Photo Recap...

Picture Recap (Monday, September 15th - Sunday, September 21st)

(he was not blinking here ... this is an actual look he'll give us when he thinks we're being ridiculous)
He was waving at himself in his reflection in the car...

Weekly Glance...

Weekly Glance (Monday, September 15th - Sunday, September 21st)

• Overall had a good week at school
• Woke up around 5a-5:15am every day this week
• Bedtime was usually around 7:30pm with a few minor meltdowns where he didn't want to take a bath
• Grampie was over Monday night (working on the computer) and Alexander couldn't get enough of him
• Went to vote with Mommy Tuesday night
• Had several meltdowns this week (another post topic)
• Loves to lick things now - thankfully most of it is food
• Grammie & Grampie babysat Friday night so Mommy & Daddy could have a date night
• Played outside with Grammie & Grampie in his new wagon...loves getting in & out and then pushing it across the yard
• Had his 18 Month Dr. Appt (didn't go all that well, post below)
• Alexander did NOT want to be in the same room as Dr. M
• Went to the Mall on Saturday with Mommy after Dr Appt to get out of house and keep him occupied (We were there for 3 hours and we left there empty-handed...so sad!)
• Went to Davis Mega Maze & Apple Picking with Grammie, Grampie, Gary, Sharon & the kids on Sunday
• Has a few new words but we'll save that for the 18 Month post

Pictures are back!!!...

Because my Dad is absolutely fantastic - I have a computer again! And not only that - it's so much better than the old one. Dad ROCKS the house!

I have made sure to finally upload all of the pictures I've taken in September (yup, I'm that far back) today and I am now ready to post them for all of you who have been so patient.

Not only that - because I have a computer that is much faster, hopefully I'll be able to get all my posts in that I haven't been able to do. So hopefully Monday will be full of reading & viewing for you.

**Note: You may have to scroll back because I'm going to put them on the normal date I would post them so they don't get lost and I don't get confused as to what I still have to post!

New England Fall Fun...

Today Alexander & I went Davis Farm again. This time we went to the Mega Maze & Apple Picking...some good ole fashion New England Fall good times! We went with Grammie, Grampie, Gary, Sharon & the kids. The kids were great with Alexander, Claire especially wanting to hold his hand and make sure he was okay. The weather was great, if not a bit warm because we weren't dressed for it to be *that* nice out.

We started with the Maze to try to beat the crowds. I had Alexander in the stroller and that made the Maze a bit challenging with the bridges, so finally I took him out and we took turns holding him or dragging the stroller. Grammie, Grampie, Alexander & I only made it half way. It was getting too hot and close to lunch so we left through the "emergency exit". We went to have some lunch and wait for Gary, Sharon & the kids before we went over for apple picking.

They were doing Helicopter Rides and it was pretty cool to be THAT close to them - Alexander loved watching them take off, fly over & land! They finished up and the kids played a bit with Alexander and we took silly pictures of our "victory". Then we headed over to the orchards (right across the parking lot from the Petting Zoo/Splash Zone).

It was a bit hard for Alexander to walk due to the long grass and all of the apples on the ground but he had fun with Claire. He was picking apples and putting them in the bag. Then as I was picking one from the tree, he picked one from a branch and ate it on his own. It was VERY cute. I took a bite of it so he could eat the good stuff...he wasn't all that keen on biting it but he loved the taste and to suck on it. He also wanted to lick it...so I would take a new bite and then he would lick that section.

Overall a very nice day!

And probably my favorite picture of the entire day:

Meltdowns...

This week, Alexander has been on a meltdown kick. The slightest things can set him off. One minute he's all excited to have pancakes & sit in his chair for breakfast. Then you try to snap him in and he flops all around.

Sometimes the meltdowns are small and easy to let pass, but other times he'll just kick, scream, cry for a good 20 minutes. He doesn't want to be held, but he doesn't want you to leave him alone either. So I end up sitting on the floor next to him so he can come over and flop on me if he so desires. Sometimes he needs to get it out of his system on the floor and then he'll come sit on my lap and cuddle for a bit and then cry some more.

We mentioned the meltdowns at the Dr appt yesterday and they both told us that the best thing to do is to let them get it out of their system. Let them cry, scream & fuss just make sure they're in a safe place where they're not going to hurt themselves. And to just sit next to them on their level telling them it's okay until the meltdown has passed. And thankfully, that's exactly what I have been doing.

