End of summer...

Yesterday, Pat started back to school, his second to last semester! It is hard to believe that the summer is over. Where did the time go?

Ocean City, MD

Thanks to Expedia.com, we inexpensively took Alex down for his first active beach vacation. We stayed at 24th street and immediately checked in and went down to the beach. Once on the beach, Alex tried to throw sand but thankfully that was a one time no no lesson. We got our space set up and went down to the water. Alex really loved the water, even though it was a bit chilly. He would laugh when it came up and dance when it left. I don't believe he went under at all but we got a few wet faces from unintentional splashes.

After the water, we tried to warm up quickly and then play in the sand. Alex really enjoyed his sale CVS items (shovel, pail, rake, scoop, sieve, and molds); in fact, so did Daddy. Once the sand got a little old, we played with other CVS toys (bubble wands) until Alex dumped the last of the bubble solution.

3 hours later, we headed back to the room for showers and clean clothes. Phillips was our buffet destination where Alex LOVED the french fries and saying Hi to everyone who walked past. To off set the dinner, we did a bit of walking on the board walk.

That night, Alex slept like crap. He did not want to go to sleep and let everyone know it. After 2 hours of sleep he woke up and climbed into the spare bed with me. An hour later, he fell onto the floor. Oopps! Finally we just let him run for 2 hours, after barricading the porch door. Finally at 4am, we put him the pack 'n' play to stay 'til 7am.

After that lovely night, Alex and I went down to the beach while Daddy went for donuts. At the beach, Alex was content chasing the sea gulls and just walking along the edge of the water. Once we got food, Alex loved sharing his donut with the birdies. Of course this was after he was full. After breakfast we played in the Ocean and on the beach for the last time in 2007.

We went back to the hotel to clean and pack up. We walked around a bit to wear Alex out and left Ocean City around 11am. After a Wendy's lunch, we hit the highway and Alex did not fall asleep until the half way point between Dover and Wilmington. Thankfully he slept once we got home 'til 3pm. That night, Alex slept from 7:45 PM to 8am Saturday morning.

Overall, it was a nice vacation!

Cleaning the Apartment

While Alex was at Tara's, yesterday, Pat and I decided to deep clean the apartment. Pat rented a carpet cleaner from GIANT and spent the morning wet vacuuming the carpet. It was REALLY disgusting but well worth the effort. While Pat was vacuuming, I cleaned Alex's highchair, the cupboards, the oven, and blinds. It was a dirty morning but we are glad we did it. Hopefully it will pay off with less colds and allergies this school year.

August 18th-20th

Besides the updated pictures on the webpage, these were pictures that we selected from our family portrait.

Other than picking pictures, Alex hung out with the Abuelos while I went to a Bridal shower for Janice Beall. During this time, Alex stepped in tar and had to get new shoes and pants.

Alex also got to visit with all the Great-Grandparents on Saturday and Sunday. He also wanted EVERYONE to see Copper. He would pull everyone's hand out to Copper's Box. He would then chase Copper around the house and then scream at him, PUPPY and NITE NITE! It brought a lot of great smiles :)

On Monday, Alex helped out at the Market. He would carry everything around and stack it in new places. In the afternoon, Abuela, Alex and I visited Boyd's Bear. We ran through all 4 floors and Alex liked checking out the displays. Towards the end, I went shopping and Abuela and Alex checked out the statues. When I found them, Abuela was holding on to Alex by his shirt. Both were a tad tired.

Time at Fairfield

This weekend has been busy!

After arriving safely on Friday nite, Saturday morning we visited Mammaw and I got my grading done. Then in the afternoon, we ran some errands and went to Erin Overholtzer-Rose's wedding reception. Alex had a blast! There were bubbles, kids to play with and dancing. Shannon Long also had her daughter there, Olivia (3 weeks). Alex was VERY jealous when I help Olivia. But kept trying to feed her his supper. He was a very busy boy!

On Sunday, Alex had an active morning of chasing Copper and then getting his picture taken with the family. After being VERY good, he got to jump in the pool with the Abuelos. Later that evening, we helped celebrate Uncle Steve's 50th Birthday. Alex got to see a lot of family and meet the newest member, Dawson Mickey (1 week old).

Monday and Tuesday were a bit calmer. Alex got to see visit Abuela's friend Sarah and Magnee, chase Copper, play in the pool and Carroll Valley Park, and eat LOTS of peaches.

As soon as Temple's Server is up, the website should be updated with the new pictures :)

End of the Week

This week has been busy :)

On Monday we had visits from Laura Nelson and her puppies (that Alex LOVED!!!), and Liz and Joe.

Then Mommy was able to scrapbook while Alex was at Tara's. Thankfully the rota virus ended Tuesday....who knew solid poop could be soo exciting ;)

On Thursday we went to see Mimi who had a minor operation. Alex loved playing with Mimi's fan and checking everything out. Thankfully everything went well with the surgery

Today, Alex's last I tooth broke through. So here ends the cranky slobbering baby for a bit! (hopefully!)

We also heard from Pat's brother, John...he proposed to Michelle last nite and they are going to try for an '08 wedding.

Also Alex has been more talkative and playful since his surgery. His attention span has even lengthened from 5 seconds to maybe 10 ;) He now enjoys watching TV and playing in the bathtub again.

The webpage has been updated with random but cute pictures :)

We're off to Fairfield this weekend for lots of things. There should be new material to put up when we get back :)

rotavirus

Alex still has diarrhea but thankfully is not vomiting and is well hydrated. It just makes for a lot of laundry :)

Other than that, it is amazing how much difference the ear tubes make in Alex's disposition. At the moment he is engrossed and dancing to Sesame Street. He has not watched TV since he was little. Now we wonder if he could not hear it. He is also more likely to give hugs and kisses :)

Update 8-3

The balloon magic held, even after a night of vomitting. Thankfully he woke up happy and healthy this morning (we hope!). The fun times of the Toddler Years :)

Oh, the webpage was updated with more balloon pictures! Feel free to check it out (psst....there's a link at the bottom of the page).

balloons

Today Alex received balloons from the Abuelos. They came during his nap and when he woke up...it was play time. He absolutely LOVED them! He ran around the apartment hitting the things yelling "WOW". Then he realized he could drag them around without hitting them. So he drug the balloons everywhere, amazed that they were following. The next trick was hiding in the balloons. This took Peek-A-Boo to the next level. Who knew balloons could be this much fun!

Other news: Alex's webpage was updated with the Knoebel's trip pictures and a few pictures from DuPont. Enjoy! :)

The day after...

So we have found out that Alex does NOT do well with anesethsia. The vomitting ended in the car but that brought out diarrhea and terrible diaper rash. This woke him up several times through out the nite.

Thankfully the day after was A LOT better. He seems to be back to his normal self (Thank God!) :)

Happy 16 m Birthday!

On Alex's big 16 month birthday, he got his ear tubes (aren't we giving parents?). He did great going into the hospital and waiting and we were told he did great through surgery (his right ear was still infected). After waking up he was an absolute bear, which is what we were told to expect. He cried for a very long time and then got sick from the anesthesia. So at the moment, he is a little cranky and fighting a nap. But thankfully the tubes are in and ear infections will be a thing of the past.

Happy 16m! :)