Boeing 777 Wing Ultimate Load Test

This has nothing to do with Alec. It is just a really cool test that Boeing does on their new airplanes. If you have any fears of flying this might help.

Weekend

We had a great weekend. We started off Friday evening at the Sabin's for pizza. Saturday morning Alec and I bottled 24 bottles of Red Zinfandel wine while Lindsay got a pedicure. In the early afternoon we went to Garrett Dowden's 3rd birthday party on a boat that took us on a tour of Lake Union. We had cupcakes and ice cream and enjoyed the Seattle scenery. Alec even tried some frosting. At first he had a confused expression but soon he was pulling my hand toward his mouth wanting more.

After that party we headed over to West Seattle to attend an open house at Lindsay's senior manager's house. They had recently remodeled a beautiful home with a view of the Puget Sound. The house was built in the early 30s and was decorated in a style that matched the period and our taste. I certainly had quite a bit of appreciation for the level of effort and detail that went into the remodel.

We ended the day at a BBQ at Lindsay's manager's home. We had a great time in their backyard sitting around the fire. It was nice to get to know some of Lindsay's co-workers a bit better.

We spent Sunday at home. I've been wanting to build a woodshed onto the back of the garage so I spent a few hours working on that and them my parents came over for a visit in the afternoon.

Alec has been experimenting with his voice quite a bit lately. Lindsay and I watch and listen certain we hear him say "Dada" or "Mama". We find ourselves more entertained by him than anything else these days.

Roman Joseph Walbrun

My little nephew is due anytime! We can't wait! Lindsay and I anticipate the call - even though Mr. Roman has yet to show any signs he is ready to enter the world. I'm sure he will arrive when he is good and ready, or when the Dr. decides he is good and ready. Keith has created a blog for Roman which I am certain will be extremely creative and interesting given the excess of creative talent in that household. Check out the custom alphabet cards Keith created for Roman's room!

House

Over the last few weeks we've been discussing how well our house is going to suit our future. The house is great and we love our neighborhood but we have concerns about Seattle schools and we could use just a little more space. We consulted a Realtor to get an idea of how much we could sell our home for and it was ultimately not enough to justify leaving. We've decided to stay and re-evaluate the situation when Alec is closer to attending school. In the mean time we are looking at making some more home improvements. We don't want to dump a bunch more money into the house and we are trying to be smart about what we think we could recover in a future sale. We are considering turning the basement space into a master bedroom and 3/4 bath. That would free up our bedroom to be a guest room/office.

Bing bong bang...

When I was a kid I remember wathching a show called Boomerang. It was a local kids television program hosted by Marnie Nixion. I've had the theme song

stuck in my head all day!

Eyes

Alec seems to be feeling better today. He almost slept through the night, only waking once. I think he's just testing the dedication of his parents. I'm certain I'll catch him with a stopwatch one night "33 seconds, not bad! That's a 2 second improvement over last night." I transferred him from his crib to his swing he turned his head and went right back to sleep. I walked into his room this morning to check on him before I left for work fully expecting he would be sound asleep. It was as if he was waiting for me. Two BIG blue eyes and a ready smile. Not a bad way to start the day. After changing his diaper I took him in to cuddle with his mom until she got up to get ready for work and feed him.

Peas

The poor little guy has a cold. He was up several times last night because he could not breathe through his nose. Lindsay said he seems better today. Interesting how he can be perfectly fine and happy after a long sleepless night while mom and dad are haggard and incoherent. We fed him peas last night. I was his first time eating something that was not mushy. I read that it is good for his hand-eye coordination to pick up peas. He was mostly interested in smashing them but he did manage to get a couple in his mouth. By the grimace on his face and the wrinkling of his brow we determined they are not his favorite solid food. I think chopped bananas will be next. No big plans for the weekend. Sunday we get to see Keith and Natalie. Just a little over a week until Roman's due date. I can't wait!!!

Marching Ants

Alec continues to be mesmerized by "The Ants Go Marching" song. Whenever he gets a bit fussy if we sing the song he stops and listens. No other song we've found works as well.

3.5 Month Update

He is growing up so fast! I really can't believe how much can happen in less than 4 months. Alec is now talking up a storm. He is very interactive and responds to our goofy new parent goading. He seems to have a little quirky personality. He often puts his thumb between his first and second finger like when an adult pretends to steal a child's nose. He makes lots of interesting sounds as he experiments with his voice and seems to enjoy having "conversations" with us. This last week his Grandma Kathy (my mom) stated caring for him during the day. Lindsay is working 4 day weeks with Fridays off. He will receive much love and care from my mom but it is still hard to leave him.

Alec at 3 Months

Alec in Lake Oswego

Alec in his Activity Gym

A short video of Alec playing in his Activity Gym

Two Months old!

It's been over two months since I posted to this blog. Everything people tell you about having a child is true. The first weeks are tough and draining but one smile from the little guy makes it worth every difficult minute. We were very fortunate to have friends and family who visited with food and meals. Especially appreciated were the sanity saving overnight stays. There could not have been a better gift than a full night's sleep at that point. Alec is now two months old and doing really well! Yesterday we took him to his 8 week checkup. His weight was 10 pounds 14 ounces and I can't remember his length - maybe 22". He is in the 40Th percentile for weight and 10Th percentile for length. His pediatrician said not to worry about the percentiles. He has grown well within expectations and is very healthy. He also received his two month immunizations; DTaP, Hib, Hep B and Prevnar. They gave him a total of three shots in his thighs. He was a trooper and just cried at the initial poke and calmed really quickly. It was much more traumatic for Lindsay and I.
He's starting to become really alert. He knows Lindsay's voice and often responds with a big smile and coo. As all babies his age he is really interested in light and distinct contrasts of color. He's addicted to his rocker he likes to raise up like he's in a roller coaster ride (whee!). He also sleeps there quite often which is a habit his pediatrician suggested we break. He still has occasional fussy times between feedings but they have been diminishing. His eyes are more blue every day and his hair lighter. He loves watching his mobile and we usually lay him in his crib after a changing for some "mobile time" He stares, coos and "talks" to the spinning cars. Over the last week he has started to sleep longer at night. He's had multiple nights of 4 to 7 hours of sleep. We've taken him for walks in his stroller and Bjorn. He likes the motion of the stroller and the closeness of the Bjorn. Today is a beautiful day in Seattle and Lindsay is going to take him for a walk in Greenwood. This weekend should be really nice too and I am hoping to get him outside quite a bit. Maybe he can help me do some weeding. Sunday is Easter and we are going to my parents in Snohomish. Alec will wear his special Easter outfit from Leigh and Claudia and is certain to be a hit with his grandparents and Keith and Natalie.

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Lindsay in her final week

Date

We had our last evening out together as non-parents tonight. We had a nice dinner at Ray's Cafe courtesy of Lindsay's mom. She sent us a Ray's gift card for our anniversary. It was an early night though. We were home by 8!

Lindsay's Cards

Lindsay made some "Alec" cards. They turned out really great! Here are a couple of our favorites.

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