Watch me bounce along with Tigger! | Check me out in the bath, with my frog. | Where are the bubbles? | **I can give Daddy a kiss! | I love to draw. | **Hey, how'd all this ink get on my hands? That about wraps it up...thanks for stopping by!
August 11, 2002: Alex has started dancing to things: music, drum beats, dancing stuffed animals -- everything! She bounces up and down...although she's still working on her rhythm. She's also started kissing things: pictures in books, Daddy's cheeks, sculptures...she just likes making the kissing motion (and she's always happy to blow you a kiss, if you ask). She's picked up a few new words...most notably "elbow", "apple" and "Hi there!". Her English comprehension also continues to escalate. And finally...Alex Willow, master of catching non-serious childhood viruses (Roseola and Hand/Foot/Mouth disease have come and gone), has contracted...drum roll please...croup! Yes, croup, which makes it difficult for her to breathe at night, and gives her a raspy cough. Like everything else, it'll be gone shortly, but that didn't stop a quick trip to Urgent Care on Sunday afternoon! Pictures this week focus on a trip to the grandparents' in LA for the weekend, where we met Alex's second cousin Macy! (Macy is Daddy's cousin's daughter.) Sorry about the "no video" thing this week...we'll try to make up for it next week. AlexWillow.com wishes Uncle Jordan a happy 33rd birthday today (Sunday)!
August 4, 2002: The big news this week is that Alex is really starting to talk. She can now say her name (more or less), and she's starting to repeat words that we say (they don't always come out exactly right, but it's clear what she means...and at least she's trying!). She also is going to pre-school now on Monday and Tuesday...it's fun to watch her interact in a social setting -- it'll be good for her. Anyway...this week, you can check out (just a few) pictures of Alex at pre-school, in a shopping mall, and post-shower. And then there's quite a few movies (** are Daddy's favorites): **I love to say "Uh oh!" | Daddy...up! | I can nod pretty well now! | **And I can say my name! (Kind of.) | Ooh...a fun fountain! | Check me out at pre-school. | I love the swing...even tandem! | **I love to spin on Daddy's chair. | Watching the ball roll down is fun! That's it for this week...see you next Sunday! (Side note: 143 visits last week is a record...thanks, whoever you are!)
July 28, 2002: Anyway, we've got quite a few pictures this week: some from outside the house, one of A-Dub nodding (she just learned how...keep reading for more info!), a couple of her in the car, a few of her Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease bout earlier this week (she's fine now), a bunch of her on the new swing, and finally a series of Alex at the Mission Bay amusement park (very good stuff). And there are eight movies for your viewing pleasure (don't miss the ** ones): Alex enjoys a boat ride at the amusement park! | And she likes the car ride just as much. | The Merry-Go-Round ain't half bad, either. | **Stand up, Alex! Sit down, Alex. | Peanut is so well-behaved when Alex tugs on him. | **Alex got a swing in the backyard...great stuff! | **Alex learned how to nod this week! (Kind of dark.) | Here's another nodding movie. | Another example of how good a dog Peanut is. As for new things she's learned: You can't say "one" without Alex saying "two" these days (and holding up two fingers), and she's developed her own way of saying "yes" or "no" (a breathy "unnhh" for "yes", and a edgier "urrr" with a shake of the head for "no"). And speaking of head-shaking...after months of being able to shake her head "no", she's finally gotten the head nod -- and it's so cute, since she does it so purposefully (pictures and videos inside). That about does it for this week...be sure to check out new entries in BOTH Daddy's Thoughts (two posts) and Mommy's Thoughts!
July 21, 2002: But before we hit the pictures, let's start with an update: Alex continues to learn new things hourly, and now she's starting to get good at repeating (or at least, trying to repeat) things we tell her to say. My personal favorite: when she says "All right!" when she's happy (it comes out as "Aw Raw!", but it's great). Ask her if she can say "Dolphin", and she'll say "Daw-faw". Ask her to say "More", and she'll say "Maw". Getting close! She's also gotten two more teeth (we're up to 12 now). And the sleeping is getting much better. But now, on to the pictures! We were all over the place this week: walking on the beach and eating ice cream (some great shots), going to Sea World and a birthday party, taking a bath, kissing Mommy and Daddy through the glass, and feeding the ducks! Daddy also threw me in the air a few times, as you'll see. But the focus of this week is the movies: we've got 13 of 'em! Check all of them out (although they're kind of heavy...my favorites are in bold!). Alex trusts Daddy, and walks off the table! | Alex chases the ducks! | Alex plays with bubbles and talks in the bath! | Another fun bath movie! (Up!) | Alex gets sleepy in the car! | Alex running around at Sea World. | Alex feeds the ducks, tentatively. | Alex feeds her friend Phoebe! | Alex still worried about feeding the ducks. | Alex eats ice cream and watches the sun set. | Alex climbs on Peanut (a little dark, but still fun). | Alex steals Daddy's wallet. (All right!) | Alex tries to climb on Peanut again (and falls off). Thanks for visiting AlexWillow.com; see you next week! (And remember...if you've missed any week in the past, check the Update Page!)
