Cutie Pie

Just a quick post to say hi! Things are going well here. Alex is busy as usual, always wanting to have you help him stand up, enjoying swim time again this week and working on teething (not such a fun activity). We did figure out that he loves ice in the mesh baby feeder, when his teeth are bothering him, so that is really helpful. The teeth are probably still a long way off, because the episodes come and go, but at least we now have one more method of helping with the pain. He is very adept at holding it on his own too, which is great!

He discovered the Mickey mouse dressed up as a rat (for year of the rat), the other day and really enjoyed playing with it. Ming and Fiona sent it for him and he picked it out of a bunch of toys the other day.

He also continues to love splashing in the water, in his big bathtub or at the pool. Kicking and splashing are super fun activities and it is good because they expend energy as well! We took the BART train to the city last Friday and he loved it. The first few times that he took it, he was really little and just slept, but this time he was wide awake and watching every moment. He loved to watch the cars zing by when waiting on the platform at the Rockridge station, and he was very interested in the people around us on the train. Hopefully he will like the plane just as much! We are looking forward to the Minnesota trip and hope to see lots of you!

Oakland Zoo

Hi

This weekend my mom and dad took me to the zoo! It was really really cool. There all kinds of fuzzy and feathery friends. I saw lions and bats and snakes. Most interesting were the giraffes, they look like horses with super long necks who love to eat leaves!

There were all kinds of little people at the zoo, I think that kids and babies outnumbered the grown-ups. So I also got to hang out with my peeps in addition to visiting my animal friends.

Hope you had a great weekend too.

Alex

Zonked Out....

Hey everyone! Just wanted to write and say hello and let you know that I am getting bigger every day. My Daddy installed a new big boy seat for me in the car and it is sure comfortable! My mom took this picture of me this afternoon....I couldn't help but fall asleep in that super comfy seat. And, as you can see, I have figured out how to hold onto multiple toys at once, just use your toes!! Hope you are all doing well.

Love, Alex

Swimming at the Pool!

Well, Alex had his first adventure at the swimming pool yesterday and it was a success! He really enjoyed himself. We put on his little rash guard and his shark swim trunks and we were off to meet Carrie and Johnny at the pool.

He had a great time splashing around in the water, floating on his back and experimenting with putting his little face in the water; something he did on his own accord. He seemed to enjoy the water and was very curious, as usual. Johnny had a great time as well, kicking and splashing around. They were really cute!

Just as a side note, Alex was wearing a hat the entire time---we just took the hat off for pictures. :-) By the way, how cute is Johnny in his little striped apres swim outfit? It was a great outing--thanks to Carrie and Johnny for inviting us to the Piedmont Swim Club.

Latest Outings

It has been a busy week here, with a couple of outings with friends and babies, including one to The Little Farm up in Tilden Park. We drove by the Brazil Room on the way there and I thought about how much fun the wedding was there, two years ago. We fed the goats and sheep some celery and I don't think Alex knew what to make of the whole thing. He did have fun playing on a big picnic blanket afterwards with Luke. He especially liked Luke's toys....it always seems to go that way, doesn't it?

On Saturday we met with Jin Fye, May, Joshua and Miranda, for coffee and a chat, before they headed back to DC. It was very nice to see them again--hopefully we can all visit again soon. Afterwards, we headed over to The Wankel's. They were hosting a block party in their neighborhood, so we had fun hanging out with them. Alex spent some time in the swing and seemed to enjoy it. Maybe we can get one for the front yard.

We had to cancel our plans for swimming, since the weather was kind of chilly on Tuesday and the pool is outdoors. We are hoping for warmer weather this week!

Friends in Town

Back row: David, Alexander, Jin Fye and Miranda
Front row: Joshua and Zachary (cousin)

Jin Fye and I went to school together in Singapore and have not seen each other in about 15 years. Good to see that Jin Fye has not changed too much, same dry humor, but with perhaps a little less coverage up top. :-)

Jin Fye and May have a pair of sweet and happy children, Joshua and Miranda. They were out in California for a vacation, visiting Legoland in Carlsbad, the SF Bay Area and Yosemite. It was great to catch up with them on a couple of occasions while they were here.

Wedding Bells

On Saturday, we ventured up to Sonoma to attend Lucerne and Yang's wedding. It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful setting, which made for a great time. It was Alex's first wedding and he was a champ! He was happy the whole day and really enjoyed being outside, meeting new people and exploring the flowers and trees---always a favorite for him. In between the ceremony and the reception we had a few hours, so we stopped by one of our favorite restaurants, The Girl and The Fig, in Sonoma, for some mussels, frites and a flight of wine. We were able to score one of the patio table, which was so nice! Alex was complimented by the waitstaff as being a good little diner.

