Flu Shot - Part II...

Tonight, we had Alexander's follow-up appt for his flu shot. Judging by how the last appt went, I was a bit nervous but also sad for the little guy.

After I picked him up from school and he immediately asked if we were going to Target. I told him I needed to stop somewhere else first and his immediate response was "no, no Dr M". It AMAZED me that he remembered that is how I mentioned going to the appt last night. He didn't cry but he was whimpering & kept saying no.

I pulled up to the office and he sounded very sad with his whimpers but didn't cry. We walked inside, still no crying. We've already made a huge improvement over last appt! He let me talk to the front desk, and sit in the waiting room without crying or yelling to leave/go home.

Lee (Dr. M's wife) came in to say hi and Alexander did not cry. Then Dr. M came to get us and although Alexander held on to my arm pretty tightly, still no crying! Dr. M looked at me with surprised eyes! We get into the room and Alexander started to whimper again but not fully crying. I pointed out Dr. M's stethoscope which is also green. Then A pointed out Dr. M's mustache & glasses.

Then it was time to for this shot and this is when he started crying only because I was holding down his arms. But it was over before you knew it and Dr. M was putting on a blue band-aid and Alexander was THRILLED! Then he stood on my lap so we could get his pants back up, and he looked at Dr. M and said "thank you!" and slid down. Then he waved and said "Bye Dr M".

Dr. M was SHOCKED, reached over to give Alexander a hug & called him precious! Alexander was very polite & nice and waving to Dr. M as we were going...so hopefully next time he has to go he'll remember he wasn't scared last time.

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, November 23rd - Sunday, November 29th, 2009)

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, November 23rd - Sunday, November 29th, 2009)

Weekly Glance...

Weekly Glance (Monday, November 23rd - Sunday, November 29th, 2009)

• Had a short, but good week at school
• His manners are improving extremely well - he oftens says please & thank you without being prompted
• He's still waking up once during the night but will fall back to sleep with Mommy
• Went grocery shopping with Mommy to pick up ingredients for Thanksgiving
• Had a very cranky Tuesday morning (took 40 mins to get dressed & ended up in the timeout chair)
• At school on Tuesday, they had their Thanksgiving feast & he had a great day
• Helped Mommy make dessert for Thanksgiving after school on Tuesday
• On Wednesday, helped Mommy bake appetizer & cake
• Went to Mimi & Papi's for Thanksgiving
  
• Watched the Macy's Thanksgiving day Parade & played with his new kitchen set
  
• Despite being tired, he would not nap at Mimi & Papi's - we tried for about an hour and finally let him come out (he was too excited to nap) and he was good all day until bedtime where he started to get cranky
• Slept over Mimi & Papi's - slept til 7am!! Woke at 4am but went in with Mimi & fell back to asleep immediately
• Hung out with Daddy & Papi after nap while Mommy & Mimi did some christmas shopping
• Had a family dinner (homemade Mac & Cheese) & then tubby time
• Slept at Mimi & Papi's again and had the same nighttime routine!
  
• So exciting for us that Alexander slept past 6am which he did for 3 mornings in a row!
• Hung out at Mimi & Papi's house on Saturday - had a lowkey day (fought nap for quite some time), then after dinner headed home
  
• Sunday, we had our annual Christmas card photoshoot
• Helped Daddy string up the lights outside
• Helped make pizza for dinner
• He heard the Chipmunk Christmas song for the first time and thought it was hysterical
• Has been talking about wanting to see Santa and asking him for trucks - we'll see if that works well when we actually go
  
• New favorite word: WHY
  

Potty Time...

We had another successful trip to the potty!

After tubby tonight, Alexander told us that he had to pee & wanted to pee on the toilet. He got right up there and peed right into the toilet - without incident.

He flushed & washed his hands. And because he did so well - he got stickers to go on his potty chart. Hopefully the first of many!

Photoshoot: Christmas Style!

It's official! The photoshoot for our 2009 Christmas Card is complete! I'm pretty excited about our card this year...I think we have a memorable one if I've ever seen one. It's certainly an eye-catcher!

We're ahead of schedule this year so hopefully you won't have to wait long before our card lands in your mailboxes.

Anyone care to take a guess?

Pizza Maker...

Considering Alexander is half-Italian, we thought it would be appropriate for him to make dinner for us. For our family dinner this week, he made our pizza & he did an excellent job!

Why?

Alexander, could we change your diaper now?
WHY?

Alexander, it's time for lunch.
WHY?

Alexander, would you like to play with your trains?
WHY?

Alexander, the sky is blue.
WHY?

That is Daddy's, please don't break it.
WHY?

See a pattern??? This is how conversations sound in our house right now...it's quite comical right now. Let's see how long we think it's hysterical! (haha)

Thanksgiving...

This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving at my parents house. Gary, Sharon & the kids came over too. We had our typical feast - which was all so yummy. Alexander didn't have turkey but he did eat some ham, carrots & a wee bit of corn.