July 14, 2002: We just have a few pictures of Alex Willow at Daddy's football game, and a fun shot of A-Dub sleeping on Daddy on the weekend morning. As for videos, we have an interesting two-movie sequence in which Alex wants breastmilk, but Mommy holds fast...and then Alex eventually gives in and goes for the bottle. And then there's one where Alex plays her favorite new game: Where is it? (It's not a particularly great video, but we'll get a better one next week.) Mommy, I want breastmilk! | OK...I'll have the bottle, I guess. | Where is it? As far as updates go: Alex is almost completely off of breastmilk, and she's making the transition pretty well. But evenings can still be tough in the Fisher household...this baby just doesn't want to go to sleep. We're still experimenting with different methods; most seem to work at first, and then she figures out what we're doing (she's pretty savvy that way). Her English language skills continue to blossom; she's trying out new sounds and words all the time. Her knowledge of simple commands is excellent; tell her to pick up the cup and take it to Mommy, and she's very clear as to what you're asking her (and usually obeys! Can't wait until I can say "Alex, clean up the kitchen!").
July 7, 2002: It was the July 4th weekend, and we went to Grandma and Grandpa Fisher's house in Los Angeles -- we've got some swimming, plum-picking, and fireworks pictures for your viewing pleasure. Alex wasn't overly interested in the fireworks (although it was pretty late)...but the shots in the pool (and on the raft) are great! As for movies, we've got three: Alex playing the piano. | Alex playing on the raft in the pool. | Alex and Daddy swimming. Alex continues to expand her vocabulary; this week, she picked up "mask", "disk", "elbow", "piano", and much more -- basically, show it to her a few times, and she gets it (she even got "twisty-tie" after two sayings). We're still having some sleep challenges (night-time is especially trying), but her two new teeth may have something to do with it. Check out a new Daddy's Thoughts : Daddy relates a conversation he and Alex had (and are still having) this weekend!
July 1, 2002: This has been a week filled with action: Alex was at the beach on Monday, the Del Mar Fair on Tuesday, she jumped on the bed on Wednesday (and went to the dentist...more on that in a sec), tried to wear a hat on Thursday, went to the toy store on Friday (and played with the dolls), went to a birthday party on Saturday (and went on a huge slide, and got held by a bear), and went to the zoo on Sunday (and visited the petting zoo). There are pictures of EVERYTHING but the trip to the dentist, so be sure to check 'em out. As for the dentist: it's Alex's first trip, and while everything checked out fine...the dentist wasn't just examining eight teeth: Alex now has a total of 10! Two top teeth have poked their way through, and it's making life tough for everyone: A-Dub isn't sleeping all that well. Hopefully, we're on the tail end of this one. Even bigger news: Mommy and Daddy are ready to make the call -- Alex's first real "object" word (outside of Mama and Dada) is...drum roll please...SHOE! She clearly points out everyone's shoes now that she knows the word...and the words are coming fast and furious: she's already added "UP", "HAT", and "HOT". Fun stuff. But this week is really about the movies: we've got tons of them, and they correspond to most of the pictures. Here they are: Playing at the beach! | Another good beach movie. | Alex riding on the bus to the fair with Grandpa. | Alex at the Del Mar fair petting zoo. | *Alex jumping on the bed. (GREAT!) | Alex smacking Daddy on the bed. | *Alex getting the hat on her head (GREAT!) | *Alex getting chased...GREAT stuff. | Alex picking up shoes (and then not listening). | Alex eating cantaloupe. | *What happens when Alex sees dolls at the toy store. | Dancing with the bear, VERY tired. | Daddy and Alex on a HUGE slide! | Alex clapping to the music at the sea lion show. | Alex going after a goat at the petting zoo. | Alex watching the Dr. Zoolittle show. | Alex and Daddy on the skyride at the zoo. * = Daddy's favorites Thanks for being patient...hopefully, the extra day was worth the wait!
