Two Month Check-up

This morning we had Alexander's Two-Month Check-up with Dr. M. It wasn't your average check-up as we were chosen to be part of a group session.

Group session with Dr. M and his wife, Lee is something they've been doing now for 5 years. They gather a group of parents whose babies were all born within a very close span of each other and have them all attend their check-ups together. It's a way for parents to not feel so alone and realize that other babies, their age, are going through the same things. It's also a way to find new information and possible new ways to do things.

At first, Dan & I were a bit hesitant about a group session. But we said that we would try out the first one and see how it goes. If it's not for us, then we'll just go back to individual sessions with Dr. M.

Today was the first one. There were 5 babies - the oldest was born on March 16th, and the youngest was born on Dan's birthday (27th). Out of the 5, only one was a girl and she happened to be the biggest baby at birth (11 POUNDS!!). Alexander, not surprisingly, was the smallest at birth and today.


We talked about sleeping habits, feedings, health concerns, developement, etc. All in all I would say it was a very good session and informative. There was one baby there who seemed to be very similar to Alexander's sleep schedule which is almost non-existant. We did know we weren't the only ones but it's good to hear it from someone going through it right now.


At first, Dr. M was concerned about Alexander's feeding schedule only in the sense that he could nurse every hour. He was wondered if he wasn't getting enough breastmilk even though we were supplementing with formula twice a day. He said that we would go into a trial run depending on what his weight was today. However, once he weighed him, all concerns were washed away! Our little Alexander is growing leaps & bounds!


He is now 9 lbs 5 oz and 22 1/2" long. He grew two inches and gained 2 lbs 2 oz since his visit last month. Dr. M & his wife were VERY pleased at his progress.


Then it was time for shots. The worst part of the day. This is the moment that I thought Dan would have a hard time with. I never imagined that I'd have a hard time with it. When the first baby got his shots and started to cry, my eyes welled up and I had to stop myself from crying. And it wasn't even my baby!! Alexander was fourth to go so I kept welling up with each baby, expecting to burst into tears during Alexander's turn. Alexander was such a good boy. He was smiling at Dr. M right before and he let out a huge cry during the first two shots. The third shot gave a much bigger cry. Thankfully, I did not cry. He handed Alexander back to me and not soon after, Alexander stopped crying.


The old saying is true "this hurts me more than it hurts you". Although he cried at the pain for a minute or two, I was a mess for a good five minutes before and five minutes after.


We gave him a bottle to help calm him down and he started to fall asleep. Dr. M said that shots make babies sleepy so hopefully Alexander will be able to get some much needed sleep this afternoon.


Two month check-up is complete and Alexander passed with flying colors! Mom, on the other hand, not so much. I'll have to prepare myself for the Four Month Check-up.

Myth vs. Fact

I figured we'd do something a bit different for Week Nine's Glance Back. Let's play a little Myth vs. Fact...just for fun!

Myth: Newborns sleep 16-20 hours a day

Fact: Alexander still refuses to sleep during the day and we're lucky if he sleeps 6-7 hours a night

Myth: Newborns giggle & laugh when you put them on their tummy

Fact: Alexander cries and screams when you even attempt to put him on his tummy

Myth: Breastfed babies eat approximately every 3 hours

Fact: Alexander would eat every hour if you let him and sometimes wails if you don't feed him every hour

Myth: (While we're still on the food topic) Babies will eventually drop the midnight feeding and begin sleeping through the night

Fact: Alexander ignores that myth

Myth: Babies generally get into a routine by Week Eight (and I know this is not always the case)

Fact: Alexander still has no routine to speak of which means Mommy always has to be on her toes

Wasn't that fun!? So even though it sounds bad, it's not that bad. I mean, how could it be bad when we have such a wonderful gift in our lives every day!? Even when I'm sleep deprived, I can be funny? Right Alyson, I'm funny!

Here are some other little items from Week Nine (Monday May 21- Sunday May 27):

*Gave Mommy & Daddy the first real 'scare' with his intense crying session Thursday night. Let's hope that does not happen all that often!

