Aidan Henry Alcala

Aidan just started taking Karate. The moves he is learning right now are:
Monkey slap
Round house kick
Jump kick
Monkey claw
Tiger claw
Double tiger claw

Yikes! Wonder what he will be practicing next.

Team "Diamond Rings" competes in the horse shoe tournament at Music Weekend.

Aidan had a blast at his graduation. He performed a dance, recieved his diploma and drank lots of orchata (served with dinner).

Aidan starts rock climbing. Aidan has his own harness and shoes. He just sticks to the wall!

Aidan Learns How to ride a bike! In the photo Aidan prepares to ride as he makes silly faces (Note the San Francisco cityscape). In the video Daddy runs with Aidan @ Cesear Chavez Park in Berkeley.

Jedi Knight "loops" and Princess Leah Halloween Night 

Yummy cake! Mooooore!

  

You Can Have Your Cake And Eat it Too!

Bad Boys Bad Boys, Whatcha going to do when they come for you.
  

Things Aidan can do at 2 ½:

* “Make circles”, which means put Brio train tracks together in patterns
* Put 63 train track pieces back in the box correctly
* Sit on his potty, bouncing around to different places if needed, without losing contact with the seat
* Introduce information to a conversation, as in volunteering that he would be Batman and Mommy would be a spider when asked what he would be for Halloween
* Use the potty for its intended purpose, but not on purpose
* Remember stories and anticipate what will happen to Choo Choo the train who runs away
* Speak in eight word utterances, as in saying “Look at Zoe; Zoe looking out the window”
* Give Grandma her vitamins, carefully putting each one in her mouth and waiting for her to swallow before giving the next one
* Spontaneously get a stick to retrieve a ball if it has rolled under a bookcase
* Spontaneously get his stool so he can be tall enough to help with cooking
* Make a table with his workman tools, putting the legs in the right place and getting and using screws to set them in place
* Push the buttons to start the microwave
* Add the ingredients to make biscuits and help with rolling and cutting them
* Make circles with PlayDoh (roll, cut and line them up)
* Sing the alphabet and recognize a few of the letters
* Count objects to 10, but with a few errors (like sometimes skipping 3)
* Play happily with his train set
* Find his tricycle when we play Hide the Tricycle. If he hides it, he will show where he has hidden it to anyone looking for it
* Latch the plastic top piece to his car seat. He can also get in to and out of the car seat (but can’t do the metal latches)
* Remove his socks and shoes, shirt and pants except for buttons and snaps
* Point to familiar pictures in a book on request; request particular books and follow the stories
* Ask simple questions; express curiosity about the world
* Walk up and down stairs by alternating feet (25% - 50%).
* Line up objects, sort objects, insert objects and pegs into their spots with precision
* Remember locations and provide driving directions between familiar places
* Recognize the route to GG’s place in Marin and know that he is going there even if he hasn’t been told his destination
* Charm everyone.

Aidan Rocks!

doesn't get any cuter!!!! 

Dada in heaven at the cabin. 

terminator? This picture is taken in medecino county at a cabin lookout. 

aidan saying cheese! 

aidan before saying cheese 

Hmmm. Aidan love to pull Zoe's tail.

New words that aidan can say:

do
light
tree
buggies (he's sick right now)
off

Combinations:
more nummy
more cracker

Aidan saw leah with cleanex in her nose and was babbling "nose nose nose." He would not stop commenting on Leah's nose until she took the cleanex out of her nose. Aidan has been waking up very early everyday. Sometimes he wakes up at 5:30 AM. Dag.

too bright! 

Ray Lives!!! 

Cheese! 

Aidan went to the zoo with mommy and grandma. At the Meer Kats there is a tunnel just Aidan's height made out of cement. What fun to crawl through. But when when grandma got there it was clear that there was 2 inches of water in it. He is the progression. Maybe Aidan wont notice it. Aidan sees the tunnel but steps gentaly in it and around the puddle. Aidan puts his foot in the puddle. Aidan stomps his foot in the puddle. Aidan sits down in the puddle.

