Kasey's Idea of a Replacement

This morning I got up & walked to Alexander's room & I expected to see Kasey outside our bedroom door...hmmm, no Kasey. So I was a couple of steps from AC's door when I hollered for Kasey to come so she could get in bed with Ryan. Well, to my surprise she didn't come from the living room as I expected; she came out of Alexander's room! So I walked into his room & here he is on his tummy stretched across the bed & looking out of the crib rails peering down at the floor with this huge smile on his face! I walked over & noticed that the rug was warm against my bare feet...apparently Kasey & Xander were having a little morning conversation!

Later, while Xander was sleeping I was making the bed & Kasey came in to see what I was up to. (Of course she thought I was making the bed for her). Then she disappeared for a little while....

To understand this story completely I have to insert a little bit of background knowledge for you readers. Alexander used to have this cute little blue & white Gund brand puppy dog & I used to give it to him to play with while he was in his car seat. When he was very little it was the perfect size for him to grab & he liked to chew on its ears & tail. Well, we took the puppy everywhere & we lost it sometime after the Hesston parade & bonfire...poor little puppy is probably all alone & abandoned in King park somewhere.

So I found a little Gund lamb that plays "Jesus Loves Me" & it is about the same size as his little puppy was. He really likes the size & chewing on its ear & he smiles & laughs at the music. I sit the little lamb in his car seat so that we have it every time we go somewhere. Well, the car seat sits on the floor near the living room so Kasey has access to it; but she knows the difference between which toys are hers & which toys are Alexanders & we've never had any problem with her taking any of his things (or him taking her things for that matter).

Ok, back to the story...

Kasey had gone into the living room & reappeared in the bedroom with...surprise! Alexander's brand new little lamb! Whoops, Kasey must have thought she could get away with making this new little lamb hers, after all, it still smelled new! (She has been giving me the eye lately when I bring home something new for Alexander & nothing for her - but so does Ryan!)

So I pried the poor little lamb out of her mouth (she wasn't really ready to give it up) & took her into the living room to explain the finer points of sharing (or, more precisely, not sharing) toys. I took her little green frog & showed her that it was hers & the lamb was Alexander's. I told her "take it" with the frog & "leave it" with the lamb & she seemed to look at me with these eyes that said, "do you think I'm stupid? I know which one is mine, you don't have to tell me!" I figured, ok, lesson complete.

Then I went over to the car seat to return the little lamb to its proper place & guess what I found...

Kasey taught me a lesson! She had replaced Alexander's little lamb with one of her other toys (pink puppy) - talk about a sharing lesson! I guess she figured it was only fair for her to share her toys with Alexander so that she could play with his toys.

"And you thought I didn't know what I was doing," she says! Guess Kasey had the last laugh this time.

Alexander Heart Kasey

I took these pictures today & I just had to post them b/c they are so funny! Alexander loves Kasey so much. His face just lights up & he smiles this big ole smile whenever she walks through the room or lays down beside us. He loves to put his hands on her fur & pet her. It's the cutest thing b/c of the way he scrunches his fingers up!

I took this video of the two of them playing together...well, it's more like Kasey is just lying on the couch & Alexander is petting her. He had a lot to say about it though; just talkin' about hangin' out with Kasey! The funny part of the video is when he decides that her tail would make a good chew toy...lol!

-------ok, having problems uploading the video...again...will try again later; enjoy the pix 4 now---------------

Yesterday Alexander had his first bump on the head. He was rolling around on the floor & got too close to the chair leg & rolled right into it. I didn't see exactly where he hit his head but he kept putting his right hand up above his temple & "scratching" it. Later in the day he was putting his hand on his head again, scratching with his little fingers, & Ryan said his head must still hurt. I said that if his head still hurt then we'd better take him to the doctor! But he didn't hit it very hard, it was more of a surprise to him than anything, & I think that he has just realized that he HAS a head and HAIR! LOL. So I've noticed today that every once in awhile I'll catch him with his hand on his head & this look on his face that seems to say, "what the heck is that?!?!"

He Is Sooo Awesome!