June 24, 2002: And there's a couple of movies this week as well:
Alex clapping to "Old McDonald Had a Farm". |
How about a little dance to the music? | As for general updates: the big news is that Alex has gotten her 9th and 10th teeth! They're both on the top, in the same spot on the right and left sides: kind of in the middle, halfway between the front teeth and where her molars would be. Great for chewing her food! She's doing great, overall...her vocabulary is growing daily, and she's almost running! Good stuff. Check out the latest Daddy's Thoughts for more on her expanding list of words she understands (including "belly button" and "shoe"!).
June 17, 2002: Alex is learning more and more English every day. She has added "hair", "feet", "fingers", "teeth", and "hands" to the repertoire of body parts that she can identify. And it's clear that she understands simple directions (like, "put the magnet back on the refrigerator", or "push the button"). Fun stuff. She also just got a new sandbox, and she loves playing in it in the backyard (as you'll see in this week's latest pictures.). There are also shots of Alex's Father's Day wishes, some staged "one-year old" shots (very cute), a picture or two of an alien cat breaking into the house, some photos of Alex in her new lifejacket (she went on a boat for the first time!), and pics from a field trip to the zoo. And there are lots of Movies this week (all of 'em are 15 seconds long): Walking at the zoo! | Happy Father's Day, Daddy! (Clap, clap!) | Whoops...Father's Day greetings bloopers! | Some good walking video. | Watch me playing in the sandbox! | More sandbox video. | Grandpa pushed me around in my car! | On the grass, listening to the birds! (Final note: you may need to update your bookmarks; AlexWillow.com just moved from www.mrnett.com/alexwillow to www.mrnett.com/alexwillow...but if it already works fine for you, don't change anything!)
June 9, 2002: This week, you can view pictures from inside the house, outside at a birthday party, in the Jacuzzi, playing with her dolls, driving a car outside, and taking a bath. And of course, you can check out the Movies page for some fun videos: Alex in the Jacuzzi, playing with a ball. | Alex jumps in the pool, fully-clothed! | Alex likes to swing in the swing. | Alex walking around with Daddy's keys. (All movies are 15 seconds) And finally, a new Daddy's Thoughts: having a conversation with A-Dub.
June 2, 2002: I think we've decided to continue to update the site every week for this next year, but we'll see how things go (although I think you can at least expect somewhat "lighter" loads of pictures and movies). But who knows...Daddy sure seems to figure out a way to get this done every Sunday night. Anyway...Alex is doing great: she's walking better every day, and it's pretty amazing to watch her intellectual side expand on a daily basis. Her thought process is increasingly complex...as she figures out how to do things, where to put things, where things are, and where they used to be. She's starting to make calculated decisions about things..."Maybe I'll give the doll to daddy...or maybe I'll walk to him, fake like I'm going to give it to him, and then run away when he reaches for it." And she sure has developed an attachment to that doll...it goes with her most places (whether in her arms, or in her lawnmower). We'll monitor that situation closely. Check out this week's pictures for shots from Benihana's (on Alex's actual birthday...she actually eats ice cream!), pictures in the garden and the yard, and pictures in the house. And then check out these two movies: walking with her doll, and playing with the pinwheel in the garden.
