Week Eighteen: with Photos..

Due to the shotty internet connection throughout the weekend, I am finally able to upload pictures. So I figured they deserved their own post.

Week Eighteen: At A Glance...

**Note: Due to poor internet connection - unable to upload pictures but will do so ASAP**

Week Eighteen - A look back at the past week (Monday, July 23rd - Sunday, July 29th)

• Still have the cold/congestion but after speaking to the doctor & nurse, it may be allergens
• Had a very good week at school
• Played with the babies at school and chatted during circle time
• Able to complete another week of school without duplicating clothes
• Recognized his foot and now likes to grab his feet
• Getting much more vocal & talks with you
• Says "oooh"
• Doesn't mind being on his tummy
• Friday & Saturday he started to put his right foot in his mouth
• Bedtime has been 7-7:30pm all week
• Usually wakes up 4:30a-5am every morning
• Four Month Check-up appt (12 lbs 15 oz; 25"; 39.4 cm head)
• Got 3rd round of shots and did very well
• Grammie came to visit on Saturday
• Finished up centerpieces with Grammie for the Christening
• Went shopping with Mommy & Grammie
• Had multiple baths loves them, getting much better at actual swimming that just moving around (Can't wait to sign him up for swimming lessons)
• Spent Sunday afternoon with Daddy for quality time
• Daddy took Alexander to visit Steve, Ann & the girls while Mommy cleaned the house
• Everytime Alexander sees Daddy he smiles & giggles, it's very cute
• Getting ready for Alexander's Christening this coming weekend

Four Month Check-up

Alexander had his Four Month Check-up with Dr. M today (Friday) and everything went very well.

The numerical details first:
Weight: 12 lbs 15 oz
Height: 25"
Head Circumference: 39.4 cm

Although Alexander is still the smallest baby of our group, Dr. M is very pleased with his growth. Since the two month check up, he's gained 3 lbs 10 oz.

We got the ok to start solids so sometime over the next two weeks we'll try to see how Alexander takes to it. We can start with fruits & vegetables and see if he enjoys them. Dr. M suggested the "Rule of Ones" to help him get used to it. One tablespoon of One type of food for One Week - I think it'll depend on Alexander and how he reacts.

Shots - I'm happy to report that both Mommy & Alexander took the shots well this time around. There was crying (on Alexander's part, Mommy didn't watch) but it wasn't nearly as bad as last time. And we even went last because Alexander had fallen asleep. However, it didn't help that Dr. M stopped after the 2nd one to answer a question and poor Alexander was lying there crying, waiting for to be picked up, but of course I couldn't until Dr. M finished the shots.

It was nice to see how the other 4 babies have grown and are developing. Some are sitting up more than others, where as some are able to roll tummy to back and vice versa. I would say that all of the babies are pretty much on par with each other although each one has "something" going on. Alexander has this weird cold thing that isn't really a cold anymore so it could be allergies. One baby had a flat back of the head that Dr. M ordered x-rays to show the mom that her baby was just fine. I felt so bad for her because she was visibly upset. Another baby has a pretty bad case of reflux, and then another one has a 'stork mark' and when Dr. M told the parents that it would probably go away around the age of 4-8 yrs old, they look devastated. The last baby seemed to be doing well except that Dr. M would really like more naps. I really like our group and the people & babies in there. It'll be fun to watch them grow up, and would be nice if we could develop friendships & play dates from this.

The next appt is in September for the Six Month Check-up and again with more shots...

Football Fan...

Here is our little football fan. He was in such a good mood and he looked so cute, we just had to take pictures to show everyone.

Everytime I look at these, I smile because his grin is contagious!

Go Pats!

Mid-week Update

It's been fairly quiet and low-key around here. Even with the 4 month milestone & going to the zoo that's been the biggest thing going on.

We've been dealing with his cold, which is now almost 5 weeks long - seriously, do colds last that long?? I've called the doctor now three times about it and I don't even have to say "Alexander's Mom" anymore, just saying "It's Melissa" they know who I am. Which is a good thing in a way.
On the cold front, the past two days it does appear to be getting better. He's less congested at night and no longer has the nightly coughing episode. There also seems to be less snot around. Yay for less snot.

