Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Over the past week, Alex has been rolling rs! In the morning, during the day, before a drink, after dinner... he has been rolling them a lot, and it sounds very cute! Rob is of course very happy that his Dutch influence on Alex is showing.

Alex is also beginning to understand us. Nee, niet doen (No, don't), and Nee, niet in je mond (No, not in your mouth) are usually complied with... for about 10 to 15 seconds. After that, it is time to see whether the rules still apply! Such an exchange can go on for many times...

Alex has also started saying ms. Cindy is very happy with this, because Alex' mmmmmms were soon followed by his first mama. Now that Alex has said mama, dada, and papa, Rob and Cindy are eagerly waiting for Alex to associate those words with them!

Good Standing

Alex can stand by himself, without holding on! His secret to this trick is to hold on to something, such as a sofa, an ottoman, or a parent's leg, and then, while playing with a toy, forget to hold on, and stand on his own. He is not an expert at it yet, and usually, as soon as he realizes that he is standing without holding on, he will grab hold of something nearby, or sit down on his but with an audible thump!

Polite Alex

Since we have occasionally put a blue hat on Alex, he has learned how to take it off as soon as possible. This has grown into a little game, in which we put a hat on Alex, and he takes it off immediately. It does not matter what sort of hat it is: a baseball cap, a hat, or a beret, Alex will take it off. He will even take off the one that has velcro to fasten it under his chin in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, he has also learned to leave his sun hat on!

Bed Bouncing

Since about two weeks, we have a new bedtime routine for Alex. We now put him to bed while he is wide awake, rather than after he has gotten sleepy from drinking formula. Consequently, he is not very sleepy when he first goes to bed, and he immediately gets up after he is put on his back. Then, while Rob reads a story to him, he is trying to grab the paper, gnaw on the rim of the crib, or try out some more consonants. But slowly he settles down, and by the end of the second story he usually is yawning and lying somewhere in the crib. This is the cue for Rob to leave the room, which in turn is the cue for Alex to start protesting, because he prefers company. But because he is tired, his protests are only half-hearted and short-lived. If needed, Rob goes back in to comfort him once more, and usually he falls asleep within 10 minutes.

Changes to this Website in the Past Month

Aug 31 Major update, with new homepage, new pictures, a new closeup, and new length, weight and head circumference.
Aug 22 Added a webpage devoted to Alex' Artwork.
Aug 5 Added A Day at the Beach to this homepage, and added one new picture.

Next major update: Oct 15, 2002

Do you think you may have missed something? Check our list of previous homepages. If you want to be informed when this website has been updated, send an email to webmaster@robandcindy.net.