talkie talk

Alex gives a little talking and then he realizes he's on camera and stops. Silly boy! video from January 22, 2009 [quicktime]http://dinaandphilip.com/site/wp-content/video/alex_talk_012210.m4v[/quicktime]

music man

So Alex has started to like talking and cooing. My attempts to film this have not gone well. As soon as he sees the camera he stops and stares. But I've managed to capture some of his attempts. The first is him jamming to some music, the second is him staring down the camera. video from January 12, 2009 [quicktime]http://dinaandphilip.com/site/wp-content/video/alex_music_012209.m4v[/quicktime]

video from January 27, 2009 [quicktime]http://dinaandphilip.com/site/wp-content/video/alex_stare_012709.m4v[/quicktime]

alex on movies

no, not a review of his favorite movie. although, right now that'd probably be Dark Knight since his dad has watched pieces of it on BluRay a dozen times, or UP! which he's also screened. so, first up. a video from December 4, 2009 taken at 12:35 in the morning, changing him and getting him ready for sleep again. [quicktime]http://dinaandphilip.com/site/wp-content/video/alex_latenight_120409.m4v[/quicktime]

more! more! more!

so, i'm behind. but who isn't when they have a new little guy you can't stop holding? i've updated the photos with some december photos of the boy. i've got some more that i need to process and get up (yes Suzi, the cabin photos) as well as some short little videos i did of him smiling and giggling.

of course i've only managed to do some of this. because now i have to go feed him.

check it: photos

shots!

UPDATE: I forgot to add. Alex now weighs 10lb 14oz and measures 22 1/2 inches long! today our little guy turned 8 weeks old. in many ways it's gone by incredibly fast and at the same time has taken forever. dina and i often remark how we can't believe it's already been, however long it's been.

but the changes in Alexander from when he was born to now are stunning. he's full of personality and interactive - giggling, cooing and beginning to track you with his eyes - well mostly mom, but he knows who i am (i think he's already planning...). it's this interactivity that's really changed his relationship with us and me especially. i've told a number of people that it's a bit hard for a dad to immediately bond with your baby. the whole miracle of life is amazing and holding your new child is amazing, but until he starts to recognize you and responds to your voice, he really doesn't care that much about you. now, if dad had breasts with milk (greg focker's assertions not withstanding) then that'd be different. but watching his face change because he recognizes your voice and face - that's something special.

he's outgrown all of his newborn clothes and fits comfortably in his next size - the infant version of 'husky' i figure - 0-3 months. although. we do have a sleeping outfit that fits 0-9 months - ok it's more of a baby bag with arms right now for him. and we're getting into the next layer of baby toys and accoutrements that are banned until he starts to assert his, for lack of a better phrase, human-ness.

so, to mark his 8 weeks we thought it best to ensure he visits the doctor for his first round of vaccinations and his regular checkup. the perfect gift for the baby who has everything!

the boy has been a champ at this doctor thing. in the hospital he barely fused through all his procedures - crying the most upon being delivered. when he received his very first vaccination he cried after the needle was removed. and through all his being handled and prodded, massaged and touched by doctors, he has never really freaked out. thankfully. today though, he was receiving three shots and an oral vaccination and figuring we were in for a good cry, i had the camera ready.

alexander while waiting for the nurse to 'assault' him

and the result (you'll notice a little red spot on his leg - he received a very colorful round band-aid to cover it up which i'm not looking forward to removing). the nurse though was so fast - i turned around to get dina a toy and she was nearly done - it was all i could do to snap a these two images.

and that was basically it. he quieted down almost immediately, whimpering a little and that was it. the kid's a trooper and made it a lot easier for his parents. he had a rough afternoon - we figure his legs were sore, and fussed a bit. but he's back baby! he's back!

these last 8 weeks have been amazing - and everyone says it only gets better from here. but i can honestly say they've been some of the most awesome, wonderful, tiring days either of us have ever experienced and we're looking forward to many, many more.

and if you haven't met Alex yet, he's looking forward to meeting you soon. but if not, he hopes you'll continue to check in here, now and again.

big

Yesterday, Alexander had his 4 week appointment with the doctor. We're happy to report he's doing great! Weighing in at 9lbs 3oz and measuring 21 inches, Alexander is a happy healthy little boy! He's graduated to larger diapers and already outgrown some of his newborn clothes! His parents, meanwhile are still looking for their lost sleep…

here's alex!

since i first started looking at items to register for, i'd decided that the best baby monitor would be a nice video streaming setup. and since i work from home there'll be times when alex needs to sleep and dad needs to work and that'll happen in different rooms. and since dad has a computer habit that includes a number of non-active computers and a couple of webcams, he's pretty sure he can make this happen. i also realized that i could make it accessible to friends and family who are out of the area and want to get their fix of alexander. and let's be clear here. really. who could possibly get their fix of this little guy?

so i've started playing with the setup and getting the system worked out. using ustream.tv and webcams i've been able to stream alexander as he watches dad work and while dad was away at work. it works great.

i've added the ustream.tv live feed to the sidebar (look to your right on the home page) and if you happen to be on the page at the right time you'll catch him online. additionally, you can click on the image and it'll take you to the permanent bookmark-able channel page at ustream.tv (which is ustream.tv/channel/alexito). a password is required to view and that password for now is bob (if it changes, i'll let y'all know).

if you're following us on twitter (twitter.com/dinaandphilip) and you've set it up to receive text messages, when alexander goes live you may receive a text as the twitter account is updated signaling the beginning of the live stream (i think you can understand how that makes more sense then me calling all of you!).

this may all change in the future or it may disappear depending on how things work out. but for now, you may catch a live view of Alexander!

down then up

after losing an expected 10% or so of his body weight, young Alexander has roared back to 7lbs 13.4oz just one day before his two week birthday! a happy healthy 13 day old newborn. Alexander has been out and about now quite a few times and has decided that the infant carrier is the perfect place to catch a snooze, letting mom and dad get some essential shopping done when needed. unfortunately, sleeping when the car is not running is not his favorite and mom and dad are still walking around in a sleep-deprived haze and short bursts of coffee-fueled clarity.

but who wouldn't go through it all for this little guy?

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7lb, 4oz. 18 inches.

Thursday November 26, 2009 at 7:12pm we welcomed Alexander Aristides Ariza to our family. It's has been a couple of crazy wonderful days, but before I post the whole story, and in this quiet time between feedings and family visiting, I wanted to get the photos up. Mom and baby are well with no problems. Dad on the other hand, needs some sleep.

Thanks to everyone for their love and support the last 9 months. Click on Alexander to see more photos.

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