Other than that he's just been going to school, taking baths, playing in his exersaucer, going for walks, and this week he's started grabbing for his feet and finding his voice.

It's been so cool to watch & hear him "talk". He will just babble on and on. And there are moments when his expression will change when he realizes it's him making all the noise and he will get louder.

Miss Linda said that he's starting to interract with the other babies. They put the babies in a circle and he will "talk" to them. She also said that when the other babies babble, that Alexander will alertly pay attention and wait for them to finish. Then he will babble on as if it's his turn.

Two days a week, Alexander is the only boy baby in the room so he gets to flirt with 3-4 little girl babies...and I guess he does just that. I should have known he'd be a flirt. Regardless of who's there when we go to pick him up, they all say that he's such a happy baby and only cries when he's hungry, gets bored, or doesn't want something.

And since it's quiet this week as we prepare for his Christening next weekend, here are some observations I've noticed:


-He rubs his head while eating


-He puts his hand(s) over his eyes while eating as if to say "Don't bother me right now"

-He'll hold my finger or hair while eating and then try to put my hair in front of his face

-He's not strong enough to hold himself up when sitting but he is really good at keeping himself up when I have him stand on my legs

-He's found his feet and have started to grab for them often

-He loves to slurp on his hands & fingers...sometimes he tries to get the whole hand in there and ends up gagging

-He's really good at rolling over (tummy to back) and can go either left or right. Still can't roll from back to tummy yet.


-The other day started to inch his way up a blanket

-Can take his binky out of his moth and if he's holding it with both hands can get it back in his mouth

Likes/Dislikes
-His favorite toy really seems to be my hair dryer. He will watch me blow dry my hair and follows the sound the hair dryer makes

-He LOVES watching me put lotion on my arms and rubbing it in. He will sit there, smile and laugh. The longer you do it, the harder he laughs. It's the cutest thing to watch. Weird, but cute.


-He's starting to grab a hold of my hair and put it in front of his face

Four Months...

Four Month Update

Developmental:
-He reaches out for objects and can get a really good grasp on things

-Starting to babble & coo alot more as if he's trying to talk to you
-Still likes the color red
-He can take his binky out of his mouth with his hand and has started to learn how to put it back in
-He smiles & laughs all the time
-He loves the water and swims like a froggy, loves splashing
-Loves playing in his exersaucer
-He loves bouncing up & down (that makes him laugh)
-He's getting much better with tummy-time and doesn't mind it as much
-He can scoot forward on the floor by pushing off on my hands
-He grunts when he's bored and he pushes with his legs when he doesn't like something
-He holds his head up when sitting up for long periods of time but not quite ready to sit up by himself
-He has very strong legs and can hold himself up in a standing position while someone holds him for a bit and then he collapses down and tries to stand back up

Sleeping:
-He's still sleeping very well in his crib. I tried to get his bedtime @ 8p but due to his schedule during the day, it always ends up around 7p. Most nights, he's down @ 7:30p and will sleep til 4:30-5a.
-He has a coughing episode due to his cold around 10:30-11pm, every night but will sleep his way through it
-Rarely wakes up at night for a feeding
-During the day he will take 2-3 naps, usually one long nap (2-3 hours).


Clothes:
-Wearing 0-3 fit well and 3 Months are okay, it depends on the style
-Wore a few 3-6 pieces but most of them are too big on him
-Has yet to duplicate an outfit to daycare (crazy, I know)

-Still wearing Size 1 diapers, but I feel he'll outgrow those very shortly


Feeding:
-Morning feeding depends on when he wakes. I'll either nurse him when he wakes up and give him a small bottle before we leave the house. Or if he wakes up late enough, I will nurse him and then tell daycare to feed him shortly
-At daycare, he'll take 4 5 oz bottles throughout the day
-At bedtime, it varies on his level of exhaustion. He'll nurse and then if he's still awake we'll give him a bottle which he never finishes.
-He rarely wakes up at night for a feeding, it's starting to dwindle considerably.

