He speaks again!

AJ has said his second word, ball. This time it was with recognition, he knew what he was saying! And of course, since we praised him so much, he says it all the time now! We also think he is on the verge of saying dog, but one never knows for sure. Another thing he found out he could do this week is crawl UP the stairs. He can go all the way to the top pretty quickly (of course mom is always standing right behine him in case he needs any help). He thinks he is king of the world now. He has also started "reading" to himself. He will pick up one of his books (upside down mind you) and start jabbering away as he turns the pages, it's just adorable! We are also taking swimming lessons every Tuesday night and AJ seems to be having a pretty good time (although I think mom's having more fun)! He likes to splash and float on his belly and he is even starting to kick a little and getting more and more comfortable on his back. And he loves the toys! Another big moment this week was, he learned So Big. It's really cute and he gets quite a kick out of it. Seems like he is learning something new everyday.

He is just growing up so fast, I don't know where the time has gone. He will be 1 year next Friday and it feels as if we just found out we were pregnant! He has been such a joy, it has be an amazing year. We ask ourselves every day what we did without him. We are so blessed that he has not had many health problems, or last not any serious health problems. And that he is a happy kid. We just hope we get as lucky with the next one;)

I will post again in a couple of weeks, after we have the big party so everyone can see him covered in cake!!

He speaks!

AJ has said his first word... Uh Oh (not sure if that really counts for a word, but we'll take it)! He was sitting in his highchair last week and I dropped something and said, "Uh Oh" and he repeated it. And now he says it all the time. He doesn't use it in the right context, but he is using it. We think he is saying Ma and Da too, but he uses those all the time too. And we have heard a boo a few times when he picks up his books, so that could be another one.

It's amazing how fast he can get around just by crawling. He has also been pulling himself up on things for a while, but is now starting to "walk" around while doing it. I am sure he will be walking soon (not sure mom is ready for that)! He is getting to be such an independent little boy and it makes me really sad! What happened to my little baby who needed me all the time. Oh well, we are just on to another phase of his life and I am sure it will be just as wonderful as the first year!

4 in 28 to go!

AJ has two more teeth! The two top ones popped out this last weekend. No wonder he has been fussy and not sleeping well!! He is also pulling himself up on everything. We think he can also say Hi, Ma and Da but we are not sure if they mean what we want them to mean or if he is still just babbling. But he is making progress. He had his check-up for his bronchial and ear infections and got a clean bill of health, something a mother always likes to hear! I can't believe in a little 6 weeks, he will be 1 year old! Where has the time all gone and I haven't even started his scrapbook yet!

Finally feeling better

AJ is finally on the mend. He is feeling much better and other then teething, he is a happy camper.

We spent the weekend with family. We had Katelyn and Heather's birthday party on Saturday and then on Sunday had the Schmitt clan over to celebrate Andy's birthday and Cindy's safe return from her mission trip in the Philippines. It was a great weekend (and I am really enjoying being home on the weekends!).

Our poor little man!

We found out yesterday that AJ has a nasty cold and an ear infection. After 45 minutes of solid crying and nothing working we headed to the doctors office and that's what our pediatrician found out. So after some ibuprofen and antibiotics he is a happy camper again. But then this morning we had to head back to the doctor. He woke up wheezing and about 10 am he was really having trouble breathing, so I called the nurse and she said to head in right away. He has a bronchial infection and they did a nebulizer treatment and sent us home with one. So every 4 hours we have to use the nebulizer (which he doesn't like). But they said it should clear up within a few days. He is being a trooper though. Despite being sick, he is still in pretty good spirits and still crawling all over the place.

I have added some new pictures to our Yahoo photos. I took some really good ones of his first taste of spaghetti, here's a sample.

Super Bowl Weekend

AJ has got this crawling thing mastered. Now we definitely can not turn our back on him for a second! He moves so quickly, seems like he has been doing it for ages, not just a week! He is also starting to pull himself up on things. He is going to be walking before we know it and then, look out. He is going to be 10 months old on Tuesday and I can't believe it.

We just got home from a Super Bowl party hosted by our friends Perry and Linsey from church. There were two "friends" of AJ's there to play with as well. Carson, who is 15 months and Evangeline, who is 18 months. Carson and AJ have had play dates before and were really excited to see each other. We had a nice time just relaxing, eating good food and hanging out with friends (this was my first official day not working at Marshall Fields)!

