All About Alex

It seems like all I did was take pictures of Alex over the weekend, but the little guy is just so cute! I can't believe he's already 8 months old.

If you look closely by the left finger, you can see the first tooth. I expect the second to make its debut today since Alex was awake screaming at 4:30 this morning in obvious pain.

He loves to stand at every opportunity right now. We're working on the balance, as you can probably tell by that little tongue sticking out.

Alex is still trying to be friends with Ben and is slowly winning him over. I put new batteries in this dancing turtle yesterday (one of Ben's old favorites) and played it for Alex. Ben wandered in and would press the button over and over but still chose to sit a few feet away.

I've introduced Alex to a sippy cup which he seems to like, but more as a teether. He did have a great time at the pool yesterday afternoon and relaxed in his float for half an hour. He is definitely my son!

Had to get a few nudie shots after the pool because that belly and those thighs are just so adorable.


This morning Alex was going crazy sitting behind Ben's chair because he couldn't see Elmo. I do it intentionally because I don't think Alex needs to be watching TV just yet but he loves Elmo as much as Ben, so I fixed the problem. Both boys were happy!

And I can't have a post without some Ben pictures as well. He keeps getting out of bed and going to his door, sometimes even sleeping on the floor there. I can't imagine why he'd leave a bed so full of friends! Good thing he has a full size and not a twin or else there may not be room for him.

Ben spent nearly 2 hours in the pool yesterday and we still had to drag him out for dinner. His favorite new activity was dumping water on Daddy's head.
If we do move to a house without access to a pool we're really going to miss it! We keep going back and forth on the merits of a yard versus a pool. With two growing boys I think I would enjoy having a yard where they can run straight out of the house and play and I don't have to worry about chasing after them. And we'll just visit friends in condos on the weekends!

All My Boys

What good looking guys! I'm very fortunate to get to live with such fun, handsome men.

Ben's latest obsession is one of the best toys he could have gotten - a combination Caterpillar digger AND flashlight! Two of his favorite things in one cool toy. Thanks, Scott and Lou Anne!

Even better, it has a nice night-light on the bottom that makes the toilet glow a brilliant green. Who knew that could be so fascinating??

The kids took their first bath together over the weekend. I finally started bathing Alex in the tub and Ben had to get in as well. The tubs here are really a pain for bathing kids because they're small, have very high sides, and have about 6 inches of tile to lean over. I either end up balanced on my stomach or perched uncomfortably on the side of the tub so I waited as long as possible to let Alex get in but he loves it. Ben enjoyed it enough that he asked to take a bath with Alex again last night, only Alex pooped about 10 seconds after he got in so tonight Ben wanted his own bath!

We went to a birthday party yesterday for Ben's friend Jackson at East Coast Park. Sadly, this is what a natural beach looks like here - big, rocky sand, no waves, and huge ships docked offshore (Singapore has one of the busiest ports in the world). That didn't bother Ben one bit because he had a shovel and a water gun. What more could a little boy want?

I love watching Ben interact with other kids. He occasionally talks and plays with the ones who catch his attention, but for the most part he still loves to play right next to another kid without saying a word.

He absolutely loved the cake, almost more than he enjoyed singing "happy birthday" at the top of his lungs. They must have a lot of birthday parties at school because Ben has his own little dance (no surprise there) and can sing the song much better than I realized.

We've started looking for a new residence here in Singapore. Exactly two years ago this week Matt and I were over here on a whirlwind trip taking in everything and finding a condo in 2 days. This time we're a bit more prepared, having been here long enough to know the areas, and have much more time to view properties so we're hoping to find a nice house to spend our next 2 years. I can't believe we're almost at the halfway point for our assignment already!

A Big Week

A lot has changed in 7 days for Mr. Alex. He is finally rolling back to front, has cut his first teeth, and pulled up to standing for the first time today. Wow! Alex just showed interest in pulling up for the first time last week after an activity we did at gymnastics and I guess he suddenly realized he could try to do it on his own. I left him sitting up in his crib playing with toys for just a second and when I walked back in the room he was calmly standing at the edge of his crib. It was still on the middle height setting so his head was several inches over the railing. I freaked and Alex was surprised, let go, and bumped his head. As soon as I lowered the crib to a much safer level, I let him try again (with a little help this time since he can't reach the rails) and he's loving it. He has a little bump on his right brow but that's not too bad for such an exciting week. I'm really happy that his two bottom teeth have finally appeared because I'm hoping we'll get a little break from the teething for, oh, a week or so until the tops ones come in. It's almost impossible to get a good look in his mouth so I don't know how close those are yet.

Here's the big guy looking so proud of himself.



And here's a look at the rolling (with a little look at Ben, who didn't want to be left out!)

Mr. Independent

I think the most commonly heard phrase around our house now (besides "no") is "let Ben do it!". He wants to do everything himself. Some things I encourage, like eating or dressing himself, but other things I'd rather him wait to learn, like using saline nose spray or turning on the lights. I can't believe how fast my little Ben is growing up.

Ben apparently thought Alex needed more toys. I think Alex was a bit overwhelmed but he stayed happy in that spot for almost an hour so maybe I should dump out the toy basket every day and let him go crazy.

This is Alex's preferred stroller position this week. I'm not sure if he's trying to reach his toes (which he just discovered will fit in his mouth but spring back the second he lets go) or if he likes looking down at the floor. He has recently discovered the joys of throwing toys off his highchair just to watch them fall.

