Reading his book

The Saturday before Christmas we got hit with a snowstorm. I thought this would be the perfect time to take Alex to the Children's Museum, since most likely everyone else would be staying home. I was right! We pretty much had the place to ourselves. My favorite picture is one of Alex reading a book. Normally there would be about 35 kids running around in this room (the "ball" room for those who have been there) - it's a real zoo. Today, there was only 1 other kid, so Alex was able to take a few moments and just relax. We both had a lot of fun that day.

Alex Turns 2!

It's official - last week Alex completed his second lap around the sun. Dec 11 is the magic date for the little guy. We had some friends over to help celebrate the event on Friday. The evening started with a variation of "simon says". He likes to lie down on the floor next to someone else, then mimic which limb (arm, leg, combination) goes up in the air or back down. He especially adores Winona, who is playing the game with him here:


After a bit of socializing, it was time for the cake. We dimmed the lights and Pam brought the cake out. He was pretty happy


but not 100% sure what to do next.


Of course, a birthday party for a little guy will have some presents to open. Alex was in the thick of things, checking out his recent acquisitions:

Long Sunday

We had a long Sunday. For some, it felt longer. That would be Alex.

He developed a bit of a cough on Friday night, which is not unusual for the little guy. He was pretty normal Saturday, bouncing around with boundless energy. Sunday was pretty much the same, except for later in the day. His nap was amazingly short (45 min instead of the more typical 2 hours), but he woke up happy and energetic. Around 5 pm, we were reading a book on the couch, and he started getting tired. I thought his lack of a nap was catching up, so I let him drift off while I held him. I noticed he was pretty warm, so Pam and I checked his temp. Good thing - it was 104.5 (nothing slips past me). I used by EMT training, and took his vitals. Pulse of 170 was prety high, but the respiratory rate of 44 tipped the scale for the nurse - she recommended we head down to the ER to get him check out.

He was pretty groggy for most of it, but perked up a bit in the hospital room. There was a TV there, and he doesn't get to watch TV at all (I'm not kidding - zero time is spent in front of a TV, this is something my friend Timbu tipped me off to). So, he thought this thing with a moving picture was pretty cool.

The biggest difference is that he has learned how to talk (toddler talk) since we were last at an ER. He has also discovered self-will. So, it was interesting watching him exercise those two things, trying to figure out which one would yield the best results. Couldn't yank the pulse oximeter off, so how about negotiating for it be taken off? Wish I could have taped that one.

At the end of the night, he started mumbling something. We've learned that when we hear the same thing a few times, he is trying to say something. Pam decoded it first: he was saying, "Ready to bye-bye". I.e., "Can we go home now". It was 11:30, and he was definitely tired.

Of course, the whole way home he kept stating, "All done, Doctor", then asking "Where did Doctor go?".

It's Tuesday evening now. He is feeling much better, and with any kind of luck the trend will continue.