May 26, 2002: Whew...what an exhausting day! Alex Willow's birthday celebration is complete...and the folks here at AlexWillow.com hope everyone had a good time. Special thanks to Jen (for making Alex's cake), Lydia and Jack (for operating the digital camera and video cameras, respectively), almost all of the Fisher family (for bringing so many great gifts, including a college savings plan and a great bunny beanbag chair), and Nonna and Nonno (as always, for helping make the party run as smoothly as possible...plus being extra generous with the gifts and savings bonds). And thanks to everyone else (Jim, Dan, Carrie, Ed, Nickelle, Joe, Vanessa, Connor, Keith, Gaby, Charlie, Kim, Matt, Natalie, Linda, Chuck, Katie, Janet, Josh, Lucy, Jennifer, Rich, Nicholas, Lynn, Roger, Roger, Lisa, Peter, David, Zack/Dixie (remotely), Denise/Eddie/ Savannah (remotely) and Aunt Barbara (also remotely)) for coming out and celebrating; it's very heart-warming to know we have such loving and generous friends. Anyway...the party went off without a hitch -- the sun was shining, and Alex was on her best behavior. She's walking better and better every day, and she was sure to show off for everyone. And with such great gifts (including a playhouse and a Vespa), Alex was all over the place. The one big surprise to come out of the party: Alex doesn't like cake! (Although everyone else sure did.) There are lots of pictures from the party...and there are even some neat videos this week (including this one and this one, where I answer all of your favorite questions -- like "Where's my nose?" and "What sound does a dog make?"): Movies: I can answer lots of questions! (HUGE video) | Ask me anything! (HUGE) | Here I am, walking outside. | And here I am walking to Mommy. (HUGE) | Watch me ride my Vespa! Again...thanks to everyone; please hurry up and have babies of your own so we can repay your generosity! :-)
May 19, 2002: Then check out all of the movies from this week (they're all 1MB in size, so they make take a while to download...but they're worth it!): Movies: Alex giving a doll to Peanut | Daddy chasing Alex | Daddy chasing Alex a different way | Walking down the front path (part 1) | Walking down the path (2) | Walking down the path (3) As far as updates go this week: Alex is walking better and better every day. Now, when we put her down, we put her on her feet instead of her bottom, and she'll usually toddle around for a bit before plopping down. Will she be walking all over the house by her birthday next week? Perhaps...but remember: the party's at 11am at the house! In Daddy's Thoughts this week: talking with AW...she's understands a lot.
May 12, 2002:
So it's a good thing that I didn't update last night...now, the adoring AlexWillow public gets to view some sweet WALKING VIDEOS! Although before you get too excited...she's still not cruising around the house, but she's taken quantum leaps in the last 24 hours -- and she's very close to truly independent walking. Daddy apologizes profusely for not updating the site on time...but with all of the Mother's Day preparations (you'll see some of the failed "Alex Willow wishes Mommy a Happy Mother's Day" pictures), and the Lakers winning in a nail-biter (yee-ha!), Daddy just didn't have time last night. But sit back and enjoy some good pictures (with the walker, with lemons, with Grandma, on Mother's Day, with lemons), and then you can check out a plethora (11, to be exact) of movies: Alex walks to get a stuffed bear (great!) | Alex walks across the room to Daddy | Alex heads towards a hug | Alex walks to Daddy again | Alex heads to Mommy | Alex walks down the front path | Alex points to her nose | Alex climbs the steps | Alex waves with Grandma/Grandpa | Alex eats peas for dinner | Alex plays ball with Grandpa There's even a new Mommy's Thoughts this week! Thanks for being patient! Next week, we update ON TIME! (Heading towards the big first birthday...just two more weeks...birthday celebration: May 26th!)
May 5, 2002: In other news, AW is starting to understand the English language -- when you ask her to stop or come here or turn around or look over here, she does it. And if you ask her what sound the dog makes, she'll say "arf! arf!". And if you ask her to touch her nose, or Mommy's nose, or Daddy's nose, she can do it. So things are getting fun. This week, we continue with the multimedia formats (both pictures and movies). Check out the latest pictures to see Alex at the Flower Festival, in the supermarket, playing with balloons, getting into mischief, and lounging around the house. Then visit the Movies Page to see Alex playing with the aforementioned balloons, watching a video on the computer, playing in the fridge, getting on the bike, playing with a doll, surprising Daddy in the shower, riding in a shopping cart, and reacting to her favorite TV show (Arthur). And finally, you can take a look at Daddy's Thoughts to see what he thinks about the responsibility of being a parent.
April 28, 2002: It's been a few weeks since we could ask Alex what sound the snake makes ("a-hissssss"), but now you can ask her where the telephone is, and she'll point to it. Or where the balloon is, and she'll find it floating on the ceiling. She definitely knows the dog and cat, Daddy, Mommy, the zebra, the monkey, and a few other things by name...it's definitely getting cool! (She even says "Wazzat?" a lot, definitely asking what things are.) Alex was a busy girl this week, as you'll see in the latest pictures: After taking a bath, she headed to Sharon and Tony's wedding (since Mommy was in the wedding, Daddy watched Alex for 12 hours straight!). We've got lots of pictures from the wedding, including Alex on the dance floor, hanging with the bridesmaids, kickin' it with the bride and groom, and watching the native Guamanian (or is it Chmorro?) dancers do their thing. The we've got shots of AW hanging around the house with a balloon, in her crib (sleeping, amazingly enough), and reading books...and finally, Alex gets outside on Sunday, with pictures in the grass and with the dog. And finally...AlexWillow.com has a new "Movies Page" -- we'll collect all of the AW clips here. This week, you can see Alex talking to Peanut, another funny Alex-Peanut talker, riding the bike with Daddy and Peanut, story time with Daddy, and Alex walking, holding Mom's hand.