Alex had fun meeting some other babies at the wedding, and it was nice to see some of David's former co-workers again. All in all, it was a beautiful day in wine country.

Lunch Outing in San Ramon

Alex and I had a fun lunch with Hua, Jamie, Jeffrey and Shirley this afternoon at Max's in San Ramon. At one time all three of us, and David worked together in Finance at Mervyn's. Alex actually enjoyed the drive out there, which was a great start. He played happily with his toys and the shade on his carseat and did not complain at all. It was so nice to see everyone, after a few months without a lunch date!

Jamie is so tall and really helps out alot with her little brother, Jeffery. I am sure her mom is quite happy to have the help. Jeffery will be one year old already at the end of this month. It does not seem possible that it has already been a year! It was good to hear that Peniel is having fun at day camp this summer. Maybe next time he can join us for lunch as well.

Jeffery and Alex had a good time just hanging out in their highchairs, taking in all of the activity at the restaurant. Alex especially liked looking out the window, at the cars driving by, and watching the trees move in the wind. He was quite interested in my plate, as is the norm lately. He loves to try to grab at your plate, utensils---pretty much anything he sees!

What a difference three months makes!

Wow!! These two boys are quite different than they were the first week of April. Now, both Miles and Alex are quite active and curious at our outings, rather than just eating and then sleeping in their carseats!

Hot, hot, hot!

It looks like it will be another hot week in Oakland, again. I don't remember it being so hot in the summertime in the past, but it sure has been this summer! Alex and I met Carrie and Johnny at Tumble and Tea today, for a little playdate. The concept is quite cool--there is a play area for kids, some tables and sofas to hang out at, and a variety of food which can be ordered, including sandwiches, salads, smoothies and drinks. Since Johnny and Alex are pre-crawlers, they cannot really enjoy all of the equipment, but I am sure someday it will be quite fun. We had a nice little outing and enjoyed spending time with Carrie and Johnny.

Yesterday, David and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary...hard to believe! I received some beautiful roses, and Alex decided that he wanted to explore them more closely and grabbed a whole handful of petals. He is very grabby lately, wanting to pull on everything. He's definitely a good little explorer. As you can see, his fascination with his sister continues. He always wants to try to figure out what she is all about.

We are off to play "swimming pool" with our huge baby bathtub. We put cooler water in it and put it on the floor and let Alex splash around in it. He loves it and it does a good job of cooling him down.

Take care!

Checking things out at the Fair

David, Alex and I ventured out to the Alameda County Fair on Saturday. The pic shows Alex looking around at the Young California building, which included 4-H exhibits and other youth displays. I must say that perhaps I should just keep my memories of the fair as memories, and not try to relive them because I always seem to be a bit disappointed. Someday we will take Alex to the Minnesota State Fair, so he can see a real fair, I guess. :-)

Anyway, Alex slept through the majority of the fair. It's funny, he doesn't like to take long naps at home, but when we are out and he is in the backpack or the Bjorn, he has no problem! He was awake while we looked around the 4-H exhibits and had cake at the cakestand in the nice air-conditioned building. We saw some pigs, goats, sheep, but oddly enough, they do not have horses at their fair. I asked and someone explained that they have a horse show earlier in the year, when there are fewer people around. Bummer! Well, at least Alex got a good nap in.

Happy 4th of July!

Alex's first Fourth of July was a fun one! In the morning, we went to the parade in Piedmont, which is a few miles from our house. It was a nice parade, with a very hometown kind of feel to it. There were quite a few bagpipe troupes, lots of vintage cars, some horses, local politicians and various kids groups. Alex was awake when we arrived, but by the time the parade really started, he was fast asleep. He managed to sleep through fire engine sirens, bands and horns and then woke up as we walked down the hill, back to the car. Oh well....we'll show him the pictures someday.

While at the parade, we saw Dr. Cosca and her family. She is my doctor, and was the one who delivered Alex. We also saw Carrie and Johnny and Pat, whom we know from our mom's group, so we watched the parade along with them.

We had a barbeque in the afternoon and David made some awesome ribs and tri-tip in the smoker. Yummy!! They were "fall off the bone" tender. Of course, we had a good view of the fireworks from our deck and did watch a few of them before Alex went to sleep for the night. All in all, it was a great day. Hope yours was too. Happy Belated Birthday to Uncle Brant too---sounds like you guys had a good day as well.

Cutie Cousins!

Alex is 4 1/2 months old and Landen was about 4 1/2 months old in this photo.

It is the same baby sleeper on the both of them. Can you see the family resemblance?

Squeals of Joy!