Crazy Week...

This week has been a very crazy week for me at work hence the lack of new posts. However, there hasn't been a ton of new things to report.

Yesterday (Thursday) was Miss Linda's birthday so Alexander brought her in flowers & a plant. The card even said "Happy Birthday, Miss Linda - Love Alexander".

She was very touched and completely surprised. I have come to really really like Linda and I'll be sad when Alexander moves to the older infant room and leaves Miss Linda.

Other than that it's been same ole same ole... He still loves to stand and I'm trying to get him to practice sitting but most times he wants no part of it.

This weekend we have a birthday party on Saturday and then while Daddy goes to his Jimmy Buffett concert, Alyson & I are thinking of going to the Aquarium.

Week Twenty Two: At A Glance...

Week Twenty Two: At A Glance (Monday, August 20th - Sunday, August 26th)

• Turned Five Months Old
• Earlier part of the week was fairly low-key (school, baths & sleeping)
• Really started to get the hang of rolling over, now doing a much better job going from back to front and then immediately front to back
• Is getting the hang of holding onto your hand to pull himself up but doesn't like to stand and will go straight from lying down to standing.
• Loves to stand & is quite strong in his legs & arms
  Loves to eat his feet & has started to eat his hands more frequently
• Had a much better week of sleeping, most mornings got up around 5am with little interruptions during the night
• Had some sweet potatoes & bananas this week... he does seem to be a every other day kind of kid when it comes to eating
• Still wearing new clothes to school which Miss Linda loves to see (I think I now dress him for her)
• Still loves swimming in the bathtub - I can't wait to sign him up for classes
• Daddy went to PA for the weekend so it was a Mommy & Alexander weekend
• Had a couple small photoshoots with Mommy on Saturday while Daddy was away
  Ran errands with Mommy on Saturday then we played in the tub because it was so hot
• Went to celebrate Grammie's birthday with her at the Marshfield Fair on Sunday
• Attended his first fair and saw horses, cows, pigs, rabbits & chickens for the first time
• Helped Grammie blow out her birthday candles
• Barely napped all weekend but was in a great mood despite such little sleep, that is until the ride home where he had a little episode (not fun for either of us)

Week Twenty Two Pictures

Week Twenty Two Pictures (Monday, August 20th - Sunday, August 26th)

Grammie's Birthday...

Today is Grammie's birthday - Happy Birthday, Grammie!

And to celebrate, Alexander & I went over to spend the day with Grammie, Grampie & auntie Alyson. We also carried out an annual family tradition of going to the Marshfield Fair. Yes, I know...we potentially introduced Alexander to white trash so early on in his life... but at least he'd be too young to understand what any of it meant. We go every year and it truly something we all look forward to, especially Dan the Candy Man. (You buy tickets, a dart hits a board with numbers and if your number is called you win a pile o' candy) We practically win every year too... and this usually my main reason for going.

We walked around a bit before heading to Dan the Candy Man. We stopped to see the animals (cows, horses, swine & rabbits) I opted out of the poultry house only to find clowns waiting outside - EEK!! Seeing how it was so hot & muggy we made a bee-line to the Candy Man. But low & behold, Dan the Candy Man was standing to the right of his locked up booth! Could it be?? It was over?? No candy man?? Alyson & I were devastated. We didn't know what to do with ourselves. Might as well go home now... it was started to drizzle anyway, so we walked the long way back to our car.

After a WEEEE nap at Grammie & Grampie's, it was time for Grammie's cake and to finish the birthday celebration before the long drive home.

Don't we look SO SMALL in the big chair?? The price was a rip off for what we got but we were at the fair and we didn't spend that money on Dan the Candy Man...

Happy Friday...

This week has been has been a low key week, with school, baths, trying bananas and sweet potatoes. And of course some playing & tummy time. Other than that - we're just hanging out.

Daddy is, however, going away this weekend to a wedding in PA so we're going to miss him while he's gone. We'll have to find ways to amuse ourselves.

I also wanted to post another picture as the ones from Wednesday make him look like a completely different baby, chubbier than he actually is.

5 Months...

This is the outfit that Alexander wore to school today on his 5 Month "birthday". Everyone kept commenting about how cute he is & Miss Linda loves his clothes. She said she can't wait for him to show up every day so she can see what he's wearing...















I was going to wait until Month 6 to put Alexander in Dan's glove, but I figured why wait. And it's a good thing I did do it now, because I think by next month, he'll be TOO big and won't be able to sit in there anymore. He fit but he's getting bigger. The outfit makes it look like he's bigger than he is, so maybe I'll attempt this again this weekend with just a onesie...

Five Months Old!