Aidan is now 30 lbs and 30 inches tall.
Aidan went to Berkeley's Habitat today. Habitat is a childrens museum where it costs more for children than it does for the parents. Aidan splashed other kids with a bucket of water. Other kids splashed Aidan too.

In the Artist exhibit the sign read "Do not prohibit your child from painting on themselves. A child needs to be able to express themselves artistically. the paint will come off in the wash."

Aidan came home soaking and daddy changed his diaper and clothes.

Ok so what are words that a
Aidan can say:
uh oh
up
help
more
roar
hi
bye bye
car
numbers up to 4 (1 2 3 4)
bed
open
no
yes
shoe
baby
straw
ball
hat
v (tv)

NAMES:
zoe
mommy
daddy
grandma
grandpa
cheo (cousin)

FOOD:
cracker
cheese
noodle
juice
milk
peas
wa wa (water)
nummy
cookie
nana (bananna)

ANIMALS:
doggie (also makes barking sounds)
lion
meow (for cat)
roar
peacock

BODY PARTS:
nose
ears
eyes
mouth
help (pats chest)
hot (blows)
hat (touches head)

Aidan has been dressed in Leah's old baby outfit. Retro baby! 

Wearing a cowboys hat rooting for the Raiders! 

Yesterday we went to Heart's Desire Beach at Tomales State Park. It took 90 minutes to get there, but I slept the whole way and was totally rested when we arrived. There were about 50 people from Grandma's former job there, and despite the many other babies there, I was clearly the most mobile and adaptable. I let everyone hold me, I gave kisses to some, and basically let myself be admired by all. I was wearing my FDNY onesie that Rebecca got for me in New York; it was quite a hit, since one of the teachers has a brother who is a NY fireman (and lost many buddies on 9/11.

My favorite things we did: I stood under a water faucet and let my head and feet get wet; I walked on the sand and into the bay; we hiked into the woods and found protected picnic tables apart from all the others, and I danced on them while the others tapped drumbeats and sang native songs; I ate a whole piece of barbequed chicken breast. On the way home, we stopped at GG's and I took a bath. I threw lots of Fisher-Price toys into the tub. I know just where GG keeps the toys, and I love dumping them on the floor.

This morning Aidan danced for me. We were listening to kmel (default on the radio clock that is set for 6:30 am) when expose started playing. Aidan stood up in our bed and started to bend his knees to the beat of the music. Kinda like point dexter from the nerds but way cooler. Anyways he was shakin moovin and groovin. He's ready for the dance floor.

Forgot some words Aidan can say:
up
baby
peas
juice

Aidan in Mexico with sunglasses. Rico Suave! 

Aidan is talking now. The following are words he can say:
nummy (my favorite - means he want's teta)
keys
mommy
dad
open (baby sign)
more (baby sign)


I will have to post more words later. Aidan now runs. He has 8 teeth. He is learning to play the harmonica and he likes to through things for zoe to fetch. He sleeps in his crib for 3 to 4 hours a night. He is the cutest baby ever!

Aidan riding donkey in Puerto Vallarta

A batendar at palentino's grill pulled aidan out of his high chair and put him on this donkey that was led into the restaurant. The sign for palentino's grill was a of a donkey and I guess this donkey was palentino (or palentino for the night). To our surprise aidan did not mind (being swept away by the stranger and being placed on the hairy donkey). The owner of the donkey then took aidan on a ride around the block. I nervously accompanied them. Aidan loved it. the Donkey caretaker looked like he needed a drink (we tipped 30 pesos).

he can walk!!!! Noooooooooo.

Aidan Sportin Sunglasses

Great nap today--over an hour. Learning to walk takes a lot out of me.

Grandma and Grandpa walked me in the stroller to Thai temple for
lunch. I'm a big fan of the greyish pudding that comes with mango
sticky rice. The rice was ok, but I passed on the mango. Spit it
out, actually.

In the afternoon we went to Amanda's graduation party. That was fun.
Dad and Grandma had me walking back and forth between them over and
over. Each trip was about six steps and was very challenging and
exciting. Many times I considered a transition back to crawling,
which is so easy for me, but Dad would hear nothing of it. He was so
encouraging. I can just imagine what it will be like to learn how to
ride a bike.

