Sidewinding???

So Alder hit 10 months old yesterday. And yes, it is proving true that no milestones are trivial.

(sorry but the side part pics are the best)

At ten months most kids are "crawling," an activity that we are well aware not to consider a "developmental milestone." But Alder is not, at least not the way we crawl - on hands and knees. We have been plopping him on hands and knees for a couple of weeks now to make sure he's not overlooking this possibility. He just continues to wallow about and slide and roll to get where he wants.

But it was in the past couple of days here that he seemed to have discovered his way to move. Or, at least the fastest way yet. We shall see if some other way follows. This called for taking some time and figuring out the video stuff...

We welcome comments here from anyone who has stories of kids moving in similarly unique ways.

Trip to Alabama, etc.

Jason and I are getting geared up for our garden this spring. We have a very shaded yard, but Jason is working to carve out the sunniest spot next to our driveway for a pretty good-sized garden - 80 sq ft! We have started some greens, tomatoes, broccoli, eggplant, etc. from seeds and this is what they looked like a week ago - now all are up and getting tall!

This week is spring break so we headed to see my parents and sister this past weekend in AL. Here is Alder on the airplane with one of his favorite toys - barn swallow. It is so fun to watch him coo and talk to his two favorite toys, this one and his stuffed mallard. No, we have not forced him to like these two bird toys. It is simply coincidence.


As usual, we had a super time and really enjoyed the warm weather. Alder specifically enjoyed having some QT with Granna and Grandad while we went for an afternoon hike with my sister. He also liked bathing in the kitchen sink....


Yes, he is the first grandSON and therefore has to deal with some pink stuff, but that's ok - he will also likely play with dolls and wear princess outfits with his cousins - all well and good.

A whole new set of toys is always a treat - my mom has kept lots of toys from when my sister was a baby. It is neat to see retro toys for a change. Yes Elizabeth, your toys are retro, even though you are only 16! Despite the enticing variety of new toys, it's often the simplest things that tend to make him happy, like the plastic string coming from the toy phone...

Oh yeah and we offered another new food - peanut butter on bread!! He has been turning his nose up at his supposed favorite spoon-fed foods lately, but really enjoyed chowing down on this today.

What a big boy! That is what I am thinking these days. I peeked in on him napping today and he was even sleeping like a big boy.

Bummer Birthday Weekend

Jason and I have been feeling a bit under the weather this past week, but nothing too crazy...until I woke up on Saturday - my 30th birthday - to a 104 fever! Uuugh. The FLU. How ironic is that the first year I get a flu shot is the first time I get it. I have pity for anyone with or who has had the flu - except for the rotten student that handed me a paper laced with the wicked virus. I am feeling better now - about 75%, but still keeping my distance from husband and child which has been very difficult. Jason has been amazing. While I was in bed all day, he took care of Alder like a pro. Alder is lucky to have such a wonderful dad - that not only deals with situations like this well, but seemed to enjoy the extra quality time. I laid in bed through periods of slumber and chills listening to them playing and laughing and was jealous when they went outside to enjoy the sunshine. We are now just keeping our fingers crossed that Alder and Jason do not get this retched flu! We are being extra cautious to say the least - which has included my wearing a face mask while nursing (sorry no photo of this!)

Alright, enough 'woe is me' because most of you read this blog not to hear about me, but want to hear about how and what Alder is doing these days, right?

Well, he is doing a little bit of this...

and a little bit of that...

and trying out a new food - I likely do not have to tell you what this one is....

And, no he is still not crawling, but we are practicing getting him up on all fours throughout the day and he is getting more comfortable in this position. In the meantime, though, he is perfectly capable of working hard to get an object out of reach as these pics display his typical back-arching strategy. We have tried to convince him that the exact opposite strategy would prove fruitful, but he is pretty fond of this maneuver and he is somehow able to inch closer to the object at hand.