Misc:
-His eyes are still blue but sometimes look a bit gray/hazel
-Weighs 11 lbs 13 oz as of July 9th
-He's starting to find his voice, he now babbles frequently throughout the day

-He knows how to pinch

-He loves to laugh & bounce
-He can go from crying to laughing in a nanosecond

Week Seventeen At A Glance

Week Seventeen: At a glance from Monday, July 16th through Sunday, July 22nd

This week was a fairly low-key week since Daddy was away.

• Daddy came home from New Jersey - we were very happy to have him home
• Had his first bath with Daddy
• Continued to do very well at school - more teachers told mommy what a great baby Alexander is
• Still sleeps very well in his crib but moves around quite a bit around his crib
• Three mornings in a row, found him wide awake and rolled over as if he was ready to play
• Most mornings he wakes up at 4:30am/5am but there were two mornings he slept til 6a. And he slept til 7a on Saturday (that's when you know he's not feeling well)
• Milestone: Four Months Old
• First Trip to the Zoo
• Still has his cold and the phlegm/snot is 'oh-so-pretty' (sarcasm)
• Good for us, bad for him: He's getting use to the Squirt & Suck and he now only cries when he's tired
• Looks cute in a basebal hat but not a bucket hat

Weekend Update...First Trip to the Zoo

This weekend was a mixed-bag. For starters, Dan had a 24 hour stomach bug which started on Friday. He went home early, and if you know Dan that doesn't happen. When Alexander & I got home, Dan got sick. It was almost perfect timing. Dan didn't feel good that night and it carried over to Saturday. You know he's sick when he doesn't do the lawn, go fishing, or have his obligatory Friday night beer. He was pale all day. And when he did try to do something, he would feel weak or queasy, so he spent most of the day lying down.

Alexander also didn't feel great. He still has his cold - after FOUR weeks. It's starting to get a bit ridiculous. And although he would smile, laugh & humor me, I knew the little guy didn't feel all that great.


So me & my sick boys stayed home and kept a low-key profile. Beware the photo from yesterday morning is not for those with a snot-aversion.


On Sunday, we went to the Southwick Zoo. It's not that far from us and we wanted to do something for Alexander's 4 Month birthday. I also think we all needed to get out of the house since the boys were feeling a bit better. And for the record, Alexander looks very cute in a baseball hat!

We had a blast at the zoo and Alexander enjoyed his first trip to the zoo. We saw tigers, lions, monkeys, babboons, rhinos, camels & giraffes. We missed the elephants, but there's always next time. Now, I know this is bad to say but Dan & I commented several times that they must drug the animals. There is NO WAY you can have a lion lying around on the grass when people are standing around yelling. And it wasn't as if they were behind a fence. I'm sure if they weren't drugged, they'd be able to make their way to the crowds of people.

Daddy & Alexander were calling to the camels. I was just waiting for him to spit straight out. And of course every time he came up from drinking water, he'd be looking right at me.






















And judging from this picture, I'd say my son has developed his own aversion to poultry & foul, just like his mother. He has absolutely no interest in these ducks & chicken.


They even had this "Deer Forrest" that you could walk into. It was filled with deer just roaming around free. Some would come up to people to see if they had food, while others would stay far away from people. I know the deer that Dan is holding his hand out to looks fake, but I can assure you, he is very much alive. He sprinted off when he realized Dan didn't have food. And I'm happy he didn't think Alexander was a snack.













All in all, it was a great day. And to top it off while outside at the zoo, Alexander did not sneeze, cough or produce snot once. figures.

And he was so tuckered out that he fell asleep as we were getting him ready for bed

Beware of Wild Animals...

On our trip to the Zoo, we encountered the wildest of animals...


I think it was on the defense because it's hair was standing STRAIGHT UP!

To get the full effect, click on the picture to enlarge the photo

Seventeen Weeks...

Hard to believe how fast these weeks go by. Another one has passed us by. Alexander hit week Seventeen today. 17!

He's so much fun. He's coming into his personality more and more each day. He definitely will tell you when he likes or dislikes something. A few more fun tidbits...

