Alek's Cage

Since Alek started crawling in December, he has been into everything. He loves to get into cabinets and drawers and pull everything out. I've had to put latches on some cabinets and then reorganize some of my drawers so that he can still get into them and play, but nothing in there will hurt him. All the doors have to be shut, especially to the bathrooms since he is fascinated with the bathtub and this week with the toilet and toilet paper. He will pull himself up all the time and take off walking, which is great but I have to make sure I'm right there just in case he falls. He's very busy and some days I'm very exhausted after following him around. So, I found this "cage" that you can make into different shapes or fence off a part of a room to keep your child contained and I thought it would be perfect for Alek. My parents were so nice and bought it for us and it has been heaven. He doesn't always like to be in there playing with his toys, but at least it keeps him contained if I need to take a shower or something. He has a lot of toys in there and enough room to crawl or walk around. It's also great when I'm playing with him because he's not trying to pull himself up on the table with sharp corners or climb up the stairs. The only problem with the cage is that Alek has already tried to climb up it. I guess it's only a matter of time before he escapes, but at least for now, he can't get out and I can get something done.

Another New Addition

My sister Desi and her husband Ryan, had their third child, Asher Rey on January 22, 2009. He weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. He is a beautiful baby boy and were so happy for them. Alek loves his new cousin and Addie is so excited about her new brother, even though he doesn't have red hair. It's going to be so much fun with 3 little boys that are fairly close in age. Alek is the oldest, but will probably end up being the shortest. Congratulations Desi and Ryan, I can't wait to see Asher again so I can hold him and kiss him.

Alek kissing his new cousin.

Addie and her brother. She loves to hold him and can't wait until she can stand up and hold him.

Asher yawning. He certainly has Desi and Addie's mouth.

Asher and Ryker. They are 2 weeks apart, but appear to be more like 2 months.

I Love My Bath!

Hello? Using his washrag as a phone to call Daddy.

Peek-a-Boo!

Alek is developing quite the personality. He has a bit of a temper and I have no idea where he gets it from. Rafal says it's definitely from me and if you know me well, I'm sure you'll agree. It must be the red hair. He makes it very clear what he likes and does not like. He's started throwing his body back if he's mad and throwing a little fit. Well, that doesn't work with mommy or daddy, but he still tries it at times, especially when it's time to get dressed. He would rather be naked and so it's no surprise that his favorite thing right now is to take a bath. After breakfast, I ask him where his bath is and he walks into the bathroom and holds onto the side of the tub while I start the water. He bouces up and down with excitement because he knows that he gets to play in the water. We get his lotion and clothes and everything needed and then the diaper comes off and I always say, "Who's that cute little naked boy?" He looks in the mirror and smiles, then I put him in the bath. He always gets washed first, then plays until the water is no longer warm. He sucks on the washrag or drinks out of his cup and crawls all around. Sometimes he even rolls over in the water and is always trying to stand up. He's fascinated with the lever for the shower and the drain. He usually takes a 10-15 minute bath and if he had the choice, he would stay in there all day. I have to drain all of the water before I can take him out willingly. I tried a couple of times to take him out before the water was gone and he was not happy. After that, the fun is over because he has to get dressed. Oh well, at least he gets to start his day out with a fun bath.

10 Months and Almost Walking

Alek is officially 10 months, but we just went to his 9 month check up this week. Since we had been to the doctor's office so frequently (4 times in 2 months) they wanted us to reschedule his appointment until after the holidays. He now weighs 21 pounds 5 ounces, is 29 1/2 inches tall, and has a head circumference of 46 centimeters. He is in the 50th percentile for weight, the 75th percentile for height (Yeah, he may not always be a shorty), and the 60th percentile for head circumference. He had to have his iron tested as well as 2 shots. He didn't cry for any of them. I was so surprised. He usually cries for a few seconds, but this time he didn't even make a sound. What a tough little guy. Alek is crawling, pulling himself up on everything, climbing up the stairs, and even taking steps on his own. He took 10 steps by himself the other day. He's getting so brave that he'll pull himself up on something and then let go and start walking on his own. It is making us (mostly me) so nervous and we have to make sure we're right there to catch him if he falls, but he is doing great and we're so proud. He is so busy and now so mobile, it's hard to keep up with him. He's eating 3 meals a day, although with his ear infections and his teeth trying to come in, he's not too interested in eating sometimes. We have to be creative and entertaining to get him to take more than a couple of bites. He does however want to try anything and everything that we are eating. He's taking 2 good naps a day and is usually a happy little guy. He's still not sleeping through the night, but I think that is partly my fault. When I told the doctor that he was still waking up about 3 times a night, he said that I need to practice some tough love and let him cry it out. I am such a pushover when it comes to my little Alek, and Rafal is even worse, that we always get him up when he cries. Sometimes he wants to eat and other times he just wants to sleep with Rafal and I. He loves to snuggle with us when it's bedtime or naptime. All other times of the day, he's too busy playing to take time and snuggle, so we take it when we can get it. I guess we'll have to try out the tought love and see what happens. My doctor said that Alek knows that we'll come to him immediately, so he continues to do it. We've trained him well I guess. We are having so much fun with him and are loving all the new things he can do.

