Sunday, May 31, 2009

ALL ABOUT ALEX

Wow, Alex is already 21 months old!! Where did the time go? Mom has been meaning to catch everyone up on the day and the life Alex Laine. Let's see what he is up to these days:

As mom has mentioned before, this little tyke is hard to capture on camera. He has turned into quite the runner and climber. Just like his parents I know! Because of this, he has had his fair share of boo boo's but luckily the nasty one on his nose went away!



Teeth! Never thought the day would come, Alex has been growing teeth right and left. He had the same 6 teeth for months until finally over the spring he sprouted at least 6 more. Whew, no baby dentures needed anytime soon!



Alex is learning new words daily! For some reason his favorite word is still "no" but has added "way" behind it. No way he is telling us "no way" already!! Mom and dad are enjoying his increasing vocab but notice b words are his best (ball, bus, bunny, baby, boogie :) and the list goes on. He also likes to point mama and dada out in photos around the house. He has yet to say "Alex" as he refers to himself as me (or baby if he sees a photo of himself).



Although Alex is still into books and coloring, he has been REALLY into trucks. He gets really excited when he sees semi trucks when we are out and about. He likes to point them all out with a little dance in his carseat.



Yep, Alex is trying osmosis for his golf game already. I saw Daddy trying the same thing the night before...haha! Golf club or not, Alex has been sleeping like a champ. However, he only relaxes after his nightly bath, bedtime story and sticker book entry.



Speaking of favorite things, how could I forget bubbles! Nana even has a giant bubble maker that Alex uses to make bubbles as big as his head.



Although his belly says otherwise, Alex's 18 month check up on 4/14/09 indicated that he was in the 2nd Percentile (21.6 pounds) for his weight. The nurse actually thought his weight was wrong until I assured her as well as the doctor that it was consistent for our little bird. His height was in the 39th percentile (32.5 in). No worries for mom and dad because the active little man can down a pear or banana in record time. Some of his other favorites are cottage cheese, string cheese, tomatoes, pumpkin bread and chicken nuggets. Alex is sporting 12-18mo clothes at 21 mo. Most of the pants won't stay around his waist, just if he had a baby belt. He definitely takes after his dad with his size! Below is Alex showing off his pink princess nighttime diapers that his parents got by mistake...oops:)



Did I mention that Alex likes Tigger? He has grown very partial to the tiger lately. He calls his little buddy "titi" and totes it everywhere that he goes (even to school). He also likes Nemo and Elmo, probably not too unusual for tykes his age.



How could I forget, Alex is loving his new house. He and Sophee love spending time playing in the backyard. He also enjoys his new bedroom and very own playroom. Thanks to his Grandma A and Nana, he is very good on the stairs and can travel from floor to floor all in his own (with ma and pa not far beyond of course). Alex has also enjoyed discovering every nook and cranny in the house if you know what I mean...he sure keeps his p's busy!



"I don't know, where did it go?" This is Alex's funniest saying as he flips his hands up in the air and opens his eyes the size of plums. Hopefully, mom will get it on video one of these days...



A few more highlights:
*Alex is doing great at daycare. He is well liked (or so they say) by his teachers and fellow classmates. Some mornings he isn't too keen on mom leaving him, but it doesn't take long for him to warm up. So much, that not always does he want to come home at night. 

Fun fact: An older boy at daycare has taken a liking to Alex. So much that he talked his mom and dad into naming his new baby brother Alex. So cute!
*He is a very big helper around the house. He likes to help mommy and daddy out with everything they are doing whether it's watering the flowers or cleaning the house. He is especially good at putting away his own toys (thank goodness).
*He is already an animal lover...pointing out every animal in sight. There is a lot of wildlife by our house due to the pond next door. He really enjoys the bunnies and baby birds.
*Last but not least he likes to tickle others on the neck and giggle. Speaking from experience, it really does tickle!

What fun the last 21 months have been with Alex, we can't wait to see what the next 21 hold!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

The day after Ella's shindig, Daddy celebrated his big day in South Bend on May 3, 2009. What more could the birthday boy want then a Funfetti Birthday Cake?



Not sure if Alex was more excited for Daddy's birthday or for Daddy's birthday cake?

Happy Birthday Ella!

Ella Rupp celebrated her first birthday on May 2, 2009. The Dampeer Family joined in on the festivities! Thanks for having us Ella Bean!





Watch out big brother JD, Alex wants to take your ride for a spin!

Alex's First Date...sort of

Alex had an exciting visit from his first crush, Kate Cronley. Kate and her family (John, Suzanne and Claire) along with her Grandma Mary Cronley and cousins (Patty and Luke Woods Family) were in South Bend for the Blue and Gold Game.

Alex was happy to finally meet Kate in person. I'm sure you remember how fond he was of her photo!



It took them a few minutes to warm up...



...but wasn't long until Alex made his move :)



What a cutie!!



The kiddies had a fun visit together as did the adults. Thanks to all the Cronleys for the fun visit!! Please come back soon!


Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Egg-cellent Easter!

Alex was all ready for Easter but he couldn't decide what hat to wear...

Carrot Top by Nana?



Old Fashion Bunny Ears?



Silly Sunflower?



While Alex colored Easter eggs with Nana, Mom and Dad began their 4-day move-a-thon into their new house over the Easter weekend.



The move was just in time for the Easter Bunny to visit Alex at his new residence on Easter Sunday. Alex had no problem finding his Easter basket!



Yum, Alex enjoyed his Cheerio filled eggs....



and he couldn't wait to find them all over the house!



Catch me if you can!

Alex is already chasing the girls...

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Adventures in April...

In early April, the Dampeer Family joined the Hudsons, the Carvers and the Kolzows in St Joe. to watch MSU become runners up in the championship game of the bball tourney. Getting to meet adorable Wesley Hudson was all worth the loss!!! 



A big thanks to the Hudsons for opening their home to the whole gang...and so soon after Wes was born. We had lots of fun seeing everyone! Cami Kolzow....



...and Alex sure enjoyed meeting baby Wes!



We couldn't celebrate a first place title, so instead Ben (April 3) and I (April 5) were able to celebrate our birthdays.



Did someone say cake? Guess who was first in line...the little munchkins! Don't say I blame them!



The kiddies (minus Wes) took a break with Kristy Carver to get the score of the game.



Wasn't long though until they were back in action...



playing and...



playing and...



and playing together! We had a lot of fun and Alex can't wait to play with Cami and Wes again soon!




PS: Yes, that is a booboo on Alex's nose. Poor kid sported his first big ouchy for a couple of weeks. He obviously didn't fair well in his collision with Sophee.