Alexander is Five Months Old today! He's growing into such a wonderful little boy. Every day I am thankful for how lucky we are to have him in our lives and anticipate all the new things he'll do & experience.

Developmental
*Rolls front to back and this week has started to roll back to front without any issue
*LOVES (Loves loves) to stand up. He would much rather stand than sit or lie down
*Not sitting up by himself yet, needs to be propped up or in his boppy chair which he's trying to get out of
*He does really well with tummy time and can get his head & neck pretty high up there, he can even look behind himself when on his tummy
*He is incredibly strong - can pull himself up by holding onto someone's fingers and can hold himself up on his legs for a long period of time
*Loves to eat his feet and any plastic item he can get in his mouth
*Can take out & put back in his pacifier
*Babbles, chats, coos, and laughs often
*May be starting to teeth as he likes to chew and bite down on things rather than suck on them
*He can recognize mine & Dan's voice and find us in a room

Physical
*He's starting to feel like a big boy - his thighs are a bit bigger than when he was born
*His eyes are hazel with a small hint of blue
*His hair is brown - most days it's dark where occassionally it's a lighter shade and it doesn't matter of the lighting
*Doesn't have a ton of hair but also has a bald patch of hair missing in the back where he lies down
*He's becoming ticklish

Temperment
*Such a happy baby, alert and always looking to see what's going on
*Hardly ever cries just to cry
*He'll cry when he's hungry, bored or tired, rarely cries if his diaper is dirty
*Loves to laugh and smile - Daddy can really make him belly laugh
*His belly laughs are becoming more frequent

Clothing
*He's wearing pretty much 3-6 months right now
*Also wears 3 months, especially pants & onesies
*Wearing size 2 swaddler diapers
*Still has yet to duplicate an outfit to school
*Laid out the next 12 outfits for school with no duplication

Feeding
*Eats anywhere between 22-30 oz of formula a day
*Takes 6 0z per bottle while at school with a 4 0z bottle for an afternoon snack
*Working on incorporating cereal & solids
*Tried rice cereal but that appears to make him spit up, trying oatmeal cereal tomorrow
*Have had bananas & sweet potatoes and it depends on the day if he'll eat them. Some days he can't get enough while others he fusses and turns his head...obviously he's not 100% ready for those
*Puts his hand over his eyes and rubs his hair while eating

Sleeping
*Bedtime is between 7-7:30pm every night. Some nights he doesn't make it til 7p and some nights he can go to 7:45pm
*He, usually, is good about sleeping through the majority of the night
*His normal morning wake up time varies between 4-5:30am
*Last week he was waking up @ 3am and wouldn't go back to sleep - thankfully that didn't last too long
*The past 5 mornings, he's woken up @ 5am but will chat away in his crib until we get him and then he just smiles at us
*He'll take 2-4 naps at school throughout the day, some as short as 30 minutes and others as long as 2 1/2 hours. It always varies...
*Moves all around in his crib and usually in a crawling motion - if only he knew that he knows how to do that, he'd be so happy because he gets upset on his tummy that he can't crawl

Misc
*Entered in the Great American Photo Contest for the $25,000 Savings Bond - please go search for "Alexander" in MA and vote for his pictures!!! I've submitted 5 different ones. I believe you can vote once a day per picture. I don't know if you have to sign up, but I did find that clicking Vote is annoying because it gives you advertisements and it's hard to find the "no thank you" link but it's up at the top.

Five Month Picture...

FYI - the plan is to take another picture with Alexander & Daddy's glove Wednesday night (the 22nd). I'll upload those after we take them.

Stay Tuned... in the meantime...

Week Twenty One: At A Glance

Are you talkin' to me? I can't hear you ...






You may be talking but I am not listening ... I got other things going on.




Nahhhh, I'm only kidding - I wouldn't do that to you ... I'm ready to play. Aren't you??



Hanging out with Dad...





Week Twenty One At A Glance - Monday, August 13th, 2007 - Sunday, August 19th, 2007
This was a very laid-back week

• Did very well at school. Had play time with friends and even played in the circle
• Still continuing with a different outfit to school each day
• Sleeping tends is consistently the only downside to this whole baby-deal. He doesn't sleep ALL the way through the night
• Sunday - Wednesday were rough as he woke up at 3am each morning - wide awake, ready to play
• Thurs - Saturday were much better as he woke up around 5-5:30am...that is something Mommy & Daddy can manage - the 3am, not so much
• Continued with bananas and he found the spoon - Loves to suck on the spoon
• Wasn't that into bananas on Thurs, Fri or Sat so we switched to Sweet Potatoes and didn't care for them all that much
• Would occassionally put cereal in his bottles for school - noticed that cereal makes him spit up more than without cereal in the bottle. So I've cut back on the cereal for now.
• Will put anything into his mouth and has started to bite down rather than suck on things
• Came to visit Mommy & Daddy at work on Friday because Mommy had a family gathering that night and needed Alexander time
• Alexander & Daddy had quality bonding time with eating, picking up & Friday night
• Saturday was a lowkey day where we hung at home and relaxed... it was needed after the LONG week
  Went for a good long walk with Mommy & Daddy on Sunday
• Alexander took a 3 hour nap today!