I don't know how many times we can possibly say that in a day...it's always, "he is so...
cute, beautiful, handsome, amazing, adorable, awesome, good," or "I love him so much"...how many different things can you say over & over again about this wonderful child!?!

Today I went to a scrapbooking workshop while Ryan watched Alexander. It was only 2 blocks away so I just packed up my stuff & walked over. RG, ACG & Kasey walked over with me after noon & came back and walked home with me at 6. My plan had been to get there about 2 hours earlier but I had some other things that had to be done before I left. I came home at about 2 to check on the guys & feed AC but when I got home Ryan was already feeding him a bottle - which he actually had eaten about 4 oz of! Amazing! He hasn't been very interested in bottles lately but he has been interested in cups. When he sees you drinking from a cup then he wants to drink out of it. He kindof likes the idea of a sippy cup but after he has been "drinking" from it for a while then he gets a bit frustrated with it & just wants the real thing. I think that it is still difficult for him to get the fluid out of the sippy cup & really drink it...a lot of it just ends up on his shirt.

So, I got 2 whole pages done at the workshop...I know I know...shoulda gotten a bunch more done but I decided to go ahead & do the title page & that took me forever! I am just too picky. I used this new paisley punch to make a cool frame around a picture of AC & it turned out very nice. I was going to do some journaling about when we found out about the pregnancy & how we told our friends but I procrastinated about that for awhile, then did some organizing, then procrastinated some more & then decided to move on to my next page. I finally decided what to do on that page, got it completed & got the next 2 pages decided on but didn't get it all stuck down. At least I know where I am going...and at least I have everything organized as to where it belongs in the book - but I did that quite awhile ago. I've decided that I just need to get my table back out & lay everything out where I can leave it & come back to it when I have time to work on it. Now, if I could just keep up with my blog like that...of course, I have to start keeping up with the scrapbook!

I've been meeting some really nice people lately...between the scrapbooking & the Longaberger show I did last week I think that there are some great people around :) Now, if I could just remember all their names! I am so excited that my friend had such a wonderful show last week; we closed it today & it was awesome! All of the new products are so cool & I am really looking forward to the Christmas season. I got my new samples just in time for the home show that my hostess had last Tuesday...some really neat stuff! You can go to http://www.longaberger.com/leisagale to see all the products & order with me. I am so psyched about building my business & meeting new folks & reconnecting with old customers & friends. AC seems happy hanging out with Daddy when I am gone for awhile & that makes things much easier. They especially had a fun day today. They went for a couple of walks, did some napping, did some playing & generally just had a good time. It was hilarious this evening while Ryan was getting Alexander ready for bed...he was making a funny noise (Ryan said it was Chewy from Star Wars) & AC was just laughing & laughing. I'll just add the video here!

Yesterday I had to give Alexander a bath in the afternoon b/c he had a poopy diaper (thanks to the peaches he ate) & it made its way up his back! So after his bath I was getting ready to put his clothes on him while he was laying around making these little cooing noises & playing with his toes (he's been doing this a lot lately). So, I had to shoot some video of that too! Here it is!

------Ok, the video is taking forever to upload so I will have to come back later & add it-------

On Wednesday, Alexander was playing in his stationary bouncer & I noticed how he was playing with the toys on the tray like he is such a big boy. He seems to have so much dexterity in his hands/fingers for such a little guy! He has also gotten to the stage where he likes to take a toy & throw it on the floor then wait for you to pick it up for him so he can throw it on the floor again. This seems to be quite enjoyable for him. Again, see the video!

-----Again, taking forever to upload, so I'll come back to this later; sorry!---------------------

5 Months Old - Already!

Alexander is 5 months old today! Can you believe it? It seems like time is just flying by & yet it seems like it was just last week that he was born! How crazy is that?

He is such a big boy now...I remember when he was just 5 weeks old & how he looked like such a little man...now he seems like such a big man! He is sitting up by himself for about a minute at a time & he is trying very hard to figure out how to crawl. Today he worked his way toward Ryan as I held my hand behind his feet so he would have something to push against. He scooted himself along on the floor this way for quite awhile. He is doing a good job of getting his little legs up under his bottom now but he hasn't actually taken any "steps" yet...he will certainly be crawling soon! He is rolling over & over & over like crazy these days.

