Picture Recap...

Picture Recap (Monday, August 31st - Sunday, September 7th, 2008)

Week Glance...

Week Glance (Monday, August 31st - Sunday, September 7th, 2008)

• Had a good week at school - played outside every day. Loves playing in the little house
• Alexander got a new teacher at school, Ms. Caitlin. She's very sweet and seems outgoing which is nice. Ms Caitlin is going to be helping Ms. Mary Jo
• No school/work on Monday for Labor Day
• Matt, Laura & Michael came over for a mini cookout in the afternoon
• Alexander & Michael played 'around' each other but didn't ignore each other - a few more times playing together and they'll be good friends
• After our cookout, we went to get ice cream at Swirls & Scoops. Alexander actually had some and didn't spit it out
• His pacifier broke which meant two things: either use a new one or wean. He didn't realize it but he chose the wean option
• No pacifier has made for an interesting bedtime but he hasn't been that bad, it just takes a bit longer for him to settle himself down
• Tuesday night (1st night of no pacifier) was really hard. Took him 90 minutes to calm down and fall asleep. We took turns rubbing his back and staying with him until he fell asleep finally at 8:40pm
• Got the last of his MMR shot which he was okay in the Dr office but hated the actual shot
• Got himself so worked up that he threw up for the first time in the car (this was the 2nd time he threw up but this one was pretty bad and the 1st time because he was so worked up)
• Alexander & Daddy had some male bonding time while Mommy went to go see about some boys...
• Woke up @ 5:30am on Saturday but went into bed with Daddy and slept til 7am
• Went to visit Matt, Laura & cousin Michael
• No pictures taken on Saturday September 6th (Mommy had the camera and forgot to tell Daddy the smaller one was at home)
• Sunday was a lowkey day at home - although he woke up VERY early @ 4:30am
• Was a bit of a picky eater over the weekend
• Had a Nilla wafer for the first time & enjoyed it
• Loves peanut butter & jelly sandwiches
• Actually knows how to snap with his fingers...99% of the time sound doesn't happen but he knows what to do. Impressive

Daddy & Alexander day...

Mommy had day planned so that meant Daddy & Alexander got to spend the day together.

Alexander woke up @ 5:30am, so Daddy brought him into bed where they both slept til 7am!
Then after some breakfast & playing they went to go visit Uncle Matt & Laura at their new place. Alexander & Michael got to play together again - two weekends in a row!

Alexander then had an early afternoon nap and hung out with Daddy. They played with blocks, chased each other around the house and went to the Mall to get out of the humid, muggy air.

Then as they were finishing dinner, Mommy came home and gave him a bath...what a nice way to spend a Saturday.

Rough Night...

Wednesday night we had Alexander's last MMR shot..I was a bit nervous since last time he was horrified and this time we didn't have a pacifier. Plus, a little boy just after a shot, in rush hour traffic with no pacifier does not a good time make.

He was actually okay at the doctor's office. He was trying to give Dr. M his fishy and waving. But as soon as Dr. M rubbed the alcohol swap, Alexander freaked out. His whole body turned into a giant 2x4 with flailing arms. The shot was super quick and after a brief moment or two of cuddling, Alexander fine. By the time we reached the receptionist desk, he was happy & waving.

The drive home was better than anticipated until we got 20 minutes out. Then he started to cry, scream & turn to hysterics. He was crying harder & harder. As I got off the exit, I thought to myself "wow, we're pretty lucky that he's never made himself sick with his crying". Well I jinxed it because when we were on our road, he was crying so hard that he got sick. Poor little guy threw up all over himself. It was something right out of the Exorcist!

I pulled in the driveway and tried to clean him up as much as I could in the car. We got inside but not easily as he was crying, screaming, & kicking. I got his clothes off and started the tub. I tried to give him water, let him walk, hold him - but nothing made him happy or calm down. He was probably crying for another 20 minutes once we got home. We were sitting on the tub and he was crying yet snuggling into me. As soon as I filled the tub, he calmed down and started to fall asleep. WHAT? After 40 minutes - he just falls asleep? Odd.

I sat on the tub for a bit then moved to the couch where he kept sleeping. Tried to bring him upstairs and he wanted no part of that. As soon as I came back down he fell asleep again. He slept on my lap for about 20 minutes and then woke up as if nothing happened. We played with his blocks, took a bath, read some books and then went to bed as if it was a normal evening.