Week Twenty One: Pictures

Week Twenty One Pictures - Monday, August 13th, 2007 - Sunday, August 19th, 2007

Chillin' on the couch before school

Trying out the spoon on his own, for the first time

YUMM - He's loving the spoon!

Another satisfied customer - and the bib to prove it

However, he wasn't liking the food so much here...

Hangin' out in his hawaiian shirt before school - don't worry, he's on the bed but I am not far away at all ... and there are pillows around the edge

He was such a happy little guy playing around on his exersaucer... he was so content and laughing up a storm

He's becoming such a ham in front of the camera - and I'll take full blame

I couldn't resist a shot of his piggies...

Here is his lounging on a Sunday afternoon...

Happy Birthday...

Continuing on with my annual tradition, I'd like to extend a very Happy Birthday to Donnie Wahlberg.

38 years old...and 18 years rich in tradition.

Yes, I know this blog is for my son...but, if you really know me, this should not come as a surprise!

Tomorrow...

Tomorrow ... Tomorrow...
I promise, I won't continue with the song.

But a fun side note for me - tomorrow's a special day.

Bonus pictures of Alexander if you can guess what day it is
(Alyson, Mom & Dad - you can't guess...)

Twenty One Weeks

Wow - our little guy is already Twenty One Weeks old... and next week he'll be 5 months! You people sure don't lie when you say that time flies by! I can't believe how quickly it all went. But it's all been so much fun & I wouldn't change a thing.

Well ... okay... that's a lie.

I'd change the sleeping part. Especially this week. For some unknown reason, our boy wanted to get up and play @ 3am. THREE! Do you know how early that is? Especially when you've woken up every hour because he's coughing or crying... Yesterday, Dan & I were zombies. Alexander was up at 2:45am and just wouldn't go back to bed. Dan took him for 30 mins, and then I took him for 30 mins. Finally, Alexander fell asleep around 4a but his head popped back up at exactly 4:41am. I know because I was awake and I watched it. The morning before was just as bad. We weren't really looking forward to another night like that. Man, this kid sure is an early riser.

However, we were fortunate that Alexander slept for approx 10 hours last night. He went to bed around 7:30pm (which he put up a fight, something he never does) and woke up around 5:30am. Dan said he checked on him twice but Alexander didn't make a peep all night! Ahhhh glorious 7 hours of sleep for me!

Besides the sleeping, I'm also happy to report that his cold is gone. We haven't used the AC in his room so that really leads me to believe that the AC makes him sick. So he's been living just like his pauper parents - with a fan! But he doesn't seem to mind it at all, he seems comfortable. That is when he does sleep.

Another item to note is that we have been going to daycare for just over 8 weeks now and we've already been told of a tuition increase. How much does that stink?? Thankfully it's not a huge increase per month, but it's still an increase. They originally sent out the news that every family would have to sign a yearly contract Sept-Sept but tuition would be prorated for 10 months. That would have initally meant our tuition would have increased by $300 A MONTH. But we would then not have to pay for July & August. They must have gotten a lot of feedback because they're now offering the option of 10 or 12 month options. I'd rather pay a little more a month all year then $300 extra a month but with 2 months off.

The joys of daycare... it's a good thing I know he's doing very well there and that Miss Linda loves taking care of him. Otherwise, I'd be even more miserable about this whole daycare thing.

Also, I want to thank everyone who posted and sent me emails of condolences for my aunt. That was very sweet of you for remembering me and my family during this time. She meant alot to my family and she will be missed.

A note for Aunt Betty

Aunt Betty passed away last week. She was my Dad's aunt but everyone referred to her as Aunt Betty. It happened all very quickly, but thankfully she did not have to endure suffering a long time and that her daughter was able to be here from Arizona.

She was a very sweet & wonderful woman. She had nothing but kind words to say about everyone and judging from her funeral, the same was true about her. Last October, a few of the Spaulding clan took her out for her 80th birthday and I'm glad we were able to do so as it meant so much to her. She sent me two cards after the brunch to tell me so.

She was also so excited when she found out that I was going to have a baby. In true fashion, she sent me several cards throughout my pregnancy telling me how excited she was and she couldn't wait to meet the new arrival.

She was an amazing woman and since both my grandparents had passed, she and Aunt Barbara truly were the matriachs of our family.

Elizabeth S. (Spaulding) Smemo, of Rockland, August 7, 2007. Age 80. Mother of Nancy A. Lemon and her Husband William D. Lemon of AZ. Sister of Barbara A. Putnam of Weymouth and the late Leonard V. Spaulding. Grandmother of Scott L. Lemon of AZ. Also Survived by several nieces and nephews.
Ms. Smemo died Tuesday in the South Shore Hospital in Weymouth. Elizabeth was born in Cambridge daughter of the late Harold and Anne (McAndrews) Spaulding and was raised and educated in Boston. Ms Smemo was a long time resident of Dorchester, but had been living in Rockland for the last 11 years. Elizabeth worked as a Telephone Operator for the Phone Company on Franklin St in Boston for 42 years. Elizabeth was a communicant at Holy Family Church in Rockland where she also served on the Renew Committee. She was a very active woman, and was a member of several organizations including the Red Hat Society, Leisurwoods Home Association and, was a volunteer at the Weymouth Food Pantry. Burial will take place in Mt. Benedict Cemetery in Boston.

The following is a link to the Funeral Home's obituary but it also provides a link to a video slideshow they showed during the wake of old photos of Aunt Betty and our family. We were all very impressed.

Embarrassing Moment #1

Everyone has them as a Mom... you just hope your embarrassing moment is not that bad.

I know I'll have plenty more in the years to come, but this first one was certainly a doozy!

Here we are on our way to my Aunt Betty's funeral Saturday morning. I had given Alexander a bottle in the car on our way to make sure he was content for the services. We pulled up to the Funeral home and they had us pull up front and they would park our car for the procession to the church. I wasn't prepared for that because I was expecting to be able to have some time getting him out of the car. I rushed because I didn't want to hold them up.

We got out of the car, grabbed some things and said our hello's. I still don't think I grabbed anything for him, except for Alexander & a bottle of water for me. We are now sitting inside the funeral home while folks are paying their last respects. Alexander is standing on my legs looking around but content & happy. He's not making any sounds and I can hear my Dad's cousin comment on good the baby is.

Then it happens...the moment all Moms dread. Alexander lets out the BIGGEST and loudest burp he could possibly ever do. Now, he's a great burper and usually burps himself before I have a chance to but it's not usually loud. Well he must have saved it up because it was huge!
I instinctively put my hand over his mouth as if he was going to do it again, but by this point everyone was laughing.

I felt so bad that here it was a moment where people were praying, reflecting and saying their goodbyes and our baby BURPS like a drunken sailor. It was a burp for the books too...I'm sure there will be plenty of more moments like this in my future, but ... at a funeral???

Week Twenty: At A Glance

A look back at Week Twenty - Monday, August 6th to Sunday, August 12th
Pictures to be added in a separate post as that has become much easier to do...

• Started off the week fussy due to lack of sleep over the busy weekend
• Still has not duplicated an outfit to school
• Played hookie from school on Thursday as Grammie & Alyson spent the day with him
• Showed Grammie & Alyson how we swim & kick in the bath
• His cold/cough came back and even developed a small fever on Thursday which went away that evening
• Mommy is under the belief that Alexander is allergic to A/C because everytime we put it on in his room, his nose is runny & his cough comes back.
• Sleeping was not great this week, especially for Mommy & Daddy. He seemed to wake up every night a few times and would have a hard time going back to sleep.
• His morning wake up time this past week was anywhere from and early 4am to an acceptable 5am.
• Had quality Daddy time this week
• Daddy brought him to a going away party after school on Friday for a little bit where people from work got to ooh & ahh
• Tried cereal in his bottle for the first time, I noticed this has a tendency to make him spit up as he is not one to spit up often or alot.
• Had bananas on Saturday & Sunday - I don't think the taste is the #1 reason for enjoying this new pasttime as he really seems to like sucking & biting the spoon.
• Attended his first funeral. My Aunt Betty passed away on Tuesday and the funeral was held on Saturday. He behaved fairly well with a few moments of fussiness, which then Daddy took care of him the back of the church
• We relaxed & took a well needed nap on Sunday
• Seems to becoming ticklish on his feet and under his arms, but not always
• He's laughing so much and it's now coming from his belly alot more than before
• He giggles with Daddy
• When he's eating, he'll put his hand over his eyes and then with the other hand, he'll rub my face
• Started to grab my face & hair and will just put his face in my hair

Week Twenty: At a Glance Pictures

Here are some pictures of the past week - Monday, August 6th to Sunday, August 12th