Ten About Alex!

Alex has a megawatt smile.  I looked up "megawatt" to make sure it was a real thing, and, yes, it's a million watts.  Think about the brightest lamp in your house, multiply it by a thousand or so, and that's Alex's smile.  He's been smiling brightly since shortly after birth.  He must be noticing how Andy always gets his way and is anxious to cash in on the "What the hell, just give him a popsicle" mentality around here.

In the first three days of Alex's life, his cry sounded like a tea kettle going off.  At first, we didn't know if Alex needed assistance or if someone was making Earl Grey in our hospital room.  

Alex's head seemed really small to me when he was born.  "Nope, it's fiftieth percentile," the doctor told me when I expressed my concerns.  "Although sometimes small heads run in the family."  She then seemed to size up my own head, which I have always thought it kind of on the small size.  The rest of the day, I felt freakish and devoted to googling such queries is "Is my head too small?" "Should this hat be tighter?" and "Correct ratio of head to body."  Now I think that Alex's head might be on the big size and am wondering if he will be wearing adult sized hats when he's a toddler, like that other weird kid of mine, Andrew.

Alex has his eyes open, like, all the time during the day.  I think he wants to nap, but he can't, because it's always so damn loud.  I am trying my best to get Andy to whisper, but he thinks it's a game and likes to shout "WHISPER WHISPER WHISPER!"  I am so very sorry, Alex.  I know you must be totally exhausted.

Alex has the most kissable cheeks and the most cuddly, warm little body ever.  He is the perfect, sweetest baby, and sometimes when he's fussy in the early morning hours, I bring him into bed with me where he turns his face to me, presses his soft cheek against mine, and then instantly falls into a pleasant, dreamy slumber.  And this is my idea of heaven.

Nicknames for Alex:  Al Pal (Like Gal Pal), My Funny Al-lentine (a little wordy), Allie (that's what Andy calls him), Alligator (naturally), Squeaky (he's so damn squeaky), Andy (I'm getting better about this).

Alex has brown hair and brown eyes, but his features are much more delicate and lighter than Andy's.  I think that Alex will be the fairer of the two, and that maybe he will burn while Andy tans.  He will be the Chris while Andy gets to be the Jackie.

Everyone seems to think that Alex looks just like Andy.  Wrong.  Or maybe I'm the one who's wrong, since everyone tells me otherwise.  But since I'm the mother who birthed these two kids and spends every day gazing upon their every last skin cell, eyelash, toenail, etc, then let's just agree that I'm the one who's right.

At times, Alex prefers laying alone on the floor than having Chris hold him.  It's the strangest thing.  Chris holds Alex, Alex gets totally upset.  Chris puts Alex on the carpet and walks away, Alex is suddenly having a ball.  If Chris is holding Alex and he starts to get fussy, Chris immediately plops him on the ground, walks off, and gets a string cheese.

Alex has reached out and grabbed the hem of Andy's pants on a couple of occasions while Andy has stood near him.  This has made Andy laugh.  Either (a) Alex is trying to bond with his big bro the only way he knows how or (b) he's trying so very hard to remind Andy that he's laying there on the floor and, dude, try not to step on me, okay?