Ch-ch-changes

Today is Dennis's last day at work in the Navy. What a big change. He seems nonchalant about it, but I think it's worth noting. After all, it's been almost 10 years that we've been living this military life. We've had 6 residences (including the 3 in San Diego), and lived in two foreign countries. We've seen much of Europe, Kenya, and Egypt. And we've made some incredible friends. We are so lucky to have friends all over now. I can't wait for them to bring their kids to see Disney and visit us in Orlando!

We'll be moving away from Pensacola in early Jan. Dennis will start work in Orlando on 1/7. Alex and I will arrive there shortly before the closing on our new home.

In other news, Alex is working on his first tooth. I was surprised by its emergence, as it seems a little early to me. And, it makes me a little sad. I want to see that toothless grin for a while longer. :)

The pictures today are of what we've been doing lately-- just hanging around the house playing.

Busy Little Boy

Alex has been super busy over the last couple of weeks.

First, it was Halloween. He spent the day dressed as "Mummy's Little Pumpkin," attending Mom & Me exercise class and playing in his exersaucer (his favorite toy these days). Then, in the evening, he sat on the front porch with Mommy and gave out the candy to the other neighborhood kids. Dad was on call at the hospital, so we decided not to trick-or-treat this year. Besides, it's difficult to get that in when you have to be in bed by 7 p.m.

Just after Halloween, we drove to Orlando as a family to look for a house in what will be our new home city. We're really excited, as we found a new construction home in Baldwin Park. It should be finished by mid-Jan, and we'll move in ASAP. Baldwin Park is a planned community built on the former NTC grounds near downtown Orlando and Winter Park. We love the neighborhood-- miles of running/walking/biking trails, parks, pools, and a commercial center with restaurants, shops and a Publix to which we can bike! It can be seen at www.baldwinparkfl.com. And the house is plenty big enough for a long stay (not another 3-year stint, please!). On that website, our plan is the Halsey Craftsman.

By the time we returned from Orlando, Alex had really grown up! He is sleeping through the night consistently and sat up yesterday! He's very proud of himself, and we're real excited to see our little boy acting so big!

Rice Cereal-- Blech!! I'd rather eat my bib!

We Are Family

We spent a week at the beginning of October visiting with the Drury and Garcia families. Alex had a great time seeing his cousin Sarah. It was the first time he really noticed her, and the two of them laughed a lot together. Alex also loved playing with Sarah's toys (for some reason, these are much more interesting than his own) and having "happy hour" outside (in the exersaucer) with Sarah (in the walker), his mom, dad, aunt and uncle.

Alex also enjoyed the attention he got from Grandma, Grandpa and Abuelita. In fact, starting on the second day we were at their house and for several days after we returned home, he was unable to be in a room by himself without fussing. Apparently, they are spoiling him already. I guess that's their job. :)

I'm attaching some photos of Alex with his grandparents-- playing at their house and enjoying a picnic by Lake Keeowee.

Now, That's Love

I was folding Alex's laundry last week (before the cast came off, even) and started thinking that I was really enjoying it. And, it wasn't even special laundry-- no dress outfits or anything, just a bunch of tiny, blue, stretchy onesies and pjs and more burp rags than you can imagine.

Then I started thinking that a mother's love is really amazing. I mean, you really have to love someone to the depths of your soul to enjoy folding their laundry, especially when you did it yesterday and will do it again tomorrow.

What a wonderful experience being a mom is. :)

"Pinky"

That's Dennis's new nickname for me. That's because, four weeks ago, I fell and broke my pinky finger. It's quite a story-- one for the baby book.

As many of you know, I had a hard time breastfeeding. We won't go into the details-- it was just a really bad experience for me. Anyway, when Alex turned 3 mos., I cut myself a break and decided we were done once and for all with the breastfeeding. As a result, I returned my rented breastpump to Baptist Hospital. Feeling footloose and fancy free, I nearly skipped out of the place. And that's when I tripped and fell, over a bike rack, and broke my finger. BREASTFEEDING'S LAST REVENGE!

Now, you say, "What's the big deal? It's just a pinky finger." Ah, yes, and one would think that you'd have it taped to the next finger for a while. Maybe 2 weeks? No, I managed to break it in a way that required a full cast, up to my elbow, with the pinky and next finger immobilized at a 90 degree angle to the palm. For 3 full weeks. VERY CONVENIENT for caring for a 3-month-old.

Anyway, I made it through. I got creative with the diapering and feeding, and Dennis did all the baby bathing. The cast came off last week, and I'm in a removable splint. This means I'm finally able to shower again (I hear the Hallelujahs from all my friends and family) and to blog. So, there will be more entries coming.

Just thought I'd explain where I've been all this time . . .

What We Did On Our Summer Vacation

It's been a while since we've written. That's because we've been busy having a big post-Labor Day time!

Just after the holiday, the whole family (including Lili) took some time to relax in a beach condo at Cape San Blas. The beach there is fabulous and totally dog friendly, so we all had a great time! Alex and Lili both had a blast swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. And Alex practiced his strokes in the saline pool at the condo too. We took walks at sunset on the beach and ate well. It was really a nice family vacation. That said, I'm not sure Lili will be going on vacation again anytime soon-- the first night we were there, she threw up on the white bedroom carpet!

On our way home from the Cape, Dennis and Lili dropped Alex and me off to spend a couple of nights in Destin with Alex's Great Aunt Carolyn and Great Uncle Larry. Alex thought The Great Aunt was one of the funniest people he had ever met and rewarded her with smiles and laughs a million.

Since we've been home, we've been settling back into our routine and doing some fun new things. Baby Yoga was on Monday, and Alex loved it. He laughed the whole time and was clearly enamored with the instructor. We also have a play group that we've attended a couple of times. Alex loves to watch the other kids and mommies and can't wait until he can run around with them.

Speaking of moving, Alex is bearing weight on his legs and looks like he'd like to take off running a lot. He's also rolling from his back to his tummy all the time now. Sometimes this is problematic, as he can't get to sleep on his tummy and can't return to his back reliably yet. I end up going in to the crib and turning him over several times before he falls to sleep-- pretty funny!