Motorin'...

Alec started walking this week. He started out with a step-step-fall-on-your-butt approach, but went directly from that to this:

Next week, marathons! Of course, it's important to stay hydrated...

Alec is 1

What a year! What a baby! What a dancer!

He's not quite walking, just letting go and bouncing a lot. He also does quite the shark impression. (sometimes you just happen to be singing the right song at the right time):

Finally, Alec's laugh is pretty contagious. I feel kind of bad about posting a video of him on the toilet, but hey, he needs something to talk to his therapist about when he's older, right? 

Happy birthday, Alec!

Hazel's joke...

I told this joke to Hazel, and for the last few days she's asked me to tell it to everyone we come across. Two days ago she told it word for word. Just today our friend Mish was able to catch her on camera,

Not Quite Bigfoot or Nessie...

...but I did finally manage to get a picture of Alec's new teeth! (The elusive ones on top.

Behold!

This may not seem like much of an accomplishment, but it took some doing. Sometimes Alec was pleasant...

And sometimes h was downright difficult.

Hand, hand, faceplant

One thing I learned from this video is that I need to enunciate better. It sounds like I'm telling Alec to get a smoke.

Pulling up!

Facial hair (mine, not Alec's)

One of my earliest memories is of the day my dad shaved off his beard. I must have been six or seven, which should tell you something about my memory in general, but anyway,,, 

We were at the beach, and Dad must have decided it was time for a change. He came out of the bathroom, beardless, and Tim and I jumped to out feet. 

"Dad!" we yelled, "You look like Superman!"

Dad obliged us by twisting a lock of hair into an "S" curl on his forehead and wearing a beach towel as a cape.

Fast-forward to a few decades later, I grow a beard of my own. (I think of t as my "lazy dad" beard, because I've decided I'm too tired to shave.)

Hazel doesn't like it. In fact, she tells me every day that it scratches her, and she doesn't want me to kiss her goodnight while I have the beard, (Luckily, Elise and Alec don't seem to be bothered as much.) 

Still, after several months, I give in and get rid of the beard. 

I walk out of the bathroom. Hazel sees me.

"Dad!" she says, "You look like a clown!

(Also, she says my stubble scratches her.) 

New foods! New sports! New teef!

The beauty of allowing so much time to pass between blog posts is that there's more to report with each entry. (Ah, ha, now you see my Master Plan, whereas before you might have thought I was just lazy... Shame on you for thinking such things.)

About a month and a half ago, Alec got his first tooth! Followed a few days later by his second tooth! At that rate, one would think that his mouth would be full of teeth by now, perhaps constantly growing them in rows, like the mighty shark. Apparently our baby is not a shark, because those are the only two teeth he has grown to date. So... we can file Alec firmly in the "Not a Shark' category.

 

Alec has also discovered his love of swinging. 

But more importantly, I have discovered just what great-looking fingers I have. Here, I photographed them to share with all of you! (These pictures also contain images of Alec, but mostly i wanted to brag about what fantastic fingers I have.) 

I mean, wow. 

Hazel has also discovered a fun new activity: Soccer! There's a group that meets on Saturdays, and they play lots of fun games that develop basic soccer skills. Watch out, Uncle Tim! 

Hazel and Alec are getting along great. We're starting sleep training with Alec, and it seems like he's alternating nights of good and bad sleep. (Still, as of two weeks ago it was all bad sleep, so we'll take it.0 

Other than that, there's not too much going on. Except that we're moving again. And Elise was offered a residency last week, which she'll be starting at the end of the month. And some other stuff. Plus Alec has started eating real food!

See? Isn't it fun to get blog updates that are chock full o' fun stuff? Lazy, indeed! :)