He's also trying to pull up to standing and the stroller is the best place to do it at the moment.

Here's Ben saying the blessing at lunch today. I'll translate - "God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for our food. Amen!" or something along those lines...

These little guys are so much fun. I can't remember what life was like without them. I imagine we slept a lot more but we couldn't have laughed as much on a daily basis.

Funny Boys

We haven't done much exciting lately but that hasn't stopped the boys from making their own fun. Ben loves to paint these days but stopped in the middle of his masterpiece to wear a baggie on his head. It actually goes to his little portable potty that is to be used in emergencies when we're outside, but it's still unused meaning we've had some serious accidents. Mostly involving pee, which is easy to clean up and only involves changing clothes. Unfortunately, the only accident that happened outside the complex here was a big job and it was no fun trying to clean Ben up in the bathroom at a hawker stand. Ben is doing a great job of peeing in the toilet but we're still working on the other....hasn't happened in the potty yet and I need to be more careful about taking him out without a diaper!

Alex is into everything he can get his hands on. He had a great time tearing up my magazine, which are considered luxury items around here since they're ridiculously expensive. I only treat myself to one once in a blue moon or whenever there is a big story in People that I've heard nothing about. Gotta stay current on my celebrity gossip somehow.

This guy LOVES to eat! I'm still having trouble getting him to sleep through the night (I consider it 7pm-7am or thereabouts) without eating. I'm slowly dropping the late feed before I go to bed but Alex insists on waking up between 5-6am most days and usually stays awake after he eats. In my opinion, if it's still dark outside there is no reason to be awake! That's easy to say here because it gets light consistently around 7am and dark around 7pm year round.

Alex loves eating cereal but still can't get the hang of feeding himself so he appreciates some help here and there.

The boys and I spent the afternoon at the botanic garden yesterday only to get caught in a thunderstorm as soon as we got there. Ben could have cared less because we stopped and ate french fries and he got to color while we waited.

And this is their first game together - push little brother around in the walker! They both seem to enjoy it although Alex gets a little scared when Ben goes to fast or runs straight into something. It reminds me that one day they'll entertain each other and I might get some free time again!

Matt and I spent our Valentine's evening with some good friends over dinner and a wine tasting. We all moved here from Houston so it's fun to share the experience of living in Asia with people who understand how much we miss Freebirds, HEB, and Bud light!

All the ladies...

Videos

Here's Alex in real time. He's quite the laugher these days and loves to play peekaboo. We seem to have made it past the worst of the teething, for now anyway, so our good-natured smiling boy has returned. He is an absolute joy.

And this is as far as I can get him to roll. I have no doubt that he's physically capable of rolling all the way but I haven't found enough incentive yet. He happened to be in the middle of an outfit change when I took the video and I love seeing his fat belly!

Maybe if I start putting food just out of reach he'll be more willing to roll. He's figured out how to get the cereal in his mouth now, which is a huge bonus for me because he's happy sit in his high chair and nibble on cereal while Ben takes his sweet time picking at his food. It's pretty obvious which kid eats like Mom (I took hours to finish my dinner as a kid) and which one takes after Dad (who can swallow his entire dinner in about 3 bites).

Ben just amazes me with the things he says and does every day. His imagination is working full-time now. I saw him put a toy truck upside down on the couch the other day and asked what he was doing and he told me to be quiet because the truck was sleeping. Two nights ago he wrapped his foot in his washcloth after bathtime and told me it was a "foot present". Interesting...and cute enough for a picture. He did the same thing last night and then told me to go get the camera!

Here is the video I was told to make. Nothing like having a 2-year old barking orders! At the end, he says "wrap it tight!". I have no clue where he gets these ideas but he never fails to surprise me or make me laugh.

Latest Adventures

It seems like we've gotten really busy again, which is very nice because it means life is getting back to normal - both from having a second child and from being gone nearly 2 months. Alex no longer eats overnight and now naps pretty reliably twice, sometimes 3 times a day. That has really helped me make plans and get involved doing things outside the house again so I feel like I'm getting a life again. It's nice knowing I can take both kids to an afternoon playdate and not be depriving anyone of a nap. And it's fun to get out with Ben while Alex takes his morning nap and know I'm not missing out on any time with him.

We have enrolled Ben in the Little Gym to help him run off some excess energy and hopefully build up his coordination. He's been so fortunate never to need physical therapy after being in the hospital for so long as a newborn but I won't say he's the most coordinated kid I've ever seen. After two sessions, he LOVES gymnastics. It's also a fun activity he can do with Daddy since his class is on Saturday. In the picture below, most of the kids are doing the activity on the mat and Ben is the blur on the left on the little parallel bars.

Check out our little man in his undies! Potty training is still going with good and bad days but we're definitely making progress. We had no accidents today so I'm very encouraged. I'm not above bribery with jelly beans or M&M's and just the mention of candy can send him running to the bathroom.

I was trying to get a "before" picture of Alex with his first teething biscuit but the big ham had to get in the picture, too.

Alex wasted no time gumming that thing down to crumbs. He has been pretty miserable with the teething (at least I think that's what it has been) over the past week so I'm hoping to see some teeth poking through any day now so we can all get a little relief. At least the biscuits make him really happy!

Another attempt to get a cute picture of both boys....this didn't seem to work out....on the left is Whiney and on the right is Grouchy.

But this one came out pretty cute! When did his legs get so long?