Odd.

Uh Oh...

The moment has finally come.

We knew it would.

I just didn't know if we'd be ready when it happened.

I know Alexander's not ready - he proved that tonight.

The pacifier went buh-bye.

Yesterday, Alexander pulled out his pacifer and gave it to me but kept picking at it. I noticed that it was icky and that it wouldn't be much longer before it gave way. So I boiled it & cleaned it to try to make it better for him. I got home tonight and Dan pointed out the 'uh oh' factor. His pacifier got a whole in it. He's been sucking on it for so long that it was bound to break eventually. Now he has several other pacifiers - three of them are IDENTICAL to his current one. However, he refuses to use them. He knows that they're not HIS pacificer. They sound different, they smell different, and feel different. He won't even touch one of them.

We decided not to give him his current one because we don't want plastic breaking off and having him choking/swallowing it. So - he has two options. Get used to a new one which is the same kind or go without. We put both of his identical pacifiers in his crib tonight with him, but he kept refusing them.

The poor little guy was tired almost exhausted but he wouldn't fall asleep. He couldn't get comfortable no matter what he tried. I cuddled with him, then I put him in his crib and rubbed his back for about 20 minutes. I left and it was okay. Then 3 minutes later he screamed. He cried for 10 minutes. Finally I couldn't bare it anymore so I went back in to try to calm him down. I was in there for 25 minutes. I was convinced he was about to fall asleep several times. But alas no. Then he stood up and wanted to play. So I laid him down and rubbed his back again. I tried to sneak out but he wanted no part of that.

Dan went in this time. He was in there for 10 minutes and came out with a quiet Alexander. I was in awe. Then about 10 minutes later, Alexander started screaming again. I let him cry for about 5 minutes to see if he would calm himself down. No luck. I went up and rocked him to sleep. He fell asleep at 8:30. That's super late for him! It's now 9:45p and he's still asleep...fingers crossed.

Fingers crossed for the first day in the car without his pacifier!

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, August 25th - Sunday, August 31st, 2008)

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, August 25th - Sunday, August 31st, 2008)

Poor little guy thought he was being yelled at when someone said "No" even though it wasn't for him which is why he's pouting...but it's the cutest little pout

Weekly Glance...

Weekly Glance (Monday, August 25th - Sunday, August 31st, 2008)

• Woke up pretty early this week (5:30 most mornings)
• Had a good week at school - no major meltdowns
• Played outside everyday this week at school
• Tried to do a mini photoshoot after school on Monday but he wasn't all that cooperative
• Didn't want to go to bed on Monday or Tuesday which resulted in mini-meltdowns because he was overtired
• Celebrated Grammie's Birthday
• Does the hand gestures for "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
• This week during bath time he would put his face in the water and then I was showing him how to blow bubbles...we're still working on that one
• Went to Sierra's birthday party - got to play with their dog, Ginger
• Went for his morning walks with Daddy on Saturday and then with Mommy on Sunday
• Went to Castle Island with Mommy on Sunday - enjoyed the weather and the doggie-watching
• Does really well feeding himself with a spoon
• We have Monday off so Uncle Matt, Aunt Laura & cousin Michael are coming over since they have just moved up here from Baltimore...yah, Alexander will have a play friend who is close in age

Castle Island...

Alexander & I went to Castle Island again today. Daddy went to the TPC Golf and since it was beautiful out, we couldn't pass up the opportunity.

It was packed because it was so nice out...it took me a bit to find a place to park. Thankfully it was nice out because I parked a ways away. We walked over to Sullivan's to get hot dog & french fries. Alexander was more interested in the french fries this time ... can't blame him! These french fries are good!!

He loves this place as much as I do for three reasons:

*Planes

*Dogs

*Birds

People must think something is wrong because Alexander is constantly screaming...but it's because he's excited to see either a plane, dog or bird. He gets even happier when a dog comes up to the carriage.

We were walking around and I thought it would be fun to take him out of the stroller and run around for a bit. Silly me. He didn't want to get back into the stroller, he just wanted to run! Needless to say, he was a little mad at me when I put him back in the stroller so we could finish walking around and ultimately back to the car.

