I have been taking Alex on morning excursions for the past few weekends and we’ve been having a lot of quality “father and daughter” time around and about Philly. One Saturday we were having a bit of “trouble” at the toy store and daddy was getting a bit perturbed by the non stop complaining. Believe me, I was doing my best to show her a good time - within limits (we couldn’t purchase everything in the store and bring it home). On the trolley ride home we fell silent for a moment, and with squinted eyes and a big smile on her face she looked up to me and uttered “…I’m just a big whiner, Daddy!” I couldn’t help but laugh aloud (as did other passengers nearby).

Just the other day we went for a stroller ride to the grocery store as we do almost every weekend. I was a bit distracted and Alex had been muttering some repetitive comment over and over - something about teddy bears in a dumpster. Being completely frustrated with my lack of response, she abruptly spun around in her stroller to look at me and exclaimed ” DADDY! YOU HEAR ME ?!?!?!” Needless to say, I felt a bit embarrassed by the whole thing and realized later that the essential way to avoid future problems would be to answer her immediately, no matter how absurd her comments might be. All this time I have been reinforcing how important it is for her to pay attention to me. Go figure.

Alex and I ventured to the Please Touch Museum last Tuesday while Kim had the morning to herself. I always enjoy taking her there because she is so excited by all of the marvelous things she can get her hands on and play with. The trip there was remarkably without incident and when we arrived at 22nd Street, she decided to walk the entire way to the museum (5 blocks).

Surprisingly, there were very few kids when we first arrived and Alex had the place to herself. She headed straight for the make-believe farmhouse to see the pretend kitty sitting behind the farmer’s screen door, as well as the mommy bird feeding her chicks in a small birdhouse. We had a wonderful time together and she was so thrilled to have the run of the place until about 10:15 when hordes of school kids arrived. We decided to have a snack with crackers and shared an apple.

Afterward we went back into the museum and Alex headed for the Septa “bus” and started interacting with the other children pretending to be a passenger. The other kids were so happy to have her share the ride. We then played with the water toys and got equally soaked, sailing the boats and ships. We had a rare opportunity to do some drawings with mud and raspberries, both of which Alex wanted to eat. By then not only was her shirt soaked, but also covered with red and brown stains. All this resulting from the fact that she refused to wear a smock. It was worth it to see her so happy.

We finished our tour with a shopping excursion in the make-believe food market and I sat down at a small counter area while Alex served plastic pastries and coffee, pretending to cook with little plastic bowls and utensils. She was having so much fun, laughing and dodging back and forth while learning a new trade. Her face was brimming with a smile while the other kids let her manage the “cafe”.

We bought a little trinket at the toy shop downstairs and headed for home, Alex insisting to walk the entire way to the trolley.

Alex is either obsessed with her Dad or she just really likes the word. After Marc leaves for work in the morning Alex drags his pajamas out of our room while saying Dada, Dada, Dada, Dada - over and over. She also calls things that Marc really likes such as pretzles Dada. She was pointing at the counter and saying Dada - it took me a minute to realize that she wanted a pretzle.

Yesterday she was pulling out Marc’s cd’s and carrying them over to me and each time she handed me one she would say Dada. I think the cutest use of it was the other night when Marc was reading her the little Princess books that she has. One of them was Beauty and the Beast and when Marc got to the end where the Beast turns into the Prince, Alex pointed the the Prince and said Dada

Yesterday afternoon I stayed home from an afternoon of work to be with Alex so Kim could keep her doctor’s appointment. It was very nice being home for a few hours and to kick back while Alex took her usual 3 hour nap. When she woke, Daddy gave her a nice little snack which included a banana and some blueberry toaster cakes. She went wild with glee, licking her fingers and making little happy noises (Thanks Grandma).

Anyhow, we decided to go to the store nearby to get some tofu and look around at all the goodies. I let her walk the entire way there and back, and while holding her tiny hand in mine, I looked down to watch her toddle along, struck with awe over how much she has grown up. I remember a time when all I had to do was nestle her in a sling to get around. Needless to say, her teeny legs require a snail pace from Daddy to make the journey, which lasts quite a bit longer than one would expect. I noticed her looking around at all the sights and tried to imagine what she must feel with all the excitement going on in the neighborhood. Everything must be so new and interesting to her, including all the things we adults take for granted. Strangers would stop in their tracks to say how adorable she is to be such a good walker despite her tiny stature. I was so proud. My darling daughter is growing up too fast.

Alex had a lot of fun last weekend and we had Marc home for 3 days. He got Friday off as a comp day for having worked all day the previous Saturday. Marc and Alex got to spend a lot of time together and since Alex has been so delightful lately they had a really good time (and I had a bit of a break).

On Friday morning we went to Center City and Marc took Alex to storytime at the library while I did some errands and looked around the library. They had a lot of fun and Marc got to see what storytime was like. There was, however, so many babies there that by the time it was over Alex was a little overwhelmed and starting to get tired. Marc said that near the end Alex got mad because another kid took a book away from her. I kind of miss the days when she didn’t care when something was taken away from her. After storytime we went to the cafe at the bookstore and had bagels and coffee - Alex LOVES bagels. The we headed home - for some reason Alex was really tired and she almost fell asleep on the trolley. I’m glad she didn’t because I wanted her to eat a little more for lunch - she ate and then took a really long nap.

Saturday was fun even though we did a lot of chores in the morning. We got groceries, washed diapers, vacumned and Marc took Alex to the Farmer’s Market to get a pumpkin for Halloween. The one he bought is huge!! I asked him why he got such a big one and he said that they were all the same price so he got the biggest one he could find. We had Alex eat lunch and take a nap early because we wanted to go to the PeopleHood festival at Clark Park by Spiral Q Puppet Theater - this started at 2:30 and we wanted Alex to have a decent rest before we woke her up to go to this. When Alex got up she was a little out of it but we got her ready, packed a snack for her and headed out to the park. We were lucky that is was really nice out because it had been cold the previous couple of days.

Spiral Q uses giant puppets and music to do performances for the community based on a particluar theme. The one we saw was called We Remember - it had trees that turned into roads, animals being chased away by cars, etc. - the performance really had an environmental theme. Alex LOVED it - she enjoyed the giant puppets and the music, which was a marching type of drumming. She also liked watching all the people sitting near us and saying woof, woof to all the dogs that she saw. What really surprised me is that she stayed right with us - usually she takes off at the park and has been given the alias The Wanderer. I guess she understood that we needed to stick together to watch the performance. I’m really glad that we went to it and I want to find out more about Spiral Q’s childrens programs for when Alex is older.

We didn’t do as much on Sunday - we went to church in the morning and Alex was really good - she got really tired by the end - I think her clock was a little off because of the time change. When we got home she had an early lunch and nap - this was good because her Grandma and Aunt Lisa came by in the afternoon and Alex had a good long nap first and was well rested by the time that they arrived. Alex had a lot of fun - she loves seeing Grandma and Lisa and usually cries when they leave. Grandma brought her some new socks and an Elmo book. We ordered a pizza and Alex was really excited because we let her eat some in the living room and her little table.

So, Alex had a fun weeked filled with new activities and it was SO nice to have Marc home for three days. Now we are getting ready for Halloween and the children’s parade tomorrow.

On Sunday June 1st Marc took Alex to Wizard World , which is a toy/comic book convention. They had a great time and Marc was so excited about going that he couldn’t sleep the night before and had a nervous stomach on his way there. Alex was a little tired after church so she fell asleep on the trolley ride there and slept for the first 30 minutes that they were there. When she woke up she had so much fun. There were a lot of people and other kids, people in costumes, displays, and lights. They checked everything out, sat down for a rest and a snack and then came home. They had a great time. Marc is so happy that she is old enough for him to take out without me and he loves to take her places. The only downside was that she was so wired from the convention that she couldn’t fall asleep to take a nap even though she was really tired. She was SO cranky by the end of the day that she went to bed an hour early and passed out.

After the story time yesterday Alex was still in a great mood so I called Marc and we arranged to stop by his office at Drexel (it is on the way home). I hadn’t been their since he started his new job and Marc wanted all of his co-workers to see Alex. And it was a lot of fun even though we met so many people. Alex was a little shy and just held on to Daddy while all of these people were talking to her and she wouldn’t let anyone else hold her. But she was so good - I was surprised because she was already tired from the storytime. We ended up being out for three hours and it was past her lunch time by the time we left Drexel. She fell asleep, however, on the trolley ride home and kept sleeping while I took her snowsuit off and put her in her crib. She was pooped from all the fun and excitement.

It was funny because when we would walk into someone’s office the person would see Marc and the baby and be like Hi Alex how are you? And Marc would say this is my wife Kim and they would be like Oh hi Kim and go right back to talking to Alex. Boy, am I chopped liver or what?

Alex is so happy for her Daddy - he got a wonderful promotion at work and found out right before his Christmas vacation. Soon he won’t have to work on Sunday nights anymore

Even though the weather has turned cold and blustery, I can always find the warmth I need by thinking of my two dearest loves…Kim and Alex. My little girl is growing up faster than I could imagine, surprising me daily with new accomplishments and personality traits. She is becoming such a wonderful little lady. Her smile is absolutlely enthralling to behold, and her wide, toothless grin is enough to melt my heart and get me through the coldest of days. Kim has been such a wonderful mother to our little one, taking such good care of Alex when Daddy is away. She is a marvel, and when I catch a glimpse of her and the way she interacts with our little girl, and the way Alex responds in kind with a look of endearment, I know that all is right in my world. My family is the most precious thing in my life, and one that is completely satisfying in every way.

Marc had a great birthday! And Alex was so good. Marc got off work early so Alex and I met him over by Penn - we got coffee and hung out outside for a little while. I brought the new pictures of Alex, which Marc loved because there are so many picture with Alex smiling!!! (I’ll be adding them to the site soon). Then we came home and Marc opened gifts - he loved the Blade Runner collectors set I got him. He also got some Star Wars toys, Lord of the Rings on DVD, chimes for Alex’s room, and a frame. We ordered Chinese food and watched tv. Alex was really tired from not napping good the last couple of days and from me getting her up earlier. She went to bed and stayed in bed at 9pm!!! And she went to sleep without any crying. She slept til 5am, woke up to eat, went back to sleep and then I got her up at 7:45. I wanted to get her up at 7 so she goes to bed at 9 again but I fell back asleep too. Anyway it was so nice to have some time alone with Marc and it was cool that it happened on his birthday.

Marc took today off so we are going to the Art Museum - it should be a lot of fun.