It finally happened...

...AJ is crawling! He still hasn't quite mastered it yet, but he is definitely getting around A LOT faster now! I can't take my eyes off of him for a second! It is quite humorous to watch, as he has his own style. One leg up on his knee and the other stretched out behind him pushing off! He is really proud of himself when he does it. Usually sits down to clap at himself! He is also now able to clap, give five and wave bye-bye. It's amazing how fast they pick up things. He is getting too big, his 1st birthday will be here before we know it!

We spent all day yesterday with Grandma Schmitt, as she is heading to the Philippines today on a Mission trip. She will be gone for 3 weeks and AJ says he is going to miss her terribly. We promised Grandpa Schmitt that we would have him over at least once for dinner so he can spend some time with us (and have a home cooked meal)!

Other then that not much else to report!

Some big news!

I have just started a new part time job! I am working at the YMCA in Member Services (which means I check people in, open new memberships, that type of thing). I am in charge of opening up the Y every morning at 4:30 am and then work until 9 am. It's a Monday thru Friday gig, so NO NIGHTS and WEEKENDS! Joe is able to start work a little later to watch AJ until I get home, so I think this is going to be great for us. Joe and I will be able to spend more time together during the week and have every weekend free to spend together as a family! Now if I could just get better about going to bed earlier, 3:30 wouldn't come so early! But I can take a nap during the day when AJ naps, so in the long run it will be good!

We have finally gotten AJ to drink formula from a bottle-we have been struggling with milk issues for a while (I won't give you any details), but he is now drinking formula and seems to really like it! I think it just took him being really hungry in the morning and no mom here to feed him(since I am at work so early). That's a big load off of my mind, at least now I know for sure he is getting everything he needs. Other then that, not much else is new with him. He's still SO close to crawling (but we have been saying that for weeks)! He will do it when he is ready, but he definitely knows how to get where he wants. He scoots and rolls and it's really fun to watch. He is such a joy and we love every minute with him!

Pictures are up at last

Well, I finally got all our pictures posted for December and a few of January. We also got his 9 month pictures back, so I will be sending those out to everyone soon.

We had a few developments this week, no crawling yet though! AJ is now able to shake his head no. He doesn't understand what it means, but if you say no, he shakes his head. He can also give 5, but is still not very consistent and he waved bye-bye (only once) as well. He is making some great progress!

He has started eating a lot more solids as well. Turkey dogs, noodles and peas are his favorite, but he likes bread, mandarin oranges, Cheerios, cottage cheese and yogurt too. He is a great eater and not too picky at all (so far)! He is growing so fast, I can hardly keep up. Where does the time go!

The last few days...

We celebrated Joe's 31st birthday this weekend. Went out to Dulono's Pizza with some friends and family and listened to a bluegrass band (of course this was Joe's choice) and ate some great pizza. Then Sunday we had the whole Schmitt clan over. AJ had so much fun playing with his cousin Benjamin as did every one else. It was a nice relaxing day at home with family! There is nothing better.

On Monday we had AJ's 9 month check up. Dr. Lenny (that's his pediatrician) said AJ looks great! He weighed in at 19lbs 1 3/4oz, which is in the 25th% for his age and was 28 1/2 inches long which is in the 50-75th% for his age. He gained 2 1/2lbs and grew 2 1/4 inches since his 6 month check up. Even though his percentages are not very high, the doctor said he is growing well and seems to be developing right on track! He is just a little peanut I guess.

He is getting so close to crawling! We thought he had it the other night, but just doesn't seem to want to. Oh well, I guess that's good for us, once he starts he will be into everything. Otherwise not much else is new. He loves eating and playing and is getting close to saying dada (we think).

I have a bunch of pictures to download to our picture site, but we unfortunately traded camera's with Mike and Jessica (our camera's are very similar), so I will not be able to download any until we get it back. I will update again when we get them downloaded.

We will give this a try

Hello all! Since it is very time consuming to update our webpage, I thought we would try this to see if it is a little easier (I stole the idea from my sister-in-law). I will update this at least once a week, so make sure and save the link so you can check back often (as I won't be emailing every time I update).

We had a wonderful 2005 and hope that 2006 is just as much fun! Alexander is growing by leaps and bounds and we have his 9 month check-up on Monday. I can't believe how time flies! We all had a great Christmas and AJ was spoiled by everyone. He is so lucky to have such wonderful grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins!