Tree Monkey & Bear Paw

Alex has become our Tree Monkey. When he's fussy or in need of some comfort we'll pick him up and he grasps on to our clothing and will just sort of perch there. He really looks like a baby monkey clinging to the side of a tree or riding on his mom's back. So that is one of the names we call him.

Another name we use is Bear Paw. (sometimes Bear Claw if his nails are sharp) I think of it as his spirit or Native American name in a way. It speaks so much to his nature. It's really funny but he sort of attacks things with this sweeping bear arm-like move, especially if he's super excited to see it in front of him. For instance he completely freaked out over an ice cold sippy cup of water last night. And both arms came out from his sides and he lunged for that cup so fast he ended up knocking it clear across the table, so fast that we barely had time to react to catch it. If you've ever see the Discovery Channel and watched a grizzly bear catch a salmon or fight another bear then you know the arm movements I'm talking about. It's really cute. But he's really strong. When his arm was all wrapped up from his trip to the ER I was unlucky recipient of some of these bear arm attacks. But since his arm was fortified it was more like he was clubbing me with cuteness. At the time I was just glad he was in a good mood given the situation.