And the drool! Goodness, he must have been watching Kasey drool over a bag of chips or something b/c he has learned how to drool all over everything! Also, he & Kasey are becoming even better friends nowadays...he watches her as she crosses the room & he likes to touch her fur with his hands & feet. He is really into different textures these days.

We are still blessed with the best little guy in the universe! What fun!

08.08.08

Today fortune smiles upon us :) Well, more than usual!

Just a quick note to talk about some of the things that are going on here...as you may have noticed, I haven't gotten all my blog drafts updated & posted...most of them are still just scribbles in my notebook! I've been going through all my photographs so that I can at least keep up on ordering pictures & getting them into photo albums. The little guy is just so adorable that I can't keep my fingers off the camera!

He's growing like crazy still...moving into the 3-6 month sizes now. It's been awhile since I last had him weighed...it was July 29th & he was 13 lbs 8 oz. We'll have to go to the weight check clinic next Tuesday & find out what his current weight is...I am sure he is probably 14 lbs by now!

We had Alexander's 3 month pictures taken this week & I got out my silver teether from when I was a baby. You can see his picture on the photographer's blog at http://www.silksportraits.com/blog/ (there is also one further back from when we had our Mommy & Me session done...it is in the same blog). I had thought that I might use it as a prop in one of the pictures but they looked good without it so I figured I would just get some pics at home. He really likes the sound that it makes...I think it is because it belonged to Mommy! Ha ha...nah, I think it is because it makes such a high pitched tingling sound that is unlike any of his other toys. He will just lay there & ring it for the longest time! As long as I was taking pictures of Alexander with things Mommy likes, I had to get one of him in a Longaberger basket! Yes, for those of you who are wondering, I am still a consultant...so go to my web page & check out all the new offerings! You can find it at http://www.longaberger.com/leisagale -there are some great new items that have just been added to the fall catalog!

We got Alexander a few new toys yesterday & he has been pretty interested in them. I've been cleaning up a couple of used items that some friends gave us that he will be able to play with soon & I took a few things out of the toy bin that I thought he might like. I got out his froggie blanket today (it is a cute green blanket with a fuzzy frog on one corner) & I had it draped over the corner of the glider while I was feeding him...I noticed that he was fixated on the little froggie face so I covered him up with the blankie & let him wrap his arm around the little froggie. He has always liked to put his hand along the neckline of my shirt, or bra, or whatever I have on, but this time he kept going back & forth between my shirt & the plush frog. He acted like he really liked the texture of the froggie & he fell asleep with his arm around it! It was so cute.

Alexander rolled over for the first time on July 23rd but he hasn't done it more than a half a dozen times since then. He just doesn't seem to be too interested in rolling. He would rather try to sit up! If you are holding him in your arms he will use his little abdominal muscles & pull himself up to a sitting position. That was about the same time that we discovered that he doesn't want to take my breast milk from a bottle anymore. We had given him some milk with a tiny ity bity amount of rice in it on July 18th & he took it very well...seemed to like it a lot. But then we got out of the habit of trying it (which we really hadn't been keeping up with since we introduced the bottle to him at the beginning of June...only about once or twice a week, sometimes more, but not very often) & now he has decided that he doesn't want anything but the real deal! Bring on the boobies! I hope this doesn't mean that he'll never take a bottle of breast milk again.

I've got to go to bed now but I really really really will get back to my blog soon! I know you are all just chomping at the bit for more news (yea right)! Seriously though, I really need to keep up with this so I have something to look back on when I go to work on Alexander's baby book & photo albums...otherwise there are going to be a lot of blank spaces & a lot of little sheets of paper filled with scribbles!

Hearts & Angels

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone


Samantha sent Alexander this little outfit & she said that when he wears it he'll be picking up on all the little girl babies because he'll be so cute...& of course she is right! What a little heart breaker! Of course every Mother thinks her child is the most precious & most beautiful of all babies...but in this case everyone confirms that I am right! LOL! You have to admit he is soooo handsome...a lady at the grocery store saw him & said, "oh, what a little cherub! His features are so perfect!" All I could do was agree with her!