He's starting to become very comfortable about being on his tummy. he even does a great job rolling over. In fact, he will do that in his crib and when you go get him, he's wide awake looking up at you.

He's definitely a pincher, especially when eating. He obviously doesn't mean it - but man it hurts!

He's starting to lose his hair on the sides on his head from when he rolls his head back & forth while sleeping

He laughs quite often and loves to watch people move or dance

He loves (LOVES) to be outside. He could stay outside all the time. He also likes to stare at leaves

He still loves bathtime and splashing & kicking in the water

The things we do for love...

So I thought it would be nice for when Dan came home on Tuesday, since Dan had been away for a few days, to put Alexander in a onesie especially for Dan.

This is what I do for love but unfortunately Alexander was miserable the entire time. No matter what I did to try to make him calm down, it didn't work. Poor kid had tear stains on his face because he wouldn't stop crying.

But thankfully he fell asleep. I kept him in the onesie so when Dan went to change him in the morning, he'd see it.

Thankfully Alexander enjoyed his bath with Daddy ALOT more than the NYY onesie

Vote for Alexander...

I saw this on Amanda's blog for Ellery and I decided to give it a whirl. I submitted 6 different pictures and they selected one for the weekly contest. I don't know why they selected this one as I did submit the baseball glove picture. You can only vote once, and I cannot submit another picture for another year (what?). I'm hoping they'll continue to submit a picture

Please Vote...

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Daddy's Home...

YAY! Daddy comes home today!! Alexander is very excited. Last night he babbled & babbled as we were watering Daddy's garden (or lack there of) and I was telling him that Daddy would be home tomorrow.

Daddy's has been on Long Beach Island in New Jersey for a family vacation. Mommy couldn't go due to having no vacation time at work so Alexander & I stayed home. But we're looking forward to having Daddy home again. And I spoke to him last night, he sounded a bit homesick which I know is strictly due to Alexander because he never sounded like that before when he went away... well, it's good to see where I rank. (Honey, I jest)

It'll be good to have him home for many reasons but also to help with the constant coughing throughout the night. The past three nights, Alexander will have a coughing fit between 10:30-11pm where I have to lift him up so he's upright and then when he's done, I put him back down in his crib. Thankfully he's asleep throughout the entire thing. Then he has a much smaller coughing moment EVERY hour. This has been the same for the past three nights. I get up, make sure he's ok and then once he settles down, I give him his pacificer which calms him instantly. So it's made for minimal sleep...welcome home, Daddy! I'll be VERY VERY happy when this cold/sick/cough thing is over & done with.

Here are a couple pictures from last night after we watered the garden and he was still babbling up a storm.

Week Sixteen Glance...

Week Sixteen at a glance (Monday, July 9th through Sunday, July 15th)

• Went to the doctor on Monday for congestion to make sure it wasn't serious
• Weighs 11 lbs 13 oz
• Stayed home from school on Monday
• Didn't cry as much on the weekend during the Squirt & Suck
• Went into an exersaucer for the first time at school and then ended up getting his own
• Daddy had pick up duty from school so Alexander got quality Daddy time this week
• Took out and put back in his pacifier - three times in a row
• Has a coughing episode every night between 10:30-11pm that can be scary if you don't know what it is (He doesn't know it but he's trying to cough up phelgm)
• Spent the majority of the evenings in his crib and slept til about 5a with the exception of Tuesday night where he was so congested he was only able to sleep sitting upright so it made for a long night for mommy.
• Continues to roll over and now will roll over in his crib and sometimes wake himself up (found him like that twice this weekend)
• Since Daddy went away for a few days, Alyson came over for a sleep over
• Grammie & Grampie came to babysit while Mommy & Alyson went to the movies
• Continues to love taking baths and will splash and kick
• Does very well at school and finally brought his napping schedule home with him as he napped very well this weekend
• Loves being outside - whether it's walking around the yard, watering Daddy's garden or going for a walk
• Loves to stare at leaves, especially if they're blowing
• Played in our jumperoo & exersaucer