4th of July Fun...

We (Mommy, Daddy, Alexander & Alyson) went into Boston for our annual 4th of July celebration: lunch @ Vinny Ts and then walked around Back Bay and ended up at the Frog Pond. Alexander loved being in the water at the Frog Pond. Next year, we're thinking we may try to stay for the fireworks to see how Alexander does.

Alyson found a lost little boy at the Frog Pond. That was quite scary but thankfully we were able to find his parents. I did ask the little boy what his Mommy's name was and his answer was "Mommy". Obviously!
Dan was quite angry at the parents for losing their child and we were a bit surprised that they weren't appreciative. I even questioned the parents and asked if they were the kid's parents because he didn't run to them but he did say they were his parents. It was so scary at first thinking that we wouldn't find them and I couldn't imagine just dropping this kid off at a security guard. I was certainly planning on waiting until we found his mother. Thankfully it all worked out.

Besides the little lost boy moment, we had a great day. The weather cooperated, lunch was good, we all had fun.

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th!

Successful...

The first full day without bottles was successful!

He did well – no major issues. The morning routine turned out to be fine, no major fights or complaints from Alexander.
Bedtime was okay. You could tell he was looking for something and couldn't necessarily figure out what was different. He wouldn’t cuddle immediately but I could tell he was sleepy. He was in his crib for a bit and even doing his "sleepy" noises. However, we got a ginormous thunderstorm and his teeth seemed to start to bother him at the same time. So I rocked him for a bit but he did fall asleep again all before 8p.

I would say fairly successful since there were not temper tantrums or screaming for a bottle. There's no going back now.

Last Hoorah...

So we did it. No more bottles. Alexander had his last bottle last night before bed.

I decided that July 1st was the cut off point to transition from bottles. He never has been one to cling to his bottle or scream if he can't have it, so I figured this won't be that much of an issue. He transitioned very well from his day bottles to sippy cups, so we'll see how this goes.

Dad gave him his morning milk in a sippy cup rather than a bottle and he did okay with it. He was a bit fussy but that could also be his two top teeth coming in. When I asked him to sit down and drink his milk, he did so without a huge production.

Tonight will be the final moment to see just how well he does when I don't give him a bottle before bed. Last night I did explain that big boys don't use bottles anymore but they drink from cups. And when I asked him if he was ready to put away the bottle, he did nod his head yes. If he actually understood me, we'll just wait and see. But we have a bedtime schedule that we'll just tweak just a bit so he should be okay. It might be interesting at first, but he'll adapt quick.

Picture Recap...

Picture Recap (Monday, June 23rd - Sunday, June 29th, 2008)

Picture Recap...

Picture Recap (Monday, June 23rd - Sunday, June 29th, 2008)

I promise, Alexander is laughing in this picture on the grass. He would lean back and roll on the grass and just laugh.

Week Glance...

Week Glance (Monday, June 23rd - Sunday, June 29th, 2008)

• He did great at school this week
• We walked into school & his class every day since Tuesday
• He ate well - ate all of his lunch almost every day and did great with his milk each day
• Did well with napping this week at school
• Has gone back to all new outfits due to all the new summer clothes he has now
• Did two coloring papers for Mommy
• Woke up around 5:30am most mornings except when he woke up at 4:30am on Saturday, but he slept til 6a on Sunday
• Giving him baths in the big tub without his little tub and he either wants to stand or splash around that makes him slide around - it's been interesting
• 15 Month Check-up with Dr. M (he's still the littlest one in our group)
• Uncle Matt came to visit for the weekend
• Played outside on his slide & with bubbles with Mommy, Daddy & Uncle Matt
• Took his longest nap ever on Saturday - 3 1/2 months
• Another tooth (on top) is starting to break through
• Went out to dinner with Mommy, Daddy & Uncle Matt where he ate all of his hot dog & flirted with the waitresses (his 'girlfriend' was there)
• Daddy suggested to let him try the lime from my water and it was HYSTERICAL! We should try it again and get it on video. He would taste it, make a pucker face and then belly laugh and then taste it again and do it all over again. We could not stop laughing at the table because he was so funny
• Doesn't necessarily want his own ice cream or interested in the cone but will eat some of mine
• Also tried different kinds of fruit and he wasn't at all interested
• Daddy & Alexander took their weekly Sunday walk to Dunkin Donuts & then to the gazebo to play
• Over to Uncle Steven & Aunt Carolyn's house to visit
• Loved chasing after Aunt Carolyn's cat, Bella. He was pretty gentle with her, but did occassionally pull at her tail (Bella was very patient with him)
• Swam in the pool but wasn't fond of it at first...and didn't want Daddy to hold him
• Mommy held him from the side and he instantly knew how to tread water with his arms & legs
• Played with the little car outside and like to play with the steering wheel or open & close the door
• Didn't want hamburger but would eat just plain ketchup on his fork, but couldn't get a hot dog in fast enough
• We tried the "lime" thing again and he would eat it but didn't laugh out loud like he did yesterday
• Aunt Carolyn helped give him a tubby since we were over there later than we expected - he wanted to stand at first, but eventually he let us wash him
• He says "oooh" if you ask him what the cow says. He can also mimic you if you woof like a dog and meow like a kitty
• He'll put up his hands, over his head, if you ask him "how big is Alexander"

So Big...

I mentioned that Alexander will put up his hands if you ask how big is Alexander...and then we reply with "SO BIG"...we got that on video. Enjoy!

Holy Nap...

Not that I wish a 4:30am wake up call on us every day... but it's 3:30pm and Alexander is *JUST* now waking up from his nap (I put him down @ 12:05pm)

3 1/2 hours!!

That's the longest nap he's ever taken...impressive.

Fifteen Month Check-Up...

Alexander had his 15 month check-up today with Dr. M. Everything is going well. It was a fairly quick appointment considering there were 4 babies (sorry, toddlers) and they all got shots.

It was fun & interesting to see them all interact with each other or completely ignore one another. Overall, Dan & I agreed that they are all on par with each other. Some may walk better than others, another has more words in their vocabulary, but for the most part they're all in line. There were no major surprises or incidents, so it really wasn't that crazy.

Alexander woke up @ 4:30am this morning, so Dan & I were expecting a very cranky appointment, but he was really well behaved. In fact, he sat on my lap on the floor for a good chunk of time. Just peacefully sitting there drinking his milk. Dan & I were amazed at how relaxed he was. He never just sits there. Another interesting point was when Dr. M was sitting with each baby checking ears, measuring, etc, Alexander would just stand there and watch in awe. Kate (another baby) would do the same thing and just keep trying to peek around Dr. M to see what he was doing.

As for measurements, Alexander is still the smallest of the group by far! Drew & Kate were 29 & 28 lbs respectively and Lucas was around 25/26 lbs. Alexander wasn't quite there. Same thing with the height & head. Alexander was 3 inches shorter than Lucas and 4 than Drew & Kate.

Alexander's info:
21 lbs 15.8oz
30"
45.1 cm (head)

Alexander got 2 shots and hated every second of it. He screamed bloody murder. He got the last of the Dtap & HiB. He also got the shot for Rubella as we did decide to split up the MMR vaccine into 3 separate ones to help be proactive in eliminating any possible risk of autism being linked to the MMR vaccine. (I believe we were the only ones who decided to do it that way) He has to go back in July & August for the Measles & Mumps shot. But then no more shots until he's 4, so hopefully that won't cause a fear of the doctor with shots every time. Overall a good visit and we go back in September for the 18 Month Check-up.

I know there is medical evidence to show the MMR vaccine is not linked to autism but then there are other things that show me that it's too much of a coincidence of the timing and how babies change. This is more solid piece of mind for us that if we can work to prevent something that will allow Alexander's life to remain healthy & happy, then as a Mom, I'm going to do it.

When did he become a little boy...

Every morning when we pull up to school, Alexander starts to scream with excitement. He'll shake and screech. This morning was no different. After I parked the car, I went to take him out of his car seat and stood him up so I could get his lunch bag. He stood there patiently, and then put up his hand for me to hold his hand. Then we walked into school for the first time (without me holding him) and he was so excited. He stood by the door as I entered the code and then did his shake when we turned the corner. He would wave to anyone who walked by and he even blew Ginny’s mom a few kisses. She just stood there repeating “awww”.

Then he walked up to his old room when he saw Ms. Dawn and gave her a high five and then went into his room and walked right over to Ms. Rose and started playing and giving her hugs, who commented that she just adores his hugs. He was obviously in a really good mood this morning.

Just thought I'd share as I'm not sure when Alexander turned into a little boy... but it's so much fun to watch & go along for the ride.

Picture Recap...

Picture Recap (Monday, June 16th - Sunday, June 22nd, 2008)

Picture Recap...

Picture Recap (Monday, June 16th - Sunday, June 22nd, 2008)

Week Glance...

Week Glance (Monday, June 16th - Sunday, June 22nd, 2008)

• Turned 15 Months!
• Walking every where like a mad-man
• Woke up early (5am) often this week, but thankfully most of those mornings he would babble & play in his crib
• Woke up at 1:20am Sunday morning and wouldn't go back to sleep until 3am - I tried rocking, cuddling, bringing him in bed but he was awake and wanted to play. Finally he started to rub his eyes and I put him in his crib where he cried it out a bit before he fell back to sleep (made for a very early morning @ 5:30am)
• Had a good week at school - really getting the hang of the room and there is less crying/fussing when I drop him off; lately he's played shy and will rest his head on my shoulder as he warms up
• Took good naps all week & actually ate well too (ate all of his lunch for most of the week)
• Got really dirty on Thursday by playing in the sandbox. He was COVERED head to toe in Sand - as soon as I got him home, we put him in the tub
• Took a bath in the big tub without his tub in there and had a ball splashing & sliding around
• Played outside almost every day at school & on Friday, walked to the playground holding Ms. MaryJo's hand for the first time rather than using the stroller
• Grammie & Grampie helped pick Alexander up from school on Friday as they babysat Friday night so Mommy & Daddy could go to Kirk & Deanna's for dinner
• Went for their Daddy/Alexander bonding walk Saturday morning - got breakfast, went to the town gazebo, then played at the playground
• Played outside on Saturday and played with his bubble machine
• Went for a walk Saturday afternoon with Mommy & Daddy - got some ice cream. He had some but didn't devour it, even if we let him eat it himself
• Went out to lunch & errands on Sunday with Mommy & Daddy
• Did very well eating his own pizza, but was Mr. Nosey watching the table next to us
• Took 2 naps both Saturday & Sunday and Mommy & Daddy did not initiate the morning nap - he was plum-tuckered out and cuddled up on my lap and fell asleep both times

PS - Posts Added

I updated posts with the Zoo & Father's Day