Today he had two meltdowns all before 9am...Guess the terrible Twos & Threes came to our house early.

18 Month Dr Appointment...

Alexander had his 18 Month Dr appointment today. Meltdown. That's the best word to describe it. It was only Alexander & Drew (Kate left the group/practice and we don't know where Lucas was) so it should have been pretty easy & lowkey.

At first, Alexander & Drew were playing just fine and sometimes with each other. Lee came in to get things started and we were filling her in with updates. Dr. M joined us shortly after. And then things changed. Alexander panicked. He started to cry and it quickly escalated to silent screams of hysteria. Both Dan & I tried to calm him down and although he wanted both of us to hold him, he was not able to calm down. Dan took him out of the room and he calmed down. After a bit, Dan brought him back in but Dr. M was not there so Alexander was fine. But Dr. M was just going out to get his scale & other tools. As soon as Dr. M walked back in the room, Alexander ran over, clung to my body and started to cry again. Poor little guy probably thought he was getting more shots.

And I've noticed that when Alexander is excited (happy, sad, upset, etc) and I'm holding him, he'll pinch me quite hard! I have the bruises to prove it.

Because they weren't getting shots, this was going to be quick especially with just two of them. Dr. M went over to Drew to check him out & weigh him. Drew was pretty good except for a little fuss at the scale part. This whole time Alexander is FREAKING out. We're talking meltdown to the Nth degree.

Dr. M comes over and asks me to hold him as best as I can. He checks his ears, chest, and measures his head. He checks his stomach and abdomen and said everything looks good. Alexander does have a slight cold (sniffles/congestion) but there's nothing in his chest and his ears look fine. Then it's time to weigh him. Yeah... Alexander was having no part of that! We tried and tried and tried. Nothing. The best weight we could get was 23lbs but that's what he was at his 15 Month appt (22 lbs 15 oz) so we're not going by that. Maybe sometime this week, I'll call Lee to see if I can pop in after work when Dr M has a patient so Alexander won't see him and try to weigh him that way.

Overall - an interesting experience but a major meltdown for the books!

Back to School Outfit...

Grandma & Grandpa C sent Alexander a new outfit for "school". It's a cute little track suit that has a Winnie the Pooh on the jacket that lights up. Alexander lost interest in the light but still looked pretty darn cute in the outfit. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa, these are just for you!

Civic Duty...

Last night, Alexander partook in his first of many duties as an American. He went to the polls & voted!

Okay so he didn't vote - but he came with me as I did. He was super quiet and just took the whole thing in. There wasn't a lot of people there but the people working thought he was cute.

Well that goes without saying...

So one vote down ... 16 1/2 years until he can do it himself.

Sad Blog Note...

I am sad to report that there will be no weekly pictures uploaded. The computer is in a transition phase. I hope to get the pictures onto a separate CD so I can upload them Monday night for you.

I apologize profusely for those of you who depend on this to get you through your Monday Blues (Sorry, Mom!) Again, I hope to have these uploaded tonight for your viewing pleasure.

If it makes you feel better, I don't like not having them either...

EDITED TO ADD: Pictures are back up!

Photo Recap Flashback...Week Ending 9/14 #1

Photo Recap (Monday, September 8th - Sunday, September 14th, 2008)

Photo Recap Flashback...Week Ending 9/14 #2

Photo Recap (Monday, September 8th - Sunday, September 14th, 2008)


Alexander likes to walk on his hands now ... don't know where this came from, but he enjoys it!

Weekly Glance...

Weekly Glance (Monday, September 8th - Sunday, September 15th)

• Still getting up early (5-5:30am) every morning but also going to sleep by 7:30pm most nights
• Had a good week at school
• Ate well this week with all of his regulars (PB & Jelly, Hot Dogs, Grilled Cheese). Also had some pasta and liked it
• Loves feeding himself and then have you wipe his mouth with your finger so he can eat off your finger (careful he doesn't bite)
• Woke up @ 4am on Wednesday and wanted no part of going back to sleep no matter what we tried
• Did well on Wednesday (took a 2 1/2 hour nap) @ school despite being up so early
• Played outside at school - loves playing in the little house or pushing around the car
• Ms Danielle said that the kids in Alexander's class (Alexander included) were learning how to push each other
• Loves chasing Daddy around the living room or the 1st floor
• When he takes a bath loves to swim on his belly and he's learning how to blow bubbles in the water without actually drinking it
• Went to the Petting Zoo with Daddy, Uncle Matt & Cousin Michael on Saturday
• Went to get pictures taken for 18 Months on Sunday with Mommy, Alyson & Grammie
• Wanted NO part of pictures - he wanted to be held and wouldn't sit still. We took a break and he was able to play with fake apples and that got him a little happier
• Had french fries & tried Mommy's caesar salad and appeared to like it as he tried to eat the whole thing