We leave the radio on at night so Alex can sleep...he seems to like the background noise...and after I fed him I was rocking him & cuddling him when this song came on the radio. It seems so appropriate to describe the way we feel about him. (Besides, Alexander really likes George Strait songs! He smiles so big when I sing them to him!)

Our love is unconditional
We knew it from the start
I can see it in your eyes
You can feel it from my heart
From here on after
Lets stay the way we are right now
And share all the love and laughter
That a lifetime will allow

[Chorus:]
I cross my heart
And promise to
Give all I've got to give
To make all your dreams come true
In all the world
You'll never find
A love as true as mine

You will always be the miracle
That makes my life complete
And as long as there's still breath in me
I'll make yours just as sweet
As we look into the future
It's as far as we can see
So let's make each tomorrow
Be the best that it can be

[Chorus]
And if along the way we find a day
It starts to storm
You've got the promise of my love
To keep you warm

-George Strait "I Cross My Heart"

It has been said that when a baby smiles while he is sleeping that an angel has kissed him...I don't know if angels are kissing our sweet little baby but I do know that every time he smiles it makes my heart smile...and when he cries it makes my heart break! I had an appointment with my doctor yesterday afternoon, so I decided to put Alexander in his bouncy seat while I bathed...this usually works quite well...of course this time I was trying to get ready to go somewhere so things were bound to not work as planned! He started getting fussy right when I was fully soaped up & I had to finish rinsing before I could take him out of his seat & console him...so this took several minutes. I kept reaching over to bounce him (the seat vibrates but AC really likes it when you give it extra bounce) but his cries didn't have me too concerned yet. Then he really started crying hard & I was trying my best to hurry up & get done because I knew that if I got out of the tub without finishing that there was little chance I would be getting back in! So the next time I looked over, I saw a drop water at the corner of his cheek. I wondered if I had just splashed some over there & I wiped it away. His crying continued & by the time I was grabbing for my towel he had tears running from the corners of both eyes...REAL TEARS! Oh my goodness! How my heart broke! Ok, so it wasn't but a few tears but for a new Mommy it was enough to make me feel like I was going to get the bad parent of the year award for not picking him up sooner. Leave it to me to feel guilty for indulging in my first real bath since the baby was born!

Last night Alexander slept for six hours straight...one of our friends said that once the baby hits 12 pounds that he will sleep all through the night & I think maybe he is right! AC is probably 12 pounds by now; if not he is very close. He is so verbal lately; talking (well, baby talk - he acts like he is having a conversation with you; he talks when you are quiet & he is quiet when you talk) & making more noises. And he is so full of smiles! He has the sweetest smiles for Mommy & Daddy & now he is starting to share them with other people. It is so adorable! I think he is beginning to figure out what his arms & hands are for. We have a little play mat that has toys dangling from it & a star that plays music & flashes lights. He lays under the toys & waves his arms & legs. It seems like he is starting to realize that batting at the toys with his arms is what is making them move. He has started to grab at them with his fingers but I don't think he really knows what he is doing at this point...I think it is more about exploring the textures.

It is so wonderful having this baby boy! I love the way he falls asleep on my shoulder, that warm little body so limp & heavy against my chest. I just sit there in the glider & hold him close & rub his little back & give him hugs & steal kisses. Sometimes I am so tired & I want to go back to bed but I just can't help but sit there & enjoy cuddling with this precious little angel. It really is true that having a child is like having your heart walking around outside your body. I figure that these days won't last forever so I might as well enjoy it while I can!

The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping child. ~Joe Houldsworth

Sorry Sorry Sorry!

Hello everyone! So sorry I have been slacking on my blog...I PROMISE I will get you all updated VERY soon.

We have a new baby boy in our family & I will get you all the updates & the pictures & the stories & EVERYTHING :)

Right now, however, I am very busy feeding the baby, burping the baby, changing the baby, feeding the baby, burping the baby, changing the baby, cuddling the baby, staring into that darling little face, trying to sleep while he sleeps & most importantly...just LOVING the baby!

Anyway, updates will follow soon...really!

BABY ALEXANDER