April 21, 2002: Inside, you'll also find some photos from a visit to Sea World, a visit to Nana's house, some pictures with Daddy, and some shots of me in the car seat. (As we said...not too many -- we're waiting for the walking phase to begin before we start snapping away again!) Alex also went to Cirque du Soleil with Mommy, Daddy, Jen and Jim -- and came through with flying colors! Even though it was a 2 1/2 hour show, she watched the whole thing, without really fussing at all...it's good to know we can take her to those kinds of things. This week in Daddy's Thoughts : a quick note on our new games!
April 14, 2002:
But don't worry -- we've still got a few pictures this week. Check 'em out to see photos of Alex sleeping, riding a bike and at the Padre game! (And a special bonus: videos! The Chicken Dance, a sideways Funny Dance, and Alex walking on her lawnmower.) In Daddy's Thoughts : insight into our weekend routines (and our babysitting experience on Saturday night!).
April 7, 2002: Early in the week, we got a great pink bunny from Aunt Dixie and Uncle Zack. Then we went swimming, and Daddy even got a little movie of it! Then I played with eggs on the kitchen floor, and then Mommy took me to play group on Wednesday. By Thursday I figured out how to use my lawnmower walker, and then we'll show you how I wrap up every evening (reading and MILK!). Friday we babysat for my friend Katie, and on Saturday, Grandma, Grandpa and Great Grandma came over! And finally on Sunday, we went to the park for another playgroup. Enjoy all the pictures (there's quite a few), and then be sure to check out Daddy's Thoughts for some insight into Alex Willow's personality!
March 31, 2002: There aren't fantastic pictures of the injury, but you'll see them throughout this week's pictures (and you'll see them fade as the week progresses). You'll also see pictures from Alex's playgroup, some classic nap-time photos (for those of you who don't get to see her cry very often), a bunch of shots of AW playing in her room, a couple from poker night at the Fisher's, and Easter Sunday pix with certain colorful eggs and huge bunnies. Be sure to visit Daddy's Thoughts this week for a continuation of an AlexWillow retrospective (bath time, playtime, and life with Alex Willow in the car!).
March 24, 2002: So instead of the normal 30 or 40 pictures each week (whew!), there's only about 20 in this week's edition (yes, such a cutback for Alex Willow fans the world over!). So check 'em out to see Alex playing with bubbles, go on a trip to the doctor's, play in her room, and get messy with vanilla pudding. And be sure to read Daddy's Thoughts (just updated!), as he discusses all the things that make Alex Willow such an individual person (longest post ever!).
March 17, 2002:
Tons of pictures this week: Lots of kissing among Alex/Mommy/Daddy, Alex in Daddy's hat (wearing it backwards, for ultimate cuteness), Alex playing with Peanut, Alex upside down, Alex standing, Alex clapping, and Alex picking lemons in the sunshine. In Daddy's Thoughts this week: What Alex likes to get into around the house!
March 10, 2002: And she's talking. Of course, we don't understand most of what she's saying, but she certainly has begun to babble. Some of the things she says make sense -- like, whenever you give her something, she says "JuJu", clearly a mimic of "Thank You"...but others are not as clear. She'll engage in a conversation with you if you say "Ah!" She'll say "Ah", you say "Eh", she says "Eee!", and so on. It's quite entertaining. She's also budding a new tooth (on the bottom), making life fun for everyone. This week, in addition to Roseola pictures, we've got some shots from the computer desk, photos from Sharon's wedding shower, and lots of pics from a great day feeding the ducks (including a little bloodletting). In Daddy's Thoughts this week: the talking means we're entering a new reward phase!
March 3, 2002:
Pictures from this week include a good shot of my six teeth, a sequence of AW feeding crackers to the dog, and a couple of other assorted shots (both when she felt well, and when she wasn't feeling so hot). In Daddy's Thoughts this week: taking care of a sick baby! (Just added: a Tuesday update in Daddy's Thoughts : a diagnosis is made!)
