Picture Recap...

Picture Recap (Monday, June 2nd - Sunday, June 8th, 2008)

Week Recap...

Weekly Recap (Monday, June 2nd - Sunday, June 8th, 2008)

• First full week in the Transition Room
• Walking all over the place and improving each day
• Did well with brushing his teeth on his own
• Only had 1 bottle this week at school on Monday, then I switched to sippy cups the rest of the week
• Working on transitioning him off of bottles completely
• Woke up early almost every morning (5am) - I thought this new room was supposed to tucker him out?!
• Some days only had 1 nap at school
• Ate pasta!! Gave him alphabet pasta with some sauce and he actually ate it and wanted more
• Really likes grilled cheese & pizza
• Played in his kiddie pool on Saturday after the afternoon at the mall with Daddy (Mommy had a baby shower)
• Went to the playground/Dunkin Donuts/walk with Daddy early Sunday morning. The men had breakfast at the center of town gazebo (awww)
• Had a great nap on Sunday and then it was a heat wave
• Went grocery shopping with Mommy and was very well-behaved (he seemed to wave at people randomly)
• Played in his kiddie pool again as it was so hot! Even Alexander was sweating...
• Loved playing in the pool, splashing and making big waves. He even started to climb in and out of the pool and liked it because he was able to make a big splash
• Went next door to Neighbor Jon's and went in his bigger pool - wasn't sure at first, but really got into it. Next time, Daddy will have to actually go in with him
• Had hot dog with ketchup for dinner and would be upset if I gave him the fork with hotdog on it but no ketchup
• Was asleep before 7pm on Sunday - the sun & the fun really tuckered him out. Thankfully he as the AC in his room so he'll be able to sleep comfortably

Heat Wave...

Today was another scorcher. It definitely felt a lot hotter than yesterday. We were all sweating so we broke out the kiddie pool again. The water was super cold but because it was so hot out but man, did it feel good once you got used to it! Alexander had a feel day playing around, thankfully this little one is not afraid of the water. He was splashing like a mad-man and even plopping down in the water to make more waves (which in turn helped to keep Mommy cool).

We also went over to Neighbor Jon's because he has a mini pool for his kids. We put Alexander in for a little bit to see what his reaction would be - and he loved it! He loved being swayed from side to side in the water. It very well might be time to sign the kid up for lessons or at least a Y membership.

Video Time..

Here's another installment of Video with Alexander. This time, Daddy was pulling Alexander around the yard in his snow sled. Who needs winter?? (btw, we took this sometime last week, before the heatwave kicked in...)

Splish Splash...

Today was the first day really hot day (above 90*) and we took full advantage! After running errands with Daddy (Mommy had a baby shower for a friend), Alexander came home and jumped in our pool. Okay, 'pool' is a bit of an exaggeration. I bought a plastic kiddie pool for him so he has a way of cooling off, as it's supposed to be 90* for the next 3 days.

While it was HOT out, the water was a bit on the very chilly side as we didn't let it sit in the sun (our snow tree was shedding) because we didn't want things falling in the water. As you can tell by the white things on the grass, we're about to have our annual Snow in June "party" that I despise so much. As for the temperature of the water, Alexander didn't seem to mind a bit! This kid loves the water. He got in and immediately started splashing and checking things out.

He loved playing with his shovel type thing and flinging water around. He was happy as a clam splashing around. We'll bring him back out tomorrow so he can have more fun splishing & splashing!

Transition Room: First Week

Alexander has completed his first week in his new room, the Transition Room. Overall, he did okay but not great. And I think Mommy gets a lower grade than Alexander.

Dropping him off each morning was difficult. It was the first time he really cried. And when I say cried...I mean grab onto my leg, sobbing cry. There were a few other times in his other room where he'd cry for a bit but he was easily settled. This time, not so much. Ms. Mary Jo tried to read to him, walk him around, show him toys and nothing worked. He would just put his arms in my direction with his face covered in tears. And that's another thing - why don't they wipe his face??? Of course, the fridge is on the opposite side of the room where the sign in sheets are so it's not easy to make a quick getaway.

Besides the morning drop-offs, he also didn't eat all that well. He never finished his hot dogs or waffles. There was also one day where he came home with a lot more milk in his container than I would have liked.

They (his teachers) said he did well despite the rough start each morning. He was able to play with the kids, they went outside a few times, he enjoyed sitting at the table eating with the kids. He also napped on the mat on the floor without problems. Ms. Rose wrote in his school journal that once he got settled he was great and had a fun time with his kids. I'll be happy when Aidan moves up next month so he has someone his age & level to play with. Plus, it'll be a parent I'm friendly with.

From Mom's perspective - I'm hoping to get adjusted fast. I figured out the lunch bag/milk situation after 2 days. I bought him a smaller lunch bag and one bigger container & an empty cup for his milk rather than filling up 3 separate cups (which take up more room in the fridge). The daily sheet is different than the ones we've filled out before. This one I barely fill out which makes it hard for me to let them know what to feed him when. And then I read it at night and they say they gave him goldfish, strawberries, graham crackers, cheez-its. Things I know I didn't pack. Who knows where these come from.

The other thing I have to get used to is one nap a day. Alexander wakes up a lot earlier than the other kids so I really think he needs that morning nap; his mood is so much better when he has 2 naps. Plus, we're finding the 1 nap in the middle of the day to be a challenge for us during the weekends - how do we handle this? What if we have plans, will he get his nap? I have a feeling we'll really miss that morning nap.

Let's hope next week is a lot easier/better for both of us!

Brush...

Alexander has become quite the little teeth brusher! When we put him on his changing table, he'll grab his toothbrush and immediately start brushing.

How he figured this out, I'll never know. It's not as if he has a ton of teeth (just the 2) so I have only done this with him a few times. But now he knows what to do and he understands what he's supposed to do when I say "It's time to brush your teeth". Just so cute...

I'm working on better forward-facing pictures, once I get those I'll update.

Picture Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, May 26th - Sunday, June 1st, 2008)
(a little toddler-goalie soccer, anyone?)

Picture Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, May 26th - Sunday, June 1st, 2008)

Week Glance...

Week Glance (Monday, May 26th - Sunday, June 1st, 2008)

• Cut his 2nd tooth on Friday, May 30th!
• Walking really well on his own - not fully walking, but definitely improving & on the move
• Visited his transition room to get him ready for the big move
• He moves to the Transition room full time today (his teachers are now Ms. Mary Jo & Ms. Rose)
• Played at the playground & went for walks this week at school
• He started the week with allergies and it ended with a cold (neb treatments helped with the wheezing)
• Had no school on Monday (Memorial Day) so Alyson & Grammie came over to play
• Went out to lunch with Mommy, Alyson & Grammie to Fridays where he had some of Mommy's soup & a slice of his own pizza. I keep forgetting to take pictures of him at the restaurants
• Getting really good with forks & straws
• Woke up later than usual this week but...
• Didn't sleep all that week this week at night due to the allergies/cold/coughing/teething, was up a few times during the night
• Lost his pacificer at school on Thursday. We tried to give him new ones (same color, etc) yet he wanted no part of them and would throw them across the room
• Found the pacifier on Friday so the thought of getting rid of it sooner than expected is back to normal
• Went grocery shopping with Mommy on Friday after school - loved waving to people and kept pointing at balloons (which were EVERY where), so we took a Boston Celtics balloon home in honor of the game that night.
• Saturday, went to Uncle Steve & Aunt Carolyn's house for cousin Nick's birthday
• Got to visit with Grandpa & Grandma from NJ - really enjoyed the 'pop' noise that Grandpa makes with his mouth. He even tried to copy him but ended up slapping himself on the face
• Showed Grandpa & Grandma how he walks by himself and even sang songs with Grandma
• Was in a great mood on Saturday despite no 2nd nap
• We got home later than expected on Saturday and Alexander was out like a light. I went to change him into his pjs and he slept while on the changing table - it was the easiest diaper/pj change ever!
• Sunday's weather was gorgeous so we went to walk around Castle Island and met Alyson, Grammie & Grampie there
• Had lunch at Castle Island - he had hot dog in one hand and a french fry in the other and did very well of not shoving them in his mouth all at once.
• Went into the ocean with Grammie - loved the water but didn't want to put his feet down on the sand (he really doesn't like to put his feet on harsh surfaces)
• Walked around on his own - chasing birds, dogs, and just enjoying walking. Loved walking up the hill to get Alyson
• Went for a walk with Daddy and then came home and had a peanut butter sandwich for dinner (we tried pasta again, he wanted no part)

Castle Island Part II...

Today was a perfect summer's day and a perfect day to go to Castle Island. It was also Dot Day but since we weren't quite sure how Alexander would handle a parade we opted for just Castle Island and not both. Alyson & I took Alexander for his first trip to Castle Island last summer (Read all about it here), but this time he was able to enjoy it a lot more as he didn't sleep during part of it. It's actually cute to see how much of a little baby he looks then as opposed to the little boy now.

When we got there, it was time for Alexander to have lunch so Mommy got him a hot dog & french fries. He did really well with them too. I expected him to shove the french fry into his mouth but instead he took little bites. He loved people watching, but he was mainly dog & bird watching. He can spot a bird out of a tree quite quickly.

After lunch, we walked around Castle Island and enjoyed the great weather. There was a perfect breeze to cool us off. We even changed his diaper al fresco which he seemed to enjoy looking up at the trees. After our walk, Alyson & Grammie wanted to bring him down to the water. It would be interesting to see how he would do with the sand/water. As expected, he wouldn't put his feet down but he did love feeling the water with his feet or hands.

Alexander showed off his walking and with Grampie's help even chased some birds around. The playground was a bit busy, but maybe next time he'll be able to go and play. Hopefully this will be something we do several times this summer as it's a perfect place to hang out on a summer's day.