Mom has an interview at king Middle School on Wednesday. I hope she
gets the job!

Hmmmm. Okay I'll type something in. It has been a while. Aidan is doing great! he is able to pull himself up to a standing position and walk around tables and along walls. He has taken some first steps but is way more comforatable with crawling around. He likes to crawl up the stairs, follow the dog around, and push around his leaner toys. He loves watermelon. He can say bye, wave his hand, point at objects and people, sing. He has tried ice cream, which he totally loves, beans, rice, orange juice, tofu, and the list goes on. I tried to give him meat but he spit it out. Hmmmm. He may turn out to be a veg head. He has 8 teeth( he bit cheo the other weekend when cheo put his little baby finger in aidans mouth) and he loves chewing food. He also likes to feed himself with a spoon but this can be a messy event.

My first trip to Mexico was hella cool. Parasailing, banana boat,
snorkeling, swimming, tipping back margaritas--oh, yeah, that was
Grandma.

So what did I do? I hung out, sat in a freezy poll on top of the
world with a view of the entire bay at Puerto Vallarta, lounged in
the beach chairs, went out to cool restaurants and was carried up and
down the big hill over and over. The cobblestone streets made my
stroller pretty worthless in town, but my Baby Bjorn carrier was
great. Aside from all that, I crawled, played with toys and worked
on my pincer grasp, which is getting pretty good. My vocalizations
work equally well as English, Spanish or, maybe, Lunar; they get me
what I want, which is key.

I'm definitely planning another trip.

Aidan is working on getting into a sitting position by himself. He is also nearly crawling. Today he took his first crawl (knees and arms forward) but we are waiting for him to harness this skill and get mobile. Aidan's third tooth is comming in. The front left.

Aidan has teeth. Yeah!!! (poor leah - ouch ). He can roll, sit, pull himself up to a standing position and we are working on crawling. He also laughs. He likes to rub leahs belly and chew on fingers. He loves his shirley and she loves him (his day time care giver).

Aidan and his cousin Cheo in their Halloween costumes. The dynamic duo pose as a frog and a skunk. Kermit and Pepe :-)

Aidan Just had a checkup (9/23)
He now weighs 19 lbs 10 ounces
He is 26 inches

Aidan the amazing
He likes to stand
He puts things in his mouth
He coos
He rolls over
He is starting to be able to sit
He loves to smile
He is very strong (yesterday he ripped his plant apart)
He went on his first backpacking trip to point reyes sky camp
He has tried real food and loves watermelon (like his dad)
He has gone to a raider game (at 3.5 months) and he is going to the raiders chargers game today (in the luxury box)
We will be dressing him up in raider gear today. Soooo cute!
We went to Aidans Great Grandparents yesterday and they noted on his looking at everything (mirando they said)

Aidan must be over 17lbs by now. He likes to play with his toys, mashing them with his hands. It's great to watch him develop coordination with his body. He can now lean on my while standing. He has these chunk thighs that enable him to stand (propt against someone). Leah has heard him laugh. I have yet to catch him laughing but I am sure it is cute. I notice that he tries really hard to sit up. He is not there yet but soon we will have a mobile Aidan.
Today was leahs first day of work. It was my first day taking aidan to day care. I walked up to leah's parents pushing the stroller with one hand and my bike with the other.

Life according to Aidan: sleep...drowsy...drowsy...hello there...up...I want UP...searching...searching...hand...what's that? hand in mouth...yummm, mmm...eh-eh, tight tummy, yuck, pat my back...weh-eh...rooting...where's mommy? dinner...mmmmm...joy...bliss...big smile...thanks, mommy...tight tummy...hold me...not that way...straight up...Take me outside..no...not that...get it right, you fool...faster...that's better...keep it up...rock me...more...more...ahhhh, that's nice...drowsy...don't put me down....keep it up...mmmm...okaaaay...zzzzz

Aidan went to the doctor today and he weighed in at 16 lbs 4 ounces. He got all of his shots today and he is in the 99th percentile for his weight. He is our big man!!!

