Gotta Love a Sale!

As you can see in this pic, Alex officially has only 1/4inch left before he is too long for his infant carseat. So, it was time to take the plunge and find a new one. Not easy cuz those things are expensive, but we were really excited this morning to be able to purchase a 3-in-1 convertible carseat for Alex for a great deal!! I did some internet shopping and found an end-of-the-year sale on a site that was selling this year's model for half the price that BabiesRUs was selling it for & only $5 shipping!! What a deal! The only difference between the models is the pattern on the fabric--and to be honest the one we bought is slightly ugly--but Alex doesn't care and neither do I! It's neat how God plops these little blessings in our laps sometimes and reminds us that He takes care of our every need!

Happy Half-Birthday Alex!

Well, today is the little man's half-birthday! Ryan and I can't believe it, we were trying to remember what it was like 6 months ago when he was still in "the oven" and we can't--and don't really want to! We are so thankful to God for this little guy and the joy he brings us every day. We are having so much fun being parents, even with the loss of sleep. :-) What adventures are in store for him these next 6 months??

The Coon Family Christmas 2006

Another First!!

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I know that in the grand scheme of things this little "first" for our boy isn't world news, but to this little family it is a big deal!! This video is actually the 3rd occurance of his first roll from tummy to back that Alex mastered yesterday afternoon, but it was fun to capture on video. I was all excited for him until I realized that this is just one more thing that is changing my baby into a little boy--bittersweet! Watch out world, mobility is looming!

A New Family Tradition!

Ryan and I decided to start a new family tradition of constructing a gingerbread house for Christmas. With the help of Ryan's parents we made our first masterpiece! It was a very "Christmassy" & fun family activity! We had a few structural challenges, but it all came together beautifully thanks to some lively imaginations! Only 2 more sleeps till Christmas!

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Happy 5th Anniversary to me & my hubby! I can't believe that the picture above is Ryan and I 5 years ago today! That was such a happy day, and so has every day since! I am so thankful for the husband God gave me. He is such a perfect partner for me--my better half as they say. I love watching him with our baby boy and seeing our love for each other spill over on him in such a wonderful way. Happy Anniversary, Sweetie!! I love you!!

Girl Trouble

Well, he's already turning on the "Coon Charm" as his father calls it! And he's gotten himself into girl trouble. You see, he's been pretty attatched to Cate Andrews for a while, but 2 weeks ago we caught him flirting with Carly at playgroup!! That's right, flirting with another girl--watch out Cate, you have competition, and she's a cutie! Seriously, though, any time these two babies came near each other they just stared and smiled at each other, even reaching for the other one!! It was too cute, and we even caught them on camera!

Aaaaahhhhhhh!!!

This is how I found Alex after his nap yesterday!

Craning...

Give me that paper back Toby, Mommy gave it to me, not you!!

I love wrapping paper...I love to crunch it and chrinkle it, and crunch it some more...

Ok, the last few days have been a bit chaotic. It just hit me that this weekend is Christmas...so much to do, so little time! Ive been crazily baking, finishing my shopping, sending off the last of the Christmas cards, and cleaning my house for our Christmas guests--The Coons. Alex has been a gem the whole time, even flexible with his eating schedule--it helps that he gets so excited to look around when we are out running errands that he forgets he's supposed to eat! And Ryan has been quite helpful, too, watching Alex for a few hours, even helping me clean this morning!! I love my men! So, in the end, I think we will be ready for Christmas after all!

Got Juice?

This kid is growing up wayyyyyyy too fast! He is trying so hard to hold his own juice bottle (a little apple/prune for the stomache's sake)! His formula bottles are still too big for him to hold but that little bottle is perfect, and he's working very hard. It is kind of funny to watch him aim the nipple at his mouth and accidentally hit his forehead! So every morning after his oatmeal it's practice time--and if I try to hold it for him his little hands reach up and grab hold of that bottle as if to say, "hey, I'm a big kid, mom."

Diaper Changing Now Takes Twice as Long!

Sleepy Stuff

This is how Alex falls asleep these days, fingering his little blankie. Since he's too big to swaddle anymore his hands are free, and if he doesn't have something to finger he pulls out his paci or rubs his eyes, and keeps himself awake. It's really cute to watch him, eyes closed, sucking the life out of that paci, slowly fingering the little blankie. Most of the time I can lay him in bed like this and he's asleep in 10-15min. Ahh, the life of a baby...wish I could fall asleep that fast!!

We found Toby laying like this in the doorway to the nursery after we put Alex to bed last night! He may be a little dog, but in his mind he is a big strong guard dog through and through!!

Hurry, Christmas, Hurry Fast!

When Alex gets in the mood to suck on his feet, it's easier for me to take off his socks for a little bit than to deal with the sopping wet slimy socks that he creates!!

We are on a quest here to get all of our Christmas preparations finished--since we just looked at the calendar last night and figured out that it's only a week and a half away!! I know, we're a little slow, but really where has December gone anyway??? So, yesterday I finished my Christmas cards & also baked about 8 dozen Christmas cookies!! I hope to finish the cookies tonight as well as finish wrapping presents. I have one more box to send out to CO, but my handy Holiday Shipping & Mailing Guide from the USPS tells me that I have until the 20th to mail it for it to arrive on time, wheh!! I still have to buy Alex's present, and 2 things for Ryan, but then I am ready for Christmas!! It's been tricky, too, getting it all done, cuz I've been trying to stay home for Alex's sake, to help him nurse his cold! Hey, Santa, if you could spare a few elves I'd really appreciate it...:-)

And when you're finsished with those there's some dishes to do...