18 Month Pictures...

Today we (Mommy, Alyson & Grammie) took Alexander to get his 18-Month photos taken. You would never know it by looking at these pictures but he wanted NO PART of sitting there, getting his picture taken, or god forbid posing! He wanted one of us to hold him, and then he would want someone else to hold him.

We tried all the tricks and nothing worked. The fact that we actually got 23 pictures total (we only picked 6 out of those 23) is remarkable because he was one fussy little guy. And the weird thing is that he had a great nap right before.

We took the first few shots of him sitting down and he was okay but then gave up quickly. Plus the photographer didn't seem all that patient. I'll never understand why a person who is not patient would work as a photographer for kids. Plus, she kept trying to pose him even though we said he won't pose and we don't really want the poses in the pictures. Finally he gave up. we agreed we'd take a break, walk around and come back to finish.

After our break, we came back and the original girl was on break (whew) so we got Michelle who was very nice. She was also patient with him and willing to help us out. Finally, Alexander found a basket of fake apples and was interested in those. So we decided to use them as props. He was much happier when he realized he could throw the apples around. We would put them on the ladder and he would throw them and then clap. Made for much better pictures...

I'm very happy with how they turned out especially considering he was being a nudge. Plus, he looks so cute and actually looks like himself (unlike his 12 month photoshoot). Enjoy...

Itsy Bitsy...

As mentioned before Alexander has learned another song at school 'itsy bitsy spider'. He loves to make the hand gestures of the spider crawling up the water spout. Thankfully he has a little itsy bitsy spider book that we read every night before bed.

Most nights he wants me to sing the song and do the hand gestures together. And then when I'm done he'll clap and ask to do it again. It's also a cute song we can sing in the car when he's starting to get fussy.

We've been doing this song alot before bed and he still gets a huge kick out of the hand gestures.

Potty Training...

Alexander may have started potty training without being asked...

Wednesday night, we were giving Alexander his bath like we always do. We were finishing up and letting the water drain out. Alexander was standing there (I was holding onto him) and all of a sudden he started to pee in the bathtub. He seemed a bit confused and then thought he was supposed to do something with his hand as he went to help himself. Thankfully he didn't pee on his hands. But for the first time he didn't do all that bad.

Then Thursday night, we were getting the tub ready. Alexander was standing waiting patiently. Daddy took off the diaper and then all of a sudden I noticed Alexander was standing outside of the tub and was peeing on the floor - while standing. This time he was holding onto the tub.

We got two days in a row of him peeing while standing. This is by NO MEANS a time to start potty training, but something I thought was cute & funny. And it allowed me to clean the tub & floor which is never a bad thing for me.

One Week Down...

One whole week has passed without a pacifier.

We've had some very early mornings that would normally be small blimps if he had his pacifier.

The car rides haven't been that bad (except for the vomit one).

We may be on our way ... time to hide the others.

Housekeeping Note...

Due to some computer issues - I'm only going to be able to post one batch of photos rather than my normal two. I'll try to get more posted during the week when the computer is cooperative.

For right now, these are pictures taken in the beginning part of the week. Thanks for your understanding.

Photo Flashback...Week Ending 9/7

Picture Recap (Monday, September 1st - September 7th, 2008)*

*These pictures are from Monday, Sept 1st (Labor Day) and Sunday, Sept 7th as this was the week the computer started going downhill. Note: Pictures were not taken on Saturday, September 6th as Mommy had the camera and forgot to tell Daddy about the other camera. This was the 4th day in Alexander's life where we did not get a picture of him -April 1st & 6th, 2007 and May 16th & Sept 6th, 2008 are the missing picture days.

Playing in/on/around a box we got from the store and it became an indoor sled!

Here he was putting the suntan lotion on his legs all by himelf...I'd put a small amount on his hands, and he'd rub it on his legs - doing a good job I might add.

Sunday - chillin' at home with Daddy, watching football (he does touchdown now on his own)