*Continues to wake up @ 5am

*Watched Sesame Street for the first time and seemed enthralled and even coo'ed with Oscar

*Alyson & Grammie came over to play and baby sit while Mommy & Daddy went out for dinner for our 4th Anniversary

*Most nights, bed time was successful where he went to sleep in the bassinett and would stay asleep for about 3-4 hours

*Thankfully still loves the car and Daddy took him for a ride a few times last week to help out with bedtime on the real cranky nights

*Weds & Thurs went for 3-mile walk with Mommy

*Afternoon is fussy time

*Saturday mornings always seem to be fussy for him

*Went over Steve & Ann's house for a cookout on Sunday

Weekend Fun...

On Sunday, we went to visit Steve & Ann for a small BBQ to celebrate Skyler's birthday. Alexander was very well behaved and took a nice nap when we first got there. (Of course he did because other people were around.)




He also got to meet Ginger, Steve & Ann's dog. Ginger took a liking to Alexander, who honestly was oblivious to the whole encounter.

More

Dan & I celebrated our 4th Anniversary today. We went out to dinner and grabbed some ice cream. It was unbelievably warm for May today which is the complete opposite of our wedding day, which was cold, damp & chilly.

Although it feels weird leaving the little one, it was nice to celebrate our anniversary at Naked Fish.

Happy Anniversary, Dan.

Happy Anniversary to Chris & Chris as well who share the same anniversary! Here's to many more anniversaries together.

Friday Fun...

Today, my mother & Alyson came over to hang out with Alexander. Their main reason was to watch him while Dan & I go out to dinner for our 4th Anniversary. So they decided to come over earlier in the day to spend more time with him.



He hung out with Grammie who helped dress him in this cute summer outfit from Auntie Alyson. C'mon now - does this outfit not scream "I'm adorably cute, take me clam digging!"




Then later in the afternoon, after a good nap & some food, he was all smiles and sticking his tongue out.

What a way to start the day...

This picture says it all!

Last night, Alexander had a "moment". It lasted about 5-7 minutes and it was the worst crying you would ever want to hear a baby do. It was HORRIBLE. We had no idea what was wrong. He didn't have a temperature. He wouldn't nurse. His diaper was clean. His body seemed to not be in pain to the touch. We had NO IDEA. It was blood-curdlingly loud. If the crying continued the way it was going, he was going to have his first emergency room trip. The poor little guy just wouldn't calm down. But finally, after a bit of rocking, he calmed down and Dan took him for a drive which thankfully put him to sleep.

The poor kid was utterly exhausted. He had slept for maybe 30 minutes during the day and didn't have a solid night of sleep the night before. He did sleep a bit better last night and somehow he's been sleeping VERY well today. I figure if something was really wrong, the crying wouldn't have stopped and he would not have been calm & low-key today.

I attribute today's sleeping to the fact that my mother & Alyson were here and they sprinkled fairy godmother dust on him. In fact, he's sleeping right now. Let's see how long it lasts...

Chillin...

Thursday started off as a pretty lowkey day. We went for a 3-mile walk around the high school track. It was a bit warm so I was hoping the warmth would help put him to sleep. No such luck as he only slept for less than half of the walk.

Then we came home, relaxed a bit, had some lunch, and tried to take a nap. Tried being the operative word. We managed to get a few pictures taken before the fussiness kicked in.

Then his afternoon fussiness took over. It subdued for a bit but then all hell broke loose.

See the next post for why our evening became "interesting" in a not-so-fun way.

Photo Time...

Here are a couple of photos from this week. Can you believe he'll be Nine Weeks old tomorrow?? EEEKKK.

Here is he on Monday. We had just finished watching Sesame Street and were about to get dressed and he was smiling up a storm and making lots of goofy faces.



Here he is on Tuesday - his Two Month "birthday"! I figured a tie was in order for such a special occassion. This one has a pink stripe as the other one he wore had a blue one - real babies wear pink. This was taken in the afternoon right before his fussy-time.


And this was taken today. I was trying to recreate the shot of him in his wagon but was having a hard time because I didn't want him to fall over. So I opted for a close up here.


My goodness he's so cute!

Two Months!

Wow - I thought the first month flew by. The second went by even faster than the first. Everyone who tells you that it flies by is absolutely correct! I can't believe how quickly time goes, especially when you want it to stand still. Here are a few things that I've noticed about Alexander in the two short months since his birth.

• Fits into 0-3 clothes much better
• He's starting to feel less like a newborn and more like a baby to me
• Able to hold his head up very well regardless that he's not all that fond of tummy time
• He has very strong arms & legs and when he holds onto something, he may not let go
• His hair is getting darker and has yet to fall out
• His eyes are blue and his eye lashes are very long (which is something he didn't have when he was born
• He has the cutest smile and smiles a lot
• He also has the cutest pout he does with his bottom lip when he's sad or about to cry
• He loves to nurse and I think would do it all day if he was able to
• He's starting to "talk" with "ahhhh" and "coo"
• Not a big sleeper and definitely isn't a great napper
• He cries at the drop of being hungry or needing to be changed and when he does cry it's very loud and he can turn really red QUICKLY
• Sneezes twice and still gets the hiccups often
• Likes bathtime as long as he is IN the water

Week Eight: At A Glance

Week Eight At Home: Monday, May 14th through Sunday, May 20th

Here's a look back at Week Eight and how are week went. Overall it was pretty good. We managed to get out of the house almost every day but there were a few crappy days where we stayed in.

• He wakes up at 5am every morning, regardless of what time he got up for his last feeding
• We went for a few walks during the week
• We went to St Marks to talk about his baptism
• For the earlier part of the week, he wasn't a big napper. And then when he did nap it was no longer than 30 minutes. (Makes it hard to finish things that you start)





• His baths are now taken in the big bath while Mommy holds him. He seems to really like the water as long as he's in it. He gets cold when he's out.


• Bed time has been pretty consistent and successful throughout the week where he'll go down in his bassinet after a feeding & a good burb

• Altered his feeding a bit to see if it would help with the fussiness & the sleeping and it's paying off
• We got an actual laugh out of him
• Smiles quite often
• Started to play on his activity mat and kick the pad to get the music to play. And he does that all by himself
• Auntie Alyson came over to hang out (she brought him his first pair of sunglasses) and the whole Dahan clan came to visit where Matt & Jill got to meet Alexander for the first time.

In Love

This adorable child just melts my heart every time I look at him. But when I am able to take a picture of him smiling at me - I can't stop looking at him! I fall in love again and again.

This week, he may want to nurse every hour for 5 hours.

This week, he may be having a growth spurt.

This week, he may be fussy.

This week, he may not want to sleep.

This week, he may cry very hard for no apparent reason.

But I'm madly in love with this little boy.

Who, by the way, is growing like a weed. He feels heavier and he feels longer. Is that possible - to feel longer?? He's wearing the outfit that I had planned to have him wear home from the hospital over his blue onsie (from the earlier picture). He fits it well and figures it's getting nicer out and soon will be too warm to wear such a cute outfit.

This other outfit is the outfit we put him in for

his "official" hospital picture. At the time, it was so big on him that we had to hide some material behind him for the picture. Now, he's starting to fit into it pretty well.

SO BIG...

Alexander is getting really good at holding up his head. But of course, every time I go to take the picture of him holding up his head and looking around, he puts it down. Murphy's Law.

And I like his expression in this picture as he stares at the objects above him

Week Seven: At A Glance

Week Seven (May 7th through May 13th) was probably the easiest and the hardest week so far. Easiest in the sense that we started an "official" bed time routine which worked really well every night. However, it was the hardest because I would think he would be in a real schedule by now and he's really not. He was also pretty fussy this past week always wanting to nurse. I'm attributing that to a growth spurt but man did he have his fussy moments.

He still has no real schedule (boooo)

• He rarely took naps this week which made for long, fussy moments during the day


• We started "bed time" this week and he did well sleeping in the bassinet for longer than usual


• Does a great job of grasping things and now grabs onto my shirts while nursing


• He had his biggest poop to date (Daddy likes to know about his poops) - it somehow ended up in his belly button.


• The three of us went for a walk to get ice cream


• We tried to get his birth certificate from our town hall but they just gave me a very cheesy-looking piece of paper

*Alexander & Mommy have some good quality time in the morning before going downstairs

*He has the cutest smile

*Took a bath with Mommy in the big tube and liked being in the water

*Went to Mommy's dr appt and was such a good boy

Sleeps 98% of the time when riding in the car

• Visiting Grammie & Grampie at their work


• Went to St Marks for the first time (to try to schedule his baptism)


• Celebrated our First Mother's Day


• Wanted to nurse quite often and when he's in those moods he's not a happy little boy and Mommy's a tired mommy

Mother's Day

Yesterday was my first Mother's Day and it was fantastic! We went to my parents house for a

low-key BBQ. It was such a nice day, I couldn't have asked for a better first Mother's Day.

Alexander woke up @ 5am, which is his new
thing. Joy. And he was, for the most part, in a

good mood and all smiles. We got ready to go to Grammie & Grampie's house and he slept the entire car ride.

We hung out, ate some food, & relaxed. The day wouldn't be complete without some pictures to mark the occassion.

Of course, Alexander took 2 naps during the day which he never does for me. Figures. Sue, Moira & Joann also came over for a quick visit to see Alexander. All in all, it was a very nice day.

I hope all Mom's had a wonderful Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day!

Seven Weeks

Wow - time really does fly by!! I can't believe it's been Seven Weeks already. And the most unbelievable part, to me, is that I'm actually able to now see that he's growing. For the first five weeks, I couldn't see a difference. But now, I can tell by holding him, by looking at his face, his smiles & laughing, and the changing of his hair.

On Thursday, we had another big outing day. We woke up early to get ready to for the day's events. We went to my doctor appt for the post-baby check up. Everything is good. My scar looks great and has healed very well, no clogged ducts, and no reddness or swelling. My blood pressure is fine but the only thing is that I haven't lost as much weight as I would have liked by now. But I got permission from Dr. E to go back on Weight Watchers to help me loose the last of the baby weight. Afterall, I have a new wardrobe from last summer that I'd like to be able to wear again.

The best part about the doctor's appt is that Alexander slept the ENTIRE time. I was so nervous that he'd break into some serious crying and that I wouldn't be able to console him as I sit in the doctor's office with a johnny on. I was so relieved when he did sleep, it made the appt much easier. And to make things better - I was in and out of there within 35 minutes. WHOOO! All of the nurses thought he was the cutest thing and the woman who did my NSTs could not stop commenting at how handsome he was. She told one nurse that "I listened to this little one quite a few times before he came out and he's just as cute now".

After the appointment, I went to St Marks to get paperwork for Alexander's baptism. Of course, they couldn't find it so I have to call them again. I'm hoping that we can schedule it for the first weekend in August but it's not confirmed yet so don't make solid plans yet. We'll definitely let everyone know when the date has been confirmed with the church.

Then it was to Grammie's work for a visit. Grammie got to show Alexander off again and Kerry was able to meet the little guy this time. We hung out and had lunch with Grammie but then it was time to quickly stop by Grampie's work before heading home. And the little guy slept all the way home and even a bit more once we got there.

Of course, once we got home, we had to take some pictures to mark "Week Seven". I figured we'd try something different and take some outside as it was nice. As you can tell, he had not yet fully woken up as his expression is pretty much the same in every picture. And yes, clothes (0-3) are still rather big on him.

Greetings from The White House...

Guess what Alexander received in the mail today??
A card from The White House welcoming Alexander's arrival.



Although I may not be a fan of this particular President I do think this card to celebrate his arrival is very cool and one I will keep forever. It gave me goosebumps when I read the part about being a part of the wonderful American story. You know this is going into Alexander's scrapbook!

(btw, I blocked out his full name and address for safety sake, but it was all there on the address)

Funny Photo...

Ever wonder why I mentioned that I've called Alexander "googly-eyes"?? Well I was able to capture the reason on my camera. Thankfully, this is not a normal thing. He had not done this in a long time and I have not seen it since last week.

And to make up for the googly-eyes, here's another smile. Too bad he turned his head to the side just as I took the picture.

At a Glance: Week Six

Week Six (April 30th - May 6th): At a Glance

• Sat in swing a couple times and took small naps
• 2nd projectile vomit on Mommy
• Slept in his bassinet and made it through almost each night without a stop in our bed
• Smiles much more frequently now
• Started to have Mommy time in the morning when waking up where we chit-chat and we smile at each other
• Morning naps were infrequent this week but he would make up for it in the afternoon
• We had our first bath on Wednesday in his baby tub and didn't hate it but tried it again on Saturday and threw a huge fit!


• *Went to sleep in his bassinet every night but didn't always want to stay there
• *Went to work on Wednesday with Mommy and was a very good boy
• *Preemie clothes still fit perfectly while he is starting to grow into newborn or 0-3 months
• *Went shopping with Auntie Alyson on Friday and was such a good boy all day, even went to sleep at 9pm by Alyson
• Had some more tummy time with Daddy, he likes to try to eat his baby-boppy but he's getting better on his lily pad
• Went to cousin Kiera's communion party and slept in the car the entire way and behaved himself at Uncle Dennis' house.
• Had a few days where he was fussy throughout the day and wanted to either nurse or be held all day and of course wouldn't nap.
• He actually lifts his leg to fart
• We tried the Snugli on Sunday and he hated it and wanted out immediately
• When I say the word "daddy" over and over it makes him smile

See How I've Grown...

Just look at how I've grown in 6 1/2 Weeks!

This is a picture of me in the hospital with my coming home outfit. (keep in mind my legs are crossed and snuggled into me so I was longer that what it seems like)

And here is a picture from yesterday wearing the same outfit! It doesn't fit completely yet, but I'm definitely growing into it!

Say Cheese...

And if you can't talk yet, then just make the CUTEST SMILE in the entire world!

Okay - here goes: (doesn't he just melt your heart?)
We thought we'd also show off our cute outfit we wore to cousin Kiera's communion today - isn't he so freakin' adorable?? Again, Auntie Alyson hooked him up with the cool, prepped out ensemble!

Week Six Photos

A couple quick photos of Alexander to share with you on this Saturday of Week Six. I also have a great smile one that I still have to upload, but it's fantastic!


Here is Alexander & Grover hanging out


Here Mommy & Alexander are wearing the same brand of sneakers. Mommy's a sneaker-snob and only wears adidas so we had to get some for Alexander which Auntie Alyson did.

First Bath

Tonight Alexander had his first real bath in the tub! He had a long day as he went into work with me while I had to do a few things there. Both Dan & I thought that he would scream & cry the whole time but we were wrong. He didn't seem to love it, as he did cry a bit but he didn't wail (get it - wail/whale). Must have been the long day of work...


I wonder if it's because we put him in his tub but he just looked so incredibly small!

Our tub isn't the easiest tub to give an infant a bath, and for this being the first one, I'd say we did a-ok! We weren't in there long because that's when he started to have enough. But he did have a little duck in with him to keep him company.

As you can see, he was content for some of the bath, but there were a few moments where he
was quite the unhappy camper. He doesn't mind getting his stomach or legs washed but when it comes time to washing his neck - forget about it! He hates that part. He doesn't mind getting his head cleaned, just as long as he's calmed down from the neck part.

Here's the poor little guy just very unhappy but still so very cute.

And I was a good mommy to make sure that none of his private parts were uploaded on here so years later he won't hate me for that! There will be plenty of other reasons for him to hate me, I'm sure.

And then here is is with Mommy in his bathrobe, all warm, cozy & clean!

Be On The Lookout...

Alexander's Birth Announcements were mailed out today!

Here's a preview of what pictures we used:
(I can't get over just how amazingly cute he is!)

Week at a Glance

Here's a glance at Alexander's activity of the previous week (Monday 4/23/07 through Sunday 4/29/07). I'm hoping to have his birth announcements mailed in the next day or so hoping I can finish up the last bunch - so keep your eyes on your mailboxes!

*One Month Check-Up with Dr. M
-6 lbs 13 oz, 20 1/4"; Everything looks great and Dr. M is very happy with his weight gain
*Started to smile alot more frequently when not pooping
*Had his first giggle (which may or may not have been gas)
*Went for a walk around the track
*Grammie & Grampie came to babysit while Mommy & Daddy had a date night to see Harry
*Sat in swing a few times and was able to follow the mobile and look at where the music was coming from
*First smile for the camera
*Didn't take all of his naps
*First long car ride to Grandma & Grandpa's in New Jersey
-slept the entire car ride down & back
*Met lots of family on Daddy's side while at cousin Michael's christening and was such a good boy the entire weekend