Four Month Check Up

Today, Alex had her four month check up with her routine vaccinations. But that's the boring stuff, what we really wanted to know was how big she has gotten. She is now 15lbs, 9.5oz. and 25 inches long. She's in the 70th and 80th percentiles in all of her physical measurements.

She's been rolling from her stomach to her back with regularity and seems verrrrry close to rolling from her back to her stomach. She seems interested in watching us eat and might be getting ready to experiment with solid foods. She loves to grab toys and blocks with her hands and examine them up close. She is very comfortable sitting up in her bumbo chair (as evidenced in this video), and has been able to support her head for over a month. She seems very interested in faces and hands, both her own, mom's and dad's, and whoever may be holding her.

First Christmas

Alex celebrated her first Christmas by spending Christmas morning with mom and dad in downtown St. Paul while dad got his haircut. She got to pose for pictures in Rice Park and in front of the statue of her dad's literary hero, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Christmas Eve night was spent at Grandma and Grandpa Mahon's house with mom, dad, Aunt Tracee, Great Grandma Evelyn, Barb, Grandpa Lynn, Grandma Pam, and Grandma Lael. She got fun stuffed animals, a blinking turtle, and lots of pretty outfits.

Christmas morning was spent at home with mom and dad and the pets. She opened gifts in front of the tree and fireplace. That afternoon she went to Grandma Lael's house for dinner and more gifts. She had a lot of fun with mom, dad, Grandma Lael, Uncle Andy, Aunt Rachael, and cousins Eleanor and Vincent.

It was a great Christmas and we hope all of our friends and family had a great holiday too.


Nikki, Alex, and Scott.



Todd, Alex, and Nikki in Rice Park.



Opening gifts Christmas Eve at Grandma and Grandpa's.



Playing with gifts on Christmas morning.



Opening a gift on Christmas day at Grandma's.

Here's a link to a lot more Christmas 2009 photos.

Growing Up Fast: Alex in Action

Over the last few weeks, Alex has been getting better and better control over her motor skills. Here we've got video evidence of her working with her blocks, and a new trick she learned---how to turn on her music maker in her crib. Nikki and I look forward to hearing it over the baby monitor in the middle of the night.

Holiday Pageant

Last Friday, Alex participated in her first holiday pageant which included performing a couple of songs on stage. Here is a video of her participating with the other toddlers and infants in Jingle Bells. She really got into the spirit of the song, kicking her feet and all, and even overcame a little stage fright with dad's help. Enjoy!

Grandpa Lynn

Alex's Grandpa Lynn had a big day today. He had surgery to remove a cancerous tumor at the bottom of his esophagus and top of his stomach.

In the week's leading up to Alex's birth, he had trouble swallowing food. They visited the doctor and just days after Alex's birth on August 17, he learned that he had the tumor. He started a chemotherapy regimen in late September. He handled the chemo quite well and though he sometimes would get fatigued, he never really got all that sick.

He went to Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park today to have the tumor removed. The results were mixed. The surgeon feels that he got all of the tumor out. They removed a portion of his stomach and esophagus. The tumor was about eight centimeters across. They also found more of it further up the esophagus than they had anticipated and were forced to remove more of the esophagus than they originally thought they would.

We haven't seen the oncologist yet, and she will tell us more about what the immediate and longer term future holds. But he is stable and in good spirits. He should be in the hospital for about ten days and then come home in time for Christmas. Alex loves her grandpa very much as you can see from this video at Thanksgiving. We all love him very much.

School Photo

Here is a copy of Alex's first school photo.