Alex is really crawling now, and getting into everything. It happened so suddenly! One day he was content to play with his toys in the living room and the next day he was crawling to visit us everywhere -- the kitchen, the hallway, the laundry room. We've thoroughly baby-proofed now so he's free to explore, and he takes advantage of it by extending his range every day. He also pulls himself up to a half-sitting position and can sit unassisted if he's placed that way.

Lately, Alex has been getting bored with typical baby toys, and much prefers common household objects. His current favorites are Leanne's potato masher and Matt's sheepskin slippers. He also likes touching the dog. To Buford's credit, he's been very patient and if Alex grabs his ears or chews on his tail, he'll just get up and walk away.

A couple days ago, we had to lower Alex's mattress and remove his crib bumpers because he was beginning to use them to pull up on them. He sometimes bumps his head on the bars in the night now, but is slowly getting used to his crib's "new look."