A Day with Alex

  Alex had a bit of conjunctivitis in his eye and had to stay home from daycare yesterday, so I was called upon to babysit.
  It was a very early start to the day for me, so that I could avoid the rush hour traffic, but he was already up and had had his breakfast when I arrived. When I rang the doorbell, I could hear him inside exclaiming, "Poppa! Poppa!" I was advised that this is accompanied by a jumping-up-and-down happy dance, but I missed this part.
  Chuck and Rebecca left shortly thereafter for work and my little buddy and I were left to our adventures for the day, which included:
  * Play-Dough. My sculpting skills were tested as he asked for a variety of items, including an impact hammer, a dump truck, and an elephant. Making a pancake and a pat of butter is much easier.
  * Legos: We made airplanes, which then flew downstairs with us.
  * Trains & Trucks: They drove around the living room and a few of them also drove downstairs.
  * "The Marker Book": This book uses dry-erase markers and has to be monitored closely so there are not markings on places other than the book. My drawing skills were also tested here.
  * Chalking the Walk: With rain in the forecast for the afternoon, we took advantage of the morning sunshine to go for a walk around the neighborhood.  Alex enjoys bringing sidewalk chalk so that he can draw. Mostly he draws snakes. Poppa was called upon to draw the entire family. We also made two trips back into the house when he decided we needed a different color of chalk.
  * Building blocks: Alex has a set of large cardboard blocks that are used for a variety of things.  He decided he wanted to make an "escalator" so I made a pyramid or one-then-two-then-three-then-two-then-one blocks that he could step on. Particularly cute was when he brought his stuffed pal Monkey with him, admonishing, "Hold my hand, Monkey."
  He then also wanted an elevator, so I made a single block platform with a vertical wall panel which was the buttons to push. Alex, Monkey and Whatsamatter Bear went up and down in the elevator a lot.
  * Cooking: Alex prepared a variety of meals in his play kitchen. Among his dining guests were Monkey, Whatsamatter Bear, Elmo, Abby, and, of course, Poppa. Alex particularly likes to make sandwiches and soups with the variety of plastic food items he has. The soup made of a tomato, a waffle, lettuce and a french fry is just one of his eclectic culinary mixes.
  * Reading: A book about dinosaurs and one about Mickey Mouse were among the day's choices.
  * Playing his guitar: His newest hit song is "Elmo, Abby and Trucks," joining his longtime favorites "The ABC Song" and "Happy Birthday."
  I'm sure there was more, but I've lost it in the blur of the day.
 Alex also took a very nice two-hour nap after lunch.
 So did Poppa.

Poppa, Alex, and Monkey