pardon the dust

if you got stopped at a new splash page on dinaandphilip.com and had to click to get here, then you know what i mean. if you came right here, then you have no idea - skip to the end. i've started making some adjustments here and there to the site. the one most of you might encounter is probably that first page at dinaandphilip.com. if you haven't seen it take a click: dinaandphilip.com. you'll notice the page doesn't automatically forward you anymore - some of you may not know what i'm talking about. that's ok.

suffice to say, you may need to update your bookmarks. dinaandphilip.com/site is the URL you should have bookmarked.

like i said, if you didn't notice anything and just started reading this page, nevermind. go back about your business!

and an old shot of Alexander from back around Christmas (this series hasn't been posted - exclusive!)

monitor this!

those of you who know me well, know i've got a bit of a technolust problem. thankfully budgetary concerns keep me from acquiring every thing i want (although the PS3 is still on the target baby registry. for alex. really!) so when i saw some of the baby monitors out there, i was quite disappointed. i mentioned that i'd be setting up video monitoring myself, and that's worked great. but for some things i need monitoring as i move around the house. so i found this:

at first i was dubious. sure, it was expensive. but it had a ton of features, including DECT - a digital technology to help with interference and sound quality. but it was expensive. could it really be better then a cheap $30 monitor? everyone complained about the cheap ones audio quality and some didn't seem to work - choosing on their own to break the connection between monitor and base and then emit ear piercing sounds at 1am or just passing static the whole time.

i held off. we have a small place and i knew for a while we wouldn't need one as the boy would be with one of most of the time. but he's bigger now, sleeping more regularly and i'm getting busy with work. so i pulled the trigger and bought it. trusting that the glowing reviews would be rewarded.

man am i happy with this thing. small, convenient and efficient - it does everything i expected and more and better.

wanna not here the actual sounds in the baby's room until they get to a certain volume? no problem. want to turn the microphone sensitivity in the room down so it doesn't always transmit the white noise? done. want to talk to the baby from anywhere? sure thing. how about the temperature in the room? and while you're at it, give me an alarm if it gets too warm or too cold. easy. oh, and that DECT stuff. audio quality is CRYSTAL clear and sensitivity is amazing. and i have a ton of EM emissions in this house (not counting the wireless phones, cell phones and microwave, we've got 4 wireless access points broadcasting across all three 802.11 standards).

it works great. better then i expected. love it when a purchase like this works out!

my only regret? i didn't get this guy: http://bit.ly/9KQhi5

i'll put the $60 towards a PS3.

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.

6 weeks

time flies. and just like that, 6 weeks are up. today dina returned to work and alexander and i stayed home together alone for the first time. it sounds ominous but it's not. dina works like 5 minutes from our house so if something dramatic happened she could be home quickly. this closeness also allowed her to come home for lunch, easing her separation from the boy. so what we viewed with a bit of trepidation last night, seems to have passed relatively easily.

i know it won't always be such a perfect day - he's still sleeping a lot - but i'm happy today went well.

next up... kindergarten!