9 Month Stats!

Given the stamp of perfect health by his pediatrician Dr. Krober (not pictured above), Alden weighed in today at just over 21 lbs, (61st percentile); with a height of 2ft, 5 inches (90th percentile!); and a head circumference at the 94th percentile. At less than a year old, he is already on his way to being tall and skinny.

above ground pool

We got tired of waiting for summer, so we hooked up some warm water from the laundry sink into this plastic pool. The pool is under the shade of the crab apple tree, and Alden bobbed for some to keep the party jumping.

oregon coast

Shots from our trip to the Oregon coast earlier this week. We rented a house - it served our needs, if not a little randomly (one old shoe in the shelf under the phone that had been disconnected.)

On one sunny afternoon, Jen broke out her librarian skills to orate some of James and the Giant Peach. Alden discovered that seashells are salty (below), and that piggyback rides are possibly the funnest thing ever. We celebrated mom's 34th birthday with a bottle of port -- thanks to Aunt Jen -- and some speed scrabble. Enjoying the moment, she donned a tiara and walked into the yard barefoot, chasing wildlife (ducks) and stepped on a pile of thorns. It was a tragedy Elizabeth will not soon forget.

Far below is a shot of the eagle's post at the end of our path. A great trip indeed.

scenes from a train

This past week, we were fortunate to join Aunt Jen on the Oregon coast. To get there, we chose Amtrak -- which is by far the easiest way to travel with an (almost) 9 month old. Above, we chose an assortment of newspaper and blankets to protect his nap, and --lets be honest -- skimp on his train fare. The trip down was my first Father's Day, and Elizabeth snuck on lots of presents and champagne/orange juice for mimosas. Kind of awesome.

Below are various pictures of stuff we used to entertain the kid. He was his social cheerful self both ways, despite the trip home which took an extra two hours (6 hours total), due to a possible bridge malfunction. While stopped, the conductor announced: "we're going to call in a bridge inspector, it may be a bit." . . and then an hour later . . " we don't know if the inspector is coming, so we're just going to move on." Very reassuring.

ball and hip-hop

This video highlights some of Alden's newest hobbies -- playing a little ball, and listening to a little old school hip-hop. When he pursues these activities, he usually chooses to wear his (non-specific) quarterback jersey. Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HO5J-on-lXs

ps - extra points if anyone can reply with the name of the artist on this track. Any guesses uncle Nate or Grandma Lois?

Blue Pool

Also while in Madison, Sam and Tim invited us all over for a swim in their hotel pool. This was Alden's first venture into the world of swimming and he loved every second of it! (photos courtesy of gramma k)

Half Marathon!

Over Memorial Day weekend, we had the great pleasure of heading to Madison for a whirlwind visit in our old neighborhood. Carl and I made it through the half-marathon despite 90 degree temperatures. Meanwhile, Sam, Tim, and Polly did their share of running, babysitting, hosing off the racers, and generally enjoying the beautiful, happy day. (photos from Gramma K)

collapse!

Collapsing is Alden's way of expressing frustration that he cant quite crawl. However, at some point it morphed into a game. Clink on the link below to watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbZVaXsUj6Q

beets: the movie

For the video - click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9XO4D4jCag

laundry bin

Beets!

bath with cousin max

Alden and Max shared an epic bath while visiting in Chicago last weekend. Alden later shared that he felt self-conscious of his belly chub compared to Max's lean physique. Actually, Alden mostly watched Max and giggled, and then frantically splashed.

sippy cup

Alden has been working on some older-kid activities, such as the elusive sippy cup. For this practice run, he tried the barefoot leg pump -- but got a little side tracked . . .

Enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZEi7I_1cu0