After dinner we went thru the sales flyers for Black Friday, rested after a full meal & then had dessert! Alexander had a ball because he was able to play with Chris & Claire all day!

The centerpiece Alexander eating his Thanksgiving dinnerEveryone sitting eating, thankful.

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, November 16th - Sunday, November 22nd)

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, November 16th - Sunday, November 22nd)

Weekly Glance...

Weekly Glance (Monday, November 16th - Sunday, November 22nd)

• Alexander had a much better week at school - better listening, better use of words, etc
• He has been improving so much with his manners - he says Please & thank you a lot more without being asked to say it, even his teachers commented that he's been doing a very good job with his manners
• He also did a very good job of listening to Mommy this week when going into school and not running in like a crazy person
• He did come home with an incident report on Friday but someone bit him on the finger when playing (nothing serious, no marks) so all is well
• Alexander got invited to his first birthday party from someone at school...and so it begins!
• Here I thought the last of his teeth were almost in and now you can tell that his "2-year" molars are starting to bother him as he's constantly putting his hands in his mouth and rubbing the back of his gums
• Took off his jammy pants & diaper during the night on Monday & found it funny that they were lost when he woke up. (see separate post for details)
• Daddy & Alexander had a guys-night on Wednesday for dinner (Mommy went to a wake)
  
• On Thursday, went with Mommy to get his haircut & then to Target & was extremely well-behaved
  
• Helped Daddy with leaves on Saturday
• Fought naptime on Saturday for quite sometime until finally Mommy gave in and we napped together (for 2 1/2 hours)
  
• Went grocery shopping with Mommy on Sunday
• Did some arts & crafts with Mommy after naptime
• Loves playing with his trains, fire engine & doctor kit...of course needs his dentist gloves when playing with the doctor kit
• Phrase of the week: "I need this" with an emphasis on "NEED"
  

Monthly Recap...

After looking at the Monthly Recap from last month, it looks pretty identical as to what's been going on. Sleeping is still the same where he's waking up once a night and then sleeping me. It's obvious he's getting his "2-year" molars right now.

The only differences would be his manners are improving greatly. He definitely had some up & down days while at school but the last couple of weeks have been good ones.

He also has started to say "WHY" to everything, he laughs when I speak Spanish & loves to say Santa says 'ho ho ho'

Here is last months to refresh you:
The only main thing to comment in this monthly update is that Alexander is getting the remainder of his teeth in & it's been impacting his sleeping.

For the past 2 1/2 weeks, he's been waking up every night crying & ultimately sleeping with me (using me as a pillow). I've tried a few nights to let him cry it out, or go in and rub his back, rock in the chair, but it ultimately ends in a crying fit so rather than none of us sleeping, I bring him in our bed.

Also, at school he has his moments where he's more whiny or territorial than usual. Miss Lori & I talked and think it definitely could be affected by his sleeping schedule (or lack their of) but it could also be normal for a 2 1/2 year old.

The other thing to note is that he's been good at trying new food. He won't necessarily try something new all the time but he is better. In fact, last weekend he tried pepperoni & items from an antipasto salad and enjoyed it!

Clothes: He's pretty much in 24 months/2T now for everything although there are some things he can wear that is 18-24 months.

Likes: Elmo, Trains, trucks, Thomas the Tank Engine, Little Einsteins, dancing, arts & crafts
Dislikes: dogs
Favorite phrase: "here he comes" - this gets him very excited/giddy

Cookie Monster...

Alexander is very fond of making cookies...so last week Mommy & Alexander made some cookies: Alexander-style!

Haircut Time...

Tonight, Alexander & Mommy went to the haircut place to get Alexander's hair looking snazzy in time for Thanksgiving. The boy is now a pro at haircuts - who would have thought after the first three tries. But alas, he enjoys them now!

He climbed up into the seat and even helped buckle himself in. He was very good about listening as to where he was supposed to look. She used scissors & the clippers and he didn't have a problem with either! He even told her "snip snip snip" as she went to trim the top of his head.

This was problem the quickest trip because he was so good & attentive. He only asked to hold my hand once but then felt okay to let go.

The funniest part was when we walked into school the next morning, Christina (a little girl in his class) said to Miss Lori "Alexander went to snippits". And this is without ANYONE saying anything about Alexander getting his haircut or where. It was hysterical & cute.

Lost: Jammie Pants

Last night, I went to check in on Alexander before I headed to bed and noticed he looked a little different. I leaned in to feel his legs as they looked a lot lighter than his back...lo & behold he had removed his jammie pants! Then I kept feeling his legs & noticed he took his diaper off too!

Did that mean he had a dirty diaper and wanted us to change it? I panicked a bit thinking there might be a dirty diaper in his crib which meant dirty sheets, dirty stuffed animals, etc. Thankfully the diaper was clean!

I had Dan help as we put on a new diaper, without waking him. Success...but the funniest part is when he woke up in the morning, the first thing he said was "Momma, jammie pants are all gone...I don't know!"

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, November 9th - Sunday, November 15th, 2009)