February 24, 2002: So in addition to a few standing pictures, we also have some shots from a day at the beach/park (including some of Alex going down a slide and hanging from the jungle gym), Great Grandma's 90th birthday dinner, and a bunch of AW doing her thing around the house. As for an update on her development: she's very good at mimicking other people's movements (like shaking her head), she crawls all over the house (and gets red knees when she has shorts on), she has 6 teeth (all 4 on top have come in now), she says "Bye Bye" and waves when people leave, and she eats everything in sight (there's almost no foods that she doesn't like). In Daddy's Thoughts this week: some games we play with Alex!
February 17, 2002:
Pictures this week include Alex playing golf, developing a Web site, riding on Mommy, and double-fisting French fries. As for AW updates: she's getting her 5th and 6th teeth right now -- the 5th has broken the surface (yay!), and the 6th is painfully working its way through...but now we have four teeth on top and two on the bottom! She's also crawling better than ever, and pulling herself up onto everything: coffee tables, counter tops, people's legs, animals...gotta watch this one -- she's fast! Daddy's Thoughts this week focus on Alex Willow turning into a person. And read Mommy's Thoughts to find out a new game Alex plays!
February 10, 2002:
Yes, standing...something I like to do a lot these days. This week, I actually balanced standing up for a few seconds...it's probably another two weeks or so until I can do it on my own, but it's coming -- I can feel it! But I can shimmy along the side of the coffee table, and I take lots of steps when Mommy or Daddy holds my arms. I also REALLY like other babies and children...for some reason, when I see one, I just have to touch them (pictures inside)! I guess I'm just a social butterfly! Tune into Daddy's Thoughts for info on what it's like to have me out in public!
February 3, 2002:
Lots of pictures from around the house this week, and a TON from when Grandma and Grandpa Fisher, Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jordan, and even GREAT Grandma came over to watch the SuperBowl! It took me a while to warm up to everyone...but once I got going, we all had a great time. In Daddy's Thoughts this week: how I take naps on Daddy's chest!
January 27, 2002:
Alex is picking up speed on the whole crawling thing...now, she chases after the cat and the dog; soon, they won't be able to get away. She's getting very good at using tables and other people's legs to pull herself to a standing position, and her vocabulary is expanding: she makes a clear "Muh" sound (different than "Mama") when she wants "more". This week: we have pictures from Joe, Vanessa and Connor's visit today, and also lots of crawling, eating and smiling photos. (Please excuse the quality of the photos today...our good digital camera broke, so we'll see how this comes out.) This week in Daddy's Thoughts : How we get Alex Willow to laugh!
January 20, 2002:
As a result, there are a ton of pictures this week: AW crawling, Alex chasing after the cat, Alex sleeping on Daddy, the standard Alex-Mommy and Alex-Daddy pictures, more bath-time photos, shots of A-Dub and Sharon, and (finally!) scenes from a play-date with Alex's friend Natalie. Read Daddy's Thoughts for more on the whole crawling thing!
January 13, 2002:
You can also check out the new entry in Daddy's Thoughts for more!
January 6, 2002:
We also have some pictures of Alex eating mashed potatoes (Daddy still wonders how some got on her forehead), plus some cute pictures of Alex in a new outfit out on the lawn! Alex continues to show off her new tricks: not only can she clap on demand (and she loves to clap, believe me), but she also likes to wave hello and goodbye to everyone. She's in a growth spurt (eating every hour or two), as she gets ready to crawl. Daddy's guess: next week's update will include the first crawl steps! See you next week!
December 30, 2001:
Lots of milestones to report as well: Saturday night, she started clapping -- a deliberate clap, and she delights in the reaction she gets from people. She can also do a 360 on her belly (*so* close to crawling!), and she's pretty much got the whole crawling-position-to-sitting-to-crawling-position thing down as well. And she's very vocal: AW makes a definite "mmmm" sound when she wants Mommy...and even said "mama", but not really in reference to Mommy...yet. Almost done with the holidays...I'm sure we'll get some New Year's pictures in, and then we'll slow down a bit. Alex turned 7 months old the other day...the question everyone's asking now: how long can Daddy keep up the site?
