Apple Picking

We recently went apple picking at Lynd's farm. Alex had a ball! Today he helped me peel and slice the apples to make apple crisp. He really enjoys helping me in the kitchen these days.

Update on Alex

Alex is now 38 1/4" tall and weighs 34 pounds. He is working on being potty trained and has some good days now and then. He loves his baby brother (except when he is crying) and even shares his toys. He is going through a stage now of being afraid of a lot of things (dinosaurs, lions, etc). His favorite animal at the zoo is the elephant. This summer he rode some of his first carnival rides. He even went down the BIG sack slide with Daddy. His favorite color is yellow and he can count to fifteen. He knows most of his colors, but still has a little trouble remembering. He knows all his basic shapes and enjoys playing with his puzzles. I finally broke down and let him do some painting a few weeks ago (I hate the mess). He enjoyed himself, but he also doesn't like to get his hands dirty. So after washing his hands every five minutes, we put up the paints for a little while. If I would let him, he'd play outside all day long. Alex has made some friends in the neighborhood this summer. The kids are all a little older, but they enjoy showing Alex how to play their big kid games. I'm sure they will be a source of bad judgement sometime in the future.

Tyler Visits the Doctor

Tyler visited the doctor today for his routine 4-month checkup. He is growing at warp speed, but the doc says he is very healthy! He weighs 17 pounds 6 ounces (the exact same weight that Alex was at his four month appointment) and is 26" tall. He received four shots in his chunky little legs and one oral vaccination. The poor little guy screamed for a few minutes and his face turned dark red, but he is now sleeping nicely this afternoon. He is still eating at night, but the doc wants me to try to scale him back to only one or two feedings per night. That might be difficult because this kids loves to eat!

I was all prepared to start introducing him to some baby foods in the next few weeks, but the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that babies not be fed solids until they are at least six-months old. This surprised me so I did a little research online and found the following information interesting.

"Today, more moms and doctors trust that babies nursing instinct (the tongue thrust) is an important indicator that baby isn't ready for solids. And studies have shown a clear link between Chron's disease, colitis, eczema, and other diseases with the introduction of solids. Studies show for formula and breastfed babies, early solids increase rates of respiratory disease and persistent coughing. Despite dire warnings of those accustomed to early solids, waiting till 6 months has not increased rates of anemia. In fact, breastmilk *is* the perfect food, and while no other foods or milks are being given, the iron absorption rate of breastmilk is very high."

So I guess the pictures of those first few messy feedings will have to wait a few more months. I was actually thinking of making some of his baby food myself. We'll see if I still feel that inspired come this November.

Remember this one of Alex when he started eating solids?

Rolling Ridge Ranch

Last week we visited Rolling Ridge Ranch in Millersburg, OH. It is near Amish country in Holmes County. The ranch features over 500 animals & birds from around the world. We fed the animals from a guided horse-drawn wagon tour.

Alex (and Daddy) feed a female Elk.

Memaw feeds a donkey.

This is how he smiles for the camera now...with his eyes closed.

Daddy gets up close to one of the male Elk.