It's official - Aidan is now 14lbs! wow. This is day 53!

so we went to Ohio and Aidan did not cry on 3 of the four flights that we had. The last flight was a little hard. Aidan was a little fussy. He has also outgrown his 1-3 month diapers. Aidan can now roll over. This is a little scary because he is so young and he should not sleep on his stomach. He is smiling aot these days. Check day 51 for lots of smiles!

Whats new with Aidan? Well he has now started wearing bigger diapers (12 to 18lbs) and clothing sized at six months. Thats my Big Man. Also he smiles more frequently.

Aidan is hanging out with his grandma sonja, chris my sister, isiah his cousin, gabby my other sister, our family friend maria, our other family friends katelin and cynthia. Full house at grandmas. Isiah just kissed aidan. Very cute and of course we got a pic of it. Forgot to add that aidan now drools. We thought he was going to be drool free but he is all the cuter now!

Haven't blogged in a while. Lets see....Aidan is smiling every day. He is now starting to make goo goo gaa gaa noises. He is now starting to follow objects with his eyes. This guy gets out of the house a ton too. Leah takes him on walks everyday. Today we took a family walk. We headed down telegraph to the local bike shop, the Bent Spoke. Then we walked down to the Nomad Cafe on 65th and Shattuck. Very nice. It's a hot spot so I will have to bring my laptop sometime. At Nomad we ran into Faith, Amanda's friend from Humboldt. She says she has seen all the pictures. Wow! Word spreads about aidan's pics. We then headed to my parents house where Aidan met my uncle mario. Chris and Gabby, my sisters, came by to hang out with us. Aidan was very social. Everyone wanted to hold him. We got some aidan relief. Aidan also spent time with his Grand Dad Manuel. Right now he is wearing his Very Hungy Cattipillar(sp?) out fit that says "but he was still hungry." That sums it up for our very hungry cattipillar.

Big news! Aidan has started to smile. Wow..he looks sooo cute when he gives a toothless grin. Also he is now able to hold his head up and he weighs 11 pounds. Big guy. Shirley's (his baby sitter) nickname for him is "Big Man" and I think he has earned it. Yesterday was his first trip to San Francisco. 1rst trip on bart and 1rst trip to UC berkeley. Leah has been on a walking mission.

Monday night. I met leah and aidan at baby brigade. Baby brigade is baby night at the parkway theater where parents can take their wee ones to check out movies. My cousin Lil, Albert(her husband) and their baby Cheo met us there as well (there are great pictures of aidan and cheo on day 5). Cheo was weighed today and he is 13 pounds and he is 3.5 months. Aidan is 10 pounds at 30 days. Aidan is working hard to catch up and be a big boy. Cheo was very cute. He was very interested in pulling on Aidan's clothes. Parkways great: movies, pizza, beer and on monday nights a chorus of crying newborns. Wow I have never heard so many babies crying at the same time. But guess what...aidan didn't cry once. Cheo did well too. We had the best kids in the place. Yup.

Oh, I forgot to write about saturday night. Leah's parents came over to babysit(thanks guys) so that Leah and I could go and see Finding Nemo. So this movie was really scary. Leah and I were jumping out of our seats scared. Sharks, explosions, poor incocent fishies getting muched. This is a kids movie? Effects were great, pixar did a good job. We noticed that Nemo looks a lot like Aidan. Its the chuby cheeks. Anyways, this movie had me on the verge of tears multiple times. Although leah thought the movie was great she was ready to leave early because she missed Aidan so much. This was her first time leaving him.

Day 29. Big day for Aidan. We all went to Pichazzos(cafe on dwight and san pablo). There we ran into morgan hallinan(leahs roomate from college). Food was very grubbin and Aidan was awsome. Slept the entire time we were in the cafe. This place was packed with babies. The group at the table next to ours had 7 month old twins. Screamed the whole time. Aidan was angelic. What can we say? Oh and he was way cuter.

Ok. This is Aidan's Web log. Here I will be posting interesting stuff about aidan. Leah says I have reached a new level of geekyness. Maybe, but then won't Aidan think its cool when he is older that there is a log of his first year online. I want to post his weight, height, things he does or anything aidan related. I will only be posting for a year. The same amount of time I will be posting pictures. Anyways. Enjoy the logs to come!