December 24, 2001:
She's really becoming cognizant of the world around her, and gaining much more control and dexterity. She interacts with people, and she's definitely expressing a desire to learn things. She's close to saying "Mama" (she utters an "mmm" sound when she wants Mommy), she asks to be picked up, and she can move herself towards her toys (she can even pull herself up to stand from a sitting position!) This week, we've got pictures with Aunt Denise, Uncle Eddie and Cousin Savannah (in town from Vermont), pictures with Santa, pictures with the CollegeClub crew at Dave and Buster's, and lots of pictures from around the house (crawling position, standing/walking position, and cat petting, to name a few scenarios Mommy and Daddy put her in). Plus a bonus this week: the lost Fisher family Xmas pictures! (Somehow, a disk got misplaced...don't worry, though...AlexWillow.com has the exclusive shots of Aunt Dixie, Uncle Zack and the entire Fisher clan!) And we can't tell you how proud we continue to be of how well-mannered AlexWillow is...she never causes any trouble, and she's making parenting a joy...especially for us first-timers! Nothing like hearing a baby laugh uncontrollably to fix whatever's wrong in the world.
December 17, 2001:
Anyway, this week was Xmas/Chanukah in the Fisher household, and we headed up to Los Angeles for an early celebration with the entire family: Great Grandma, Uncle Jordan, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Zack and Aunt Dixie from Oklahoma, and Grandma and Grandpa Fisher. Friday night was Zack/Dixie's West Coast wedding celebration, and Alex was her usual cheery self throughout the night. On Sunday morning, we opened presents (lots of pictures!). Sunday was also Mommy's birthday...so we headed back home to meet with Grandma Irene and Grandpa Richard, and Aunt Denise, Uncle Eddie, and Cousin Savannah from Vermont. Basically, Alex saw everyone she's directly related to on Sunday. EVERYONE. Alex is swimming better than ever (even sliding off the side of the pool into the water!), and she's as well-behaved as you can expect a baby to be. Daddy and Mommy are very proud!
December 9, 2001:
Daddy returned the favor and threw Mommy a surprise party on Sunday, and we have some pictures from that event (particularly Alex playing with her friend Natalie). And you can also see pictures of a happy AlexWillow, playing with her toys. As far as updates for the week: Alex is still making her supersonic baby sounds ("Eeeeeeeeeeeee!"), and she's starting to develop some separation anxiety -- she's not thrilled to be apart from Mommy for very long. We think she's also teething some more, even though we can't feel the upper teeth yet...but we'll bet that she can. Daddy promises to get the digital camera out more next week!
December 2, 2001:
But, as usual, Alex is making massive strides: she's not crying when she goes under the water in swimming class (underwater picture today!), her "pincer grasp" (thumb and forefinger) is really developing, and she's eating all kinds of foods (check the pictures of the Cheerios!). She's also started to make an endearing (for a few minutes, anyway) high-pitched squeal...she entertains herself for many minutes with that one. Alex can also stand without us holding her, if she's holding onto a table.
November 25, 2001:
And then we got home, and we have pictures of Alex swimming, of Alex petting the cat, of Alex in her NEW crawl position, and of Alex's teeth: that's right...TEETH! She got a second one this week! Six months old on Wednesday...can you believe how fast it's going?
November 18, 2001:
Alex's tooth (singular) is coming in nicely...sharp, too (as Mommy and Daddy have painfully learned)! And finally -- much to Daddy's delight -- Alex is good for a laugh whenever she gets tossed into the air, or held upside down (Daddy was wondering when he could start doing that!). A final note to look back on: this week, Alex has been particularly fussy...it's probably the tooth.
November 11, 2001:
She continues to sit up better on her own (lots of pictures inside), and her noises have graduated from last week's "Ba Ba Ba" to "Tha Tha Tha" and "Bla Bla Bla". Yes, these are very different things. Oh, and she'll also put both arms out when she wants to be picked up.
November 04, 2001:
From here on out, it's just pictures (and not updates...sorry!)
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(1.09.05) Merry Christmas, everyone!
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12.02.04) I'm happy it's the holidays!
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(8.28.04) I'm watching a scary movie!
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(4.11.04) I rode the trolley!
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(2.8.04) I'm such a smiler!
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(1.18.04) I love to paint and draw!
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(12.1.03) Hmm...where should I go?
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(11.10.03) Lots of candy on Halloween!
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(10.28.03) I'm taking care of my sister!
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(10.12.03) I'm at ballet class!
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(9.28.03) We're at the baseball game!
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(9.15.03) It's my first day of school!
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(9.1.03) Hi, Daddy! Want to play?