We decided it was time to introduce Alex to household chores...well, ok, not really, but there are enough to share!! Babies sure do add to the amount of laundry a household can accumulate. Monday was my day to get all my chores done, and it took me all morning! There really were dishes to do, but Ryan did help me with a few things--what a good hubby--and we let Alex sleep peacefully and enjoy his carefree years while they last!!

Christmas is almost here!

"Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why..."
"Santa Clause is coming to town!!"
This year's Christmas tree! We decided to go with colored lights this year, and we're glad we did cuz Alex really likes to look at it. I borrowed the Santa hat topper from somebody else's blog (can't remember who, but thanks!) pic of their tree since our star won't fit on the top here in our apartment!! We're ready for Christmas

Happy 1st Birthday Joshua Herman!

Noises We Love to Hear

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This is Alex's new noise. It's kind of crazy, but he loves it! He has learned that he can get pretty loud and does so quite often! Hope this video turns out ok. We've been having issues when we upload our vidoes in that the sound is not in sync with the picture--sorry if that happens!

Goodbye Comb-Over!

Today Alex had his first hair cut! Well, it wasn't really much of a haircut since it only took me 2 snips, but I had to get rid of that comb-over. He had this lock of hair that was over 2 inches longer than the rest of his hair, and now that his hair is really filling in it looked silly. So...snip, snip! He took it pretty well, asked me to sell it and give the money to the poor. I decided that we could have titled this post "My mommy has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" cuz that hair didn't really need to be cut...but it was driving me crazy!! Now all his hair is the same length on top and very becoming, if I do say so myself!

Staying Home, Getting Well, & Keeping Busy

The little man is feling a bit better today, but we're still staying in to keep him on the mend! Here's a pic that I took of my little charmer this morning! He has learned that he can blow spit bubbles and keep his paci in his mouth at the same time--oh, joy!!

My latest money-saving scheme is to make Alex homemade baby food. I had been toying with the idea for a while, and yesterday I plunged in!! Today...I'm a believer!! I spent $4.65 in fresh and frozen fruits and veggies and made $20.30 of baby food (since 2 cubes of food equals approx 1 jar and one jar is approx $.35). Plus, this way my little guy is getting fresh food. The pediatrician encouraged me to do this so that eventually I can take whatever food I am serving for dinner, put it in the baby food processer, and tadaa! Alex gets to eat real food!! (that won't happen for a while, but he's looking forward to it already!) I told you in the last post it's the little things in life that get me excited. These pics are of peas and sweet potatos--looks yummy huh? :-)

Coughs & Christmas

Well, my little man has his first cold. I kept him home from church Sunday morning cuz he had a runny nose, but I thought it was just from teething since he didn't have any other symptoms. He seemed fine that afternoon so we went to church that night. Well, yesterday morning the runny nose was joined with a cough. So I trecked through the cold weather to the pharmacy. I talked to the pharmacist about what we could give him and we decided some infant robitussin would do the trick. He takes his medicine really well, though the little noses saline drops he does not like at all! He seems about the same today as yesterday: runny nose, lots of coughs, kind of clingy. But he's really not acting like he feels that bad, his energy is still up and he's happy. So we'll just stay indoors and warm and cozy! I am sorry that I can't take him outside to see and feel the snow that we got yesterday, but I let him look at it through the front door and he watched it fall for a few minutes. Ahh, winter in Michigan! Tis the season!

Shhh...don't tell Alex, but this is going to be his Christmas present! He did well in the excersaucer in the church nursery, and is getting pretty bored with the playmat he has here (he'd rather sit up than lay down), so he's going to love this! I found it for a good deal at Meijer, and was going to get it this weekend, but didn't for various reasons. Then today I found a coupon for $5.00 off any toy, so I'm hoping that applies to infant toys, cuz that would be even better!! Coupons can make me so excited!! (it's the little things in life, you know) The coupon is only good for Wed and Thurs this week, so we'll be heading to Meijer soon!

Where There's a Will, There's a Way!

These toys sure do get in the way sometimes...I can hardly reach my feet!!
Maybe if I just pull really hard on this one...and pull with my toes on this one...
I've...almost...got it...now...
Yeah, now I can play with my feet!!

Like Father Like Son

Ryan took this picture a little bit ago and has been asking me to post it--I finally remembered today! Yes, it was posed, believe it or not. Though this kid can't read, he has heard a lot of reading in his short life. When he was a newborn and Ryan used to take him for the early morning bottle, he would read to him the biography of Jonathan Edwards and Alex would just contentedly listen to Ryan's voice. These days he hears me read him lots of his books, and he also hears Ryan read since we've been plodding through Don Quixote aloud (sounds intimidating, but it's actually a pretty comical book). Ry keeps saying he's going to teach Alex Hebrew and Greek soon, so we'll keep you posted on that! So far he loves to sit in your lap and read a book--he stairs at the pictures and likes to finger the pages. I know my days of him wanting to sit in my lap for long periods are numbered, so I am taking full advantage of his lack of mobility!