Romp in the Snow

Xander had a blast playing in the snow today after school!


He was a natural at making snow angels.



The snow was just too perfect...it would have been a crime not to build a snowman...

There! The final touches to Xander's masterpiece!


Take a bow, sir!


It looks great from any angle.

Getting so big.

Mommy and Daddy joke about how we wish Xander would stay small, but he's great at any size. We're constantly amazed at how mature he is becoming with each passing day.

Happy 11th Xander!

It was a long week, dealing with injuries, being sick, and having other health worries in the family, but things seemed to resolve themselves and everything looks fine.


Xander is growing up so quickly! He's moving around quickly, and is getting into more and more trouble. His balance is improving every day, and he loves to find large objects to push around (boxes, pillows, toys, chairs, etc.), so he can get from place to place. One of these days, he'll realize that he doesn't need them anymore.

Loves us some grub...

An hour and fifteen minutes into dinner, and still going strong...



You know what they say about a man with an insatiable appetite. ;-)

Family Time

Nana found an old rattle that belonged to Daddy and Xander's aunt and uncle. It was like reuniting with an old friend.


Xander got another beautiful sweater from GG Nana this weekend! He looks so sharp!




Unfortunately, during the stay at Nana's, Minnie's antics rubbed off on Xander...

Visit from Saba and Auntie E

Saba brought his fancy (and very difficult to focus) camera, and we got some great shots of Xander having a smashing good time with his favorite saba and his favorite cô.






Everyone had a great time! Come back soon, Saba and Cô Ellie!

The riceman cometh...

Did we mention that Xander loves his carbs? I think the pictures speak volumes. In other sad, sad news, Daddy was assigned cleanup duty.

Par-tay!

Xander was excited to have his friends come over on Sunday. He helped clean the apartment and prepare for the big day.















Xander showed off his toys to Keegan.















Keegan discovered the drum set and prepared to show off.















Xander was very impressed with Keean's leet skeelz.















Xander tried to woo the fair Ms. Lydia















The kids had a blast. Xander's party was a success!















Mommy and Xander read some books to relax and wind down before bed.

A Roseola by any other name...

Curse daycare and their mediocre policies on illnesses! The Xander had fevers pretty much all week long after being sent home on Monday, and then they began to subside by Wednesday evening, so we sent him back to school on Thursday. He did fine all day long, played, ate, and was happy. He had a nice bath, and went to bed without too much of a fuss. Friday morning, Mommy woke Daddy up and said, "I think we might have a problem." Little red spots had appeared all over Xander's torso, completely covering his chest and back, up his neck, forehead and his scalp. He didn't seem to be immensely bothered, but it looked really painful/itchy, and the first thought that came to Daddy's very aesthetico-centric eye was, "Oh god, not the face!"

Fortunately, even with the many school closings due to the blizzard the night before, the pediatrician was still able to squeeze in a brief consultation, and a quick jaunt down the snow-strewn streets across town to the doctor's office assuaged all the imminent concerns. The diagnosis was a mild case of Roseola infantum. Whew. And here we thought it might be...whaaaaaa?

...a relatively benign viral infection in the Herpes family, with a 12-15 day incubation period, followed by several days of high fevers, ending with an acute truncal rash, at which point the child has basically formed a complete immunity and no longer poses a threat for contagion. Finally, he can go back to school? Daddy and Mommy just don't have the luxury to take time off indefinitely.

Xander hopes that his friends are OK.