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(8.17.03) Wearing Daddy's hat is funny!
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(8.03.03) It's raining!
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(7.17.03) Look at me in Mommy's hat!
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(6.29.03) Here's a great big hug!
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(6.15.03) It's firegirl Alex!
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(6.01.03) I'm two years old! Yay!
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(5.26.03) I got a new bike!
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(5.18.03) Welcome to AlexWillow.com!
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(5.11.03) It's me and my Mommy!
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(5.4.03) Look at me in my overalls!
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(4.26.03) Not another Easter egg hunt!
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(4.20.03) I found an Easter egg!
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(4.13.03) The bear is my friend!
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(4.06.03) I just love petting the dog!
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(3.30.03) Out for my daily walk!
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(3.23.03) Posing at Sea World!
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(3.16.03) I like to hide in the backyard!
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(3.10.03) Want some, Mommy?
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(3.3.03) Yay...we're moving!
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(2.23.03) Walking with the monkey!
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(2.16.03) Happy at Home Depot!
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(2.09.03) I'm so funny sometimes!
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(2.02.03) Trust me (wink)!
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(1.26.03) Yum...ice cream!
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(1.19.03) How about a quick dip in the pool?
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(1.12.03) That's pretty bright, Daddy!
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(1.5.03) Sittin' in my favorite chair!
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(12.29.02) Gettin' in the Xmas spirit!
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(12.22.02) Me and cousin Savannah!
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(12.15.02) I can use a mouse!
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(12.8.02) Playing piano is fun!
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(12.1.02) Yum...Thanksgiving dinner!
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(11.24.02) Hurray! It's the weekend!
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(11.17.02) Weddings = dancing!
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(11.10.02) My future's bright!
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(11.03.02) Meow! It's Halloween!
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(10.27.02) Is this me, or Boo?
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(10.20.02) Is it Halloween yet?
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(10.13.02) My new favorite hat!
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(10.6.02) Don't I look cute?
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(9.29.02) A Halloween preview!
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(9.22.02) About to go on the slide!
(No video this week!)
(9.15.02) Finger painting!
(No video this week!)
(9.08.02) At a wedding, and happy!
(No video this week!)
(9.01.02) A trip to the beach!
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(8.25.02) Time to wash the car!
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(8.18.02) It's fun to draw!
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(8.11.02) Sitting at home.
(No video this week!)
(8.04.02) Shopping with Mommy!
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(7.28.02) I got a new swing!
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(7.21.02) Yay, the sun is setting!
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(7.14.02) Daddy, go deep!
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(7.7.02) Just gettin' a little sun!
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(6.30.02) I'm becoming a little girl.
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(6.23.02) Look at my bellybutton!
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(6.17.02) Happy Father's Day!
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(6.9.02) Apples and rabbits are fun!
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(6.2.02) Time for bed!
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(5.26.02) I guess I don't like cake!
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(5.19.02) Don't bother me...I'm eating.
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(5.12.02) Happy Mother's Day!
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(5.05.02) Ha ha! A doll!
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(4.28.02) Care to dance?
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(4.21.02) Fun at Sea World!
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(4.14.02) Go team!
(4.07.02) I'm almost walking!
(3.31.02) Easter eggs!
(3.24.02) Can I have that?
(3.17.02) Dolls for sale!
(3.10.02) Yay! It's Daddy's site!
(3.3.02) I don't feel so good...
(2.24.02) I can stand!
(2.17.02) Is this how you play?
(2.10.02) Two ponytails!
(2.3.02) A whole new world: standing!
(1.27.02) Mmmm...crackers!
(1.20.02) I can crawl! Yippee!
(1.13.02) Bath time!
(1.6.02) Look...now I can clap!
(12.25.01) I got a bike helmet!
(12.23.01) Daddy's little angel!
(12.16.01) A snowman? For me?
(12.09.01) Pacifiers are for chewing?
(12.01.01) Swimming...is kind of fun...
(11.25.01) Crawling: on the horizon!
(11.16.01) Good throw, Daddy!
(11.10.01) I love bouncing!
(11.03.01) Look how well I sit!
(10.31.01) My costume, revealed!
(10.26.01) Going for a ride!
(10.21.01) Being a baby is hard work!
(10.16.01) Yum, oatmeal!
(09.23.01) Aren't I cute?
(08.28.01) Family night at the Padre game!
(08.07.01) An early smile!