New Addition

My brother Willy and his wife Jen had a baby on Wednesday, January 7, 2009. His name is Ryker. He weighed 9 pounds 10 ounces and was 21 inches long. When my family heard how big he was, we couldn't believe it. Jen is so small and it's amazing that she was able to carry such a big baby. Luckily they took him C-Section because I can't imagine that she would have been able to push him out. He is so cute and sweet. He has a lot of hair and it looks strawberry blonde and brown. He's such a chub that his newborn outfits are only going to fit him for a couple of weeks. Alek loves Ryker and was giving him nice wet kisses on the top of his head. I'm so excited because I'll be watching Ryker when Jen goes back to work and I know that he and Alek are going to be such great friends.
Congratulations Willy and Jen, we are all so happy for you.

Christmas

Opening his first Christmas present from Grandma and Grandpa on Christmas Eve.

He loves his new train, especially because there are 3 balls that spin around inside.

Addie helping Alek play with his zoo. She's so good at letting him share his toys with her.

Opening his first present from Santa on Christmas Day.

He loves to push his truck all around the house. He can pull himself up and go. The thing he still needs to learn is how to turn around once he runs into the wall.

He got a basketball hoop and is pretty good at throwing the ball and
can sometimes even make a basket. He usually always throws with his left hand.

Having a snack with Sadie. He was so happy to sit at the

table like a big boy.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I know I'm late in wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, but the last 3 weeks have been crazy. On December 17, we flew to Chicago to see Rafal's family and introduce them to Alek. It had been 2 years since we had seen his family and they had yet to meet Alek in person. We wanted to surprise them, so we booked our flight and hotel and then showed up on their doorstep. Alek was asleep and when they opened the door they were so surprised that it woke Alek up and he started crying and screaming. Rafal's mom got him out of his carseat quickly and then held onto him for the rest of the night. It didn't take long for Alek to love his aunts and grandma and grandpa. He never had a moment during the whole trip where someone wasn't holding him, playing with him, walking with him, or feeding him. We had a wonderful time seeing Rafal's family and we were sad to go home. We will miss them and hope they will come and visit us soon. The only thing that we will not miss are the freezing temperatures we left behind. It was so cold that on our flight home, the door to our plane froze shut and maintainence had to come and open it for us. Luckily we made it home because on Monday, most of the flights were cancelled or delayed. Alek did really well on our flight to Chicago and slept most of the way. It was a direct flight and was only a little over 2 hours. Our flight home had a layover in Minneapolis and we were running from gate C to gate F so we could make our connection. Our flight was slightly delayed, so we made it with time to spare. Alek was so tired and I thought that he would fall asleep when we took off, but instead he cried and screamed and was one unhappy little guy. I thought it was going to be the longest flight of my life, but finally he went to sleep. I'm sure everyone on the plane was as grateful as Rafal and I were.

We spent Christmas with my family and had a wonderful time. Alek loved his new toys that he got from grandma, grandpa, and Santa. I thought he would love opening presents because he loves to rip paper and make a mess, but he kept getting distracted with everything going on so we had to help him. He got a toy zoo that sings, a train that moves and has little balls in it, a basketball hoop, and a truck that he can stand up and push or ride on. I'm so glad that now he has some new toys to play with since he was getting quite bored with his other toys. He loves to push his truck around and will let go and stand on his own. Since he has learned to crawl and pull himself up on everything, he will stand on his own but is more hesitant now to take steps on his own. Sometimes when he tries, he gets so excited that he loses his balance immediately. He is definitely very busy and I have to keep a careful eye on him. All the doors are now closed as he loves to get into the cupboards and pull everything out. He also loves the stairs and has mastered climbing them all by himself. Of course, I still have to be right behind him just in case. By nap time, I'm also ready for a nap. He is one busy busy boy.

For New Year's we had my sister Desi and her girls Addie and Sadie over for dinner. My parents also came over and we had fun playing and talking. After Desi left, Rafal and I started watching Eagle Eye, but by 10:00 I was so tired. I went to bed and he stayed up and finished the movie. At midnight he woke me up and gave me a kiss and then I went back to sleep.

I will post pictures once Rafal puts his office back together and I'm on my computer instead of his. Hopefully I will be able to get back to blogging more often if I ever get my laundry done. I now have a new dryer that works, so hopefully I can get caught up.