But the weather was perfect for a day at Castle Island...nice way to end Labor Day.

Itsy Bitsy...

Alexander has added another "song" to his repetoire.

He has a "Itsy Bitsy Spider" book and we went to read it the other night and as soon as a I started he was putting his hands together and moving them up towards the sky.

We sang the song together and acted out the words and he gets a huge kick out of "Out came the sun..."

The book has been added to our nightly reading list...

Arts & Crafts...

Last weekend, I tried to have a little Arts & Crafts afternoon with Alexander. I figured he'd love it as I get all sorts of crafts/coloring things from school. I got colored pencils, finger paint (washable), foamy shapes & letters, pom-poms, crayons, coloring books, construction paper, and a doodle pad.

Plenty of good stuff.

He sat there and gave me the look of "you're crazy lady". He wanted no part of it. He did manage to stick 3 foam stickers to a piece of paper on his own. He also took a couple crayons and scribbled for a nanosecond.

I thought okay maybe he's not into coloring today, but he'll love painting! Yah, wrong. He would barely touch the paint. So now I want to know what kid is coloring on Alexander's papers and they're passing them off as his own works of art! (heehee)

Grammie's Birthday...

Here are a few pics from Grammie's birthday:

Singing Happy Birthday














About ready to blow out the candles














Helping Grammie open presents














Deciding to just get in here and do it himself

Grammie's Birthday

Today was Grammie's birthday and to help celebrate Grammie, Grampie & Alyson came over for dinner & cake.

I plan on adding pictures shortly...

At first Alexander was in a fine mood as he had an audience to entertain. But we were a bit more relaxed on the bedtime routine and because of that we suffered a wee bit. A someone little did not want to take a bath, put on PJs, or just go to bed in general. But the wee little lad certainly needed to go to bed. Poor little guy had a little meltdown but I finally got him calmed down while in his crib enough for him to put his head down. Once there he fell right to sleep!

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, August 18th - Sunday, August 24th, 2008)

Photo Recap...

Photo Recap (Monday, August 18th - Sunday, August 24th, 2008)

Weekly Recap...

Weekly Recap (Monday, August 18th - Sunday, August 24th, 2008)

This week was a busy week!

• Hit the 17 Months Mark
• Seemed to be an early riser this week, getting up around 5a or 5:30am, although he did sleep til 6am on Saturday!
  Did okay this week at school but did have a few days where he had minor meltdowns
• Played outside at school every day and loved it - went down the slide and played with his friends in the little house
• His naps were inconsistent this week - some were normal 2 hours, others were only a bit over an hour
• This was Ginny's last week at school as she is moving away (aww)
• Had an excellent week with eating with his spoon, getting most of it in his mouth
• Went to Davis Farm Petting Zoo/Splash Zone with Mommy & Daddy on Wednesday
• Had two pony rides this week!
• Got to see lots of animals (sheep, goats, horses, cows, llamas, ducks, bunnies, pigs) and he was not that afraid to feed them or touch them
• Cute moment before the fair...we were standing in my parents kitchen getting ready to leave. Alexander was standing in the middle of the 4 of us and put his arms up. He spun from one person to the next, to the next and to the next not knowing which one he wanted to have pick him up. He spun a few times and seemed excited yet frustrated all at the same time...we got a huge chuckle out of the situation
• Went to Marshfield Fair with Mommy & Daddy and Grammie & Grampie
• Loved to watch the trains go by
• In awe of the big kid rides at the fair and would just watch them go around & around
• Was in a good mood at the fair despite no nap, thankfully he napped (short one) at Grammie & Grampie's
• Got to have cheese puffs for the third weekend in a row and got so excited when he was shown a plate of cheese puffs and he couldn't contain his excitement
• Went for the usual Sunday morning walk with Daddy for breakfast to the gazebo
• Mommy, Daddy & Alexander went for a walk Sunday afternoon where he actually put a spoon full of ice cream in his mouth but he wasn't crazy for it
• The main food staples this week were PB & J, hot dogs, grilled cheese, pizza

Pony Rides...

Not one but, count 'em, two pony rides this week! This is one lucky little boy!

First one at Davis Farm, here with Daddy:

Then with Grammie, at the Marshfield Fair: