Oh Christmas tree...

We agree on most things in our household. We are on the same page about parenting and food and television. One of our small points of early contention was the Christmas tree. Not real vs. fake or light colors, but timing. Michele would like to have it up the day after her birthday (that is Dec 1st) and down some time after the new year. I, given my choice, would put it up about a week before Christmas and put it all away on the 26th. We have, over the years, found a happy middle... second week of December. That was this weekend, so away we went.This is the first year that Alex has really been involve on a higher level. She helped pick out the tree and then charmed the men helping us load it up.She helped put on lights... and only two were broken in the process! I feared the number would be far greater. She had fun... even though all of her ornaments were placed in one area and needed some rearranging.When we were all done, she was so proud and so excited. She has been informed that it is her job to turn on the tree every day. She thinks she's pretty cool. Merry Christmas!!

Two Georges...

Two years ago Alex got two stuffed Curious Georges for Christmas. My sister's and brother's families each independently got them for her (we called her "monkey" then, and still do) without knowing the other had. It was pretty funny.

As is her norm with many a toy and most stuffed animals, they were quickly relegated to a shelf. There is a zoos worth of animals collecting dust and staring pleadingly and longingly from the corner of her bedroom. She just doesn't play with them (with the exception of Mr. Dinosaur Head and Stripey the Zebra who go everywhere with her).

But then, a couple days ago, she "discovered" one of the Georges. She showed it around, "It's a monkey" she said. "It's Curious George" she happily reported. She carried it around all evening and took it to bed. No idea where that came from.

The next day I reminded her that there was another George. She screamed. "I have two Georges, look I have two Georges!!" Now she takes them both everywhere... including to bed... along with Mr. Dinosaur Head and Stripey the Zebra. We may have to get her a bigger bed.

Difficult to know what to get her for Christmas when her most prized possessions have been ignored for two years...

It's beginning to look a lot like...

I think Alex might actually "get" Christmas this year. She has started learning songs for her Christmas pageant, she knows who Santa is, she is ready for snow. But, since she was pretty oblivious in years past, we don't know exactly how our traditions will work out. We do Christmas eve with the Maleys and Christmas day with the Harringtons... always have always will.
So when does Santa come? To our house on a hectic and sleepy Christmas morn? Does he stop by the grandparent's houses to leave a few gifts? Right now, it is all up for debate... thoughts?

The curious case of the bloody ear...

So yeah, the bloody ear thing. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, after watching Michigan get killed, Alex woke from a nap and toddled out to see me. She handed me Mr. Dinosaur Head to hold while she climbed on the couch, and he was splattered with blood. Big drops of blood. I picked her up and spun her around searching for the source... and there it was dripping from her ear. I freaked.

We called the doc, and after waiting an hour for a call back, were told to go to the hospital. On a holiday weekend. At night. Luckily it wasn't too busy and we got right in. Unluckily we got a doctor with exactly the experience that you would expect at night on a holiday weekend. Her diagnosis (after examining Alex with very shaky hands) was a shrug. "Here are some drops to lessen the swelling and see your doctor on Monday." Perfect.

So, after worrying away the rest of the weekend, we went to a real doc... who was not worried in the least. She said there are three things that generally cause bleeding in the ear in toddlers:

1. She stuck something in there (she seems more fascinated with her mouth and nose so...)
2. She has an ear infection (no sign of that)
3. Her tube came out and released some blood (we have a winner!)

No big deal. Nothing to worry about. No issues since.

Timing? Priceless

Hello? Is this thing on?

Hey kids... it's been a while. I know this because people keep saying, "What's up with the blog... it's been a while?".

Here's the thing... I ran into a little problem. At first I thought it was writer's block, that amorphous and difficult to wrangle maybe a real issue maybe not deal you get when you can't think of a single word to write (let alone the long rambly stuff I enjoy). But it was more than that. I started to freak out a little. I got the cold sweats and could feel my heart beating in my chest whenever I sat down to convey the cuteness that is life with Alex and Michele. I started to panic a little. It was no fun.

Here's the why... I started worrying more and more about what people thought. Will this aunt be upset if I tell an Alex story involving that aunt. Will people think I'm overselling Alex's adorablosity. Will friends get upset because I did, or didn't, write about an event. Part of me thought I was crazy, but then it happened... some close friends took offense at an attempt at story telling and decided not to be friends anymore. Suddenly I was staring up at the cliff I had been perched at the edge of for so long.

Last week we had to take Alex to the urgent care. She had woken from a nap and was bleeding from the ear. It was scary. The doctor asked how long it had been since she had her tubes in... and our first instinct was to check the blog. It turns out that it isn't just the ramblings of a madman... it's the chronicle of Alex's life and our life with her. It's not about my fear or what you all think... it's the way that we look back and remember and revel. It's the book of us. And it isn't over.

So, here's the deal. I am going to stop stopping. I am going to write on this blog and brag on my baby and love on my wife and not give a damn what you think. If you are one who is prone to judge, compare, or get angry you are no longer invited. If you just want to see cute pics and read poorly written stories about our boring lives, then you are welcome.

Rock On!!! Alex goes to a concert!

This weekend, while Michele and Wes had to work, I had the opportunity to take Alex to a concert at the Ark in Ann Arbor.
We were going to see the Verve Pipe, a famous rock band from the mid '90's! Only, now that they are older, and have kids, they offer a kids show.
This was Alex's first exposure to a live music concert and at first she wasn't too sure about it, as you can see in the photo.
Eventually she got quite into it! There were many kids at the show and at one point, they invited all the kids on stage to be "Part of the Band!" Alex didn't go up, but that really got her into it!
The concert was really good. The Verve Pipe came up with a bunch of their own kids songs. Alex started out a little scared of the whole thing. Eventually, she asked if she could dance is the aisle to the music. This mean jumping up and down like a mad lady - similar to the kids surrounding us!
From an adult perspective, I appreciated the rock sound to the music and thought they did a good job!
Maybe next time they're in town, the parents can also attend.
In the mean time I got a CD so they can start learning the songs!
The lights were low but I tried to get some video at the end of the concert. By the end of the concert they were singing some songs to get them to Dance around... Like "Jump Around" and "Believer"- from the Schrek films and originally from the Monkeys! Alex jumped up and down for about the last 20 mins of the concert!
This video is sideways... I can't figure out how to fix it.... but here's a taste of her dancing!

Churches and castles and sunsets...

Friday in Switzerland was a packed day. We loaded up in the morning and headed to Einsiedeln where we toured a beautiful church. We wandered around (trying desperately to keep Alex's volume down while in the church) and checked out all the over the top art. Alex, of course, was most impressed with the fountain that she could drink from...Then we headed on to Rapperswil where we meandered around a huge castle. Alex was quite melty by this time, but we had fun checking everything out. Then we settled in for some tapas, and had a very relaxing meal full of beer and laughter... in a castle. It was pretty cool...Finally we headed home, but had to stop on the way to appreciate this sunset...It was the kind of day that you will not have in the states. A church that grew around a hermits shack over centuries. A castle now used mostly for museums, weddings, and tapas. A roadside sunset view to take your breath away. One more day left...